'Bridgerton' Is Not Just A Romance — Here's What Some People Are Getting Wrong

The Netflix series is a lot more complex than viewers are giving it credit for.

The upstairs and downstairs worlds of Netflix’s “Bridgerton” collide quite literally in the final moments of Season 4’s first half when Benedict (Luke Thompson), the second-oldest and most bohemian brother in the esteemed Bridgerton family, passionately kisses Sophie Beck (Yerin Ha), an illegitimate maid, on the middle landing of the house’s back staircase.

After four episodes of uncharacteristic pining, it seems that Benedict is finally besotted. “The truth is I stay away because you consume me,” he pulls back to tell Sophie while the momentum of an orchestral rendition of Olivia Rodrigo’s “bad idea right?” heightens the heat of the moment. The music fades just as Benedict asks a question that Sophie expects to be a romantic proposal, but proves to be a rakish request. “Sophie,” he whispers, “be my mistress.”

Immediately, the music fades, the heat cools, and Sophie leaves him on the dark staircase to return to her downstairs role. Benedict’s unanswered question and her obvious disappointment serve as the mid-season cliffhanger, and it is reminiscent of the post-carriage marriage proposal of his brother Colin (Luke Newton) midway through Season 3. While Benedict’s request is of a different nature altogether, it does seem to be the only realistic way forward for a cross-class couple during the Regency era. Chemistry and longing aside, a maid will never be a suitable match for a member of the ton.

This is the dose of reality that plagues Benedict and Sophie’s love story, and it is a reminder that “Bridgerton” is not simply a romance. After the first part aired, the show received criticism for this fact. Some argued that the last few seasons have evolved into “ensemble dramas” that have developed a distinctive universe that has left “Bridgerton” “stuck in the matrix,” unable to satiate viewers looking for the same romantic catharsis of a true romance like “Heated Rivalry.” However, “Bridgerton” has never been such a show. It has always strived to situate a steamy romance within a larger social context that parallels aspects of viewers’ own world.

Benedict and Sophie follow this pattern. While the romantic storyline of one of the siblings serves as the anchor of each season, it always exists within a larger social context and the conflict that necessitates because, as Shonda Rhimes constantly reminds viewers, romance is always political. This is just as true in her breakout hit “Grey’s Anatomy” with its “dirty mistresses club” as it is in the extramarital affair that drives her presidential drama, “Scandal.” The reality of what Rhimes is doing simply becomes more apparent as the show evolves, and she builds upon the world Julia Quinn created in the book series.