Just a month after the season 4 finale, Shondaland makes a big reveal. They disclose which Bridgerton sibling will be the lead for season 5.
This will not be the first time Francesca (Hannah Dodd) is spotlighted in the series. It will be her second chance at finding love. Her first chance was after the sudden death of her husband, John Stirling (Victor Alli).
Starring alongside Dodd for season 5 will be Masali Baduza, who plays John’s close cousin, Michaela Striling. In the book series, Michaela was Michael, while the Netflix series took liberties with gender bending the roles.
Francesca was the queen’s favorite in season 3, having two love interests before marrying John in a small wedding. At the end of the season, Michaela, Francesca, and her sister, Eloise, prepared to travel to Scotland. While book readers anticipated Michaela as Francesca’s next love interest, viewers saw Francesca become tongue-tied upon meeting Michaela.
In season 4, Francesca and John adjust to newlywed life and host Michaela’s return to society. John later dies after suffering several headaches, leaving Francesca to cope with his loss and face fertility issues.
We saw Francesca and Michaela’s friendship grow this season. It took us by surprise when Michaela left London without telling Francesca. So why did she leave, and why did she come back?
Many viewers, including myself, wonder how executive producers are going to portray a same-sex relationship during this era in London.
Some historians say that relationships between women during this era could be framed as “romantic friendships.” These “emotional bonds” between women include shared households. They also involve devoted letters and companionship.
If done discreetly, the relationship could be tolerated, but if it became public, it could lead to ostracism.
“Bridgerton” is a Netflix show based on Julia Quinn’s steamy Regency-era book series. It centers around the Bridgerton family. The show follows their quest to find love during the social season.
Out of the eight siblings, we have seen Anthony, Benedict, Colin, Daphne, and Francesca get their love stories. Well, almost all of them.
I wished that season 5 would focus on Eloise instead. We have seen her grow from a naive teen to a young woman in society. Eloise has claimed that she is a shelf on the wall, but we all know that her mother would never let that happen.
With her older and now younger siblings finding their love match, I can imagine how lonely Eloise must feel.
We first saw this in season 3 when Colin gets married to her best friend, Penelope. Eloise mentioned to Cressida Cowper that she and Penelope made a pact to never marry and to be spinsters together.
Later on in the season, Eloise and Benedict have a talk outside on the swings. Benedict tells her that he noticed a change in her since the news of Colin and Pen getting married. He assures her that he would be there for her.
Then in season 4, Eloise and Benedict are back at the same swing. Eloise told her older brother that he chose to leave her. He joined the rest of the family in the pursuit of getting married. This decision left her lonely yet again.
I hope that in season 5, there will be some attention on the outspoken Bridgerton sister. This will put Eloise in the perfect position to take on season 6.
Even though there is no release date for the upcoming season, the previous four seasons of “Bridgerton” are on Netflix.