Bridgerton [US Drama] - Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story - 4 May 2023 [Current]

[Jane]

 

 

 

Synopsis

The eight close-knit siblings of the Bridgerton family look for love and happiness in London high society. Inspired by Julia Quinn's bestselling novels.

 

Broadcast Details

Network: Netflix

Production Company: Shondaland

Broadcast Date: 25 December 2020 [All episodes]

Episode Count: 8

 

Official Trailer

 

 

 

 

Book readers joining the thread, do be careful about our knowledge from the books that may serve as spoilers! Use the spoiler option if you are unsure to be on the safe side!

 

Edited May 7, 2023 by abs-oluteM

[Jane]

Seeing all 8 Bridgertons and Violet in live-action! Who knew this day would come!

 

 

[abs-oluteM]

@Jane I just saw the trailer....oooo ...

The last time watched a drama like this was probably Downton Abbey...

Did you start yet? Was it good?

[JenL]

Ahhhh, my other weakness aside from Kdramas is British period dramas! I'm totally going to watch this one 

[Jane]

3 hours ago, abs-oluteM said:

@Jane I just saw the trailer....oooo ...

The last time watched a drama like this was probably Downton Abbey...

Did you start yet? Was it good?

 

I intend to start tonight!

 

Yay @JenLwatch with me!

[Chocolate]

Oooh I loved Julia Quinn's Bridgerton series ❤ One of the best Regency authors. And now they've made it into a drama series with Shonda Rhimes at that! Hope it is good!

 

 

In the first book, The Duke & I, Simon Basset, the Duke, had a painful childhood. If I remember correctly, he could not speak for a period and that led to great disappointment and "mental abuse" from his father. It was important during that era, for Dukes to pass their legacy to their son. So a "defective" one was a great blow. But our hero overcame it of course. He then meets the sister of his friend, Daphne Bridgerton, at a ball. She is pressured to get married, as is the norm for girls who are still single a few years after their debut. So they cook up a scheme for the Duke to court her, so that she looks more eligible LOL. And they fall in love...

 

In the drama, Simon Basset is now a young black man. Nothing against that but it does take some getting used to - I read a lot of historical/regency romances and they are all white, especially with the discrimination during that period. Guess they are trying to be politically correct and of course, this is produced by Shonda Rhimes, who also did the acclaimed "How To Get Away With Murder" and "Scandal".

 

Looking forward! This is making me want to re-read all the books, except I am now bogged down by BinJin fanfics LOL!

 

Edited December 26, 2020 by Chocolate

[Jane]

I just completed the first episode! My live reaction thread about it. I consciously tried to keep spoilers out so you are safe to read it.

 

Book readers will recognise about 60% of the elements in the Netflix adaption. Rest of my thoughts in spoilers because it includes info from the books, some of it is an expounding of my live reacts.

 

Spoiler

I would say that book readers would recognise about 60% of the elements in this Netflix adaption. The new 40% would include:

• How the Show led towards Daphne being not as popular she should have been with the Queen's favour. Daphne's debut was never in the books and Queen Charlotte is a new character for the Show. Not sure how to feel about this yet because the royal family never featured in the books so I am not sure how they intend to to play this out.
• The timeline and circumstances of how Daphne and Anthony meet are also quite different but I must say, it does create more tension and layers an enemies-to-lover trope over the original fake relationship plot line. And how well that tension and chemistry is between Daphne and Simon! So hot!
• The dialogue is much more dramatic than I expected. The books were always more on the romantic comedy side and the snarky conversations between the Bridgerton family was always one of the best things about the books. More scenes with like the ones Bridgerton Sisters is definitely something I am looking forward to. The dinner scene was quite true to form though. I love that!
• Daphne and Anthony actually have a more joke-y relationship in the books. And while he is protective and does scare of the suitors with the rest of the brothers, he doesn't come across like the idiot he is being here. I am so mad at him for not asking Daphne's opinion about Nigel Berbrooke and that Nigel was accepted to Anthony's conditions rather than Daphne. Dude, come on! In the books, Anthony actually rejected Nigel because he was so clearly unsuitable (and dumb) for Daphne.
• So yes, I am not liking Anthony very much at the current moment.
• The Netflix Violet is also not living up to my imaginations of Book Violet. In the books was much sassier and had a good relationship with all her children. It was weird to see her having that disagreement with Anthony and him being so against what she did. 
• Colin and Penelope! I love seeing them and Penelope's crush on him. Ahhhh! Theirs was my favourite book in the series. I don't think it will take place in this first season so I am just savouring the little crumbs we get. However it is so cruel to have to watch Penelope watch Colin court Marina. This was not in the books and I just ASFJJSFHJKLJGD.
• So far, no sign of Simon's backstory yet in Episode 1.

 

If anyone is watching - I want to know your thoughts about Marina! She is an absolute mystery at this point. She's pregnant?! But how and who? I know they are trying to point things to Colin. But I really really doubt it. If a gentleman gets a lady pregnant before marriage, honour dictates they are to marry immediately. And Colin Bridgerton is a gentleman. So its more likely it was a transgression that happened before Marina came to London, probably in love with a servant / farmer at her home in the country? And her debuting is part of trying to pass off an illegitimate child. Another theory I have is that she may also be Lord Featherington's illegitmate child that's why she lives in the country and the Fs are sponsoring her debut. It would be a similar-ish backstory to Sophie (from Benedict''s book An Offer from a Gentleman).

 

Overall I do like this very much. The world-building is excellent and the production team have picked up many details from the books and really brought it to life. The chemistry between Daphne and Simon is scorching. I didn't watch Downtown Abbey but I have seen stills and this definitely a more dynamic and colourful world than most period dramas! Seeing a beloved series being adapted is a novel experience for me. I stopped the HP movies after CoS and I never read GoT / LoTR. I will have to shake the book off as we get further into the series. Seems like lots more plot deviations will take place after reading the brief episode synopsis. 

 

Hi @Chocolate, come watch with me! There's actually a historical underlay to the diversity of the society we are seeing in this adaptation. It begins with Queen Charlotte herself! https://www.etonline.com/inside-queen-charlotte-real-biracial-backstory-seen-on-bridgerton-158222

[Chocolate]

Thanks @Jane Oh so the drama is not exactly like the books? That's interesting. Somehow I assumed that the romances of all 8 Bridgertons will be shown in the 8 episodes - silly of me because of course there is not enough time and as with most US dramas, there must be more seasons.

 

Will check out the link.

 

[abs-oluteM]

I am watching eps 1! Supposed to watch Sweet Home but it’s too late to be watching horror. So I clicked on this . .  I will read what you wrote afterwards @Jane

[Jane]

20 minutes ago, Chocolate said:

Thanks @Jane Oh so the drama is not exactly like the books? That's interesting. Somehow I assumed that the romances of all 8 Bridgertons will be shown in the 8 episodes - silly of me because of course there is not enough time and as with most US dramas, there must be more seasons.

 

Will check out the link.

 

 

Don't worry I sort of assumed that as well. But it seems that Season 1 will most likely be focused on Simon and Daphne since they haven't cast Kate for Anthony yet. But I do wonder if they can do 8 seasons!

 

Yay @abs-oluteM, can't wait to hear your thoughts. I am starting Ep 2 now. Looks like its my turn to sell a drama!

Edited December 26, 2020 by Jane

[abs-oluteM]

@Jane pretty cute 1st episode.  Definitely tangible chemistry between Daphne & Simon. Since  I didn't read the book, I have no pre-conceived ideas of what to expect.  I enjoyed it - it's been ages since I have seen a period piece like this.  I am a sucker for contract marriages or in this case would be a contract relationship since both Daphne & Simon have struck a deal that would hopefully work in their favours. For him it would be to get these vulture-like mothers off his back since they all deem him to be the most eligible of bachelors . In her case it would be to provide a new spin - - improve the  prospects of finding better suitors since dearest brother Anthony had scared off every potential suitor in the early days of her debut . 

 

Talking  about Anthony , I do find him to be an interesting character - I found it somewhat endearing that he was so protective of the sister  that he ended up being very picky over who she should marry. Unfortunately , Anthony was also a bit of an idiot for arranging her to marry that smarmy guy ( can't remember his name now) - clearly he felt the pressure from his mother to step up as the head of the household. He is  struggling with his own marriage issues - that soprano that he is sleeping with - is it love or lust? Whatever it is he will be frowned upon for marrying her.

 

While growing up on books like Pride & Prejudice and the Little Women series, I always had these strange fantasies of being born in that era. I always thought how romantic...lol! But honestly , it was awful being born a woman then , more so if you don't come from a place of privilege. Daphne's most memorable line was when she said how her entire existence was defined by that single moment. How true. A woman's fortunes can only be as good as who she ends up marrying.

 

I am going to say that this is no Downton Abbey ,

Spoiler

........and I think it would be best that viewers not compare. DA was truly "British". It was more refined in its storytelling , and pace was slower.  The humor was dry - which I appreciated, and you had to read in between the lines a lot more. 

. 

[Lynne]

AAaaa... I'm happy you've made this thread @Jane I wasn't sure anyone would be interested aside from me and @Phikyl 

LOL

 

I enjoy this adaptation despite some annoyance to Anthony.. But you know what? Drama is drama afterall.. I guess its necessary to build up his part of the story in the next season LOL 

 

Totally loving Daphne and Simon's chemistry... they're beautiful.... 

 

And my fav character Penelope Featherington.. comes to life... acted by Nicola Coughlan 

 

 

 

Btw, this is the official twitter acc for Bridgerton..

https://twitter.com/bridgerton

 

 

 

[Lynne]

Indeed.... 

 

 

[Jane]

@Lynne Yayyy! I wasn't sure either and I thought it might just be me talking to myself here. Have you finished all the 8 episodes? I watched 2 last night! I can't decide if I should binge or if I should savour them slower.

 

7 hours ago, abs-oluteM said:

Talking  about Anthony , I do find him to be an interesting character - I found it somewhat endearing that he was so protective of the sister  that he ended up being very picky over who she should marry. Unfortunately , Anthony was also a bit of an idiot for arranging her to marry that smarmy guy ( can't remember his name now) - clearly he felt the pressure from his mother to step up as the head of the household. He is  struggling with his own marriage issues - that soprano that he is sleeping with - is it love or lust? Whatever it is he will be frowned upon for marrying her.

 

I agree it was very sweet of him to be so protective and wanting to find the best possible man for her. He was like that in the books but definitely more hands-off and let his mother do more of the work without question. About the pressure from his mother to step up, I thought this was more that he should marry himself so that he would be able to start a family and ensure the continuity of the line of succession. The soprano is his mistress and I was actually surprised he broke it off with her. In the books (argh I feel like I am referencing this too much), he intended to continue to keep her even if he got married. It was an acceptable thing for their society.

 

7 hours ago, abs-oluteM said:

While growing up on books like Pride & Prejudice and the Little Women series, I always had these strange fantasies of being born in that era. I always thought how romantic...lol! But honestly , it was awful being born a woman then , more so if you don't come from a place of privilege.

 

Me too! And then my friend pointed out they had terrible hygiene then. LOL.

 

Actually, it may be that being born a woman of privilege was more confining than if you were born in the working class. There was so much rules to follow to keep up appearances and so little personal freedoms. I was very pleased in Ep 2 to see how the women strikes back!

[abs-oluteM]

Yay @Lynne you're watching too. @Jane I am up to eps 3 ..it is terribly addictive.

 

Put in spoiler for some thoughts up to eps 3

 

Spoiler

I love the growing attraction both ways between Daphne and Simon - Daphne has fallen quite deep for Simon so much so that even a prince's attention was put aside. And Simon despite his vow to never marry , is clearly jealous . The fact that he  has decided to end this whole arrangement with her and leave London quickly tells you how much she's affected him.

 

Some other things to note:

1 The interesting relationship dynamics between mother and the eldest Bridgeton - Anthony . Mother clearly wants Anthony to marry a "proper" girl but he's of course in love with Sienna . 

2. The siblings are close - Anthony & Daphne. Eloise and Benedict.  I feel very much for the younger two - both Eloise & Benedict have dreams of their own - perhaps careers that may be frowned upon given their status in society. Eloise will definitely have it harder being a girl and all.

3. Laughed my head off when the younger girls wonder how babies came about - am reminded about how little were taught to girls then with regards to the birds and the bees.

4. Simon's issues with his father - the lack of parental care and love as a child is going to cast problems on his and Daphne's relationship. 

 

 

[stroppyse]

I gave in and watched the first couple of episodes of this drama since The Mandalorian Season 2 is finished and The Uncanny Counter didn't air this weekend.

 

It's an interesting series, though I'm not sure it's my cup of tea. The re-imagined multi-racial Regency England threw me for a bit of a loop since aside from Queen Charlotte's alleged ancestry, it didn't appear as if Regency England was that multi-racial a place, especially when it came to titles or marriages. However, this is a drama clearly set in an alternative history than ours.

 

9 hours ago, abs-oluteM said:

While growing up on books like Pride & Prejudice and the Little Women series, I always had these strange fantasies of being born in that era. I always thought how romantic...lol! But honestly , it was awful being born a woman then , more so if you don't come from a place of privilege. Daphne's most memorable line was when she said how her entire existence was defined by that single moment. How true. A woman's fortunes can only be as good as who she ends up marrying.

 

Nope, not me. While I'm a bit of a history buff and find histories fascinating, I'm very happy being a woman in these modern times.

 

In earlier times, if you were born to the aristocracy, meaning land wealth, there were all sorts of restrictions on your movements and had to be very, very clever to escape those manacles and establish yourself. That's assuming that you even had the will to do any such thing since that was not a society norm. And, marriages didn't seem to be much about love, but rather suitability and the production of heirs.  I suppose one of the things I noticed watching K-dramas is that even now, having money actually means quite a lot of restrictions in terms of how you are allowed to live your life, where you may live, who you may marry.

 

If you weren't born to wealth, then you still had societal restrictions depending on the class that your family did belong to (Merchants, Tradesmen, Servants, etc.), but also the norms which determined "decent" behavior for women, but now with the added burden of having to figure out a living with the primary method still being marriage to a man.

 

Btw, indoor plumbing wasn't that common in Regency England, and I rather like my baths, showers, and toilets.   So, I definitely prefer being a woman now where I feel I have more opportunity and choice.

 

Anyway, going back to the Bridgerton's, it's unrealistic, but takes it from being a frothy Hallmark channel romance to introduce racial tensions into that world, I think, if it intends to do that, of course.

[Lynne]

Off topic for a bit.. I wanted to say.. I'm loving all the promotion for this series.

The actors are engaging.. and the official account is really supportive to the viewers...

Anyway.. from today.. Dec 26 PT time - till Jan 1.. they'll be doing live tweets for every two episodes.

For me living in Asia.. that would be from Dec 27 in the morning. till Jan. 2 lol

Anyway.. there's always a gem to be talked about from the live tweets.

 

 

Today's theme: The YuleBall

 

@abs-oluteM Here's something from the screenwriter for Anthony next season.

 

 

 

@Jane I'm done.. LOL.. I binged it when it came out on Christmas day...  

[Jane]

50 minutes ago, abs-oluteM said:

I am up to eps 3 ..it is terribly addictive.

 

I am going to start Ep 3 in a bit. But I bet I will be the last to finish it again! I keep stopping to tweet my reactions or take notes.

 

@Lynne It's great! I am not following super closely as I am trying to watch the series myself. But I have been following Nicola ever since she was announced as Penelope and she's delightful! I live for every Colin and Penelope crumb! I look forward to Anthony! 

[Chocolate]

I've completed the 8 episodes.

 

The initial episodes were ok but it got a bit draggy for me from the middle. I think Daphne and Simon's relationship cannot sustain 8 episodes and the other parts of the drama were not interesting enough. Or it could be because I had already read the books so knew what to expect - the main storyline followed the book quite closely. Sadly, I don't think I will be watching Season 2.

 

And the tragedy of Simon's childhood is lost in the drama. The pain of his father's absence, his trials to win his father over unsuccessfully etc. - these are not effectively shown in the drama. Thus, you don't feel so strongly why he is so adamant not to have children.

 

I am very surprised that the identity of Lady Whistledown is revealed so soon!

 

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9089807/Julie-Andrews-gets-1-5million-narrating-Netflixs-new-regency-drama-Bridgerton.html

 

Edited December 27, 2020 by Chocolate

[abs-oluteM]

I have finished up to 6..let's just say don't watch this drama when you have small children around . Neither is it a family drama to be watching with your parents .

That said , I was wondering how both Simon & Daphne could have  stayed away from other given how strong their attraction was both ways .So I was not particularly surprised that it lead to that kiss in the garden which in turn  led to that stupid duel , and subsequently their union. Was Simon selfish? In some ways yes. If he had no intentions of marrying her, he really should have stayed away. But of course the heart and the head don't always go hand in hand. Perhaps his gravest mistake was misleading her into thinking that he could not have children due to medical conditions. It is no wonder that she got as mad as she did when she found out he chose not to have children.

 

I really like Pen too @Lynne and I didn't like Marina. I am not sure if we were supposed to be sympathetic to her plight , but I was so happy that Colin didn't elope with her. So I supposed Pen must be Lady Whistledown or knows her since only Pen would have wanted the truth about Marina's pregnancy to exposed.

 

[abs-oluteM]

I have completed the series! Yay! Liked the ending...will there be a season 2 ? I am keen to find out more about what will happen to Bridgeton brothers!

 

[Chocolate]

Since the drama seems to be quite popular, there should be further seasons. Apart from the romances of the 8 siblings, there were 2 spin-off series (The Rokesby Series & The Smythe-Smith Quartet) by the author but these are unlikely to be part of the Netflix deal.

 

Extract from the author's website:

 

Set between 1813 and 1827, the Bridgerton Series is a collection of eight novels, each featuring one of the eight children of the late Viscount Bridgerton: Anthony, Benedict, Colin, Daphne, Eloise, Francesca, Gregory, and Hyacinth. I didn’t originally set out to write an eight-book series; at first it was just going to be a trilogy! But readers really took to the Bridgertons (and to the mysterious Lady Whistledown, whose gossip columns “narrated” the first four books), and I found myself rather enamored with the family, too.

 

After I was done with the series, however, I received hundreds of questions from readers about the Bridgertons and what happened to them later in their lives. So I decided to give all of the main characters an update in what I call “2nd Epilogues.” These stories, originally available as e-shorts, have now been collected into The Bridgertons: Happily Ever After, along with a bonus novella about Violet. The Bridgertons: Happily Ever After went on sale as an e-book and in print in April 2013.

 

Lady Whistledown’s Society Papers, which made their debut in The Duke and I, came about almost by accident. I was writing the opening scene, and I realized that I needed to impart quite a bit of expository information. I wanted the reader to know that Daphne was from a large family and that she was fourth in the birth order, with three older brothers. I couldn’t very well have Daphne and her mother mention all this in conversation, as this wasn’t news to either one of them, so I came up with the idea of putting it all down in a gossip column. It turned out to be the most happy accident in my entire career!

 

One of the best parts: the very stylish Lady Danbury!

 

Edited December 29, 2020 by Chocolate

[Jane]

Update on my watch status, I finished Ep 6 last night and I have a lot of thoughts. But chief among them is that as a book-reader, I feel like I do not know the characters that I am seeing on screen.  @Chocolate do you feel this way too?

[abs-oluteM]

2 hours ago, Jane said:

Update on my watch status, I finished Ep 6 last night and I have a lot of thoughts. But chief among them is that as a book-reader, I feel like I do not know the characters that I am seeing on screen.  @Chocolate do you feel this way too?

How come? In what way? I did not read the book

[Jane]

1 hour ago, abs-oluteM said:

How come? In what way? I did not read the book

 

The earliest characters that made me feel this way was Violet and Anthony. Violet is nothing like the Mama Bridgerton I know. In the books she is much funnier and very much wants her children to be married (for love). For Violet, I attribute this to the rom-com tones of the book compared to the more dramatic ones of the tv series. Anthony is also quite a change. He cares for his family but he wasn't overbearing in the show as he was in the books. He was also more hand-offish when it came to Daphne and her marriage prospects. He left those responsibilities to his mother for the most part because as a bachelor, he wasn't interested in going to so many parties where he would have to endure the marriage minded Mamas as well.

 

And then we have Colin. In the books he, like most other young bachelors, was not interested in marrying so early. They may flirt during the season but nothing serious. So to see him fall in love with Marina and propose marriage was a big shock to me. It also means that his core character will change with this experience that I am not sure how they will align with his story in future. And with the changes in Colin, comes the changes in Penelope. Like in the show, Penelope in the books loves Colin. But the crucial difference is she is resigned to the fact that he would not fall in love with her and she would have to live with it. So to see her act in this childish and selfish way (Marina rightfully called her out) even if its to protect Colin from Marina's trickery, it breaks my heart. 

 

Next bit in spoiler because it has to do with Whistledown:

 

Spoiler

I was really really disappointed and shocked that Whistledown / Penelope revealed the truth of Marina's situation. Penelope prizes her family above all else and would never have taken them down like this in society's eyes just to protect Colin. That for me was probably the biggest shocker of the series and what is causing me to feel the way I do right now.

 

Edited December 30, 2020 by Jane