Today’s Court
Dearest gentle reader, as Bridgerton’s allure spreads like wildfire through society, one must ponder the secrets behind its enchanting success. Today’s court shall reveal the compelling details of this captivating tale where love, fashion, and intrigue reign supreme.
Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte, Getty Images
After the first one’s success, you could have considered it a simple stroke of luck. After the second, a mere coincidence perhaps? But after the third season's release, no one on Earth should dare say anything else about it. Bridgerton - the fiction romance series set during the early 1800s in an alternative London Regency era - has made the doubters change their minds. Even those who were strongly reluctant to impossible love stories like this found within their hearts an area that rooted for that same love. Everyone was, has been, and still is obsessed with Bridgerton. Even some of the most influential personalities on the planet openly admitted to being huge fans - from Queen Camilla and Kim Kardashian to Sabrina Carpenter and Joe Jonas. There is no sex distinction. There’s no border solid enough. There are no differences between audiences. Bridgerton has clearly conquered us all, leaving a pleasant scar on our souls. But how could this happen?
The love stories.
What would the entire world of television be without a gripping romance made of joy, suffering, plot twists, and unexpected endings? No one would watch it. Showing to have learned to perfection this insightful lesson, Chris Van Dusen - the creator and executive producer of the series - has centralized any of the three seasons on love. Everything started back in 2020 when the first one came out. It was an immediate success, led by the tormented love story between Daphne Bridgerton and Simon Basset. All the premises were against them. She wanted nothing more than to marry for love and become a mother. Simon - on the other hand - wanted nothing to do with marriage or family. A fake courtship, however - made to please society and expectations - brought them toward a real love spearheaded by an ardent passion. Season 2 was certainly no less. Same plot. Different players. Kate Sharma and Anthony Bridgerton. The beginning was surely not one of the easiest. Anthony - finally coming to terms with his familial duty to marry and prolong the Bridgerton dynasty - started to court Edwina Sharma - Kate’s sister. But one day during a cheerful horse ride, fate brought Kate and Anthony together, making them realize that something was in the air between them. But knowing they both couldn’t, they went on with their lives. They kept on avoiding their love for each other until they couldn’t fake it anymore. And this takes us to the last season - until now at least. Who would have ever guessed? This time the leading part is played by no one but Penelope Featherington. The story of an outsider who has always found difficulties in being part of society. The story of a young woman who truly believes in love marriages. Or for those who noticed, the one who found a compelling voice in written words. Eventually, her dreams came true. Even though the initial situation made us think of anything but a potential match between them, the story has granted us a shocking plot twist. Colin Bridgerton - a Latin lover, Don Giovanni, and successful player - has fallen for the beautiful Penelope - completely the opposite of what Colin stood for. Innocence, inexperience. But that’s exactly what makes this union so appealing to the eye. The unlikely match reminds us of the unpredictability and yet beauty of love in all its shades.
Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton, by Liam Daniel/Netflix
The styles.
Someone should give John Glaser - Bridgerton’s costume designer - a massive award served on a golden platter. The work created in the span of four years easily exceeded any kind of expectation we could have ever had. The effort put into recreating the atmosphere of the Regency Era has certainly gone through a meticulous research of textures, shapes, and styles. “This is a show about beauty, glamour, enhancing the characters, and helping to tell the story. So, how we get there is not always in a traditional way but in an abstract way. We bring that abstract vision, and we focus it in." In a video released by InStyle, John Glaser has thoroughly explained to the world the careful and precise work behind the masterful costumes we can admire in the series. The designer alongside the mind behind the operation - Shonda Rhimes - has reimagined the period drama genre by infusing it with modern sensibilities, especially with its lavish costumes. By following an evolving creative process, the series has delivered different stylistic outcomes. The first season leveraged the overall aesthetics on the emphasis given to a wide range of colors and fabrics. The goal was to try to make everything look like a painting. As time went on and resources grew further, the staff had bigger opportunities amongst their hands. The wardrobes for each character got wider as they kept on changing. The undeniable protagonist of the third season showcased one of the biggest glow-ups we’ve ever seen on a show. For Penelope, the last season marked an important shift away from the past as she looked towards more independence from her controlling family. The team - to reflect the interior journey of her character - shifted away from the orange/citrus color palette of the first two seasons. Instead, they went for a paler set of colors that would coherently align with her outsider/lurking-in-the-dark kind of personality.
Bridgerton, by Liam Daniel/Netflix
The charm.
There are a lot of reasons why so many people have become true fans of Bridgerton. We all love a good show. We all fall for authentic acting that can make us feel like part of that story. They say to never judge a book by its cover. Well, this book is good. And the cover even more. If you could showcase a deep line of insanely good-looking characters, wouldn’t you do it? They say the first impression is the one that matters. In this case, I think we can all agree on the fact that this is a very compelling one. In 2020, we started off with the Duke of Hastings himself - Simon Basset. That face. That elegance. That voice. Of course, Regé-Jean officially became the first Bridgerton crush. It’s undeniable how the Regency Era looked insanely good on him.
Rege-Jean Page and Phoebe Dynevor, by Liam Daniel/Netflix
That same year the series introduced to us the other members of the cool club. Anthony Bridgerton. As the eldest son of the Bridgertons - he was given the crucial responsibility of taking over the family’s lead following his father’s departure. Initially portrayed as one of the many Casanovas of the show, he struggled with his role in the Bridgerton family. As the show went on, he showed different sides of his personality, embracing more and more his deep sensibility. And this is exactly what has created an aura of sexiness and attraction around the character. The inner maturation he went through provoked an automatic release of pheromones in the air. Well, how can we not mention Colin Bridgerton - co-protagonist of the last season? What has clearly shocked the audience is the evident transformation - both physical and internal - Luke Newton went through. Depicted as a young, curious, and still naive person at the start of the show, Colin proved to be a totally different human being with the arrival of the third season. Fresh from his open-minded travels around the globe, he discovered new facets of his persona. He jumped into new experiences that led him to gain a deep background in love affairs as well. As the director wanted to show the audience a new face of this character, the first step was to reflect the ongoing change from an exterior take as well. The longer sideburns, the slicked-back hair, a much more grown-up style, and a rock-solid body - that trust me, it can never hurt - infuse Colin with an appealing look that tastes of a grown man.
Jonathan Bailey, by Liam Daniel/Netflix
Luke Newton, by Liam Daniels/Netflix
The music.
If you watched the show, how many times did it happen to you - at the beginning - to listen to the songs and be like “Oh, I do know this song. It sounds familiar!”? Well, they sounded familiar because we damn knew them well. The genius of Shonda Rhimes emanated all its potential by creating a show that - yes, it was set in the Regency Era of the 1800s - had inside also elements that would make the series somehow contemporary and modern. In fact, it shouldn’t pass unobserved the attempt at refreshing the period drama genre. Following the Bridgertons and other families of London while attending balls, dinners, and debutantes’ first appearances would have been quite dull - or too formal. That’s why the show decided to spice things up by using some well-known covers of 21st-century pop songs. “The music for us was kind of an evolution we found when making the show as the cuts were coming in,” showrunner Chris Van Dusen told Oprah Mag. “It really goes to the idea of making this feel different than your other period shows. Whether it’s music or the world of the show, the scripts, the sets, the costumes; it all comes back to infusing things through our own unique modern lens and making things feel relatable to whoever’s watching.”
The gossip.
Bridgerton showed us that gossip can be destructive. In fact, it’s often the reason for break-ups, heartbreak, and shifts of power and respect. But gossip can be positive too. It can strengthen bonds between people. It can create fertile ground for two individuals to start engaging with each other. It can give someone the right amount of confidence to make a love move. It can do many things. The how it is used only relies on the intention we have while spreading it. London’s high society of the 1800s has found in Lady Whistledown the greatest gossip source of its entire story. (SPOILER ALERT) The mysterious writer has used people to her taste. Exactly, just like pawns on a chessboard. There are those who have been harmed by Whistledown and see her as the person who unnecessarily left an indelible scar on their business, love affairs, or overall reputation. But there are also those who are jealous of the incredible weight she holds in society. Penelope Bridgerton has used gossip as a means to talk and express her feelings. Always marginalized to the distant corners of London’s social life, she has learned how to create her place in society. Making of secrets her most lethal weapon, she’s acted as a god ruling over the entire city. Even if it’s fiction we’re analyzing, we can still see old traces of some of our most recent habits. Gossip is nothing new. Local newspapers or - as in this case - weekly columns have always discussed news. People needed - and still do today - a flame to keep on going.
The carefreeness.
We are aware. Nothing of what we see in the show will ever happen in real life. Neither could it have ever happened back in the Regency Era. Everything is clearly unrealistic and yet so relatable. Everything is perfect in its own imperfection. Men discover softer sides of their hearts, while women start having urges to make a name for themselves. Love is what brings everybody together. Even if you’re the Duke or Duchess of the World, nothing will ever be stronger than your inner emotions. Despite the crucial responsibilities of each character toward society and their families, they finally start prioritizing their desires over their duties. They discover that there’s more to life than wide estates or titles. This carefreeness we see reflected in their personas suddenly motivates us as well. If royals of the 1800s took risks and overcame unremovable obstacles to follow their instincts and hearts, why shouldn’t we? Watching a fictional realm like Bridgerton can hopefully give us the strength to cope with our world.
