There's probably at least another year or two until Bridgerton Season 5 BUT you know what??? I'm HYPE as fuck anyway, and you know why??
Season 5 is the Francesca/Michaela season, AKA F/F!!! We gonna get a huge, mainstream, high-budget season of a regency romance show focused on two women getting together!!! Wahoo!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm a big fan of historical romance, especially the regency-esque variety, bc I love the sense of tension it builds. In such a repressed setting where the touch of an ungloved hand can send someone to a fainting couch, the romantic/sexual tension gets a delicious squeeze that's hard to replicate in modern-setting works. The original Bridgerton books, of which I've read the main eight, are fairly classic white cishetero mainstays of the genre, though I think their executions are strong and there's usually some relatable, complicated, or compelling character work going on (especially with regards to grief, and the messiness of post-marriage relations).
The Bridgerton television show SHINES by taking the setups and settings and the outlines that Julia Quinn has and being like... "Let's execute this but do whatever the fuck we want with costumes and casting--it's about the regency VIBES, not historical accuracy, and we can have fun in a way that includes all sorts of people and not JUST the white cishetero folks". The end result is a fabulous display of costume work and interwoven storytelling, where you get to follow many character threads over the course of all these seasons bc they've got the completed books to help guide them, but UNLIKE the books that were charting the initial course, they've got the whole map already laid out and can do whatever detours, elaborations, and foreshadowing along the way.
Is it occasionally still ridiculous? Yes, but that's part of what I LOVE about it. It's COMMITTED to doing its own thing and the result is brilliant. It's amazing to watch with friends bc there's ALWAYS something to talk about. And it allows folks who have not always seen themselves reflected in these exciting, juicy regency stories to see people who look like them be central.
Now in terms of QUEER stuff: Bridgerton has flirted with some queerness, but it hasn't taken center stage so far. Many people have wondered if Eloise, the feminist Bridgerton daughter, would end up being a lesbian, but it's pretty clear now that FRANCESCA is a lesbian, and I think considering the source material that is an EXCELLENT choice.
Long-winded discussion on the show's queer stuff so far and why Francesca is an excellent choice for a lesbian adaptation
Since the Bridgerton show did a lot with racial diversity, people have been curious about how far it might go in sexual diversity as well.
Eloise
The fandom latched onto Eloise (the fifth Bridgerton child) because she shows a lot of attitude and feminist desires to be free of the "marriage mart". She also has a close friendship with Penelope, and an enemy (who later sorta becomes a friend) Cressida--AKA her strongest relationships are with women. In the books, Eloise does NOT have these sorts of attitudes--she's depicted as strong-headed and ends up being a spinster, but she doesn't seem particularly feminist, and one of her favorite activities is looking after children. That makes the show's choices feel like a CHOICE--something done to foreshadow a sexuality change, perhaps?
But the show has ALSO gone out of its way to establish Eloise's potential romantic interest in men--there's a particular thread in (I think) the third season where she ends up talking to a newspaper boy and gets involved with some political radicals, and it's implied she develops feelings for this commoner boy SPECIFICALLY because he sees her and talks to her as a person with ideas worth listening to. Those feelings are quickly crushed and they are forced apart due to class differences, but I think that's the show trying to do a little foreshadowing/damage control for folks building up lesbian expectations for Eloise and saying: "Yes, she's our feminist who rails against the societal restrictions of women in the time period, BUT that doesn't necessarily make her a lesbian, she just isn't interested in most men because of their misogyny."
And that makes sense considering the show is, ultimately, beholden to the classic happy endings of the books: Marriage. The show gladly shows interracial marriage, but so far has given zero implication that the version of regency England they've created includes gay marriage.
I wonder about what sort of story they'll give Eloise in her season bc it's HIGH KEY a downer, already from the books and doubly-so when we consider how the show has changed some things...
Spoilers for Eloise's book and a potential Eloise season of the show, + TW for mental health issues
Basically the spinster Eloise becomes pen pals with a widower who has two kids from his late wife, then abruptly goes to visit him, takes care of his two kids while they kinda fight and argue a bunch, then gets forced to marry him by her family because she visited him without a chaperone, and then there's a whole thing where he's AVOIDING HIS OWN KIDS because he's afraid he'll be an abusive father and so leaves Eloise to completely manage them on her own, and she has to encourage him to spend time with his own children. Basically Eloise becomes this dude's nanny and then marries him, which doesn't bode well with the feminist Eloise we've seen in the show.
The show ALSO has already depicted the late wife. She was a significant secondary character in the first season, and showed up briefly in the third season, and the actress of the character has expressed that she finds the character's death in the book to be Pretty Fucking Distasteful (depression that leads to suicide), and I think would be difficult to sell to audiences considering we know and care about this character already.
So idk what they're gonna do about that one. Maybe the wife will die in an accident/illness? OR (in my boldest, wildest dreams) maybe there will be some sorta poly situation where Eloise lives with the husband and wife in an unconventional bliss. OR (another wild dream) the husband dies and Eloise lives with the wife as a "spinster nanny" who sleeps with her employer every night (I don't think that'll happen bc, despite various other changes, I think the show is committed to having the character "ships" remain the same).
Benedict
The second Bridgerton child, Benedict, is canonically shown to be bisexual onscreen. He's an *~*artist*~* and the show takes advantage of how the arts scene is more flexible with certain norms. We see background homosexuality in some of his art school scenes, and at some point he ends up getting involved with a guy or two, though clearly in a casual way.
Ultimately, his love interest is a woman (and the basis of season 4), but he explicitly acknowledges his attraction to all genders (lol it's kinda an awkward forced convo that I think was done for the sake of audiences, but I do like the confirmation).
Notably, he and Eloise are shown to have a particularly strong bond, setting time aside to sit on the swings together and kinda vibe about not fitting in. Kinda gives a queer siblings vibe.
Francesca!!!
Francesca was not particularly notable for the first season or two, but in season three she debuted, met John Kilmartin, quietly fell in love and got engaged. Her love story is calm; even though she has some big dramatic dudes vying for her attention, she is attracted to John because he is quiet and she feels COMFORTABLE around him. There's some discussion of her feeling like the large Bridgerton household is loud chaotic, and for her she dreams of a nice quiet, controlled household (lowkey there are some potentially autistic vibes for her), and John represents all that for her. They are like, legit cute, and clearly care for each other a lot.
However, season three ends on the button of John introducing his cousin, Michaela, and Francesca briefly stammering. This was the first indication of an eventual F/F season--in the original books, John has a male cousin Michael, so it seemed straightforwardly genderswapped. Still, up to this point, there was not a lot of queer stuff clear for Francesca. She was literally happily married to a man, and all seemed well.
SEASON FOUR however finds some good time to develop her and her relationships with John and Michaela. There's a funny (but also sad) little storyline about her struggling to find her "pinnacle"--AKA being like "I've HEARD of orgasms, but I'm not sure if I've had it with John??" this is partially motivated by her desire to have children, and thinking if she has her pinnacle she may be more likely to have a child. What follows is some forced attempts from her to make their sex life more exciting, which John NOTICES and is like "you don't have to force yourself to act like you're coming when you're not, let's take things slow, we got all the time in the world." Which is SO sweet and tender and makes it all the more devastating when John abruptly dies.
AKA we get to see that though their marriage is VERY loving, she considers John her dearest friend, there does seem to be a disconnect in their sex life where like... Francesca's fine, she's down to have sex with John, but there's no passion, no pinnacle. It screams compulsory heterosexuality in a sincere way--Francesca deeply WANTS to be a wife, to fit in, to have children and bear heirs for his estate, and she ESPECIALLY wants it BECAUSE she loves him, but it's not the kind of love that makes her excited to go to bed with him.
Meanwhile, she kinda hates Michaela at first because Michaela is boisterous and makes John stay up late to gossip and play games. Though Michaela's homosexuality is not EXPLICITLY stated or shown, there's a particular scene where John sternly says that Francesca should NOT try to set Michaela up with any men, and Michaela has some lines about John being one of the few people she can be herself around (AKA John definitely knows Michaela is a lesbian, and accepts that about her). Eventually, after a fight, Francesca and Michaela end up making up and getting along quite well. When John dies, there's some tension between them but then another notable connection, including dancing together and holding hands as Francesca is like "Please stay with me while we grieve, you're one of the few people who understands how devastating it is to lose him..." only for Michaela to almost immediately FLEE off to Scotland (where the Kilmartin family is from).
ALL THIS TO SAY: Season four may center Benedict/Sophie, but there was also notable setup for Season five's upcoming F/F couple.
AND HOW DOES THIS PLAY INTO THE BOOKS? In the books, Michael has a huge struggle where he falls in love with Francesca at first sight... at her wedding to his cousin. He stays by her side as a friend, but then when John dies the guilt is too much and he flees. Some years later, when Francesca decides to rejoin the marriage mart, he happens to be back in town and discovers that he's totally still NOT over her, and sparks fly... still wracked by guilt, because he hates that he's "taken" his beloved cousin's place... not only the estate, but if he were to marry Francesca, it would feel like he's trying to completely replace him. It's messy, but ends up getting extremely passionate--Something that Francesca notes when comparing them IS that John felt safe, comfortable, but her eventual relationship with Michael is hot and passionate in a way that is different.
There are several reasons this is PARTICULARLY suited to a F/F adaptation: Number one being the happy ending potential. Firstly, as a widow, Francesca would be societally allowed to remain "single" for the rest of her days if she wished, and so if she took up a relationship with a woman there wouldn't be a looming specter of "you have to marry!"
Additionally, the Kilmartin estate is Scottish, and there is historical precedent that some Scottish titles could pass down to female heirs. AKA the conflict about Michael/Michaela feeling guilty for "benefiting" from their beloved cousin's death can remain the same despite Michaela being a woman. Additionally, this gives Michaela certain freedoms and assets that can support her ability to be independent even without marrying.
Thirdly, there's another layer added to the "John-safe comfortable VS Michael(a)-hot sexy" contrast when they're different genders. Having Francesca be a repressed lesbian gives a powerful punch to why her relationship with his cousin is so much more passionate. Making Michael(a) a lesbian ALSO gives another reason for Micahela to feel guilty for loving her cousin's wife--not only is it a betrayal to her beloved cousin, but there's also intense societal forces telling her that it's wrong of her to feel that way about a woman in the first place, and which motivates her to keep quiet and run away from Francesca rather than being there for her as a friend. And even when Francesca is back on the marriage mart, it remains a STRONG reason for her to NOT confess (in the books, it's just guilt holding Michael back. Francesca also often talks about Michael being Such A Good Friend who she starts to have some Confused Horny Feelings For, which honestly feels a little silly between a M/F couple where cross-gender friendships are often suspected of romance/lust, but is SUPER on point for a F/F couple where platonic feelings are assumed between two women).
All of this elevates and intensifies the already existing dynamics of love, lust, and guilt present in the original story.
The ONE major aspect from the first book I'm curious about how they're going to adapt is children. Francesca wants children very much in the book, and that's her motivation for going back on the marriage mart. She struggles with infertility, however, both with John and Michael. The book doesn't end with children, though the bonus epilogue (which the author wrote after finishing all the books I think) includes Francesca finally getting pregnant from Michael after she relaxed and accepted that she might not have children.
In the show, she's expressed a wish for children, but it was usually paired with some specific references to wanting to make an heir FOR John--tying it specifically to a duty she wants to fulfill, rather than necessarily just wanting children for children's sake. To me this feels like the showrunner subtly adjusting to foreshadow that Francesca may end up not having children at the end, and that will remain part of her happy ending. HOWEVER keeping at least some desire for children will ramp up the tension--if she goes back on the marriage mart looking for a man to help her have children, then it becomes tension-filled to go AGAINST those goals by fucking a woman who cannot help her have kids instead.
Again: Making Michaela a woman makes literally every aspect of this story juicier and more filled with tension.
The one thing I'd really like to see but am not sure will actually happen: I want to see Francesca talk some of her feelings out with Benedict (who is bisexual) and discover a connection there. Maybe some chatting with Eloise as well. The show is better at connecting the siblings throughout the storylines than the books, but idk if the director will think to include that... I think it could create some funny and touching scenes though.
SO YEAH I'M EXCITED. I am afraid of whether the execution will succeed in giving me the passionate lesbian tension and sex I wanna see on screen or not, but the setup is so good that I have to believe it'll make a bare minimum solid delivery. I've sometimes found the M/F couples melodramatic or overdone, but you better bet that I'll be cheering on literally all the same convoluted setups and cheesy storylines when two women get to be the subject <3 <3 <3
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