Get ready to pass out with Netflix’s new Regency novel, brimming with bold outlaws, charming innocents, beautiful fantasies and scandals galore.
“Bridgerton” follows a successful story, where the naive virgin and the taciturn bad boy pretend to be in love in order to achieve their individual goals, just so that genuine interest and affection arise from the ruse. However, with pleasing characters, stunning production design and a mysterious writer documenting each movement of the characters in a delightfully scandalous way, the clichés of the plot become part of the fun.
The show has faced well-deserved comparisons with the teen drama “Gossip Girl”, since much of the show’s drama comes from a mysterious gossip columnist for Lady Whistledown (voiced by Julie Andrews), whose regular pamphlet details the various novels, triumphs, falls and stumbles of the central characters. While it is a shame to have the incomparable Andrews in a series and to resign her exclusively to a narrator without a presence on the screen, her appropriate but sarcastic tone elevates the scandal to high art.
The protagonists Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings (Regé-Jean Page), are both born of classic tropes, but the series explores what forged the pair in the archetype of their naive and rake who started the series. Daphne is an incredibly protected romantic, whose lack of experience in the world leads to enchanting inventions and serious drama.
Dynevor manages to prevent Daphne from being nauseating or completely stupid, but a product of her environment and upbringing, for better and for worse. Simon is handsome and charismatic, with a predictably tragic backstory to make him mysterious, but Page imbues the character with the necessary depth and complexity, capturing the audience with the same fascination that captures the interest of almost every woman in the series.
The couple has electrical chemistry, which can transform the most innocuous acts of removing a glove, walking together, rubbing hands or dancing in moments deeply charged with sex, suitable to rival the very explicit love scenes. Much of the drama of his love story comes from illogically poor communication, but his misunderstandings are built on the characters’ different worldviews and experiences.
The entire support cast is excellent, inhabiting specific and engaging characters that create a rich and humorous tapestry of London society. Lady Danbury, played to perfection by Adjoa Andoh, is the voice of the show’s reason and a great source of humor and heart with timely short phrases and sincere advice.
Jonathan Bailey is especially notable as Anthony, the oldest protective son of the Bridgerton family. Anthony is a complicated man, torn between his duty to his family, his love for a woman he could never marry, his friendship with Simon and a sense of responsibility for his younger brothers. Anthony could easily have become a joke, a villain or a victim of circumstances, but Bailey finds a way to fuse each reading into a much more complete person.
The show does a spectacular job of balancing the romanticized aspects of the dances and bravery with the darker realities of the transactional nature of the Regency England wedding. Everyone is openly aware that women’s future depends solely on their ability to find a rich husband from a good family.
The characters usually refer to the wedding market as such, fully recognizing all the implications of the phrase. Young women treat the process of finding a spouse as if it were a job application; the girls’ parents and suitors behave like commodity dealers. It is refreshing to watch a period film to get fully involved on the harder side, instead of simply imposing a compromising marriage on the protagonist’s less exciting friend.
Daphne’s desire to marry for love is treated as a charming dream, a remote possibility due to her beauty and social standing, and it clearly will not be the case for all women. While most films and programs struggle to create meaningful bets for their romantic stories, the clarity of “Bridgerton’s” circumstances emphasizes the consequences.
In contrast to the courtship presentation, “Bridgerton” looks charmingly idealized, with stunning costumes by Ellen Mirojnick and production design by Will Hughes-Jones. The outfits were all created for the series, with the team creating 7,500 original costumes that capture the time and essence of the characters.
Daphne’s elegant blue and white dresses, Simon’s distinctive vests and jackets, and the colorful and showy dresses of the Fetheringtons stand out as especially notable, but each ball is filled with incredible original creations. The sets are equally exquisite. Each ballroom, living room and garden are full of incredible details, enriching the world while being beautiful.
Some period films find music appropriate to the time to mark their scenes, while others use contemporary music to create an atmosphere. “Bridgerton” split the difference, with much of the track consisting of instrumental covers of very recognizable pop music, including Ariana Grande’s “thank u next” and Maroon 5’s “Girls Like You”.
The arrangements are very lovely, but extremely disturbing, existing between the past and the present in a strange way that cannot transcend time, drawing attention to the differences between the ages, especially when the sporadic ballad of the Regency or the pop music of the 21st century grace soundtrack.
The show also relied a little too much on very explicit sex scenes. I have no problem with sex scenes when done well, but like all other aspects of filmmaking, there must be a reason for their inclusion. Several of the love scenes had an important narrative and character purpose, and even clarity was necessary for clarity. However, many others have been frustratingly extended to the point that banality begins to overshadow any shocked or excited excitement.
When an hour-long episode has more than 15 minutes spent in the bedroom (and in the garden, on the stairs, in the dining room, and anywhere else with a flat surface), it has become excessive. The program has only eight hours of content, with many engaging subplots and pleasant characters; it is interesting enough not to demand that you rely on sex to promote pleasure.
“Bridgerton” is far from a serious show, but it strikes the right mix between frighteningly fun and engaging. Strong performances and character development balance sex and romance in a pleasant way, creating a totally tasty and enjoyable series.
Paulina Enck is an intern at the Federalist and a current student at Georgetown University at the School of Foreign Service. Follow her on Twitter at @itspaulinaenck