Bridgerton Season 4 Part 1 Review: Despite A Bumpy Start, Benedict’s Romantic Journey Is A Total Fairy Tale

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Get ready for another season of Bridgerton! This time, the focus is on Benedict (Luke Thompson). He’s been a charming and playful presence throughout the show, and now he’s taking center stage. Expect plenty of wit and romance as we explore his adventurous life.

By season four, most of Benedict’s siblings are married, leaving him unable to avoid his mother’s pressure to find a wife. Luckily, he meets a captivating woman at a masquerade ball hosted by Violet early in the social season. However, she disappears before he can learn who she is, launching Benedict on a quest to find the mysterious woman in silver.

We soon find out that the mysterious woman Benedict is interested in is Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha), a maid who secretly attends the ball hoping for a magical night. After midnight, Sophie returns to her difficult life working for the unkind Lady Araminta (Katie Leung), but she realizes things aren’t the same after experiencing a taste of a different world. However, Benedict and Sophie will face many challenges on their path to a happy ending.

Benedict’s Prince Charming Arc Feels Forced, But His Chemistry With Sophie Is The Ultimate Cinderella Story

Thanks to its beautiful costumes, lavish parties, and captivating love stories set in a glamorous historical period, Bridgerton has always felt like a dream come true. So, basing season 4 on the classic story of Cinderella feels like a perfect fit—it’s surprising the show hasn’t explored other fairy tales sooner.

Season 4 of Bridgerton struggles because its focus on fairy tales doesn’t quite fit with its main character, Benedict, who’s known for breaking the rules. Fans love Benedict because he challenges what’s expected of him and the typical romance hero. This season, he has a passionate relationship with the strong-willed Lady Tilley Arnold (Hannah New), and they explore an open relationship with Paul Saurez (Lucas Aurelio), leading Benedict to embrace his sexual fluidity.

Seeing an ethically non-monogamous relationship on a popular romance show is unusual, and Benedict was a great choice to explore that storyline. However, his sudden role as Sophie’s traditional Prince Charming in Bridgerton season 4 feels forced and out of place.

The main love story of the season starts off poorly in the very first episode. The entire plot relies on Benedict’s initial meeting with the Lady in Silver, but their long-awaited moment together is either unremarkable or painfully awkward.

Honestly, when Benedict told Sophie, “You’re not like the other ladies,” it totally ruined the moment for me. It just didn’t feel like the Benedict I’d come to adore over three seasons! It’s hard to believe this charming, sometimes mischievous guy would suddenly change everything for a woman he barely knew, just because she amused him at a party. It felt so out of character, and it made the whole scene fall flat.

Sophie is the heart of Bridgerton season 4, playing both the romantic lead and a quietly powerful force. Once you get to know her, she feels perfectly at home in the Bridgerton world. Like the heroines before her, she’s strong and self-reliant, but also has a sensitive side and a fiery passion. She’s careful with her feelings, but won’t hesitate to chase what she truly wants.

Sophie stands out from the other women in the show – and Benedict, we won’t let him forget it! – because she doesn’t come from a noble family. This season, the show’s use of the Cinderella story is perfect, as it lets Bridgerton delve into the topic of social class more deeply than ever before. And it’s not just about Sophie’s story; let’s start a petition for a Bridgerton spinoff focused on the lives of the servants!

Honestly, Benedict didn’t really spark with the Lady in Silver, but when he finally meets the real Sophie? That’s when Bridgerton season 4 truly gets going. He’s just so much more himself around her, and it lets him be the perfect romantic lead. He pines when you want him to pine, and he’s brilliant at knowing when to be protective and when to let Sophie be her own person. It’s a really lovely balance.

Each season of Bridgerton focuses on a classic romantic storyline. The first season featured a fake relationship, the second explored enemies falling in love, and the third showed friends becoming lovers. Season 4 combines the themes of a hidden identity and a forbidden romance. So far, the first part of Bridgerton season 4 has done a great job with the forbidden romance aspect, but the secret identity storyline hasn’t been as successful. Hopefully, the second part will build on what’s working well and improve the weaker parts.

Violet Bridgerton Is The Diamond In A Season Of Bland Subplots

Each season of Bridgerton focuses on a central love story, but also features intriguing and scandalous side plots, often revealed through the writings of Lady Whistledown. Last season, we learned Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) was secretly Lady Whistledown, and unfortunately, my worry that this reveal would make the character less impactful proved correct.

Penelope continues to write her gossip column, but it’s surprisingly lacking in actual gossip, which is disappointing for both the audience and Queen Charlotte. This isn’t the only story arc that feels flat – Eloise, usually known for her strong will, seems unusually subdued, even in her interactions with Violet. Her conversations with Benedict also feel less meaningful than before.

While Bridgerton is commendable for focusing on well-developed female characters, the storyline involving Queen Charlotte and Lady Danbury slows down the pace of season 4. Golda Rosheuvel and Adjoa Andoh deliver fantastic performances, but their scenes feel overly serious for such a dynamic duo. Fortunately, this storyline appears to be gaining momentum as season 4 progresses.

Even when the social scene is slow, a standout character always appears, and this season it’s Violet Bridgerton. Her connection with Lord Marcus Anderson (Daniel Francis) becomes more intense, which is a welcome change for the show. While Bridgerton often focuses on the passionate lives of younger characters, highlighting desire and attraction in middle age is a refreshing and exciting development.

While Violet and Marcus’s story is captivating in Bridgerton season 4, the newlyweds Francesca (Hannah Dodd) and John Stirling (Victor Alli) are also exploring ways to add some spark to their marriage. Although the show has often featured innocent noblewomen discovering intimacy, this particular storyline in the first part of season 4 feels fresh and suggests exciting developments to come.

Season 4 of Bridgerton shines when it focuses on female desire, as seen in Violet and Francesca’s stories, but struggles when it tries new things, like revealing Lady Whistledown’s identity. It’s possible, similar to Benedict and Sophie’s relationship, that the season is still developing its secondary storylines. Hopefully, things will come together and lead to a satisfying conclusion.

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2026-01-29 10:59