Phoebe Dynevor recently confirmed that she will not be reprising her role as Daphne in Bridgerton season 4, which means that the historical romance series has a few new issues to overcome. Viewers will remember that Dynevor’s Daphne was Bridgerton’s initial main character, as she came of age and entered society with the intention of finding a husband. However, after Daphne’s season, she was virtually cast aside by the series, and this decision has come with its own set of problems. Unfortunately, if Bridgerton doesn’t find a solution, the show could be doomed in the future.
The timeline of Daphne’s Bridgerton story is quite disappointing. After leading the series in 2020, Daphne became a minor character in Bridgerton season 2, offering advice to a lovestruck Anthony before disappearing completely. Then, season 3 didn’t bother bringing Daphne back at all, though Dynevor seemed to agree that her character’s story had reached its natural end. Regardless, Daphne’s absence has been hard to ignore for Bridgerton viewers, and with season 4 fast approaching, it is clear now that Daphne’s loss could hint at catastrophic problems for Bridgerton in the coming seasons.
Daphne’s Absence Needs An Explanation (But May Not Get One)
Since Daphne will not be returning in Bridgerton season 4, an old problem will rear its ugly head once again. During Bridgerton season 3, viewers were disappointed that Daphne made no appearance, but worse, they couldn’t understand why the show didn’t bother to offer any sort of explanation for it. Daphne was essentially wiped from Bridgerton’s reality, and the show never tried to excuse her absence. This was especially odd because Daphne missed some massive moments in season 3, including two of her siblings’ weddings. Sadly, this could happen again in season 4.
Bridgerton’s lack of explanation for Daphne’s absence is a truly strange mystery. Perhaps, in season 3, the show felt that audiences could make assumptions about where Daphne was. For example, it is easy to guess that she is busy building her own family with Simon. However, even then, it seems completely out of character for Daphne to miss something as big as a wedding, much less two of them. Ultimately, Bridgerton is only hurting itself by staying silent on the Daphne issue. At least with an excuse, Daphne’s story would make some kind of sense, even if it wasn’t preferable.
Daphne Will Miss Benedict’s Wedding
One of the most obvious problems with Daphne missing season 4 is that she will not be able to attend Benedict’s wedding. As previously mentioned, this situation immediately raises questions because Daphne is presented as a character who would never miss something like a wedding, especially when it is for her siblings. In this way, Daphne’s absence from Benedict’s wedding will feel like a clear hole in the plot, just as it did during season 3. Daphne will float farther away from her siblings and their world.
In fact, Benedict’s wedding is even more important than the others because it will be the third wedding Daphne misses. Though being absent for Colin and Francesca’s weddings left viewers frustrated, Bridgerton could easily have come up with an excuse. Perhaps Daphne was pregnant and not well enough to leave home or her and Simon were traveling. However, adding Benedict’s wedding into the mix will make it harder for the show to explain Daphne’s absence because, even a year later, Daphne is still missing from her siblings’ lives.
