The highly anticipated fourth season of Bridgerton is confirmed to be focusing on Benedict Bridgerton’s (Luke Thompson) story, and the book from which it will be adapted comes with a built-in time jump that actually makes perfect sense for the second Bridgerton child’s arc. In the established format of Julia Quinn’s Regency romance series, her book An Offer from a Gentleman follows another one of the eight Bridgerton siblings as he finds love and fulfillment. Benedict’s season will be the best yet if Bridgerton‘s Rotten Tomatoes trend holds, with each new chapter only getting better reviews than the last.
Benedict’s soulmate/bride-to-be Sophie Baek’s casting, to be played by Dune: Prophecy actress Yerin Ha, was met with excitement from fans as the cast and crew began preparing for the next season. However, as the Bridgerton TV show has been doing so far, Benedict and Sophie’s story will not just be about romance but about their individual needs and character development. Conveniently, An Offer from a Gentleman includes a time jump which Bridgerton season 4 must keep to avoid undermining Benedict’s character arc up until now.
Benedict Meets Sophie Again Two Years After First Seeing Her At The Masquerade Ball
Benedict Is Enchanted By The Lady In Silver But Doesn’t Find Her Again For Some Time
In An Offer from a Gentleman, Benedict first encounters Sophie, the illegitimate daughter of an earl forced into servitude by her stepmother, at his mother’s masquerade ball. The significant event in Benedict’s timeline is hinted at in the Bridgerton season 3 finale when Benedict and Eloise (Claudia Jessie) mention how they will reconvene at Violet’s (Ruth Gemmell) famous high society event. While Benedict promises that he will again be “avoiding eligible ladies like the plague,” this turns out to be a big night for him when he meets a mysterious young woman obscured by a mask who he refers to as the “Lady in Silver.“
As much focus as the novel puts on them being inconveniently kept apart, this time alone is actually crucial for Benedict’s character.
The elements taken from the classic Cinderella narrative are apparent; when Sophie makes her expected escape, Benedict becomes determined to find her again (despite all his previous assertions that he is uninterested in marriage). However, two years then pass before the pair meets again, at which time Benedict doesn’t realize she is the same woman. As much focus as the novel puts on them being inconveniently kept apart, this time alone is crucial for Benedict’s character; it would also speed up Francesca’s (Hannah Dodd) timeline concerning her first marriage before her next romantic arc.
A Time Jump Would Allow Benedict To Finish His Arc From Bridgerton Season 3
Benedict’s Arc With Lady Tilley In Bridgerton Season 3 Directs Him Away From Marriage & Commitment
Benedict’s arc in season 3 actually concludes with him saying he’s not ready for marriage, for some good reasons. This season sees Benedict striking up an affair with the widowed Lady Tilley Arnold (Hannah New); after they have been together for a while, her invitation to have a threesome with her and her friend Paul (Lucas Aurelio) proves to be enlightening for Benedict. It signifies something much greater in Benedict’s search for freedom in a very stratified society, summarized by Tilley’s argument to him beforehand about how narrow many of their peers’ worldviews are.
Ironically, shortly after this, Tilley says she has grown to have serious feelings for Benedict and suggests a monogamous arrangement. Benedict turns her down as he still wants to further explore his sexuality, stating both that Tilley and Paul have shown him “how good it feels to be free“; and that Tilley “opened [his] world” and he’s “not ready to close it again just now.” Yet Benedict’s assertion that he wants this would be severely undermined by him falling madly in love only a few months after rejecting a woman he has a real connection with.
Luckily, An Offer from a Gentleman has two years before his and Sophie’s real relationship begins, allowing him some time to have a few more affairs. Tilley advises him that he should still consider a commitment eventually, which most of the audience knows is going to happen. However, Bridgerton has made past romances satisfying by allowing individual personalities to be as important as pairings. Although Benedict has had a lot of time as a carefree bachelor, this recent revelation about himself also needs to be followed up for it to have the greatest effect.
Bridgerton Season 4 Needs To Reconcile Benedict’s Ideals With Him Getting Married
Benedict’s Carefree & Artistic Characterization Shouldn’t Be Sacrificed For His Storyline With Sophie
Benedict spends a lot of time in season 3 wondering about what the concept of freedom means to him: first arguing that marriage promises its own relief from the obligations of the marriage market; later thinking that it is the ability to discard rules and welcome new life lessons. Additionally, Benedict doesn’t seem to have been painting since leaving art school. Sophie will likely convince Benedict to take up art again, an important facet of the romance that mirrors Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin (Luke Newton) supporting each other in their writing.
Bridgerton needs to incorporate everything about Benedict so far into the relationship to make it a profound story for both of them.
Sophie has her own storyline that Benedict has to respect; she refuses to be his mistress despite his assurances that he would care for any children because of her experiences as an illegitimate child. Likewise, Bridgerton needs to incorporate everything about Benedict so far into the relationship to make it a profound story for both of them: his ideals, his art, his sexuality, and how these things are supported by falling in love. Benedict is arguably the most classically romantic sibling, but his fairy tale romance has the potential to be something much greater by continuing his previous subplots.
