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
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.
