Now this is sure to get the ton talking!
The first installment of Bridgerton season 4 ended with Francesca (Hannah Dodd) receiving the surprise of her life when her husband John Stirling’s (Victor Alli) cousin Michaela (Masali Baduza) arrived on their doorstep. While John is overjoyed to see his free-spirited cousin, who drove her carriage from Scotland after her coachman fell ill, Francesca appears noticeably shaken by Michaela’s unexpected visit.
“I think [Francesca] doesn’t fully understand,” Dodd tells Entertainment Weekly. “I think she’s been through this whole thing of trying to perfect her and John, and [Michaela’s] not been in the picture, and it’s just that feeling that she doesn’t really understand.”
Francesca spent the first half of season 4 navigating feelings of shame and embarrassment surrounding her inability to reach her “pinnacle” when having sex with her husband, which she believes is the reason why she is not yet pregnant. When her attempt to fake one goes awry, John assuages Francesca’s worries by telling her that there’s nothing wrong with her and that she need not pretend for his sake.
However, just as the pair are getting back on the same page, Michaela’s arrival is sure to shake things up once again.
“I think, as an introverted person, Michaela sort of makes [Francesca] step forward, and there’s tension, and she has to confront things,” Dodd adds. “It’s just a completely different energy. She doesn’t understand what it is, but it’s just a very different vibe. And I think it makes her look at herself and maybe feel a bit more bold.”
Like Dodd, showrunner Jess Brownell teases that Michaela’s presence will push John and Francesca out of their comfort zone in the second half of the season, which drops on Netflix on Feb. 26.
“I think Michaela is Fran’s direct opposite in a lot of ways,” she says. “And just as Fran and John are finding a sense of peace, a sense of ease, here comes Michaela who is chaotic and loves to spice things up. So it’s definitely going to throw Fran and John for a bit of a loop and test them both a bit.”
Bridgerton fans who have already read Francesca’s book, When He Was Wicked, will have a good idea of where the story is heading next. The series made major waves last season when it changed John’s cousin from Michael to Michaela, setting it up to introduce its first major queer love story sometime in the future. It is a move that Bridgerton author Julia Quinn herself has praised as the series strives to become more inclusive.
Speaking to EW in 2024, Brownell explained that she “didn’t want to just insert a queer character” into the series just “to check a box.”
“I really wanted to tell a story about a portion of the queer experience,” she said at the time. “There’s also a certain piece of Francesca’s story historically that allows us to ensure a happily ever after for her and Michaela. It was really important for me in crafting a main queer story for us to give that couple a happy ending just like every other couple.”
As for when Francesca and Michaela will find love? Well, it may be sooner than later. While attending the Bridgerton season 4 premiere earlier this month, Brownell confirmed to Deadline that the series’ already-green lit fifth and sixth seasons will tell Eloise (Claudia Jessie) and Francesca’s love stories. “In what order? I can’t say,” she teased.
The first four episodes of Bridgerton season 4 are streaming now on Netflix.
