The third season of Bridgerton is set to bloom back onto our screens later this spring. Part 1 will debut on May 16th, and Part 2 will debut on June 13th. While we wait to watch how Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton (finally) get together as a couple, I can’t help but think ahead to what’s coming after Season 3. Shondaland threw fans for a loop when it was revealed that the Netflix series would go out of book order, jumping ahead to Romancing Mister Bridgerton. This means we won’t know who the Bridgerton Season 4 lead will be until they announce it. However, a recent fan event held with stars from the show seemed to hint at who it would be.
When Luke Thompson, who plays Benedict, was asked for more details about what audiences will see from his character in Season 3, he was very tight-lipped, even Shonda Rhimes butting in to answer, “Spoilers!” What we do know is that Benedict will be taking over some of his elder brother’s responsibilities while Anthony and Kate continue to enjoy married life, and that audiences will be very invested in Benedict’s storyline. With how secretive the cast and the showrunners were involving his character, the writing seems to be on the wall that Bridgerton Season 4 will focus on Number Two himself — Benedict Bridgerton. Again, I will hold onto this belief loosely until it is officially announced by Netflix and Shondaland. Even if they introduce Sophie Beckett at the end of Season 3, I still won’t believe it until the press release says it. The trust issues are real.
Putting aside all the comments said (and not said) at the Bridgerton fan event from Valentine’s Day, Benedict Bridgerton and his love story getting the focus in Season 4 makes the most sense. Based on what has transpired in the Netflix series so far and how it will set up future story points later, his character has been put in a prime position over his other siblings to take the mantle for his love story.
Bridgerton Season 4: Benedict Can Only Stay Adrift For So Long
Benedict Bridgerton is always second. He’s the second-born son, the second-best choice next to the eligible Bridgerton men, according to the ton. He is Anthony’s second when Anthony duels Simon. He is Anthony’s second should he die and must pick up the mantle from his brother as the viscount. His dreams, his pursuits, his pleasures in life will always come second to the role he has in his family. Benedict is the epitome of Number 2, a nickname that hasn’t been uttered in the Netflix series but haunts every action he makes.
For a brief period in Season 2, Benedict indulges in his artistic pursuits after being accepted into the Royal Academy of Art. He gets to explore a passion that’s just his. However, once he learns that he wasn’t accepted based on his merit but from Anthony’s influence, the flame that art used to give him is stamped out. Not even Anthony’s insistence on his talents later on is enough to stop Benedict from packing his art supplies and quitting art school. It’s a shake of his confidence that he doesn’t fully express to anyone.
Benedict is looking for inspiration again. While he tries to find a reason to pick up a brush, he picks up a role he doesn’t resent, but it doesn’t spark the same type of joy that art brings him. A character detail about Benedict that often gets overlooked, much like him, is that Benedict is deeply loyal to his family. He absolutely adores his family, and being the second-born son, it does make sense for Benedict to take on some of Anthony’s responsibilities. Leaning on his family by relying on duty can be grounding for him as he figures out what is next, but it’s not the anchor he needs. Benedict can only drift so long before people lose interest, and he’s lost at sea.
Francesca and Eloise Need More Time For Their Love Stories to Land Effectively
Taking a step back from Benedict and his story, when you look at him next to his sisters, Eloise and Francesca, he has the most groundwork for his love story to happen narratively. Francesca, who has been recast by Hannah Dodd, is only just stepping out onto the marriage mart. As much as Benedict keeps his passions close to the vest, Francesca is like a vault of mystery. Outside of a handful of comments, audiences don’t know her enough to be invested in her and her love story to come immediately next (though I am very excited for more Francesca this season). Until a certain count and his cousin make a trip south from Scotland, we’ll take more time getting to know this reserved sister.
On the opposite end, we have Eloise. Like Benedict, she’s a character audiences are very familiar with after two seasons. Eloise is bold, idealistic, and unafraid to hang society’s conventions for a sense of adventure. Fans of the Bridgerton book series know that audiences have already met her future husband in the Netflix series, Sir Philip Crane, yet they’ve yet to meet in the series. He’s currently married out of duty to Marina Thompson. There are pieces in place for Eloise to be next after Colin and Penelope, but the main factor against her is time. Eloise needs time to begin a penpal relationship with Philip. She needs time to mature some of her lofty ideas into focused passion. More importantly, she needs time to feel the pangs of loneliness.
In Eloise’s book, To Sir Philip, With Love, the reason why Eloise decides to run away comes from spending years watching her siblings marry and move on. Colin and Penelope’s engagement is the final nail that helps her realize that she’s more lonely than she lets on. It’s the same sentiment Jo March expresses in 2019’s Little Women; after expressing how much more a woman is meant for, she confesses to Marmee that she’s so lonely. In another life, Jo March and Eloise Bridgerton would be the best of friends. I draw this example to say that this is a character detail we haven’t seen in Eloise yet, and it needs time to manifest. In the Netflix series, she’s extremely close with Benedict. Losing Benedict after he marries Sophie could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back for her. Plus, Benedict needs to be married and living in My Cottage before he, Anthony, Colin, and Gregory can storm Romney Hall to find Eloise. Better yet, Benedict and Sophie need to be married and have at least one child so Philip can save that child’s life, making Eloise fall further in love with Philip.
Sophie Beckett Is the Character Bridgerton Needs to Shake Up the Status Quo
Speaking of Philip, Benedict becoming the focus of Bridgerton Season 4 means the introduction of Sophie Beckett. Season 3 is unique in that we aren’t being introduced to a love interest as a new character as we did with Kate Sharma. We’ve followed Colin and Penelope since Season 1. Although Eloise hasn’t met Phillip, he’s already been introduced to the audience. Instead of new cast members that barely serve as an obstacle to the primary couples, Bridgerton Season 4 would be an apt time to bring in new characters that enhance the ton for a narrative purpose, and outside of the Stirlings, I can think of no one better than Sophie. In the context of Bridgerton, this also means getting Araminta Gunningworth, who could pose as a great adversary for Lady Bridgerton, Lady Featherington, and Lady Danbury (Could you imagine them teaming up against Araminta? It could be iconic). Plus, Rosamund Reiling, Araminta’s daughter, could become a new friend to Cressida Cowper and an enemy to Eloise. They’re the type of antagonists that Bridgerton could really shake things up for the ton.
More than that, Sophie Beckett gives Bridgerton a true outsider’s perspective apart from the aristocracy. She’s a bastard turned servant, denied a dowry and a life as an earl’s ward. Penelope may be a wallflower, but she’s actually part of the ton. She’s never had to be locked in a closet all night and denied a meal. Sophie offers a unique commentary on the Bridgerton world we’ve immersed ourselves in for almost three seasons that could give the series something new to explore from a narrative perspective.
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I have written many words about my love for Sophie Beckett (and this piece is starting to get away from me), but here’s what I will briefly say about her. Sophie is the spark Benedict has been looking for, the burst of color that transforms the gray he drifts through and the magic to make him and the audience believe there’s such a thing as love at first sight. Thanks to Luke Thompson’s portrayal of Benedict, audiences really like Benedict. We want to see all the Bridgertons find their love matches. We’re waiting for his turn to discover a love that the poets describe, a love he describes to Anthony when he’s teaching him about poetry. Like a lighthouse leading a lost ship back to shore, with the right lady in silver, Benedict’s defenses will crumble as he begins to feel inspiration return once more.
Production is underway for Bridgerton Season 4. Again, we won’t know until Netflix and Shondaland make it official. If it really is Benedict’s season next, out of the potential leads it does make the most sense. Benedict has been looked over as Number Two long enough — offer this gentleman the lead.
First Featured Image Credit: Cr. Liam Daniel/Netflix © 2024