Listen, I know what you’re all thinking: how have you not seen Bridgerton until now? Truthfully I am just very bad at starting new shows. Nevertheless, one evening as I ate dinner, I decided I was in the mood for some Regency-era romance. So I opened Netflix on my laptop and scrolled through the endless movies and shows in My List until I came across the one and only Bridgerton.
Spoilers for Bridgerton season one ahead (for the rare person like me who refuses to watch things while they’re trendy and waits until the next season comes out or for people to finally stop talking about it before they decide to take the plunge. Does this feel like an oddly specific callout? I hope so).
First of all, I managed to finish the entire show in 24 hours. I was watching the finale during dinner the day after I finally decided to start watching it. To say I was hooked from the beginning is an understatement. Was it a bad idea to start watching in the middle of the week? Yes. Was it worth procrastinating my homework? From the amount of serotonin it brought me, I’m also going to say yes to that.
My immediate reaction after episode one was this text I sent to my two roommates who have seen the show: “there’s no way they’re pulling the brother’s best friend card and also enemies to lovers in episode one LMAOOOOO” promptly followed by “THERE IS NO WAY THEY ARE ALSO DOING FAKE DATING” because let’s be honest, who doesn’t love all three of those storylines? I mean, enemies to lovers is only my number one favorite trope of all time. But all three combined into one story? A game changer. If someone had told me that was what the show consisted of, I might’ve actually watched it when it first aired.
Speaking of the romance… between Phoebe Dynevor and Regé-Jean Page, I don’t know who I have a bigger crush on. Besides being a hell of a good-looking pair, their on-screen chemistry was absolutely electrifying—and that’s even without the NSFW scenes. Even though we all knew they were going to get together, the passion and angst leading up to it was full of pure emotion. I felt every single bit of turmoil and struggled right alongside the characters.
Even the side characters fleshed out the story. From the history of the monarchy (a biracial, Black queen of England? You love to see it), to the vivacious Bridgerton siblings, and the power struggles of the noble families, there are so many other directions to explore in the show. I haven’t seen season two, but I imagine the ending for Anthony and Siena sets the stage for Anthony’s rise to prominence as the protagonist of the next season. Unrealistic as it may be, I also loved the Regency-era Gossip Girl vibe with Lady Whistledown’s paper, and I really hope we get a Julie Andrews face reveal at some point. The numerous subplots added to the fullness of the show without feeling overstuffed, making the world feel more detailed and thought-out.
Finally, if you know me at all, there’s one thing I always notice when it comes to movies and TV shows: the music. And boy, oh boy, does Bridgerton deliver. The classical covers of modern pop songs are pure genius—from the pizzicato theme in Billie Eilish’s “bad guy” to Shawn Mendes’s “In My Blood” to Ariana Grande’s “thank u, next,” I could not get enough. And in total and complete seriousness, I want the orchestral rendition of Taylor Swift’s “Wildest Dreams” to be played at my wedding.
Quite frankly, I now not only understand, but am subscribed to, the Bridgerton hype. I completely get it. I really enjoyed the show! Obviously it’s not historically accurate, but that’s not the point of fiction. Bridgerton is, first and foremost, a romance, and for the most part, it has delivered on that account. For that matter, I can’t wait to see what season two brings—if it can keep up this level of content, well, I might just officially become a Bridgerton stan account. Let’s just hope it doesn’t take me until the next season comes out to watch it this time.
