Bridgerton has finally given me what I’ve been craving for 6 years

I’ll admit it – I’m a hopeless romantic, and Bridgerton is my catnip.

The opulent period drama swept me off my feet six years ago when Daphne made her debut in society and accidentally fell in love with the dashing Duke of Hastings, Simon.

However, one thing’s been missing from the start, something that I’ve been yearning for and which has finally come this week. Two words: more Benedict.

Benedict (Luke Thompson) has been my favourite Bridgerton brother since the show began – which I told the twinkly-eyed actor when Metro interviewed him for season 4, much to his sweet surprise – and I know I’m not alone on that front.

I felt an instant affinity with his love of creativity and desire to find a purpose, and his kind-hearted demeanour charmed my socks off. As much as I wanted him to find the love of his life, I wondered who could possibly be a good enough match for him.

Enter Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha), a mysterious woman who seemingly appears out of thin air and flips Benedict’s life upside down when he becomes hypnotised by her at his mother’s masquerade ball.

As much as I love to waltz away to the whimsy of the Bridgerton fantasy, I’m not denying it’s often very formulaic. Season four is pretty much a dead ringer for Cinderella – Sophie is a maid, but for a single night transforms into an elegantly dressed member of the Ton, as her friends who work with her ‘downstairs’ declare that she will go to the ball.

Sophie and Benedict meet and only have eyes for each other, despite a ballroom full of prying high society eyes. At the strike of the clock, Sophie has to dash – but rather than a glass slipper, she leaves behind a satin glove, which instantly becomes Benedict’s most prized possession.

He’ll do everything in his power to find the woman the glove belongs to, whose name he doesn’t even know. Yes, we’ve seen this story play out a thousand times before. But Luke and Yerin’s sincere performances sell it to me. I’m all in, and after only watching part one, I’m hungry for more.

Sophie is a breath of fresh air. She is a diligent maid, but despite spending her days being ordered about, she’s certainly no pushover. She holds her ground, can challenge the smartest members of society with her wit, and she will always stand up for those who need her help.

While the tale being woven in season four might feel familiar, it sets a very different tone for the world of Bridgerton. This is the deepest the series has ever delved into the upstairs-downstairs dynamics of the Ton, and it’s about time.

We might care deeply about characters such as Anthony Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington, but they also live very privileged and cushy lives. Introducing a lead character like Sophie, whose livelihood depends on her harsh employer Lady Araminta Gun (Katie Leung), raises the stakes considerably.

It also changes the power dynamics between Benedict and Sophie, as they develop feelings for one another that cross over the boundaries of class. As much as I adore Benedict as a character, he is also undoubtedly ignorant of much of the real world. He can’t possibly relate to Sophie’s struggles, and that naïveté could cause a painful wedge between them as their romance intensifies, especially when viewers watch the finale of part one.

If diehard fans are hoping for a repeat of Polin’s ‘carriage scene’ to drool over, you’ll certainly be left satisfied. Exploring a genuine love connection might be new territory for Benedict, but he certainly knows what he’s doing in the seduction department.

He and Sophie aren’t the only ones getting hot and heavy this season. Colin (Luke Newton) and Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) can’t keep their hands off each other while enjoying newlywed bliss, even in broad daylight.

Francesca (Hannah Dodd) feels content and comfortable in her marriage to John (Victor Alli), but a crucial piece of the puzzle is missing. Her ‘pinnacle’ is eluding her, despite her best efforts to seek advice from Penelope and her mother, Violet Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell).

Speaking of the matriarch of the Bridgerton household, her garden is finally ‘back in bloom’ as her attraction for Marcus Anderson (Daniel Francis) grows. Marcus might be the brother of Violet’s confidante Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh), but he and the Dowager Viscountess can’t deny the electric spark between them any longer.

Bridgerton might primarily focus on the younger members of society, but witnessing Violet’s confidence in herself grow is one of the highlights of season four. She’s spent her whole life looking out for her family – and will always continue to do so – but she deserves to be selfish in the best possible way. I can already hear fans across the globe cheering her on.

Powerful women are the pioneers who rule the Ton, from Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) to Violet, Lady Whistledown (aka Penelope) and Lady Danbury. And now, a new queen bee has entered the fray threatening to dethrone them all.

Having grown up watching Katie as Cho Chang in Harry Potter, and then being left in awe by her performance as Caitlyn in Arcane, one of my favourite TV shows of all time, it’s a pure delight to meet this new iteration of her, as the villainous and conniving Lady Araminta.

Bridgerton knows how to give the fans what they want, while also keeping us on our toes. The plot might not be groundbreaking, but this is escapism at its finest. It’s had us on the edge of our seats and clutching our pearls for six years, long may the obsession continue.

Bridgerton season 4 part 1 premieres on Thursday January 29 on Netflix.

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