Bridgerton is a series that highlights the female plight during the Regency period. In the world of Dukes, Counts and Princes, a woman’s choice in man determines the quality of life but also her social standing. Similar vein as Downton Abbey, the new series is on Netflix, Bridgerton is set in London and focuses on the life of the aristocracy. The secret lives and gossip of the aristocracy is sensationalized in a printed column by the mysterious Lady Whistledown (voiced by Julie Andrews).
The families Bridgerton and Featherington have presented their daughters, Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor), Philipa Featherington (Harriet Cains), Prudence Featherington (Bessie Carter) and Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) to Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) for the season. Now the focus of these daughters is to find a suitable husband through the various balls and parties they attend but also try and avoid getting caught up in the salacious gossip.
Interestingly enough this is a very modern take on the Regency period, so think Jane Austen but but throw in a little bit of nudity, young love and coming of age. It is a curious creation of this period of time as seen through the eyes of a young person and what it was like to have your entire legacy and your family’s reputation put on finding the right husband that can elevate your position in society.
Created by Chris Van Dusen, Bridgerton is the perspective of a young woman as she comes of age is thrust into the center of society but also must do the impossible and find a husband of suitable means and most importantly reputation, all under the watchful eye of notorious gossip Lady Whistledown.
There are a couple of historical inaccuracies with this series. Noticeably is the scene involving a wedding. The scene is a white wedding with the bride wearing a white wedding dress and veil. But white wedding dresses and veils didn’t become popular until after 1840 following the wedding of Queen Victoria. But the Regency period concluded in 1820, following the death of King George III and wedding dresses of the time were light colors including yellow, blue, pink and green and almost all had embossed and embroidered flowers or foliage, as explained on the Jane Austin Centre website.
Phoebe Dynevor as Daphne Bridgerton is engaging and believable.
But there are a number of supporting roles that are equally as commanding on the screen and deserve attention, including Nicola Coughlan as Penelope Featherington. You may recognize her from Derry Girls, a comedy on Netflix.
Nicola is a tremendous actor demonstrating a wide range of strong successful roles. As Penelope she portrays a venerable, caring, young woman who is questioning everything in the world, but also watching her world change in front of her eyes and being confronted with the reality of life outside of her aristocratic world.
Bridgerton is a great series that you can binge watch on any weekend. It is a fascinating story that isn’t as straightforward as a Jane Austen novel, in fact it is most likely more of an accurate representation of what it was like to be a young person during this time in history.
For Julie Andrew fans, it is a lot of fun hearing her narrate the gossip pages written by Lade Whistledown.
Bridgerton is currently available on Netflix.
