Is Netflix’s Bridgerton already organising its promised queer romance?

Whereas Bridgerton’s alternate historical past means the present is already far more racially various than different Regency-era romances, the present to date has nonetheless been very heteronormative and deeply patriarchal, even with Queen Charlotte ruling. If girls can’t even inherit property and not using a man or an inheritor, they positively can’t kiss different girls (and similar goes for dudes).

However new showrunner Jess Brownell instructed Refinery29 Australia that queer major characters can be featured within the present’s future seasons.

“I feel this can be a present in regards to the some ways through which individuals love,” stated Brownell. “So it solely feels proper to point out all of the methods through which individuals love, together with queer love. So we’re exploring queer love tales throughout the subsequent couple of seasons,” she added.

Now, Brownell was tight-lipped about simply which characters would have queer romances. However there are some robust contenders — particularly in relation to the Bridgerton household.

It’s clearly Benedict…

The entire older brothers have had their share of intercourse and debauchery (thanks 1800s-era double requirements!), however Benedict continues to be the one one who has seen a dude get it on with one other dude. Within the first season, he went to a wild celebration hosted by artist Henry Granville, and finally discovered about Granville’s clandestine relationship with one other man.

And Benedict (Luke Thompson) is essentially the most artsy-fartsy of the Bridgerton siblings. Being avant-garde and in contact with one’s creative aspect is a stereotype that filmmakers and TV writers alike have used to point {that a} male character is queer for many years.

Whereas the entire brothers aren’t tremendous eager on discovering a match, he’s the one who’s arguably put the least effort in, and proven the least curiosity in, really courting a lady. Earlier than Anthony met Kate, he was smitten together with his opera singer mistress. And Colin even proposed to Marina Thompson again in season 1. However Benedict’s solely actually been within the sexual a part of relationships. It might be that he’s lacking a sure spark.

This season, he strikes up yet one more sexual relationship with a brand new feminine character. This time, although, Woman Tilley Arnold (Hannah New) is a widow, and described by Deadline as a ”dwelling life on her personal phrases with monetary independence and sexual freedom.” Within the first half of season 3, we definitely see her maintain her personal with the boys of the Ton — however might that sexual freedom imply opening Benedict’s thoughts past heterosexuality?

… until it’s Eloise

Eloise (Claudia Jessie) has rejected societal conventions from the very first season. She doesn’t need to get married in any respect and would moderately wax on in regards to the rights of girls. She and Penelope as soon as bonded over this, again when Eloise was impressed by Woman Whistledown. In fact, that obtained a wrench thrown into it, however Eloise continuously seeks feminine friendship in a means that we don’t actually see with the opposite feminine characters her age, who’re extra preoccupied with discovering a correct suitor.

Feminine characters who converse out towards marriage and conventional social norms usually find yourself coded as queer in relation to most films and TV reveals, significantly ones with historic settings. Even when they’re not textually offered as queer, many followers spark to those characters and declare them.

Despite the fact that she had a little bit of a flirtation with an enthralling newspaper boy in season 2, Eloise’s closest relationships exterior her household are with different girls. This season, we see her develop nearer with Cressida Cowper (Jessica Madsen), which brings a pleasant depth to Cressida’s Imply Woman antics. Each Eloise and Cressida speak in confidence to one another about desirous to dwell their very own lives with out being married. And we see them in search of out one another’s firm at occasions, in a means that nearly performs out like a standard courtship.

When requested about doable queer-coding in Eloise and Cressida’s relationship, Madsen instructed Decider that she’d be stoked if that was the case.

“I completely love that,” she stated. “That will be the very best! Yeah, I imply, that may be cool. I prefer to suppose it will make sense as a result of, like, she hasn’t bagged a man. So, like, why not a gal?”

Eloise and Benedict share a very particular relationship too, one which makes them very a lot at odds with their extra marriage-focused household. They’re usually seen collectively, making jests on the expense of the women and gents of the Ton. They’re each the second-eldest son/daughter, each have a ardour for one thing aside from being a wealthy individual. Whereas a number of the different Bridgerton siblings weren’t too eager on the concept of marriage within the first place (like Anthony and Francesca), Eloise and Benedict extra brazenly reject the establishment of marriage.

… Or Brimsley’s lover returns

Now there may be an present fully-fleshed out and superbly poignant queer love story within the Bridgerton universe — however you’d have to look at the Queen Charlotte miniseries to expertise it. Because it seems, the Queen’s butler Brimsley is in an extended relationship with the King’s butler Reynolds. We noticed the total extent of that relationship within the prequel, however we haven’t seen Reynolds within the modern-day. He might be useless, but additionally we simply haven’t seen numerous King George in any respect, so possibly Reynolds is solely attending to his boss and we’ll see the homosexual butlers reunited!

… or it’s only a utterly totally different character!

Photograph: Liam Daniel/Netflix

There may be, in fact, the robust probability that the queer Bridgerton love story doesn’t belong to one of many major siblings. In any case, this can be a present with numerous characters and aspect plots. Possibly it’s a closely featured aspect character (sapphic arc for Woman Danbury, maybe?), or possibly it’s somebody launched solely in an upcoming season to have a background romance.

Hopefully this promised queer love story is given simply as a lot weight because the heterosexual ones. In any case, that is an alternate historical past, the place love conquers all and the showrunners aren’t precisely beholden to historic accuracy.

As Brownell says: “Now we have the privilege of dwelling on this fantasy world which implies we will push again towards a number of the actuality of what occurred within the 1800s.”