Bridgerton

January 6, 2021

But, what about the necklace!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Someone save it!!

https://juliaquinn.com/
https://www.netflix.com/

I wasn’t going to do this, but then I changed my mind. Yes, this is a book review site, a mainly romance book review site. So, why am I saying anything about Netflix’s Bridgertons? Puleese! I, like a lot of readers love Ms. Quinn's Bridgerton series, even with all of its anachronisms. I am not going to go into a lonnng drawn out review of the reworking of our beloved Bridgertons, except to just mention a few things.

I’ll set this up for you. It’s interesting to watch a filmed version of a hot romance novel with your daughter. There were moments that were a little squirmy, but we’re all grownups here. We soldiered on. Although, she did have some questions, and I will cover some of her questions, as well as some of my thoughts.

1. Daphne! You forgot that necklace! You ripped it off of your neck, and just left it lying there on the pedestal. OMG! What were you thinking? Both I and my daughter noticed that Daphne left that necklace behind. Daphne! Grab the necklace! Then race off to the dark garden for your first kiss!

2. Anthony! What were you so angry about? Maybe my memory is foggy, but I don’t remember Anthony being such an angry grumpy-gus in the book. Oh sure, he was an irritating older brother, but in a few film scenes his anger was way over the top. I did enjoy him in the last few episodes, especially the scenes where he was interacting with Eloise and Benedict. That’s the Anthony I remember. If we have a season two, I’m hoping for a fantastic Pall Mall game. And, the bite to Anthony’s leg from Kate Sheffield, while she is hiding under the desk. He deserved it!

3. Simon! Hand me a fan! I loved the character of Simon, and I loved the way he was played. It helped that the actor who played him was/is one hot potato! No wonder fans are obsessed with him. I also thought that the chemistry between Simon and Daphne worked, he brooded, she drooled. Seriously, I thought the acting between Rege-Jean Page and Phoebe Dynevor worked because of their reactions to each other. It was their reactions which created the chemistry, and the chemistry succeeded. Great job!

4. Penelope and Eloise! I loved these two characters, and the way they were played. It was wonderful seeing females who actually like each other. While I loved the scenes between them, I also enjoyed their interaction with others in the cast. They were fun characters, who also had hidden depths. Fantastic interaction!

5. Eloise and Benedict! Loved this brother and sister act.

6. Anthony, Benedict, Colin! Loved the scene in the closet. I wish that Anthony had been less angry. The relationship between the brothers was so much better in the last episodes when he was less angry. I always thought of Anthony as a more sardonic person, instead of a fuming individual. 

7.  Polly Walker was great fun.

8.  Loved the Violet Bridgerton empty pillowcase scene.

9.  My daughter questioned as to whether Penelope would have written about the pregnancy in her Lady Whistledown paper. She found it puzzling that an innocent woman would have known how things worked enough to write about it. She had suspected Penelope was Lady Whistledown in the beginning, but the Whistledown pregnancy article threw her off the track. My daughter thought that article would have been out of character for Penelope. My answer – it wasn’t in the book. I used that statement a number of times during the show. Things are changed in all books to film projects, sometimes for a good reason, and sometimes not so much. It all depends on the screenwriter, how well they know their subject matter, and how much power they have to bring the original artwork to life.

10. I could have done without the opera singer, didn’t get Anthony’s “love” for her.

11. So, is Marina going to die? She’s dead in the book To Sir Philip with Love. Although, I guess we could have flashbacks of her troubled life. But not tooooo much, because the Eloise character is a delight.

12 Just how does an Intimacy Coordinator work, and how much does it pay? Is it offered as a college course?

In the past, whenever a romance book as been brought to film, the screen-writing doesn’t do well in translation. I’m not sure why, maybe it’s because the screen-writer doesn’t understand the genre. In the case of Netflix’s Bridgerton, I think the transfer from book to film worked. The way this movie was filmed made it possible for me not to be embarrassed that it was from a romance novel. There were no cringe worthy words coming from any of the actor's mouths. I was happy with the interpretation of Julia Quinn's, The Duke and I.  At no time did I feel belittled because I am a lover of the romance genre. I hope that future installments of the Bridgerton series will have the same smooth transition. I still have a fear that there are people who are not familiar with the genre, and do not know the difference between romance novels written now, and the ones which would be classified as a bodice-ripper type novel. Even though, those older novels broke new ground for women, there is a big difference between an old pot-boiler, and what we are now reading. One of the big differences is the hero, and what he does or doesn’t do. We expect more from our heroes. We have grown to expect a certain “trust” issue with our hero. We do not want a Steve Morgan who claims to love the heroine/wife in one book, but in the next book is sticking his wick in someone else, and hurting the heroine in the process. While we may like hot heroes, we also like trust, respect, and honor. We have fought a long battle for our romance genre to be respected and understood as more than just a “smut” book. We like modern romance, but it must be “romance” in the true sense of the word. Why am I rambling? Because I was nervous when it was announced that the Bridgerton’s were coming to life. I was hoping that the sense of family, loyalty, trust, and honor would be translated smoothly. I’m happy with the way Julia Quinn’s art work has been handled. In my opinion it has been handled with…respect.

One last thing, I thought Netflix’s Bridgerton was a feast for the eyes. Everything was vibrant, including the acting. I loved the diversity. The characters felt comfortable with each other. I, like a lot of other people, am now addicted to this series. I’m hoping that the next season brings us more delight, which at this point in time we need so very much.