Netflix released the fourth season of “Bridgerton” in two parts: four episodes came out on Jan. 29 and four more on Feb. 26. As always, the season will follow one of the Bridgerton kids, and the Bridgerton taking the spotlight this season is Benedict Bridgerton.
Season four followed the “Cinderella” trope this time. Benedict Bridgerton, played by Luke Thompson, is the second-oldest son of the Bridgerton family, and he has never been interested in wanting to get married or settling down. However, the first episode of the new season, which is called “The Waltz,” started off with Benedict’s mother hosting a masquerade ball where he met a woman. This woman was dressed in a silver gown and referred to herself as “The Lady in Silver,” not wanting anyone to know who she was underneath the masquerade mask. Under the mask was a woman named Sophie Baek, played by Yerin Ha. She was a lady’s maid who snuck her way to the ball without her step-family knowing. Sophie and Benedict danced together before she left at midnight, leaving Benedict wondering and wanting to know who she was.
Some audiences were not thrilled about the show taking a “Cinderella” turn, feeling as if that trope has been overused. Many films have used this trope to tell romantic tales, and it has become somewhat worn out. Even if filmmakers have made their own twists to it, it is still the same story. This is what Bridgerton has done. In the show, Sophie Baek is the daughter of the deceased Lord Penwood and lives in Penwood House with her stepmother and step-sisters. She was raised as a maid and was not recognized as Penwood's daughter. Benedict and Sophie ended up meeting again, days after the masquerade ball, he ended up falling for her again, not knowing that she was “The Lady in Silver.”
And while the season mostly followed Benedict, it also looked into the lives of others. For example, Lady Danbury and the queen were also having struggles of their own. Lady Danbury wanted to travel and take a break from society, and she requested the queen to take that break but was denied. The queen’s decision caused conflict between the two friends. Queen Charlotte also denied Lady Danbury’s request to leave because she was afraid that the king's health would get worse and that if he died and Lady Danbury was gone, she would be all alone.
This review was written prior to the second half of season four being released, but from what has been shown so far, season four has been an interesting, engaging watch, with unexpected events and romances, and currently, it has been worth the wait.