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Spoiler Alert: This list contains spoilers for Bridgerton Season 4, Part 1.Dearest gentle reader, Season 4 of Bridgerton has finally arrived on Netflix. Premiering the four-episode Part 1, viewers are transported to Mayfair's competitive marriage mart, where the debutantes of the season are looking for their Mr. Right. For second-born Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson), he's not one to settle down, embracing his bohemian lifestyle far away from the lavish balls (much to his mother's annoyance). However, Benedict might have spoken too soon.
At a masquerade ball, Benedict is forced to attend, and the second eldest Bridgerton is bewitched by a mysterious Lady in Silver. Little does he realize, underneath the mask is a lowly maid by the name of Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha). With only her glove as his one clue, Benedict is determined to find out who the Lady in Silver is, not realizing that she's been under his nose the entire time. Based on Julia Quinn's third novel in the Bridgerton series, An Offer from a Gentleman, here are the biggest book changes in Bridgerton Season 4, Part 1, ranked.
8 Benedict Was Recovering From a Head Cold
Image via NetflixAfter Phillip Cavender's (Cavan Clarke) assault, Benedict offers to take Sophie back to Mayfair in his carriage. Midway through the journey, heavy rain forces them to detour to Benedict's cottage for the night. While settling in, Sophie hears screams coming from his room and discovers that Benedict is suffering from bloody wounds on his abdomen, injuries from his fight with Cavender that have since become infected.
In the book, there is no physical fight. Although they are still caught in the rain, Benedict's condition is far less severe. Instead, he is recovering from a bad head cold, spending the night wheezing and coughing rather than battling infected wounds.
7 Benedict Interrogates Lady Penwood
Image via NetflixAfter countless balls and promenades, Benedict is close to giving up on his search for the mysterious Lady in Silver. The only clue he has left is the glove she dropped, which he has kept all this time. When Violet Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell) confronts him about his obsession, she asks to see the glove and quickly notices a Penwood seal stitched inside. Hoping for answers, Benedict pays the Penwoods a polite visit over tea, only to leave disappointed when he realizes that Rosamund (Michelle Mao) and Posy (Isabella Wei) are nothing like the woman he met that night.
In the book, Benedict's visit to the Penwoods is much longer and far more tense. Besides making friendly chatter with Roasmund and Posy, he also engages Lady Penwood (Katie Leung) in a heated conversation. Clearly determined to rattle her, Benedict presses her with questions about her late husband, his family, and whether she had any children with Lord Penwood — along with whether Rosamund and Posy had any other cousins. Unsurprisingly, his probing only irritates Lady Penwood further. It would have been satisfying to see Benedict toy Lady Penwood around, but it's unlike him to meddle in the affairs of the aristocracy.
6 Colin and Penelope Are Not Married Yet
Image via NetflixBridgerton Season 4 picks up after the union at the end of the previous season, with Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) and Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) happily married. Enjoying newlywed bliss and life with their newborn son, Elliot, the two are clearly perfectly content in each other's company. However, the book tells a very different story. Penelope has yet to wed Colin and is, in fact, entering her third season on the marriage mart, with no promising suitors in sight.
At the masquerade ball, Benedict is instructed by his mother, Violet Bridgerton, to dance with Penelope's older sister, Prudence (Bessie Carter), much to his disgust. Benedict would much rather dance with Penelope, whom he quietly sympathizes with (though it hardly helps that she's dressed like a leprechaun rather than a pirate, as she is in the show). Unfortunately, Benedict becomes distracted by the mysterious Lady in Silver and forgets about Penelope altogether. Feeling sorry for her after Benedict turns her away, Colin steps in and asks her to dance instead.
5 Sophie Is Locked Up in a Closet
Image via NetflixThe day after the masquerade ball, Sophie returns to her usual duties as a maid at Penwood House. However, the silver shoes she wore to the ball actually belonged to Lady Penwood. They had never been worn before that night. Lady Penwood summons Sophie to explain why her shoes are dirty, only to shut her down almost immediately. Instead of listening, she orders Sophie to polish her boots — along with the rest of her massive collection of over a hundred pairs, plus Rosamund's.
In the book, Sophie is given the same task, but the situation takes a darker turn. Mid-confrontation, one of the guards informs Lady Penwood that a guest has arrived. She is shocked to learn that Benedict is at the house, likely in search of one of her daughters. Rather than dismissing Sophie to prepare for his visit, Lady Penwood orders Sophie to be locked up in a closet by Rosamund. The decision is clearly driven by Lady Penwood's desire to keep Sophie's existence hidden from Benedict, and from everyone else.
4 Lady Penwood Slapped Sophie in the Face
Image via NetflixAfter putting the pieces together, Lady Penwood realizes that Sophie is the Lady in Silver. She summons Sophie to her room and forces her to try on the silver shoes, which fit her perfectly. Sophie desperately begs Lady Penwood to punish her in any way she sees fit, but the confrontation quickly escalates when Sophie finally stands up for herself. Lady Penwood justifies her cruelty, but instead abruptly dismisses Sophie from the house altogether.
In the book, the argument turns even more vicious. Lady Penwood openly calls Sophie a "bastard" and a "by-blow," making it painfully clear why Sophie will never be accepted as part of the nobility. When Sophie screams back that her blood is just as blue as Lady Penwood's, the situation turns violent. Lady Penwood slaps her, sending Sophie straight to the floor. Lady Penwood may be a woman with a poor moral compass, but including this book scene would have eliminated the mystery behind her questionable character.
3 Sophie Was Assaulted by Philip Cavender
Image via NetflixBanished from the Penwood estate, Sophie heads to the countryside with what little money she has left. Luckily, she manages to find work at the Cavenders' sprawling mansion. Unfortunately, their son, Philip Cavender, is a complete nuisance. With his parents out of town, he throws a gentlemen's only party at the estate and treats the female staff with blatant disrespect. When Benedict witnesses Cavender harassing a maid named Hazel (Gracie McGonigal), Sophie steps in at the last second and splashes him with water. As Cavender was about to lay his hands on Sophie, Benedict rushed in and punched him.
In the book, the scene plays out much more grimly. Sophie is trying to escape the estate when Cavender and his friends corner her, immediately groping her while she is helpless to stop them. Benedict witnesses the assault, but instead of throwing a punch, he forces Cavender to let Sophie go by "firing" her on the spot. This allows Benedict to step in and offer Sophie a position at the Bridgertons' estate. The book scene would not bode well for Benedict. It would make more sense for him to physically intervene, especially when a woman's life is at stake, instead of just talking it out.
2 Benedict and Sophie's Ball Moment Was Much Steamier
Sophie attends the masquerade ball, where she quickly catches Benedict's eye as he notices her standing alone, taking in the magic of the evening. When she admits that she can't dance, Benedict is amused and instead leads her to his private terrace, insisting on giving her a lesson himself. What follows is a playful back-and-forth, with Benedict trying to tease out Sophie's real identity behind the mask. The moment soon softens, and Benedict can't help himself. He slips off one of her gloves, takes her hand, and gives her a gentle kiss on the cheek.
In the book, though, the terrace scene is much more intimate. Benedict still removes her glove, but instead of using his hand, he presses his lips to the edge of the fabric and slowly kisses his way upward, past her elbow, and along the sensitive skin of her inner arm. His lips then trail back down her forearm to the inside of her wrist. To make this even more heated, he takes one of her fingers and gently brushes it against his lips. Although this scene would add more to Bridgerton's long list of steamy scenes, the change shows that there's more to Benedict than being the town's notorious rake.
1 Benedict Makes His Mistress Offer at My Cottage
Image via NetflixBy the time Benedict falls head over heels for Sophie, she is already working at the Bridgerton's estate as a lady's maid. On a rare occasion, the Bridgerton staff are excused for the night by Violent. As Sophie heads out for a night in town, she quickly returns to the house to retrieve her wallet, only for Benedict to sweep her up in a heated moment and explicitly ask her to be his mistress.
Benedict also asks Sophie to be his mistress in the book, but implicitly and in a very different location. Instead of Bridgerton House, he asks her on the outside grounds of My Cottage, right after he spots Sophie spying on him after he goes swimming in the pond. Unlike the series, where Benedict explicitly asks her to be his "mistress," he simply asks her to be with him in the book — something Sophie immediately clocks as a request to become his mistress. In the series, Sophie walks away immediately after hearing Benedict's wish, but the book version shows her lingering in their passionate moment a bit longer before ultimately pulling away.
Bridgerton
Release Date December 22, 2020
Network Netflix
Directors Tom Verica, Tricia Brock, Alex Pillai, Alrick Riley, Bille Woodruff, Cheryl Dunye, Sheree Folkson, Julie Anne Robinson
Writers Abby McDonald, Sarah L. Thompson, Daniel Robinson, Oliver Goldstick, Leila Cohan-Miccio, Azia Squire, Sarah Dollard, Eli Wilson Pelton, Janet Lin
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Luke Thompson
Lady Violet Bridgerton
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Ruth Gemmell
Benedict Bridgerton
English (US) ·