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Published Jan 30, 2026, 4:00 PM EST
Cathal Gunning has been writing about movies, television, culture, and politics online and in print since 2017. He worked as a Senior Editor in Adbusters Media Foundation from 2018-2019 and wrote for WhatCulture in early 2020. He has been a Senior Features Writer for ScreenRant since 2020.
Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Bridgerton season 4, part 1
Although there are plenty of romances in earlier seasons of Bridgerton, season 4, part 1 finally offered viewers one thing that has been missing from the series until now. The Bridgerton siblings continue their dramatic dalliances in season 4, part 1, the latest scandalous chapter in Netflix’s infamously raunchy period drama.
However, while Bridgerton, season 4, part 1’s focus on Sophie and Benedict might look a lot like the romances from earlier seasons, the latest outing has changed things in a few pivotal ways. For one thing, the show finally has a romance between two characters who are over the age of 30, not to mention previously married.
Up Until Season 4, Bridgerton Only Let Its Young Characters Have Romantic Storylines
In season 3, Ruth Gemmell’s Lady Violet Bridgerton and Daniel Francis’s Lord Marcus Anderson enjoyed a brief flirtation while the younger Bridgerton protagonists were busy pursuing their passionate love affairs. However, in season 4, part 1, this became a full-blown love story, marking the first time that the series has focused on a more mature couple.
Lady Bridgerton was widowed years earlier, while Lord Anderson also lost his wife long before this love story began. Thus, the pair’s love story is profoundly different from a romance like Sophie and Benedict’s Bridgerton season 4 fairytale, and comes complete with its own challenges.
This makes a welcome change for a series that, despite touting its diversity, has often reduced its older characters to supporting stars. Many of the show’s older generation act as walking impediments to the desires of the protagonists, as epitomized by Lady Araminta Kenwood’s season 4 role.
Violet & Marcus' Season 4 Storyline Puts The Spotlight On Middle-Aged Desire
While Araminta could have been more substantially fleshed out in her own regard, Lord Penwood’s widow is instead reduced to a classic evil stepmother archetype to underline the comparisons between Bridgerton's Sophie and Cinderella. In stark contrast, Marcus and Violet’s love story feels separate from the more dramatic love lives of Violet’s children.
Lady Bridgerton and Lord Anderson face issues of their own, like Violet’s struggles with sex, that are unique to their age and life stage. This illustrates a whole new side of the show’s cast, pulling the focus away from the young unmarried protagonists in favor of the older generation.
Considering how popular Queen Charlotte’s Bridgerton spinoff is, it makes sense for season 4, part 1 to finally focus on the show’s older characters in more depth. As a result, Bridgerton feels more inclusive than ever in this outing.
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) ·