BY: Isadora Nicolai
If you are looking for something easy to binge-watch on a lazy Sunday, I’ve got just the show for you. I introduce you to Bridgerton, a Netflix show based on the novels written by Julia Quinn. The show tells the story of the Bridgerton family, the children of the late English Viscount Bridgerton. The story is set between 1813 and 1827. As of now, Netflix has released two seasons of the eleven-part series. Each of the books tells the story of a sibling, sot is expected that by the end of the show each book will have its individual season.
Season One follows the story of the first debutante of the family, Daphne, as she makes her debut in Regency London’s competitive marriage market. Reading the plot, you would think that it is most likely a very sexist novel in which women’s decisions don’t matter just as they didn’t in the 1800s. What makes Bridgerton interesting is that at the same time that the show stays true to the traditions of the time, such as arranged marriages and women basically being bred to have more qualifications to wed, the women figures of the show take the lead and become the powerful, decision-making characters of the story.
Julia Quinn was able to take a time in history in which women were constantly undermined and deemed worthless, if not to just wed and breed, and make it into a scenario in which they were calling the shots and taking control of the narrative. There are many interesting powerful female characters in the show. For starters, the Queen is a regent and a very witty, opinionated woman. The Bridgerton sisters are also extremely determined and smart young ladies who fight for their beliefs and their space in a “man’s world”. Another very interesting character is what you could call the show’s “antagonist,” a secret writer who writes the dirty gossip of the high society, Lady Whistledown. She is what you could call a tabloid of the 1800s, and throughout the show she dismantles many stigmas and preconceived values of society while remaining anonymous.
The show is not only interesting content-wise, but also has beautiful videography. Extremely color coordinated and filled with pastel tones and beautiful landscapes, it is a very aesthetically pleasing show to watch. It is important to also mention the very diverse cast of the show. The different races represented by the families also differentiate the show from other epic romances out there. The casting crew was also on point when picking a (I must say) VERY attractive cast. If you want to watch hot actors in a funny, romantic, and borderline revolutionary plot, this is definitely what you are looking for.