Plans this summer: listening to BRAT on repeat, developing an aggressive interest in tennis that annoys all my friends (three tickets for Challengers please), and spiraling over Bridgerton. Specifically in regards to a) when Netflix will bother to drop season 4, and b) which member of the deeply horny Bridgerton family the show will spotlight next. So...who's it gonna be?
Bridgerton Dropped a Major Benedict Hint
Bridgerton's season 3 ending set us up for several possibilities re: where the show could take us next season:
- Francesca Bridgerton is smitten by her husband's cousin, Michaela Stirling, making their relationship an obvious contender for next season.
- Eloise Bridgerton moves to Scotland for some adventure, so seems reasonable to think she could take center stage.
- Benedict Bridgerton breaks things off with his throuple, meaning he's single and ready to mingle.
All great options, however one very specific line in the season finale makes it pretty clear next season will star this guy:
Kay, so remember when Benedict and Eloise were chatting about her move to Scotland at the very end of the season 3 finale? When asked by her big brother how long she'd be gone, Eloise says "Only until next year—do you think mama would ever let me miss her masquerade ball?" And if you've read the Bridgerton book series by Julia Quinn, you know this is a major clue. On that note...
About the Masquerade Ball
Benedict's book, An Offer From a Gentleman (which is best described as Cinderella fan-fic) kicks off with a masquerade ball—where Benedict first lays eyes on Sophie Beckett. She's the "illegitimate" daughter of an Earl who's treated as a servant by her evil step-mother, and he's best described as "trust fund. 6' 5. blue eyes. finance."
Anyway, considering the absolute lore of Bridgerton's masquerade ball, it seems safe to assume the show is setting up Benedict's season with that line of dialogue from Eloise!
Plus, There's a Major Easter Egg
You know how Cressida Cowper was shipped off to live with her evil aunt at the end of season three? Well, pretty sure we haven't seen the last of her or her conniving mother, because fans on Reddit clocked that Cressida's mom is named Araminta...which happens to be the name of Sophie's evil step-mom in An Offer from a Gentleman.
As far as we can tell, there are a few possibilities re: how the show could make this work:
- We could pick up Bridgerton season 4 with Lord Cowper dying / Araminta Cowper re-marrying Sophie's father. This scenario would explain Sophie's sudden arrival in the Ton and make Cressida one of her two "evil step-sisters."
- The show could simplify things by introducing Sophie as Lord Cowper's illegitimate daughter, who joins the family upon his death.
But...We Have a Theory
There's been some speculation (in my brain) about why Bridgerton's writers spent so much time developing Cressida Cowper this season only to send her away. But what if...wait for it...Cressida is Sophie.
According to this theory (which comes from the brain of Cosmopolitan editor Emma Baty), we could see Cressida—fresh off spending a year at her aunt's house—show up at the masquerade ball where she meets Benedict, who has no idea who she really is. An iconic potential twist, not to mention one that would set up tons of juicy tension between Benedict and his family. After all, Colin Bridgerton, Eloise Bridgerton, and Penelope Bridgerton are not exactly fans of Cressida....
