Yerin Ha, left, as Sophie Baek and Luke Thompson as Benedict Bridgerton during their masquerade ball meet-cute in Season 4 of “Bridgerton.”
Liam Daniel/Netflix/TNS
Bridgerton returned on Jan 29 with a new season, this time focusing on the second eldest brother of the family—Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson)
Part one of Season 4 centers around the growing connection between Benedict and Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha), a maid who he meets by chance in a Cinderella-inspired encounter at a masquerade ball.
The greatest conflict of part one is the difference in social status between the two and their difficulties in navigating their attraction to one another.
I find this season to be one of Bridgerton’s strongest to come out, perhaps even a contender for its best. Compared to the disjointed fumble that was Season 3, Season 4 comes across as cohesive and highly entertaining.
Though I don’t care much for Benedict Bridgerton as a bachelor yet, Yerin Ha as Sophie Baek makes this season shine.
Sophie is an endearing female lead; she is one that gives way to show the underbelly of regency-era high society.
Season 4 gives us a deeper look at the dynamics between the domestic staff and their upper class households.
A scene that caught my eye was one of a maid who had to clean up after the Bridgerton brothers threw shaving cream at one another.
It was sobering to witness these scenes occur back to back, showing the juxtaposition between the two kinds of lives lived in Bridgeton manor.
It’s also a good reminder to the viewer of how hard the staff must work to keep these high society households running perfectly. It inputs some reality back to a usually fantasy-centered story and shows how big of a gap there is between the rich and poor.
One thing Bridgerton does that I always enjoy is create couples with a healthy amount of conflict. The same can be said for our newest leads—they are imperfect but in a way that makes me root for them to resolve their issues.
Often this is shown in their power imbalance as people who live on opposite sides of the social hierarchy.
Benedict’s position as a male in high society creates a sticky situation for the couple. Societal rules at the time say they cannot be together, and being together in secret could tarnish Sophie’s reputation.
Bridgerton portrays this in a similar way to Season 2 with many intense scenes between Benedict and Sophie that portray their undeniable desire toward one another.
What I like is how this conflict actually feels real – there are stakes and risks. As a viewer, I wonder how the two will end up together.
I am curious to see where Bridgerton takes this story in part two, and I particularly look forward to how this difference in status is addressed later on.
I would give Bridgerton Season 4 part one an 8/10. Bridgerton Season 4 Part 1 is currently streaming on Netflix, Part two is set to release on Feb 26.
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