The second half of The Bridgerton ChroniclesThe third season of , released on Netflix last week, was a bomb with viewers. In the season finale, Francesca Bridgerton (played by Hannah Dodd, replacing the character’s previous actress) is chatting with her new husband John, the Earl of Kilmartin, at a ball when she meets her cousin, who introduces himself as Michaela Stirling (Masali Baduza). ). Francesca seems amazed, and for good reason: as readers of Julia Quinn’s novels, on which the Netflix series is based, know, Francesca’s story involves her eventually falling in love with a character named Michael Stirling. Shondaland, it seems, sparked a gender swap, one that pitted fans against each other in an all-out civil war.
To understand the problem, we must turn to the source material. When he was bad, the sixth book in Quinn’s Regency romance novel series, is widely considered a fan favorite. Although Francesca is the book’s representative of the beloved Bridgerton family, much of her appeal lies in Michael, who is widely known as one of the world’s most notorious debauchees, with one of the most passionate romances of the series, and some of the best SKILLS in the bedroom. Replacing such a beloved male love interest with a female love interest has sparked a backlash that is quickly approaching hysteria levels. God, this even reached the level of protest: someone started a petition on Change.org demanding that the creators of The Bridgerton Chronicles undo this “parody” and restore the character of Michael Stirling. (At the time of writing, the petition had garnered nearly 17,000 signatures, surpassing its initial goal of 15,000.)
Yet the controversy isn’t as simple as “the fans just want to be true to the books.” The reactions of some viewers – but not all – are shrouded, consciously or not, overtly or not, in threads of homophobia or misogynoir, as advocates for change have pointed out. After all, if you’re complaining that any sex scenes won’t be as evocative as those in the books, well, have you seen movies like The servant and this year Love lies, bleeding who proves that on-screen lesbian sex can be just as thrilling as heteronormative hankies? If your complaint is that the change is historically inaccurate, well, first of all, it’s not, and second, have you seen an episode of The Bridgerton Chronicles? That’s not to say too much, but it also doesn’t help that Michael and Francesca’s relationship on the page is somewhat controversial.
But I can also understand some of the anxiety surrounding change. Reading a favorite novel is an emotional experience, especially when sexual preferences are involved, and it is an emotional response; Telling upset fans to just let go and let the lesbians have this one, as valid as it is, doesn’t address the core of those feelings. And the reason why fans’ attachment to When he was bad is so strong not only because the steamy passages are known among book readers as some of the best in the series, or because Michael is generally considered one of the most charismatic and beloved characters. The Bridgerton Chronicles beautiful. Francesca’s original story is also highly regarded as it involves not only her experience of grief, but also her struggles with infertility. In the book, this burden is the main factor motivating his actions and hesitations. Of course, same-sex couples can also struggle with infertility, but gender swapping is a big enough change that it could alter some of the dynamics of that struggle. I sympathize with readers who mourn the prospect of losing this in the TV adaptation.
Yet the messiness of the response begs the question: Where is the discontent with this change really coming from: homophobia, gatekeeping, or simply a matter of selfishness? The Bridgerton Chronicles Showrunner Jess Brownell told Teen Vogue that the reason she chose Francesca’s story to insert a queer relationship into the series is because, as a queer woman herself, she “really identified » to Francesca’s story, which she sums up as “a different feeling, and I don’t really know why. Upset fans called the decision selfish, noting that there were other opportunities to feature queer romance on the show — the biggest being Benedict’s realization this season that he is bisexual. But if Brownell’s change is selfish, can’t the same be said for wanting a TV adaptation to reflect the version of a story that resonated with you the most?
Personally, though, I have a different issue to deal with with change — and it has nothing to do with the relationship itself. My long-standing problem with The Bridgerton Chronicles is that he suffers from what I like to call, in purely scientific terms, an imbalance of bad female dogs. By that I mean that the guys from The Bridgerton Chronicles, are, overall, useful to the story and perfectly fine, but pale in comparison to the women in the series, who might as well be goddesses. When it comes to charisma, hustle and good looks, the ladies of Shonda Rhimes’ alt-period drama beat the men by a wide margin. These thunderous gems, even those who don’t end up in a relationship, like season 2’s Edwina Sharma (Charithra Chandran), are just too powerful, and it creates a noticeable disparity on screen.
There are, of course, exceptions: Jonathan Bailey, for example, really went out of his way to make Anthony Bridgerton worthy of Simone Ashley’s seductive Kate Sharma, and not all the female characters are – again, to use a scientific term – bad bitches to the max. But the show really could have used a gorgeous, dangerously charming, and extremely hot character. guys to balance the scales. Michael Stirling could have been that bad boy the guys needed so much. (Lord knows he’s definitely not going to come from the buttoned-up, neat, proper Bridgerton family, even if they are a bunch of horny thirsties.) If Michaela is anything like the ladies of The Bridgerton Chroniclesit’s passed, this will be another point for the corsets, and so far in the series, the panties have to carry it forward up.