THE REVIEW
Shameless disclaimer. I love period dramas. I honestly don’t know how it started though. It could have been reading old romance novels or it could have been Michael Fassbender’s rendition of Jane Eyre. Either way, the best way to pluck my heartstrings is to play a good ole BBC Period Drama Romance.
When I first heard about Shonda Rhime’s Bridgerton on Netflix, I had no idea what to expect. I was drawn to the era of costume, speech, and tradition, but I was hesitant at how the diversity would be included into the storyline. It’s not a mystery that people of color weren’t at the top tier of society. And I was afraid that this storyline was an inevitable race bait to get me hooked and let me down.
In all honesty, I don’t know how to feel. My feelings have been a pendulum of disappointment and complete astonishment since I binged the full season a month ago. I loved the entire series. I loved each character’s development and style. I enjoyed watching their development through life and their maturity through love. It was refreshing to see men and women like me move across the screen in a world that I have loved for so long. The music, costumes, and dialect were flawless. I would easily recommend it to anyone.
Unfortunately, I can’t say that this series hit the nail on the head. Inclusivity is a tall order to fill. Everyone wants to see themselves represented on the screen. As a dark-skinned woman, I took joy in seeing the trailers for Bridgerton that gave us a taste of seeing ourselves in a world we love but didn’t necessarily love us. And I have to say that I was frustrated at seeing the main cast consist of only one light skinned woman who’s given a “tainted” in-depth story arc we could sink our teeth into. The only dark skinned woman was the flawless Lady Danbury. And we don’t get any additional information into the influential woman she has become.
There’s also the portrayal of black men in the series. There’s barely a handful and I would be remiss to point out how Simon’s father has the darkest complexion and labeled as the meanest, most cruel man I’ve seen in a long time. Simon’s best friend, Will Mondrich, was another staple in the series, but his storyline did little to stray from the overused storyline of a man trying to climb to the top, only to be stopped by the antics of rich people.
SIMON, DUKE OF HASTINGS
One detail that I truly enjoyed was having the story revolve around the Duke of Hastings. In most period dramas, the story will follow the heroine from beginning to end. We sympathize with her struggle of being a woman in this era and her battle to find a suitor. While the writers did well to maintain this formula for a good period drama, I love how they focused on Simon’s evolution. And in that evolution, I realized that I not only loved Simon for his looks but also for how much he overcame to get his happy ending.
As a child Simon struggled to find his identity. For starters, he never had the love nor acceptance from his father. His father treated him like trash and discarded him from his life. If it hadn’t been for Lady Danbury, then there’s no telling who he would have become. His disdain for his father planted a seed of sadness and rage in him that no one could touch. Through his rage, he was willing to alienate himself from happiness and peace. Even with the love of his life standing right in front of him, he struggled on relinquishing that rage and pain.
This may seem like a stretch for some, but I definitely know a roster of people who have fallen victim to limiting themselves to the love they “think” they deserve. And in retaliation, they alienate themselves to avoid the possible pain and rejection that comes with it. In the series, all it took was a heart to heart from his wife before Simon could see that he was standing in the way of his own happiness.
The Duke of Hastings taught me that love is a risk. Letting go of our past is a risk. And growing into the person we’re meant to be and embracing love with both hands is a risk. We can’t control how people treat us. In a lot of circumstances, people will treat us poorly simply because they can. But we have control of how we move through our lives.
We all have one life (that we know of). Why should we limit it by the constraints that others decided to place upon us?
OVERVIEW
All in all, the series was still beautifully written; however, it’s no secret that the writers have some work to do when it comes to the casting and storyline. If they take the time to listen to what dozen’s of Youtuber’s and bloggers have expressed, then I have no doubt that season 2 can bring an even stronger phoenix from the ashes. It’s no surprise that I’ll be amongst the frontrunners when Season 2 is released. I’m eager to see how Simon takes to fatherhood and continues to embrace his new outlook on life. How will he navigate fatherhood to avoid the void he felt as a child? Will he continue to evolve from our rakishly handsome playboy into the loving, doting father he never had?
Let me know your thoughts on Bridgerton. Are you looking forward to another season?
D'Miria Collins 