Netflix’s Bridgerton explores more than just “marriage-grooming”
Bridgerton Series Review by Brianna Pinto
One of my favorite things to do in my free time is to watch a new TV series, especially a genre that is unlike anything I have seen before. Bridgerton provided a punch of scintillating drama set in the Regency era in England. One of the most fascinating parts of the series was how the women were groomed for courting season, which they only had one true shot at. While the word “groomed,” captures the essence of preparing for marriage, I found it quite interesting that the women had no idea what marriage actually entails, or how difficult it actually is to manage. Going into the courting season with their wildest dreams as expectations set women like Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor) up for failure. Despite knowing about the Duke of Hastings’ (Regé-Jean Page) traumatic childhood, Daphne entered the marriage wanting to become a mother, to fulfill what she believed her duties were as a woman and a wife. This was both upsetting and disappointing because viewers watched Daphne become deceived as her love for the Duke grew. As expected in any drama, there must be some form of conflict. However, the conflict happened to be the fact that Daphne’s innocence was taken advantage of, suggesting that this may have been a common occurrence for women during this time period.
Daphne’s dilemma captured the empathy of viewers, but was quickly lost as a result of her actions. Consent is an extremely important and delicate topic when it comes to relationships. In efforts to try to become pregnant, Daphne rapes the Duke. This scene was glossed over, which was inconsiderate on behalf of the writers. Even though Daphne was continuously lied to, it doesn’t justify going against someone’s consent. Through Daphne’s rage, she and the Duke were forced to address the lingering issue over “can’t have children” vs. “won’t have children.”
Although this series was quite enjoyable, I was dissatisfied by the lack of scrutiny that went into that particular scene. As a popular TV show, I believe it is their responsibility to control how actions like these are portrayed in the media, even though it is fictional. Overall, one way the show could’ve reconciled that misstep would have been by Daphne and the Duke exploring their mutual betrayal and the impact it had on their relationship.