Emily Hawtin, a newly acclaimed Bridgerton addict, unleashes her harsh and unfiltered opinions on each of the characters in season one. So buckle up, and enjoy the ride, as she takes no mercy.
As a Bridgerton virgin, when I heard everyone non stop talking about season three Bridgerton I thought: “My god will they shut up!” But on a random rainy Tuesday, when I was snuggled up on the sofa and flicking through Netflix, I turned on the programme out of pure curiosity. I remember my boyfriend chuckled, “Thought you said this show was rubbish?” But after the first episode, I was sucked into the world of elegant dinner parties, flamboyant dresses, and the mischievous writing of Lady Whistledown.
By the end of the week I had watched the entire first season, and had garnered some brutally honest opinions on each of the main characters. So if you are easily offended then please do not read this, because your feelings may get bruised after I unleash my criticism on each of the following characters:
- Daphne Bridgerton: I actually quite liked this character. Even though her voice was slightly irritating at times, she was iconic. Like when she knocked the living lights out of pervy Nigel, or when she purposefully dropped her fan in front of the Prince of Russia to make the duke jealous. Ohhhhhh it was so conniving, I loved it. Even though she conformed to the societal pressure of devoting her entire life to marriage and children, she still stood her ground and defied the patriarchy. I felt that whilst her sister Elouise whined and poked fun at Daphne’s submission to the patriarchy, Daphne was the one who really rebelled against it. She forced her brother to take her to a duel where she was told a lady couldn’t be, and stopped the two men from fighting by charging her horse in front of a gunshot. It’s giving Emily Davison vibes, and I loved it. I felt like she was an implicit icon of the feminist movement.
- Next is The Duke. My little Dukey, I liked him too! He was just so moody it made me smile, as I love seeing a relatable character who isn’t always smiling. His frank tone and dismal looking face reminded me of myself, and I loved how he only ever smiled or laughed around Daphne. Realistically, I have no substantial reasoning to like him as much as I do, I just love how moody and solemn he was, as it gave his character an element of realism. His troubled childhood alongside his trivial decisions made him a character that I thought a lot of the audience could resonate with, as he assured us that it’s okay to not be perfect, if you are trying your best to be a good person.
- Anthony Bridgerton; one word encapsulates the essence of this character and it is: weirdo. His whole ‘it’s my duty’ gimmick to overly protect his sisters, possessed a similar vibe to the Oedipus complex. Every time he turned down a man on his sisters behalf, or sent them packing before she could even say a word I thought: “bloody hell mate do you want her instead?” It reminded me of those creepy siblings you know that are way too close to each other. I don’t have a brother, but if he was my sibling, and kept cock blocking me from finding a prince I’d turn around and give him a clip around the ears! He was way too overprotective that it made me cringe. I wanted to shout at him: you’re not this omnipotent protector, you look about five foot tall.
- Elouise Bridgerton: shut up for one second. I was fond of her at the beginning, because I thought she was an interesting character who defied the patriarchy. But then I realised she was just all talk and no walk, and was so bloody pretentious. As I said before, she was always judging the women around her for conforming to society’s standards, yet she did nothing about it! As whilst Daphne was charging in front of a bullet, she was having a cheeky ciggy on a swing. Elouise made great points about the restrictions of misogyny within their society, but it was the judgement of other women that really did it for me. Put your money where your mouth is, instead of swinging in the dark with a cigeratte, looking like you’re in an Urban Outfitters advert.
- Mrs Danbury my Queen! I loved her so much and she quickly became my favourite character. Her voice was so powerful, and every time she spoke her speeches packed a thousand punches. The way she raised the Duke as a child after his father abandoned him, alongside the cheeky twinkle in her eye whenever she was stirring the pot; all transpired into creating a brilliant character. She wasn’t cruel, she just loved a bit of drama. I wish she was my Grandmother, so I could listen to her calming voice as she gossiped about all the intrinsic dramas, and chaotic histories behind each Bridgerton family.
- Last but certainly not least we have Penelope Featherington, and how can you not love her? She is adorable, and I just wanted to give her a hug every time I saw her on the screen. She reminded me of a cute little sister that you just wanted to protect from the cruel world around you. Her most iconic moment was when it was revealed that she was Lady Whistledown! Honestly what an icon; she kept the gossip circulating around that boring town and started so many family dramas, that I take my hat off to her. Seeing all the characters’ faces drop when the rolled up parchment was presented to them, hand written by Lady Whistledown, made my day. She is like a period drama version of gossip girl, and I am here for it. People underrated her and assumed she wasn’t Whistledown due to her innocent demeanour, but she proved them all wrong. She did tell the whole town about Marina’s secret pregnancy which was a little snakey, but I’ll let her off…just this once.
These were all my opinions on the main characters of the series, and as you can see I had mixed feelings and opinions of them all. I am sorry if I was too harsh, but this wouldn’t be a Psych-she article if it didn’t come with a powerful punch of brutal honesty. So I hoped you enjoyed the roasting of the Bridgerton characters, and stayed tuned to find out my opinions on the characters in the second series. As I will not be taking any mercy.
