Bridgerton season 3 finally fixes a missed opportunity with Benedict

It's concerning that in a franchise so quick to celebrate inclusivity that the only queers of note featured so far have been thinly drawn side characters who watch other more interesting people live the lives that they too deserve. Could we now be on the cusp of change, though?

But wait, I hear you gasp. Wasn't there already something kind of gay about season 1?

Yes, you are correct, dear reader. As we endlessly lusted after Anthony Bridgerton, of the renowned Bridgerton household, his brother Benedict was lusting after some men of his own. Well, kind of.

While attending an "alternative" party away from the watchful eyes of Queen Charlotte and Lady Whistledown alike, the middle Bridgerton brother suddenly found himself in the middle of something rather more scandalous when he walked in on two men enjoying each other's company.

Clothes were optional at this party, apparently, although the way Bridgerton actually depicted this encounter was extremely tame still compared to the naughty trysts that everyone else (coincidentally straight) gets to enjoy.

Still, Benedict — and therefore the showaitself — did at least treat these men with respect, quietly closing the door on them to allow them their privacy. A true gentleman indeed, one who may be more interested in what lies underneath a gentleman's breeches rather than a lady's petticoat if subsequent interactions with the party's gay host were anything to go by.

Nothing physical comes of this budding friendship — careful — but the seeds were sown — watch it — that suggest Benedict could bloom into a friend of Dorothy, or whatever the queers used to call themselves back in Regency England.

But after this encounter, not to mention the queer-baiting season one trailer that preceded it, season two came and went with nary a gay in sight. It was almost like watching an episode of Top Gear, which is odd given Bridgerton's considerable queer fanbase. In fact, Benedict's rare appearances that time around leaned even further into his love of women, as if to course-correct for the assumptions that gay fans must have so wrongly made.

By the time season three arrived, all our hopes for queer representation in the flagship show rested on Eloise's unrequited, sapphic yearning for Penelope. Quite understandable, really.

But now that the second half of season three has arrived, the usually dreary Colin has suddenly stepped up his game to the point where he actually has chemistry with Penelope at last.

That's not to say Penelope can never be bisexual or queer with Eloise later down the line. But with our hopes for gays frolicking in the 'Ton seemingly dashed once again, imagine our surprise when Benedict is suddenly introduced to a special new "friend" named Paul in episode six.

Yes, this newcomer is a "patron of the arts", especially theatre, which pretty much says all you need to know really. But wait, there's more.

As the pair and their mutual friend named Tilley get to know each other better, the music shifts into something more romantic as all three lock eyes across the dinner table. It's the kind of cue that Bridgerton normally reserves for straight relationships, so is it possible that the show could actually end up going there?

Benedict does have a thing for threesomes by all accounts, and that energy carries on outside when he and Paul share a conversation in private.

There's a nervous energy hanging in the air, or at least from Benedict's side, which feels suspiciously like you would on an awkward first date. Paul seems pretty comfortable with the situation though, another clue if there ever was one.

Curious to know more, Benedict abruptly asks Paul if he and Tilley have ever… "In fact, do not answer that," he says suddenly, interrupting himself. "The wine has made me rude."

To which Paul replies, "The wine has also made you rather charming."

Without giving an answer, that's an answer right there.

Paul leaves then, though, making an excuse to go check on Tilley. Benedict follows soon after like a lovesick puppy where he overhears Paul saying that his "suspicions" are true. And then he and Tilley kiss.

What could have been quite the blow for a disappointed Benedict ends up being the opportunity he's probably been looking for his entire life without fully realising it. Because that's when Paul invites Benedict to join him and Tilley "upstairs" so they can enjoy what they each have going on downstairs, if you catch our drift.

One excuse and a nervous chuckle later, Benedict runs away, unable to finally give in to what are now clearly feelings of queer desire.

An episode later, Tilley invites Benedict to her home so she can explain. There, she finally declares out loud what the show never has, that queer people exist in this world too.

"Mr Suarez also likes to be intimate with men, says Tilley. "He thought perhaps the two of you shared a moment…"

Benedict says he's "never felt tempted before," a bald-faced lie he won't admit to himself, but then Tilley affirms that these feelings between any two people, regardless of gender, "is the most natural thing in the world".

Preach, Tilley. Preach.

At the end of the episode, Benedict approaches Tilley and Paul with a lust in his breeches and the mindset ready to follow through.

What starts as a kiss, first with Tilley, then with Paul, becomes a full-fledged threesome in the season three finale where we cut back and forth between usual 'Ton affairs and polyamorous lust of a decidedly queer nature.

Benedict sure isn't kidding when he says he loves a good party, "Especially a party of three".

Later down the line, Tilley invites Benedict to hers alone without Paul and admits her feelings for him intensified after the encounter.

But the time they shared as a naked trio has made Benedict realise how good it feels to be free of societal constraint: "You’ve opened my world and I am not ready to close it again just now."

And just like that, a new bisexual icon is born.

Admittedly, Bridgerton's first attempt at queer sex could have been a tad friskier. Kate and Anthony are definitely more explicit in their horniness, for example, but in the words of Lady Whistledown herself: "It is time now to look toward the future, whatever it may bring."

Because whatever happens next, it's very encouraging to see that Bridgerton is finally engaging with queerness in the main show, and with a main character, no less. After all, it won't be long until he's given lead status in an upcoming season — every Bridgerton sibling will — which means queer love and desire will no longer be a mere fantasy in the 'Ton.

The back half of season three also surprised us with a big twist for Francesca, too, which means the show will have not one but two pivotal LGBTQ+ storylines to reckon within the future.

Finally, Bridgerton's sizeable queer fandom will be given the same consideration that straight viewers have long taken for granted. And that's just as well, because it's hard to imagine the show being as successful as it is without the alphabet people's support.

Bridgerton seasons 1-3 are available to stream on Netflix.

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