Lady Bridgerton’s love story needs to be the next season focus
Bridgerton needs to do away with the handbook and give us what we want: Lady Bridgerton's love story.
*Warning: This article contains spoilers for Bridgerton season 3, part 1.*
Since Lord Marcus Anderson's (Daniel Francis) arrival was teased last month in a moving Bridgerton character portrait, the internet has been abuzz with how he slots into the Ton and whether or not he's set to be in a love triangle with Lady Violet Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell) and Lady Agatha Danbury (Adjoa Andoh).
Well, the latter is most certainly not true, seeing as Lord Anderson is none other than Lady Danbury's brother, who many never knew about and is now visiting Mayfair. It's safe to say that Marcus and Lady Danbury are getting reacquainted, but things are definitely awkward between the pair, something that is likely to be uncovered further into season 3.
For now, though, he's the man that has left Lady Violet a little hot under the collar – and it's about time for the Bridgerton matriarch to get her own steamy romance.
One of the recurring older characters in Bridgerton, we've followed Violet across three seasons and got some insight into her childhood in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. There too, we learnt about Agatha's own secret affair with Violet's father, Lord Ledger (Keir Charles), so could Violet be about to inflict similar family drama on her trusted friend, Lady Danbury?
More like this
While I imagine we won't know the answer to that for some time, I do know that an exploration of Violet's own romantic life is what the thoughtful and well-meaning character deserves.
For three seasons, she's been the doting mother to her brood of children, offering up advice and anecdotes about her own whirlwind romance with Edmund, the love of her life who died after being stung by a bee.
She has helped Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor), Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) and now, Colin (Luke Newton) and Francesca (Hannah Dodd) in navigating their own budding relationships and finding an appropriate suitor.
By entering your details, you are agreeing to our terms and conditions and privacy policy. You can unsubscribe at any time.
In the world of Bridgerton that is obsessed with status and nobility, Violet offers up a wistful approach by always centring true love and not merely marrying someone because it suits. Sure, her children have certainly set the Ton alight with their own scandals and rumours but if they're deeply in love, Violet can only support them.
Season 2 provided some flashbacks into Violet's life after the tragic death of Edmund, showing a shell of a character we've come to know, overrun by grief and leaning heavily on Anthony to lead the family. Essentially, Violet's been through a hell of a lot and while her life is going swimmingly without a partner, Marcus's arrival has only signalled that Violet could do with some romance, too.
We know from her sentiments in Queen Charlotte, Violet's "garden is in bloom", so really, Marcus's arrival couldn't have come at a better time.
What started off with Marcus handing Violet a glove and exchanging quite the intense eye contact turned into the pair sharing an honest conversation about love and loss in part 1's final episode. Much to Violet's surprise, Marcus admits that although his first wife was not a love match initially, he has not given up on finding just that in his "second act".
The pair have both lost their partners, but where Marcus is clearly open to the prospect of finding love, Violet has said previously that Edmund was it for her. Could Marcus be set to change her mind?
From the three seasons so far, the Netflix series hasn't stuck to the format of the novels, so why not go the whole hog and shake it up entirely? The underlying stories of Violet, Agatha and even Queen Charlotte have always been subplots to the original Bridgerton series, but if Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story has shown us anything, it's that there's an appetite for fans to learn more about these older female characters.
Bridgerton author Julia Quinn hasn't penned a book entirely about Violet, but we do have a snippet of Violet's story in novella Violet in Bloom, which appears in The Bridgertons: Happily Ever After. While Quinn may not have realised how much interest there would be in Violet, we can only hope that Shonda Rhimes could look to centring an entire series on her and her life after Edmund, doing away with the notion that the series needs to focus on its young characters or Violet's grief-ridden tale.
In the same way that the Bridgerton series has centred the steamiest of sex scenes and endless amounts of tension and attraction, I for one want to see that unfold in Violet's own life.
I mean, come on – the way that Marcus and Violet look each other? We've only had a few scenes of the pair together so far and I have no doubt that along with seeing how the drama between Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin (Luke Newton) unfolds, many of us will be hoping to see more glimpses (and romantic development) between Marcus and Violet.
Whatever the outcome of their clear chemistry, here's to hoping that this is a chance for Violet's screen time to not simply be centred around her children and for the Bridgerton matriarch to be given her own exciting, whirlwind relationship.
Because really, there's only so many times Violet can teach her children about the lessons of true love. I say, it's time for her to get her own love story.
Bridgerton season 3 part 1 premieres on Thursday 16th May 2024, part 2 will then be released on Thursday 13th June. Seasons 1 and 2 are streaming now on Netflix. You can buy the Bridgerton book series on Amazon.
Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
