Film Review: Bridgerton (Season Four)

Bridgerton (Season Four)
Creator: Chris Van Dusen
Shondaland, Netflix
Streaming on Netflix: 01.29.2026 

Dearest gentle reader,

It has come to this author’s attention that a certain family has once again graced the screens of devoted viewers. A spare took center stage on the marriage mart this season, willfully averse to the wiles of overzealous debutantes and the whims of overbearing mamas. However, it seems that this non-committal rake has found himself enchanted by a diamond encrusted in silver. A night of fantasy may have swept up this frivolous artist’s heart, but reality may prove to be far more tantalizing than he imagined. 

Bridgerton: Season Four  – Romance, Drama & Intrigue

Bridgerton season four has come to an end, and what a swoon-worthy season it was, leaning into its fictitious, anachronistic, even ridiculous nature by giving us a full-blown Cinderella story. Picking up around a year after the end of season three, Lady Violet Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell, Penny Dreadful) struggles to rein in her second son, Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson, Dunkirk), who has established himself as a notorious rake, whilst also planning the first ball of the season and encouraging her second daughter, Eloise (Claudia Jessie, Vanity Fair) to put more effort in finding a suitable match.

It just so happens that Violet’s masquerade ball may be the turning point for Benedict as he converses with a most intriguing lady in silver who runs away as the clock strikes midnight before unmasking herself, leaving behind a glove as the only means to find her.

Little does Benedict know that the fascinating young lady he met is none other than Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha, Dune: Prophecy), the illegitimate daughter of the Earl of Penwood, whose stepmother, Lady Araminta Gun (Katie Leung, Harry Potter franchise), has forced to serve as a maid in her own home. As the feelings between Benedict and Sophie become too much to bear, the reality of the other’s social standing closes in on them as well.

Character Development and Emotional Arcs

Season four of Bridgerton feels like the showrunners took all the best parts of previous seasons and brought them to the forefront. Of course, what makes Bridgerton stand out is its semi-anthology setup, which allows each sibling a season to shine while still developing the side characters and family.

In previous seasons, one of the main complaints had to to do with the constant inclusion of the Mondrich family and their role in the overall story; this season finally gave them a subplot that actually developed the main storyline and showed how their perspective of being a family plucked from the working class and placed among the social elites was beneficial to the story, especially in regards of viewing society from the eyes of outsiders.

The emotional moments were also a highlight of this season from Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel, Dune) and Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh, Fractured) having to say goodbye to Francesca’s (Hannah Dodd, Enola Holmes 2) devastating loss and even Eloise and Hyacinth’s (Florence Hunt, Mix Tape) shenanigans which deepen their bond as sisters. These truly made you feel closer to the characters, while their development in turn pushed the main love story forward. I won’t lie when I say there were moments that made me tear up from just how endearing and sincere they were.

Visual Storytelling and Social Commentary

This season also fully takes advantage of its visual medium. With Sophie working as a maid, the audience gets a look into the lives of the Bridgerton family’s staff and the servant world as a whole. The characters who in the past have decorated the sets as silent observers are now able to come into the limelight. This allows for a lot of visual storytelling with upstairs vs downstairs imagery while also showing just how privileged the Bridgertons are and how wide the gap between Benedict and Sophie actually is. These small details show that the creators put real thought into crafting this plotline.

Critiques and Areas for Improvement

However, just like with any piece of work, Bridgerton is far from perfect. While the show has definitely made its mark and, in a way, changed the overall landscape of period dramas with its colorblind casting (some would say the distinction should go to Brandy’s Cinderella), it has trouble representing the different cultures of its characters. The show makes it clear that this is an alternate history, but more work could be done in showcasing Sophie’s Korean background in subtle but meaningful ways, along with the Li family’s Chinese heritage.

It would make the show’s mission that much more powerful, while also acknowledging the actors themselves. The show struggles to develop its large cast of lovable characters within the limited time. With only eight episodes a season, the show obviously has to invest a significant amount of time into the love story while also developing the two main characters separately and giving screentime to other characters on top of that, which leads to some character moments feeling rushed, melodramatic or unearned. The lack of runtime also leaves the overall family dynamic underused and the relationships between the different siblings wanting.

Bridgerton Season Four: A Swoon-Worthy Conclusion

All in all, this has definitely been one of the more enjoyable Bridgerton seasons to date. The chemistry between Thompson and Ha is palpable and has a tender quality that makes you want to root for their happy ending. It’s a show that celebrates love and, as cheesy as it is, it knows what it’s going for and has no qualms about showing it. For those who love the show or romance in general, Bridgerton season four will definitely sweep you off your feet. 

Yours truly, 

—Angela Garcia

Read more film reviews:
Film Review: Project Hail Mary
Moor is Less in Emerald Fennell’s “Wuthering Heights”