Francesca ending doesn't make sense (a rant) (Bridgerton S3 analysis) 

unless it's just to show us from the start how she always felt guilty about feeling this attraction to someone else just after she married the man she fell in love with in a 'nothing happened but I still felt guilty for thinking about it).

@@agenttheater5 but she comes across as dishonest, no? we were to believe that she really loved John. She was fighting so hard to marry him. but the wedding kiss already looked awkward and then the instant attraction to Michaela. As if she never really loved John. It is almost comparable to her reaction "I pick the dance partner by the alphabet!" or "I take any guy the queen suggests" which prompted her mother to say "Because it is convenient?". Would she maybe have taken Samardani if he hadn't said that he wanted a bunch of kiss?

agreed, It also cheapens the love really anyone in the series has. They talk about the love the mom and dad had before he died, and how they had a true love match. This is just way too forced. It also makes me think the show runner doesn't know what true love looks like.

all it does is support Violet's questioning the relationship

They could have introduced Michael, have him look at her like he's in love, her only looking at John and it would have been PERFECT. I would LOVE if they had introduced Michael now if only they had done it correctly.

Oh! That’s a very good point! So it changes her story completely basically. Not to mention the infertility and the hard decision to marry again

It can be about both at once

Good and stay mad ok

@@TXtoTN didn't we have in s1 are y'all gonna sycle the story every season

​​@@randomgeekcrapcalm down first understand the context why ...then write three comments being mad at people's opinions ?... S1 what infertility?? That was the dukes decision not to have kids. You clearly never even gazed at the books ?

I enjoyed Fran's and John's quiet romance. It was beautifully done and suited Fran's disposition. If they wanted to tell a queer story, I think they should have gone with either Eloise or Cressida. It makes much more sense than Fran because her story in the book deals with infertility struggles and I think they should have stuck to the original plotline, if only to show that side at least.

Me too! I thought they were so cute.

Totally agree! The show runner says she connected with Francesca because she's described as "feeling different" and therefore seems like she'd be queer. Newsflash - practically everyone feels different at times. As the youngest in my family (coincidentally of 8 children, lol) I was always the most introverted and also didn't look like any of my siblings. I felt different all the time and I hardly think that's unusual. Totally weak and just the show runner they ng to make her mark at the expense of some great characters, story telling, and fan hopes.

@@roguered706 Eloise is the most different in that family. They just wanted to make Francesca lesbian 😂

Jess Brownell practically said, "I read the book, I like Franchesca's character, so I made a lesbian self incert fanfic. And because I was a people pleaser, it is basically self care to write something that I know will piss off 70% of the fanbase" I wish I was exaggerating, but that's basically what she said in TeenVogue and her other interviews

Facts !

I agree that francesca and michaela should have happened much later, and all of this is spitting on her storyline with john that the writers so much wanted us to care about. However I don't think that she overcame her fear out of love for john as you said, I think she was brave and outforward for the same reasons she wanted to find a husband so soon in the season: she wanted a paeceful marriage and serenity in her life, and that marriage was the answer. Obviously I think she loves him, but she is so rushed becuse she is longing to finally have that quietness in her life. (I'm not a native speaker, sorry for eventual mistakes)

it's not technically a triangle - a triangle would be if Francesca loved Michaela, Michaela love John but John loved Francesca and no one's feelings are returned.

I didn't read the books, and for me, I didn't feel the "i might like her" moment, but more of a " oh a member of his family, what will they think about me, will i be accepted? she doesn't know who i am"

This! She doesn't even have feelings right off the bat for Michael. Yes, Michael was in love with her, but she didn't even consider him until she was out of mourning and moving on with her life

​I understand. We as book readers know that Fran meets Michael at the engagement party and Michael falls in love at first sight with Fran. So for a cousin of John to show up at their wedding, called Michaela will get some people mad. But you might remember the short scene where her mom has this talk with Fran about how stuttering and being clumsy, shy and what not around falling in love. When then Francesca is doing that a little when meeting Michaela with the slower plot twist type scene it still can be seen as a "thing". @@laetitiar2364

@@agenttheater5I know we love to say nowadays that love triangles aren’t really love triangles if all lines don’t connect and that’s actually a love angle…but the generally understood definition of a love triangle is one person with two options and I’m not gonna call that a love angle 😭😂

agree. I will not support a character with a wandering eye lmao. let me live in a fantasy world where it doesn't happen to my faves considering it happens so often irl.

My husband and I are both introverts and our love story was quiet and very deep. It makes me so sad that people are seemingly delegitimising the story of ND's (me) and introverts because they've decided all love must look passionate. We have people telling us how jealous they are of us because we're such a great, loving, dedicated, supportive couple. It makes me so sad for John that he didn't get the story he was supposed to get and that, yes, they turned it from an ND story to a gay love story. Being a gay woman wasn't illegal at the time, being a gay man was. Genderswapping Sophie (my favourite of the heroines) would have made much more sense if you wanted to tackle gay marriage and the legality surrounding it. I'm so disappointed that they did this.

Who is we ?

​@@randomgeekcrap I would say the millions of Bridgerton readers, whose favorite book and story is Francesca and Michael. I'm one of the many.

unless it means that she's feeling guilty over her attraction to Michaela because she's in love with John, and that when it's her turn to have a book that will be something that stops her from declaring her feelings because she's always felt like her being attracted to Michaela was a betrayal of John and that if she were to act on it now it would be an insult to his memory.

@@agenttheater5But that is not at all the premise of Francesca’s book in her book she was truly in love and devoted to her husband and the only initial reason she wanted to marry was to have a child because she lost the child she had with John. The main reason I am upset they made Michael Michaela is because Francesca having issues with having a child was a huge part of her story and in my opinion a story that deserved to be told because there are a lot of women who have fertility issues or don’t have children right away and it can be upsetting and depressing. I get having inclusion and I am far from upset about LGBTQ representation on this show or any show but it should not be at the cost of the actual story being told or at the cost of other people’s lives and views and struggles being diminished or made to feel unimportant.

@@TRESINGZFR well we'll have to see. And in any case, I never said that she wasn't truly in love with and devoted to her husband. I said that because she was in love with him and devoted to him she felt guilty that she was attracted to someone else. But either way, we'll have to see first who's going to be the focus for season 4 and then see who'll they'll cover for seasons 5 and 6 after we find out if it's been green-lit.

only Forrest Gump was better than the book ;)

Great quote. So true

​@@PannaKwiatekAmerican psycho is loved more than the book too, i think it happens occasionally but only great writers should attempt it

Although this definitely doesn’t apply to season 2/book 2. Have you read The Viscount who Loved Me? Utter dogshit, Wattpad level garbage. The only reason season 2 was so successful is because there were many key changes to both plot and character.

​​@@bologna3464just finished reading it and I don't know how anyone can read that and say it's better than the show? Book Anthony makes my blood boil. The only thing I hated about the show is when they had Anthony propose to Edwina and actually try to marry her. That was insane and I still haven't forgiven show Anthony for it. But Book Francesca is currently miles ahead of show Fran with just those two scenes. She was made so well then they crashed her at the last moment. Season 4 needs to work hard to convince people Francesca is in love with John just as much as he's in love with her or it'll truly be over for Bridgerton since everyone hates Phillip too lol

I just remembered. Season 3 was delayed because it rewritten several times. Wondering how awful was the original script!

@@JanetAMillsor maybe the original script was really great and they ruined it… but I did read that the original script was “too dark” which I can only imagine that they must have originally planned to kill off a character or another violent crime like Daphne and Simon.

@@InfinitelyRay Also, there was no major drama scenes or conflict, even from Queen Charlotte, of Pen being the true LW. This is inconsistent with the Queen's major intimidation of Eloise in Season 2. Marina-Ms Thompson-Lady Crane should of came back and confronted Pen.

😅 well said.

Yeah I heard they changed writers mid season

​@@thatonefoodcritic1017 That explains the weird seemingly redemption arc of cressida and then her being somewhat punished for just making some wrong decisions out of desparity. If you wanted her the bad guy, stay with that, and don't give her so much screen time and attention, only when interacting or in context with the main characters. Short and clear will do just fine.😅

It really did have a weird pace to it. I kept telling my husband that it felt so rushed.

I agree so unnatural. The chemistry too, it's not subtle or slowly thrilling it's more like roaller coaster and you got happiness from adrenaline. Just like old themed historical movie or series or fiction. It's all about drama and lust well which is true but Birdgerton was better at doing it in Season 1 n 2

Say it louder 👏🏻

This is why i think the show staff want to owning or stealing already popular series and make it their achievement. Sorry if my words sounds rude. Im kinda pissed.

I don’t see any need for the Mondrich story line. Waste of time when other stories need more time.

Totally! I always fast forward through the Mondrich stuff, as those characters have no bearing on the plot, and it is time wasted away from the MCs. Could have had a lot more Penn and Colin time!

@@kresspqressie7722 oh absolutely the showrunner Jess Brownell just wanted a popular property to ruin

Hi. I'm a fan of books and show. I like the Michaela twist and look forward to seeing how it plays out.

Like they did with....say The Witchter for instance? Or Lord of the Rings? Star Wars...!? Naaaah, they'll go down with their ship and blame it on the audience being ungrateful and stubborn and - of course - homophobic...that's so much easier than actually doing your job as a writer to honour and possibly enhance the source material =)

@@Seraphina-Rose I think that they just are gonna end up shifting things around a bit. Michaela and Francesca probably won’t get together right away. They are probably season 6 so we will get to see what they are gonna do with her. Bi Francesca is gonna be fun to watch. The question is will they alter her infertility journey. Because that was a big factor in her book relationships. I suspect that she will end up having John’s baby after some infertility issues so that when she is ready for love again, infertility and the yearning to be a mom isn’t there. Or maybe she will end up adopting a baby instead? Like the reason people are sad isn’t that she is bi. It’s because her book was one of the rare ones that explored infertility. It influenced a lot of her decisions. So how will they handle this topic? Will they have it resolved with a John baby? Will it resolve with adoption? Will she just decide she doesn’t need to be a mom to be happy? That I think is why people are sad. Or mixed feelings about it. I am happy for her bi journey. It will be fun eventually. I think more queer representation is better than less representation. And I also think that altering a very important plot and character motivation is not good. Let’s be honest, IVF is not a thing in Bridgerton world so if she is gonna have a baby it is either the traditional way or adoption. And it is valid to want someone trapped in an era without IVF to see her infertility journey anyways. Who knows, maybe she will decide she wants to get re-married to have children. And while she is looking, she realizes that she doesn’t need a child to be happy. She needs love to be happy. Love she already feels for someone close to her.

The writers aren’t going to change it, and it would be terrible if they did now. The actress who’s playing Michaela is already facing so much harassment and racial abuse over a script she didn’t write, it would be messed up if they changed it now. People have literally been making petitions to get her fired all because they don’t like the change that was made. Plus Jess stated in an interview that she was always intended to change Francesca’s story, and that she knew that people would be disappointed that Francesca’s story will be changed. (Ps, I’m not saying you can’t be disappointed abt the change, I understand that many people are upset about it)

I saw one😂

Exactly I was soo.. happy with the depiction of their love story as a neurodivergent myself and then they did what they did in 3B. Part 3B essentially made the groundwork they laid in 3A pointless not just for Fran and John but other characters as well like Eloise and Cressida's friendship(what was the point if they were just going to paint her a villain in the end and Eloise not help her when she needed her most?), the Mondriches(how does Pen get to keep her job as Whistle down and still be a part of the ton being married to a man from a very influential family but Mr.Mondrich can't keep his pub?), Lord Debling(who dissapeared in thin air in part 3B, what was the point of having Cressida be his second potential interest if they were not going to act on it when he and Pen broke it off?) Literally just SMH this season was just disappointing, for me at least.

@@maureencherono6288 i agree with you so much! it's honestly SO disappointing. I'm also heartbroken for Cressida who just gets shipped away and basically locked up ugh :(

Totally agree!

​@@rica3947Poor Cressida. She deserved better. And Eloise was a horrible friend to her.

Cressida while awful, could have been redeemed at least if she had a genuine friend. Someone like her who’s morally a bit weaker needs that to steer her in the right direction. She unfortunately will likely continue to degenerate in her character because the further trauma she is gonna experience. But Eloise being a friend of convenience is constantly flip flopping in loyalty.

Is not just Making Michaela have the same characteristics and personality as Michael and everything is alright, is not so easy, Francesca's book is very based on wanting to be a mother, and you have out of the series one of the most realistic and complicated relationship, everyone loves that book, it's not so simple to just swap a character to the other gender when the stories ia ao based in heterosexual problems, I think Eloise had so much more potential for a queer storie.

⁠​⁠@@brendatomines8171 I completely agree. I read the books and her story was heartbreaking to me. I’m not a fan of the change based off what I was hoping it would be, it could be such a beautiful and tragic thing to portray. I was just stating where a lot of the push back on Reddit was coming from. I personally didn’t want anyone from the book series to be in a queer relationship, it ruins the flow of the stories. There are a ton of opportunities to showcase a queer love story with a new couple and storyline, so I don’t know why it HAD to be a bridgerton to have it, IMO.

I agree. John did not deserve that at all. They could have waited until season 4 for this change. And it is possible to have a quiet, peaceful love without drama. Francesca literally says that to her mother. Why would make your own character negate something so profound? Man I'm just disappointed now.

@@brendatomines8171 I don't think the infertility aspect is necessarily an issue, Francesca could still struggle with it and decide to go back to the marriage mart in the hopes of having a son, and then find herself falling in love with Michaela and she would then have to deal with the conflict between her desire to be a mother (to a child she gave birth to) and her desire to be with Michaela. What I didn't like is the implication her feelings for John weren't actually romantic/real love. It was so unnecessary and it implied that Violet was right to think that love is only real if it's passionate right from the get-go and based on immediate strong physical attraction.

i haven't read the bridgerton books- however i think that, while i am never opposed to a queer love story (as a bi girl myself i loveeee the femme bisexual representation so much) , i agree with you! the way michaela has been immediately introduced as a love interest cheapens the beautiful bond that john and francesca have been shown to have. it is appalling to see the amount of homophobic backlash that this gender swap has caused, but i do think that there are many intelligent, thoughtful criticisms of the show writer's choices in introducing michaela as a love interest this early on in the show. while i'm upset that we will not see francesca and john's love truly develop in order to truly make her season worth the wait, i am also happy that some people AREN'T brain dead idiots, and are not immediately spewing homophobia but instead truly calling this plotline out for what it is: sloppy show writing

how did the showrunner defend her decision? do you know where i can find that information

Exactly, CVD should come back. The new showrunner is treating this series like her personal Wattpad fanfiction.

⁠it’s her interview with teenvogue. She said that she cannot please all the fans and so it came down to the book character and she feels like Francesca was queer based on her own experience of being queer and so it felt “natural”

@@freshmaker321 the showrunner is an idiot. Nothing about Francesca, book or show, was “queer”. This showrunner is mutilating a story to make her own awful Wattpad fanfic because she knows it won’t be successful with original characters. Luckily, people are seeing right through her bs.

I would like to add that Hyacinths and Gregorys stories would also lend themselves better to a queer storyline than Francescas. Hyacinths story revolves around a mystery and Gregory actually has a queer character in the storyline. Both could be adapted quite easily to a genderbend love interest, because necessary plotbeats could still be met quite easily. Changing Francescas story in which gender is just so important is just heartbreaking.

They were the only couple that I liked in this season smdh

​@@razielhernandez2849after the fumbling the writers did with Penelope and Colin, these two became my top pick. The little look at the end that implied disinterest was such a slap in the face.😂

It's so funny cause they have the books as a guideline. Like Im the book there's a section where Eloise writes letters to her family and she writes "Maybe I should not have let him take liberties with you. But I wanted to ask. Was it lovely?"From Eloise Bridgerton to her sister, Francesca Bridgerton, the day she met John Stirling The Earl of Kilmartin. Cause apparently Fran and John clicked so well they had Eloise sneak them together which ended with a kiss lol

Agreed. They literally had Eloise, her story is the one that would’ve benefited the most by making her gay. Why change a love story that’s already fantastic when you have the perfect character for a queer love story right in front of you?

Thank you! You explained my thoughts perfectly

it could be that she always felt guilty about her attraction to Michaela because she felt that just by being attracted to someone else she was betraying John. that she's carried that guilt with her (guilt over something that didn't even happen) and now it's mixing with her grief and loss because she feels like she wasn't the wife she wanted to be for him and feels that if she acts on her attraction then it will be an insult to his memory.

@@agenttheater5 That’s romantic 🙄

Exactly how I feel. This was not the place for it. Putting it in her story makes it feel so forced and not organic

Yup they made Francesca negate her own words and feelings. And she wasn't even wrong for saying her love for John was just as profound as her siblings. But noooo, we can't have one episode of them just being happily married can we! They just had to make John feel like an obstacle. Poor dude, he did not deserve that.

Yes I think the writers thought they wrote a "weird" character who people will like but not resonate with and that backfired. They totally banked on him not being the "hot typical male" women go for so it'll be easier to dunk on him but it's the exact opposite .

Francesca's book isn't really about John. She marries him, they snap to two years later and he dies, then the rest of the book is Michael agonizing over taking over the Earldom and feeling like he can't take John's wife too without feeling like he erased him since he'd always wanted Francesca then they figure that out and she spend the rest agonizing over not getting pregnant til her mom 'takes her pain' then she has 2 kids and is finally happy. Michaela can't be the Earl, so what are they going to do? Some other dude will have to come be the new Earl and Francesca will have to move elsewhere since she didn't have a child with John. She certainly can't give Fran kids either. Literally the entire story of her book disappears with this change. It makes zero sense at all.

She turned out to be a horrible friend but Cressida is not a good person, at all. Eloise brought out the human side of her and again I think they would have had an interesting relationship. It would have made sense that she fall for the one person who brought that out of her and they could have let Eloise actually care about her this season. Instead they had Francesca use her new husband and fumble over his cousin. It's just insulting. If she had acted like she was just settling for him it would have made sense but she fought for this relationship.

They could have also had Eloise meet Philipa, a widow with 2 kids, if they really wanted to change a main character without completely rewriting the book. Oh, they could have her have a tryst with Michaela and Michael shows up later for Francesca. Several options, but changing Michael TO Michaela for Fran is beyond ridiculous. No one buys that. No precedent for that at all. Fran even hates loud people, which Michaela clearly is.

@@sheknows4991 Cressida has good reasons for being the way that she is, namely being brought up in a emotionally neglectful if not abusive home. Her being a mean girl towards other girls from the ton is not the same as mistreating your friends, which is what Eloise did. We don't actually know what sort of person Cressida is when she has love and support in her live - we did get glimpses of it in her friendships with Eloise though, where she was nothing but kind and supportive. It's a shame she didn't get anything like that back from Eloise. I do really agree with what you said about Fran/ John though. It's incredibly insulting and it completely undermines the story of a more quiet love, that is just as worthy as the loud and dramatic love stories we saw the main characters have.

​@sheknows4991 I agree with you about Cressida. All the Bridgerton characters are flawed and have their moments where they don't treat others well but there is a cruelness and entitlement that Cressida gives off that I feel would still be there in her regardless of her childhood with her parents. Penelope is by no means perfect but she has had it just a tough as Cressida with her parents particularly her mother and then there are her sister who are equally as horrible to her and yet she didn't turn out as bad and mean as Cressida. Nothing wrong with wanting Eloise to be queer or hoping she'll get to be in a same sex relationship but I wouldn't want her to be with someone who had been so unnecessarily hateful to her best friend and continued to do so even when she and Eloise were friends. Yes Elosie discarded Cressida pretty quickly once it turn bad and it isn't a nice thing to do but maybe she could see that Cressida could fundamentally never change who she was in her core.

I was expecting a lesbian story for Eloise too!!!! Not this story line 😢

Ditto.

Agreed. I don't think I will ever watch the series again. It was overwhelmingly disappointing. And to think that we waited years for it, then waited another month for the rest of the series, only to get something incredibly lackluster... I don't want to see another bridgerton series.

That wasn’t love at first sight, it’s quite literally gay panic. It’s only attraction, not love. And this is why the change is needed because a lot of people don’t know about anything.

@@catherinearmy7271 ok but on HER WEDDING DAY???? y’all would flip a table if John was a girl and Fran was a guy

@@bubbles4897 oh I wouldn’t because the outcome will still be the same. Everyone knows that Fran has two great loves in her life.

Thank you. My sentiments exactly

And we already have two potential queer story lines with Eloise and Benedict

@@kikidevine694 I completely agree!! They didn't need a queer storyline for any of the main couples in the show. Eloise was a perfect character to explore a nice queer love story since it wasn't quite her time yet for her story to be told. She and Michaela exploring something in the next season would have been great as she went to Scotland to discover herself. The main couple's storylines in the series do not need to be gender-swapped to tell a great queer romantic story. Anthony and that prostitute did well in the first season with their own little side story even though we knew they wouldn't end up together.

the issue isn't in the gender of the love interest, its the shitty writing! the show runner could have 100% stayed true to francesca's story- sure a few tweaks would have to be made- but i think that her story could have been just as emotional and beautiful as in the books, even with a female love interest. the choice of introducing michaela this early was a poor one, and the showrunners should have developed john and francesca's relationship MUCH more before even hinting at the idea of a new love interest

Francesca being in love with someone who isn’t John is definitely out of place at this stage, but what’s wrong with genderbending Michael? That in itself is a cosmetic change

@@violetlavi2207 'Cosmetic'? When the last season made such a big deal about the Fetherington barony passing to her immediate (yet unborn) male heir, to secure their family- & Portia *still* had to forge a document to ensure it? The situation with the Mondrich son inheriting an earldom from his mother's side of the family only works with something called a Special Remainder (a failsafe worked into the original grant, which is sort of like the entail of 'Pride & Prejudice'- but more specific to the land grant that came with most titles of significance, but the untitled made use of entails, too- as in a gentry family, like the Bennetts) -- where after the rule of Primogeniture (the eldest male line) is exhausted, the Remainder picks up the inheritance- it usually goes something along the lines of, 'the heirs male of my sister/s' - 'the heirs of my niece/ nephew' - 'heirs male, whatsoever' - 'the heirs of my daughters'. And, as I understand it, each Remainder is then attached to the Primogeniture, as it fits; ie. the nephew or niece (if alive) becomes the new lord/ lady [in the case of the niece- if she already has children, it will actually bypass her; her eldest son inherits it- if she currently has no children, she holds the title as a courtesy- in keeping for her children]- the eldest of the nephew's sons, & their eldest sons - & once all the sons are exhausted, & their sons- any daughters may hold the title, going in order, & passing it to their children- with sons taking precedence. Some titles fall into abeyance (get 'put on the shelf'), for a lack of heirs that fit the specifics of the grant- usually a male heir, which is why Portia wants a grandson so badly - there's also a thing with 'co-heiresses' (which is technically what her now-pregnant daughters are, legally-speaking - the one that gives birth to a son first, becomes 'Baroness' by courtesy, & 'Dowager', when her son marries {I can't recall if there can be two Dowagers, or if Portia would lose the dignity for her daughter} - technically, Violet should have been addressed as 'Dowager', on Anthony's marriage [there's a mention of her 'dower house'] - the show seems to address almost everyone as Lord or Lady, with the exception of the Queen & Hastings, who's addressed as 'Your Grace' - the children of a titled person are called 'the Honourable', but Daphne & the others are all 'Miss' or 'Mr'- which would not be acceptable to the dignity of the family -- Phryne Fisher is the daughter of a baronet, & even in a place as remote as Australia & in the '20's, she is *always* introduced in formal settings as 'the Honourable Miss Phryne Fisher'). But this is already complex enough; suffice it to say that very few titles of such height come _without_ the specifics of Primogeniture attached to them - it sucks, but it was the reality. A person wants to explore this world, _&_ add in queer storylines to boot- maybe they should have done so with a character that didn't have this additional issue.

@@violetlavi2207 genderbending for example Daphnes and Simons first baby is one thing. It’s just a baby, it has no real impact on the story’s and other characters etc etc. it’s a baby. And it served for a lot of symbolism and parallels between Simon and his relationship with his own father. But genderbending a already established character form the books, especially a beloved character, which then changes the entire story is just stupid and unfair. Again Francesca being bi is totally cool, but they could’ve handled that better. Benedict for example is now also canonically bi but there’s still a chance that he ends up with his love interest from the book, FEMALE Sophie Beckett. Also why does every book so far gets a fairly accurate adaptation but Francesca and Michael fans won’t? That’s just unfair

⁠​⁠@@moritzmartini4132NONE of the books are accurate. Francesca story can literally still be the same, she can experience all of those things WITH JOHN. If they would have sucked with book accuracy for s2, that season would done terribly. Even the author Quinn she doesn’t care what they do as long as they end up with their pairing.

@@catherinearmy7271 that’s why some book changes are fine. Change du the bee scene for example was good bc otherwise this season would’ve been too similar to the season before it. But the inclusion of the love triangle for example was a bad decision and also strongly criticised. I’m not saying that smaller or occasionally bigger changes aren’t good, but this genderbending of Michael changes nothing in an actual good way and brings nothing except pseudo representation. Also with season 2 for example by changing the bee scene, the core essence of the book and the main aspects of the book were still included. But with female Michael, now everything has to be changed and you can barely represent the story of the book how it was. Francesca’s story can NOT be exactly the same bc Michael being a man was important. Michael didn’t pursue Francesca bc he felt like he already took everything from John. Francesca struggles with infertility and later she wants to remarry bc she desperately wants children. And as the show has told it so far, Francesca and Michaela could never openly show their love and affection

Yes. I haven'r read the books and until now had avoided all spoilers so I knew nothing and yet that 'till you're last breath' line was a dead giveaway, no pun attended.

very heavy handed foreshadowing lol

It was annoying. Like they treat their audience like children.🙄

They're so cruel for that!

I really was thinking Cressida and Eloise would of ended up given the color pallet mixing into each others wardrobe (and styles) but not the case.

Wouldn’t it be Sterling? Kilmartin is the title, no? Maybe I misunderstand the names/titles

Sometimes they use there titles as their last names

@justanobodyonyoutube3580 yeah, but she wouldn't say that her name is Francesca Kilmartin. It would either be Francesca Stirling or Lady Kilmartin

Exactly. Some other male heir would come and take the estate and Fran would be out on her ear. The whole agony for Michael is he becoming Earl and feels he can't fully take over John's life by taking his wife too. Clearly, Michaela can't inherit, nor can she have two kids with Fran nor can she marry her. It makes no sense at all.

It’s so hard to say because this show plays so hard and fast with the rules of Regency society. There’s also zero chance two women could be in an a public relationship with each other without a lot of scandal and unless one owns property in her own right, they’re going to be suffering financially. It could be interesting to see how Fran deals with being under that much scrutiny. But it completely changes her storyline. At that point it’s unrecognizable from what it was.

Like we just had a whole plot of the Featherington girls trying to continue their line, they can’t just throw all that worldbuilding away… but they might

@@erinandthe1580 I do think it's cool that the girls had daughters and Penelope had the boy, so their kid is the new Baron, which is great since Colin doesn't have a title, but at least now his son will.

I think it’s weird that the writers have outright refused to give any character the children they had in the book. Both Penelope and Daphne had girls in the book, but are given boys. I hope they stop feeling so title obsessed because now I’m worried Kanthony will have a girl just to spite those waiting on Edmund

we can still pretend it never happened 😅

Yes! It would've made more sense if Michaela was the one to stutter

​@@georgianasutu5882that's what I said . S4 they pretend it didn't happen and go all in showing her love with John with Michaela pining on the sides yet still being the best friend to her cousin and his wife. Maker her yearn so that by the time they tackle Fran's season we have sympathy for her and hopes she gets the girl.

I wonder if they’ll still be patient with it instead of turning it into a trash love triangle. Where Fran can be happy with John and just feel a special connection with Michaela that she considers a particularly close friend. And then only later after some good patient plot pacing Fran realizes that the connection is deeper than she realized and can grow into something more. That said. With the current show runners I don’t trust that’ll happen

I did not read Fran’s book, so Michaela not knowing Fran’s name I interpreted as John keeping Fran a secret, and Michaela being a Caroline Bennet b**ch who Fran will now have to live with. I did not catch the queer coding until I clicked on this video. I did think her reaction to his kiss was weird, but this season was weak overall and I chalked it up to her maybe feeling like she moved to fast? I didn’t really care (lol), I was over this season at that point. But after reading these comments about the books I am very disappointed and cannot see a way forward practically. Sounds like the show runner torpedoed Fran’s book. Dead on arrival.

It could have easily been Eloise being dumbstruck at that moment. Would have been a much better route to take.

I was looking forward to eloise story because it was quite funny at times. Come to think of it all of julia’s characters had some funny things interspersed with drama and intense love. What happened to the funny? The lightness is gone and it’s as tho we are watching a Scandal treatment instead. Shonda Rimes said she read the books on holiday and loved them and so decided to option the books into production. My question, what happened to those books? I can recognize the characters names and that’s about it.

Eloise has one of the worst stories in the books, and her character on the show is just complaining 24/7. Would've been much better to give her the queer storyline

​@@thelegacyofgaming2928the book stories change every season, they rewrite them and what's the problem of giving eloise a chance with sir phillip? You guys are just ridicolous for sure...

@@sergio97._782 OK, I'm one of those people who loves Eloise's book and Sir Philipp. I think they compliment each other. Of course Eloise is older in her book, as Penelope is.

Agree with U! I have also a fertility issue and the representation of a woman who carries a grief for a husband and a grief for not be able to have children potentially is very helpful. Now they completely threw it away

Thank you! I agree 100% with your comment.

I get what you're saying, but I also think they did make both her and John pretty autism coded. She can be seen to be introverted, but there's also autistic traits thoughout, like wanting to dance with the men alphabetically, the way she acts around the piano seems similar to a special interest, the way she drops everything else going on to do it. The communication differences that get shown too I think are strong indicators. The biggest thing for me was relating to how their relationship isn't as celebrated as the other characters relationships by her mother and family and they way they aren't approved of. Violet says its because their love is "slow" but generally what she actually reacts to (and mentions to other characters) is that they don't talk enough etc - the parts of their relationship and interactions often shared by neurodivergent couples/ people irl. It definately felt the same way ableism I have experienced has felt like, had the same vibe. I think either way is a fine way to interpret it of course. But like I've seen other people say, Penelope is a good example of an introvert. Eloise even might be seen as an introvert in her first season. Francesca is different to them in that she also has autistic traits and could be described as autistic coded. There are even compliations on youtube of her "being autistic". I'm also not sure what would be wrong with communities headcanonning characters as autistic in general, or why it wouldn't be just as fine for them to be autistic as it would for them to be NT introverts. It's not as if shows ever actually confirm that their autism coded characters are or aren't autistic, even less so with female characters. As a side note, I'm not sure she was closetted as I think that implies she knew she was queer. We do know almost for sure that she will be queer though, and again, I'm not sure what would be wrong with people thinking that? Maybe you feel under-represented as an introvert? I think it's nice for any group of people to find representation in media they love

True, people just love self-diagnosing people

Agreed! Her story was my absolute favorite too and I feel the same! Michael needed to stay Michael.

you said it perfectly! genuinely disappointed in what they’re doing.

I agree and from the past two seasons they have made a point of "only a man can hold a title". IE the whole Featherton story lines. In addition, they have made being bi or gay as something that has to be secret and not accepted by the ton. Look at Benedict's friend the artist in season one and his threesome in season 2. There have been no openly gay couples in the show. Is this going to change or just be ignored by Frans season? I am not opposed to a gay couple but it would have fit Eloise better (they could live as unmarried spinster but actually be madly in love). Also if you are going to make Micheal into Michaela have her be the one that falls instantly for Fran not the other way around. It makes introverts like myself feel like we don't know our own mind and just settle for the first thing that comes along.

I'm guessing that in the show Fran will have a son with John.

​@@conniethielen6039 During regency it was punishable by death to have gay sex as a man. That is why in the first season the gay artist says something like ''I risk my life every day for love''. So it is unlikely to be changed, then again there weren't as many non-white people in England so who knows. That is also one of the reasons why I hated the threesome storyline. Benedict is risking his life for a hookup. He could have still been interested but turned the guy down because he wasn't in love. And if they turn Sophie into a guy that could have been when he decided it's worth dying over.

What was the excuse for season 2? I think people just like the actors. The story wasn't abomination. That book was so good and the changes they made were awful. Season one needed the changes because book one was boring and frankly I couldn't finish it. Books two and Colin and Penelope stories were great. Francesca story was great because it was different than the others. In the books and in the show we barely know Francesca So the book is the first time we really get to see her and then when we meet her in the later books she still struggling and I liked her story and I hate that we're not going to get to see that come into fruition. Again it would have been interesting to see how it worked for that time period I simply don't think Francesca was the character for the storyline they are going with.

I so disliked Season 3 -- all of it. The quotes from the current showrunner lead me to stay as far away from Season 4 as possible. The only good think about Season 3 was Francesca and John. Why on earth does the show runner think making Francesca queer improves anything? I'm with Rege- John Page. "I'm done with it." Netflix Bridgerton series.

That's the word. "BORED" I'm still on episode 5 because I just can't move forward. It's like I'm forcing myself to finish it😂.

Am not str8 don't have the ability to tell if a character is queer it has to be told by y'all it's sad tbh how oblivious y'all are

Yeah me too if I don’t watch this video I was still clueless about the fact that Francesca got attacked by her husband’s cousin Michaela

I mean. People irl don’t always realize until their attraction hits them square in the face. That’s what happened with Francesca here (tho unfortunately at the cost of undercutting her love for John)

Francesca is barely in season 1 and 2. I don’t think she talks to anyone that isn’t a blood relative in the first 2 seasons. How do you project a sexuality of you are talking to your sisters? Or your brothers? Like people don’t usually have attraction for their relatives. Don’t at me about incest. Incest is not a good thing and not relevant and is a crime. I am talking about the fact that she doesn’t talk to anyone that is an option until her first ball. Woman, man, non-binary.

@@randomgeekcrap They're trying to say that the show usually gives the viewers some signs about the character and their sexuality

I agree with alot of what you said except that bit about Penelope. Her identity _is_ revealed in the books at a ball. It was at this same ball that Eloise left to meet Phillip which was why she was the last to know, she slipped away before the reveal.

@@island_girl_shan I don’t remember it that way. Of course it’s not my favorite one I’ve reread the most. Guess it’s time to get it out. Thank you.

Yes, going against the agenda is very risky for her channel.

@@thelegacyofgaming2928 against what agenda? she didn't criticize the gender swap and the upcoming lesbian storyline, she criticized how Fran and Johns love story got minimized and cheapened but Fran instantly falling for Michaela

@@rica3947 That's sort of the problem. There's so much mask off, rampant homophobia that is festering amongst this fandom and this debate. There can't be a good faith discussion about this until it is undefensively shut down by folk who have normal opinions. Unfortunately that's not happening and it's making folk, who otherwise might have normal dissapointments, look bigotted. Especially given the clarying call over and over is the most subtier unchecked biases. I have outright seen people post and get massively upvoted on points like 'a lesbian relationship just can't be a deep as a straight one'. The fandom has to step up or LGBT fans will know where we stand.

There is a gender and sexual orientation ideology. Bridgerton has been quite criticized for queer baiting and not showing diversity . So, the producers really hastened introducing a gay storyline just to shut down all the critiques. So , they could now claim that ' Hey all Bridgerton fans ... We are in the queer awakening phase' . So either keep the straight storyline and not gender swap Micheal to Michela or do justice to the gay storyline. Don't just introduce the concept of gay storyline out of the blue. Give it same respect that the straight storyline has been given. Not one kiss can make Francesca question her whole identiy. If they really want , then make this season 10 episodes to really flush out the storylines. They don't have to sabotage a whole good storyline just for an agenda. Either introduce the agenda and do it well or don't do it just for the sake of pleasing a certain audience who too deserve their good story in the screen.

Simone Ashley's acting is average. She is gorgeous. I feel a lot of people get swayed by the person's looks into thinking they are good actors. Jonathan Bailey yes, he's a good actor. He deserves screen time but also its nice to have him step away when his story arc has been completed. I wouldn't mind seeing him in other shows.

Truth be told, I thought they weren’t as involved because the actors have other acting gigs. Jonathan Bailey also had to film for Wicked, which is about to be released soon

I thought their in-show reason for not being on screen (potentially next season) was actually sweet. I like the idea that they are off raising their child in India. It frees up the actors to go on to (maybe bigger and better) other things. But they still can pop up further down the line, their schedules permitting

yes irrelevant, kanthony fans cant help making EVERYTHING about them. they had their season already

With the way the show is becoming bland maybe it's a good thing they are away. They can't salvage this

+ michael is a fan favourite among book readers so their disappointment is completely valid

100%, I honestly always thought the queer storyline would be given to Eloise, which I would have loved to watch.

how about go with no one?? it makes no sense to be queer for anyone in this series. its forced and unnecessary. if you want a queer story, create a queer story

@@TamaNegi-el9yd”forced and unnecessary”? Did you have the same critique about Anthony/Sienna or Eloise/Theo?

@@violetlavi2207 yes, people did find those relationships unnecessary because they added nothing. LGBT has no place in Bridgerton. Sorry. It just doesn’t. Not everything needs LGBT representation in it, especially in a time period where it makes no sense whatsoever. If they wanted to make a gay love story, there are many others to adapt. Netflix needs to stop piggybacking off a decent book series in the name of representation.

@@khfan4life365 you do realize queer people existed back then, right? They didn’t just spawn out of nowhere one day-queerness is as old as time, it was just more hidden

personally I resonated with Eloise with not wanting to marry because she did not want to get married, and in her era, certainly she had more reasons to dislike being forced into it socio and economically. It would be nice if we could have a story about a woman who didnt get married because she really didnt want to.

@@ashmein6021 Absoluetly! That would be my number one preference for her, too. But unfortunately, that is not what Bridgerton is about. Though, I think Eloise would be the one the showmakers would get away with the easiest doing this, as I have the impression most people didn't like her love interest. Also, the same for Penelope. I think I would have prefered her story to be about letting go of Colin. But again. That is not what Bridgerton is about. 🙃

Same here

She was stuttering there was attraction...

I really thought she was nervous because she finally met a relative of her husband

I missed it at first too. I was wondering what everyone was upset about because I thought Michaela and Eloise had a moment. I haven't read the book yet, but I'm starting now.

Yeah, I don't know if that was their intention but it really felt like Violet was right all this time. Like I told you so, if it isn't a "I burn for you" it isn't it.

same here...no one can replace michael sterling

This isn't on her tbh. They changed showrunners.

The gender flip specifically being the final nail in the coffin for you (not anything about the writing, but specifically changing Michael’s gender) is telling

@@violetlavi2207 changing Michael’s gender f**ks up the writing, so stfu about things you don’t know about.

Ew! That is a pathetic excuse to just wrap up the fact that 'I make shit so you watch it.'

…Francesca being smitten with Michaela at this point in time is the issue, not her being bi 😂

@@violetlavi2207maybe Eloise but not Francesca that made no SENSE and she might have introverted tendencies or a bit of AUTISM but not queer just reaching her and John’s vibe was soo cute and they just crushed it..

@@violetlavi2207 No, it's her being bi. Do you know Frans' story at all? She wants kids. Two women in their time period can't have children. They can't adopt either. I don't understand why some fans are in denial. This character shouldn't be queer whatsoever.

Clearly Jess is an idiot. Eloise would have been the logical choice and she also feels so different from her family.

i havent watched the second half but yeah it kinda sucks that people are celebrating Jon and Francesca as introverted couple and then somehow it feels like whoops girl, you got it wrong. Like the rest of your siblings, true love is about having dramatic moment lol

Cry 🤷🏾‍♂️

Actually, Michael's last name was spelled "Stirling". His cousin, John's, last name was spelled Sterling. I was never sure of the reasoning behind that, though.

​@@randomgeekcrapyou have clearly not read the books any at all. Your comments just show that on every thread. Or you are a kid in such case you shouldn't be watching

Well they changed Frans theme of loss and infertility. Losing someone you love and regaining the courage to love again . They now go different route

@@randomlyswatching9481 please you tried you filed move on

👍🏼🙂

Completely agree. I don't see a queer storyline for Eloise aswell

I'm sad theo arc is gone gone. I would've preferred that story line. More sybil from downtown Abbey.

@@mswhiteleg7849me too it would be strange

@@LS-bb9qh Oh I remember Sybill. So sad what happened to her.

I had the same thought. Let's not yet worry about how the gender bend affects a large internal conflict the ML had but...I prefer the whirlwind romance to be honest but with everything Fran said and that I have seen between her and John, I was like "Heck, this can be a great love story too." Only to feel at the end that Fran was only saying all that because she didn't know any better. After trying to get her mom to under how true her love for John was and that even if it didn't happen the way the mom expected, it was real, only for her to have an immediate reaction to someone that implies the kind of love her mother expected IN THE SAME WAY THE MOTHER FELL FOR HER OWN HUSBAND.....and that is what makes it feel like they are depicting that the love for John isn't real. It's not just that we were able to see that she had a immediate reaction to Michaela but _how_ it was shown. Really? She was trying to show her mom a different kind of love but reacted the same way her mom did to someone she didn't even know. And don't forget how in part 1 how she was looking at the portrait of her parents. So she did really want a love like theirs but went with John because it was comfortable 😂 Edit: And you know I was never with the idea of making Eloise a lesbian cause I want to see the actor who plays Phillip but alot of fans did. Eloise was standing right there. Like why even put her in that scene and have her go to Scotland(wasn't in the books). Like they wanted to say "Ha ha, jokes on you."

Honestly, thank you so much for being an open minded person about this

@@lilymary6537 A good story is a good story, honestly! Love is love, no matter the gender. I really was wondering if they were going to change Eloise’s story in this way, until I heard the rumors!

​@@deonna2If love is love, why change the gender at all?

​@@lilymary6537Why aren't you open-minded about people not wanting the change?

@@guellaliguemra2321 i am open minded about valid criticism

I have a feeling it’s the opposite. Francesca might be season 4. Late last year, there was a casting call for a character named “Molly” who had the characteristics of Michael Stirling. It said that this role will have a tiny scene this season, but will lead the next season. It caught people offguard because they were looking for a girl. Turned out this role went to Masali Baduza who plays Michaela now. Judging by how all the rumors from this season came true, I believe we are getting Francesca’s. There are no news of a renewal yet. I’m pretty sure they will push for at least 1 season of a queer story in case the show gets canceled .

​@@freshmaker321 If next season is Francesca's the reaction will be riotess, might actually kill the show. In my opinion, it should have been Benedict, Fran (with MICHAEL) then Eloise, with a widower (female).... this choice they are making is so Wrong, Eloise's character & story clearly makes the most sense for a queer adaptation.

@@kellyvalence5323 yes, it’s not “ideal” for bookreaders. But they are intent on pushing for a queer story, especially since the showrunner identifies as queer. Before this season, people had a lot of hope it was gonna be Benedict’s season next. We even thought Masali was gonna be Sophie. But now Ben’s season feels too far out with the way they set him up this season. Yes the masquerade ball was mentioned, but a big part of Ben’s arc is his love for art, and there never was mention of it at all this season, nor did they even attempt to tie it in to him giving up his passion last season.

@@freshmaker321 I'm definitely not settled that it is Benedict's season next. There is significant time between the masquerade ball & the rest... end of this season sort of shows there is no predicting what they are going to do, they have fundamentally changed things about all 3 of the possible Bridgerton stories who could be next

@@kellyvalence5323 If the pall mall game holds true from season 2, it should be Benedict in season 4 and Eloise in season 5. Those are the wickets their balls went thru just like Colin's went thru #3. But who know how much control the the new show runner, Jess Brownell has. She might change that. I thought we would for sure get all 8 seasons after seasons 1 and 2 but after the disaster that was this season who knows.

I am 100 in agreement.

THANK YOU! By that logic, most 2024 straight women should be queer but we aren’t? Wanting more in life than the confines of your society = not attracted to men? She quite literally was besotted by Theo and mostly because they had the same mentality. Such a crazy conclusion.

It's not just that. It's that she also is very close to her female friends, has no interest in men, isn't girly, and also she's upset that women don't have the same opportunities. It's all 3 that set the precedent for the possibility they could have her be gay - it's more plausible. She's the only one of the 4 sisters that it might make sense considering the precedents already set. I personally don't see any of them as queer, but if one would be, it would be her based on the precedents/foreshadowing possibilities already set. It certainly wouldn't be Fran who has only ever said she wanted a husband, children, and quiet.

​@@imscanonthose are all stereotypes that harm queer women far more!!! I don't want Eloise to be queer, I want Francesca to be because it subverts expectations and shows us a different kind of queer girl, different from what was expected

@@miranda1113 I'm not talking stereotypes, I'm talking precedent and writing. It is very bad writing to 180 without precedent. It's gratuitous for no reason. It still has to have congruence to the established facts. Your wanting her to be queer doesn't make it work with the story. Michaela can't be an Earl. Michaela can't usurp John's life. Michaela can't marry Fran and have kids. Fran said all she wanted was a husband, kids, and quiet. Fran never showed any interest in women. Fran doesn't like loud people. Literally nothing about her story established in the show or the books indicates any way that her character can be queer. It doesn't work. The show is good because the writing is good. The books are good because the writing is good. That change would be very bad writing as there is no precedent for it and it's too far afield of what actually needs to happen. Someone certainly can and should write a story like you want, but it shouldn't be THIS story as there is no precedent set to accommodate it and make it make sense. Like it or not, good writing has a process, elements to it, foreshadowing, precedent, character development, nuggets of truth that lead up to a reveal that make you go aha, I should have caught that and seen this coming. It would be like making her an alien from planet Atara and expecting people to believe it. If there is no precedent or crumbs of knowledge that lead you to it, it simply isn't believable. It has to make sense. This change makes no sense. If they wanted to make this change, they needed to lay precedent for it first. They didn't do that. We're 3 seasons in...they could have. It's too late now for it to be believable. They've already established too many facts that oppose it. As a writer myself, I find it offensive to the audience's intelligence and demeaning to the writer of the books to be so sloppy with her work. She trusted them. The fans of her books trusted them. It's just really bad storytelling. What we have here is a green showrunner who doesn't know how to do her job and properly tell a story. Many things in this show defy what would have been appropriate for the time. There wouldn't have been a black Earl, for instance. But they established that race is irrelevant early on so it's not an issue. But, they also established that one gets hanged for homosexuality (Benedict's art friend established it). They established that women couldn't be Earls or Dukes, etc. They established that if a nobleman dies without issue, the next male relative assumes his title and estate (hence the distance relative of the Featheringtons showing up and Mrs. Featherington forging a document that her daughter's male heir would inherit). These are precedents. Once established, they are canon. They can't NOW make it legal for Fran to be gay or marry a woman or for Michaela to become an Earl. Michaela as an unmarried woman can't even live on her own as a noblewoman, nor can Fran since she had no children with John, so upon his death, a NEW Earl will have to come take over, and then where will Fran and Michaela go? They'll need men to take charge of them. Precedent was already set for that. It's canon now, they can't change it. Do you see?? If they wanted to make this change, they had to make it possible and they didn't. They made it impossible with the canon they set already. They COULD have set it up to be possible, but they didn't. It's too late now.

Yep I can’t wait to see their storyline