Entertainment

Bridgerton falls apart: after the duke, Daphne also leaves the scene (in season 3)

January 30, 2023
5:16 PM

Daphne also says goodbye to Bridgerton. The news, as disconcerting as it was unexpected, escaped from the mouth of her interpreter Phoebe Dynevor, a guest of the Sundance Film Festival these days to present the film Fair play (purchased already from Netflix). To the microphones of the magazine ScreenRant who asked her what news is coming for her character she replied that no, unfortunately there won’t be any: “I’m thrilled to watch season 3, but only as a viewer”, he has declared. To then add, sibylline: «Maybe in the future». Blessed are those who believe her, because the tone of the 27-year-old British interpreter did not seem too convinced.

It is true, in the Regency novels by Julia Quinn (Mondadori) from which the television saga is based, each book focuses on a single character, but the richness of the transposition on the small screen focuses heavily on the family members that frame the lovestory.

In the second season of Bridgerton Daphne acts as sidekick, appears here and there with his little son, gives some advice, plays pall mall and little else. But that is what is being asked of the other members of the clan as the spotlight is turned on the love life of the brothers and sisters.

Was this exit predictable? Perhaps. Regé-Jean Page before her repeated over and over again the intention never to return to wear the clothes of Simon, husband of Daphne, after the end of the first chapter. The decision disappointed audiences of the series, who in part accused him of ingratitude. The development of the second season around the character of Viscount Anthony (in spite of the skill of Jonathan Bailey) has not been able to fully transpose the depth of the eldest son, as he was described in the pages. Result? The vacuum left by the Duke of Hastings has by no means been filled.

This may be partly why the third chapter will not be dedicated to the second son Benedict (Luke Thompson) according to the chronological order of the literary saga, but to Colin (Luke Newton) and his romance with Penelope (Nicola Coughlan). On the screen, stages are burning trying to focus on events that are considered stronger, which is why the identity of Lady Whistledown has already been revealed and Eloise (Claudia Jessie) has also become aware of it (a decade in advance at least compared to what happens in the novels).

As if that weren’t enough, the cast lost another piece, Ruby Stokes, who played Francesca and who will be replaced in the next episodes by Hannah Dodd. We already know that Bridgerton has also been renewed for a fourth season, but fans are starting to fear that it will also be the last, due to a poor handling of the adaptation.

Confirmation that EdwinaKate’s sister (now Viscountess Bridgerton, played by Ashley Simone), she wasn’t going to be featured in the third episode cycle, for example, it didn’t upset anyone because in fact the role has always been ancillary to that of the one who would become the head of the family in Lady Violet’s place. But the rest just doesn’t go down well to aficionados of this costume drama.

In fact, to the changes of course in the cast are added the plot problems, which would have led to a delay in filming. As revealed by the Daily Mail creator Shonda Rhimes nixed some scripts, deemed too depressing, but obviously didn’t mention them in the trivia volume Inside Bridgertonwhich was also recently released in Italy (again by Mondadori).

It seems her priority right now is launching the prequel about Queen Charlotte, a character she created from scratch that didn’t exist in the books and that she’s particularly fond of. The project, as well as the new season of the parent series, should see the light in 2023. But at what price?