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Bridgerton Season 4, Part 1 ends breathlessly — literally. In the final scenes of Episode 4, star-crossed lovers Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) and Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha) finally succumb to their long-simmering passion. Although the pair have kissed, their clandestine meeting on the staircase in Bridgerton House is more explosive. The moment culminates with those three little words no woman expects to hear: “Be my mistress.”
Benedict — who observed a seemingly successful mistress relationship earlier in the midseason finale — believes he has made the best offer possible amid the restrictions of the ton. Sophie, however, merely blinks at her aristocratic lover and flees. Benedict wonders if Sophie will accept his proposal — the same proposal that gives Julia Quinn’s An Offer from a Gentleman (the novel that inspires this season of Bridgerton) its name.
Bridgerton showrunner Jess Brownell can offer some insight into Sophie’s mindset at the close of Episode 4. “For Sophie, the idea of being a mistress is the worst possible thing she could be asked,” Brownell says. As we learn in Part 1, Sophie is the product of a proposition like Benedict’s in Regency-era London. Sophie’s father was a lord and her mother was a maid turned mistress — an arrangement that left Sophie without status or security after their deaths. Instead, Sophie was put under the thumb of her punishing stepmother, Araminta (Katie Leung).
“Sophie really doesn’t want to ever put a child in the situation she was in,” Brownell says. “Despite societal rules, there is a part of Sophie that’s hoping that Benedict could see beyond [the ton] and that what they have is so special it could overcome the obstacles of class.”
So will Sophie say yes to Benedict’s offer, despite her misgivings? What’s afoot for the rest of the Bridgerton family? And the ton? You’ll have to wait until Part 2 debuts on Feb. 26 to find out. As Violet (Ruth Gemmell) says in the Season 4 lookahead clip, everything hinges on Benedict’s choices. Until Part 2 premieres, Brownell, Thompson, and Ha are ready to answer all your Bridgerton Season 4 questions.
Who is the Lady in Silver? And why does she hide her identity?
Apologies to Miss Hollis (Alice Mann) — but Sophie Baek is Benedict’s mysterious “Silver Lady.” When viewers first see the Lady in Silver at Season 4’s masquerade ball, they — like Benedict — have no idea who she is. It’s only afterward, when Sophie returns home to Penwood House and changes into her maid uniform, that her identity is revealed.
As we learn in flashbacks, Sophie’s colleagues Irma (Fiona Marr) and Alfie (David Moorst) urge her to attend Violet’s ball. The trio unearths Sophie’s aunt’s dress, snags a pair of Araminta’s shoes, and employs a leftover mask.
Benedict is taken with the Lady in Silver and whisks her off to the Bridgertons’ private terrace for an unforgettable dance lesson. But she disappears as the clock strikes midnight. When a chance meeting allows Sophie to get to know Benedict as herself, she doesn’t bring up her fantastical alter ego.
“I don’t think Sophie can even fathom the idea of Benedict changing his feelings, because she is someone who wears an apron and not someone in a silver gown,” Ha says. “That would be the most heartbreaking thing for her.”
What is Sophie’s history? Who are her mother and father?
Sophie is the illegitimate daughter of the late Lord Penwood (Arthur Lee) and his unnamed maid. Araminta says Sophie’s mother died without money, title, or a husband because of her status as a mistress. Despite this tragedy, flashbacks of Sophie’s childhood in Episode 2 reveal she was given as happy a youth as possible. She was brought up as Lord Penwood’s “ward,” which came with all the trappings of aristocracy: Young Sophie (Chloe Park) enjoyed fine clothes, an excellent education, and her father’s love.
Everything changed when Araminta — a widow with two young daughters — wed Lord Penwood and moved into the household. Sophie hoped Araminta would be a mother to her, but Araminta saw her new husband’s child as an affront. When Sophie was a teenager, Lord Penwood died, leaving no one to shield her from her stepmother. Lady Penwood reveals he left nothing for Sophie in his will, and offers her a maid position for “protection.” Sophie, seeing no other way to survive, accepts.
“Penwood House was Sophie’s home when she grew up. She has such a sentimental attachment to that place. But then it’s taken over by this cruel woman,” Ha says. “[Sophie knows] she could be on the street with no money. It all manifests in this deep trauma, and that’s why she has her guard up. She doesn’t trust anyone who says, ‘I promise this for you,’ because that has never been true for Sophie.”
Will Sophie become Benedict’s mistress?
You’ll have to tune in to Bridgerton Season 4, Part 2 to find out. But Thompson’s visit to Bridgerton: The Official Podcast, now streaming on Netflix in the United States, shed some light on the problems between his character and Sophie.
“He just wants to have his cake and eat it [too. … He’s] trying to section out his life, which is surprising because we don’t think of Benedict as someone who does that. Deep down, I think he is,” Thompson says. “He doesn’t like to sort of go anywhere too serious or too committed.”
Ha explains that despite being pulled toward Benedict, Sophie also carries a reminder of what his offer could mean — her mother’s necklace. “There’s a certain point where I think she realizes she wears it not to kind of remember her by but to remember her mistakes and to be like, ‘I will never become this woman.’ ” Ha explains. “She doesn’t want that for anybody.”
The lookahead clip that plays after Episode 4 reveals both Benedict and Sophie will battle their feelings for one another in Part 2. Benedict will contemplate what it means for his social standing to love a maid, and Sophie will consider the long-term viability of her position at Bridgerton House.
Is Araminta moving next door to the Bridgertons?
At the beginning of Episode 4, the Bridgerton staff speculate on who could be moving into the neighboring estate in Grosvenor Square. Some wonder whether it could be a “well-to-do mistress,” which strikes a chord with Sophie. But the truth is so much worse: Araminta is the new lady of the nearby house, putting Sophie’s stepmother within striking distance.
Wait — has Mrs. Varley left the Featheringtons?
This is the final blow in Bridgerton Season 4’s Great Maid War. At the beginning of Episode 3, Mrs. Varley (Lorraine Ashbourne), the dutiful head of staff at Featherington House, receives a better job offer from a mysterious individual. Mrs. Varley, out of loyalty, asks Portia Featherington (Polly Walker) for a long-overdue raise — compensation, after all, has increased since their last financial discussion 20 years earlier. Rather than give Mrs. Varley a raise, Portia gifts her confidant a box of old, citrus-hued gowns.
Mrs. Varley resigns her position when she spots Portia buying a parade of new clothes. It’s obvious the Featheringtons can afford to pay Mrs. Varley a few more shillings. A verbal standoff ensues, and Mrs. Varley leaves the home she has kept running for decades.
The final scene of Part 1 reveals Mrs. Varley isn’t unemployed for long: It was Araminta who attempted to poach Mrs. Varley — and her scheme worked. Mrs. Varley welcomes Araminta, Rosamund, and Posy Li (Isabella Wei) into their new Grosvenor Square home.
What’s happening with Violet and Lord Anderson?
Violet’s garden is in bloom. The widowed Bridgerton matriarch closes out Part 1 at a diverting nighttime “tea” party with her beau, Lord Marcus Anderson (Daniel Francis). Violet’s head of household, Mrs. Wilson (Geraldine Alexander), helps her pull off the romantic evening. The last time we see Violet in Episode 4, she’s smiling in bed with Anderson.
“I’m just … happy,” Violet says, before she and Anderson passionately embrace again.
Keep reading about Violet’s tea service here.
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What is a “pinnacle”?
Francesca Stirling (Hannah Dodd) asks this question throughout Part 1, concerning the climax of pleasure during marital relations. She starts to get an answer when she asks her sister-in-law (and fellow newlywed) Penelope Bridgerton (Nicola Coughlan) for a precise definition of “pinnacle” and a guide to “acquiring” one. Penelope semi-successfully explains the art of satisfaction to Francesca, who brings her findings to her husband, John Stirling (Victor Alli). An important conversation about pleasure and connection arises after John notices his wife faking her pinnacle.
While Francesca worries her lack of arrival means something is wrong with her, Brownell explains that this aspect of the Stirlings’ marriage shows what they’re doing right. “The signature connection that they have is really about friendship and about understanding each other in a really deep way,” she says. “It was really important to us, both last season and this season, to illustrate that just because they don’t have fast passion doesn’t mean that it isn’t love. Passion can be slow to grow, and that is just as valuable, meaningful, and deep. We’re watching them go on a journey this season of exploring what passion means to each of them.”
Is Michaela back? And what does her return mean for Francesca?
As proven by Francesca’s exacting search for the pinnacle, she loves rules and order. So she doesn’t immediately click with Michaela Stirling (Masali Baduza), John’s close, free-spirited cousin. At the end of Bridgerton Season 3, all three — plus Eloise — travel together to the Stirlings’ ancestral home in Scotland. However, when the group returns, Michaela is nowhere to be seen.
All of that changes at the close of Episode 4. Michaela comes back to Mayfair in an eventful fashion, and Francesca claims her appearance is a “wonderful surprise.” Michaela isn’t so sure. Expect to see more from this duo in Part 2.
“Michaela just really unnerves Francesca. They’re opposites in such a big way. Fran’s introverted, Michaela is extroverted,” Brownell explains. “Fran is all about control, Michaela is all about intentional chaos.”
Is Eloise really “on the shelf”?
Around the middle of Episode 1, Eloise (Claudia Jessie) announces that she’s on the shelf. This means that the second-oldest Bridgerton daughter — still single and entering her third season in high society — is no longer an active participant in the marriage mart. Considering her lack of matches, Eloise is sure the men of the ton are no longer interested in her, but she’s promptly proven wrong by the excitement prospective suitors display whenever she smiles at them. So Eloise may have put herself out of reach of a possible husband, but she can also seemingly take herself off of that shelf whenever she wants.
“Eloise hasn’t thought it all the way through — because of the times and her family, [her being on the shelf] affects everyone,” Jessie says. “I don’t think she’s fully understood that it would even impact where she sits at a table. It affects her siblings also, and it breaks her mother’s heart. I don’t know how long she’s going to be on the shelf.”
Brownell agrees that Eloise isn’t actually stuck on the shelf. “The idea that Eloise thinks she’s going to be able to be a spinster after three seasons out is actually ridiculous,” the showrunner says. “Historically, three seasons really weren’t enough to make you a spinster, but the rules were not hard and fast. I think Eloise is hoping that she can decide them for herself just like she wishes she could decide so much of her life — but she can’t.
Who will win the wager between Penelope and Queen Charlotte?
Penelope has a unique champagne problem: She’s Queen Charlotte’s (Golda Rosheuvel) favorite author. On the one hand, the most powerful woman in England is Penelope’s biggest fan. On the other, Penelope cannot supply Queen Charlotte with the gossip she craves now that the ton knows Penelope is Lady Whistledown.
In an effort to continue their game of cat and mouse, Queen Charlotte makes a wager with Penelope: The monarch predicts Benedict will marry this social season, and the author says her brother-in-law is the “least” likely to do so. At Lady Agatha Danbury’s (Adjoa Andoh) ladies’ dinner in Episode 4, the women tell Penelope she made the “wise” bet. But Penelope is less worried about any wager than about whether she has become a “pawn” for the ton’s machinations. Can Lady Whistledown win here?
Will Alice become Queen Charlotte’s lady-in-waiting?
Speaking of the queen, she may be getting a new confidant. In Part 1, Lady Danbury shares her desire to travel — and therefore step away from the ton. Lady Danbury realizes she must find a worthy new lady-in-waiting for Queen Charlotte if she is ever going to be allowed to leave England. Eventually, Lady Danbury settles on Alice Mondrich (Emma Noami) as the perfect candidate.
Queen Charlotte and Lady Danbury are both keen to see Alice step into the white wig of a lady-in-waiting. However, Alice must decide her fate in Part 2. To learn more about ladies-in-waiting in Bridgerton, click here.
Will Benedict find out Sophie is the Lady in Silver ?
In the second half of Episode 4, Violet tells Benedict that “reality is where love grows.” That advice pushes him to pursue Sophie — who is real — and let go of the phantom of the Lady in Silver he has been chasing. But Benedict doesn’t know that his two loves are the same woman.
Will Benedict learn the truth in Part 2? Will Sophie choose to reveal herself — or even accept Benedict’s offer? Find out what’s next for Benedict, Sophie, and the rest of the ton when Bridgerton Season 4, Part 2 premieres on Feb. 26. And for even more secrets from the series, watch Bridgerton: The Official Podcast now, or listen wherever you get your podcasts.
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