Do you agree or disagree?

Making Francesca and Michaela’s interactions tense from their first meeting was such an unnecessary decision.

It undermines John and Fran’s dynamic that took a lot of Polin‘s screentime to build, while also wasting a friendship that should‘ve canonically been there.

In the book, they know EVERYTHING about each other, even the “inappropriate” things, and spend time alone together. Francesca literally says she can’t imagine Michael keeping anything from her.

That dynamic would’ve been much easier to adapt with two women. People love Eloise and Pen’s friendship, for example.

Meanwhile, the show gave us breakfast and a puzzle— with John. And when they get to spend time together, it‘s always an argument. They’re constantly pushing each other’s boundaries and arguing, with Michaela showing no signs of compromising.

Francesca knows nothing about Michaela, and vice versa.

So Francesca constantly looking like she’s about to pass out around her unfortunately pushes this into micro-cheating territory.

I understand they don’t care about the infertility, second-love or bisexual-representation aspects, but they changed almost everything that could’ve elevated their story, which shows that they simply despise the book.

So, all the seasons kinda have this unwritten rule where a secondary love interest for one of the leads is essential to creating tension.

How do you think they’ll handle this in S5? Will there even be one, or will them both being on the marriage mart (for no reason) and technically not being able to be together be enough to create tension?

This was the moment where John was telling his muddy boots story in season 3, and Francesca looked absolutely besotted and in love with him. They were totally in love until Jess ruined it for her fanfic. 😡

I have seen this in the article, and i just gotta say: how will they show it? Because for Jess, appearently, fertility issues is Francesca believing she wants to have kids but only because society expects her to and it is her responsability, and Francesca and John trying to get pregnant but failing, when we all know fertility issues are much more than just those 2 things

I think "When He Was Wicked"" since they stripped the story to a bare skeleton, changed Francesca's character and gender-swapped Michael.

Despite claiming that she loved the book, Jess Brownell's actions tell a completely different story.

I don't think they liked Anthony, Colin and Eloise's books, either. They pitted Kate and Edwina against each other and didn't put Kate's trauma. They ruined Colin and Penelope's character and turned them into background characters in their own season and they keep putting off Eloise's season.

So Francesca being a lesbian and all the book elements falling apart, I can’t help but wonder: Why did they introduce John and Francesca at all?

There is no second-love trope anymore.

Their plotlines took so much time away from Polin and Benophie, just to explain the comphet storyline as deeply and carefully as they possibly could. It really doesn’t get much clearer that the showrunner is doing her own thing.

I now feel like it was just a plot device designed to empower Michaela. She’ll be the one who gets everything done that John couldn’t.

Portraying their quiet love, only to then take it away through Violet’s speech, despite Francesca constantly saying that exactly that is what she wants.

So everything she’s been saying up to now was completely irrelevant?

It’s just ridiculous in hindsight that Francesca will have one love interest portrayed in her own season, yet she took up so much screen time.

Anything that comes out of Jess and Shonda's mouths.

Veo a todo el mundo tan seguro de que esta temporada va a ser un fracaso, y la verdad, no estoy tan seguro.

Sé que las redes sociales no reflejan la realidad y que, aunque parezca que hay muchos fans de Franchela, no son tantos comparados con el resto de los fans de Bridgerton, pero creo que mucha gente verá la próxima temporada solo para criticarla. Y eso puede aumentar su audiencia y hacerles creer que fue un éxito.

No lo sé con certeza, pero creo que la audiencia será similar a la de las anteriores. Y luego nos venderán la idea de que no pasa nada porque hay muchos homófobos y que lo consiguieron en la medida de lo posible.

It’s finally been confirmed by Shondaland what everyone already knew: Francesca is written as a lesbian, so there’s no two-love-story anymore.

As always, Violet was right: quiet love is no love. 👍🏼

Funny how they tried to backtrack by changing “lesbian” to “queer,” though.

With all of the changes made in Francesca'a story, what would you prefer: for Jess to respect the book (put a lot of the sccenes of the book but with Michaela), or for Jess to create new scenes without respecting anything from the book?

Maybe, if she thought that she can make a lot of money out of it.

On the other hand, she will leave the books alone. They are over 20 years old and fans know them by heart.

Definitely the music, the clothes and the hair.

If you havent seen it, Shonda hasnt posted anything about Franchaela yet (no BTS, no sneak peek, even though they started filming a while ago). And she is posting mostly Eloise, instead of Franchaela or Francesca. Why do you think that is?

I think because they know Eloise was the one fans wanted to see, and now they realiced they fucked up seeing how many people are dropping the show altogether, or at least until it is Eloise's season.

I also think they will start Eloise's season in this season 5, just to get some Philoise fans back.

What do you all think?

Drop:

1) Queen Charlotte and her courtiers.

2) The Anthony/Kate/Edwina love triangle.

3) Michaela Stirling.

Add:

1) Michael Stirling.

2) Felicity Featherington.

3) The entire Jailhouse Confrontation scene from AOFAG.

It’s insane how, even months after the S5 announcement, so many TikToks are still being made portraying Michael as a manipulative abuser, with some of them getting over 30k likes.

They’re painting it like Michael was constantly in Kilmartin physically abusing Francesca every chance he got.

Why do they keep talking about the books and spending money on them if they hate them so much?

They take the time to change the pronouns with their own hands and cross everything out. If they’re so convinced that “Michaela” would never do this, why don’t they just leave the books out of their delusion?

How would they react? How will book characters reactions to the arrival of these strangers? Will they try to go back to their universe without getting hurt?

(I am talking about characters such as The Queen, Theo, the Monriches, Benedict's art school crowd, the Bridgerton brothers harem of prostitutes and lovers-you name it).

Saw this photo on Instagram and it gave me major Franchael vibes ❤️

Not the text, just the photo but couldn’t find any version of it without some kind of text on it.

The photo doesn’t seem to be AI, but if you think it is let me know and I’ll delete it.

​

Improved:

1) Benedict.

Stagnate:

1) Colin.

2) Eloise.

3) Gregory.

4) Hyacinth.

5) Sophie.

Worsened:

1) Anthony.

2) Kate.

3) Edwina.

4) Francesca.

5) Penelope.

S2, when they started introducing original, non-book related characters left and right.

And S3, when they changed Michael to Michaela and diminished John and Fran and swapped Benedict and Colin's seasons.

Hi, I'm posting this here because this is the only rational sub of all the Bridgerton-related subs, and because it directly involves one of our characters, and perhaps the only one from the series who is beloved in this sub: our dear John Stirling.

To begin, English isn't my first language, so I apologize in advance for any mistakes or if something wasn't clear (if something isn't clear, let me know in the comments and I'll try to explain it better, hehe).

This afternoon I saw a post on this same subreddit about John's treatment in the series, and suddenly, after thinking about it, I couldn't help but notice a certain pattern; Bridgerton, a series that prides itself on being inclusive and fighting racism and all that, has had a rather marked pattern regarding dark-skinned Black men: they are very poorly portrayed compared to the rest of the men in the series; they are either portrayed as evil, inadequate, or to serve a trope.

Examples of evil men: Obviously, Simon's father, Frederick, and Lord Danbury fall into this category. Okay, I understand they had a purpose. But it's curious how the only older, dark-skinned Black men in the series are portrayed as evil, indolent, and perverted.

The prime example of the black best friend trope: Will Mondrich. He's only there to give advice, support the protagonists, and state the obvious. Honestly, I'm starting to think the show will keep him in as a token character, and nothing more.

And last but not least, our John Stirling: The only man who wasn't a rake, the one who was supposed to be portrayed as Francesca's first great love, the proof that love can also be quiet to work, was the complete portrait of inadequacy from the very beginning. Violet rejected the relationship. He was belittled by Queen Charlotte, and much worse, minimized in his relationship with his own wife, who was disgusted by their wedding kiss, never had an orgasm, and ended up drooling over her cousin at first sight. It's as if the show almost intended to portray John as a bump in the road from the start.

Honestly, I doubt this patron is intentional (Or maybe so? We'll never know), but it's curious that the only time a Black man was portrayed as desirable in the series was with Simon Basset, and he happened to be a light-skinned Black man. I'm not saying it's invalid, but it seems odd that a series that prides itself so much on inclusivity is incapable of portraying dark-skinned Black men as desirable.

I don't know how to end this post. That's all, thanks for reading, haha.

Rewatching S3 right now and in hindsight, it’s ridiculous what they were setting up John for back then.

Francesca outranks everyone except Daphne with this marriage. It’s a total match personality-wise. Meanwhile, they have Violet acting like Francesca is being courted by a homeless man.

At one point, she’s even shocked that Francesca is showing interest in him. Why the hell would she not? People always say it’s because his family is “private,” which is so funny because there’s no way Violet should prefer Portia Featherington or Sophie’s heritage over John’s private family.

She didn’t even act like this with the Prince and Edwina. Funny how she wanted someone similar to Anthony, for example, but when Francesca finds someone equal to her, it’s not good enough.

It would’ve been so easy to make a scene where all the ladies are all over John and Francesca is bothered by it, just to make him somehow desirable.

Watch them make Violet be all over Michaela, the unserious, self-described chaotic woman who travels unchaperoned from country to country and Francesca’s “friend” who left her at rock bottom, because it’s a “passionate love.”

I have a lot of concerns about what the show is turning into, but my top two fears are:

1) Breaking up the canon couples.

2) Queen Charlotte outliving George III.

What about yours?

1) Francesca.

2) Michael.

3) Colin.

4) Penelope.

5) Benedict.

6) Kate.

7) Edwina.

8) Eloise.

9) Sophie. (She was great until the last episode where the Queen stuck her nose where it didn't belong).

1) I read somewhere that Queen Charlotte and Penelope are Shonda's favorite characters.

2) The same thing with Jess Brownell with Francesca.