Bridgerton EP addresses gender swap with Benedict’s lover

With the introduction of gender swapping on BridgertonWhat does this mean for Sophie, Benedict’s lover in the book?

After BridgertonThe third season ended on Thursday, June 13, showrunner Jess Brownell was asked whether fans can still expect Benedict (Luke Thompson) to meet Sophie, or whether Benedict’s lover could also be gender swapped after his membership in the LGBTQIA+ community is confirmed.

“The introduction of Sophie is definitely still planned, but we will continue to explore its fluidity,” said Brownell The Wrap on Thursday. “This is not the end of this story.”

In Season 3 of the Netflix hit, Benedict learned more about his sexuality after having a threesome with a woman and a man. “As any fluid person knows, fluidity is a part of your identity, whether you’re with a man, a woman, or a nonbinary person,” Brownell continued.

Related: Which “Bridgerton” couples ended up together in the books?

As soon as Netflix debuted Bridgerton, fans were excited about the stories that were yet to be told. Based on the novels of the same name by Julia Quinn, the series began with the love story of Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon Basset (Regé-Jean Page). Season 2 of Bridgerton told the story of Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) (…)

However, the last episode also contained an important clue about Benedict’s future when his sister Eloise (Claudia Jessie) mentioned her mother’s masked ball. Fans of Julia Quinn‘S Bridgerton book series – which served as inspiration for the successful Netflix series – know that in An offer from a gentlemanBenedict falls in love with a mysterious woman named Sophie after briefly meeting her at the ball.

“At the end of season three, Eloise tells Benedict that she’s coming home for Violet’s masquerade ball in a few months, so there’s going to be a masquerade ball soon,” Brownell noted. “I’ll just leave it at that.”

Viewers had originally expected to meet Sophie in season 3, as Benedict’s story inspired the third novel in Quinn’s book series. However, the series has not followed the novels exactly in terms of details – or the order of the seasons. In season 3, Bridgerton changed focus to Colin (Lukas Neumann) and Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) instead as in Quinn’s fourth book A romance with Mister Bridgerton.

Brownell recently explained what changes she wanted to make and why.

Related: Cast and crew of “Bridgerton” explain why the series does not follow the order of the book

The decision that Bridgerton does not follow the exact order of Julia Quinn’s book series was certainly not approved by everyone. The historical drama, which premiered in 2020, focuses on the members of the wealthy Bridgerton family on their search for love in 19th century London. Season 1 focused on Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) and (…)

“I’m really not trying to shake things up too much. I really believe in the vision of the show,” Brownell told Refinery29 in April. “I really want to serve the stories and the books as best as I can. It just felt really natural for Penelope and Colin that it made sense to lean into the cliches of a romantic comedy. So this season has a little bit more humor and there are the awkward lines. So that’s something that will feel a little bit better in terms of how it differs from last season.”

Thompson, 35, on the other hand, apparently did not mind the delay in publishing Benedict’s story.

“It would be nice to explore the character in depth, that would be really fun, but the way the show is going – it’s a big ensemble show,” he told Country and Town House in May. “As long as I get interesting work to do, it doesn’t really bother me.”

Another narrative shift occurred during the season three finale, when Francesca (Hannah Dodd) met her future lover. When he was evil book that focuses on Francesca’s journey, Francesca fell in love with now-husband John (Victor Alli) cousin Michael. In the series, Michael was replaced by Michaela (Masali Baduza), which did not delight every book fan.

“The fact is that the fan base is not a monolith and you can never please every side of the fan base,” Brownell explained to Teen Vogue on Thursday. “For example, when I decided to tell a queer story with Francesca, I spoke to Julia Quinn and got her blessing.”

She added: “We talked about how with almost every book there is a segment of fans who would be discouraged if their favorite characters were changed. I don’t think there is a book where that wouldn’t be the case. So for me it was back to the story and the characters.”

Bridgerton is currently streaming on Netflix.