Francesca’s ‘Bridgerton’ book has a compelling subplot about infertility – here’s what the show should do instead

(Editor’s note: The following article contains spoilers for season 3 of “Bridgerton” as well as various storylines from the “Bridgerton” book.)

Fans almost went crazy when the final moments of the third season of Netflix’s “Bridgerton” showed that Francesca’s (Hannah Dodd) next season, her future husband Michael will instead be MichaelA (Masali Baduza), which allows Francesca to better explore her “outsider identity” (i.e. her queer identity) after the death of her current husband John (Victor Alli).

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While much of the online fan backlash to the Michael/Michaela swap is the same frustrating feedback that often comes when showrunners decide to bring a more diverse group of characters to the screen (and should therefore be ignored), some people have simply expressed disappointment that a beloved love story that deals in depth with infertility might lose that well-done subplot in the new TV adaptation. But that doesn’t have to be the case.

In the Bridgerton book about Francesca, When He Was Wicked, Francesca deals with fertility issues after a miscarriage with her first husband John, which is understandably very painful for her. Interestingly, this problem is not resolved in the book with an expected baby and a happy ending – at least not in the Original End of the book, which was published in 2004. Years later, when the show became a huge success, author Julia Quinn went back and added “bonus epilogues” that were received by all of her couples. In Francesca’s book does ultimately have two biological children with Michael.

The series could simply ignore this subplot, or watch Michaela and Francesca struggle to become guardians to other children, or even come up with another historical drama involving children that fits the time period. And Honor your relationship too.

But: One idea that showrunner Jess Brownell and his team should consider is that this could be an opportunity Eloise (Claudia Jessie) instead deals with this particular fertility plot in their respective seasons (if they go in the order of the books, it’s likely that Eloise’s main character moment will be in Season 5 of the series and Francesca’s in Season 6). The series could find some nice echoes in dealing with this widespread issue that many women suffer from in silence, and since Eloise’s own (bad!) book saga ultimately includes her much When beloved stepchildren come into play, this could be a smart reason for a change that allows her to continue being a mother.

Families! They come in all shapes and sizes, even in Regency England.

That might be too much for a show that’s ultimately about hot people in ball gowns giving in to their lust. But while the book series on which the show is based isn’t exactly deep, it regularly tackles themes that elevate the stories beyond mere pulp fiction. The series adaptation does a good job of fleshing out these moments and making them part of the historical fantasy that fans around the world love.

This is another one of those opportunities – let’s hope the show doesn’t squander it.

Want to know more about the Bridgertons? Read why Benedict Bridgerton will star in season 4, why Eloise’s Bridgerton book needs a rewrite, and learn about Francesca Bridgerton’s two sexy marriages.

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