Warning: spoilers for season three of Bridgerton
«Unexpected, powerful and sudden». This is how Violet Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell) describes the kind of love she initially imagined for her children, including enigmatic Francesca Bridgerton (played by Hannah Dodd), in the third season of Bridgerton. But when, in a low-key ceremony, Francesca marries the sweet but melancholy John, Earl of Kilmartin (Victor Alli), Violet begins to appreciate the «beauty of the slow approach».
However, she can’t help but remember the first time she laid eyes on her late husband, Edmund Bridgerton. “When I first met your father, I could barely say my name,” Violet tells Francesca. «I was totally enraptured by him. I stumbled over the most common words.” This sentiment echoes in the final minutes of the third season of Bridgertonwhen Francesca meets a person who, in effect, makes her forget herself completely: Michaela Stirling (Masali Baduza), cousin of Francesca’s new husband. And this name will sound more or less familiar to fans of the original book series by Julia Quinn.
Introducing a very important difference, the male character of Michael present in the novel has been replaced by the female character of Michaela. Below, the showrunner Jess Brownell illustrates the shocking change in Francesca’s future love interest.
Who is Francesca Bridgerton?
Described in the novels as the “accidental twin” of her older sister Eloise (Claudia Jessie) due to their closeness in age, Francesca is the most submissive of the Bridgerton brothers. So far, she has been largely pushed out of it Bridgerton: Having been absent for much of the first and second seasons, the series blamed her absence on visits she made to her Aunt Winnie in the country town of Bath. When Francesca is reintroduced in the third season of Bridgerton, we find out that she would rather play the piano than turn away potential suitors. “I don’t think she ever wants to be the center of attention, so she feels quite uncomfortable with all the eyes on her,” Dodd recently told Town & Country. After the release of the series, some neurodivergent fans (who say they have traits in common with the introspective Francesca) claimed that the character was “presented in an autistic way”.
Why is Francesca played by a new actress?
Ruby Stokeswho played Francesca in seasons one and two, has left Bridgerton for a leading role in Lockwood & Co. of Netflix . “I have to give credit to Hannah Dodd, who took over the role of Francesca this year,” he told Vanity Fair the showrunner Jess Brownell. “There was a risk that the character of Francesca could be unknowable or inaccessible, but Hannah brings such nuance and subtlety to her that it allows us to get inside her head in a really powerful way.”
As he told VF co-star Claudia Jessie: «Can you imagine entering this series after two seasons? I’m terrified when I arrive, and I’ve been there since day one. Hannah, the moment she introduced herself, it was as if she had been with us for years. She is gorgeous through and through… Hannah did a fantastic job. I finished [questa stagione] very, very, very proud of her.”
What is Francesca’s story in the third season of Bridgerton?
Despite her reticence on the marriage market, Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) names Francesca the «diamond» of this season, indeed Why she performs for herself and not for society. The queen then believes she has found her in Lord Samadani (David Mumeni) the ideal suitor for Francesca. “I love my family very much, but it can feel quite lonely being with them when we’re all together,” Francesca tells him in the third episode of the season. Samadani, himself one of eight brothers, does not agree with his point of view and makes known his intentions to have an equally large family. Disheartened by her response, Francesca retreats to the sidelines of the evening’s ball, where she meets John, Earl of Kilmartin, with whom she bonds over their shared need for solitude.
But when Francesca meets John, sparks fly in complete silence. “How will they get to know each other if they don’t talk?” asks Violet Bridgerton, wary of their courtship, also because it contrasts with the union that the queen chose for Francesca.
