The second part of the third season of Bridgerton arrived on Netflix last June 13th, making available to the public the last four episodes of the season dedicated to the love story between Colin Bridgerton and Penelope, the mysterious Lady Whistledown. However, the third season did not focus only on the romantic relationship between the two protagonists, but made the camera focus on many other characters, including Francesca Bridgerton (Hannah Dodd). And it was precisely about her that a controversy was sparked by fans who did not appreciate a change in the ending of the series created by Shonda Rhimes.
As is known, the successful Netflix series is based on the literary saga of the same name written by Julia Quinn. And if it is true that the television show has a very high number of viewers who have never read the books, it is equally correct that the catchment area is characterized above all by those who, sooner or later, have recovered the original novels. This, of course, means there is a hard core of fans who react badly to any change from the source material. But the change that was chosen for the ending of Bridgerton 3 it was so senseless and so evidently bent on the idea of satisfying a certain ideal of politically correct to have made more or less anyone angry.
In the season three finale – proceed reading the article only if you have finished watching the series so as not to run the risk of one spoilers – Francesca manages to have her happy ending with John Stirling, also agreeing to move to Scotland to keep her resolve to distance herself from her noisy family. In the last bars of the dance in the season three finale, Francesca meets Michaela Stirling (Masali Baduza), John’s cousin, who will travel with them to Scotland. The moment their eyes meet, a flash passes between Francesca and Michaela that can only be defined as interest and attraction, which suggests that, in the future, there will be a love story between the two women.
As those who have read the books know well, the love story between Francesca and John is very short, due to John’s death which occurs about two years after the wedding. Francesca, however, finds her happiness again with John’s cousin, Michael StirlingThe latter is one of the most beloved characters of the literary saga and the fact that he was replaced so lightly certainly did not go down well with the many fans of the books who never missed an opportunity to show their discontent.
Even more serious is the fact that this change could deprive Francesca of the possibility of dealing with a very delicate topic such as the desire for motherhood and the female sterility. In the books, in fact, Francesca must first face the loss of the child she is carrying, with the mourning and emotional consequences that derive from it, and then she must face a life in which she finds the desire to become a mother without actually succeeding. On X – the former Twitter – many users showed their discontent, writing things like: “I don’t know what drugs the Bridgerton writers took when they decided that the sensitive and engaging story of Michael and Francesca’s infertility should be scrapped for gay inclusiveness.”
At this point it is not clear whether the fourth season of Bridgerton will lead – as happens in the books – to John’s death or if, “simply”, Francesca will be inserted into a love triangle with her husband and his cousin.
What is certain is that the desire to be politically correct at all costs has taken away from a successful series with great resonance like Bridgerton the possibility of talking about a delicate and important topic, which is often still considered a taboo, something to be ashamed of.
