In the third season of Bridgerton, Benedict explores his sexuality with Tilley Arnold and her friend, Paul: the showrunner explains the background of this ménage à trois and teases something about the future of the character played by Luke Thompson. Watch out for SPOILERS.
Not just Penelope and Colin. The third season of Bridgerton has actually explored the stories of other Bridgerton brothers, adding new pieces to the general mosaic that the series has been building since the first season. One of the most loved characters is certainly Benedict (played by Luke Thompson) and, fortunately, there have been no shortage of scenes dedicated to him in the last few episodes. In particular, the authors have finally revealed queer identity of the character making it obvious after many fan assumptions. Clearly, continue reading only if you have already seen the entire third season Of Bridgerton. In this season, in fact, the golden bachelor of the Bridgerton family continues to expertly dodge the women with whom his mother tries to couple him and instead establishes a very particular relationship with the widow Tilley Arnold (Hannah New). Relationship which then turns into a real one ménage à trois which also involves her “friend” Paul (Lucas Aurelio). What does this twist mean for Benedict’s character and what repercussions will it have on next season? The showrunner of the series talked about it Jess Brownell who, however, did not yet want to reveal whether the next cycle of episodes, as suspected, will actually be dedicated to Benedict’s love story.
Bridgerton and Benedict’s sexual orientation: the showrunner speaks
In the first season the handsome son Benedict had shown a particular feeling with an artist, Sir Henry Granville, and this story had made people think that the character was gay or at least bisexual. If in the second season the authors had him entertain with a woman, in the third they decided to revisit the story that had intrigued the fans. Therefore we saw Benedict establish a sexual and romantic relationship with Tilley and Paul, only to withdraw when Tilley realized that she had deep feelings for her and that she wanted him only for herself.
In short, the second-born of the family did not seem ready to commit to a monogamous relationship, much less to a marriage. The story with Tilley and Paul, however, allowed him to learn more about himself, according to the showrunner. “At least this ‘too much’ confirmed something about himself,” Jess Brownell told Entertainment Weeklyand then continues:
“Benedict has always been a character who hasn’t felt quite fit into society, but he hasn’t been able to figure out how to break the rules in a way that works for him. His bond with Tilley Arnold this season has allowed him to understand how to be a part of society while still being true to himself. The acceptance of his queer identity with the two of them is a moment where he was really trying to figure out how to be true to himself. And we’ll continue to do that moving forward.”
Will the next season be dedicated to Benedict?
A clue in the third season finale made fans speculate that the next season could focus on the third novel in the romantic saga of Julia Quinn, A gentleman’s proposal (in original An Offer From a Gentleman). In the book Benedict falls in love with Sophie, a kind of unfortunate Cinderella he meets by chance at a ball. But will the plot of the book be reflected in the series? Jess Brownell remained silent for the moment and simply said: “You just need to know that you will see a masquerade ball next season. That’s the best I can say.” To understand how the authors will try to reconcile Benedict’s now obvious queer nuances with the character’s history in the book, we just have to wait.
