Bridgeton is a Comedy Period Drama series created by Chris Van Dusen. It stars Phoebe Dynevor, Regé-Jean Page, Jonathan Bailey, Ruby Barker, Ruth Gemmel, Claudia Jesse, Golda Rosheuvel, Adjoa Andoh, Harriet Cains, Bessie Carter, and Nicola Coughlan in main roles. It has a total of 8 episodes and was released on 25th December 2020 on Netflix.
Set in 1813, London, every house is preparing their daughters for arranging their matches and to make them prepare for their debuts in those parties where they can be able to woo any prince with their beauty. Among the debutantes, Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) impressed Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) the most and the news starts to circulate by a newspaper written by the mysterious Lady Whistledown making Daphne stands at the top of debutantes. Simon Basset (Regé-Jean Page), the Duke of Hastings, has arrived in London to see his ill father but Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh) says him to attend the parties of this season. Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) pressurize her sister Daphne to marry unattractive Lord Berbrooke (Jamie Beamish) whereas Lady Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmel) and Lady Danbury are trying to set up Daphne and Simon and they agree to pretend that they are in love so that the other suitors might get her attention while everyone will stop telling Simon to look for a girl to marry. What will happen if their pretending turns into love? Well, then watch it.
Based on Bridgerton by Julia Quinn, the storyline here is pretty simple but what's going on underneath is the center of interest. The characters are the soul of this show and every single one of them has been well established. The episodes are of exactly one hour long and it's just because of these strong characters and their rigidity on which they stand makes you sit throughout the show. The drama will remind you of Downton Abbey and that's why you find it cliched for example the pretending of Daphne and Simon to be in a relationship but ultimately falling in love is not a new concept.
Not only that, the chemistry between the two is not that too strong here, no, but there exists a charm that binds you with this long show. Daphne used to thought at first that if she's unable to find a husband she will be worthless. From that point to being a responsible Duchess, her part has been spectacularly carved out and also of Marina (Ruby Barker), a pregnant woman whose love is fighting in Spain but is forced to take part in these balls for finding a suitable husband. Daphne understands Marine's situation, given she's now caught up in a hopeless marriage with Simon who's a past with his father. Everything is so convincingly showcased that it's very much easy to understand and connect and feel for these characters.
Then there's Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) who falls in love with one of Bridgerton's sons Colin (Luke Newton) but sadly he's in love with Marine. But she's close to Marine and so she doesn't want to come in between them. Then there's Eloise (Claudia Jessie) a spirited young woman who has plans to go out of this town to study abroad tearing the images of these stereotypical women. Like these, there are many characters, big and small, and all of them have a spark to light up the scenes whenever they're on screen.
Even if the story is set in 1813, the sensibilities and the feelings are kept in mind for 2020 audiences and that's why you just flow with the story. Yes, the pacing is slow and the scenes are longer than required, despite that it's very much easy to watch it in one go. It grows on you as the series moves forward and becomes addictive in no time. Even you will not relate to that 18th century time but the emotions of these characters appear quite genuine and you might even relate to some of them to some level.
Phoebe Dynevor as Daphne Bridgerton is excellent. She reminds me of Saoirse Ronan many times and her innocence and rawness in every scene is a delight to see. Regé-Jean Page as Simon is impressive and did a fine job but sadly the fire between the two leads seems to be missing here. Ruby Barker as Marina had her presence felt with her impactful performance and the same goes for Nicola Coughlan whose sweetness and kindness wins your heart. Jonathan Bailey as Anthony Bridgerton, Ruth Gemmel as Lady Violet, Claudia Jesse as Eloise, Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte, Adjoa Andoh as Lady Danbury, Luke Newton as Colin, and Luke Thompson as Benedict are also fine in their parts. Overall the performances are excellent here.
The cinematography by Jeffrey Jur and Phillipp Blaubach is eye-filling. The show looks extraordinarily stunning and every frame is strikingly beautiful and for that, the credit also goes to the production designer Will Hughes-Jones who did an excellent job in creating the era of the late 18th century and that too so magnificently. The costume design by John Glaser, John Norster, and Ellen Mirojnick is outstandingly beautiful. Costumes play a major role in this show and so is the music by Kris Bowers. The violin version of recent songs, Girls Like You and In My Blood, and more are there which might divert your mind from the actual drama. Overall the music is also impressive. The editing could have been sharper.
Bridgerton is a great show overall. It might feel cliched with its old school romance but trust me it has a lot to offer as many things are going on apart from what's upfront. The female actors are the strength of this show, and Phoebe Dynevor, Ruby Barker, Claudia Jesse, and Nicola Coughlan are in terrific form and their character turns out to be effective as well. It was fun and entertaining despite it has a thin storyline. If you're thinking of watching it, just dive into it and go with the flow.
Rating:- 4/5
Now streaming on Netflix.
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 - Review : A perfect old-school romance, costume-drama you dont wanna miss!!!){kind=link}
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