Bridgerton Mini Review – Holy Steamy Hotness, Your Grace

I AM ALIVVVEEE!!!  In the age of Covid, that is a battle cry I am happy to shout from the rooftops.  Health is wealth.  If you are thankful for your continued good health, please help out our frontline warriors.  Wear a mask.

So what else am I thankful for during the Age Of Covid?  Netflix.  All the Netflix.

I’ll be sharing some of my quarantine finds that I am loving from the comfort of my couch.  Today, we shall be talking about Bridgerton and how it is the reason why my TV and I melted into a hot mess.  

If you have small kids, this is something little eyes and little ears should not be seeing or hearing.  You’ve been warned.  I mean, I’m a Registered Nurse and I’m a mom so I know about the birds and the bees but…I had to remind myself that one cannot get pregnant from only watching a show on Netflix.  That’s all I’m saying.

In case you’re thinking this is kind of like “Pride and Prejudice” but like….the grown up version, then yes.  Yes, you would be right.  Because this is nothing short of steamy, hot, and all things sexy served with a wickedly tasty storyline and some seriously sizzling eye candy.

I binged the entire first season of eight delectable episodes in one shot.  I have faith in you.  You can do it, too.  Here are some of my takeaways:

1.  I.  NEED.  MOAR.
Can’t wait for Season 2?  THESE ARE BASED OFF OF EIGHT ROMANCE BOOKS BY JULIA QUINN.  Guess what I’m going to be adding to my Kindle reading list?  Ten points for you if you said the other seven books.  One hundred points to you if you said all eight. That’s right.  I shall be tearing my way through the books while I wait for Season Two.

2.  Shonda Rhimes SHINES
Don’t get me wrong.  The Duke of Hotness, I mean, the Duke of Hastings serves up some mean beefcake and I am for it.  But that’s not what kept me so interested and determined to stay up way past my bedtime so that I could finish the entire series.  It’s Ms. Rhimes’s talent for creating great TV.

The episodes end in such a way that keep you hooked.  It’s like the ending of every chapter in all the Nancy Drew books I used to read growing up.  You reach the chapter’s end but you can’t put it down because CLIFFHANGER!  I have to know what happens next.

What’s also genius is how all the support characters are woven in so tightly.  You don’t get the feeling that they’re filler and fluff.  Yes, the focus is primarily on Daphne and Simon but Shonda puts a lot of care into telling the stories of the Featherington family (because of course this is a perfectly acceptable name for a family as extra as theirs), other members of the Bridgertons, their friendships and their love lives.

While we never lose sight of the fact that Daphne is on the hunt to land herself a man, we become equally invested in everyone else.  I especially like that we get to see how most of the loose ends are tied up nicely BUT that there are also some insane cliff hangers for Season Two. 

Please, for the love of Simon, let there be a Season Two.

3.  Lady Whistledown
This is the character we’re first introduced to and DOES SHE EVER SPILL THE TEA ON ALL THE THINGS.  She’s also the reason why this series is so spectacular.  Not only are you trying to figure out if the rakish of rakes, the Duke, will rip the bodice off of Daphne (because that’s what rakes do and it’s almost the law that all romance novels set in this time periods requires many rippings of the bodices by dastardly delicious dukes) but you’re also trying to figure out who TF this Lady Whistledown person is.

I won’t give it away but…..GATTDAMN.  You will find out who Lady Whisteldown is by the end of the series.  When their identity was revealed, not gonna lie, my heart kind of broke.  That’s all I have to say about that.

Final Thoughts

• Okay, but does no one else think that Anthony, the Viscount, is just a tad bit….creepy whenever he looks at Siena?  We’ve all heard the phrase about undressing someone with your eyes but I felt like he was trying to see if he could set her corset on fire by the intensity of his eyeballs alone.  Unhealthy obsession is a good look for no one. 
• JULIE FREAKING ANDREWS IS THE VOICE OF LADY WHISTLEDOWN.  I mean…really, this show can’t get any more perfect. The only thing that would be more perfect if Mr. Darcy himself somehow makes a cameo in Season Two.  Please, there must be a Season Two.
• Yes, all the Bridgerton kids are named in alphabetical order.
• Listen carefully to the music.  It’s pretty cool to hear Maroon 5 and Ariana Grande remixed and rearranged in the classical style.

Synopsis:
From Shondaland and Creator Chris Van Dusen, Bridgerton follows Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor), the eldest daughter of the powerful Bridgerton family as she makes her debut onto Regency London’s competitive marriage market. Hoping to follow in her parent’s footsteps and find a match sparked by true love, Daphne’s prospects initially seem to be unrivaled. But as her older brother begins to rule out her potential suitors, the high society scandal sheet written by the mysterious Lady Whistledown casts aspersions on Daphne. Enter the highly desirable and rebellious Duke of Hastings (Regé-Jean Page), committed bachelor and the catch of the season for the debutantes’ mamas. Despite proclaiming that they want nothing the other has to offer, their attraction is undeniable and sparks fly as they find themselves engaged in an increasing battle of wits while navigating society’s expectations for their future.

Bridgerton is a romantic, scandalous, and quick-witted series that celebrates the timelessness of enduring friendships, families finding their way, and the search for a love that conquers all. The series also stars Golda Rosheuvel, Jonathan Bailey, Luke Newton, Claudia Jessie, Nicola Coughlan, Ruby Barker, Sabrina Bartlett, Ruth Gemmell, Adjoa Andoh, Polly Walker, Ben Miller, Bessie Carter and Harriet Cains and Julie Andrews as the voice of Lady Whistledown. The series is inspired by Julia Quinn’s best-selling novels.