Content warning: this article contains spoilers for “Bridgerton” season four.
Dearest gentle reader, “Bridgerton” returns to Netflix on Thursday, Feb. 26, with the highly anticipated second half of its fourth season.
Season four follows the second son, Benedict Bridgerton, in his search to find his mysterious “lady in silver,” whom he met at his mother’s masquerade ball at the start of the season. Upon meeting his masked lover, Benedict changed his mind about not marrying and set out on the “ton” to try to find the woman who captured his heart.
During episode one of the season, Benedict’s lady in silver is revealed to be Sophie Beak, the illegitimate daughter of Lord Penwood, who served as a maid in his house under her stepmother after her father’s death. Based on “Cinderella,” Sophie sneaks into the Bridgerton masquerade ball with the help of the other housemaids, who steal an old dress from one of Sophie’s stepsisters. At the end of the ball, Sophie leaves Benedict with nothing but a kiss on the cheek and one of her gloves to remember her by.
After Sophie’s secret gets discovered by her stepmother, Araminta Li, Sophie gets released from her duties in the household and sent to wander the streets of London, with Li promising that she will ruin Sophie’s reputation so that she may never find work again.
While walking the streets, Sophie manages to find work at the Cavender country home, a remote location in the countryside where the rumors about her have not yet been spread. At a party she is working at, Sophie is reunited with Benedict, who saves her from an unwanted male gaze, fighting on her behalf for her respect as a woman. After being wounded in the fight, Benedict and Sophie flee to his cottage, where Benedict heals from his injuries while beginning to struggle with the fact that he is falling for Sophie, going directly against what society allows by developing feelings for a maid.
After losing her second job at the Cavender residence, Benedict promises Sophie that he will find her work in London after leaving. In doing so, Sophie hopes to move away from Benedict in an attempt to hide her own developing feelings for him. However, upon returning to London, Sophie discovers Benedict had gotten her a job serving as a maid in his own home under the rule of his mother, Violet Bridgerton.
The first half of the season concludes in London, with Benedict and Sophie navigating their feelings for one another while living under the same roof, leading Benedict to ask Sophie to be his mistress. If this did not complicate her feelings enough, the season ends with the viewer discovering that Sophie’s stepmother and stepsisters have moved in right next door to Bridgerton house.
To find out what happens next, “Bridgerton” season four, part two airs on Netflix Feb.26.
