#Bridgerton Fandom Drama

[dollypopup]

I think it's interesting to look at the 'Mr. Bridgerton' scene as a backdrop for the eventual mirror scene. Firstly, in the fact that I think we've kind of misinterpreted it.

So many people are of the mind that scene's purpose to 'drag' Colin, but really, that scene has 3 primary functions. The first is to inform Colin that Penelope is aware of what he said of her, thus opening the door to clearing the air between them and providing an avenue for which Colin can apologize. The second is to establish the ground that they are currently on: Penelope has given up on the dream of Colin Bridgerton, in particular the perfect prince that can do no wrong, and has made it clear to him. It also creates distance between them that they will bridge.

But the third, and to me the most wrapped up in the mirror and the inner workings of their relationship is that it reveals how Penelope feels about *herself*. It's not necessarily an echo of what the ton considers her as, after all, we have a lot of evidence indicating that, for all intents and purpose, people aren't *unkind* about her, but rather that they ignore her. Audience members recognize this as Penelope's own shyness being the cause, she is often sitting off on the sidelines or not really talking to much of anyone, in the books she's referred to as the 'one who doesn't speak', and her LW business takes her away from being a character in the action of the ton to a bystander, kind of a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts that perpetuates itself. Pen felt unseen so she became LW to have some power, but then LW herself must remain unseen and Penelope continues to be by design of her own making.

No, I think what it really reveals is that Penelope has incredibly low personal self esteem. We as a fandom has lauded that scene as her dragging Colin, saying that he's cruel and calling him Mr. Bridgerton is absolutely meant to create distance between them, but I don't think she's dragging him.

Because the person she is *actually* dragging here. . .is herself. And it is a general theme in her life. In Whistledown. Aloud. Even with Marina, when she complimented her, she assumes that she's lying. When Edwina says she's wearing a pretty dress, Penelope puts herself down and doesn't believe her, even when the compliment is genuine. In truth, Portia is not seen as being particularly unkind to Penelope. At least, speaking as someone who's mum was *awful* about my size and weight and outfits, Portia is. . .overall rather mild. She's not KIND and loving, not by a long shot, but she's also not targeting Penelope only. She's plenty mean and critical to Prudence, too, even to the point where she foists her off to her own cousin as a pawn piece. Penelope has low self esteem because of a lot of reasons, she's bullied by Cressida (I think a lot of girls are, she was pretty mean even to Daphne in S1) and her family isn't very tender to her, and she's not being pursued at every turn, but part of it is also her own perpetuation.

Listen to what she says "Of course you would never court me" "I embarrass you" "I am the laughingstock of the the ton". She sees *herself* as an embarrassment. She puts *herself* down. Arguably, more so than the ton does. She's meaner to herself than anyone else is, aside from Cressida. And honestly? Looking at Colin's face there. . .he is HURT that she considers herself this way. That she's projecting that onto him. Yes, he's hurt that he hurt her, of course he is, he never wants to hurt her. And yes, he's ashamed that he said he wouldn't court her the way he did and that in doing so, he validated her fears that she is unloved and unwanted, but also because. . .she already feels that way about herself. She's felt that way for years. And it's painful to care about someone, to see them as wonderful, and realize. . .they don't feel the same about themselves at all. I don't think Colin is out here feeling so wounded over the fact that she called him cruel and won't refer to him by first name anymore, but that he's most hurt by what she says about herself.

Because he *doesn't* see her the way she accuses. She says she never expected him of all people to be so cruel, but he feels the same way. He never expected her to be so cruel to *herself*. He wants to go somewhere private, not because she is an embarrassment, but because he wants to have a private conversation with her. Maybe assure her. Maybe explain himself. Maybe hash it out. But god Luke Newton's acting. . .he is *aching* for her. And it feels like he's going to do those lessons not in atonement for what he said (thank god) but to genuinely help his friend who thinks badly of herself. To lift her up. It's not about him at all, not about earning forgiveness, but about elevating Penelope. And that's. . .fuck, I just find that's just so heart stoppingly beautiful.

You can see, in that scene, how much he cares about her. How deeply and genuinely he adores her as a person. And just how painful it is for him to know he has validated, whether on purpose or otherwise, how poorly she feels about herself. How low her self-confidence really is. She is giving him a glimpse into the cracks of her heart, and when he sees them, he wants to reach out with both hands and make it feel better. Make her feel better.

After she says 'even when I change my entire wardrobe', he looks so fucking crushed. So 'don't say that'. So 'you really believe that?'. So 'God, I hate that you think that way'.

Because regardless of it all, he does love her. It's not romantic yet. It's not sexual yet. But he genuinely, truly, from the bottom of his heart, thinks she's wonderful. That was evident even in the 'purpose' scene. Every time Penelope opens up and reveals a facet of herself, he likes it. He likes her barbs and her dreams, he likes talking to her. He likes her. And he feels awful that he hurt her. And he feels awful that she's hurting herself. He loves her. He wants her to love herself.

And that's where the mirror scene comes in. Because the mirror scene isn't about sex, not really. Not entirely, at least. The mirror scene is about *intimacy*. The mirror scene is about being seen. Not just her seeing him, or him seeing her, but for Penelope to see *herself*. In a way, through his eyes. Because hers are biased rather negatively toward herself, which is evidenced in the 'Goodnight Mr. Bridgerton' scene, and in so many little moments we've already gotten where she's literally looking down on herself, feeling down. She doesn't necessarily *like* what's in the mirror, but he does. Because he likes *her*. And he wants to show her that he does. Show her that he finds her beautiful and have her recognize that in herself.

The 'Goodnight Mr. Bridgerton' scene is about Penelope revealing how she sees herself. The mirror scene is about Colin showing her how *he* sees her. The Goodnight scene is about Penelope thinking she means nothing to him, that he thinks of her the way she thinks of herself, that this is how everyone thinks of her, and the mirror scene is a direct response to that: No, he doesn't. No, he doesn't think she's embarrassing. No, he doesn't think she's a laughingstock. No, he doesn't think she's unappealing. And he doesn't think she should, either.

And he's going to show her that. Not just tell her, but show her. The mirror scene is so often a focus on Penelope, so much of Polin is in Penelope's focus, but approaching it from Colin's perspective and his motivations is so fulfilling, too. It's a glimpse into them in conversation, and a demonstrate of how Colin loves her. How Colin loves in general, openly and earnestly and altruistically. How he encourages her to be braver and more confident in herself, bolstering her because he just likes her *that much*. How he finds the most fulfillment and satisfaction in caring aloud. The mirror scene is a demonstration of his heart in reflection.

When Luke Newton said the first word that came to mind with the word 'Mirror' was 'Exposed', he doesn't just mean physically. He means emotionally, too.

God this couple is so fucking good.

[allhailthemightyquattro]

Bridgerton BTS: 1x01

[doomed2repeat]

Luke getting a shoutout 🥹

[thefabulousfab-3]

You can say what you want about bridgerton season three (and I sure have), but saying it didn’t do well is just a flat out lie. It was extremely successful and will continue to be a very successful show as it goes on.

[ispridestillasin]

So I decided to watch a bit of Bridgerton with my mother, which I'm not really interested in (I don't really like period pieces unless it's a fanfic for a ship I like) but it's a show she enjoys so I sometimes catch her watching it and join her, and literally the only takeaway from the stuff I've seen with her is that Colin, Lord Debling, and Penelope should have all been poly

[golbrocklovely]

this is about luke newton and the fans/bridgerton fandom

i'm very new to all of this so i'll be honest up front, i don't know everything. so maybe that alone is why i shouldn't say anything, but i feel like i gotta add my two cents since everyone else already is too lol

i keep seeing over and over again that for some fans, luke "ruined" part 2's airing bc he was seen out with his gf. how some have worded it, bc he was seen out the night of it's airing, he had the attention, the six months of pr and promotion that he and nic spent go down the drain all over a couple pics of him and his gf somewhat holding hands.

and to that i say…. are yall fucking nuts??

respectfully, the average viewer, which is the majority of ppl that watch bridgerton, don't give two flying fucks about the actors or more specifically who they are dating. so if you personally feel like the season or part 2 was ruined bc he was seen out with someone - that most have you have known about since like new years, if not before - i need you to come back to reality. luke is not colin. he did not betray pen or nic by having a love life that doesn't consist of either of them. if you genuinely feel like him being spotted a couple hours after the premiere of part 2 with his gf somehow destroyed all of the work he and nic did (along with the cast and crew), i need you to explain how any of that is possible. the show still exists. part 2 still aired swimmingly, and is getting record breaking numbers.

i think some of you got so lost in the sauce of nic and luke and them possibly being a couple that when part 2 came out and they didn't announce that they were together and in fact the complete opposite happened - yall didn't know what to do with yourselves. so instead of just taking a step back and realizing that maybe you read this situation wrong, you are now blaming him bc you decided to pay more attention to his love life rather than the show you guys spent two fucking years waiting for.

and look, i love nic and luke. and i would love for them to date. but reality is that's not what THEY want, as of right now. if that changes, awesome. if it doesn't, also awesome. if you can't handle two real life ppl making decisions for themselves that have absolutely no impact on you, go outside and TOUCH GRASS.

luke is not an asshole for dating someone. luke is not an asshole for having the friends he has. he's not an asshole for not promoting bridgerton as often as nic. he's not an asshole for wanting his life to be private. and on top of this, yall know literally nothing about his gf. everything that is known are conclusions or assumptions you are jumping to bc god forbid he might be happy with someone that isn't nic.

imma need yall to parasocial your ass to a therapist rather than luke. consider doing that. bc to all the outsiders (like me), you sound fucking CRAZY lol

[beastsovrevelation]

Characters I'm madly attracted to: Daphne Bridgerton (Bridgerton)

[coffeeshopcornero0]

[pensbridge]

I get so tired of the random comparisons of book to screen adaptation. Movies are not meant to be tv; tv is not meant to be books; books are not meant to be movies. Changes are relevant and also vital for there to be some sort of new and exciting interpretation over the original material. Not only are adaptations impossible to match to the 350 page books of material (and book details that would just be filler and not read the same way on screen), but it would be such a lazy attempt and lack of creative vision for a writer to transfer a story exactly as is. Adaptations are not portrayals of what once was the same story. A good script will be able to stand on it's own in some way. Books are not scripts; let's keep them that way.

[bohemian-nights]

yeah the suggestion that sophie should be erased is deeply annoying to. like i need male centered white women who are fujos to step away from bridgerton and benophie. Sophie being a woman, a bastard woman, and navigating her gendered oppression because of her lower class is integral to benophie. if people want lgbtq representation they can go watch another show, or better yet, create original characters and go write fanfic if they want.

There is a place for LGBT+ rep in Bridgerton, there is even a place to turn a couple of the characters bi, but specifically gender swapping any of the main love interests/protagonists just would not work, and people need to be honest about that. However, they won’t be because they are just using the excuse of the show not being “diverse enough” to not support a Black woman playing Sophie Beckett.

The reality is that Bridgerton has tried to be more diverse than most shows, but they do not have to check every single box or else the show is not “progressive” enough. That’s not how it works.

It’s not “unprogressive” to keep the most oppressed woman due to her gender and class in the eight book series a woman. Again taking rep away from women(and marginalized women at that) to give to a (white) man that way you can see two (white) dudes fucking on screen does not make you “progressive.” Trying most surely does not make you a good ally(seriously where are you people when we are actually getting bad rep?).

Just because you see Black people in a period piece that’s highly popular, in a place where you feel we don’t “belong,” that doesn’t mean that we have to give up our space to fit you inside it.

(Mind you this is a place that we created because if Shonda hadn’t adapted these books added the diversity this series would’ve never done the numbers it has. Bridgerton is a sensation because of racial diversity that isn’t steeped in racism and race. It’s neither here nor there, but we constantly create our own, everyone wants to eat off our plates, and then leave us with scraps after they’ve had their fill).

This whole discourse is just incredibly bizarre, but the thing I find the most disturbing about it is the fact that even if you want to say Sophie should be a man, Benedict doesn’t like men.

I mean this literally should be a non-issue since he has shown 0 interest in men for two seasons and he’s had plenty of opportunities to fuck them if he wanted too.

Now if the show turns around and makes him bi this season(doubtful, but I’ll humor the weirdos) he still clearly likes women too so why Sophie should get the boot is beyond me, but not surprising considering the state of fandoms.

Silently off topic, but kinda related since it comes from the same place of using the lack of prominent LGBT+ rep to justify keeping a Black woman from being Sophie.

Which brings me people who think that Masali Baduza(suspected Sophie) can’t possibly be Sophie and instead insist that she’s either related to the Stirlings(the family Francesca marrys into) or that shes a gender bent Michael.

For issue #1 people claim that Masali and Victor Ali(the man who they suspect is John Stirling) “look alike” therefore she must be playing his sister. Victor Ali and Masali don’t look alike outside of both being dark skinned Black people(the people saying they do look hella suspect🙃).

And while Masali isn’t a household name she did have her own show(Noughts + Crosses) so she’s too big to just be playing someone’s sisters on Bridgerton. Not to mention the secrecy for a side character seems extremely unwarranted.

Now for issue #2, people are using a casting call(cause at least they know that it makes no sense for Masali to be a side character) that allegedly went out two years back to say she’s gender-bent Michael.

If you believe in the casting call(a similar one went out for Kate calling for a Indian actress when she was being cast so it is on brand) it says that the actress cast will be the lead for season four. Francesca’s story most surely isn’t going to be next up(skipping over both Eloise and Benedict? Be real) and it’s also another gendered issue to where if you make Michael into a woman you are changing up the story so much you might as well created an OC.

There is plenty of evidence that suggest Benedict’s season is next, Sophie has been cast, she’ll be in s3, and even if you don’t want to believe the casting call right now, that Masali is playing her, but instead of seeing what’s right in front of them people want to say that it just can’t be.

Overall I feel like people are doing a whole lot of talking and “advocating” for nothing cause they are butthurt that Sophie doesn’t look how they want her to look.

It’s still hurtful though to see that people would rather want Sophie to be a man and take away everything she stands for than see her being played by a Black woman, but again fandoms are unfortunately weird like that.

Let me end this by saying that while my rants my sound like I have gone crazy or am trying to start some bs, I have been suffering in silence since Bridgerton came out nearly three and a half years ago so this is me breaking my silence.

Again this isn’t really about erasing Sophie. It’s about keeping Sophie from being played by a Black woman which is fucking nuts considering that a Black woman is producing this crap.

First it was how Sophie couldn’t be non-white because it would be problematic. Then after Simone was cast as Kate it was how the show had no East Asian representation or Latina rep and had “too many Black people”(where are the Black people besides Lady Danbury and Will 🙃)so Sophie could be non-white, but she should not be Black.

Now that it truly seems like a Black girl it’s how Sophie should be a man cause the show has no LGBT+ rep.

And yeah everyone deserves rep, but the fact that people have continually said that their has been enough rep for Black people as a way to silence us and push their own representation at the expense of Black people is disgusting.

I can not reiterate this enough, the one thing this shitty ass fandom has been consistent in is saying that a Black woman shouldn’t play Sophie Beckett.

All I can say is that I hope Shonda has not listened to the people who keep yelling at her to give them representation at the expense of Black people while at the same time being fucking passive aggressive whiny little anti-Black bitches to her and all the Blackish actors on the show.

[ashsdumbbrain]

Welcome to my multifandom chaos !!

i'm Ash (18), she/her

i tend to be obsessed with a lot of things- this includes books, tv shows and movies

I am in many fandoms, not active in most but still love them

Movies/TV shows: Marvel • Bridgerton • Daredevil • Pjo • hp • httyd • inside out • the dark knight • DC • CW • Cobra Kai • The Umbrella Academy • The Bear • Breaking Bad • Peaky Blinders • We Are Lady Parts • omitb • Agatha All Along • Dead Boy Detectives

Audio Drama (podcasts): Wolf 359 • The Amelia Project • Wooden Overcoats • Alba Salix: Royal Physician

(Purple are things i am currently yapping about)

I'll update as i remember (i have the memory of a goldfish :')

Salty people in general dni

[sukibenders]

Being a woc fan of Bridgerton can be a struggle, especially when it comes to liking the poc characters on the show, especially the woc. Like I remember when s1 came out and the blatant microaggressions and just plain racism coming from this fandom was atrocious. You had people spewing very hateful things about Charlotte, Marina, and Simon and undermining the latter two's pain and trauma at the hands of the white characters---Marina was treated terribly by the Featheringtons and, whether you like Penelope or not, you cannot deny that she also played a part by releasing that letter to the Ton and Simon was violated Daphne no matter how people try to spin the story to offer her some form of sympathy (it still blows my mind that people would want to though).

S2 is just as bad (not even including how they changed the Sharma family's storyline than how it was in the books when that wasn't necessary) and the racist undertones many of the fans have towards Mary and Edwina (as well as Kate but for her it's carries more brown woman needing to be saved by a white man when Anthony is involved because a lot of you all in the fandom are quick to use this trope such as "oh, he's the only one who truly knows her"). The lack of screen time for this family really ends up hurting them to but even with that, whether you like Mary and Edwina or not, it would be a lie to deny the racism a lot in the fandom hold towards them (and how that falls onto the actresses because it was very apparent how many in the fandom couldn't let two Desi women shine without having to bring down the other and Netflix played into that too for drama) and paints every small thing they do as being terrible crimes but in the same breath will not have the same smoke for the Bridgertons, who have their own set of problems (but because they are also the main family, among other things, they are provided more grace without consequences).

[starsifter]

So I was struck with inspiration recently for a regency era historical romance raritwi thing lol, and I made "dolls" of the two (idk what else to call them, they're bases that imma dress up lol) to dress up in regency era outfits. Yeah. The wings are on a seperate layer so I can put them on the outside of the dresses and all that. I'm so excited honestly. I'm still working on my other stuff (art requests and my infection au) but I just had to yk, I just had to. (Also if you want you can send me asks about this au because I really wanna draw more of it)

[apinchofm]

Women of colour in the Bridgerton fandom + the actresses receive so much hate and it's so tiring. the antibrown and blackness in this fandom is insane - noticed some come from fans who baby the white characters and like to turn the characters of colour into character villains or hypersexualise or fetishize.

[tchaikovskym]

Listen, Bridgerton is not a good show. But man, it is nice to watch some period romance where everyone is wearing pretty outfits, you have to admit that.

[could-they-be-a-pro-wrestler]

How successful would Simon Basset…

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