In this article:
- A theory claims that Francesca Bridgerton could declare herself bisexual in the Netflix series.
- This would completely change the story arc she has in the books, the showrunner has hinted that this could add more nuances to the story.
- If confirmed within the story, it would be another way to continue promoting the visibility of queer narratives, as they have done for three seasons.
Warning: This article contains spoilers for Bridgerton Season 3 and the book When He Was Wicked.
During season three of Bridgerton, Francesca Bridgerton (Hannah Dodd) and John Stirling (Victor Alli) finally get married in a very intimate wedding and then move to Scotland with the aim of having a much quieter life. However, one detail that has caught the attention of fans is that during the final episode, Johnintroduces his cousin Michael Stirling (Masali Baduza) with his new wife and immediately there is an instant spark between them.
The problem is that in the books written by Julia Quinn on which the series is based, Francesca Bridgerton He does fall in love at some point in the story with his cousin. John, Michael Stirling, who is described as an extremely attractive man and the town’s heartthrob, so if Michaela is replacing this character in the series, everything seems to indicate that Francesca will be bisexual in the coming seasons.
But why is this change bothering the Bridgerton fandom and what do the showrunners say about this supposed change? We will tell you about it below.
Does Francesca Bridgerton’s bisexuality make much sense?
In the book of When He Was Wicked, the romantic story of Francesca Bridgerton and John Stirling when they begin life in Scotland as the Earl and Countess of Kilmartin. Unfortunately, two years after a happy marriage, John dies unexpectedly and Francesca she remains a widow.
In turn, all this time, the cousin of John, Michael, had been secretly in love with Francesca, but when his cousin dies, he flees to India to overcome his grief and try to forget him. However, four years later, he returns to Scotland where it is increasingly difficult for him to hide his feelings for Francesca Bridgertonbut he feels guilty for loving his cousin’s widow.
Finally, they both realize that they want to be more than just friends and Francesca Bridgerton a new opportunity is given in love. However, according to the end of the third season of Brigerton, All of these events could be very different taking into account that in the series they decided to change the gender of the character. Michael And now it’s Michaela.
Although since this revelation some fans of Bridgerton have expressed their disagreement through social networks, others have suggested that it is still too early to express an opinion when the future plans of the creators are not really known. However, according to an interview for Glamor magazine, the showrunner Jess Brownell, yes you want to tell “a story with many nuances” about LGBTQ+ identity and love in the series and Francesca Bridgerton It seems like the perfect opportunity to do it.
Brownell He explained that since he read When He Was Wicked, Francesca It seemed to her to be a queer character with whom she identified because they both felt that they did not belong to society. “Her book talks a lot about how different she feels, and I think Julia Quinn’s intention in the book is for Fran to feel different because she is an introvert,” he explained. “But for many of us in the queer community, that sense of feeling different is part of our stories.”
For that reason, he felt that the theme of his romantic story could be changed and he would have the opportunity to tell the secret romantic story of two women, since Bridgerton has not yet had an openly queer couple in its history, except in the queen spinoff where we learn about the romance between Reynolds and Brimsley, Besides that Benedict Bridgerton She also had sexual encounters with a man in the third season.
But, beyond that, the showrunner of Bridgerton, felt that the series did not have enough queer representation that LGBT+ fans also deserve. “For me it was important to tell a main queer story so I could give them a happy ending,” the showrunner explained. “Like we have done with all the other couples. In terms of John, I know people are really resonating with that relationship, as am I. “We love that relationship in the writers’ room.”
SimilarlyBrownell explained that the revelation of the queer future of Francesca Bridgerton She does not deny the love story she now has with John, since a person can have many important relationships in their life. “Every relationship is different and many different types of love are valid,” said. “The kind of love she feels for John is very real. It is based much more on camaraderie, friendship, respect and shared interests.”
Will changing Francesca Bridgerton’s story work on the show?
The bisexuality of Francesca Bridgerton and the gender change of Michael has given a lot to talk about among fans of the series, mainly those who are also followers of the books written by Julia Quinn and through them, they have been imagining what the characters and situations will look like on the screen. So when something doesn’t fit perfectly with the books, they tend not to accept it.
In the case of the adaptation of Bridgerton, the showrunners They had been quite faithful to the author’s books, even more so in the first season when they hardly changed any details of the characters or the romantic story. However, in the second season, the writers began to be much freer and modified certain details, such as the fact that in the book Edwina is not in love with Anthony Bridgerton and that the latter was forced to marry Kate after finding them in a situation “compromising.”
However, changing the entire romantic history of Francesca Bridgerton Yes, it could completely modify what was stated in the book, which means that fans will never see Michael on the screen nor everything that the character experiences. But, as explained by showrunnerit is true that this story could have an interpretation queer because they both felt their love “forbidden”.
On the other hand, fans who knew Bridgerton through the series of Netflix They may not have a problem with their bisexuality. Francesca Bridgerton and they end up falling in love with the story of romance between the two girls, since they didn’t even know that the character was not like that in the novels and they had never imagined him. Michael.
For now, we just have to wait and see how the writers plan to develop this romance, since if both have great chemistry on screen and the story is good, they can conquer all the viewers.
