A Bridgerton Story.
Bridgerton Season 1 Review. Season 2 Review.
Queen Charlotte follows the titular character (India Amarteifio/Golda Rosheuvel) as we explore the early days of her reign, her marriage to King George (Corey Mylchreest/James Fleet) and the many struggles she faced as England's first multi-raced Monarch. Arriving in England in 1761 after her Brother Adolphus (Tunji Kasim, Nancy Drew) signed her over to the crown, Charlotte initially attempts to escape the marriage (quite literally) but soon finds a spark with her husband to be after the pair meet mere minutes before the ceremony. After this however George becomes cold and distant and Charlotte is left to ponder her very strange new life in the palace with her only company being secretary Brimsley (Sam Clemmett/Hugh Sachs).
Flashing forward to 1817 we then see the current day Charlotte desperate for her many children to produce a royal heir after the tragic passing of her daughter-in-law. Both timelines then explore Charlotte's life as Queen and the problems she faced, dealing with George's own faltering health issues, a persistent Mother-in-law (Michelle Fairely) and a whole lot of new responsibilities. We know from Bridgeton that the Queen is a force to be reckoned with but how exactly did she come to be? What choices and decisions shaped Charlotte into the Royal powerhouse we see before us?
Queen Charlotte has always been a fan favourite character in the Bridgerton series and I think this combined with the fact she's one of the only real life historical figures meant she was perfect for her own character-centric spinoff. I really enjoyed following her younger years as she married George and became Queen, showcasing the many struggles that came with the titular crown. We only really see small aspects of Charlotte and George's married life in the Bridgerton years but even then it's clear that George's mental health takes a strain of them both and it was interesting to see the origins of this and how the pair stuck together throughout countless obstacles. Charlotte faced so many issues as both Queen and George's wife and her story is definitely one riddled with tragedy, shifting tones slight from the usually upbeat and heavily romantic Bridgeton. This spinoff made for a great insight into the Queen's life and I really enjoyed every minute, it's definitely going to make viewers see Charlotte differently in the main series.
I really loved Arsema Thomas as the younger Lady Danbury and her character was just as iconic here as she was in the main show. Her and Charlotte were initially only brought together because of the colours of their skin but through this a genuine friendship was built and I really like how the two would come to confide in each other. Agatha became an almost trailblazer for the ton's minority members and it's obviously through her influence that Bridgeton is like it is today. I also really loved the romance between Agatha and Lord Ledger (Kier Charles) and how she was able to discover herself sexually through said encounters. Like Charlotte herself Lady Danbury has always been a pretty iconic characters and I loved seeing her own backstory here and everything she faced to become the powerful woman we know in the future.
I really liked how we got the present day scenes intertwined with Charlotte's past, checking in with her in the Bridgerton timeline so to speak but also focussing on the other adult characters and how their own pasts had effected the present. It was nice to get a little bit more focus on Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh) and Violet Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell/Connie Jenkins-Greig), two characters who have always been great in the main series but never had their own solo storylines until now. Bridgerton has always focussed on the lives and romances of the children but it was nice to check in with the adults as well and I really love the continued friendship between Agatha and Violet. Agatha's own past with Violet's Father also came back to the surface and I'm actually interested to see where this goes in season three because we did leave things on a somewhat ambiguous note.
The pairing of Brimsley and Reynolds (Freddie Dennis) was a brilliant addition to the spinoff and again it really makes you look at present day Brimsley a lot differently. I think the question on everybody's minds at the minute is 'what happened to Reynolds?' and I do hope we get some form of answer soon, whether it be in season three or otherwise. Despite Bridgerton's more laid back attitudes to sexuality in the period era, Brimsley and Reynolds are the show's first LGBTQ couple and I really liked how they were handled. The pair were very aware that their relationship was illegal but aside from this they were treated like a normal couple and I really loved their scenes together and the chemistry between them. I would have liked to see more from them, especially how they first met, but the bits we got were completely heart wrenching and just as great as any other Bridgerton romance.
Bridgerton has always been a very diverse kind of show, representing characters from several different races, cultures and nationalities even in the 19th century setting and even if the show has never prioritised historical accuracy is does at least still acknowledge some sort of racial awareness within the world it inhabits. In Queen Charlotte we get to see how this all began and how Charlotte herself became a figurehead for racial equality within the ton. Whilst I've always loved Bridgerton's very casual approach to minority characters in the period setting I do like how we got to see these issues explored here, showcasing how things once were and how Charlotte changed things for the current day characters so to speak. Through Charlotte herself and the younger Lady Danbury, we get to see society changing and becoming more accepting of its non-white members and how Charlotte really opened the door for a whole group of people. Like I said Bridgerton does focus more on fun and romance rather than any serious historical matters but I did like the exploration here because it shows that there is still some connection to the real world and a lot of the very real issues people face.
Overall I really enjoyed watching Queen Charlotte and loved the focus on the titular character here who has always been a fan favourite in the main show. It was interesting to see the beginning of Charlotte's reign as well as her relationship with George and them many issues the couple had to face. Unlike the rest of the Bridgerton cast, Charlotte and George are based on real life people so I think this spinoff had a slightly more serious tone which I did enjoy. It was also great seeing a younger Lady Danbury and Violet Bridgeton (as well as their present day scenes) and it felt really nice to focus on the side characters for once. With season three of Bridgeton also due for release any time now I'm interested to see how the universe continues to expand and what happens next for all of our characters.
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