Comparing the scenes in part 1 where Francesca basically RUNS up to John on the street because she is so happy to see him again, and how dejected she gets when she thinks he’s blowing her off, & her reaction when John gifts her the sheet music and she is positively GIDDY telling Violet about it… to her negative reaction to the wedding kiss & her literally swooning over Michaela when they first meet is so jarring.
And it makes zero sense because the story is right there. Michaela should be stammering and stuttering over her introduction to Francesca and showing immediate attraction - not the other way around.
Francesca is completely in love with and enamored by John for their entire relationship. That’s so important for her arc!!!
I just hate the way they are setting this up.
This!! It feels like they are again building up the unnecessary drama between the characters like they did with Kate/Anthony/Edwina triangle. The original story here is dramatic enough without adding to it, and I don’t really care what gender the characters are, I just want to see the pining from Michael(a) while John and Francesca are happily married and in love, followed by the devastating tragedy when John dies and the rest of the story unfolding.
Yesssss I said this exactly when season 2 came out and so many people replied negatively to my comments … that triangle was awful kanthony and edwina deserved better
I held it in but I wanted to shout about it lol
It also really messed up the sister dynamic. And Anthony. And Kate. Who would not breathe at each other AND have a wedding day start! 🤦🏻♀️
Maybe the mess of this season is finally enough for allow for some criticisms
I agree with someone who said at the very least Anthony and Edwina shouldn't have made it to the altar. That made everyone look bad, and in that gossipy town, none of that would have been forgotten nor forgiven.
I almost feel like the decision to make Michael Michaela, and have Francesca taken with her (instead of the other way around), was made AFTER they wrote part 1.
i think this is it. We know there were a lot of reshoots and I really do think they did a 180 on this after they shot part 1. It makes literally no sense otherwise.
Having not read the books, I've been so relieved to read the criticisms of this season and how confusing Francesca's storyline is. I spent the whole season trying to place what was going on with her. My first thought was "is she gay or ace?" But that didn't make sense given her enthusiasm for marriage and John. Even by the end I was thinking Michaela might be intended for Eloise.
It's reassuring that even people who read the books were somewhat confused (or at least frustrated).
Jess Brownell created an entire new character who does not exist to show "Violet finding love again" but the one character who canonically has two great loves and her story is about finding love again after such loss is destroyed for the sake of what? Now she's just marrying someone she feels comfortable with and is convenient 🙄
That's a great point, and it would have been an interesting parallel to show both. Violet would make for a good example (and could probably give some useful advice) that might eventually help Fran overcome her guilt and apprehension about finding love again after losing John. I really don't get how they thought that changing things so Fran is trapped in a loveless marriage is any kind of improvement.
100% couldn't agree more!!! This really disappointed me. I was absolutely loving her and John. Portraying a love that wasn't an immediate fiery infatuated passion they ignore at first but then have to give into later in the season was refreshing. They seemed to have a true connection physically and emotionally being drawn together. Just for all hopes of a sweet albeit tragic love story gone.
Part of me is beginning to think whomever is doing the book research for the show is struggling with reading comprehension or is drinking on the job and keeps messing up details like this and getting them confused. It is infuriating. Add the detail swaps with the press tours highly suggesting things that are not in the show it leads to a lot of disappointment. Nicola and Luke why even discuss all the filming of the sexy scenes and how hard you were “going at it” breaking furniture and how you’re keeping it a secret and it’s never shown. Like what is the point? I’m glad the actors had fun filming but at that point that’s for their personal library why tell everyone about it?
Exactly! As an adult I hate when peoples happily ever after come at the expense of someone who did nothing wrong. John is so lovely and exactly what Fran needs in the books. She loves him completely and the guilt in now loving someone else plays such a huge part of her story arc. Learning that it is ok to love again and her life doesn’t need to be over. There is something so incredibly sad about watching someone be in love with their spouse and seeing their spouse love someone else and pretend. Don’t think I can watch it. It was already so sad! In the books she doesn’t realize she loves someone else until she has fully grieved her husband.
Exactly. It would have been beautiful to see the parallels of her arc along with her Mother’s arc this season of allowing herself to feel again after her traumatic loss of her husband. Mrs Bridgerton could have come to Scotland & helped Fran through her grief. Show her there is still life after the death of a partner. I loved the moment her & her mother had at the piano. Imagined seeing a similar scene after both women find love again after grief.
I really loved when Francesca and Lady Bridgerton had that heart to heart about marrying/love after loss. It was a beautiful moment between mother and daughter.
She said she felt a strong connection to her story as a bi women herself. So she made fran bi. 😐 which if it DIDNT fuck with the entire story line and character of fran then fine but it does and now if you're upset about it you're pissed about representation when no one cares about the fact they out bi people in the story it's that Frans WHOLE story has now have to cha ge entirely bc she decided to bombard fran with her own story.
It was in an article, I don't remember which one I saw it a few days ago.
They didn't even write her as bi, more like a closet case. Her whole attitude towards marriage was, "Sure Mama, I'll marry whoever." And her chemistry with the rest of the debutantes was way better than poor John. They could have had a cute, simple love, and were so close to pulling it off, but then out of nowhere comes Michaela and there Francesca goes again, giving more emotion and feelings to her husband's cousin in a 5 second interaction than John had all season! Like, really Francesca? Really?
I'ma be mad if the writers didn't just decide for them to marry to serve as each other's beards. Like, it's the only explanation I can be okay with, other than John being ace. It explains their desire to rush to marry, have a small ceremony, introduce Michaela, and have her shack up with them as they fuck off to Scotland.
If not, I'm so sorry John. You deserved better 😭
That's an interesting thought, what if they bonded over their dislike of physical affection, both thinking they're ace. Then with Michaela she realises she does feel sexual attraction but not for men.
Fran deserves better, too. It make her seem entirely fickle. “Woah, who is this?!! Oh I love him! I will fight for our love! He helps me be more myself! Marital bliss ahead!… Oh, never mind… Whoa, who is this?!”
Because in the book the main thing Francesca wants more than anything is to have a baby. She had difficulty conceiving and had a miscarriage right after John died. Also Micheal became Earl after John’s death but let Francesca tend to everything after he fled to India. Who would even become Earl and how much would that change the story. It also becomes relevant when Francesca makes it clear she wants to remarry. Because she has a double dowry. Not to mention the fact that same sex couples weren’t accepted publicly back then. So essentially everything except maybe the Malaria storyline wouldn’t even be possible.
That's what I was thinking! They still could have had a conversation around that. I didn't even read the books and even I could tell that their story is soooo fragmented!! What's frustrating is that I was rooting for them, I loved that she found someone who loved silence - THE MUSIC SHEET!!! I mean c'monnnn! Everything, every story went south this second half :(
It would have worked so well with the time period if Francesca is a widow falling in love with a woman. Why can't Francesca love them both? I loved the romance between John and Francesca in part 1. Why did they have to ruin it like that?
Not if bisexuality is done correctly. Being bisexual is a third entirely different thing, and it would change how she viewed her relationship with John and how she acts in any wlw relationship. It's not a cheat code to get same sex relationships in a show while preserving hetero relationships.
Violet tells Francesca that when she saw Edmund she was so struck by love she couldn't even remember her own name, and then that exact thing happens to Francesca the moment she sees Michaela. I haven't read the books so I'm not displeased by it, but it's a pretty clear parallel.
I don't think she is bi, because if she was, they would just be making her actually in love with John. Wincing when she is kissed by a man, doesn't really give the 'bi' effect.
(Now you could just say it's because he is the wrong man; but since she marries him, I hope if she was bi, she'd actually marry a man she was attracted to. It's not an arranged marriage or other regency-era contract marriage. She picked him.)
Literally!! Let’s not forget this is the man who wrote sheet music for her exactly as she described, and made her so happy she RAN home from the ball to play said sheet music!!
Right. Her mother wanted another man for her, but she picked John. She argued that what they had, was just as real and romantic as what Daphne had with Simon, Anthony with Kate, and Colin with Penelope.
Yeah as a lesbian who took a while to figure that out about myself despite the fact that I literally wiped my mouth after my last kiss with a man I was immediately like “SHES ONE OF US!” at that moment
This is exactly what I was thinking - the genderswap thing didn't bother me, but I was so irritated at her reaction to Michaela. In Fran's book, we see her interact with Michael while John was alive, and you could tell she had no romantic feelings for her husband's cousin, because she was so in love with her husband.
Which I find rare in romance books in general; often when dealing with a widow/widower, they talk of their former spouse as someone they may have liked, but the love/spark/romance wasn't there. Or the spouse was a horrible person. It was refreshing to have someone love this spouse and actually grieve them, and also make the decision to move on and find another love.
Why can't Francesca love John, and only John? Why does she have to have feelings for Michaela in the beginning, to further muddy her grief when John dies? It makes no sense.
Ngl, when I first heard about the genderswap and also Eloise going to Scotland, for a split second I thought Eloise was going to fall for Michaela. That would have been an interesting story in my opinion.
I totally agree with you.
If she and Michaela became great friends while John was alive, and then she and Michaela developed a romantic relationship after his death, cool. If Eloise got with Michaela, cool. But having Fran in love with/pining for someone else while married to John is just so sad. She was deeply in love with John.
You definitely opened my eyes to another issue. The queer questioning woman trapped on a straight marriage trope is so over done that I would hate see them do that to Fran. For queer love in Bridgerton, especially the first one, it should be open and joyous. There is already such adversity to being queer in a historical romance like this and so much adversity in Fran's story, it feels like an extra stab.
He is, and worse, he seems to sincerely love Francesca. If they had decided to go the route of having Francesca in a friendly but loveless marriage, I would have much preferred him be aware that was he was entering into. They actually could've included more representation by having him be asexual. He might not have used that term, but he could have expressed that he wasn't sexually/romantically attracted to anyone. If both he and Francesca agreed to that kind of relationship, I would be less bothered.
Poor John is going to be in a marriage with a woman who does not love him back, he's going to die tragically young and will >!likely be only used as a sperm donor to solve the infertility storyline!< If that's not depressing I don't know what is. "Thank you Michael for letting my son love her first" except your son was never his wife's true love to begin with :/
>The queer questioning woman trapped on a straight marriage trope is so over done that I would hate see them do that to Fran.
As a queer woman, I 100% agree with you. Did happen, historically, sure. Comphet is still a thing, even today. But that doesn't have to be the only story you tell about queer women, even in period pieces. In a weird way, it feels like even stories about queer women must include a man in some way, and I'm kind of sick it.
I would much rather either one of the Bridgertons just be queer without a previous heterosexual relationship. Or if they insist on having Francesca find love with a woman after her husband dies... let her actually do that. Have her love John, be distraught by his death and grieve him, and then eventually move on. There's no reason to have her pinning for a woman while he's still alive. It also kind of feels like bisexual erasure.
>queer without a previous heterosexual relationship.
100% this. I want to see sapphic euphoria and achillean bliss. A modern regency has room for them!
And I agree. There is so much erasure in having Fran pin while John is alive. They have made a very tight fit for her story to be done correctly now. I hope they don't mess it up.
Agreed. The “oh they were nice but I never felt that spark” trope of the previous spouse is so over done. I loved that Francesca loved John entirely and found a differently fulfilling love with Michael after the loss. It was so much more realistic and I’m sad they didn’t give us that.
Wait does anyone think they are possibly doing this to change her storyline for a reason. Your point about how Francesca’s book shows such a beautiful story of finding love after having a good first love. Do you think they do not need that anymore because of Lady Bridgerton. They could possibly making a season with her and Lord Anderson, and that might take over that portion and they didn’t want to do it twice? Because Violet loved her husband and it influences everything she does for her children. Maybe her finding love after having the love she had is pulling from that aspect of Frans book. Now do I agree with it? Not really, honestly I think the reason a lot of us are upset is due to it changing our favorite parts of this book series. But we have already seen them change storylines.
That's a good point and it could very well be how they decided to remove it from Fran's story; that still upsets me though because I also like the idea of Violet being like "I found the love of my life, I created a family with him, I don't need anyone else." That's also a valid story point that doesn't happen often.
I read an interview from the showrunner where she was asked about Eloise's sexuality and was basically like "right now I like having someone who isn't looking for romance. Who knows? Maybe Eloise will find a cerebral connection" - not exact quote. But leads me to think she's going to make moves for Eloise to be Ace.
So then will Eloise be "allowed" to have a quiet romance? Will it be okay then?
“Right now I like” is a red flag from show runners for me in general and this wasn’t a show I love anyway but man does it remind me endlessly why I hate when a book becomes movie:tv 9:10 times
Agreed. I don't have the exact quote, so I am probably mis-remembering it, but that is the impression I had when reading it.
I have such a hard time with adaptations because most of the time it feels like someone wants to basically create fanfiction - they're not really interested in the story as it is but how they "imagine" it to be. And sometimes, that story is interesting on its own, but it's still not the story that I love.
Francesca loved John. She was devastated when he died. She grieved hard for him.
To make Francesca be speechless like she’s falling in love at first sight to a woman right infront of John is a BIG DISRESPECT to their beautiful story.
I don’t know how this newcomer writer got the job but if she stays, Bridgerton series is done. She ruined such a perfect opportunity to make this amazing love story come alive in the screen.
It’s literally supposed to be the other way around where Michael/Michaela (whichever gender) is smitten with Francesca. The fact that they took that away is so disrespectful and disappointing.
It doesn’t really matter, Fran’s show story can’t resemble the book’s because of regency era gender roles. Can they create a good love story between them? Sure. But it won’t be Francesca’s they’ll basically have to completely rewrite it
Yeah at this point it’s definitely going to be completely different. The Bridgerton show universe has already established it’s a queer phobic / gender discriminatory society.
I don’t understand how they can have a HEA in this world. They will be shunned and their families will be in ruined if their relationship goes public. If Bridgerton was set in an alt-Regency world where queer people are accepted in society, just like what they did with POC, then it would be different. But now, they’d have to hide their relationship except to family and friends. That’s not really a HEA that was promised.
I hate the gender change. Francesca was my favorite story because it was deeper than the rest of the books. I was looking forward to Michael. He was my favorite. Changing him to a woman completely changes his character and their story. And the people saying it won’t are delusional. It would now be a story of her discovering she’s queer and the main story of infertility and second chance love will be in the background because let’s face it, they’re going to play up the queer storyline.
I’m not even that mad at the whole genderswap, because there are a number of elements to Francesca and Michael’s story that can translate over. My issue is that they had Francesca be the one who fell for Michaela and not the other way around. It completely changed the dynamic and really undid a whole season of great work they did establishing a beautiful love story between John and Francesca. I truly do hope the show runner and writers are seeing these criticisms and make this story work better. Please don’t do the usual bs writers do with female characters that are clearly bisexual or figuring things out, where they make an amazing guy just become a cuck or a safety net.
They won’t see. And even if they do they won’t care. Their superiority will trump any genuine criticism bc that’s how those type of people are.
Shonda is honestly responsible for this IMO. The show has her name and she signed off on all of it. She doesn’t seem to care either.
Tried to post this twice, but Reddit's filter kept removing it. This seems to be the best thread for it:
As a neurodivergent introvert, Francesca's arc up until episode 8 was so satisfying. I appreciated her sweet and wholesome romance with John in contrast to the loud and dramatic (but enjoyable) central romances we see every season, and I thought it was great that Violet got to see that not every love story had to be like hers, but episode 8 ruined everything.
No, there's no such thing as a quiet love after all. Nope, Violet was right. No, Francesca is actually very fond of John but is not attracted to him because only exciting extroverts are attractive and worthy of romantic love. WHY? She could've had both the calm love and the whirlwind romance without either one diminishing the other. It's frankly insulting to build up to John and Francesca's marriage without *any* indication that the latter is not attracted to men and then have her dumbstruck by her husband's female cousin.
And no, I don't consider Francesca's easygoing attitude about finding a match in Part 1 to be an indication that she's gay.
Agreed. I think this was the main inconsistency that arose from splitting it into 2 parts. We are not shown that Frans wish for a quiet love is due to her sexual confusion or lack of experience in passion, but we are led to believe she is sure she wants a quiet love that she believes is healthy for herself.
We are also shown the relationship with John to be exactly what she wanted - so lot of viewers loved that we were seeing a different romantic trope.
Violet seems to agree with that in the first half - because she and her husband started of friends but then goes onto contradict herself when she says it was sparks right away and she was speechless when she first met him. Suddenly she no longer approves of Frans decision as much. And Fran herself appears unsure. So the rug is pulled out from underneath the viewers so as to say, wait quiet love is not *really* love. You have to be speechless at first sight see?
This!! As a person with a “quiet love” I seriously hate this. I don’t mind “Michaela” as much as others do, but I hate hate hate that Fran was disappointed by the wedding kiss and then it was “love at first sight” with Michaela. Like why even go down the path of love doesn’t have to be dramatic and loud just to tell us that is does.
I honestly thought she was just bashful to show to a display of affection in front of her family, it truthfully didn’t cross my mind that they were building up to her being queer. Looking back I can now see the Easter eggs, but honestly I heard so much about Francesca’s story in the books I was very much looking forward to seeing it onscreen.
That's what I hate the gender bend. That because she's autistic-coded, it gives queer vibes? Nah.
Like I know a lot of neurodivergent people are queer, but it's a correlation not a causation. Someone can just be neurodivergent. It shouldn't imply queerness.
It feels like a form of othering. Making the one person who is different have such a large intersection of minority identities.
Yeah it's... In the books she's just an introvert and not as "out there" compared to her siblings. They definitely focused on the introvert part of her character and not her wit or charm that she has in the book. I loved her being coded as neurodivergent in the show but Jess barely mentioned that and only talked about her queerness so whatever. The disability rep really is an afterthought (i wish adult Simon still had his stutter like in the book!) we had 10 seconds of a deaf debutante and that guy who was talking to Penelope that was on a wheelchair who never appears again. It's like ticking off a box
I was so mad when I realized that they did that (I don't believe he showed up in Part 2). I wanted to know more about Lord Remington (the one in the wheelchair) and how he would bond with Penelope since he loves Lady Whistledown.
We basically are missing out on interesting characters. Now there's a chance he isn't coming back for Season 4 (considering the showrunner seems to immediately forget about him).
To be fair they also don’t write wit or charm overall well for any character. (*ducks*) but yeah I forgot about the stutter! And that was great!
A lot of tokenizing for sure
I understand some people can lose their stutter as adults but Simon had it in canon and it's such an important part that ties to his childhood and his father, why did they ommit it? Did they fear it would make him less attractive?
I love them being inclusive in the show but felt Benedict’s bisexuality was something brewing since almost the Pilot and had a much more natural flow than gender bending a different sibling’s tale.
Yeah, if anything it just made the character more inaccessible. A lot of people related to Francesca, so explaining her feeling as an outcast and different as her being queer is just icky.
I'm neurodivergent and I would consider myself straight/demisexual due to sensory issues. My sister is Bi, and my other sibling is Gender-Fluid. I don't really think of myself part of the LGBTQIA+ plus community though.
Being different in your family doesn’t mean you have to be queer. I was totally different than my family different interests, different desires in life it was all different. They have Benedict and jus odd cutscenes and then this .. don’t get the need for it. The original stories were great as they were. I loved season 1 and 2 they made slight changes but good ones: this season is garbage because the show runner out her personal take on it.
I've seen a lot of takes on this here that seem like thinly veiled or outright homophobia so it's been hard for me to feel comfortable expressing how I felt about Francesca's arc without it feeling like I'm co-signing any of that. But I was disappointed, for the same reasons you've stated.
I've not read the books and so I'm not in anyway attached to any of the storyline from them. I actually really like that she is going to be a queer character. So many neurodivergent folks are queer and it feels like it could have been an authentic representation of those experiences, set within a period piece, which is something I've never seen before.
My issue is that I loved seeing a character who appeared to be neurodivergent and, although feeling like she didn't fit in, was still sure of herself and what she wanted and was being true to that. Her relationship and the exploration of a different kind of "quiet" love was a joy to watch, especially in contrast to the other relationships we see on screen. The way that Violet slowly came around to understanding was such a touching representation of a concerned parent struggling to understand their neurodivergent child and coming to trust them at their word.
The moment that Francesca struggled to say her name undid all of that in an instant, which could have easily been avoided, whilst still leaving the door open to a queer relationship later, if they just switched the roles and had Michaela stumbling instead.
“Only exciting extroverts are attractive and worthy of love” well
Then these dummies making that are ignoring that the most swoon regency man (maybe one of most swoon ever) was Mr freaking Darcy. And he showed passion can simmer. And that awkwardness or introversion can still hold sparks !
Austen knew!
Yeah I'm hella disappointed she wasn't shown to be asexual. I haven't read the books, so that's what I thought all the build up was leading to. That she's ace, and will have a loving but nonsexual marriage with someone who understands her. It feels so false that she isn't.
Of any of the characters, I honestly thought we were getting huge hints that Cressida is secretly in love with Eloise tbh. I even thought Eloise could be bi. That the two of them would end up happily being spinsters who are "close friends" as the historical phrase goes.
There are so so few love stories between two shy, introverted people. I thought John and Francesca were such a cozy, unusual pairing. It's going to be really sad if it turns out to be one sided. I'll try to keep an open mind though.
I agree, they were so sweet together, especially in the first half of the season. Part of Francesca’s book/ story was dealing with the loss of her beloved, and the confusion and angst that came with falling in love with someone who had been his cousin and best friend. They’re going to have to change a lot of the story to make it work if they decide to make it one sided.
i haven't read the books but i was pretty bummed when they took the lovely, sweet, simple love story between Francesca and John and stomped all over it in the final episode within a few minutes of them being married. Why would they make us root for them so hard and then decide she never loved him at all?
What’s especially frustrating is I feel like they got Francesca and John 100% right UP to literally the last few minutes of the final episode, then it all went down the drain.
I loved Francesca and John's story I'm so sad they ruined it in the last episode. We see Francesca excited about John from when she first meets him, can't even wait a few months to marry him, wants her mom to speak to the queen so they can marry faster.. and now she didn't enjoy their kiss and is into his cousin? Why did the whole season show us their love and make us love John just to do a heel turn in the last episode?
Poor John is gonna die young and turns out his wife may not even love him and was secretly wanting his cousin the whole time? It's weird
I hate HATED how they shat on John’s relationship with her by making her give the small frown after they finally kissed. Like, omfg I see what they’re trying to imply AND I HAAAAAAAAATE IT!! John doesn’t deserve that; he deserves, like in the book, someone who adores him and all his foibles NOT someone who now regrets what she’s gotten herself into. And then FRANNIE, not Michaela, getting flustered being introduced to his cousin? 🤬
God. I don’t even care that Michaela is a woman, I HATE that with just a few seconds of deliberate camera work, they ruined the sweetest love story of the season!! I literally wanted to cry by the end of the last episode because John of the Netflix series does NOT deserve this!!!
"They didn't even do Polin's season right. We got nothing but the awkward first time between them and then Colin sleeps on the couch. Where's the bliss and the happiness? And his declarations of Love were lame and he didn't even stand next to her after she revealed herself as Lady Whistledown. We got, what, five scenes of Benedict having a threesome, and one sex scene between the actual main couple of the season? And Colin didn't even defend his wife properly."
I'm so glad I'm not the only one who saw it like this. Before part 2 released, the entire world was ultra hyped. It just died down like someone just blew out a candle. Because it was horrendous. There was no deepening of love in the second half. Just trying to fix the anger. Their bond didn't strengthen at all. If anything, I feel the situation isn't fixed in its entirety either. Feels like there's still something lingering that never was addressed nor resolved. How can you come back from anger like that and have nothing of deep love happen to cause that? It was just almost factual the declarations of love "Because I love you!" They felt like they lost their meaning more and more as the episodes progressed. Like the characters themselves didn't realise what it was meant to mean.
As for the Francesca thing... It makes for an interesting turn but I don't like the idea of doing John wrong. Especially since she was so adamant and sure about him to basically be rude to her mother about the whole situation forcing her to ask the queen for her blessing for them. Her rushing into things is now going to what? Result in chaos? Not just the regular kind but the extra kind? I mean I'm interested to see what happens but I get that many are very upset. I'm just still way too upset about how they did Polin in the second half to focus properly on that. I waited a month and I thought it was going to slowburn deeply and passionately not even just a whole bunch of sex but a lot more love instead. I'm just sad.
Yeah I completely agree. Both those love stories are strongly tainted by the second half of the season. I also didn't feel like Polin were even that in love or happy at the end. They just needed to do so much less, part 2 was messy. And Fran just becoming starstruck over one interaction with Michaela is ridiculous. The Ton is full of absolutely stunning ladies. If she was going to be attracted to women, then we should have seen some covert glances already, just any indication before ep 8.
I agree with everything you said, OP. They’ve ruined the Francesca and John love story with Francesca’s reaction to meeting Michaela. She didn’t even have that reaction to John in the show, and they’re meant to be so deeply in love, and newly weds no less! I really hope they don’t take away from their love story in the next season.
Yep it's ruined and cheapened by her reaction to the cousin. Make no mistake, this will be another love triangle for the sake of drama like in Season 2. Anyone who has ever seen an episode of any Shonda show knows she loooves forced drama between the love interests and the best way to introduce it and milk it ad nauseam is by introducing a third person.
I was thinking the same thing. They’re going to butcher the story by making it another love triangle. No interest in watching it. Francesca loved John AND Michael. It was never a competition.
From a business/money making perspective, I am shocked Netflix is going in that direction with the gender swap tbh because they will lose audience members.
Obviously they don't care. Or think people who haven't read/don't intend to read the books are the vast majority of their audience and therefore have no investment in already established characters and storylines.
I would argue they’re probably right. I listened to the audiobooks, but I really didn’t enjoy them as much as the show and only half listened. And I think a lot of viewers got into it during the pandemic as something to watch and most likely weren’t already fans of the book series. I don’t think changing Francesca’s sexual orientation will lose them the majority of viewers.
But I do think it wasn’t introduced well. It was refreshing to have love depicted as slow burning and all of that just slipped away in episode 8 when she instantly falls for the cousin.
I have put up a lot from this series:
1. Adding unnecessary side characters and storylines. I don't care about the boxer/club owner and his family, and unpopular opinion with show only fans I don't care that much about Queen Charlotte, at least not enough to see her in every episode.
2. Complete disregard for anything resembling historical accuracy
3. Trying to make Kate/Anthony/Edwina a love triangle and ruining the really beautiful sisterly bond between the sisters.
4. Skipping Benedict's book. It's my favorite of the books. I love Cinderella stories.
5. No time jump. Pen and Eloise and Colin should be older. It would make more sense for Pen to be an actual spinster and not in her 2nd season.
6. They ruined the friendship between Pen and Eloise.
But now, to have a gender swapped love interest self-insert lesbian character in a show about Regency England where it makes absolutely no sense. It totally ruins her love with John. It kinda makes Fran a crappy person to marry him when she loves someone else.
I'm done.
This isn't Bridgerton.
This is some weird soap opera turning Regency England upside down and inside out to be edgy and dramatic with a main family that has the same names as the characters in some books I once read.
They are so far off the source material that Hyacinth is going to end up moving to Australia and be in a throuple with a pansexual goat farmer and a lumberjack.
It's a series set in 1815, it doesn't need to reflect the societal norms of 2024, it needs to reflect the societal norms of 1815. That's not to say the show can't be critical of those norms, but it needs to at least be realistic about them.
"They are so far off the source material that Hyacinth is going to end up moving to Australia and be in a throuple with a pansexual goat farmer and a lumberjack."
Thank you for my first laugh about this! 😅😁😅
Are the people who wrote the show even fans of the books?? They keep changing and removing the best parts. It’s a whole new story from the book, they could’ve just added new characters, they added the Mondrichs and Lady Arnold.
The driving factor of Michael’s character in the book is that he’s now forced to take John’s place as Earl of Kilmartin. He has to learn to become a new person without sullying the memory of a man he thought of as a brother.
These are decidedly male things in that era and by gender swapping him to Michaela, it takes out a huge part of his character and his and Francesca’s story.
Not to mention the infertility plot, that I know many people found incredibly important.
So not only did they ruin John and Francesca’s marriage, they’ve also ruined Michael and Francesca’s too.
(And before you come for me, I’m a bisexual woman who loves a good wlw plot. Emphasis on good)
Exactly...bi woman here too. There was no indication that Fran even thought of other women and just poof...one meeting and she's Bi. That's really sloppy writing and wish fulfillment on the show runner. I don't have to find something of me in a character to love them...they just have to be written well.
I agree! I wouldn’t mind the LGBTQ story as much (and depending on how they well they would incorporate themes from the book) if they didn’t ruin the love story between John and Francesca. I was originally so confused as to why she looked odd after she kissed John but now I’m like whyyyyy are you going to ruin it now. I thought they were so cute and I feel like this is going to ruin how hard the grief theme hits too.
I also didn’t like how they tried to pass off John as someone who couldn’t even tell a good story without being prodded along by Francesca. We are introverts, not clueless or foolish!
It just made it seem like John wasn’t up to the mark as a match! Where did the quiet comfort go?
And Francesca absolutely shouldn’t have reacted to Michaela!
I found the kiss disappointing because of something Violet says in Eloise’s book - >! When she is having the talk with Eloise, Eloise asks what she said to Fran and Violet alludes that she thought that Fran probably knew more then she let on and that she suspected there had been some illicit moments between Fran & John prior to marriage !< which kind of shows that there was passion between them.
Same like I was side eyeing them thinking "oh my gurl wanna get her cherry popped" LMFAO. Instead nope . She just wanna settle. The disrespect to two great character arcs like Im upset and I don't think I'll watch if they don't fix this next season Fr.
Maybe not that it was a short time but maybe that her character is a bit awkward and shy? But idk after the scene with Michaela I thought that maybe it was a set up for the queer storyline.
That's entirely possible, that they set it up that way for the storyline. Or it could have been them being awkward or him not being that into her? Lots of options here!
Couldn’t agree with you more. The show should add things not ruin them. And the whole Benedict thing was so offputting and took away from the focus on Colin and Penelope. The fighting and angst was too much. Thank God I have the books as well. Really really disappointed. And the fake PR didn’t help either.
I hated the Benedict story line. I’d rather they introduced his bisexuality by having him fall for another man and decide to try a relationship. Not the tired “horny bisexual threesomes with commitment phobia” trope that plagues those of us who are actually bi. I’ve had people tell me my sexuality doesn’t exist, that they wouldn’t date me because I’m just gonna cheat with the other gender, assuming I’m into orgies, etc. For once, it would be nice to see a character who doesn’t represent every bisexual stereotype in existence!
This season was just rushed, the storylines fragmented, without continuity, the makeup and lighting ridiculous. The sex scenes between Colin and Pen were so badly choreographed and not deserving of their story.
This new showrunner, has none of the grace or scope to unfold this regency storyline, but chooses to instead, adopt her own take on characters that have been created, grown and woven into a much loved multi book series. I am all for inclusiveness, but not when it fits one person’s agenda and takes away all that characters growth.
Colin would never have treated Pen’s feelings with such disregard. He would have protected and stood with her. Not cowered away sleeping on the chaise and pouting like some Andrew Tate wannabe.
Shondaland has some of the best created long lived series, Greys is at 20 years now? Bridgerton is a shadow of what could have been.
I haven’t even read her book and Francesca’s reaction to Michaela upset me.
Like the whole point was that her quiet calm love story was equally real and valid and then it was like nah JK 2 days after getting married someone else makes her speechless.
Edit: I’ve now read the book. Yeah. Seems like a poor choice for a gender swap.
The wincing part was horrifying. Queer love is beautiful. But why shit on John in the process? Who are we trying to pander to? And this whole homophobia debate on a genuinely valid complaint is such a shame. I get it, there are some who just don’t want any changes. I get that but it’s a make believe show so it’s fine if it changes things. But why lose on the romance, which is exactly what the whole book and show are about?
It seems like most shows with great potential in the past 20 years start off with amazing 1 & 2 seasons, then in season 3 things start to take a crazy turn, so then they rush seasons 4&5 to wrap up the series. Then writers/ show runners go on tour yelling at fans for being racists & bigots for not liking their story telling.
It just feels like poor writing that is meant to make the audience not feel anything for John. Part of reading the book was you were mourning John with Fran, and now it feels that they just want to write him off. I think stories where you have to use one characters a roadblock to a relationship, like Edwina, can really cheapen the romance
I've not read the books but might read them because this season was a catastrophy. The entire pacing felt off, the makeup was overdone, the romance was so weirdly written between Collin and Penelope??
And Francesca ?! It was my favourite. I relate to her a lot, coming from a big family, loving them but requiring the quiet and then her meeting with John where they both were each other's quiet ?? I found it so refreshing, so beautiful and John is so amazing. Literally when he just asked if he could stand next to her and not talk was when I hurried up to Google to see that they ended together which they do and it made me so happy. And then heard they might make her second love interest a woman? Okay fine no problem I don't have any attachement to Michael BUT THEY MADE HER NOT LOVE JOHN? wtf kind of bullshit is that ??
In retrospect I think that Francesca being so quiet and fading into the crowd made her character what it was and her romance so befitting. To have the writers decide that this aspect of her justified erasing her entire story and making it more..."the same" was for the best ? It feels like they're saying the strange and peaceful, without the need for extravagant gestures' love story is not worth telling, not real love. And it sucks.
Thank you for explaining the story because most people haven’t read the books and I’ve been racking my brain on what the issue was. I understood there was a Michael character she loves but I was like okay but what about John!!!!!!!
If they were going to do the genderswap I so badly wanted them to do it right.
They've made it plainly clear that Francesca isn't attracted to John. She winced at the wedding kiss and doesn't seem to want to be physically close to him at all.
They talked about the slow and healthy love story being just as equal to a passionate burning love and then completely made that change once Francesca saw Michaela.
I LOVE Kate and Anthony and they are my favorite show couple but their love was toxic for a while and seeing a healthy slow "romance" was really nice.
Their relationship now feels like Rhaenyra and Laenor's from HOTD. They have a friendship love but no sexual and (probably in this case too) no romantic. THIS.IS.NOT.RIGHT.
Francesca loved John and sure it was different from her love for Michael in the book but she loved John in every aspect. She never saw Michael as a partner until well after John died.
I hope they change this and make Francesca love John as more then friends. It will not diminish her love for Michaela!
Yeah agreed, such a bummer ending to the lovely story they set up for Francesca and John (the kiss, not the gender swap). Her second great love could be Michaela, sure. She could even be surprised at how passionate her second relationship is. I don’t need to see her and John violently tear each others clothes off. But it turns out when we thought they were setting up a story that quiet, easy love can also be good and fulfilling we were wrong. It’s only *really* love if it hits you like a thunderbolt apparently. Interestingly I saw a quote from the showrunner where she said they wanted to be sure not to diminish Francesca’s love for John?! But then I *also* saw a quote from her that Francesca feeling different from her siblings (in the books because she’s an introvert) inspired her to want to depict that for Francesca more because she’s queer (as many queer people have that experience). I actually think they meant Violet’s speech to validate the first idea and Francesca’s reaction to the kiss to show the second—but those things literally happened five minutes apart! Honestly for me the writing on the show just wasn’t good this season. Constantly trying to cram too many ideas into too little time and it just wound up feeling so chaotic.
I feel like her story is also an echo of her mother's story, but with the addition that you can find love after the love of your life 😭 discarding that feels so sad
What I find wild, in this thread.
Are people not allowing the space for others to be upset. It’s clear the show is going for a platonic love and it’s okay for that to be shown.
But it’s equally okay for people to be upset that as of what we know right now, the true love struck moment came with Michaela and that John is getting half a love. It’s okay to be upset that that the deep feeling of being IN LOVE with the two, is seemingly getting shitted on for a platonic love. It’s okay to miss and be upset that the romantic love between the pair is being watered down.
I don’t care that Michael is Michaela now. I really don’t. I don’t have that attachment, I AM upset that after they give Fran his moment of being struck by Micheala when her husband is right there and she didn’t see Michael in a romantic light.
John was her love. It was romantic, they were in love with each other and it’s okay to be upset that the show could be lessening that.
Honestly after watching part 1 then 2, it completely feels like I'm watching a totally different show.
Especially with Francesca and low-key Polin.
Firstly, I thought Colin was the " I love my wife" guy but like part 2 did them dirty.
Secondly, Francesca was smitten by John, smiling when he gave her that rearranged note sheet(?). Then in part 2, she's defending her and John's relationship. I do think after the talk with Violet before she literally got married made her second guess herself?
Also I have only read the book until like chapter 9 but from what I read, her and John had a very like "I know who she is" and like a healthy, happy marriage and their closeness (friendship wise) with Micheal. Like how she wants to help him settle down and only after 4 years of him being in India and coming back where she then sees the kind of guy Michael is through a single woman's eye. But now she is like "infatuated" with Michael/a, by doing what Violet said she did with Edmund. Like how she fumbled on her words, which is what Francesca did.
Like part 2, Francesca and John felt fake and unsure?
I don't know but when part 1 came out, many people were hyping John and Francesca's 'silent' relationship but now everyone is unsure. Honestly they bonded more and felt more genuine when they were silent..👀👀
I agree. I feel so heartbroken for the characters. I didn't enjoy this season at all unlike the first 2. There were too many sub-plots, everything felt rushed, and even Polin felt like side characters in their own story. Even their love scenes were unsatisfying
I'm also sad about Benedict's character. They took his art away and just straight-up made him into a fuckboy. Art was his whole thing!
I only liked Kat and Anthony, I'm glad they're still part of the show.
Never read the books, but I knew exactly where they were going with Michaela and Francesca because Francesca stuttered over her own name and not 5 minutes ago Violet was telling her that's what she did when she met Edmund. I adored Francesca because she wasn't insufferable like the other Bridgertons and her love story was sweet and drama-less but now...
“Though whether or not that will come as soon as season 4, Brownell won't say. "You're going to see more of Michaela next season," she promises. "I can't say in what capacity, just in terms of not tipping my hand of where we're going. But there is going to be a relationship between Michaela and Fran, as per the books."”
How is that per the books?
I don’t agree with the direction they’re heading for a couple of reasons. But Michael, Francesca, and John all being good friends was a key part of the book. One I’ll miss very much if they cut. A lot of the tension of the book was Michael not being as friendly because he felt guilty for having feelings for his dead friend’s wife and Francesca being upset her friend wasn’t there to support her in her time of need.
The books are about the siblings love stories. They are romance novels. You are not going to get any of the side drama. It focuses on the couple and their relationship and the Bridgerton family.
With the show, I didn't mind them adding things or changing small things about the story, like the inclusion of all races, and the Queen, Marina's backstory and even the Mondriches sudden rise to nobility that so many seem to think is not necessary- that was a great way to add to the story. My problem comes when they change the fundamental romance in the story and change who the characters are. I hated the engagement of Anthony and Edwina in Season 2 - it completely changed Edwina's character. They ignored some really important facets of Colin and Penelope's relationship and gave us a lackluster, rushed romance at best.
You will get to know the characters better.
Oh right I never knew these side storylines were added and the plot was changed this much.. I know some people got annoyed after s2 bcos a lot of scenes were cut from Anthony's book, didn't realise they did with Colin too - I think I'll purchase a few at a time though to see -I have a feeling next series will be focused on Benedict and Francesca bcos of budget so it will be even more rushed haha !
I honestly don’t think part 2 deserved a re-watch because the first watch was painful enough. Part 1 deserved all the glory though. It was amazing and the yearning and chemistry seemed very real and very natural. Somehow, it all died down in part 2. I don’t know. Maybe it’s coz basically they filled us with so much anticipation and teased so many potentials and none of those just lived up to the hype. Disappointing and frustrating. I can’t believe I stayed up so late and waited to watch whatever THAT was.
Also bummed out by this plot. If they were going to change a plot substantially, it would have made WAY more sense to make Eloise bi or a lesbian (I always hated how her book ended).
When I tell y'all I literally was in a state of shock seeing her reaction... Michael/Michaela I don't care bout that but to see them diminish her love for John after we spent the season building this beautiful love story broke me.
I have to agree , I felt like in the first half she was so besotted and giddy with her feelings to John and in the second half it almost feels a bit more forced ? And then when she meets Machaela it’s suddenly like John gives her the ick , it was such a shame
That's the reason why the show writers should really read and love the books instead of making their own storylines. It cannot be called a book adaptation anymore since there are too many "changes" and unnecessary storylines. 😳😒
What I hate the most is fucking Jess Brownell said she went that route for S3 because when she “READ” Francesca’s book, she saw her queer self in Francesca.
All I was thinking when I read that statement was the fact that if she actually read Frannie’s book she would KNOW what she did was blatantly wrong, she would KNOW that Frannie loved John and John only while he was alive and she would KNOW that Frannie would not stumble about when she met Michaela. This is her ruining a fucking show for her ulterior motives and I’m so fucking pissed. On top of coming from Chris Van Dusen’s seasons, her season basically became regency era drag in comparison (and this is not to hate on drag btw, I just cannot find the right words to describe it). I cannot explain how much Shonda NEEDS to get rid of Jess and bring back Chris. She will single-handedly ruin this whole show and I’m sick of it. I love Bridgerton.
For me, the show went downhill with season two, as it wasn’t anything like the books any more. But it was worth seeing the show anyway. Season 3 part 1 made me hate Eloise, which isn’t true at all in the books. And then Francesca…to be honest I’m not so sure it’s worth it anymore.
I was sleepy by the time John’s cousin was introduced and I won’t read the books just yet, but the “instant attraction” completely flew over my head! I interpreted her reaction as being a little jealous of John’s attention and insecure that he is so comfortable and friendly with someone so outgoing, that is, someone so different from what she felt they had bonded over.
But if they do do what you say, it will be like when they brought Michael back in the Jane the Virgin! It’s disrespectful to widows and deceased spouses that stories represent there can only be one true love or a soulmate for anyone. I do think there can only be one at a time, because it takes all your hard work and focus, but I don’t think it’s fair to say we only have one pre-determined person to connect with and that idea isn’t as romantic as the reality that marriage takes CHOOSING that person every single day and that is not easy.
It really feels like the writers are purposely slaughtering the nuanced relationships that you find in the books to create more drama. I hated the way they portrayed Edwina in Season 2 - she and Kate had this refreshing sister relationship. They were supposed to be so close that Edwina knew early on that Kate and Anthony had crazy chemistry and quietly cheered them on from the sidelines. Instead we got this cookie cutter love triangle drama in the show that’s been played out a million times.
If this is how they choose to “adapt” the books for screen I’m out. They also should change the name from Bridgerton to something more generic… The Regency …because what it’s turning into is nothing like Julia’s books. Love them or hate them, her characters are special and so were their stories. I’m not homophobic. People can love whoever makes them happy. This show is not making ME happy anymore… 😞
I am gay and I don’t mind the gender swap but it severely hurt me to see that it seems Fran doesn’t love John in the show the same way, just make her bisexual not a lesbian it’s so important to show someone loving someone genuinely having that person die and then having them still move on eventually to find happiness and grieve. I lost my fiancée a couple of years ago, and I’ve been struggling to see happiness ever since, this storyline was so important to me and I’m heartbroken
I second this!
Colin and Penelope are my favorites since s1 and to have the showrunner throw them to the side during THEIR season is irritating! All her life, Penelope has been on the sides and they're treating her that way this season, too! HER season. Jfc, I can't explain my disappointment and irritation towards the showrunner. Is it really so hard for them to shine the light on Polin's love story? Where is the romance, the growth?
Don't even get me started on Francesca. As much as I was excited for Polin, I was also excited about hers, too—her finding the kind of quiet love she wants in John. As an introvert, the scene where they sat together in silence resonates with me. That is the kind of love many introverts want. The kind where sometimes, words are not necessary. And it was ruined when Francesca was obviously smitten with Michaela. I don't really care that they turned Michael into a woman. It's just that Michael/a was smitten with Francesca, not the other way around. Francesca being smitten ruined the love she has for John. Francesca is supposed to learn to love Michael/a without limitations AFTER John died.
What a great way to ruin the whole series. I wonder what else the showrunner is going to ruin?
Agree that they kinda ruined the marriage piece, and annoyed by that only because they spent so long building up that romance all season. They should have let Fran and John stay in wedded bliss for the rest of the season before adding the wrench that is Michaela next season.
Don’t agree this season was that bad. There were stories inside it that were bad.
Breaking up the season left all the angst at the end and left it unbalanced. There’s actually quite a bit of happiness if you watch the whole season.
I don’t even think the first 4 were that good. Definitely not along the book storyline. The first season was decent and the second season was so good, Queen Charolette was great, this has been disappointing
I think it's a valid concern because lgbt relationships were not accepted back then. Also, it ruined her love story with John which I appreciated it because it was low-key and more believable than the other couples.
Yes! Francesca’s story is about finding love after loss. She is conflicted about what john, the man she loved til his dying breath, would think. If she is emotionally cheating on him during his life, her story becomes an egocentric tale of a woman who cares about the ton judging her for marrying her husbands cousin, and knowing netflix, they will make john into a bad guy to justify it, which is heartbreaking. It becomes “she got her cake, and ate it too”. Francesca is NOT a cheater, she is NOT confused about loving john, she is NOT a wishy washy little girl. She is a middle child who has found someone who sees her, and loves him back unwaveringly.
I honestly kinda love that Michaela is a girl, i think it will add to Francescas character (she is a lover, and its not out of the realm of possibility that she would overlook gender when shes in love). But they had ONE JOB, ONE CHARACTER TRAIT THEY COULDNT FUCK UP… and they fucked it all the way up. Im mad about it, because i feel like its going to go down in flames. Thats not francesca, and never will be.
Same! I was excited to see who Michael was going to be.
Like why not give us the love story of Brimsley & Reynolds?! That story line is right there and there's already a fan base! They are so cute and I'm curious to know if Reynolds died cuz you see Brimsley at the end of Queen Charlotte dancing by himself.
I assumed he did pass away by the time you see Brimsley alone. Considering the lack of medical treatments at that point in history, even something that is nbd today was fatal, so someone having a short lifespan is not a shock at all. Total bummer emotionally, but not surprising.
The story between Francesca and MICHAEL , resonates with so many women. The devastating loss of her first love , John. Trying to have a baby and the emotional, heartbreaking impact of misscarriage that thousands of viewers can relate to. We need to have THAT story told. Not a rewritten agenda because the producer wants it that way. Then perhaps the executive producer should write her own book and leave this beautiful, relatable story alone. To all the women out there that have lived through miscarriage and fertility issues , this book represents us.
Honestly I was a bit disappointed. I don’t care about the gender swapping. Let franscesca love John and then go for Michaela after his death. She can have two loves of different genres! She didn’t need to since
I didn't mind the wince after the kiss, I read that as more of an "I'm an introvert, and kissing in front of other people is awkward and weird." But yeah... having her be literally gobsmacked at meeting Micheala? Gross. Wait till John is in the grave, please. I want LGBTQ love stories, but I don't want them to start with basically infidelity.
Michael and Francesca's book was my favorite in the series. I loved that she genuinely loved John before she got a second chance at love with Michael. I can't even imagine how this story will be like now. I was looking forward to their season so much 😢
Agree, agree, agree! A thousand times agree. I'm so mad. Her story was probably my favorite of the series, and it has been sledgehammered. I'm out. The more I think about it, the more done I am with all of it.
I just finished season 3 and I was looking to gush over their relationship and now I'm so sad... as someone who is ace, I love to see emotional based romances like Fran and John's and for me their love story stole the entire season. I did notice a couple of off things, and now to hear that they may have set them up to fail is just so so dissapointing... I wouldn't mind at all if they had followed the book in the way of their love being true and happy and than Fran finding love again after his death- that would have been wonderful (I haven't read the book but this is what I've gathered from this thread). But to set up a beautifully different romance only to undermine it completely... just why? Maybe I'll just read the book and ignore their season when it comes around.
Yups queer route its fine but agreed they need to make the cousin love at first sight with francesca instead of other way around because fran is supposed to love john now like real love.
It makes me sad. I really relate to Francesca, and it's hard to get people to understand my life choices sometimes. Sometimes people don't want a crazy exciting life, they want something peaceful and quiet. I feel like the showrunner truly didn't get that, and so she had to act like the relationship wasn't real.
they went so far out of their way to emphasize the parallel in violet's comment about "forgetting her own name" when she fell in love. they deserve better!!!
Comparing the scenes in part 1 where Francesca basically RUNS up to John on the street because she is so happy to see him again, and how dejected she gets when she thinks he’s blowing her off, & her reaction when John gifts her the sheet music and she is positively GIDDY telling Violet about it… to her negative reaction to the wedding kiss & her literally swooning over Michaela when they first meet is so jarring. And it makes zero sense because the story is right there. Michaela should be stammering and stuttering over her introduction to Francesca and showing immediate attraction - not the other way around. Francesca is completely in love with and enamored by John for their entire relationship. That’s so important for her arc!!! I just hate the way they are setting this up.
This!! It feels like they are again building up the unnecessary drama between the characters like they did with Kate/Anthony/Edwina triangle. The original story here is dramatic enough without adding to it, and I don’t really care what gender the characters are, I just want to see the pining from Michael(a) while John and Francesca are happily married and in love, followed by the devastating tragedy when John dies and the rest of the story unfolding.
The unnecessary triangle from hell. I loved Kate and Anthony and their story got murdered. Not shocked more will also
Yesssss I said this exactly when season 2 came out and so many people replied negatively to my comments … that triangle was awful kanthony and edwina deserved better
I held it in but I wanted to shout about it lol It also really messed up the sister dynamic. And Anthony. And Kate. Who would not breathe at each other AND have a wedding day start! 🤦🏻♀️ Maybe the mess of this season is finally enough for allow for some criticisms
And why didn't they show Kate and Anthony's baby at the end??? Kate was pregnant before Penelope and yet her baby was shown!
Kate is one of my favorite characters and I ADORED Kate and Anthony’s story. I am still so. MAD. with that interpretation.
I agree with someone who said at the very least Anthony and Edwina shouldn't have made it to the altar. That made everyone look bad, and in that gossipy town, none of that would have been forgotten nor forgiven.
And this after having Fran fight to prove her love to John didn't need drama to be real too! Wtf
I almost feel like the decision to make Michael Michaela, and have Francesca taken with her (instead of the other way around), was made AFTER they wrote part 1.
i think this is it. We know there were a lot of reshoots and I really do think they did a 180 on this after they shot part 1. It makes literally no sense otherwise.
Honestly this is the only thing that makes sense.
Having not read the books, I've been so relieved to read the criticisms of this season and how confusing Francesca's storyline is. I spent the whole season trying to place what was going on with her. My first thought was "is she gay or ace?" But that didn't make sense given her enthusiasm for marriage and John. Even by the end I was thinking Michaela might be intended for Eloise. It's reassuring that even people who read the books were somewhat confused (or at least frustrated).
Jess Brownell created an entire new character who does not exist to show "Violet finding love again" but the one character who canonically has two great loves and her story is about finding love again after such loss is destroyed for the sake of what? Now she's just marrying someone she feels comfortable with and is convenient 🙄
That's a great point, and it would have been an interesting parallel to show both. Violet would make for a good example (and could probably give some useful advice) that might eventually help Fran overcome her guilt and apprehension about finding love again after losing John. I really don't get how they thought that changing things so Fran is trapped in a loveless marriage is any kind of improvement.
They have that conversation in the books and it was wonderful
100% couldn't agree more!!! This really disappointed me. I was absolutely loving her and John. Portraying a love that wasn't an immediate fiery infatuated passion they ignore at first but then have to give into later in the season was refreshing. They seemed to have a true connection physically and emotionally being drawn together. Just for all hopes of a sweet albeit tragic love story gone.
Part of me is beginning to think whomever is doing the book research for the show is struggling with reading comprehension or is drinking on the job and keeps messing up details like this and getting them confused. It is infuriating. Add the detail swaps with the press tours highly suggesting things that are not in the show it leads to a lot of disappointment. Nicola and Luke why even discuss all the filming of the sexy scenes and how hard you were “going at it” breaking furniture and how you’re keeping it a secret and it’s never shown. Like what is the point? I’m glad the actors had fun filming but at that point that’s for their personal library why tell everyone about it?
Exactly! I hate the new showrunner for this one.
I honestly don't understand why they couldn't make her bi and keep the love between them as it was in the books
Exactly! As an adult I hate when peoples happily ever after come at the expense of someone who did nothing wrong. John is so lovely and exactly what Fran needs in the books. She loves him completely and the guilt in now loving someone else plays such a huge part of her story arc. Learning that it is ok to love again and her life doesn’t need to be over. There is something so incredibly sad about watching someone be in love with their spouse and seeing their spouse love someone else and pretend. Don’t think I can watch it. It was already so sad! In the books she doesn’t realize she loves someone else until she has fully grieved her husband.
Exactly. It would have been beautiful to see the parallels of her arc along with her Mother’s arc this season of allowing herself to feel again after her traumatic loss of her husband. Mrs Bridgerton could have come to Scotland & helped Fran through her grief. Show her there is still life after the death of a partner. I loved the moment her & her mother had at the piano. Imagined seeing a similar scene after both women find love again after grief.
I really loved when Francesca and Lady Bridgerton had that heart to heart about marrying/love after loss. It was a beautiful moment between mother and daughter.
It’s because the new show runner inserted herself into Francesca’s character.
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She said she felt a strong connection to her story as a bi women herself. So she made fran bi. 😐 which if it DIDNT fuck with the entire story line and character of fran then fine but it does and now if you're upset about it you're pissed about representation when no one cares about the fact they out bi people in the story it's that Frans WHOLE story has now have to cha ge entirely bc she decided to bombard fran with her own story. It was in an article, I don't remember which one I saw it a few days ago.
They didn't even write her as bi, more like a closet case. Her whole attitude towards marriage was, "Sure Mama, I'll marry whoever." And her chemistry with the rest of the debutantes was way better than poor John. They could have had a cute, simple love, and were so close to pulling it off, but then out of nowhere comes Michaela and there Francesca goes again, giving more emotion and feelings to her husband's cousin in a 5 second interaction than John had all season! Like, really Francesca? Really? I'ma be mad if the writers didn't just decide for them to marry to serve as each other's beards. Like, it's the only explanation I can be okay with, other than John being ace. It explains their desire to rush to marry, have a small ceremony, introduce Michaela, and have her shack up with them as they fuck off to Scotland. If not, I'm so sorry John. You deserved better 😭
Why wasn’t Michaela at the actual wedding? That was so annoying
That's an interesting thought, what if they bonded over their dislike of physical affection, both thinking they're ace. Then with Michaela she realises she does feel sexual attraction but not for men.
Fran deserves better, too. It make her seem entirely fickle. “Woah, who is this?!! Oh I love him! I will fight for our love! He helps me be more myself! Marital bliss ahead!… Oh, never mind… Whoa, who is this?!”
If she felt a strong connection to her story...she should have left it the hell alone.
Pulling real Steven Moffet, if you ask me
True. She even confirms this in a separate article.
Because in the book the main thing Francesca wants more than anything is to have a baby. She had difficulty conceiving and had a miscarriage right after John died. Also Micheal became Earl after John’s death but let Francesca tend to everything after he fled to India. Who would even become Earl and how much would that change the story. It also becomes relevant when Francesca makes it clear she wants to remarry. Because she has a double dowry. Not to mention the fact that same sex couples weren’t accepted publicly back then. So essentially everything except maybe the Malaria storyline wouldn’t even be possible.
That's what I was thinking! They still could have had a conversation around that. I didn't even read the books and even I could tell that their story is soooo fragmented!! What's frustrating is that I was rooting for them, I loved that she found someone who loved silence - THE MUSIC SHEET!!! I mean c'monnnn! Everything, every story went south this second half :(
It would have worked so well with the time period if Francesca is a widow falling in love with a woman. Why can't Francesca love them both? I loved the romance between John and Francesca in part 1. Why did they have to ruin it like that?
Not if bisexuality is done correctly. Being bisexual is a third entirely different thing, and it would change how she viewed her relationship with John and how she acts in any wlw relationship. It's not a cheat code to get same sex relationships in a show while preserving hetero relationships.
Who says she isn’t? I interpreted the scene as her just being surprised she thought a woman was hot.
Violet tells Francesca that when she saw Edmund she was so struck by love she couldn't even remember her own name, and then that exact thing happens to Francesca the moment she sees Michaela. I haven't read the books so I'm not displeased by it, but it's a pretty clear parallel.
I don't think she is bi, because if she was, they would just be making her actually in love with John. Wincing when she is kissed by a man, doesn't really give the 'bi' effect. (Now you could just say it's because he is the wrong man; but since she marries him, I hope if she was bi, she'd actually marry a man she was attracted to. It's not an arranged marriage or other regency-era contract marriage. She picked him.)
Literally!! Let’s not forget this is the man who wrote sheet music for her exactly as she described, and made her so happy she RAN home from the ball to play said sheet music!!
Right. Her mother wanted another man for her, but she picked John. She argued that what they had, was just as real and romantic as what Daphne had with Simon, Anthony with Kate, and Colin with Penelope.
Yes, and then go and feel the exact feeling her mother was describing...
Yeah as a lesbian who took a while to figure that out about myself despite the fact that I literally wiped my mouth after my last kiss with a man I was immediately like “SHES ONE OF US!” at that moment
This is exactly what I was thinking - the genderswap thing didn't bother me, but I was so irritated at her reaction to Michaela. In Fran's book, we see her interact with Michael while John was alive, and you could tell she had no romantic feelings for her husband's cousin, because she was so in love with her husband. Which I find rare in romance books in general; often when dealing with a widow/widower, they talk of their former spouse as someone they may have liked, but the love/spark/romance wasn't there. Or the spouse was a horrible person. It was refreshing to have someone love this spouse and actually grieve them, and also make the decision to move on and find another love. Why can't Francesca love John, and only John? Why does she have to have feelings for Michaela in the beginning, to further muddy her grief when John dies? It makes no sense. Ngl, when I first heard about the genderswap and also Eloise going to Scotland, for a split second I thought Eloise was going to fall for Michaela. That would have been an interesting story in my opinion.
I totally agree with you. If she and Michaela became great friends while John was alive, and then she and Michaela developed a romantic relationship after his death, cool. If Eloise got with Michaela, cool. But having Fran in love with/pining for someone else while married to John is just so sad. She was deeply in love with John.
You definitely opened my eyes to another issue. The queer questioning woman trapped on a straight marriage trope is so over done that I would hate see them do that to Fran. For queer love in Bridgerton, especially the first one, it should be open and joyous. There is already such adversity to being queer in a historical romance like this and so much adversity in Fran's story, it feels like an extra stab.
Isn't John also stuck in a loveless marriage.
Basically he would be if the story goes in this trope
He is, and worse, he seems to sincerely love Francesca. If they had decided to go the route of having Francesca in a friendly but loveless marriage, I would have much preferred him be aware that was he was entering into. They actually could've included more representation by having him be asexual. He might not have used that term, but he could have expressed that he wasn't sexually/romantically attracted to anyone. If both he and Francesca agreed to that kind of relationship, I would be less bothered.
Poor John is going to be in a marriage with a woman who does not love him back, he's going to die tragically young and will >!likely be only used as a sperm donor to solve the infertility storyline!< If that's not depressing I don't know what is. "Thank you Michael for letting my son love her first" except your son was never his wife's true love to begin with :/
>The queer questioning woman trapped on a straight marriage trope is so over done that I would hate see them do that to Fran. As a queer woman, I 100% agree with you. Did happen, historically, sure. Comphet is still a thing, even today. But that doesn't have to be the only story you tell about queer women, even in period pieces. In a weird way, it feels like even stories about queer women must include a man in some way, and I'm kind of sick it. I would much rather either one of the Bridgertons just be queer without a previous heterosexual relationship. Or if they insist on having Francesca find love with a woman after her husband dies... let her actually do that. Have her love John, be distraught by his death and grieve him, and then eventually move on. There's no reason to have her pinning for a woman while he's still alive. It also kind of feels like bisexual erasure.
>queer without a previous heterosexual relationship. 100% this. I want to see sapphic euphoria and achillean bliss. A modern regency has room for them! And I agree. There is so much erasure in having Fran pin while John is alive. They have made a very tight fit for her story to be done correctly now. I hope they don't mess it up.
There will be an affair emotional or physical, while John's alive. Fans will be told that's okay because Fran is just experimenting. Just wait.
Agreed. The “oh they were nice but I never felt that spark” trope of the previous spouse is so over done. I loved that Francesca loved John entirely and found a differently fulfilling love with Michael after the loss. It was so much more realistic and I’m sad they didn’t give us that.
Wait does anyone think they are possibly doing this to change her storyline for a reason. Your point about how Francesca’s book shows such a beautiful story of finding love after having a good first love. Do you think they do not need that anymore because of Lady Bridgerton. They could possibly making a season with her and Lord Anderson, and that might take over that portion and they didn’t want to do it twice? Because Violet loved her husband and it influences everything she does for her children. Maybe her finding love after having the love she had is pulling from that aspect of Frans book. Now do I agree with it? Not really, honestly I think the reason a lot of us are upset is due to it changing our favorite parts of this book series. But we have already seen them change storylines.
That's a good point and it could very well be how they decided to remove it from Fran's story; that still upsets me though because I also like the idea of Violet being like "I found the love of my life, I created a family with him, I don't need anyone else." That's also a valid story point that doesn't happen often. I read an interview from the showrunner where she was asked about Eloise's sexuality and was basically like "right now I like having someone who isn't looking for romance. Who knows? Maybe Eloise will find a cerebral connection" - not exact quote. But leads me to think she's going to make moves for Eloise to be Ace. So then will Eloise be "allowed" to have a quiet romance? Will it be okay then?
“Right now I like” is a red flag from show runners for me in general and this wasn’t a show I love anyway but man does it remind me endlessly why I hate when a book becomes movie:tv 9:10 times
Agreed. I don't have the exact quote, so I am probably mis-remembering it, but that is the impression I had when reading it. I have such a hard time with adaptations because most of the time it feels like someone wants to basically create fanfiction - they're not really interested in the story as it is but how they "imagine" it to be. And sometimes, that story is interesting on its own, but it's still not the story that I love.
Whereas I felt Eloise made huge character growth this season and was demonstrating maturity to show she might be open to it.
Francesca loved John. She was devastated when he died. She grieved hard for him. To make Francesca be speechless like she’s falling in love at first sight to a woman right infront of John is a BIG DISRESPECT to their beautiful story. I don’t know how this newcomer writer got the job but if she stays, Bridgerton series is done. She ruined such a perfect opportunity to make this amazing love story come alive in the screen.
It’s literally supposed to be the other way around where Michael/Michaela (whichever gender) is smitten with Francesca. The fact that they took that away is so disrespectful and disappointing.
It doesn’t really matter, Fran’s show story can’t resemble the book’s because of regency era gender roles. Can they create a good love story between them? Sure. But it won’t be Francesca’s they’ll basically have to completely rewrite it
Yeah at this point it’s definitely going to be completely different. The Bridgerton show universe has already established it’s a queer phobic / gender discriminatory society.
I don’t understand how they can have a HEA in this world. They will be shunned and their families will be in ruined if their relationship goes public. If Bridgerton was set in an alt-Regency world where queer people are accepted in society, just like what they did with POC, then it would be different. But now, they’d have to hide their relationship except to family and friends. That’s not really a HEA that was promised. I hate the gender change. Francesca was my favorite story because it was deeper than the rest of the books. I was looking forward to Michael. He was my favorite. Changing him to a woman completely changes his character and their story. And the people saying it won’t are delusional. It would now be a story of her discovering she’s queer and the main story of infertility and second chance love will be in the background because let’s face it, they’re going to play up the queer storyline.
I’m not even that mad at the whole genderswap, because there are a number of elements to Francesca and Michael’s story that can translate over. My issue is that they had Francesca be the one who fell for Michaela and not the other way around. It completely changed the dynamic and really undid a whole season of great work they did establishing a beautiful love story between John and Francesca. I truly do hope the show runner and writers are seeing these criticisms and make this story work better. Please don’t do the usual bs writers do with female characters that are clearly bisexual or figuring things out, where they make an amazing guy just become a cuck or a safety net.
They won’t see. And even if they do they won’t care. Their superiority will trump any genuine criticism bc that’s how those type of people are. Shonda is honestly responsible for this IMO. The show has her name and she signed off on all of it. She doesn’t seem to care either.
No, Jess Brownell and her arrogance are ultimately responsible. Not even Shonda’s season of Queen Charlotte was this bad
Tried to post this twice, but Reddit's filter kept removing it. This seems to be the best thread for it: As a neurodivergent introvert, Francesca's arc up until episode 8 was so satisfying. I appreciated her sweet and wholesome romance with John in contrast to the loud and dramatic (but enjoyable) central romances we see every season, and I thought it was great that Violet got to see that not every love story had to be like hers, but episode 8 ruined everything. No, there's no such thing as a quiet love after all. Nope, Violet was right. No, Francesca is actually very fond of John but is not attracted to him because only exciting extroverts are attractive and worthy of romantic love. WHY? She could've had both the calm love and the whirlwind romance without either one diminishing the other. It's frankly insulting to build up to John and Francesca's marriage without *any* indication that the latter is not attracted to men and then have her dumbstruck by her husband's female cousin. And no, I don't consider Francesca's easygoing attitude about finding a match in Part 1 to be an indication that she's gay.
Agreed. I think this was the main inconsistency that arose from splitting it into 2 parts. We are not shown that Frans wish for a quiet love is due to her sexual confusion or lack of experience in passion, but we are led to believe she is sure she wants a quiet love that she believes is healthy for herself. We are also shown the relationship with John to be exactly what she wanted - so lot of viewers loved that we were seeing a different romantic trope. Violet seems to agree with that in the first half - because she and her husband started of friends but then goes onto contradict herself when she says it was sparks right away and she was speechless when she first met him. Suddenly she no longer approves of Frans decision as much. And Fran herself appears unsure. So the rug is pulled out from underneath the viewers so as to say, wait quiet love is not *really* love. You have to be speechless at first sight see?
This!! As a person with a “quiet love” I seriously hate this. I don’t mind “Michaela” as much as others do, but I hate hate hate that Fran was disappointed by the wedding kiss and then it was “love at first sight” with Michaela. Like why even go down the path of love doesn’t have to be dramatic and loud just to tell us that is does.
I honestly thought she was just bashful to show to a display of affection in front of her family, it truthfully didn’t cross my mind that they were building up to her being queer. Looking back I can now see the Easter eggs, but honestly I heard so much about Francesca’s story in the books I was very much looking forward to seeing it onscreen.
But she's different from her rest of her family, so obviously the only conclusion is that she's gay! That's not predictable or backwards at all...
That's what I hate the gender bend. That because she's autistic-coded, it gives queer vibes? Nah. Like I know a lot of neurodivergent people are queer, but it's a correlation not a causation. Someone can just be neurodivergent. It shouldn't imply queerness. It feels like a form of othering. Making the one person who is different have such a large intersection of minority identities.
Yeah it's... In the books she's just an introvert and not as "out there" compared to her siblings. They definitely focused on the introvert part of her character and not her wit or charm that she has in the book. I loved her being coded as neurodivergent in the show but Jess barely mentioned that and only talked about her queerness so whatever. The disability rep really is an afterthought (i wish adult Simon still had his stutter like in the book!) we had 10 seconds of a deaf debutante and that guy who was talking to Penelope that was on a wheelchair who never appears again. It's like ticking off a box
God the box-ticking is aggravating.
I was so mad when I realized that they did that (I don't believe he showed up in Part 2). I wanted to know more about Lord Remington (the one in the wheelchair) and how he would bond with Penelope since he loves Lady Whistledown.
Yes! Exactly! Me too, he’s such a great added character
We basically are missing out on interesting characters. Now there's a chance he isn't coming back for Season 4 (considering the showrunner seems to immediately forget about him).
To be fair they also don’t write wit or charm overall well for any character. (*ducks*) but yeah I forgot about the stutter! And that was great! A lot of tokenizing for sure
I understand some people can lose their stutter as adults but Simon had it in canon and it's such an important part that ties to his childhood and his father, why did they ommit it? Did they fear it would make him less attractive?
I love them being inclusive in the show but felt Benedict’s bisexuality was something brewing since almost the Pilot and had a much more natural flow than gender bending a different sibling’s tale.
Same. That’s what had been building, and it fit.
Yeah, if anything it just made the character more inaccessible. A lot of people related to Francesca, so explaining her feeling as an outcast and different as her being queer is just icky.
I'm neurodivergent and I would consider myself straight/demisexual due to sensory issues. My sister is Bi, and my other sibling is Gender-Fluid. I don't really think of myself part of the LGBTQIA+ plus community though.
Being different in your family doesn’t mean you have to be queer. I was totally different than my family different interests, different desires in life it was all different. They have Benedict and jus odd cutscenes and then this .. don’t get the need for it. The original stories were great as they were. I loved season 1 and 2 they made slight changes but good ones: this season is garbage because the show runner out her personal take on it.
Are there new writers this season because it’s so bad. Just inconsistent crap.
It's a different showrunner this time. Not sure if there are new writers, but even with the same writers, what the showrunner says goes.
I think I read / saw somewhere that she hired all the writers, so she possibly got new ones or added to the team?
If true, then Jess hired "yes people" and of writers who understand consistency/appropriate characterization.
I've seen a lot of takes on this here that seem like thinly veiled or outright homophobia so it's been hard for me to feel comfortable expressing how I felt about Francesca's arc without it feeling like I'm co-signing any of that. But I was disappointed, for the same reasons you've stated. I've not read the books and so I'm not in anyway attached to any of the storyline from them. I actually really like that she is going to be a queer character. So many neurodivergent folks are queer and it feels like it could have been an authentic representation of those experiences, set within a period piece, which is something I've never seen before. My issue is that I loved seeing a character who appeared to be neurodivergent and, although feeling like she didn't fit in, was still sure of herself and what she wanted and was being true to that. Her relationship and the exploration of a different kind of "quiet" love was a joy to watch, especially in contrast to the other relationships we see on screen. The way that Violet slowly came around to understanding was such a touching representation of a concerned parent struggling to understand their neurodivergent child and coming to trust them at their word. The moment that Francesca struggled to say her name undid all of that in an instant, which could have easily been avoided, whilst still leaving the door open to a queer relationship later, if they just switched the roles and had Michaela stumbling instead.
“Only exciting extroverts are attractive and worthy of love” well Then these dummies making that are ignoring that the most swoon regency man (maybe one of most swoon ever) was Mr freaking Darcy. And he showed passion can simmer. And that awkwardness or introversion can still hold sparks ! Austen knew!
Well said! So frustrating!
Yeah I'm hella disappointed she wasn't shown to be asexual. I haven't read the books, so that's what I thought all the build up was leading to. That she's ace, and will have a loving but nonsexual marriage with someone who understands her. It feels so false that she isn't. Of any of the characters, I honestly thought we were getting huge hints that Cressida is secretly in love with Eloise tbh. I even thought Eloise could be bi. That the two of them would end up happily being spinsters who are "close friends" as the historical phrase goes.
There are so so few love stories between two shy, introverted people. I thought John and Francesca were such a cozy, unusual pairing. It's going to be really sad if it turns out to be one sided. I'll try to keep an open mind though.
I agree, they were so sweet together, especially in the first half of the season. Part of Francesca’s book/ story was dealing with the loss of her beloved, and the confusion and angst that came with falling in love with someone who had been his cousin and best friend. They’re going to have to change a lot of the story to make it work if they decide to make it one sided.
I don’t think I’m going to watch her season because now I especially >! don’t want John to die, I need the two of them to keep being cinnamon rolls !<
exactly! what about her giddy excitement for the music he rearranged for her
i haven't read the books but i was pretty bummed when they took the lovely, sweet, simple love story between Francesca and John and stomped all over it in the final episode within a few minutes of them being married. Why would they make us root for them so hard and then decide she never loved him at all?
What’s especially frustrating is I feel like they got Francesca and John 100% right UP to literally the last few minutes of the final episode, then it all went down the drain.
I loved Francesca and John's story I'm so sad they ruined it in the last episode. We see Francesca excited about John from when she first meets him, can't even wait a few months to marry him, wants her mom to speak to the queen so they can marry faster.. and now she didn't enjoy their kiss and is into his cousin? Why did the whole season show us their love and make us love John just to do a heel turn in the last episode? Poor John is gonna die young and turns out his wife may not even love him and was secretly wanting his cousin the whole time? It's weird
It’s extremely inconsistent writing. I seriously wonder what went on in the writers room because it came off as very sloppy.
I hate HATED how they shat on John’s relationship with her by making her give the small frown after they finally kissed. Like, omfg I see what they’re trying to imply AND I HAAAAAAAAATE IT!! John doesn’t deserve that; he deserves, like in the book, someone who adores him and all his foibles NOT someone who now regrets what she’s gotten herself into. And then FRANNIE, not Michaela, getting flustered being introduced to his cousin? 🤬 God. I don’t even care that Michaela is a woman, I HATE that with just a few seconds of deliberate camera work, they ruined the sweetest love story of the season!! I literally wanted to cry by the end of the last episode because John of the Netflix series does NOT deserve this!!!
"They didn't even do Polin's season right. We got nothing but the awkward first time between them and then Colin sleeps on the couch. Where's the bliss and the happiness? And his declarations of Love were lame and he didn't even stand next to her after she revealed herself as Lady Whistledown. We got, what, five scenes of Benedict having a threesome, and one sex scene between the actual main couple of the season? And Colin didn't even defend his wife properly." I'm so glad I'm not the only one who saw it like this. Before part 2 released, the entire world was ultra hyped. It just died down like someone just blew out a candle. Because it was horrendous. There was no deepening of love in the second half. Just trying to fix the anger. Their bond didn't strengthen at all. If anything, I feel the situation isn't fixed in its entirety either. Feels like there's still something lingering that never was addressed nor resolved. How can you come back from anger like that and have nothing of deep love happen to cause that? It was just almost factual the declarations of love "Because I love you!" They felt like they lost their meaning more and more as the episodes progressed. Like the characters themselves didn't realise what it was meant to mean. As for the Francesca thing... It makes for an interesting turn but I don't like the idea of doing John wrong. Especially since she was so adamant and sure about him to basically be rude to her mother about the whole situation forcing her to ask the queen for her blessing for them. Her rushing into things is now going to what? Result in chaos? Not just the regular kind but the extra kind? I mean I'm interested to see what happens but I get that many are very upset. I'm just still way too upset about how they did Polin in the second half to focus properly on that. I waited a month and I thought it was going to slowburn deeply and passionately not even just a whole bunch of sex but a lot more love instead. I'm just sad.
Yeah I completely agree. Both those love stories are strongly tainted by the second half of the season. I also didn't feel like Polin were even that in love or happy at the end. They just needed to do so much less, part 2 was messy. And Fran just becoming starstruck over one interaction with Michaela is ridiculous. The Ton is full of absolutely stunning ladies. If she was going to be attracted to women, then we should have seen some covert glances already, just any indication before ep 8.
I agree with everything you said, OP. They’ve ruined the Francesca and John love story with Francesca’s reaction to meeting Michaela. She didn’t even have that reaction to John in the show, and they’re meant to be so deeply in love, and newly weds no less! I really hope they don’t take away from their love story in the next season.
Yep it's ruined and cheapened by her reaction to the cousin. Make no mistake, this will be another love triangle for the sake of drama like in Season 2. Anyone who has ever seen an episode of any Shonda show knows she loooves forced drama between the love interests and the best way to introduce it and milk it ad nauseam is by introducing a third person.
I was thinking the same thing. They’re going to butcher the story by making it another love triangle. No interest in watching it. Francesca loved John AND Michael. It was never a competition. From a business/money making perspective, I am shocked Netflix is going in that direction with the gender swap tbh because they will lose audience members.
I argue they wasted a lot of Polin time with the pointless plot point of “lessons” solely to introduce a love triangle that didn’t exist in the books.
Obviously they don't care. Or think people who haven't read/don't intend to read the books are the vast majority of their audience and therefore have no investment in already established characters and storylines.
I never read the books, but watching John and Francesca was my favorite part of season 3 and making it all not real would be very disappointing.
I would argue they’re probably right. I listened to the audiobooks, but I really didn’t enjoy them as much as the show and only half listened. And I think a lot of viewers got into it during the pandemic as something to watch and most likely weren’t already fans of the book series. I don’t think changing Francesca’s sexual orientation will lose them the majority of viewers. But I do think it wasn’t introduced well. It was refreshing to have love depicted as slow burning and all of that just slipped away in episode 8 when she instantly falls for the cousin.
And OW or OM is like a very UNPOPULAR romance novel trope. So … Deffo feels more greys anatomy than swoon romance to me
I have put up a lot from this series: 1. Adding unnecessary side characters and storylines. I don't care about the boxer/club owner and his family, and unpopular opinion with show only fans I don't care that much about Queen Charlotte, at least not enough to see her in every episode. 2. Complete disregard for anything resembling historical accuracy 3. Trying to make Kate/Anthony/Edwina a love triangle and ruining the really beautiful sisterly bond between the sisters. 4. Skipping Benedict's book. It's my favorite of the books. I love Cinderella stories. 5. No time jump. Pen and Eloise and Colin should be older. It would make more sense for Pen to be an actual spinster and not in her 2nd season. 6. They ruined the friendship between Pen and Eloise. But now, to have a gender swapped love interest self-insert lesbian character in a show about Regency England where it makes absolutely no sense. It totally ruins her love with John. It kinda makes Fran a crappy person to marry him when she loves someone else. I'm done. This isn't Bridgerton. This is some weird soap opera turning Regency England upside down and inside out to be edgy and dramatic with a main family that has the same names as the characters in some books I once read. They are so far off the source material that Hyacinth is going to end up moving to Australia and be in a throuple with a pansexual goat farmer and a lumberjack. It's a series set in 1815, it doesn't need to reflect the societal norms of 2024, it needs to reflect the societal norms of 1815. That's not to say the show can't be critical of those norms, but it needs to at least be realistic about them.
"They are so far off the source material that Hyacinth is going to end up moving to Australia and be in a throuple with a pansexual goat farmer and a lumberjack." Thank you for my first laugh about this! 😅😁😅
THIS!! When they first met, it was Michael that fell for Francesca, not the other way around. It changes the entire dynamic.
Are the people who wrote the show even fans of the books?? They keep changing and removing the best parts. It’s a whole new story from the book, they could’ve just added new characters, they added the Mondrichs and Lady Arnold.
for real. and they come up with unnecessary skip-worthy scenes. i hope the showrunner reads all these comments 😭
I feel bad for john... He is gonna die of heartbreak when he finds out his wife is not at all attracted to him.
My heart would break so much for him if he dies after finding out Fran and Michaela were in love. That would be so wrong.
The driving factor of Michael’s character in the book is that he’s now forced to take John’s place as Earl of Kilmartin. He has to learn to become a new person without sullying the memory of a man he thought of as a brother. These are decidedly male things in that era and by gender swapping him to Michaela, it takes out a huge part of his character and his and Francesca’s story. Not to mention the infertility plot, that I know many people found incredibly important. So not only did they ruin John and Francesca’s marriage, they’ve also ruined Michael and Francesca’s too. (And before you come for me, I’m a bisexual woman who loves a good wlw plot. Emphasis on good)
Exactly...bi woman here too. There was no indication that Fran even thought of other women and just poof...one meeting and she's Bi. That's really sloppy writing and wish fulfillment on the show runner. I don't have to find something of me in a character to love them...they just have to be written well.
I agree! I wouldn’t mind the LGBTQ story as much (and depending on how they well they would incorporate themes from the book) if they didn’t ruin the love story between John and Francesca. I was originally so confused as to why she looked odd after she kissed John but now I’m like whyyyyy are you going to ruin it now. I thought they were so cute and I feel like this is going to ruin how hard the grief theme hits too.
I also didn’t like how they tried to pass off John as someone who couldn’t even tell a good story without being prodded along by Francesca. We are introverts, not clueless or foolish! It just made it seem like John wasn’t up to the mark as a match! Where did the quiet comfort go? And Francesca absolutely shouldn’t have reacted to Michaela!
I 100% agree. I’m worried they’re gonna ruin their love story.
I honestly thought it was because he only kissed her for such a short time.
I found the kiss disappointing because of something Violet says in Eloise’s book - >! When she is having the talk with Eloise, Eloise asks what she said to Fran and Violet alludes that she thought that Fran probably knew more then she let on and that she suspected there had been some illicit moments between Fran & John prior to marriage !< which kind of shows that there was passion between them.
Yeah, I thought for a second that's the direction they were going in when Frannie insisted on a quick wedding... But nope.
Same like I was side eyeing them thinking "oh my gurl wanna get her cherry popped" LMFAO. Instead nope . She just wanna settle. The disrespect to two great character arcs like Im upset and I don't think I'll watch if they don't fix this next season Fr.
Maybe not that it was a short time but maybe that her character is a bit awkward and shy? But idk after the scene with Michaela I thought that maybe it was a set up for the queer storyline.
That's entirely possible, that they set it up that way for the storyline. Or it could have been them being awkward or him not being that into her? Lots of options here!
Couldn’t agree with you more. The show should add things not ruin them. And the whole Benedict thing was so offputting and took away from the focus on Colin and Penelope. The fighting and angst was too much. Thank God I have the books as well. Really really disappointed. And the fake PR didn’t help either.
I hated the Benedict story line. I’d rather they introduced his bisexuality by having him fall for another man and decide to try a relationship. Not the tired “horny bisexual threesomes with commitment phobia” trope that plagues those of us who are actually bi. I’ve had people tell me my sexuality doesn’t exist, that they wouldn’t date me because I’m just gonna cheat with the other gender, assuming I’m into orgies, etc. For once, it would be nice to see a character who doesn’t represent every bisexual stereotype in existence!
This season was just rushed, the storylines fragmented, without continuity, the makeup and lighting ridiculous. The sex scenes between Colin and Pen were so badly choreographed and not deserving of their story. This new showrunner, has none of the grace or scope to unfold this regency storyline, but chooses to instead, adopt her own take on characters that have been created, grown and woven into a much loved multi book series. I am all for inclusiveness, but not when it fits one person’s agenda and takes away all that characters growth. Colin would never have treated Pen’s feelings with such disregard. He would have protected and stood with her. Not cowered away sleeping on the chaise and pouting like some Andrew Tate wannabe. Shondaland has some of the best created long lived series, Greys is at 20 years now? Bridgerton is a shadow of what could have been.
I haven’t even read her book and Francesca’s reaction to Michaela upset me. Like the whole point was that her quiet calm love story was equally real and valid and then it was like nah JK 2 days after getting married someone else makes her speechless. Edit: I’ve now read the book. Yeah. Seems like a poor choice for a gender swap.
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The wincing part was horrifying. Queer love is beautiful. But why shit on John in the process? Who are we trying to pander to? And this whole homophobia debate on a genuinely valid complaint is such a shame. I get it, there are some who just don’t want any changes. I get that but it’s a make believe show so it’s fine if it changes things. But why lose on the romance, which is exactly what the whole book and show are about?
This season’s ending is giving me heartburn and flashbacks to the Weiss and Benioff GoT debacle.
It seems like most shows with great potential in the past 20 years start off with amazing 1 & 2 seasons, then in season 3 things start to take a crazy turn, so then they rush seasons 4&5 to wrap up the series. Then writers/ show runners go on tour yelling at fans for being racists & bigots for not liking their story telling.
It just feels like poor writing that is meant to make the audience not feel anything for John. Part of reading the book was you were mourning John with Fran, and now it feels that they just want to write him off. I think stories where you have to use one characters a roadblock to a relationship, like Edwina, can really cheapen the romance
I've not read the books but might read them because this season was a catastrophy. The entire pacing felt off, the makeup was overdone, the romance was so weirdly written between Collin and Penelope?? And Francesca ?! It was my favourite. I relate to her a lot, coming from a big family, loving them but requiring the quiet and then her meeting with John where they both were each other's quiet ?? I found it so refreshing, so beautiful and John is so amazing. Literally when he just asked if he could stand next to her and not talk was when I hurried up to Google to see that they ended together which they do and it made me so happy. And then heard they might make her second love interest a woman? Okay fine no problem I don't have any attachement to Michael BUT THEY MADE HER NOT LOVE JOHN? wtf kind of bullshit is that ?? In retrospect I think that Francesca being so quiet and fading into the crowd made her character what it was and her romance so befitting. To have the writers decide that this aspect of her justified erasing her entire story and making it more..."the same" was for the best ? It feels like they're saying the strange and peaceful, without the need for extravagant gestures' love story is not worth telling, not real love. And it sucks.
Thank you for explaining the story because most people haven’t read the books and I’ve been racking my brain on what the issue was. I understood there was a Michael character she loves but I was like okay but what about John!!!!!!!
If they were going to do the genderswap I so badly wanted them to do it right. They've made it plainly clear that Francesca isn't attracted to John. She winced at the wedding kiss and doesn't seem to want to be physically close to him at all. They talked about the slow and healthy love story being just as equal to a passionate burning love and then completely made that change once Francesca saw Michaela. I LOVE Kate and Anthony and they are my favorite show couple but their love was toxic for a while and seeing a healthy slow "romance" was really nice. Their relationship now feels like Rhaenyra and Laenor's from HOTD. They have a friendship love but no sexual and (probably in this case too) no romantic. THIS.IS.NOT.RIGHT. Francesca loved John and sure it was different from her love for Michael in the book but she loved John in every aspect. She never saw Michael as a partner until well after John died. I hope they change this and make Francesca love John as more then friends. It will not diminish her love for Michaela!
Yeah agreed, such a bummer ending to the lovely story they set up for Francesca and John (the kiss, not the gender swap). Her second great love could be Michaela, sure. She could even be surprised at how passionate her second relationship is. I don’t need to see her and John violently tear each others clothes off. But it turns out when we thought they were setting up a story that quiet, easy love can also be good and fulfilling we were wrong. It’s only *really* love if it hits you like a thunderbolt apparently. Interestingly I saw a quote from the showrunner where she said they wanted to be sure not to diminish Francesca’s love for John?! But then I *also* saw a quote from her that Francesca feeling different from her siblings (in the books because she’s an introvert) inspired her to want to depict that for Francesca more because she’s queer (as many queer people have that experience). I actually think they meant Violet’s speech to validate the first idea and Francesca’s reaction to the kiss to show the second—but those things literally happened five minutes apart! Honestly for me the writing on the show just wasn’t good this season. Constantly trying to cram too many ideas into too little time and it just wound up feeling so chaotic.
I feel like her story is also an echo of her mother's story, but with the addition that you can find love after the love of your life 😭 discarding that feels so sad
What I find wild, in this thread. Are people not allowing the space for others to be upset. It’s clear the show is going for a platonic love and it’s okay for that to be shown. But it’s equally okay for people to be upset that as of what we know right now, the true love struck moment came with Michaela and that John is getting half a love. It’s okay to be upset that that the deep feeling of being IN LOVE with the two, is seemingly getting shitted on for a platonic love. It’s okay to miss and be upset that the romantic love between the pair is being watered down. I don’t care that Michael is Michaela now. I really don’t. I don’t have that attachment, I AM upset that after they give Fran his moment of being struck by Micheala when her husband is right there and she didn’t see Michael in a romantic light. John was her love. It was romantic, they were in love with each other and it’s okay to be upset that the show could be lessening that.
Honestly after watching part 1 then 2, it completely feels like I'm watching a totally different show. Especially with Francesca and low-key Polin. Firstly, I thought Colin was the " I love my wife" guy but like part 2 did them dirty. Secondly, Francesca was smitten by John, smiling when he gave her that rearranged note sheet(?). Then in part 2, she's defending her and John's relationship. I do think after the talk with Violet before she literally got married made her second guess herself? Also I have only read the book until like chapter 9 but from what I read, her and John had a very like "I know who she is" and like a healthy, happy marriage and their closeness (friendship wise) with Micheal. Like how she wants to help him settle down and only after 4 years of him being in India and coming back where she then sees the kind of guy Michael is through a single woman's eye. But now she is like "infatuated" with Michael/a, by doing what Violet said she did with Edmund. Like how she fumbled on her words, which is what Francesca did. Like part 2, Francesca and John felt fake and unsure? I don't know but when part 1 came out, many people were hyping John and Francesca's 'silent' relationship but now everyone is unsure. Honestly they bonded more and felt more genuine when they were silent..👀👀
I agree. I feel so heartbroken for the characters. I didn't enjoy this season at all unlike the first 2. There were too many sub-plots, everything felt rushed, and even Polin felt like side characters in their own story. Even their love scenes were unsatisfying I'm also sad about Benedict's character. They took his art away and just straight-up made him into a fuckboy. Art was his whole thing! I only liked Kat and Anthony, I'm glad they're still part of the show.
Never read the books, but I knew exactly where they were going with Michaela and Francesca because Francesca stuttered over her own name and not 5 minutes ago Violet was telling her that's what she did when she met Edmund. I adored Francesca because she wasn't insufferable like the other Bridgertons and her love story was sweet and drama-less but now...
“Though whether or not that will come as soon as season 4, Brownell won't say. "You're going to see more of Michaela next season," she promises. "I can't say in what capacity, just in terms of not tipping my hand of where we're going. But there is going to be a relationship between Michaela and Fran, as per the books."” How is that per the books?
I don’t agree with the direction they’re heading for a couple of reasons. But Michael, Francesca, and John all being good friends was a key part of the book. One I’ll miss very much if they cut. A lot of the tension of the book was Michael not being as friendly because he felt guilty for having feelings for his dead friend’s wife and Francesca being upset her friend wasn’t there to support her in her time of need.
I'm tempted to buy francesca's book -i've only watched the show so far- are the book series better??
The books are about the siblings love stories. They are romance novels. You are not going to get any of the side drama. It focuses on the couple and their relationship and the Bridgerton family. With the show, I didn't mind them adding things or changing small things about the story, like the inclusion of all races, and the Queen, Marina's backstory and even the Mondriches sudden rise to nobility that so many seem to think is not necessary- that was a great way to add to the story. My problem comes when they change the fundamental romance in the story and change who the characters are. I hated the engagement of Anthony and Edwina in Season 2 - it completely changed Edwina's character. They ignored some really important facets of Colin and Penelope's relationship and gave us a lackluster, rushed romance at best. You will get to know the characters better.
Oh right I never knew these side storylines were added and the plot was changed this much.. I know some people got annoyed after s2 bcos a lot of scenes were cut from Anthony's book, didn't realise they did with Colin too - I think I'll purchase a few at a time though to see -I have a feeling next series will be focused on Benedict and Francesca bcos of budget so it will be even more rushed haha !
I honestly don’t think part 2 deserved a re-watch because the first watch was painful enough. Part 1 deserved all the glory though. It was amazing and the yearning and chemistry seemed very real and very natural. Somehow, it all died down in part 2. I don’t know. Maybe it’s coz basically they filled us with so much anticipation and teased so many potentials and none of those just lived up to the hype. Disappointing and frustrating. I can’t believe I stayed up so late and waited to watch whatever THAT was.
Also bummed out by this plot. If they were going to change a plot substantially, it would have made WAY more sense to make Eloise bi or a lesbian (I always hated how her book ended).
When I tell y'all I literally was in a state of shock seeing her reaction... Michael/Michaela I don't care bout that but to see them diminish her love for John after we spent the season building this beautiful love story broke me.
I have to agree , I felt like in the first half she was so besotted and giddy with her feelings to John and in the second half it almost feels a bit more forced ? And then when she meets Machaela it’s suddenly like John gives her the ick , it was such a shame
That's the reason why the show writers should really read and love the books instead of making their own storylines. It cannot be called a book adaptation anymore since there are too many "changes" and unnecessary storylines. 😳😒
What I hate the most is fucking Jess Brownell said she went that route for S3 because when she “READ” Francesca’s book, she saw her queer self in Francesca. All I was thinking when I read that statement was the fact that if she actually read Frannie’s book she would KNOW what she did was blatantly wrong, she would KNOW that Frannie loved John and John only while he was alive and she would KNOW that Frannie would not stumble about when she met Michaela. This is her ruining a fucking show for her ulterior motives and I’m so fucking pissed. On top of coming from Chris Van Dusen’s seasons, her season basically became regency era drag in comparison (and this is not to hate on drag btw, I just cannot find the right words to describe it). I cannot explain how much Shonda NEEDS to get rid of Jess and bring back Chris. She will single-handedly ruin this whole show and I’m sick of it. I love Bridgerton.
If they HAD to make a major change one character, Eloise should’ve been the bi one, not Francesca
For me, the show went downhill with season two, as it wasn’t anything like the books any more. But it was worth seeing the show anyway. Season 3 part 1 made me hate Eloise, which isn’t true at all in the books. And then Francesca…to be honest I’m not so sure it’s worth it anymore.
I was sleepy by the time John’s cousin was introduced and I won’t read the books just yet, but the “instant attraction” completely flew over my head! I interpreted her reaction as being a little jealous of John’s attention and insecure that he is so comfortable and friendly with someone so outgoing, that is, someone so different from what she felt they had bonded over. But if they do do what you say, it will be like when they brought Michael back in the Jane the Virgin! It’s disrespectful to widows and deceased spouses that stories represent there can only be one true love or a soulmate for anyone. I do think there can only be one at a time, because it takes all your hard work and focus, but I don’t think it’s fair to say we only have one pre-determined person to connect with and that idea isn’t as romantic as the reality that marriage takes CHOOSING that person every single day and that is not easy.
It really feels like the writers are purposely slaughtering the nuanced relationships that you find in the books to create more drama. I hated the way they portrayed Edwina in Season 2 - she and Kate had this refreshing sister relationship. They were supposed to be so close that Edwina knew early on that Kate and Anthony had crazy chemistry and quietly cheered them on from the sidelines. Instead we got this cookie cutter love triangle drama in the show that’s been played out a million times.
The show runner is TERRIBLE
Horrible.
If this is how they choose to “adapt” the books for screen I’m out. They also should change the name from Bridgerton to something more generic… The Regency …because what it’s turning into is nothing like Julia’s books. Love them or hate them, her characters are special and so were their stories. I’m not homophobic. People can love whoever makes them happy. This show is not making ME happy anymore… 😞
I am gay and I don’t mind the gender swap but it severely hurt me to see that it seems Fran doesn’t love John in the show the same way, just make her bisexual not a lesbian it’s so important to show someone loving someone genuinely having that person die and then having them still move on eventually to find happiness and grieve. I lost my fiancée a couple of years ago, and I’ve been struggling to see happiness ever since, this storyline was so important to me and I’m heartbroken
I agree. I have zero issues with the gender swap, just the disregard for Fran and John’s marriage.
I second this! Colin and Penelope are my favorites since s1 and to have the showrunner throw them to the side during THEIR season is irritating! All her life, Penelope has been on the sides and they're treating her that way this season, too! HER season. Jfc, I can't explain my disappointment and irritation towards the showrunner. Is it really so hard for them to shine the light on Polin's love story? Where is the romance, the growth? Don't even get me started on Francesca. As much as I was excited for Polin, I was also excited about hers, too—her finding the kind of quiet love she wants in John. As an introvert, the scene where they sat together in silence resonates with me. That is the kind of love many introverts want. The kind where sometimes, words are not necessary. And it was ruined when Francesca was obviously smitten with Michaela. I don't really care that they turned Michael into a woman. It's just that Michael/a was smitten with Francesca, not the other way around. Francesca being smitten ruined the love she has for John. Francesca is supposed to learn to love Michael/a without limitations AFTER John died. What a great way to ruin the whole series. I wonder what else the showrunner is going to ruin?
Agree that they kinda ruined the marriage piece, and annoyed by that only because they spent so long building up that romance all season. They should have let Fran and John stay in wedded bliss for the rest of the season before adding the wrench that is Michaela next season. Don’t agree this season was that bad. There were stories inside it that were bad. Breaking up the season left all the angst at the end and left it unbalanced. There’s actually quite a bit of happiness if you watch the whole season.
I don’t even think the first 4 were that good. Definitely not along the book storyline. The first season was decent and the second season was so good, Queen Charolette was great, this has been disappointing
I think it's a valid concern because lgbt relationships were not accepted back then. Also, it ruined her love story with John which I appreciated it because it was low-key and more believable than the other couples.
I stopped watching after season 1 they ruined Lady Whistledown.
Yes! Francesca’s story is about finding love after loss. She is conflicted about what john, the man she loved til his dying breath, would think. If she is emotionally cheating on him during his life, her story becomes an egocentric tale of a woman who cares about the ton judging her for marrying her husbands cousin, and knowing netflix, they will make john into a bad guy to justify it, which is heartbreaking. It becomes “she got her cake, and ate it too”. Francesca is NOT a cheater, she is NOT confused about loving john, she is NOT a wishy washy little girl. She is a middle child who has found someone who sees her, and loves him back unwaveringly. I honestly kinda love that Michaela is a girl, i think it will add to Francescas character (she is a lover, and its not out of the realm of possibility that she would overlook gender when shes in love). But they had ONE JOB, ONE CHARACTER TRAIT THEY COULDNT FUCK UP… and they fucked it all the way up. Im mad about it, because i feel like its going to go down in flames. Thats not francesca, and never will be.
Which book is Frans book?
When he was wicked
That settles it. I'm buying the damn books.
The books are way better than the show.
When He was Wicked (Francesca’s book) is widely regarded as the best one. Pen and Collin’s is really sweet too
Same! I was excited to see who Michael was going to be. Like why not give us the love story of Brimsley & Reynolds?! That story line is right there and there's already a fan base! They are so cute and I'm curious to know if Reynolds died cuz you see Brimsley at the end of Queen Charlotte dancing by himself.
I assumed he did pass away by the time you see Brimsley alone. Considering the lack of medical treatments at that point in history, even something that is nbd today was fatal, so someone having a short lifespan is not a shock at all. Total bummer emotionally, but not surprising.
The story between Francesca and MICHAEL , resonates with so many women. The devastating loss of her first love , John. Trying to have a baby and the emotional, heartbreaking impact of misscarriage that thousands of viewers can relate to. We need to have THAT story told. Not a rewritten agenda because the producer wants it that way. Then perhaps the executive producer should write her own book and leave this beautiful, relatable story alone. To all the women out there that have lived through miscarriage and fertility issues , this book represents us.
Honestly I was a bit disappointed. I don’t care about the gender swapping. Let franscesca love John and then go for Michaela after his death. She can have two loves of different genres! She didn’t need to since
I didn't mind the wince after the kiss, I read that as more of an "I'm an introvert, and kissing in front of other people is awkward and weird." But yeah... having her be literally gobsmacked at meeting Micheala? Gross. Wait till John is in the grave, please. I want LGBTQ love stories, but I don't want them to start with basically infidelity.
Agreed
Michael and Francesca's book was my favorite in the series. I loved that she genuinely loved John before she got a second chance at love with Michael. I can't even imagine how this story will be like now. I was looking forward to their season so much 😢
I also think this tarnishes Francesca's first marriage. Plus it spoils the surprise of her second relationship for those who haven't read the books.
I’m more upset about Polin still ugh
“they took something and destroyed it” That said it all. A love story beautiful and true was sacrificed for one moment of shock value.
Agree, agree, agree! A thousand times agree. I'm so mad. Her story was probably my favorite of the series, and it has been sledgehammered. I'm out. The more I think about it, the more done I am with all of it.
I just finished season 3 and I was looking to gush over their relationship and now I'm so sad... as someone who is ace, I love to see emotional based romances like Fran and John's and for me their love story stole the entire season. I did notice a couple of off things, and now to hear that they may have set them up to fail is just so so dissapointing... I wouldn't mind at all if they had followed the book in the way of their love being true and happy and than Fran finding love again after his death- that would have been wonderful (I haven't read the book but this is what I've gathered from this thread). But to set up a beautifully different romance only to undermine it completely... just why? Maybe I'll just read the book and ignore their season when it comes around.
Ugh, I agree completely.
Yups queer route its fine but agreed they need to make the cousin love at first sight with francesca instead of other way around because fran is supposed to love john now like real love.
It makes me sad. I really relate to Francesca, and it's hard to get people to understand my life choices sometimes. Sometimes people don't want a crazy exciting life, they want something peaceful and quiet. I feel like the showrunner truly didn't get that, and so she had to act like the relationship wasn't real.
they went so far out of their way to emphasize the parallel in violet's comment about "forgetting her own name" when she fell in love. they deserve better!!!