Having recently watched “I May Destroy You,” the BBC’s critically acclaimed drama about a woman’s life after sexual assault, I was left with many questions about the way Bridgerton handled what was essentially nonconsensual sex. Rather than having an actual conversation with her husband about his perceived deception, Daphne decides to take matters into her own hands. Eventually, Daphne figures out that Simon is pulling out to avoid getting her pregnant and fulfilling her lifelong dream of having children. By telling his new wife - who has not received any sexual education other than whatever he has explained to her - that he cannot have children, he misleads her into thinking he is physically unable to procreate. This complicates his relationship with Daphne. As the audience is made aware early in the season, Simon’s lack of a relationship with his cold father and the death of his mother during childbirth left him traumatized, causing him to vow to his dying father that he would be the end of the family line. The duke has clear qualms about fatherhood from the start of the show. Unfortunately, I simply felt that “Bridgerton” only got away with its sloppy storyline here because of, well, the amount of salacious scenes that distracted us from actual plot development.Ĭommunication is also lacking between the two main characters. Don’t get me wrong - there’s nothing I love more than a good old enemies-to-lovers trope, but it only works when executed smoothly. I was left confused by the jerky progression of their relationship arc, going from mutually antagonistic in one moment to passionate lovers in the next. As far as relationships go, it’s safe to say the one between Daphne and Simon is not the best model for a healthy marriage. Titillating though they were, there is certainly much to be unpacked in the sexual dynamics and relationships in the show, particularly between Daphne and the duke. To me, the biggest thing that sets “Bridgerton” apart from period dramas of old - think “Pride and Prejudice” or “Jane Eyre” - was its sheer quantity of steamy scenes. Set in 1813 London, “Bridgerton” follows the “coming out,” or social debut, of a young aristocrat named Daphne Bridgerton and her rather complicated - and initially unwilling - romance with Simon Bassett, the duke of Hastings, beginning with their deceptive courtship and culminating in a turbulent new marriage. I began watching the show with my parents, and it only took a few episodes for me to regret making it a family event. Over winter break, as screen time increasingly filled my days, “Bridgerton” appeared on my radar, and I began watching what is perhaps the sauciest period drama to grace Netflix. Bridgerton then ends with the pair of them welcoming their first child, a boy who is one day due to become the next Duke of Hastings.Īfter this rocky start to their marriage, the books reveal that Daphne and Simon stay together for good.Contains spoilers for the first season of “Bridgerton.” However, in the finale of the Netflix show, he realises that his love for Daphne (and desire to not be alone) is stronger than the hatred he has for his father, and Simon agrees to try to have a child with his wife. We learn that this is because the Duke had made a vow never to have children, mostly as the ultimate insult to his father – no child means no heir, bringing the Basset line to an end. Mostly, the thing that is keeping them apart is their differing views on children – namely, that Daphne wants them while Simon does not. Though divorce was difficult to get and was socially unacceptable during the time in which Bridgerton is set, Daphne and Simon's marriage seems to be all but over by Episode 7, when the pair agree to live separately after the end of the social season. In fact, between 16, only four divorces were granted to women in England. The pair eventually get married in Season 1 of that Netflix show, but it seems that this marriage is doomed to failure – a particular problem in the Regency period, where very few marriages ended in divorce, and almost no divorces were granted to wives. Like every good romance, Daphne and Simon eventually get their happy ending, but it is far from smooth sailing for them to get there. Regé-Jean Page and Phoebe Dynevor as Simon Basset and Daphne Bridgerton in 'Bridgerton.' Netflix
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