Bridgerton: bridgerton Season 4 Part 2 Deepens Feuds and Romance

Contains spoilers for Season 4 Part 2. The second half of bridgerton Season 4 returned today with steamy bath scenes, surprise engagements and the shocking reappearance of Cressida Cowper. Part 2 also refocuses the lusty romance between Benedict and Sophie after the quieter beats of Part 1.

Bridgerton characters return

Episode six answers a longtime question by reintroducing Cressida Cowper (Jessica Madsen). In that episode Cressida emerges in pink from the carriage as the new wife of Lord Penwood, arriving back in the Ton and immediately shaking feathers — most notably causing a shock for Penelope (Nicola Coughlan). The second half returned shortly after Part 1 ended and viewers saw the reveal in episode six after episodes five and six had built curiosity about who would take the helm of Sophie’s (Yerin Ha) former home.

Penelope and Cressida history

The feud between Cressida and Penelope dates back to season one and escalated over multiple seasons. Cressida began bullying Penelope at any opportunity, including an incident in which she spilled a drink on Penelope and a later attempt to pull Eloise (Claudia Jessie) away as a friend in season two. The third season — which aired nearly two years ago — intensified the rivalry when both women vied for the attention of Lord Debling (Sam Phillips). Lord Debling ultimately found a better connection with Penelope, and Cressida retaliated by sabotaging his proposal prospects to Penelope after revealing how close Penelope and Colin (Luke Newton) were. In fairness, Penelope did want to marry Colin, but Cressida’s actions violated expected codes of conduct.

Blackmail, confession and exile

Cressida’s plot ultimately backfired. Lord Debling still did not propose to Cressida, and her parents attempted to give away her hand in marriage to the elderly Lord Greer. Desperate to avoid marrying Lord Greer, Cressida confessed that she was Lady Whistledown to the Queen (Golda Rosheuvel) following a reward of £5, 000 offered for the identity of Lady Whistledown. The Queen did not believe her claim, Cressida’s family was humiliated, and her father pulled her dowry. With little left to lose and determined not to be sent away to live with her aunt, Cressida sought Whistledown’s true identity. She discovered that Penelope was the writer and then attempted to blackmail Penelope by demanding £10, 000 for her silence so she could live comfortably without marriage. Penelope refused and subsequently revealed her identity publicly. As a result, Cressida was sent off to live with her aunt in the countryside, explaining why she is not beloved by Penelope or other members of the Bridgerton family.

Benedict and Sophie in focus

Part 2 returns the spotlight to Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) and Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha). Sophie is still reeling from the heated kiss on the back stairwell of Bridgerton House and feels deflated after Benedict’s request that she become his mistress, a proposal that reads even more problematic in a Regency-era context. Episode 5, "Yes or No, " and Lady Whistledown (Julie Andrews) underscore how unsexy and fraught the position of “mistress” was for women of that era. After criticism that Part 1 felt like a knock-off of Cinderella, Part 2 leans into passion, loss and the stakes for high-society women who fail to secure suitable matches.

Supporting arcs and character growth

Women orbiting Benedict and Sophie give Season 4 added depth. Penelope, revealed to be Lady Whistledown in the Season 1 finale and publicly exposed in Season 3, is now a wife and mother who has evolved and wants to focus on other things. Hyacinth (Florence Hunt) inches closer to her debut, slower than she would like, and a recital at Bridgerton House begins to teach the youngest Bridgerton about the importance of compatibility and happiness rather than merely finding a husband. Francesca (Hannah Dodd) seeks to emulate her mother, Lady Violet Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell), as the perfect wife to her husband John (Victor Alli), but the arrival of John’s cousin and best friend Michaela Stirling (Masali Baduza) suggests there may not be a single perfect way to live. Alice Mondrich (Emma Naomi) tries to find her footing in Queen Charlotte’s (Golda Rosheuvel) orbit, while Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh) struggles to balance her close friendship with the queen and her own personal desires.

The bulk of earlier criticism targeted the muted romance between Sophie and Benedict in Part 1; Part 2 brings yearning, longing and desire back to the center, with Benedict’s development playing a large role. Where he initially seemed unsure and wore his duties as the second son like a badge of shame, he grows into himself, steps up for the woman he loves and is vulnerable enough to share his fluid sexuality with Sophie. The season finale, "Dance in the Country, " includes a scene drawn from Julia Quinn’s book "An Offer From a Gentleman. "

All of Season 4 is available now. The new episodes revisit old rivalries, resolve long-standing questions about identity and push central relationships into more explicit emotional and physical territory.