Bridgerton Season 4 Part 2: bridgerton Balances Feud and Passion
This piece contains spoilers for Bridgerton Season 4 Part 2. The second half of the season returned to screens today, bringing steamy bath scenes, surprise engagements and a clear answer to who now holds the title of Lady Penwood in the story of bridgerton.
Bridgerton Season 4 return
The new episodes pick up shortly after Part 1 ended. Episode 5 and episode 6 take center stage: Episode 5, titled "Yes or No, " highlights the social cost of a woman being asked to become a mistress, while episode 6 delivers a reveal that reshapes the Ton.
Penelope and Cressida's history
The arrival in episode 6 shows Cressida Cowper, played by Jessica Madsen, emerging in pink from a carriage as the new wife of Lord Penwood. Her return to the Ton immediately ruffles feathers and produces a shock for Penelope, played by Nicola Coughlan. That reaction is rooted in a feud that stretches back across multiple seasons.
How the feud unfolded
Cressida and Penelope have been at odds since season one, with Cressida bullying Penelope whenever she could. In season two Cressida once spilled a drink on Penelope and tried to recruit Eloise, played by Claudia Jessie, to be her friend instead of Penelope's. The rivalry escalated in season three, when both women vied for the attention of Lord Debling, played by Sam Phillips. Lord Debling ultimately found a stronger connection with Penelope.
After losing ground, Cressida sabotaged Lord Debling's chance to propose to Penelope by revealing how close Penelope was to Colin, played by Luke Newton. Penelope did in fact want to marry Colin, but Cressida's interference was a breach of expected conduct. The plan backfired: Lord Debling still did not propose to Cressida, and Cressida's parents then sought to give her hand to the elderly Lord Greer.
Cressida's desperate measures
To escape that fate, Cressida confessed that she was Lady Whistledown to the Queen, played by Golda Rosheuvel, after a reward of £5, 000 had been offered for the revelation of Lady Whistledown's identity. The Queen did not accept Cressida's claim, the family was humiliated, and Cressida's father pulled her dowry. Determined not to be sent away to live with her aunt, Cressida set out to discover Whistledown's true identity.
She correctly identified Penelope as the writer and attempted to blackmail her, demanding £10, 000 for silence so that Cressida could live comfortably without marriage. Penelope refused and later revealed her identity publicly. With that exposure, Cressida lost any remaining hope and was sent off to live with her aunt in the countryside, which explains why many in the Bridgerton circle, and Penelope in particular, do not welcome her return.
Benedict and Sophie rekindled desire
Alongside the Penelope–Cressida storyline, Part 2 refocuses on Benedict Bridgerton, played by Luke Thompson, and Sophie Baek, played by Yerin Ha. Sophie is still reeling from a heated kiss with Benedict on the back stairwell of Bridgerton House and is unsettled by his earlier request that she become his mistress. Episode 5 and the Lady Whistledown coverage underline how unappealing and precarious the position of "mistress" would be in the period setting, making Sophie's reaction understandable.
Critics who found Part 1's romance muted will see Part 2 bring yearning, longing and desire between Benedict and Sophie. Benedict, who in the first half appeared unsure and carried his duties as a second son like a badge of shame, develops into a man who steps up for the woman he loves and becomes vulnerable enough to share his fluid sexuality with Sophie.
Other characters and development
The season also turns attention to the women orbiting the central couple. Penelope, who was revealed in her season 1 finale to be the author of the Lady Whistledown pamphlet, lost passion for that work when her identity was exposed in season 3; now a wife and mother, she is shown to have evolved and to be focusing on other things. Hyacinth, played by 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 compatibility and happiness over merely finding a husband.
Stirling House receives more attention as Francesca, played by Hannah Dodd, aims to emulate her mother Lady Violet Bridgerton, played by Ruth Gemmell, as a devoted wife to her husband John, played by Victor Alli. The arrival of John's cousin and best friend Michaela Stirling, played by Masali Baduza, suggests there may be more than one correct path for Francesca. Alice Mondrich, played by Emma Naomi, seeks footing in Queen Charlotte's orbit, and Lady Danbury, played by Adjoa Andoh, wrestles with balancing a close friendship with the queen and her own personal desires.
The season's second half ties together the rekindled Benedict–Sophie romance and the long history behind Penelope and Cressida's enmity, answering long-standing questions about who would lead Sophie's former home and why old wounds remain raw. All of Season 4 is available now, and viewers should be aware that these episodes contain plot revelations that resolve strands established across earlier seasons, including events from season one, season two and season three, which aired nearly two years ago.
Closing: Part 2 of this season delivers both a shocking return in Cressida Cowper and a clearer, more urgent romantic trajectory for Benedict and Sophie, while also advancing the arcs of several supporting women.
