When Netflix debuted its Regency Era-set Bridgerton series, it propelled the audience to get accustomed to a patriarchal elite society. A place where women were made to meet rigorous beauty standards to make them placed in higher brackets of the marriage market. The previous two seasons of the show delivered vivid memories of women being tightened in corsets, much like Rose being dressed in Titanic. But one intriguing aspect was how the series was set in a parallel universe, where equality was sprinkled much more than how it was in reality. Bridgerton had a woman of colour as the matriarch of the kingdom, Queen Charlotte, notably the first of her kind.
In Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, the makers take a delightful twist by taking the onus off the woman and instead placing it on the power that bestows irrational gender norms. The series, as very much advertised, takes us back to the early days of Charlotte (India Amarteifio), the regal who broke the norms by marrying King George III (Corey Mylchreest). She becomes the first woman of colour, a woman who is told she is “too brown” to marry a White royal. And of course, it resulted in her being an anomaly of sorts in a society where she is painted shades lighter than her tone.
But the way to royal matrimony isn’t that easy. She is viewed as a baby-begetting machine, entrusted with producing as many heirs as possible and expected to look a certain way which more or less makes her feel like a statue. The corsets and cage crinolines make sure her body is never left to breathe easily.
The series leaves no stone unturned to reiterate the staunch practices that are expected out of a woman, in a way to make her look like a doll placed on the highest shelves of the marriage market and baby production cycle. However, such changes do not come as an overwhelming factor in the narrative, which instead, course corrects its previous installments.
Unlike the previous seasons of Bridgerton, the prequel surprisingly elaborates on pertinent issues. There are two timelines running parallel in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, one of Charlotte in the present (Golda Rosheuvel) who is squandering for an heir and the past showing the early matrimonial days of Charlotte and George. But both have their hearts in the right places.
What makes the prequel more heartening is how it takes on the case of racial prejudice and mental illness. Drawn from the real life of George III, the series smartly delves into showing the rudimentary, shocking practices of treating mental illness at the same time shining an empathetic angle. If women are expected to conform to the norms of embracing their “womanly-ness”, men are expected to not show their vulnerability. “There is no room for illness or weakness for King,” says George’s mother. But it’s Charlotte who rescues George from minacious ways of treatment and allows him to be “mad” if that’s what he wants. In turn, George is the only one who sees Charlotte for what she is, and more importantly, gives her a “taste of rare air, equality”.
The screenplay delectably balances two vast subjects of concern, race and gender norms. The themes are weaved in seamlessly, more for the betterment with each character getting a deserving arc. If mental illness and racism are major themes that Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story addresses, the series also sends out other poignant messages. For instance, when the present-day Violet (who has now married off her children Daphne and Anthony) opens up about her sexual needs to Agatha, it not only puts a broad smile on women expressing their desires even as they are considered past their prime but also when Danbury responds with “thank you for sharing your story”.
It is not about mere disclosure, but more about lending a considerate ear. The series also takes the upper hand when its performances shine like finely-cut diamonds. India Ria Amarteifio and Arsema Thomas as young Charlotte and Agatha, respectively, take the major weight on their shoulders and gracefully lead the show as strong women breaking the shackles of backsliding society.
The story of young Agatha who is being married off to a much-older Lord Danbury, her confinements and finding a middle ground between fighting for equality and oneself, brews a tender concoction of humanity and revolution, almost placing itself as soothing as petrichor after a dry spell. The series also has a warm romance between the royal guards Reynolds and Brimsley, which seems to be far ahead of its times. But the portrayal of the romance between the men comes as a soothing understanding that love is… after all love.
While the makers make a smart choice of ending the series on a note that can never debate or predict future installments, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story strikes the right chord either way. By bringing a balance between romance, royalty and some relevant themes, this one is definitely the diamond of the franchise.
Series: Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story
Creator: Shonda Rhimes
Director: Tom Verica
Cast: India Ria Amarteifio, Corey Mylchreest, Golda Rosheuvel, Arsema Thomas, and others
Streamer: Netflix
Rating: 4/5