‘Bridgerton’ Season 4, Part 2 Review: Netflix’s Hottest Hit Loses Steam

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Bridgerton has always been an enjoyable, though sometimes silly, show. It’s managed to be daring in certain ways while still sticking to familiar romance tropes, and it’s often been quite steamy, even when playing it safe. But the beginning of the fourth season feels surprisingly dull. We’re introduced to another Bridgerton sibling falling for someone they seemingly can’t be with, simply to create drama. While that’s the usual formula, after four seasons, 32 episodes, and a spin-off, it’s all starting to feel repetitive, as if the show has lost its spark.

If you need a quick reminder, Season 4, Part 1 focused on Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson), a charming but notorious flirt who has a passion for art. He’s one of the last Bridgerton brothers to look for a wife – mostly because he hasn’t been trying – but he becomes captivated by a mysterious woman he meets at a masked ball. As Benedict searches for her among London’s eligible young ladies, the woman is revealed to be Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha), a maid and the illegitimate daughter of a nearby family’s former head.

After being kicked out by her stepmother, Lady Araminta Gun, Sophie gets a job with the Bridgerton family. There, she and Benedict start to reconnect, remembering their brief romance from a masquerade ball. However, Benedict doesn’t recognize her, and Sophie believes a relationship is impossible because he’s a nobleman and she’s a servant. Things get even more complicated when Benedict asks her to become his mistress – offering her a comfortable life in exchange for keeping him pleased, but with no chance of social acceptance.


Netflix

The second half of Bridgerton’s fourth season starts with Sophie and Benedict disagreeing – Sophie is searching for employment elsewhere, and Benedict doesn’t understand why his offer of a secret relationship offended someone. By the season’s end, everything is resolved: Sophie learns some predictable secrets about her family history, and the Bridgerton family grows a little larger.

It took a long time for the story to get to a point where a simple conversation could resolve everything. Think of those frustrating scenes where characters are at odds, and all it would take is one honest question and answer to clear things up – that’s exactly what’s happening with Benedict and Sophie. It seems odd that Sophie hasn’t questioned why her father left her nothing in his will, and equally strange that Benedict so readily believes a maid’s claim to noble origins. Given how much everyone in town loves to gossip, you’d expect someone to have investigated these mysteries a little more thoroughly.


Netflix

While the main focus is on the central love story, a few side plots add some intrigue. Violet Bridgerton, now a widow, is secretly seeing Lord Marcus Anderson, but they’re hesitant to commit. Lady Danbury is eager to step down from her role as the queen’s confidante and rumor-spreader, but Queen Charlotte refuses to let her. Meanwhile, Penelope Featherington, who secretly writes the scandalous ‘Lady Whistledown’ pamphlets, wants to stop, much to the queen’s dismay, as she is Penelope’s biggest reader.

As a longtime fan, I have to admit, something felt off this season. It almost felt like even the characters were over it all – and Penelope’s storyline with Whistledown felt less like a plot point and more like the show itself was hinting at wanting to wrap things up. (Don’t worry, we’re getting a Season 5!) Now, I’ll admit I might be projecting my own disappointment with the storylines, and I definitely don’t think the show is trying to end, but the romances felt so flat and the sudden, dramatic twists – like that major character death near the end – felt… forced. It made me wonder if maybe, just maybe, the writers are struggling to keep things fresh.


Netflix

As a fan, I think if Bridgerton comes back, we’ll get more of what we already love – all the beautiful dresses, those steamy scenes, and the proper titles. Honestly, it’s still full of those frustrating misunderstandings where a simple conversation would solve everything! And I don’t think the show should change what it is, but after a while, it all starts to feel a little… predictable. We need something fresh, because the current formula is getting old.

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2026-02-26 11:02