Bridgerton Season 4 Proves That the Series Needs All Siblings to Reunite

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Bridgerton is a hugely popular series on Netflix, and the second part of its fourth season premiered on February 26th. This season centered on Benedict Bridgerton and his romance with Sophie Baek, adapted from Julia Quinn’s book, An Offer from a Gentleman. Though an improvement over Season 3, the latest installment also brought to light a recurring weakness in the show.

The popular show Bridgerton centers around the eight Bridgerton siblings and their mother, Violet. It also includes a large group of supporting characters who become more important as the series goes on, like Penelope Featherington, who is revealed to be Lady Whistledown and eventually marries Colin Bridgerton. However, Season 4 highlighted a major problem with having such a big cast of characters.

Season 4 Doesn’t Feature All Eight Bridgerton Siblings

The show Bridgerton follows Daphne Bridgerton, the oldest daughter of the Bridgerton family, as she enters London’s social scene and searches for a husband. Each season of this Regency-era romance focuses on the love life of a different Bridgerton sibling, mirroring the structure of the original Bridgerton book series.

Unlike the books, the Netflix series Bridgerton places a much greater emphasis on the relationships between all the Bridgerton siblings. The novels by Julia Quinn typically focus solely on the romantic journey of one sibling per book, with the rest of the family playing minor roles or not appearing at all.

Eloise is a relatively minor character throughout most of the Bridgerton book series, only truly coming into focus in the sixth book, When He Was Wicked. However, the Netflix series improved on this by giving the entire Bridgerton family—and the close relationships between the siblings—more attention. This increased focus, while positive, ultimately created some issues.

As a huge fan of period dramas, I remember being completely swept away by the first season of Bridgerton. Honestly, Netflix seemed just as surprised by its massive success as the rest of us! Because it took off so unexpectedly, they hadn’t really planned for future seasons with the original cast in mind. That’s why Phoebe Dynevor and Regé-Jean Page, who played Daphne and the Duke, weren’t contractually bound to come back for more.

The recent episodes of Bridgerton Season 4 really highlighted the absence of some familiar faces. Many viewers particularly missed Phoebe Dynevor’s character, Daphne, especially as Francesca’s storyline unfolded and her husband passed away. It felt strange to most that Daphne wasn’t there to support her sister during such a difficult time.

Jess Brownell, the showrunner for Bridgerton, explained the decision to keep Daphne and Simon away from the show, specifically why they weren’t at John’s funeral. She felt a brief appearance just to acknowledge their presence ‘wouldn’t feel right’ for several reasons.

It’s natural to want to feature actors like Phoebe Dynevor more prominently than just a brief scene, but doing so can pull viewers out of the story and make it harder to connect with the characters. For example, Jonathan Bailey and Simone Ashley, who were central to Season 2, only had a short appearance in Season 4.

Daphne Bridgerton Was Particularly Missed in Season 4

Jonathan Bailey and Simone Ashley were able to reappear in Season 4 of Bridgerton even with limited screen time, which makes the reasoning behind Phoebe Dynevor and Regé-Jean Page’s absence seem questionable. While there could be other factors at play that fans aren’t aware of, Daphne’s presence was definitely missed this season.

As a big fan of family dramas, I always find it interesting how siblings respond to loss. This character, she’s fourth in line – after her brothers Anthony, Benedict, and Colin – and she really remembers their dad. She’s older and gets why her mom is so heartbroken, which means she’s perfectly positioned to help her sister, Francesca, deal with losing her husband. She just gets it, you know?

In Season 4 of Bridgerton, Sophie is falsely accused of theft by her stepmother, the former Countess of Penwood. Because Daphne is a Duchess – a higher rank than an Earl – her position would have given her more influence in helping Sophie after the arrest.

Given their positions, it would have been logical for Daphne and Simon to assist Sophie and Benedict. Although the Netflix series primarily centered on the romance of one Bridgerton sibling at a time, it also highlighted the close bonds within the entire Bridgerton family through its ensemble cast.

It’s particularly noticeable when a Bridgerton sibling is absent from a major event, like a wedding or funeral, because it doesn’t quite fit with the show’s storyline. This was especially true in Season 4, where the funeral scene felt unfinished without all the siblings present.

The popular show Bridgerton has been renewed for seasons 7 and 8. The showrunner, Jess Brownell, has announced that Eloise and Francesca Bridgerton will be the main characters in these upcoming seasons, although it’s not yet known which sister will be featured in which season. Fans are hoping Daphne, played by Phoebe Dynevor, will make an appearance, even if Regé-Jean Page doesn’t reprise his role as Simon.

The show Bridgerton is best when focusing on all eight Bridgerton siblings and their strong family connection. Jonathan Bailey’s appearance as Anthony, even for a short time, showed how effective that can be. Plus, despite Penelope and Colin’s storyline concluding in Season 3, Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton are both confirmed to return for Season 4.

As a big Bridgerton fan, I was really happy with Season 4! It proved the show can still work and give everyone in the family a role, even if it’s not a huge plotline. That little glimpse we got of Anthony and Kate was perfect – it just reminded me how much I love those characters, and it didn’t need to be a big arc to do that. It definitely makes me hopeful we’ll see Daphne and Simon back on screen again sometime soon!

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2026-02-28 06:37