SPOILER ALERT: This story contains details about the final four episodes of Netflix’s “Bridgerton” Season 3 (streaming now).
NEW YORK – Shonda Rhimes’ “Bridgerton” has been a hit with Netflix members since it premiered on the streaming platform during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The first four episodes of season three were released on May 16 and reached No. 1 in 78 countries and garnered 45.1 million views worldwide in just five days, according to the streaming platform.
The Regency-era romance is based on Julia Quinn’s novels, with each novel spotlighting siblings from a different family. Season 3 focused on the love story between Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) and Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan).
As season three of Netflix’s romantic Regency drama Bridgerton (the final four episodes are streaming now) comes to a close, another brother, Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson), appears to have settled down, and Sister Eloise bids him farewell as she moves to Scotland with Francesca. As Lady Whistledown explains in voiceover, “Now is the time to look to the future, whatever the future may bring.”
Just a few scenes earlier, Benedict had told Eloise, “I now feel that what I learn next may change me forever.” With Benedict at a crossroads, what’s next?
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“It feels like things are coming to a head for Benedict this season,” Thompson said in an interview. “He’s always been obsessed with the idea of freedom and wanting to get away from whatever it is, whether it’s what’s going on with his family or society, and that continues. When he meets Lady Tilly’s character at the end of the season, she tells him something he’s never heard before, and it makes him think about things in a kind of different way.”
In the season finale, widowed Mrs. Tilly Arnold (Hannah New) tells Benedict she is beginning to care for him and wants to explore the emotional side of their relationship and commit, but Benedict declines her advances, explaining that he is not yet ready to give up his freedom.
Feels like being in a bookstore
“When I think about that scene, I think of it like when you’re in a bookstore and you want to read every book,” Thompson says. “How do you choose which books to read? You can’t just scatter around and try to read them all. You have to focus on something. I think that’s Benedict’s problem. I think he wants to be free, but the reality is that freedom is limited.”
“It’s not a simple story of his heart being broken. It’s more of a confrontation. Tilly gives him back an idea of what he actually wants. He’s a very fun, easy-going character. But like a lot of fun, easy-going people, he has doubts in his mind. He has internal issues that he hasn’t fully resolved yet. He’s very good at adapting and playing along with things. But he’s not really a very deep-rooted character.”
This explains why Benedict said his threesome with Tilly and her friend Paul was a turning point in their relationship, changing his way of thinking and “opening up his world” sexually. Thompson says it was “very on brand” for Benedict, given his naturally curious and free-spirited nature.
“What I find refreshing and unusual about Benedict is that he seems to approach everything with curiosity,” Thompson says. “Sex, especially male sexuality, is often treated in a very boxed way and there’s a lot of anxiety about it. What’s lovely about Benedict is that he has a real curiosity that’s rare in men, and he’s like, ‘Let me just try this, let me just try this thing,'” Thompson says, adding that for Benedict, threesomes were more of an experiment than a definition of his sexuality.
Will season 4 feature Benedict?
Benedict is now on a soul-searching journey similar to that experienced by his brother Colin in past seasons, but is he ready to open up and welcome Sophie Beckett? (This is the storyline behind Quinn’s “A Gentleman’s Offer,” on which Benedict’s season is based.) Thompson is expected to play a leading role in next season, although Netflix has yet to officially announce its plans.
“No, no, I don’t even know if it’ll be next season,” he says coyly. “I can’t comment on that. I don’t know anything.” But Thompson says he’s excited to eventually “dive deeper” into the character of Benedict.
“What’s great about this show is that the brothers get to really focus on their acting,” Thompson says. “And it’s also great that they get to take their time to develop their characters. In television, you can develop a character over months and months, slowly building them up and creating a bigger picture.”
Bridgerton Season 4:What we know so far about the release date, cast, and lead couple
What will Benedict’s journey be like in season 4?
Benedict may be gearing up to find his soul mate next season, but will he also find his purpose? The Bridgerton siblings didn’t delve into any artistic pursuits this season, with many of Season 3’s storylines centered around his relationship with Lady Tilly.
“Benedict has been a very free-spirited character for the past three seasons, but he’s also been a little lost at times, not really knowing where he is,” Thompson said. “You have to accept that there will come a time when you have to make a choice and commit.”
While much of the focus this season has been on his brother Colin (Luke Newton) and his proclamation of love for Coughlan’s Penelope (see: the carriage scene), Benedict’s witty one-liners have also lingered with fans and the upper class.
Does Thompson have a favorite joke?
“I actually really like the line ‘Ladies, ladies and more ladies’. Oh, and I also like ‘They took to hunting in packs’.”
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Saman Shafiq is a featured news reporter for USA TODAY. Contact him at sshafiq@gannett.com. Follow him on X at @saman_shafiq7.
