The Bridgerton series is one of the popular shows on Netflix. The show already has a built-in market from the books that were ready to see the show. That and because the first season was a big hit with everyone (and made Rege Jean Page a very popular actor). I’ve seen the first two seasons and while I am not a fan, I did enjoy watching the show. I was more of a fan of the first season than the second though. I wasn’t sure about watching the spin-off show Queen Charlotte but ended up watching it anyway. I blame this on Netflix. The service can now suggest new shows to watch that auto-play if you don’t cancel them. When I was finishing one show, Netflix played Queen Charlotte and I started watching it. So gullible! So that the viewing experience would not go to waste, I decided to share my review of the show in this blog. If you're interested in this one, read on!
Background
According to articles that I have seen online, Queen Charlotte is a one-season spin-off. It is only meant to share the love story between the titular character and her husband, King George. The king is also part of the Bridgerton series, portrayed at a time in his life when he had already gone mad. His brief appearances were only there to show why he was not active in running the kingdom.
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| Image credit: Netflix |
History shows that George and Charlotte were not only a royal match but also a love match. It also says that he went mad later in life. For the series, the writers decided to change the story to fit into the Bridgerton narrative. As the show starts, “This is not a history lesson. It is fiction inspired by fact.” To those who are history buffs, do not expect this story to go exactly the way history does.
Plot
The season is a mix of both past and present Charlotte. Stories intersperse between the young woman forced to marry and the Queen in older age. In one, she is not happy that her brother married her off to England. In another, she worries as her children do not have offspring of their own.
The story is also not limited to that of Charlotte and George. It also tackles the story of Lady Danbury and a very young Violet. This Violet would later become the matriarch of the Bridgertons from the series.
My Review
Being a bit of a fan of the history of England, I liked seeing George and Charlotte’s children. The scenes where the Queen was pestering them to have heirs were interesting. I haven't seen a show that gave these people much focus so I was curious. I was also excited when the mother of Queen Victoria appeared later in the season. I love knowing where that part of the story would lead! I was even more excited about the scene where she told the Queen that she was pregnant. It was exciting that I knew she was talking about a child that no one knew would be the future Queen of England!
Another thing I liked about the show was the story of Lady Danbury. The struggle she had to go through not only as a woman but a woman of color in those times was tough. I had a deeper appreciation for her character and her story after seeing what happened to her. I thought it was a bit sad that she did not have a happy ending when it came to love. But it was also a realistic storyline. Besides, it showed that she was happy with how things ended up anyway.
What I loved about the show was the main story, the relationship between Charlotte and George. You could see the spark between the two characters when they first met, the acting was so good. It was disappointing that George went out of his way to push her away, even if I understood why.
The two leads, India Amarteifio and Cory Mylchreest were so good at their roles. One being the person pushed away and another feeling so much love that he had to hold back for her sake.
Out of the two, it was Mylchreest that I became a big fan of by the time the show ended. Yes, he is good-looking. But apart from that I felt that he portrayed George very well.
Mylchreest had a very challenging role as George. He was the king that people looked up to. But he was also this scared young man on the brink of insanity. I loved how he was also a determined husband willing to undergo anything to cure his mental illness. He was a man in love who wanted to help his wife avoid the pain of losing him to his disease. He was so good, I could not help but feel for his character.
Part of me wishes that the show veered away from the insanity part of the story. I wanted Charlotte and George to be happy and together so much. But they had already set up his insanity in the Bridgerton series so that was not going to happen. Plus, it did happen in real life. I felt so sad for them because the young Charlotte and George knew what they were facing with his disease. Watching the two actors portray that was heartbreaking.
I also felt a mixture of sadness and love for them during that one scene where they were older. Charlotte told George that they finally had an heir while on the floor. The sight of them lying on the floor in the same way they did when they were younger tugged at my heart. It was a throwback to that touching scene that made the older version even more moving. I wished that they had the happy ending that they deserved but I knew that was not going to happen.
Another part of the series that I did not think I would get invested in was Brimsley's love story. I loved that they showed what he was like when he was younger. I loved that he had his own story instead of always being in the background. It was a bit disappointing because there was no explanation for what happened. There is no hint of this relationship or this person in the Bridgerton series. Reynolds, the man who he is in a relationship with, is not even mentioned when they are all older. That scene with older Brimsley dancing by himself was such as tease for me. There was no explanation about why he was doing that. Did he die? Did they separate? Are they keeping it a secret? What happened? I need to know! I was shipping them so much and then they left me hanging! Did Shonda Rhymes give an explanation for this? Because if she did, someone needs to let me know in the comments!
Queen Charlotte, according to news articles, is only a one-off show to share her story. Shonda Rhimes, who created the show, says as much. Based on interviews, the actors are also aware of that fact. But, there has been buzz for a season 2 because of its performance on Netflix.
I'm a mix of happy and apprehensive that they said they are open to the possibility of a season 2. No word on that yet. I'll be happy for more, but also hesitant because how much more can they stretch out that story, right? It would be nice if we get to see more of Charlotte and George at happier times, I would love that. But knowing the end of it all, it would still be heartbreaking.
Queen Charlotte is a good show. I like this one the most out of all the Bridgerton shows they have had on Netflix so far. If I could recommend anything from the Bridgerton family of shows, this would be it. It has great acting, a good and touching story, and, as always, good music to back it up.
Where are they now
It was surprising to find out that most of the main cast does not have projects post-Queen Charlotte. Let me share their social media accounts instead for updates:
India Amarteifio (Queen Charlotte - younger)
Corey Mylchreest (King George) - His Instagram shows a rehearsal for King Lear. That is the only other project I found so far.
Golda Rosheuvel (Queen Charlotte - older)
Arsema Thomas (Lady Agatha - younger)
Adjoa Andoh (Lady Agatha - older)
Sam Clemmett (Brimsley - younger)
Julie Andrews (voice for Lady Whistledown) - I don't care that she doesn't have any other listed projects. I am just happy to know that she exists, thank you very much.
Are they not doing any projects due to the recent writer's strike (that already ended)? Or are they not receiving any offers post-Queen Charlotte? That would be disappointing since the cast are all very good actors. I would love to see Cory Mylchreest in more challenging acting roles because the guy has a lot of potential. I've read that he is also an actor in theater so it's not surprising that he is that good. People need to see more actors like him, somebody should give him a new acting role on TV or film soon, please!
To those interested in seeing the show, if you liked the Bridgerton series, this is worth the watch. It's even better than the first two seasons. I'm not sure a season three of Bridgerton can even match up to this one for me! I loved it!
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