Is Bridgerton a Binge-worthy Show?

                                                                        Image from Netflix

There is a big buzz surrounding the new series, Bridgerton, which dropped on the 25th of December, 2020 on the streaming platform Netflix. And as many of you have been wondering, is this newly produced series by the renowned creator of Grey's Anatomy, Shona Rhimes, worthy of your vast watch time in 2021. I was definitely curious about the series when I heard it being mentioned by one of the podcasts I listen to, You Can Sit with Us, as a series people should definitely watch. After hearing such recommendation, I immediately dived into it. 

Bridgerton is based on the series of novels written by the author Julia Quinn. Storyline is set during the Regency era of England. This romantic drama surrounds the high society life of the powerful Bridgerton family. The Bridgertons are composed of 8 children and their widowed mother. The eldest son is now acting as the head of the family, Anthony who is one of the most eligible bachelors of London, who after his father's passing, inherited the title of Viscount. He is responsible for the future of his house including the marriage of his sister, Daphne, to a prominent high society family. 

The series then pans out to how young women, who have been introduced to the high society of London, are to be married during a London Season. It shows the process from the presentation of daughters to the Queen of England to receive her favour, to attending balls to gain suitors, to courtship, to getting the coveted proposals and to eventually marriage. While all of this is happening, a gossip writer named Lady Whisteldown narrates the entire London Season to whoever wants to read her articles. This anonymous writer exposes the lies and deceits of each high society family. And with everyone kept on their toes in keeping their family names intact, they avoid scandals written about them by the affluent Lady Whistledown. 

What I loved about the show is it gave us the much needed entertainment before ending a not so great year, 2020. It provided the romance, opulence and drama that everyone likes in a series. The show also provides an insight on how to act and perform all the time in front or behind the scenes as a high society member. It gives us insight on their struggles and triumphs may it be little or small. Basically just how the other half lives during the Regency era. 

I loved the casting of POC in the lead roles, such as the Queen of England, Duke of Hastings and the Duchess of Danbury. It proves that tv show are not tone deaf to the current political climate. We definitely need to see more POC represented in tv shows, most especially Asians who are notoriously under represented in the industry. 

I also love the settings of each scene, such as the lavish balls, the obscene expanse of houses owned by people who have titles versus the villages they own and manage, the intimate house scenes where families entertain the callers and also the promenade areas. Every scene pushed the above storyline. I was also enthralled with members of the high society who choose to break from the mould but were unable to do so. And just choose to live their lives behind closed doors. It just proves to show that even back then, people from different backgrounds, would choose a different path than the one they were born into. This still holds true to this day. 

The lighting of each scene, may it be in crowded areas, dark alleys and gardens, open areas for picnics and the grand balls they all attend, were perfectly lit. The contrast between the light and dark scenes were more than enough for the viewer to realise the gravity of the situation. As for the music, I love the incorporation of modern music in orchestra form. If you listen closely, you will hear an orchestra version of Thank You, Next by Ariana Grande in the first episode. I thought that was a clever way to attract the young viewers. In terms of costume, I loved the wigs and the era appropriate clothes. I love the integration of the modiste character, Madam Delacroix, as back in the day everything was haute couture. I also love the cinematography and directing as the change in camera lens and camera angles were highly enjoyable for me to witness. I particularly loved the panning out from the intimate scenes to generate a more intimate feeling to the viewer. And also the occupation of only a third of the screen by the main subject to convey how small they were feeling. 

Overall, this series was a very well-made production. First season was so far exceptional that I recommend this to everyone who has the spare time to binge watch a show. I cannot wait for season 2.