'Bridgerton' Season 4 Part 1 Ending Explained: What To Expect From Part 2? 

A new season is upon us in every way, and this time around, we’re focused on the rake of all rakes, the second oldest of the Bridgerton boys, Benedict (yes, he’s very cumbersome, is he not?). Benedict has always considered himself the second; he’s the second son, so he can pursue the arts, ignore familial duty, and just live his life the way he wishes. In a way, Eloise and Benedict may as well be twins, at least emotionally, but season 4 sees the second-oldest brother switch sides in an instant. An instant that leaves him searching, through all of part 1, for one woman in a silver dress, whom he ultimately never finds. What Benedict desires isn’t simply this woman, who flipped a switch in him to marry him; he wants conversation, he wants banter, he wants somebody who challenges him, and this silver lady gave him just that, a glove and nothing else. In this Cinderella story, there’s certainly a stepmother and two stepsisters, but will we see her Prince Charming save her or make things worse? Let’s find out in the first part of Bridgerton season 4 (oh, I do wish they’d stop doing this split-season thing!). 

Spoiler Alert

Does Benedict Find His Lady In Silver? 

The season begins, unsurprisingly, with a soiree, well, actually a masquerade ball, the perfect excuse to disguise yourself and disappear into a crowd before the clock strikes midnight, because everyone has to reveal themselves then. Benedict, who has no interest in his mum’s pursuits, only shows up because of his love and respect for her. But he encounters a beautiful young woman who doesn’t know how to dance, has an interest in the sea, and almost seems to be at this ball by accident. Well, technically, Sophie is there by accident, but Benedict never learns this truth. Benedict is obsessed with Sophie right from the start, even though he doesn’t know who she is. But somehow, the sound of her voice and looking at her lips don’t seem to be enough for him to realize who she really is, because he’s blinded by society’s rules. Sophie’s a maid; she could’ve never been at the ball, no? So why then would he observe her closely enough to figure out if she’s really the girl of his dreams? That would be completely wrong. 

But the thing is, Sophie’s so brave and patient, she doesn’t for one second falter and tell Benedict any real truths about herself. She doesn’t even tell Violet, because that’s what she’d been taught by Lady Penwood, her stepmother. Ultimately, Benedict doesn’t find his lady in silver even though she’s staring him in the face, but more importantly, Sophie is determined to make sure he never finds her. I wonder if he’ll find her single glove, or finally look at just her lips, like he’s been doing with countless women, to figure out if she is indeed his mystery woman. 

Will Sophie Continue To Work At Bridgerton House? 

After trying to get Sophie work at a bunch of houses, Benedict has no choice but to bring her back to work for his own household. Mainly because Araminta has made sure nobody accepts her as a maid. She’s probably spread some false rumors because Sophie asked her why she didn’t let her go when her father died, and the shoe fit. Araminta never treated Sophie as a child of the household, never mind as her own child. But when Benedict shows his mother the scar on his side, which Sophie helped treat, Violet had no choice but to accept her and help her. However, soon enough, everyone in the house begins to cherish her. Not only is she good at everything a lady’s maid should be doing, but she’s also well-versed in many languages, matches Eloise’s intellect, and shares Hyacinth’s enthusiasm. She is, of course, a really kind person and gets along with all the other staff members, which leads to Lady Bridgerton asking her to take on the position permanently. 

Sophie initially decides she will stay. More importantly, she’s delighted to live in a household that’s genuinely happy; unlike the way she’s been brought up, as an outsider, they give her love and show her happiness. But her desire for Benedict and their closeness is certainly going to be a wedge in her relationship with this family and this job that she truly adores. Sophie already knows there’s no chance of her becoming Lady Bridgerton. It is so impossible that she’d rather dream about being a part of this household as a maid forever than imagine a future with Benedict. So she agrees to stay on, but will this last? Well, obviously not, because we already know that Benedict and Sophie will eventually end up married, but how that will come about, we do not know yet. 

Will Lady Danbury Leave? 

Lady Danbury has been determined to find the queen a new lady-in-waiting. Specifically because she’s been wanting to visit her ancestral home, one that she hasn’t been to since she was 4. Sure, she cherishes her friendship with the queen, but she does have feelings of her own, which deserve to be respected. After all, Danbury has always been a massive part of the Queen’s life; she is her only friend. So, naturally, the queen worries about what will happen to her when the king dies. She doesn’t want to be alone; we already know this from the “Queen Charlotte” series, so she does what she knows best: control Danbury’s movements. She simply denies her permission to leave. This causes such chaos that Bringsley has to show up to Agatha’s house, asking her to return and apologize to keep the queen from completely losing it. 

But we all know Agatha isn’t one to give up easily, so she decides to bring on Alice Monrich, young and beautiful and different, somebody who certainly won’t just keep her mouth shut when the queen speaks to her. This is all the queen desires, really, someone who treats her as a human, not just a queen. While Alice is furious at the thought of this, Agatha convinces her that her fear will pale in comparison to the power she will hold when she becomes friends with the queen. Finally, she seems to be turning, but this means no more Lady Danbury for us (cry). At least for a little while, but I do hope she continues showing up. 

What Happens With Violet And Anderson? 

The most unsurprising thing about Bridgerton season 4 is Violet and Lord Anderson, i.e., Agatha’s brother, acting on their interest in each other. While it is currently a secret, there’s a chance it’ll be made public soon enough. While Violet has already told Anderson that she does not plan on hurting her 8 children, there’s a chance this will happen anyway, because this is the Regency era we’re talking about. However, it’s also not going to be that big of a deal, because most of these kids are now married adults and understand desire and romance. They also probably want their mother to be happy too. Eloise seems to be the biggest threat, but there’s a chance she’ll be happy her mother is distracted from her. I do think she’s going to be the main lead of the next season though, so we’ll see how that turns out. Her conversation with Hyacinth was certainly interesting, making her realize how selfish she’s become. Though I don’t like what it implies about people who want to be spinsters (tsk tsk). It’s not her fault nobody’s involving her in the conversations she wants to be a part of, but at least she has a friend in Sophie. 

Will Francesca And John Be Okay?

The biggest mystery at the end of Bridgerton season 4, part 1, doesn’t even have anything to do with Benedict and Sophie, even though it’s their season. It is, in fact, what’s happening with Francesca, who has only recently learned that there is such a thing as “reaching your pinnacle” in bed. Francesca is certainly one of Violet’s most traditional daughters, after Daphne, of course. She may not be loud like Eloise, she may not be assertive like Daphne, but she definitely hopes to have a happy family life. She wants to raise a good household, but she’s failing to do that as well. Francesca’s desire for a child is now making her desperate, so much so that she even asks her mother and then later Penelope what she needs to do to reach this “pinnacle.” She sure went to the right person, eh? But, ultimately, Francesca doesn’t seem to get there with John. However, Michaela’s come all the way to London too, and this might change everything up for this couple, eh? Fans of the books have already noted this might be Francesca’s “bi” moment, but a cheat’s a cheat, so really we don’t know how this is going to turn out and what the happy ending in this situation might be. 

Why Does Sophie Reject Benedict? 

In the ending of Bridgerton season 4, part 1, Benedict and Sophie are finally alone and have a moment on the stairs of the servants’ quarters. It is everything we pictured for them, but immediately after, Benedict asks Sophie if she’ll be his mistress (yikes). Sure, she’s a maid, but no woman would like to hear those words, especially not after what just went down right before. Sophie walks away, leaving Benedict bewildered, but this is her rejecting his proposal. First of all, how is this man certain he’s going to find his lady in silver. He wants Sophie so bad, he’ll marry anyone from the ton just to be happy with her then? This all seems quite silly and uncalled for. So Sophie’s made the right choice, but now what? Will she be able to tell Benedict that she’s actually of noble descent? Sophie believes her mother was a maid, that’s what Araminta told her after her father died, so why would she believe anything else. So there’s no way she would say yes and risk the chance of her child having to live the same life as her. Obviously she will deny Benedict this comfort. 

On the other hand, the big shocking reveal is that the family that moves into the house next to the Bridgertons is none other than the Penwoods. Not only is this going to make Sophie’s life a living hell, there’s a chance Araminta is going to double down on pushing her elder daughter Rosamund on Benedict. Obviously, she won’t succeed, but Sophie’s going to have to deal with this big villainess in the next season. In the preview of part 2, we already see her wanting to quit, but Violet will probably persuade her to stay. On the other hand, it seems Benedict is determined to pursue his love while simultaneously looking for the lady in silver. How will he finally learn the truth? Guess we’ll have to wait and find out. 

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