Here’s what we do know: It was about damn time that Bridgerton included queer characters in its trademark epic love stories. From its soundtrack to its “color blind” casting, the entire concept of Bridgerton is the blending of modern sensibilities with the constraints of an era during which being caught in an unwed kiss could ruin a life. Queen Charlotte teased us with a love story between Brimsley (Sam Clemmett), the queen’s right hand man, and Reynolds (Freddie Dennis), the king’s secretary. But theirs was exactly the kind of queer period story we’ve seen before: the kind with a tragic ending. If Bridgerton‘s aim is to reinvent the period drama, to “reflect the world we live in today,” as Van Dusen put it during the show’s first season, then the mission is not complete without major queer characters allowed to live out major queer love stories. That is not, as the trolls in Rhimes’ Instagram comments have suggested, as simple as inventing new fringe characters. The show is called Bridgerton; each season focuses on a Bridgerton sibling. If a queer story is going to get serious screentime, it has to be part of a Bridgerton love story. And not for nothing? There are eight Bridgerton siblings. A few of them were bound to be queer.
