The Bridgertons of Shondaland

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Imagine if you had a cauldron in which you could mix anything and form a potion. Now add three cups of Pride & Prejudice with a pinch of Little Women, a large spoonful of rom coms like The Proposal. Garnish it with a sprig of Pretty Little Liars. Transfer it into a sleek glass bottle and voila! You’ve created your very own Bridgerton! Now you might expect your potion to be jaded, way too familiar, and at times, campy, but you’d be surprised, for it is also refreshing, shiny, and in a word, lip-smackingly delicious!

Based on the set of novels by Julia Quinn and set in 1800s London, Bridgerton charters the lives of the  Bridgerton siblings starting with Daphne, the eldest daughter, whose matchmaking, betrothal & marriage form a major part of the first season. There is also the unwelcome presence of Lady Whistleton (voiced by the incomparable Julie Andrews), an anonymous columnist, who threatens to unleash scandal during the ball season in the ton (high society). 

My favourite characters - Eloise & Penelope!
(Image Courtesy:imdb.com)

Although termed a period drama, Bridgerton is refreshingly contemporary in its themes. This is no sepia-filtered Georgian drama with its simpering, helpless women, marriages of convenience, white protagonists and black servants, etc. This is a world of ultra-high definition, vivid colours with assured, confident women wanting to make modern marriages, based on friendship and love. Even the music played in the balls are classical music covers of modern songs; I could make out Maroon 5’s Girl Like You and Ariana Grande’s Thank You Next, at the very least. This series is also the best example of how to use creative liberties effectively, for the cast is unexpectedly diverse, with actors of all ethnicities cast in roles from nobility to commonfolk. It is also rare to find a series that has a perfect conclusion in season one; it goes on to show that the creator is spunky enough to not rely on cliffhanger tropes to hook on audience for the next season.

I’m not a Shonda Rhimes fan. In fact, I absolutely despise weepy, sappy, overly graphic romantic series, films, etc. It’s just a bit too much for me. So when I ended up finishing the entire series over a day in a frenetic manner, I found myself dumbfounded. Bridgerton is no silly potion, nay, it is a packet of Lay’s ; you know it is unhealthy, but you just gotta finish the damn packet after you open it!

Hate Shonda or love Shonda, one can’t deny that she does ensembles really well (which is clearly why Grey’s Anatomy is still running). Every character has a defined backstory of their own and all these backstories, sometimes in the form of undercurrents, sometimes in the form of tidal waves, flow together in harmony.

The flaws in the season are as obvious as its conclusion. The general motivation of the characters seems odd and illogical, the core conflict is too basic and it seems that all that is needed to solve any conflict in the series is open communication & surprisingly, basic sex education. If one were to remove the character of the shrewd Lady Whistledown, the story would be a plain vanilla Mills & Boons story.

Despite its flaws, the series works, and beware, is wickedly addictive. There are eight Bridgerton novels in all and I wouldn't be surprised if there were eight seasons of Bridgerton. After all,the characters do talk about the next ball season in the finale. Shondaland certainly seems to be up for the task. So maybe grab that packet of Lay’s. You are allowed a cheat day, after all, are you not?

Another favourite: Queen Charlotte!
(Image courtesy: imdb.com)