Bridgerton season 4 will tell the story of Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) and Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha), but what happens after is still being debated. Francesca (Hannah Dodd) has achieved her first marriage as depicted in Julia Quinn’s books, only for her gender-swapped love interest Michaela (Masali Baduza) to be introduced, presumably to be the deuteragonist of Francesca’s eventual focus season. There are three more siblings, with some malleability in terms of the order for seasons 5 through 8. However, the Bridgerton sibling who would best serve the show as the final story may not be the one people expect.
Bridgerton Season 8 Should Be Eloise’s Season
Eloise Should Come After Francesca, Gregory, & Hyacinth In The Order Of Bridgerton’s Next Few Seasons
The character who most challenges the format of each installment being about another Bridgerton sibling falling in love is Eloise (Claudia Jessie), the fifth child and second daughter, which is why she should be the star of the last season. In the books, Eloise marries Sir Phillip Crane (Chris Fulton) following the death of his first wife Marina (Ruby Barker), characters who have already appeared in the show, with arcs mostly divorced from Eloise. Meanwhile, the arc that the Bridgerton showrunners have curated for Eloise thus far makes adapting her Regency romance all the more difficult.
Bridgerton has been mixing up the order of the stories, with Colin and Penelope’s romance being moved up to before Benedict and Sophie.
Bridgerton has been mixing up the order of the stories, with Colin and Penelope’s romance being moved up to before Benedict and Sophie. The order of Francesca, Gregory (Will Tilston), and Hyacinth (Florence Hunt) is largely flexible, which may also be influenced by how Bridgerton chooses to handle Francesca’s timeline when she is meant to be married to John (Victor Alli) for a few years before his death. However, Francesca might get season 5, so people don’t have to wait too long for the follow-up on the Michaela twist, while Eloise could become the grand finale of the genre-defining series.
Making The Final Season About Eloise Gives Bridgerton More Time For Her Arc
Bridgerton Needs More Time For Eloise To Figure Out Her Path Forward — Not A Swift Marriage
Moving Eloise to the end could give Bridgerton the time it needs to overcome all the problems it has created for itself concerning her arc. Namely, the show has vividly illustrated how Eloise is completely uninterested in marriage, which is the apparent antithesis to the things she actually wants to accomplish in her life: education and societal change. Most recently, she completely removed herself from English high society where she might meet a potential husband even during the off-season, choosing to travel to Scotland with Francesca and John.
Eloise’s characterization is adapted from the books, but with Bridgerton‘s emphasis on women’s autonomy, as well as gradually incorporating more queer experiences into the Regency setting, convincing everyone that Eloise should give up her independence will take some work. More than likely, if they do decide to go down the route of her ending up with Phillip, they should start the storyline during another sibling’s official season. Eloise needs more time than any of her siblings to come to trust someone enough to marry them, and to figure out how to reconcile her personal goals with the concept of marriage.
Eloise Is A Bigger Bridgerton Character, Making Her A Better Choice For The Finale
Hyacinth Or Gregory Could Be A Merely Serviceable Final Season Of Bridgerton, While Eloise Would Mean More Dramatics
Additionally, having the last installment be about Gregory or Hyacinth, the two we would presume to claim the final seasons as they are the youngest siblings, risks being somewhat anti-climactic. Francesca perhaps stands a chance at carrying the final season of such a major show, but she is burdened by the same thing as the other two. Namely, at the beginning of Bridgerton, Francesca, Gregory, and Hyacinth are mostly background characters. The distribution of screen time means that the older siblings who are the right age for the romance-centric series are given more focus.
Eloise is naturally taking longer to get married, and putting her at the very end, after a very long and strenuous arc, is the epic ending Bridgerton needs which will bring everything full circle.
Francesa has essentially taken Daphne’s place, while Gregory and Hyacinth have more character moments in Bridgerton season 3. However, using one of them when they only really became characters a couple of seasons in is risky for the finale. Meanwhile, Eloise has been a major, tumultuous character since the beginning. She is naturally taking longer to get married, and putting her at the very end, after a very long and strenuous arc, is the epic ending Bridgerton needs which will bring everything full circle.
Eloise Doesn’t Have To Get Married In Bridgerton
It Would Be A Major Change From The Books But Would Show How The Bridgerton Siblings Are All Different People
Perhaps the biggest question is how exactly the showrunners are going to handle Eloise’s story when it does come. It’s a big leap for Eloise to give up whatever independence she has carved out for herself for married family life. That is not to say that she could not fall in love with someone; maybe she and Phillip really are exactly the right people for each other, making for a marriage where she still has time for her own work. However, the character who is supposedly to become her husband is so far woefully disappointing, causing some mild drama in Colin and Penelope’s arcs through his marriage to Marina.
Additionally, Eloise, like a couple of her siblings, has been interpreted as queer-coded, potentially read as aromantic or asexual. Her storyline with Theo (Calam Lynch) in season 2 caused some speculation about a romance, but the relationship never progressed to this stage, their bond being founded on a passion for progressive causes. Eloise’s aversion to society’s demands comes across even stronger in the show, received by a more modern audience as they deconstruct her arc. Maybe the best option is for Eloise to simply not get married in Bridgerton.
One of the least believable things about Bridgerton is that all eight siblings have everything work out for them marriage-wise. Eloise could start down a romantic storyline, meeting someone she would actually consider marrying — but abandoning the idea and being happy on her own. This could actually be a very subversive and satisfying ending for Bridgerton, reinforcing that while all of her siblings got their perfect love stories, it is not the life for Eloise. In many ways, Eloise is a risky move for the final season that could spell disaster — but could also be perfect for what will then be the decade-long franchise.
