Jack Featherington's Name Held the Key to Bridgerton's Major Twist All Along
One of the biggest and most shocking twists of Bridgerton Season 2 was actually hinted at throughout the season.
Jack Featherington played by Rupert Young has become the new intriguing character in Season 2 of the historical-romance Netflix series.
He inherited the Lord Featherington estate and title after the death of Archibald Featherington in Season 1 of the show. As Archibald's closest male relative, Jack was expected to financially support Portia Featherington and her daughters.
At first, it seemed that his ruby mines would become a source of wealth and security for the family, but it was later revealed that the mines were empty, and Jack was actually broke. This was a major twist in the story.
However, to an attentive viewer, this twist was not totally unexpected. It had been hinted at by the character's nickname, Cousin Jack. In the real world, it was a term used to refer to Cornish miners in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
These miners migrated to other countries, such as America and Africa, in search of employment after the mines they worked in were shut down. Thus, Cousin Jack referred to a miner who was without a mine and seeking new opportunities. What a fitting name for Jack Featherington!
And naturally, the nickname Cousin Jack was frequently mentioned in Season 2 in relation to the character.
It was Penelope who first called Lord Featherington Cousin Jack. From the very beginning, Portia seemed uneasy with the use of this familial term. Her objections became even louder when she found out about Jack's worthless mines. When Jack got engaged to Prudence and she continued referring to him as Cousin Jack, Portia let her daughter know it was unacceptable.
Though her objections may have stemmed from the emphasis on the blood relationship between Jack and Prudence, it could also have been a rejection of the nickname that revealed Jack's real status.
The repeated use of the nickname Cousin Jack throughout Bridgerton Season 2 suggests that it was not simply a coincidence, but rather a subtle hint at a major plot twist involving Jack Featherington.
However, it is worth noting that only Jack Featherington's family referred to him by this nickname, and the show is set in 1813, long before the term became widely used. This implies that the nickname was included as an Easter egg for the audience to decipher rather than something that the characters within the show could have easily deduced.