Philloise-Centric Season 4 Would Be Bridgerton's Biggest Injustice Yet
From the first moments of the Netflix hit Bridgerton, middle child Eloise has stood out as a fan favourite: whip-smart, witty, headstrong, and a feminist ahead of her time.
With Bridgerton re-arranging the order of Julia Quinn's beloved novels, it sounds like Eloise's romance with widower Sir Philip Crane might be coming up in Season 4…but how can our favorite anti-marriage heroine have such a traditional happily-ever-after?
Of course, plenty of people have been staunchly independent before falling in love unexpectedly.
But it isn't just a question of Eloise changing her mind – she has a lot of growing up to do before she can be an equal partner in a successful marriage.
As much as we love her, she's not the most emotionally mature character. She's often dismissive of those who do not share her opinions or goals, and tends to make snap judgments about people.
She's also quick to anger, doesn't often respect the perspectives of others, and is very stubborn, which leads to impulsive decisions that can be harmful to herself and those around her.
Some hints of how Eloise's story might evolve can be found in Julia Quinn's original novel To Sir Philip, With Love. In the fifth Bridgerton book, Sir Phillip's wife Marina has recently died.
He begins a correspondence with Eloise and shortly after proposes a marriage of convenience. Eloise, feeling restless and uncertain about her future, impulsively accepts his proposal and travels to his estate to meet him in person.
Their personalities conflict, and at first Eloise finds being a stepmother to Sir Philip's twin children unfulfilling. But of course, the two near-strangers come to understand each other, and eventually fall in love.
By the end of the novel, they've forged a meaningful connection and created a true marriage of equals. It's not necessarily a betrayal of Eloise's character to have her wind up in this kind of traditional relationship.
But before this particular love story can happen, she needs to mature emotionally, develop greater empathy and understanding of others, and come to terms with her own desires and needs.
Only then will she be ready to very maturely…er...accept an offer of marriage on a whim from a man she's never met. Okay, so Eloise doesn't have to be PERFECTLY mature before her love story begins.
However, Bridgerton still needs to give her some more time to grow before she's able to become a supportive and equal partner to Sir Philip – and before she's able to accept his support and love in kind.