Sorry, But Netflix’s Eloise Bridgerton Is Too Far Gone Already
Where did the long-term planning go wrong?
When Shonda Rhimes took on the adaptation of Julia Quinn's Bridgerton book series, she should have known the risks she was taking. Not only was this a chance to get younger audiences interested in period dramas, but it was also an opportunity to do justice to an author with a huge following and many die-hard fans.
Although, as always, Rhimes took an unexpected approach and changed many things, she still managed to recreate the magical atmosphere of Quinn's 1800s England and the beauty of each romance that was brought to life. However, there is a downside.
Having to work through both COVID-19 and the writers and actors strike, fans fear that Netflix and Shondaland will have to give up on the ambitious idea of creating an 8-season show. And that will completely disrupt the story of one of the older characters that viewers still want to see explored.
In the books, Eloise Bridgerton has a long way to go before she gets married. She is intelligent, witty, and feels out of place at balls and ceremonies. She finds joy in solitude, friendship, and reading, which leads her to become completely lost in the world of books.
Being the second sister after Daphne, she knows she has to continue the line and makes her debut in season 2, but it doesn't go quite as well. The Eloise we see on screen is about as far from learning about true love and marriage as you can get, and it's hard to imagine her changing her mind in just one season.
To make her character's development natural, the team behind Bridgerton would have to push her season out at least two more seasons until season 5 rolls around and both Colin and Benedict's stories are told. However, viewers fear that with all the years that go by between seasons being released, this one may already be out of the question.
In that case, whatever the writers decide to do with Eloise would feel unnatural and rushed. Whether there is a huge time jump or she develops her feelings on screen, fans would have to believe that she spent some time exploring the world and maturing off-screen, which would not do the character justice.
The only hope that Bridgerton fans really have for Eloise is that once the strikes are officially over, both Netflix and Shondaland will prioritize Bridgerton and speed up the production of the show to the point where Eloise's story, as well as the stories of all her younger siblings, are told in the way that was planned all along.
Until then, you can enjoy Bridgerton seasons 1 and 2 on Netflix.