We're Letting George Crane Off the Hook Way Too Easily, Bridgerton Fans Say
As a character that never made a physical appearance in Bridgerton, but was only spoken of, George Crane had a significant impact on another character, and not entirely in a good way.
Marina Thompson is introduced as a distant cousin of the Featheringtons, sent by her father from the country to stay in London with the guidance of the Featheringtons to enter society, as she had no women in her life at home.
Marina, quickly named the season's Incomparable by Lady Whistledown, had a number of potential suitors after her thanks to her beauty, grace, intelligence, and wit. However, her heart already belonged to George Crane, with whom she had fallen in love back home, and this was the beginning of her scandal.
Marina soon realized that her secret relationship with George had resulted in her being pregnant. She was alone in the situation because George had gone to fight in the war in Spain, unaware that she was carrying his children.
And then he was killed. And Marina's reputation was destroyed because of her pregnancy, so no wonder Bridgerton fans are at war over George's actions on Reddit.
Whilst some fans may be defending George, partially because they feel they don't know enough about his character, and other because he was killed in the war ("Wait didn't he die? How is that his fault?" FoghornLegday say), the majority feel that he deserves to be blamed for Marina Thompson's heartache and humiliation throughout the first season of Bridgerton because of her unexpected and scandalous pregnancy.
Redditor Aoifetadh points out that George "was the older one in the relationship, and it was very irresponsible of him to engage with Marina the way he did."
But the majority are in agreement that "If he loved her at all, he'd have married her before going off to war so that she'd be provided for and have money regardless of what happened to him. George Crane is a grade-A inconsiderate tosser," according to Sassylildame.
And we can in part agree with both points of view. George wasn't solely to blame for the scandal Marina was caught in, but she was the one left to deal with the repercussions of their mutual decisions.
Marina's story is easily one of the most heartbreaking plots in Bridgerton. She deserved so much more than the humiliation and heartbreak she was dealt as well as the books' accounts of her ending up in a loveless marriage with her lover's brother to preserve her reputation. The whole scenario brings to mind the classic line, "If you love someone, let them go," or as most Redditors pointed out, marry her before you do the deed.