An Exhaustive Guide to All the Bridgertons on ‘Bridgerton’
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Dearest readers: It’s Bridgerton Week at IndieWire. We’re celebrating the new season by diving deep on one of the best romance shows on TV.
Welcome back to the world of “Bridgerton,” the Netflix superhit that gets everyone invested in Regency-era romance by making it clear that the only way empire-waist gowns work is when they’re torn off by hereditary nobility. As it’s been a while since our last opportunity to mingle with the Lords and Ladies of the ton, here’s a refresher on who’s who (and who’s doing who) in London town this season.
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I. The Bridgertons
The Dowager Viscountess Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell) and her children stand at the center of London society, partially because their unlimited funds make them a financially desirable family to marry into, but also because they’re all the kind of hot that makes one stop and go “No, that can’t be right, no one actually looks that good in real life.” But they do.
Violet, Dowager Viscountess Bridgerton
The Dowager Viscountess Violet Bridgerton is the matriarch of the Bridgerton clan. Born Violet Ledger, she fell in true love with Edmund (Rupert Evans), the 8th Viscount Bridgerton, and had seven of his children before Edmund died in a tragic bee accident shortly before the birth of her eighth. A devoted mother, all Violet wants for her children is for them to find a love as strong as she shared with their father, a goal only slightly undercut by the fact that she gave them all names in ascending alphabetical order, like she somehow knew she was putting together the Von Trapps of Being Horny one pregnancy at a time.
Anthony, 9th Viscount Bridgerton and Kathani, Viscountess Bridgerton
After the death of the 8th Viscount Bridgerton, firstborn Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) inherited his father’s title and responsibilities, making him the legal leader of the Bridgerton family (even if Violet is the one who really calls the shots). An ex-rake whose former mistresses include the opera singer Sienna Rosso (Sabrina Bartlett), Anthony found his true love in “Bridgerton” Season 2 when he met Kathani “Kate” Sharma (Simone Ashley) and proposed oh-so romantically…to her sister Edwina (Charithra Chandran). The course of true love never did run smooth. It took a shockingly unfinished wedding, so many horse rides in the park, a thorough personal analysis of Anthony’s bee-related trauma, and what can only be described as a sex coma for Kate and Anthony to end up together, but end up together they did.
Benedict Bridgerton
Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) is Violet’s second son, the proverbial “spare” to Anthony’s heir, though the subsequent birth of six more siblings somewhat diluted any pressure for him to prepare himself for leadership and marriage in the event of tragedy. He embraces his role as an artsy, fun bachelor, acting as a sounding board for his siblings and always ready with a quick-witted remark whenever any of them get too big for their Bridger-britches. His vibes are impeccable, his art is definitely paintings, and his romantic attractions have been a big ole question mark since Season 1.
Colin Bridgerton
Please welcome to the stage the star of “Bridgerton” Season 3: Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton)! Despite the fact that Colin spent most of the first season with his dumb ass almost falling straight into a baby trap courtesy of Marina (Ruby Barker) — the current Lady Crane — and the entire second season talking about Greece and plants, the third Bridgerton brother is all grown up and ready for romance. A dreamer and a romantic, Colin often speaks out of passion rather than thoughtfulness, leading to an awkward situation towards the end of Season 2 where his bestie Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) overheard him saying he would never, ever court her. Which, even if it were true (it’s not), is a rude thing to say behind anyone’s back. Bad Colin! How will he ever make it up to her, one wonders?
Daphne Bassett, Duchess of Hastings and Simon Bassett, Duke of Hastings
Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor), the fourth Bridgerton sibling and first daughter of the family, married Simon Bassett (Rege-Jean Page), Duke of Hastings in a wild romance cataloged extensively in “Bridgerton” Season 1. Though the couple will not appear in Season 3, it’s safe to assume they’re splitting their time between performing their Ducal duties, raising their son and Violet’s first grandchild Augie, and having marathon sex to a repeating playlist of string quartet covers of Taylor Swift songs. “So Long, London” indeed.
Eloise Bridgerton
Fifth child and second daughter Eloise (Claudia Jessie) likes to think of herself as the spiciest Bridgerton sibling, loudly denouncing the limited role women play in Regency-era society and excoriating the marriage market as the shallow, ridiculous product of misogyny. And while she isn’t wrong, she could stand to be a little less hypocritical about it. Last season, Eloise pursued a friendship with a lowly newspaper printer in an effort to uncover Lady Whistledown’s identity, an effort that succeeded when she discovered that her BFF Penelope Featherington was the real Lady Whistledown, but also led the queen (Golda Rosheuvel) to believe that Eloise was Whistledown herself.
To save Eloise from their monarch’s wrath, Penelope did the unthinkable and published a story about Eloise’s newsboy friend. This convinced the queen that Eloise was innocent of being Whistledown and everyone else that Eloise was an unmarriageable harlot for being seen unchaperoned with a common man. Now an outcast from the marriage mart she didn’t even like in the first place, Eloise declared Penelope her nemesis and ended their friendship.
Francesca Bridgerton
Coming in hot with a brand new face and flawless highlighter is Season 3’s recast Francesca Bridgerton (Hannah Dodd), who despite being younger then Eloise is ready to have her debut and take on the ton as a co-romantic lead, embarking on her own story alongside her brother Colin and Penelope’s. She likes music, pianos, sheet music, and listening to music, making her an anomaly in her family, who prefer other activities (aforementioned marathon sex scored by string quartet covers of Taylor Swift). Will Francesca find true love? Does she even care that much? Tune in to find out.
Gregory Bridgerton
Gregory (Will Tilston) is the youngest Bridgerton son. He doesn’t have a lot of presence on the show because he’s too young to get married or be all that interesting. Yet.
Hyacinth Bridgerton
See: Gregory Bridgerton. Played by Florence Hunt.
II. The Featheringtons
Portia Featherington
Leading the Featherington clan is Portia (Polly Walker), the mother of Prudence (Bessie Carter), Philippa (Harriet Cains), and Penelope. She is a hilariously inconsistent schemer who has gaslit, gatekept, and girlbossed her way to keeping her daughters in the public eye long enough to get husbands, with two out of three of her girls married by the beginning of Season 3. Now all she has left is Penelope. Well, Penelope and an apparent monopoly on whatever inch-thick curtain fabric she makes her astonishingly vivid dresses out of.
Prudence and Philippa Featherington
These two come as a pair, because they’re essentially the same person. The two eldest Featherington girls are the archetypical mean stepsisters in Penelope’s story, except they’re actually blood related and still dumb as a box of tacks. Their other salient trait is thinking they are better than Penelope, which is categorically insane.
Penelope Featherington
A “Bridgerton” staple since the first scene of Season 1, Penelope is the across-the-street neighbor of the Bridgertons when they’re both staying in London and has been a close friend of the family for years. By day she’s a shy debutante often passed over for her flashier, bolder peers, but by night she’s Lady Whistledown, the anonymous writer of the most read society column in London. Season 3 is finally Penelope’s time to shine, with her crush on her friend Colin Bridgerton becoming the centerpiece of the new season’s biggest romance and source of drama. Team Penelope and Team Whistledown, always.
III. Cressida Cowper
Tall, icy, and extremely blonde, Cressida (Jessica Madsen) has been one of the staple mean girls of the “Bridgerton” world since Season 1. This year marks the third since her debut with no marriage in sight. It’s a situation that would humble anyone with a lick of shame, which is something Cressida largely lacks.
IV. Lady Danbury
A true doyenne of society, Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh) is a wealthy noble widow whose influence of the marriage mart has subtly guided many of the important events seen on “Bridgerton” so far. She’s a flawless mix of compassion and calculation, making her a beloved companion of both Queen Charlotte and Violet Bridgerton even though, as seen on spinoff series “Queen Charlotte,” a much younger Lady Danbury (Arsema Thomas) had a steamy affair with Violet’s dad. It’s fine, Violet knows about it so it’s not awkward, just funny. The “that’s what he said” jokes write themselves.
V. Queen Charlotte
Queen Charlotte is the extravagantly bewigged wife of George III (James Fleet), known to history as Britain’s Mad King (fun fact: King George III is the same king lampooned in “Hamilton!”). Her husband’s mental illness weighs on her, leading to an obsessive preoccupation with the marriage market. She considers herself a puppet master, often naming one debutante the “incomparable diamond” of the season and taking it upon herself to ensure that diamond has an excellent match, but with Daphne disobeying her match in Season 2 and Edwina’s match with Anthony falling apart in Season 2, her track record is kind of garbage. Will the third time be the charm for Charlotte? Probably not.
“Bridgerton” Season 3 – Part 1 premieres on Netflix May 16.
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