I Was Rolling My Eyes At Bridgerton Season 4's Cinderella Connection Until I Made One Realization

Look, Bridgerton is one of my favorite shows to watch with a Netflix subscription, but when I heard about what Season 4 was going to be about, I wasn’t quite as excited as I have been in the past. Another Cinderella story? I get that it’s a beloved and classic fairytale, but I think we’ve about enough adaptations from Hollywood to last a lifetime.

But now that I’ve seen Part 1 of the new season, I want to talk about what changed my mind about Season 4. SPOILERS ahead, so be warned if you haven't watched!

I Wasn’t Into Season 4 Being A Cinderella Tale Until I Realized The Bridgerton Angle

When Bridgerton Season 4 starts, it felt like a bit of a rerun of the tons of Cinderella adaptations I’ve seen throughout my life, except for the fact that it was cleverly told more from the perspective of Benedict Bridgerton first. I like how Sophie enters the story basically like Benedict sees her the first time, masked and as a standout at the masquerade ball before revealing her backstory. Having not read Julia Quinn’s An Offer From A Gentleman, I'm going into the storyline blind, but then it went into a new direction that had me stop rolling my eyes over this seasons' concept.

I love the romantic tension between Benedict and Sophie as they end up meeting each other outside of the masquerade ball as Benedict looks for the lady in silver. Sophie clearly being a mental match for Benedict along with their chemistry being off the charts that's selling me, but there’s something even more juicy that caught my attention. When Benedict asks Sophie to be his “mistress” during the midseason finale after the pair made out... and so forth in a hallway, I was a-gasp because I realized this is no typical Cinderella story.

And, I Appreciate The New Directions This Popular Story Is Going

As someone who grew up with a lot of G and PG rated tellings of the fairytale, I’m living for the way Bridgerton has redressed (and undressed) the Cinderella story. While the classic story has a royal prince falling for a woman from the opposite sides of the tracks, and asking to marry her the moment the shoe fits, Bridgerton is taking the story to a new level. Benedict looking for his lady in silver, while developing feelings for Sophie and trying to shed his “rake” ways has a lot of unexpected depth to it. Even though I was fuming with Sophie over his offer, I love that the series is exposing the way in which servants play in the Regency Era.

Benedict inherently thinks less of Sophie because she’s a maid whilst dreaming of asking for the lady in silver’s hand in marriage when they are literally the same person is such a solid setup. It’s a lot more realistic and mature than the classic Cinderella story because it calls out how a man like Benedict sees status and what makes a good wife, and allows for some pre-marital spicy moments. Now, I’m on the edge of my seat over how these two will ultimately become the next Bridgerton couple.

Luckily, Bridgerton Season 4, Part 2 is among 2026 Netflix releases hitting the streaming service on February 26.