Bridgerton Season 4 is a Cinderella Retelling. But Why?

Like many other fans of Netflix’s Bridgerton, I’ve noticed the parallels between Bridgerton Season 4 and Cinderella since the trailer. The fourth season is based on the third book in the series: An Offer from a Gentleman by Julia Quinn. Even Netflix’s promotional materials call it a “fairy-tale romance.” By emphasizing the similarities to Cinderella, Season 4 Part 1 creates tension when this fairy tale narrative seems too perfect to last.

Note: I’m writing this before Part 2 releases on February 26^th, so this covers only Season 4, Part 1. Spoiler alert, if you haven’t watched Part 1 yet.

Terms like “fantasy” and “fairy tale” don’t always refer to genres. They can also describe the wish-fulfillment aspect of romance, and Netflix’s marketing plays on this by calling it a fairy-tale romance. “Fairy tale” and “fantasy” can also suggest that a situation is too good to be true. This implication is key to the conflict that Benedict and Sophie must face in Season 4, Part 2.

Part 1 doesn’t just have Cinderella vibes; it’s a full-fledged retelling. Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha) is Cinderella. We initially think Sophie is Lord Penwood’s ward. She eventually learns that she’s his biological daughter with his maid. Her stepmother and stepsisters had cut her out of her inheritance and forced her to work as a servant in her own home. Benedict Bridgerton is the “Prince Charming” character, befitting his “rake” persona.

Sophie sneaks into a masquerade, uninvited, and leaves before the masks come off at midnight. Because of her mask, Benedict can’t identify her. Instead of a glass slipper, she leaves behind a silver evening glove. Later, Sophie overhears her stepsisters gossiping about the “Lady in Silver.” Benedict searches for this mysterious woman. He asks, “Any other ladies in your household?” a line the prince or his staff ask in many versions of Cinderella.

All these details are more similar to Disney’s versions of Cinderella than to the violent, earlier versions of the fairy tale. Because Bridgerton is an alternate history romance series for adults, there’s much more going on here than a conventional fairy tale narrative. Benedict is Queen Charlotte’s “diamond” of this season—a title that has previously gone to debutante women, not men. Earlier seasons depicted Benedict as polyamorous and pansexual. So, his hesitation to get married may be due to his romantic and sexual identity. Sophie also hesitates to tell Benedict who she is.

There are plenty of steamy scenes. One plotline involves Penelope explaining “pinnacles” to her sister-in-law, Francesca. She uses the word the way we might use “climax.”

There are also threats of violence. When Sophie is working as a maid, Benedict defends her and her coworker Hazel from a sexually predatory employer. All these complications suggest we’re moving away from fantasies and illusions.

When Benedict asks Sophie to be his mistress, not his wife, at the end of Season 4 Part 1, social class becomes a source of conflict. Like in previous seasons of Bridgerton, there are external conflicts between the leads, with their society, and internal conflicts in their own minds.

Fashion historian Hilary Davidson calls Netflix’s Bridgerton speculative fiction because it’s alternate history, and I agree. Systemic racism doesn’t exist on the show (at least not in the ways it does in the real world), which changes everything. However, classism certainly exists in the Bridgerton universe. Bridgerton is so different from real history that it’s hard to tell which Regency social rules still apply, or where the line is for “scandal.”

Even in romance, a happily ever after isn’t as simple as choosing a partner. Bridgerton Season 4 uses the Cinderella storyline to subvert the expectations that come with a “fairy-tale romance.” Sophie and Benedict must decide how much they want to be together in Part 2, and what they’re willing to sacrifice. That starts with choosing a real person over an illusion.

If you can’t get enough Bridgerton, check out these historical romance books like Bridgerton and explore the original Bridgerton novels. If you’re looking for more fairy-tale romances, pick up these romance novels that retell fairy tales.