Season 4 takes inspiration from Julia Quinn’s third novel called “An Offer From A Gentleman.” This one shifts the spotlight on Benedict Bridgerton, played by Luke Thompson. 

The gentleman is serving looks, but also responsibilities. Yes, this one has spent three seasons casually floating on the edge of responsibility. He is charming and a little lost. Naturally, Bridgerton decides it is time to have fun with his peace.

Because this is the season where Benedict meets Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha), and suddenly the story is not just about flirtation anymore. It is about class, identity and wait, fantasy versus reality. And what happens when the person you fall for exists in a world you were never taught to truly see.

Meet the Leads, Benedict and Sophie

Sophie Baek arrives as the perfect disruption in Benedict’s life. Played by Yerin Ha, Sophie is introduced with a kind of subtle gravity that immediately separates her from the typical debutante parade. The show also updates her surname from the books to “Baek,” a choice that honours Ha’s Korean heritage and adds a layer of cultural intentionality to the character’s presence.

Season 4 Part 1 begins with one of Bridgerton’s most irresistible setups: a masquerade ball.

The Bridgertons host a night so extravagant it feels like fate dressed in embroidery. It is here that Benedict meets the mysterious “Lady in Silver,” a woman who seems to step out of a fairy tale and into his line of sight with devastating precision.

She is masked, radiant and she is, for one night, untouchable.

Benedict is immediately undone. But Sophie’s life is not art, it is barely survival. Sophie is a maid living under the control of Lady Araminta Gunn (Katie Leung), enduring cruelty and a past that has left very little room for softness.

And this is where tension unfolds in the Bridgerton universe. 

Benedict is chasing a dream he cannot name yet, and Sophie is facing a life that is hard to believe is hers now. Part 1 shows Benedict obsessed with finding the Lady in Silver, unaware that she is under his nose. 

Yes, she is already present in his orbit, how long before he notices? 

What We Loved

The Masquerade Ball: The Internet’s Favourite Fantasy

The masquerade ball is not just a scene, it is as we say, the whole point.

It is a dream come true for anyone who has even mildly wanted a Cinderella fantasy in the back of their mind. The idea of being anonymous for one night, of being chosen without being fully known and of being looked at like magic before the world remembers where you belong, Bridgerton understands the power of that.

The costume department did not come to play, and it shows. 

This season’s wardrobe is regality-filled in the way Bridgerton does best. The outfits are inspired from Mark Antony and Cleopatra and some hold Marie Antoinette-level extravagance. Every character looks like they have a historical fever dream designed specifically for the female gaze. 

Sophie and Benedict’s Soft, Awkward Chemistry

What makes Sophie and Benedict compelling is that their romance also feels real, like it could be your own story. 

Their connection is sweet in a way that feels almost teenage-coded and the butterfly-in-the-tummy kind. And, isn’t that awww-dorable?  Sophie is Cinderella-coded, yes, but not cliché. (at least that’s what we thought till episode 1) The show gives her enough dignity and complexity that she feels like a person before she feels like a trope.

Bridgerton Doing Slapstick Was Not on My Bingo Card

One of the most unexpected joys of Season 4 is its slapstick and physical comedy. 

Like c’mon, Bridgerton is obviously the most poised one of all its Netflix cousins. It is obsessed with propriety. So this kinda comedy from Posy Li, Sophie’s sister, felt like a pleasant surprise. 

Posy Li emerges as a goofy and cinnamon-roll-coded delight. Her wide-eyed horror at the amount of bare shoulders at the masquerade is genuinely adorable. She is absurd in the best way, and we just love it! 

What We Tolerated

The Band-Aid Mistake That Had Fans Squinting

Bridgerton fans are more than just viewers, they are like unpaid investigators.

So when Katie Leung’s Lady Araminta Gunn appeared at the masquerade ball with a band-aid, people noticed it fast and were even quicker to point it out on TikTok. Weren’t bandages invented close to the 1920s? YES. But here Leung was casually floating it around in the 1800s. 

It is a small error, but Bridgerton’s audience seemed to catch up on it. And surprise surprise, they did not like it.

Cinderella References That Sometimes Get Too Loud

The Cinderella inspiration is charming and also hits home, until it becomes overwhelming.

Sophie’s traumatic backstory is important, but at times the season lays it on so heavily that it starts to feel like the show is trying to victimise and unnecessarily layer upon a character who has an elegant persona otherwise. 

A Few Plot Choices Feel Familiar in a Show That Can Be Smarter

Benedict hiring Sophie to work for his family is not shocking, it is genuinely what we expected (to not happen). Bridgerton-waalon, tum hi predictable ho jaaoge, so who will we rely upon to surprise us? 

Benedict’s refusal to connect Sophie to the Lady in Silver is plotted to feel romantic mixed with an identity crisis. We get it. But at this point, it feels more like Benedict is intentionally being dumbed down to thicken the plot. Bridgerton fans are sharper than this. 

So these little things do not ruin the season, but they do test your patience. 

Final Verdict

Bridgerton Season 4 Part 1 is decadent and maybe occasionally frustrating.

The masquerade ball alone is worth the obsession and yes, Sophie’s and Benedict’s chemistry feels genuine. The costumes are outrageous in the best possible way and even the comedic touches land with surprising charm. It has its flaws too, sure. 

Still, Bridgerton remains Bridgerton; a show that does love, family and drama, almost as well as Karan Johar (haha xd).  

Season 4 Part 2 arrives on February 26, and we can’t wait to fulfil our Cinderella fantasy via it. Toodles.