Bridgerton Season 4: Is Early Promotion Missing the Mark?

Early promotion for season 4 began just before Christmas with a 12 days of Bridgerton promotion that promised exclusive videos, never before seen photos and even giveaways.  The takeaway from many fans was that there would be something new from season 4 each day, however, what they got was definitely less than the expectation.  This promotion started promisingly with an in-character promotion video of Benedict and Sophie, the new stills on day 2 were soured a little with a still of Penelope forced in ahead of the still of Sophie. By day 3 expectation was high for new stills or character promo to introduce the new characters, however, the merchandising collaboration fell short of expectations, and hopes, of the fans.  With more stills and a short video of Jess talking about S4 with vague references to the main story was again a little disappointing for the fans.  

Video Credit: Netflix

Day 7 delivered the expected in-character promotion video of Penelope and Colin Shondaland and Netflix reinforced negative perceptions on their commitment to diversity and representation when that was followed by an announcement of the name of Penelope and Colin's baby, and a behind the scenes picture of Nicola Coughlan with the baby. This had some questioning why a white baby gets an announcement when the mixed babies have not, and this is not helped by the fact that we still have yet to see Kate and Anthony's baby on screen - or any evidence that we will see him onscreen.  Most fans believe that we could have waited until the release of the season to find out the name of the baby, just as we did with Daphne and Simon's baby in season 2, but for whatever reason Shondaland and Netflix decided a self important 'baby announcement' was required, reinforcing the view that for them only the white characters matter.  

The Netflix tie in promotional spots with the NFL during the 12 days of Bridgerton promotion also was a bit of a miss for the Bridgerton team, this was cringe to a lot of people, and made very little sense as a cross promotion considering Bridgerton is a show set in Regency England, not modern day United States.    

Image Credit: Netflix

As mentioned above there were stills released during this 12 Days promotion, including long awaited solo stills of the leads, but the aforementioned positioning of a still of Penelope in the middle of stills of the leads, and ahead of the leading lady, was not received as well as they may have expected outside of the Polin fandom.  This positioning showed that they either lacked awareness in their efforts to promote Penelope, or were uncaring of the optics of positioning a white woman whose season is over ahead of a woman of colour who is the season's leading lady.  This looks bad for a show that is claiming to be diverse and representative, as the message they were sending was that the white season 3 lead was of higher importance than the Korean lead for the season they are promoting.  

Image Credit: Netflix

However, there were some positives with the announcement of the season 4 world premiere in Paris, and the trailer being released.  

But the issues with the early season 4 marketing do not stop there.  On New Year's Day they released a 'family' promotion showing the Bridgerton family cast members giving their character's New Year Resolutions.  The issues that many saw with this promotion was about who wasn't included, as opposed to who was.  

First it was noted that neither Wil Tilston nor Jonathan Bailey were there to round out the Bridgerton siblings, suggesting that they don't value those they have given smaller storylines too.  But additionall it was noted that Nicola Coughlan was included in the promotion, and while Penelope is a Bridgerton, her inclusion led to questions why she was the only 'spouse' to be included.  Hannah Dodd was in the promotion, but Victor Alli, who plays her husband John, was not.  As mentioned there was no Jonathan Bailey, which means Simone Ashley was also missing.  If this promotion was meant to be 'family only' then why include Nicola and not Wil at the very least, but preferably Wil and Jonathan?  But if this promotion was meant to include spouses then why wasn't Victor at the very least included, or (again preferably) Victor and Simone?  If the promotion was not meant to be the siblings and spouses, or the siblings only, then why not include Yerin who is the season's leading lady?  Essentially this promotion on New Year's Day was a 'terribly white' promotion (to steal a phrase from Adjoa Andoh), and has done nothing to alter the negative perceptions held about Shondaland and Netflix.  

It should also be noted that there still has yet to be a 'passing of the baton' from the Season 3 couple, and most likely will not be, something that was one of the first promotional clips done for season 3.  This again raises questions as to why did the gay man and dark skinned South Asian woman have to 'pass the baton' while the straight white couple do not have to?  Of course promotion is just beginning, maybe this is still coming, but considering they have begun the character introductions this week I highly doubt it.  

Bridgerton Season 4: 12 Days of Bridgerton (Day 8)

NB: due to family commitments this is a day late, my apologies for that.  

On the Eighth day of Bridgerton Netflix gave to me....  some random football ad and three stills.  

So today's offering is partially better than yesterday's.  Initially Shondaland and Bridgerton posted a random American Football ad with Benedict, which made no sense in the context of Bridgerton, but it did seem to hit at something coming on Christmas Day, perhaps a trailer, though we still haven't seen any passing the Torch Videos (which is a different matter altogether).  An hour after that posting they posted three stills, one of Sophie, one of Posy with Sophie, and one of Benedict.  So let's look at them each separately. 

Image Credit: Netflix

Sophie: 

This still shows Sophie standing in front of a mirror, she appears contemplative as she looks at her necklace.  Attention is brought to her necklace through her hand placement.  This suggests that the necklace contains some importance to Sophie, possibly a gift from her mother? 

Sophie is dressed in the same costume that she wears for the promotional shorts, which is believed to be the maid's costume for the Cavendar (or Cavendar stand in).  We get a better look at the colours here and see rather than burgundy the colour is more purple, with what appear to be dark green, or grey, stripes. 

This still has been reported as being from episode 3, so potentially at My Cottage, or just before she ends up at My Cottage.  

Image Credit: Netflix

Posy and Sophie: 

This still shows Posy and Sophie in what could be a bedroom in Penwood House.  We see Sophie side on from behind, and Posy from the front.  Posy is looking excited while Sophie looks alarmed.  They are in the sitting part of the room, with a cabinet of shoes behind Posy. 

Sophie is in her maids uniform, which I have discussed previously, Posy is in a pink dress with what appear to be blue dandelions.  This is significant for two reasons, the first is the meaning behind dandelions.  A dandelion is often dismissed as a weed, but symbolises hope, strength and transformation, perhaps symbolising these qualities in Posy. The second thing of significance is that the dandelions are blue, and not any blue, but rather a shade of Bridgerton Blue.  In the books Posy ends up living with Violet, so could the blue in her dress reflect that happening in the show as well? 

This still is being reported as being from episode 2, which leads me to speculate that perhaps one or more of the Bridgertons are calling on Penwood House, leading to Posy's excitement and Sophie's alarm, and being the reason for the blue in Posy's dress.  

Image Credit: Netflix

Benedict: 

This still doesn't show us Benedict very well so there won't be discussion of him, but rather the overall aspect of the still. 

This is an overhead shot of Benedict, possibly in either the library or study.  Benedict is standing by a desk that is covered in drawings of the Lady in Silver.  What this shows is that Sophie, as the Lady in Silver, is the one that drew Benedict back to drawing, and back into art.  In the books the Bridgertons didn't know that Benedict was an artist, something that is not the same in the show, however, in the show we saw Benedict give up his art in season 2, so this aspect of the story could be that the family don't know that Benedict has begun drawing (and painting) again.  

This still is reported as being from episode 2, which aligns with Benedict going back to art in the days after meeting the lady in silver.  

Bridgerton Season 4: 12 Days of Bridgerton (Day 7)

On the seventh day of Bridgerton, Netflix gave to us a Polin promo and baby announcment. 

Yesterday's contribution was a short video of Jess Brownell talking about S4, if you wish to see it you can view it on Shondaland and Bridgerton's socials. Today we got a promo short for Penelope and Colin as well as an announcement for their baby, who will be named Elliot Bridgerton, Lord Featherington. 

Video credit: Netflix

Polin Promo Short: 

As with the promo shorts we have seen for Benedict, Sophie and Benophie, these take place in front of an Autumnal floral arrangement. There is nothing stand out about Colin's costume in this, it is a standard dark suit and white shirt. Penelope is in a Green and Gold dress with blue flowers, her hair is partially up, which is much better than her having it fully down for a lot of season 3, which is a style that was mostly worn by sex workers and children, which Penelope was neither. It is also interesting to note that Penelope's make-up is toned down from last season, which looks a lot better on her. Overall I like this new look on Penelope and actually think that it is a better 'glow up' for her than her season 3 'glow up'. 

This is a short promo to show Penelope and Colin in their honeymoon phase of wedded bliss, and like all the shorts we have received so far there is no LW voiceover, just music. One thing to note is that this background actually looks better for both Colin and Penelope than the background in their season, it certainly complements their look a lot better and as the colours are warmer it doesn't make the promo look as harsh. 

Image Credit: Netflix

Baby Announcement: 

Shortly after the promo short was posted Bridgerton then posted an official baby announcement for Polin's baby. Before I look at the baby announcement itself, I will say that my first thought was Why? Bridgerton have never made a big deal about the babies previously, we saw Auggie Basset briefly in season 1 at his birth, and then again in season 2 where we also saw a brief moment with one of Marina's twins. We haven't seen Edmund, Kate and Anthony's baby, at all, and definitely no announcement. The optics on this are - at present - not great for Bridgerton or Netflix. There are 5 days left of the 12 days of Bridgerton, so it will be interesting to see if we see anything announced for Edmund, or not, in this period. 

On to the announcement itself, it begins with some platitude about the Bridgerton family continuing to grow, which is an odd thing to say when the show has been actively writing out Bridgerton family members. In the second paragraph etiquette goes awry for the Bridgerton writers, it refers to Mr Colin Bridgerton and Mrs Penelope Bridgerton, which is not how they would have been referred to in any formal announcement. The correct way to refer to them would be Mr and Mrs Colin Bridgerton. A small thing, but it could indicate contempt for the time and place they are setting the show. 

Finally, the announcement creates confusion around the child's status. The end of paragraph 2 refers to Elliot as the heir to the Featherington title, however, in the final paragraph he is called Lord Elliot Featherington. Now, the Featherington title is a Barony, so therefore children and heirs have no right to be called Lord, so if the child is the heir then the correct address would be Master Elliot Bridgerton. If the child is the title holder, then he is not Lord Elliot Featherington, but rather Elliot Bridgerton, Lord Featherington. 

This announcement comes across as lazily written showing contempt for the time and place that the show is set in - Regency England, something that was seeping into the writing and show in season 3 with mistakes in titles, and attempts at trying to be cleverer than the writers are. 

Bridgerton Season 4: 12 Days of Bridgerton (Day 5)

On the fifth day of Bridgerton, Netflix gave to me.... 

3 Season 4 stills. 

After 2 days of no new season 4 content, we are back today with some new stills, this time featuring Araminta, Lady Danbury and Queen Charlotte. 

Image Credit: Netflix

Araminta: 

Araminta is positioned in the foyer of a house, possibly Penwood House. She is dressed in dark clothing. She has a blue dress on with a black and blue patterned pelisse by the looks, or it is possibly a black and blue gown with a blue insert. The collar is reminiscent of a Qipa, and ther is a floral pattern in blue on the black. It is hard to see exactly what the flower represented is, however, it could be a Peony which once symbolised wealth and nobility in China. 

Araminta is holding a Red Pouch, or Reticule, in her hands. This is very significant as red pouches, which symbolise good fortune, joy and warding off evil spirits, are very important in Chinese culture. These pouches often hold money, but also are used as good luck charms, or can carry symbolic items other than cash. But these red pouches are also significant in Korean culture, and along with providing good luck and warding off evil spirits, red pouches are aslo used at other significant events such as a baby's first birthday. This pouch could have meaning to both Araminta and Sophie, so the question has to be: is the pouch Araminta's, or is it Sophie's that Araminta stole? 

Araminta is standing in the foyer of a house, most likely Penwood House. We can see that the house appears to be decorated in Turquoise and gold. Immediately behind Araminta is a table, that looks like could have been Chinese inspired in design. It is hard to take in too many details as the focus is on Araminta and the setting behind her is blurred, but I do think this is the Penwood House foyer. 

Image Credit: Netflix

Lady Danbury: 

In this still we see Lady Danbury in her drawing room with a drink. Lady Danbury is very casual with her hair down. Lady Danbury appears to be dressed in an overdress, or robe, of purple, and is possibly sheer. Underneath she has a blue night dress or gown on. The simplicity of her outfit, lack of much jewellery, and the informality of her hair down, suggests this could be in the evening, however, the light suggests daytime. Lady Danbury is looking at something - or someone, and whatever it is has not pleased her at all. Is this connected to Marcus and Violet? 

Image Credit: Netflix

Queen Charlotte: 

The still of Queen Charlotte is an overhead shot from above her head. In it Queen charlotte is laying back on a large Red pillow that looks to be on a rug on the floor. Queen Charlotte herself is wearing Purple dress, with a geometric pattern, adn her wig is styled into a heart shape. Next to her on the pillow is a copy of the Lady Whistledown paper. 

According to a fan account online, the still of Araminta is from episode 3, while the stills of Queen Charlotte and Lady Danbury are from episode 2. 

Bridgerton Season 4: 12 Days of Bridgerton (Day 2)

On the second day of Bridgerton, Netflix gave to me....  

3 Season 4 stills. 

Bridgerton released 3 stills for their second day of the 12 days of Bridgerton. The stills included one of Benedict, one of Sophie and one of Penelope, however, as it is day 2 of the 12 days of Bridgerton, and I believe they should have only released two stills, I am only going to discuss 2 of the stills released. 

Image Credit: Netflix

Benedict:

In the first still we see Benedict leaning against a fence or gate, possibly at night, appearing to be looking up, potentially at a house/window - but whose? Benedict is dressed in a deep blue jacket with a patterned gold and black waistcoat and a white shirt. On the bottom of Benedict's waistcoat there appears to It appears that Benedict may have a new fob chain for his watch, and it looks like the design on the fob includes a heart shaped design and flowers that may be hibiscus flowers, which are the national flower of Korea. The peek we get of Benedict's waistcoat appears to have flowers and plant motifs embroidered, and the flowers look like they could be Tulips in a call back to his waistcoat from the Pall Mall game, however, I am not really sure what type of flowers they are, but maybe a question for the costume designer. Another theory I had, which is also a bit out there, is that they could be representing something like a Wattle or Waratah as a subtle hidden nod to Yerin being Australian. If you don't know, the Wattle is the national flower of Australia, and the Waratah is the state flower of New South Wales. 

Image Credit: Netflix

Sophie:

This image of Sophie shows her laying on a bed in a bare room, in the picture she is holding one long white evening glove, most likely the glove that she was wearing at the Masquerade Ball. Sophie is in a maids uniform, and appears to be the one from her stepmother's household. What we see up close is that this uniform is not plain black as it appeared initially in the sneak peek we got on Valentine's Day, but rather it appears to be alternating dark reddish brown and a lighter brown colour with black pinstripes. This is similar to her promotional costume in that the colour is deceptive, initially appearing as one block colour but on closer inspection is actually patterned with multiple colours. 

In this image it is most likely after the ball as Sophie only has one glove and is looking at the glove as if she is remembering, and trying to prolong the feelings she had. 

Another interesting thing to note in this image is the pattern on Sophie's bedding. The pattern is not usual for Regency England, and potentially are inspired by, or representative of, Korean patterns. This could indicate that the bedding, or at least the blanket, is something that belonged to her mother as opposed to being something provided by Araminta. 

Bridgerton Season 4: 12 Days of Bridgerton (Day 1)

On the first day of Bridgerton, Netflix gave to me....  

Benophie being cute. 

Video Credit:  Netflix

This short is Benedict and Sophie in the same costumes, and setting, as for their individual promotional shorts that I previously wrote about here and here.  

What is notable with this promotional short, seeing them side by side, is the complimentary colours with their costumes. In the initial video of Sophie, I thought her costume could be more burgundy, but when seen alongside Benedict's it looks more rust coloured, which compliments his trousers nicely.  What also is noticeable is how Benedict's green coat and waistcoat picks out the green in Sophie's maid costume.  

The idea of the leads wearing complimentary colours in the promotional shorts was first seen with Kate and Anthony in season 2, where they were very deliberately matched for the promotional shorts.  For season 3 there was a hint of complimentary colours between Colin's waistcoat and Penelope's dress, but they weren't matching to the same degree as Kate and Anthony before them.  Benedict and Sophie fall in between to a degree, while Sophie's dress does appear to match the colour of Benedict's trousers, we see a more subtle match up in the waistcoat and coat with Sophie's dress, giving a strong complimentary colour palette with hints of matching.  

As with the previous shorts, this video has no narration and is set to music, mirroring season 3 where the first character promotional shorts were set to music and not a Lady Whistledown VoiceOver.  What we do see with this short promotional video is Benedict and Sophie sneaking peeks at each other then quickly looking away with a small smile, which is very cute of them.  

Stand by for Day 2

Bridgerton Fandom: What is in a Name? Kate Sharma vs Kate Bridgerton and why it matters how she is addressed

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet", so says Juliet in William Shakespeare's play Romeo & Juliet, but Shakespeare was mistaken because there is a lot in a name.  A name is more than a label, it is a reflection of identity, culture, personal agency and social status. Using a correct name is considered a basic expression of respect, in our real lives most will not show their friends, family or acquaintances disrespect by using a different name when discussing or talking to them, so why is it okay for a fictional character?  Kathani (Kate) Bridgerton is The Viscountess Bridgerton, but some in the fandom still insist on calling her Kate Sharma, with one content creator recently claiming it is to put respect on her heritage, but does reverting Kate's name to her maiden name show respect for her heritage? Or does using Sharma, instead of her married name and title, actually echo ideas of erasure and Orientalism?   

Image Credit: Netflix

A few weeks ago a mid-tier content creator on Instagram made a post about season 2 that prompted a number of responses, both positive and negative, but one response in particular caught my attention. I was sent a screenshot of an exchange where a commenter raised the issue of how Shondaland and Netflix continually refer to The Viscountess Bridgerton as Kate Sharma, whilst referring to the white characters of Penelope and Francesca by their married names. The content creator replied to the comment, ending with"...I still call her Kate Sharma and she is my favourite character, full stop. You know why? Because I like to put some respect on her heritage and not erase that she's a Sharma first". The idea that referring to The Viscountess Bridgerton as Kate Sharma, is something I have seen expressed on other platforms as well, and while it may seem to be a noble and respectful thing to do, it is very problematic. Calling Kate by her maiden name and disregarding not only her married name but also her title, mirrors a common trope where characters of colour are kept in the 'before' identity and unable to grow and evolve as characters. Essentially those that continue to refer to Kate as a Sharma when discussing her post marriage are freezing her identity as a Sharma, and could be seen to be reinforcing her as an outsider, implying she doesn't belong as a Bridgerton. 

Image Credit: Screenshot from Instagram

Further, by failing to recognise Kate as The Viscountess Bridgerton, or as a Bridgerton at all, it can act as a way of ensuring Kate remains 'in her place' as it reinforces racial hierarchies and challenges Kate's legitimacy in the white majority world of Bridgerton's aristocracy, and even the Bridgerton family.  More than this, using her anglicised name of Kate, while claiming to 'put some respect on her heritage' feeds into the colonialist practice of anglicising ethnic names. It presents a Western worldview of anglicised/europeanised first names, while defining her heritage via her surname. In this situation it is a Western content creator deciding how Kate's heritage should be respected while denying Kate's character arc in season 2 that culminated in her marriage to Anthony and her gaining the title of Viscountess. If this content creator, (and others in the fandom), wished to 'put respect on Kate's heritage' then surely it would be more respectful to use her first name of Kathani rather than an anglicised first name while reverting her surname to a time before she married? Kate becoming The Viscountess Bridgerton wasn't just a plot point, it was the whole of her story arc in season 2, it not only represents her growth as a character, but also agency, love and security for the character and it represents so much more to many South Asian women who watch the show, a representation that goes far beyond just seeing a brown woman onscreen, and failing to refer to the character of Kate as a Bridgerton denies this character growth.  

Image Credit: Netflix

The concept of Orientalism within cultural studies is where Western storytelling keeps characters from non-Western cultures in an unchanging version of who they are, and not allowing for character arcs or growth.  Using Kate Sharma, instead of Viscountess Bridgerton/Lady Bridgerton/Kate (or Kathani) Bridgerton, falls into this idea of Orientalism, and perpetuates the Western views of non-Western characters. The reverting of Kate's surname while failing to use her ethnic first name can also be seen as a subtle way to imply that Kate is not part of the Bridgerton family, and that her new life as The Viscountess Bridgerton cannot co-exist with her culture and heritage. This is compounded by the content creator failing to take on board what women of colour tell her about how the denial of Kate's position in the show makes them feel, or how it can be viewed as a microaggression or racism. The fact that the content creator - who is a white woman - fails to listen to women of colour, can be seen as echoing the long history of the lived experiences of people of colour being ignored as white people continue to define how they must interact in society, and how they must feel, essentially she is defining what they should be thinking and feeling, which is a classic Orientalism approach.  

Image Credit: Netflix

I am certain that some may read this and think that I am overreacting, or that it doesn't matter because it is 'just a show', with comments like 'it's not that deep' or 'it's not that serious', however, the way some people respond to fictional characters can reveal their real world attitudes and biases, whether consciously or unconsciously. Brushing off the concerns of women of colour, specifically South Asian women in this instance, can not only reinforce the racial hierarchy where a white woman believes her views are more valid than those of others, reflecting an entitlement around defining what counts as racism or a microaggression, it reinforces a subtle form of gatekeeping determining who gets to define a characters identity. In the specific situation I have discussed, the content creator is dismissing people of colour, relegating them to not being as important as she is, which perpetuates the idea that white people get to make the decisions on how non-white characters are viewed and identified, views that could reflect her real world views where she thinks she has the right to decide how those she interacts with are identified. Dismissing women of colour on matters of their lived experience is arrogant and entitled as it reinforces the views of colonialism and white superiority that should be a relic of the past, but are seemingly just another facet of the Bridgerton fandom, only this time with a content creator that counts people like Julia Quinn among her followers. 

Bridgerton Promotion: Sophie Character Promotion 1

This last week Bridgerton released the first Sophie Character promo for season 4.  Like the Benedict promo a couple of weeks ago this had no voiceover and was set to music.

Image Credit: Netflix

Costume: 

We see Sophie for the first time in a maid's costume, and based on the sneak peek we got at the Valentine's Day event this looks to be the Maid's uniform she has on when she first goes to My Cottage with Benedict, and subsequently when Benedict takes her back to Bridgerton House.  At first glance the uniform looks to be a solid dark colour, but in the light we can see it is a tartan pattern with what seems to be a deep Burgundy colour with either dark green or black stripes through it.  As this looks to be the same costume as we briefly saw Sophie in at My Cottage, it follows that this is the Maid's uniform of Cavendar (or the Cavendar stand in).  It should be noted that Benedict's cravat in his character promo was black with burgundy accents through the cravat, complimenting Sophie's Uniform, also, it should be noted if the stripes in the tartan on Sophie's uniform are in fact green (and not black) then that perfectly compliments Benedict's Coat.  The idea of complimenting, or matching, the leads costumes in the promos was done previously in season 2 with Kate and Anthony where Anthony's cravat and waistocoat complimented the Colour of Kate's dress and Pelisse, and it is something that has been brought back for this season.  

I do want to discuss briefly Sophie's necklace.  I have seen some commentary online from within the fandom that Benedict should have recognised Sophie's necklace as it is the same one she wore at the Masquerade.  Until we see the season when it releases we won't know for sure what the context of Benedict not recognising her is, however, it is important to note that just because we see the necklace clearly in the promotion doesn't necessarily mean that it will be prominent in the scene when she is in this costume - or even if she will be wearing it in the show.  What is worn in the promo is not necessarily the exact way the costume will be presented in the show, we saw this last season where the jewellery Kate wore in the promo was different to what she wore in the show with the costume, so in this case it could be that the necklace is there for the promo and won't be worn with her maid's uniform in the show.  

Setting: 

I am not going to go into the setting much here, it is the same setting as Benedict's promo, and includes the Autumnal flowers and leaves.  You can read about it here. 

Audio: 

As mentioned above, the promo is accompanied by music, as Benedict's promo short was.  I have gone back to listen to Benedict's and listened again to Sophie's and it is the same music, the question is - was this music composed for the promos, or is this Benophie's theme?  Time will tell, but something makes me believe that it is most likely Benophie's theme.  

Bridgerton Promotion: Benedict Character Promotion 1

Last week Bridgerton released the first character promo for season 4, and they kicked it off with the leading man.  I waited to write about it in the hopes we would get a Sophie one as well, but as we haven't I will post my thoughts on the Benedict promo, and maybe address some of the strange comments and speculation I have seen on social media. 

NB: I tried to get a copy of the video but it wasn’t able to be played back, however you can see the video on the socials for Bridgerton.  

Image Credit:  Netflix

Costume: 

The costume that Benedict is wearing for this promo is not his Masquerade costume, suggesting that the Masquerade Costumes may only have been used for the posters.  Talking of Benedict's costume, the costume designer, Doug Hawkes, broke it down on his instagram a bit.  Benedict is wearing a Newmarket coat and relaxed country neck stock (Dougie Hawkes on IG).  A Newmarket coat is a long fitted coat that was worn as a riding coat by men, while a neck stock is a type of tie/cravat.  Gentlemen would often wear more relaxed clothing in the country, which indicates that this is what Benedict may have worn at My Cottage (more on that later).  

The colours are Autumnal, with Brown Trousers, and his neck stock and waistcoat are in darker gold colours. Benedict's jacket is interesting as it looks like it could be green to begin with, then appears to be more blue, I believe it may be a Teal colour that changes slightly depending on the lighting.  

Image Credit: Netflix

This costume has less formality than previous season's promotional costumes. It was pointed out to me that in the behind the scenes video released in February we saw a glimpse of Benedict in what appears to be the same costume, and if it is then this could be the costume he wears when returning to Bridgerton House from My Cottage.  

Setting: 

The setting appears to be a room, we have Benedict place in front of two large planters, however, all the colours are in browns, oranges, and pinks with browner undertones, though the white roses seen in the posters are also present, additionally we can see a glimpse of Autumn leaves. The season being in Autumn is evident with all of the promotion we have seen so far, which will give a new perspective of the world of Bridgerton, and hopefully give us some new and interesting costumes. 

Audio: 

The promo is accompanied by music, and not a Lady Whistledown voiceover.  This has led to discussion in the fandom, with some questioning what this means - one or two have even suggested it is connected to Penelope's storyline. Simply put I don't think it means anything, and I certainly don't see why the promotion for Benedict and Sophie's season would have anything to do with Penelope.  Each season has included some character promotions without the Lady Whistledown voiceover, and season 3's promotion also kicked off with a character promotion that did not have the voiceover. Simply put, I think some are reading too much into there being no voiceover.  

Bridgerton Season 4: The Main Poster

The main poster for season 4 has been released, and it is everything that we want for a poster of a romance series.  So let's break it down.  

Image Credit: Netflix

Benedict and Sophie: 

We see Benedict behind Sophie slightly turned looking down at her as he leans in, with Sophie's head turned so she is looking up at Benedict, giving the impression that they are looking into each other's eyes, though it could be interpreted that Benedict is in fact looking at Sophie's lips.  Benedict's hand is gently clasping Sophie's upper arm, while Sophie is holding one hand up clasping her glove (this is an easter egg for the book - and potentially the show). This pose gives classic romance novel pose, which works well for a season based on a romantic fairytale.  

Benedict and Sophie are dressed in their Masquerade costumes, however, unlike the teaser poster Sophie is wearing her mask. Benedict is in his simple black shirt and pants, but is not wearing his mask, which is a simple black mask. We see that long silk/satin evening gloves for the ladies have returned after last season. As mentioned in my post on the teaser poster here, Sophie's mask is a half face mask, more in line with the late Georgian period than the regency period, this suggests that instead of the Georgian dress in the books Sophie instead wears a masquerade mask that is out of date and old fashioned. 

One interesting thing to note, which could be an easter egg, or could be nothing, is that Benedict is wearing his signet ring in the poster on the ring finger of his left hand, this is different from season 3 where he wore his ring on the little finger of his right hand, and in seaosn 2 where he wore his ring on the little finger of his left hand. Further the ring in the poster appears to be different to the ring he wore in previous seasons. Something to watch out for when the season releases. 

The Surroundings: 

As with the teaser poster the balcony setting is used for this image, with Benedict and Sophie framed from above by Wisteria. Again, the Wisteria is losing petals pointing towards an Autumnal feel for season 4. Again we see the white roses with teh petals starting to curl, and the leaves on the rose bush are starting to turn yellow as if this is the beginning of the Autumn. 

The colour of the sky in both this poster and the teaser poster suggests that this is dusk or sunset, and at first glance looks like the same colour, however, on a closer look it appears the purple in the sky is slightly darker, suggesting a shifting of time further into the night. A subtle difference, but one that could be signalling the passage of time in the story of Benedict and Sophie. 

As with the teaser poster it is hard to ignore the fairytale elements in this one, and the symbolism of the flowers and colours of the night sky. Combined this leans into a very romantic promise for season 4.