When the stills on Christmas Day released we got our first proper look at Hannah Dodd as Francesca. The role of Francesca was re-cast for season 3 due, in part, to Ruby Stokes's limited availability, and the re-casting indicates that Francesca will have a bigger role to play in the third season. Francesca will be presented at court and 'comes out' into society, it is also expected that Francesca will marry during this season.
The first image of Francesca is from episode 4 and includes Hyacinth and Violet. By this stage we will have seen Francesca having been presented and taken part in the first half of the season, so let's look at the image.
Image Credit: Liam Daniel/Netflix
Pose:
In this image Francesca is standing in between Violet and Hyacinth, who all have slightly different expressions on their faces. Violet looks surprised, or taken aback whilst Hyacinth looks like she is holding back a grin or laugh. Francesca in the meantime has a look on her face that is reserved happiness, but also a touch of nervousness.
When looking at the pose fully we see that Francesca has her hands clasped in front of her, and she appears to be worrying her finger, or perhaps fiddling with a ring. Some have suggested that this means that Francesca is married, or at least engaged and she is playing with her ring, and whilst this is a possibility it does not look like Francesca is wearing a ring. I think this is more of a nervous gesture, similar to what we have seen from Anthony when he has been anxious about something, or feeling under stress. So, I think rather than her fiddling with a ring she is actually worrying her finger in a nervous gesture. I don't think Francesca will be married this early in the season - however, I stand to be corrected when the season comes.
All three of them are reacting to someone out of shot, but who? Is it a family member? Or maybe it is John who has called over to see Francesca?
Styling:
Let's have a look at the styling for Violet, Hyacinth and finally Francesca.
Violet: We don't have a great look at Violet's costume, but it does appear to be similar in style and design to previous seasons. The overdress she is wearing is in Bridgerton Blue with white floral embellishments. The style looks to be slightly fuller than previous seasons. Violet's hair appears to have a slightly different style to it, or rather more curl than I recall seeing in previous seasons. Overall Violet's style remains matronly and suitable for the matriarch of the family.
Hyacinth: Hyacinth's style is a little more grown up than in the previous seasons, and we see that she is in keeping with the floral theme the Bridgerton women have this season, with the embellishments on her gown. Hyacinth is wearing a slightly darker pink gown than previously seen, more of a rose pink than a baby pink, with a white floral pattern. Unlike in previous years she does not have the sheer piece underneath covering from the neckline of her dress to her neck, however, the neckline on her dress is higher. It also appears that she has a sleeveless Spencer, or waistcoat, on that is buttoned on the front, quite similar to the styles of Eloise in season 2. She retains the frill around her neckline on the dress which gives it a more juvenile look. The most noticeable aspect of Hyacinths look in this picture is her hair and makeup. The hairstyle itself, whilst still relatively juvenile, gives the idea of an older child, and it appears that she may have a little more eye make up on, thus overall giving her a more mature look to previous seasons.
Francesca: Finally Francesca. I can't see the dress fully, but from what I see of her dress it very much looks like the embellishments are dyed rather than embroidered - as would be more period appropriate - which combined with the Chanel look Spencer jacket (complete with large flower decorative piece), gives a much more modern feel to it - perhaps too modern, thus taking the viewer out of the Regency period. The jacket itself, whilst a Regency style from the mid 1810s looks to be a Tweed Boucle material, which is more reminiscent of the 1950s than 1810s. I think they went a step too far with the boucle, and if they had kept the jacket a plain Tweed it would have worked better for the period. The large decorative flower on Francesca's Spencer adds to the misplaced feel of the time period of her clothing, and tends to give a visual that feels out of time or place.
Symbolism:
It has been suggested that (as with many Bridgerton costumes) Francesca's Spencer contains a lot of symbolism about her story, so let's break this down.
One of the first things that seemed to be noted is the idea that Francesca's Spencer is Scottish Tweed. To me the Spencer does not evoke Scottish Tweed, in fact I think it evokes a Jackie Kennedy aesthetic more than Scottish Tweed from the Regency period. If the designers were looking to evoke Scottish Tweed for her jacket here, then I think they have missed the mark as what comes across to me is a mid twentieth century Chanel look as opposed to a Regency Scottish Tweed look.
The flower on the front of Francesca's jacket is, however, full of symbolism. The flower is a Camellia which represents a spirit of depth, self-reflection and inner strength within Japanese society, qualities that are highly esteemed. Camellia's also symbolise love, loyalty and humility. All of these meanings are fitting for the character of Francesca, who whilst not the loudest of the Bridgertons, is a character that possesses an inner strength that sees her through her tragedies.
Speculation on the scene
So what could this scene be about? Basically anything, we could be looking at a family scene, or we could be looking at a scene that involves a call from John.
My best two speculative theories are:
- Anthony has come back from meeting with John and has stated that John requested permission to marry Francesca, hence the surprise from Violet, the quietly contained happiness from Francesca and the barely contained excitement from Hyacinths.
- John is calling on Francesca and has asked to speak with Francesca alone
Of course it could be neither of these situations at all, or it could be both.
What do you think this scene is about? Do you think that Francesca is married or betrothed in it?
