One of the narrative tools that Bridgerton has used in both season 1 and season 2 is that of the flashback, to give context to part of the story they are telling, these flashbacks have not been contained to just the main couple as we shall see, but first what exactly is a flashback?
The word flashback seems self explanatory, however, I have discovered that many people interpret it in a different way, some believe that it is to show the motivations of a character for a specific decision, others believe it is to show something that is fundamental to the character's development, and others think that it is just to show something that happened in the past to that character that may or may not be material to the story, and in a sense all are correct.
The Screencraft Blog describes the flashback as "a scene (or sequence of scenes) that deviates from the main story to show something that happened before the events of the primary storyline". So essentially it is a scene that shows events in the past for the characters, there is no mention that it must be fundamental to the character's development, or that it needs to show some motivation, all it says is that it is something that has to have happened before the events of the primary storyline - this will be important in the discussion of flashbacks in Bridgerton.
Before looking at the use of flashbacks in Bridgerton, it is important to note that the cinematography, and the lighting, for flashbacks is distinct in relation to that of the primary storyline timeline, and so it is easier for the viewer to distinguish the flashback from the primary storyline.
Image Credit: Netflix
Season 1
In season 1 we saw a flashback in two episodes for two different characters, the first for Simon and the second for Portia.
In episode 2 we saw a series of flashbacks related to Simon, from his birth through his childhood and finally the death of his father. The purpose of these were to convey to the audience an important backstory for Simon, something that explains his reluctance to have children by showing the viewers and not just telling them through clunky dialogue. The viewers feel empathy for Simon due to the treatment he receives from his father, and they can see what informs his view on the world and why he doesn't want children. From a viewers perspective, seeing Simon's experiences gain him the understanding that may not have happened if we had just heard of his experiences.
In addition to the flashbacks for Simon, in episode 3 we saw a short flashback showing Portia and Varley forging a letter to Marina. This flashback provided context and knowledge to the viewer in relation to Marina's situation, that the character does not have, a knowledge that can invoke empathy for her character and her situation. Whilst this flashback was short, and unrelated to the main story, it did provide viewers information beyond the context of this scene, information that showed up again in season 2. The viewers have already seen that Varley is a forger, so that in season 2 when it was raised again it did not need to be shown to the viewers. This may not have been something that happened in a distant past, but it was still a flashback to events prior to the storyline at that point that provided information, and context, to the viewers that carried through to season 2.
Image Credit: Netflix
Season 2
In season 2 we also saw flashbacks, and again they occurred for two different characters in two different episodes.
In episode 1, immediately after the opening credits, we have a flashback of Penelope. This flashback shows the viewers how Penelope does her Lady Whistledown paper, and as Penelope's storyline in season 2 wasn't actually focused on how she did her Lady Whistledown column this flashback felt out of place and unimportant, almost like a filler scene as opposed to imparting important information that was directly related to the storyline. This information could have been provided within the timeline of the secondary storyline for Penelope, however, the show creatives made a decision to have it as a flashback thus placing more importance on this scene that it actually warrants.
In episode 3, the show included a series of flashbacks for Anthony which briefly showed his relationship with his father, his father's death and the fallout of the death of Edmund. These flashbacks provided important backstory for Anthony to allow the viewers to gain an understanding of him, but also to give the viewers a reason to empathise with him and his situation. We saw Anthony as a young boy dealing with his father's death having newly inherited the title, we also saw his mother's grief and depression after Edmund's death and we saw how Violet treated him after the death of his father and how lost he was at that time. Further, I would argue these flashbacks also showed us some important backstory for other Bridgertons, specifically Daphne and Eloise, with a callback to season 1.
In season 1 there is a short conversation between Eloise and Daphne touching on the birth of Hyacinth and Eloise describing what she remembered, we saw this moment in episode 3, and we get an understanding of is how this traumatic event was approached by the two girls in two very different ways, partially due to their age and partially due to their birth order - Daphne as the eldest took on a maternal role with Eloise.
Who may the flashbacks for season 3 be for?
In both season 1 and season 2 the lead male character has had flashbacks to explain his backstory, whilst we have had a secondary flashback from the Featheringtons, this has led some fans to believe that the flashbacks in season 3 will be for Colin, however, I don't think that is necessarily a given.
Adjoa Andoh reportedly has said that the way the storytelling for season 3 will be different to previous seasons, now this could mean anything, but I wonder if what she is saying is that it will be Penelope who will be front and centre in the story and not Colin, thus meaning it will be Penelope who will be the true lead and Colin will be the love interest. The promotion that we have had so far certainly suggests that this could be the case as it has been very Penelope centric. If this is how the season is to be structure - with Penelope front and centre in the main story, then this could mean that the flashbacks will be focused on Penelope. It makes sense narratively as well that we focus more on Penelope, as it is her story that has been developed the most since season 1.
In addition to the flashbacks for the main character, it is possible the show will keep with a flashback for a secondary character, as they have in the previous seasons with Portia and Penelope, but who could it be? I think there are several possibilities:
The first possibility, and arguably the fan's most favoured choice, is Kate. It feels like Kate and Anthony's story will be continuing in season 3 - just as Penelope and Colin's story has been in the show since season 1, I feel that we could see Kate and Anthony's story continuing in seasons subsequent to theirs. In continuing Kate and Anthony's story there could be a flashback to their wedding, which we did not get to see in season 2, however, as much as I would love to see this I think it would be more for fan service than actual storytelling. If we are to get a flashback for Kate it has the potential to serve the story better if it is somehow tied to her childhood in India - especially if we get a pregnancy storyline for Kate. Having grown up without her biological mother it makes sense for Kate to dwell on the woman who gave birth to her as she prepares to give birth and become a mother herself.
A second possibility is Benedict. I feel that this is possibly the least likely candidate, especially if his season is season 4, however, it could work. IF the ball where Benedict meets Sophie is in one of the early episodes (episode 1 or episode 2), the show could hold off showing the viewers the meeting of Benedict and Sophie until the final episode through a flashback, maybe Benedict sees her as a maid and has a memory of a woman that she reminds him of, or something similar. Using this however may be seen as a removing one of the more important aspects of Benedict and Sophie's meeting from his season.
A third possibility is Eloise. I am torn on this idea personally, mostly as I think if Penelope has flashbacks of her childhood, and specifically time with the Bridgertons, then there could be some crossover with Eloise. So whilst this would tie into the main story, I just don't see how it could be distinguished from the main couple as their stories are too entwined.
The final possibility is that the secondary flashback belongs to Violet or Lady Danbury, connected with their shared past. Whilst this is an intriguing thought, there has been no indication that Arsema Thomas or Connie Jenkins-Greig have been on set to suggest a flashback to their younger selves, and as we saw in Queen Charlotte Violet only became aware of Lady Danbury's relationship with her father in the recent off season.
This is all speculation at this stage, and we won't find out for sure until 16 May when Part 1 of season 3 releases. What do you think? Do you think Penelope will have the main flashbacks? Do you think one of the Bridgertons will get a flashback? Do you think we could see more of Kate's past? Or even the past of Lady Danbury and Violet?
