Soo reall I wish they had split it into two movies. The book is long enough to do so without being silly, and it would've given them enough time to flesh out all the characters. Plus, they would have had time to cut to President Snow, discovering District 13 was up and running, which would've been a great tie-in and emphasized how corrupted he was. The shift to him being a peacekeeper in the movie is abrupt and makes the film drag on instead of staying engaging. Cutting out Ma and Tigris-crimes. They deserved so much more! Wholeheartedly agree about the book scene of Sejanus in the arena being immensely better. The dynamics between this family pretending to maintain wealth vs a woman who came into it but wishes she was still District? Vital to the class commentary being made there. While a running monologue would've been challenging, incorporating key journal entries could have bridged the gap between his internal voice and his actions, emphasizing their importance. As it is, we're left feeling manipulated with the other characters, and his rapid shifts are (initially) disorienting. Bonus if they had him burn the pages, a visual representation of his growing paranoia.

They might be setting up a true polyamory plotline. Not everyone operates on a mono relationship, and it's not 100% confirmed they are ND. The show runners have steadily stated they are both introverts, but nothing more than that. This is because in the book he dies early, without fathering children, the Michael Stirling swoops in and gives her children, as the heir to the estate. But if they make him survive, then he would father the children, and then they might set up a poly open relationship. Shonda has been playing with the idea and hinting at it in her shows of late, as with Benedict, so I'm not striking that off. And just because one is ND, doesn't mean one can't also be attracted to people they aren't in love with (yet).

They totally ruined the only romantic story in season 3. Their courting was so cute and then they threw it out the window at the end. I don't care about the gender swap but the way it seemed like she didn't love him at all in the last season gave the same as Colin the entire season. It's like the Bridgertons (Colin and Fran) burn for you until they get married to you.

Eloise should NOT(!!) get a queer romance storyline. She is the perfect candidate for an ace storyline an the ace community deserves that representation! I sincerely hope, the producers take that chance.

Are you sure? Could this be more about Eloise?

Part of Francesca's decision to remarry is because she wants to have children- it doesn't make sense to make her gay! Also, Michael is the one who falls immediately for Francesa, on Francesca's & John's wedding day, so the dynamic completely changes with Francesca being randomly smitten with a woman. Such a disappointment

Why can't she love both John and Micheala? I don't see how showing interest in another person completely negates her love/feelings for John. People have simultaneous feelings - although different - for others all the time. It didn't ruin anything for me. I found their love story lovely and pure and what both want. I don't think Fran will cheat on John with his cousin, but they will find love once he passes and they grieve their loss. One does not taint the other. I think it shows that bi-sexuality runs in the family.

They need to bring back the old showrunner. This new one messed up the show for the sake of political correctness. This season was very rushed and weird and lacked the spark that the show had and gained it's fan base with. Such dissapointment

Lol the pandering. They've ruined the series.

Polin feels very much like what they did with Colin and Marina, he’s all in all the way. And as much as I love the fell first/fell harder dynamic, it wasn’t very well executed at all. I wish they had done something with Penelope full on Resenting him ever since that comment at her Own Mother’s Ball and just be angry that not only does he basically say he cannot love her, but that it’s beyond imagining To Love Her. Essentially rejecting her And ruining her prospects in one fell swoop because men Talk just as much as women and if someone as in good standing as a Bridgerton, and someone who’s known her all her life, doesn’t consider her worth marrying than there Must be something wrong with her. I wanted her to be Mad or despondent, I wanted him to grovel to make it up to her and he basically got of scott free for it and as much as I love Polin, it was infuriating.

LGBT really is an agenda. There was absolutely no reason to make Michael into Michaela.

There are parts of Eloise I enjoy and relate to, especially from the earlier seasons. I also understand that film and tv have a history of including feminist characters solely to humble them - usually by showing that their true happiness comes from being with a man, who makes all their feminist ideals float away. But the fact is, you can't truly consider a character feminist if they never stand for women, and Eloise only ever stands for Eloise. She ignores and belittles most of the women in her life, from her friends and family to female service workers (like the modest and her family's head maid in her search for Whistledown), yet it's women she depends on the most for support and company, as she doesn't have major pursuits of her own like they do. She only uses feminism to prop herself up against other women, like it's giving regency era pick me/fake humanitarian energy

I suppose maybe they wanted to thread in the detail from the book that Michael met Francesca during her wedding. But like... they didn't have to do it that way. John could have just said something like, "I'm glad you got to meet my cousin", giving book readers a hint of what's to come without spoiling the wedding or committing to an actor so far in advance for something we won't see unfold for a while - the next season is two years away. They could have saved the actual meeting as a flashback. That poor actress for Michaela is going to be under siege for the next two years for less than two minutes of screen time.

The choice to do this with the Francesca storyline has me out. Their love story was the closest to Violets and I held it so dear. I never go into book to screen expecting continuity, especially with Bridgerton, but they had Benedict and Eloise to do this with. The way they’ve done it, slamming it in at the end seems to be just checking DEI off the list, which is kind of gross. It isn’t inclusive at all, it’s opportunistic and diminishing.

I agree with everything that was said and I’m also hoping for character growth in the next season.

I also have a problem with the gender swap, but the way they did John dirty made it the lesser problem. Just bad and horribly thought out. Michael, now Michaela, should have been the one to fall first.

I've not seen the end... I've been savoring . However I also love the quite joy they have. So am sad to hear this. But I loved the rant!

season three wasnt good compared to season 1 and 2. whatever they changed behind the scenes THEY SHOULD UNCHANGE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!

lol straight people having difficulty understanding gay panic - or the realisation of same sex attraction, or the repulsion of het intimacy. Feels rushed irl too ❤

Agreed

I think they’re just setting up that the Michael/ Michaela character meets Francesca right as she’s “taken” by John. In book 5 this scene was a flashback that happened at their engagement party. Book 5 does discuss Francesca & John beautiful love story before she and Michael(a) end up together *trying not to give spoilers here*

I mean, Eloise kinda DID point out to her that she wasn’t married cause she was mean…it was brief dialogue but it was there. I think in like episode 2 or something

When i first saw the scene at the end of episode my assumption was that fran was nervous when she finally met with john's family like how john was when he tried to introduce himself to the Bridgeton's. So afterwards i was completely shocked that the story-line wasn't going in that direction especially with the chemistry between the two characters were beautiful in my opinion we needed that for Penelope and colin which felt forced and quick paced.

I actually really liked this twist with Michaela. I did find Fran's relationship with John more interesting than the others introduced in this show but to me it still felt like there was something missing. When Fran met Michaela I think she felt the same instant connection her mom described feeling when she met Fran's dad. I haven't read the books so maybe that's why I don't mind this change at all, I'm very excited for season 4!! Thanks for the video it's cool to hear different opinions!

S3 was a disaster for me. I am done with Bridgerton..should have been 1/2 way through S2. Only S1 was worth the watch for me

I think this is the story line/plan that all the fan collectively are agreeing on they hate. We all fell in love with Fran and John's quiet love in Part 1 of season 3 and the integration of John into the Bridgeton family in Part 2, just for them to force a same sex 3rd party that just didn't feel right for the character. Eloise and Benedict's exploration into same sex makes sense, but this twist with Francesca just doesn't feel like it rings true. They really messed up here and it's giving me reservations of if what was once a great show is about to go the way so many other shows go when someone gets the bright idea to introduce all these outlandish ideas to the story plot and ruin the show for fans. It never fails and has become sadly predictable. A show starts out great and somehow the writers/producers find a way to ruin it.

I thought i really was the only one thinking this 😭, it has nothing to do with homophobia, i just hated the fact that Francesca went full circle with a mirror of her mother. Regardless of if the new love interest was a man ir woman.

I have been with Netflix for most of the changes they made, but Francesca's book was my favorite and they have ruined it. She loved John so much. Also, Michael was one of my favorite characters in Bridgerton.

Two women brought about Snow's dowfall - Katniss and Coin.

Agree with everything but have to kind of disagree on the gender swap thing though. It matters a lot as it completely changes the whole plot. Since now Fran cant marry Micheala. Also, since Micheala cant inherit the title when John passes away. Fran will be just broke and heart broken. Also, they dont have to force all the diversity into one character. Her being neurodivergent wasnt enough, that they had to make her queer too? Surprised that they didnt make her meet with an accident and make her a qudraplegic as well.

I thought Eloise love match was in season 2 with the printer boy, it seem like they scrap that storyline 😢which is really sad I would love to see how that relationship would of developed, I believe he liked her for mind and being smart when they were looking for ladywhistle down.

Did Fran has a crush on her husband cousin?

I dont see how "gay" has anything to do w it and anyone complaining about that is weird. Its the cheating. Its the love triangle. I dont think michaela being a woman changes anything about their romance in regards to grief or fertility, and i dont see why people are so insistent that the stereotypically man-hating characters be wlw instead. Wow, Francesca is bi, the world is ending. 🤨

this would work more if they had longer together and found they didn't connect like they thought, or if something happened to John, and she got comfort from michaela, then realised that her feelings were growing. I haven't read the books so i have no idea if that will happen

The gender swap can still achieve the whole storyline from Frans book: she can love John fully till it’s her season, she can have a miscarriage, she can grieve, she can hesitate to commit to another person afterwards, she can even have a baby John (from John) What I can’t get along with though was the swoon upon meeting Michaela… the thing her mum hated John for not giving her daughter, and her insisting that her love without that thunderbolt from the sky is just as potent and valid. They negated the whole seasons storyline with that! 😢

Yesh the whole season annoyed my book loving spirit

The fact that she only decided to truly side with Penelope and accept her again was when she and her family were threatened by Cressida is DIABOLICAL.

Look again their relationship isn’t chucked in the trash it’s being tempered in the forge have a little faith.

The couple announced., and there needs to be a family member appearance. I'm not annoyed with it. I think the show is great. I'm happy without the traditional sets. I was still coming down from the Penelope and Colin story. I took that one personal because since I was a child, I've been attracted to larger women.

If Eloise had been a caring and attentive friend she would have known Penelope was Lady Whistledown from the start. It’s no coincidence that the one time Eloise is shown truly listening to Penelope, not talking over her or consumed by her own thoughts, she puts the pieces together.

My mom and I genuinely thought Michaela was going to be Eloise’s love interest

Ppl often overlook the idea that I love, the last thing Lucy did was go to pick Katniss- the action that ultimately put him on the path to destruction , and when Katniss arrives she actually destroys him

I actually thought that it was gonna be Eloise and Michaela's romance until I came online. I was thinking that Eloise will get some romance with this girl.

I'm 2 minutes in and already I'm like "oh we're about to agree on everything." I have been ranting for days about how completely dumb and arbitrary the choice to gender-swap Fran's main love interest is when THEY'VE ALREADY SET ELOISE UP FOR THIS STORYLINE. Fran seems like she knows herself, Eloise doesn't. Fran is very clear on what she wants from life, Eloise is still figuring that out. Fran hates attracting attention, Eloise is unbothered by publicly defying the ton's expectations to find her own happiness. In EVERY SINGLE WAY, they have set Eloise up for this kind of story arc and they have NOT done the same for Fran. The society this show has established does not accept queer relationships, but modern audiences are not going to accept a love story that only exists in the shadows where the characters hide themselves and can't be openly happy with each other. Eloise would be willing to flout society's rules and push them to progress for the sake of her happiness - if she falls in love with a woman, it's completely believable she'd risk shunning to live openly and happily with her love. Fran wants nothing to do with that noise. And Fran's book plot needs almost no changes for modern screen adaptation, while Eloise's book plot is frankly nauseating by current standards and needs a full overhaul for the screen. And then, on top of all that, to completely destroy Fran and John's relationship by indicating that, actually, Fran doesn't know herself or what she wants at all and doesn't really love John cause the moment she sees Michaela she has the thunderbolt? OFFENSIVE. The absolute disrespect for John. WTF. It really feels like Jess Brownell said "f*ck meaningful character development and character arcs that make sense, I'm LGBT+ and I liked Fran's book best so this is what we're doing."

Can’t agree more. Why ruin a story that is already great?

Eloise and Penelope are smart you could see that during charades..

As a gay, I am fine with Eloise being straight. Her turning out queer would almost be too clichee and has been done before. However with Francesca they are probably exploring something called Compulsive Heterosexuality. Many queer women raised in heteronormative societies realize there atraction to other women fairly late because of it. Raised with the goal of a heterosexual marriage in mind and no other options in sight, queer women will make themselves believe, that everybody is feeling as "lackluster" about love and sex as they are. Friendships with men get mistaken for love, disapointing sex is explained with low libido. It is quiet a common phenomenon and I am curious what they will do about it. (regarding the big themes of her story: guilt and infertility, gay people struggle with that too).

I didn’t mind Cressida’s arc. It sucks for her but you’re right not everyone can get a happy ending. My problem was the way Eloise abandoned her once Colin and Pen were engaged. Not to say the outcome would’ve been different if Eloise helped but the way she kicked Cressida to the curb was foul. Especially after Eloise said Cressida was the only one who showed her kindness in the off season. I like Cressida as a character because she’s true to herself. She’s a bully and she knows it. Eloise acts like she’s better than everyone else and completely misses that she’s just as bad as Cressida but in a different way.

So much homophobia in thesr comments lol. Not just this video, but anywhere online that discusses Michaela. Just say you cant imagine a non-stereotypical gay story.

Yeah they 100% are just trying to pull new viewers in with the queer aspect that they might not even do well. Thats Netflix for you! There are ways to do the Michaela story well in a way that will combine the original character and the current one's situations. But that requires really competent writing and I feel like in this season, they showed us they arent capable of that