As usual spoilers ahead for Episode 5 of Bridgerton. You can also read my Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, and Episode 4 recaps.
The Episode begins with the fallout from the previous episode. Daphne and Simon must move quickly to get married. Their plans for an expedited marriage license from the Archbishop are denied at the instruction of the Queen, who is upset at her plans for the Prince being foiled. They must then go to the Queen herself to plead with her for their case. Simon’s pleas are enough to convince her, and they are granted the expedited marriage. The Queen was most likely pushed to allow it due to her encounter with the King the previous night. She gets to see him and he seems lucid, but his dementia takes over and he acts out at her.
Meanwhile, the Featherington household is not without their own drama. Marina is under the watchful eye of Lady Featherington and is being forced to find another suitor or have to marry Lord Rutlidge. Her pursuit of Colin only further intensifies Penelope’s jealousy and pushes her farther away from Marina.
Benedict is invited to a party by Sir Granville where he finds him in bed with another man. Later on at the wedding reception Sir Granville approaches him to ask him to keep a secret, though Benedict assures him his secret is safe. We are then introduced to Granville’s wife. Also during the reception the Queen overhears Eloise talking to Lady Danbury about Lady Whistledown and asks her for more information on the evidence she has uncovered so far. Colin proposes to Marina, to her delight, though it is short lived when he asks for it to be a prolonged engagement. So her predicament still is unresolved.
Daphne and Simon’s wedding night has arrived and Daphne is scared and unsure what to expect, even her mother had a hard time trying to explain it to her. The conversation was awkward and it felt as if her mother was uncomfortable talking about it. So, she was left being just as confused as she was before and off to spend her wedding night with an aloof husband.
Daphne confronts Simon at the inn they are staying at, as to not travel during the night. They both realize they love each other and thought that they were the only one who felt that way. They finally are both aware of each other’s feelings and have a proper wedding night.
This episode was a roller coaster of emotions and we finally got to see the build up of a lot of things come to a head. We also got to see why the Queen is so cold when it comes to her husband, the King. It is not because she does not care about him, but because she loves him and hates to see him deteriorating. The glimpse into her world was a nice change of pace and it gave her some humanity, which I didn’t feel for the first four episodes, especially with her scheming. It seems she could see the love in Simon’s eyes and words and it reminded her of her once love-filled marriage to the king.
The scene at the inn with Daphne and Simon that closes out this episode is wonderfully shot. The synchronicity of the both of them pacing in front of the fire is a beautifully shot scene. It was a sex scene that was beautifully romantic. and sexy without being too over the top and there was no nudity. It is refreshing to see scenes like this without having to show nude bodies.
I also really loved that we saw more of Benedict and his story. I know this season focused on Daphne and Simon, but it is nice to see that the other characters don’t get pushed to the back burner. The glimpses into all characters lives is interesting and I wish each character could have their own series. There are so many complex characters to explore and I am sure that so many stories could be told.
