Bridgerton Recap and Review: Final Episode!
Dear Readers, I am sorry for my delayed absence. Life got in the way. Alas, I have returned with my thoughts and gossip on the eighth and final episode of Season 1 of Bridgerton. Don’t forget that you can read my gossip for Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, and Episode 4 and Episode 5, and Episode 6 & 7. WARNING! Spoilers ahead for Season 1 Episode 8! Read at your own risk.
This episode opens up with the couples of the series, revealing not all may be right behind closed doors. Lady Whistledown is contemplating how the social season will end. I love the setup to these episodes. It is always so fun and lively, a perfect setup of how the events of the episode will play out.
Daphne and Simon are shown getting their portraits done and negotiating when Simon will depart London and discuss their hosted ball at the end of the week. This scene was yet another scene where you could tell how much they love one another, yet refuse to acknowledge it. So frustrating, honestly. This whole series was me going “just stop being so stubborn!”
Eloise is still on the hunt for the identity of Lady Whistledown and is sure that is Madame de LaCroix and tried to warn Benedict about her to save him heartache. She later visits the modiste and confronts her about Lady Whistledown. The conversation makes it seem like she may actually be the gossip writer, but it was vague enough to make us believe she is. Only time will tell if she really is.
Marina is packing to leave Ton and go back home. She believes the tea she drank did its job and that she is no longer pregnant. Meanwhile, George’s brother, Sir Phillip Crane arrives at the Featherington household to bring news of his death on the battlefield. Marina finally knows that he truly loved her and was not the villain she thought him to be.
Simon attends Will’s boxing match, who has chosen to throw his match. Lord Featherington puts up the deed to his house as collateral for the deal. Simon, later on, confronts his friend, after figuring out his plan. Will isn’t falling for it and calls Simon out on his anger is misplaced.
Sir Philip offers Marina his hand in marriage. She turns him down because she does not know or love him. And since she believes she is not pregnant anymore she feels it unnecessary to marry him in the scheme. Later Marina learns she is, in fact, pregnant still and decides to take Sir Phillip up on his offer of marriage. Gosh, I feel so badly for Marina, she tried to do things right. She just wanted to be with the man she loved, and when she couldn’t she did what she thought she needed to.
Daphne finds all the letters he wrote him, finding out more about his childhood. Lady Danbury arrives and explains further about his relationship with him and what happened between them. I so wish that Simon could have just opened up to Daphne on his own. It felt as though Simon was too stubborn in his ways. As much as he tried to not be his father, he ended up being worse than his father. Because he has a heart and true feelings for his wife.
Anthony and Siena rekindle their romance and spend a lot of time with each other in this episode. Ultimately, Sierra decides they cannot be with each other. She stays with the man she is currently seeing, who accepts her as she is. As much as I wanted these two to end up together, I applaud Siena for staying true to herself and finding her own way. It must not have been easy, especially in those times. Independence was not easy and Sierra found a way to achieve that without losing who she was in the process.
Francesca Bridgerton returns for a visit to her family. Benedict reveals his relationship to Anthony during the visit, who approves. This is surprising to Benedict and Eloise, who expected him to be upset about it. I loved this scene, the Bridgertons have a relationship similar to my family, very caring and loving. I love seeing how they interact and get to know each one of them.
Drama, gossip, and broken hearts are all present at the Hastings Ball. Penelope about to tell Colin how she feels about him. Though, instead hears of his plans to go on tour, once again, leaving her heartbroken. Meanwhile, Eloise learns of plans to ambush Lady Whistledown at the printer. She speeds off to go stop it from happening and arrives just in time to stop her from being discovered.
Simon and Daphne waltz and everyone is having fun until it starts to rain. Everyone but Daphne rushes to take cover, but Daphne lets the rain fall on her and she laughs and smiles. Simon and she have a conversation which culminates in a final confrontation from Daphne to Simon. She tells him he has to be the one to decide if he will allow himself to have happiness. The pair finally reconcile, when Simon allows himself to finally be happy and let go of the past. When I tell you I shouted “FINALLY!” to myself when this happened. It is about time. The future seems bright for Daphne and Simon, who are shown to have a son.
I loved the scene of Daphne laughing and enjoying herself in the rain. It was almost as if she had a realization and was relishing the moment. It was a beautiful scene both visually and symbolically. The camera work and the directing in this show are stunning, even in the little details.
Lord Featherington is killed by his cohorts and his winnings taken back. The momentary happiness the Featheringtons have been experiencing is, once again dashed at this awful news. I want to hate her, but I am starting to feel bad for Lady Featherington. Especially since it seems like she and her daughters may be left with nowhere to go after her husband’s death.
The episode ends with the reveal of Penelope being Lady Whistledown. Let me tell you, I was not expecting that! Not even a little. Penelope is great and this added facet to her shows her true character. She had many opportunities to do things the easy way and reveal certain information, but she didn’t. She did everything she could to split Marina from Colin without publishing her pregnancy.
It is also clear that she struggles with being Lady Whistledown. I am not positive what drove her to develop this persona. Maybe she did it out of a desire for something of her own. Her family seems to leave her out of much of the daily life. I am wondering if we will see more into her motivations in Season Two. I look forward to seeing what is in store for Penelope and Lady Whistledown
Also, stay tuned for my final thoughts on Season 1 coming soon!
