If someone did not know how to spend the days of Christmas, forced to stay indoors between orange or red areas, here they come to the rescue. Netflix with a new original production signed by none other than Shonda Rhimes and produced by his production house Shondaland, which has already produced products such as Grey's Anatomy, Scandal e The Rules of the Perfect Crime. Shonda Rhimes has just landed on the streaming platform with the first of eight planned jobs (at a cost of one hundred and fifty million dollars), based on the bestselling novel saga of Julia Quinn. Let's talk about Bridgerton, a season of eight episodes of one hour each, which we previewed.
The gaze of high society
London, beginning nineteenth century and it seems strange not to be in the reign of Elizabeth II. We are in the period of the regency of Prince of Galles, father's regent, King George III and later in the future King George IV. A prosperous era forEngland, full of splendid historical moments. High society is more alive and rich than ever; lavish lunches, dinners and banquets alternate with lavish parties, which the series represents to the nth degree regardless of expense. That of the Bridgertons is one of the most prominent families of the moment, especially at the beginning of the wedding season, which we will immediately discover to be mostly combined at the table. The scion of the large family, second born but older woman, Daphne Bridgerton, she is forced in spite of herself to enter society and is desired by much more than a man, often in an unrequited way. It is also conditioned by the choices of the rest of the family, especially the older brother Anthony. To up the ante and find the right suitor, Daphne decides to strike up a shrewd one with Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings. They will fake a sentimental rapprochement to make Daphne even more desirable in the eyes of society and find a good match for herself and her family. Everything is made lively and less banal by the intervention of the phantom Lady Whistledown, which we hear from the start as a voiceover. She is the author of a tabloid magazine very popular in society, which tells every possible Court gossip and which manages to change the fate of the company itself.
As mentioned, wealth, pomp, weddings, business, interests, even the presence of Regina in person. Yes, we still talk about the usual banalities of the Court that we have already seen in dozens and dozens of other works between films and TV series. On the other hand, if you want to tell about wealthy families and nineteenth-century England while remaining faithful, you can only talk about this. The series does it very well, almost always without boring, which is no small feat. The episodes are long, as the bad fashion of the moment dictates, but you almost always arrive at the end without being sleepy. It will be that the sub-plots are many and interesting, it will be there mystery of the identity of Lady Whistledown or the curiosity that such an objectively perfect scenography and costumes can give, but it is not so difficult to get carried away from episode to episode, even if you are not passionate about the genre. Perhaps because we will discover that in the midst of the honor, the prestige of the family and the usual anachronistic platitudes that have been told to us millions of times, there is also more.
Speech is better than war
First of all, woman power. And ok, let's add more banality, apparently. Let's clarify immediately: a television product does not automatically become beautiful if it shows how strong and powerful the female part of society is. Let's just stop thinking about the fact that one or the other party needs more television time to tell each other. Stories have to move freely, period. But, for once, it's really different here, because the lead character is female, but that's not what stands out. Lady Whistledown is the real protagonist of the series, because with his words in his magazine, well thought out and well placed, he indirectly manages to pull the strings of a whole society. Prove which is the real strength of humanity, that of password, and in an instant it blows up hundreds of years of theories and wars.
Then comes the life of the Court, which for once we get to know thanks to everyday life and not to wars. Among the powerful there is no talk of how to conquer or who to kill, but who to marry. Maybe for some it will make the plot less interesting, but if you try to understand something historical or if you simply want to see how life was at the time (assuming that you can only see the life of the rich), this series is practically perfect. Some reflections are thus almost spontaneous, on the role of man and woman in society, on the role of nobility in general, on the philosophy of the time and so on. Or, you can just enjoy a well thought out storyline. There is no shortage of touches of inspiration and genius by Shonda Rhimes added here and there in the story. The complete absence of racism towards characters not exactly original of the England of the time is immediately evident. Then, deliberate choice to represent something not faithful, but why consider this a mistake? Isn't that the best way to combat racism, to show a society that precedes our non-racist one? After all, it would be enough to tell the stories of the ancient Romans. Then, Bad Guy di Billie Eilish played by a group of strings during a court evening… brilliant.
Bridgerton, the series for Christmas
Good acting, even if sometimes made awkward due to the pompous dialogues, but we know well how people used to talk once. Julie Andrews, famous for Mary Poppins e All together passionately, is the best known name, but appears in the original version only as a voiceover (Lady Whistledown). The protagonist Daphne is played by Phoebe Dynevor, while Simon Basset is Regé-Jean Page. The direction and photography they range from absolute normality to great performance, quite typical for an eight hour streak. Pleasant, but often too present, the colonna sonora, composed mostly of classic pieces suitable for the time. As already mentioned, special mention for make-up, clothing and sets. In conclusion, Bridgerton is, in short, a series that is still new to Netflix's historical “costume” scene and, although it does not represent the triumph of originality, it is a good series that can entertain during Christmas.
