This article contains spoilers for both the Netflix series and the book series of Bridgerton.After how many breadcrumbs have been left for Benedict’s storyline in Bridgerton, I’d be so mad if season 4 isn’t about him. Based on eight romance novels by Julia Quinn, the Netflix series follows the eight siblings of the Bridgerton family as they search for love during the social season and navigate life in Regency-era England. Each season adapts a different novel focusing on a different sibling, with season 1 drawing from The Duke and I, exploring Daphne’s relationship with the Duke of Hastings, and season 2 examining Anthony’s romance with Kate Sharma in The Viscount Who Loved Me.

However, season 3 skipped the third novel, An Offer from a Gentleman, which is about Benedict’s romance with Sophie Beckett. Instead, it adapted the fourth one, Romancing Mister Bridgerton, which focuses on Colin and Penelope. While I agree with the Bridgerton season 3 reviews, which praised Colin’s chemistry with Penelope and the exciting set-up for subsequent seasons, I’d be really disappointed if season 4 continues to neglect his story. With the changes Bridgerton season 3 made to the books, it’s all the more intriguing to see how his love story with Sophie can play out.

Benedict’s Bridgerton Season 3 Story Sets Up Season 4 Being His Year

He Can Move From Wanting To Be “Free” To Falling In Love With The Right Person

Bridgerton has already set up Benedict’s love story in many ways. Season 3’s exploration of Benedict’s sexuality, which is not in Quinn’s novels, adds a layer of complexity, but still paves the way for his romantic story with Sophie Beckett. The Bridgerton season 3 part 2 ending saw him end things with Lady Tilley Arnold after being intimate with both her and Paul Suarez. Benedict explains that he wants to be free from commitment for a while longer, thus paving the way for him to be single in season 4.

Benedict Bridgerton has gotten away without marrying for so long due to his status as the second-eldest with no title or societal expectations, and with his mother valuing marriage for love over money or titles. Bridgerton season 4 can then see Benedict first meet Sophie at a masquerade ball thrown by the Bridgertons when he’s only pursuing casual relationships. After one – or more – breakdowns and some catharsis, he can realize he doesn’t actually want to remain “free” but just needs the right person, paving the way for him to meet her again, as per Quinn’s novel, and for their story to kick off.

Bridgerton Needs To Get To Benedict’s Story Sooner Rather Than Later

For Too Long, Bridgerton Hasn’t Known What To Do With His Character

Bridgerton needs to realize Benedict’s story soon because the show hasn’t quite known what to do with him over many seasons. At the beginning of season 1, he was 27 years old and a renowned artist with paintings in galleries and art museums. In Bridgerton season 3, he was strangely content, given that he ended his painting career in season 2 after learning that Anthony bought his place in the Academy. He had been looking after the Bridgerton estate while Anthony was on his honeymoon with Kate, while season 3 saw him dodging eager mamas at functions and having an affair with Tilly and Paul.

Obviously, it’s an important character development that he grappled with his sexuality, but I found it a bit absurd how the show kept cutting to him being intimate with Tilly and Paul, while other members of his family were dealing with high-stakes central conflicts. It has long felt as though Bridgerton has relegated Benedict to the vague positions of “finding himself” and now “being free.“ It’s been hard to take his character seriously so far in Bridgerton, and so this approach has to pay off soon, ideally in season 4.

Will Bridgerton Season 4 Be Benedict’s Season?

I Hope So, But It Seems Unlikely

Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that Bridgerton season 4 will be Benedict’s season. Luckily, at least, season 4 is confirmed, and Quinn has revealed that the book has already been chosen (via People). A Bridgerton season 4 cast update reveals that the new season is looking to cast a new character, tentatively named “Emily,” an East Asian female aged 24-30, hinted as Benedict’s love interest. “Emily” aligns with Sophie Beckett’s book traits, though her identity remains uncertain for now. She is described as being “plucky, endlessly resourceful, and having trouble trusting others.”

However, this does not mean that season 4 will be Benedict’s season. Instead, it is more likely that Sophie’s character will be first introduced in season 4, paving the way for her romance with Benedict to take place in a subsequent season, given the gap between the first and second time they meet in Quinn’s novel, An Offer From a Gentleman. Most probably, then, Bridgerton season 4 will focus on Francesca or Eloise’s story, as they go to Scotland at the end of season 3.

Source: People