Bridgerton has developed Eloise and Benedict’s perfect sibling bond, but there is a layer to their relationship that’s secretly tragic. Season 2 focuses on Anthony Bridgerton and his problematic relationship with Bridgerton‘s Miss Sharma, or Kate. As the season went on, Bridgerton has also shown Eloise’s and Benedict’s individual journeys with Eloise’s fight for women’s rights and Benedict following his passion for art.
One common trait between Eloise and Benedict is their passions which lay outside their society and the pressure of the debutante. As early as season 1, episode 2 “Shock and Delight,” the two admitted to each other they wanted more than what the society could offer, while sharing a frowned upon cigarette. Throughout the two seasons of Bridgerton, Eloise has grown from being passionate about women’s rights to joining meetings and advocating for the removal of men’s power over women’s lives so she could freely be educated, beyond how to be a good wife and mother. Benedict, too, has strayed away from society. He found a love for art and pursued this by joining – and then quitting – the Royal Academy of Art in Bridgerton season 2.
Both clever in their pursuits, their bond strengthens over being likeminded about the restrictions they face in their society. As second siblings, they have less pressure than Anthony and Daphne who were expected to marry and run the household. This focus on their elder siblings most likely left room for their passions to grow. However, although they bonded over this, their relationship is secretly tragic as Eloise cannot be as free as Benedict is in her pursuits.
Benedict is openly defying social convention to pursue art, with the knowledge that he can try something different if it doesn’t work out—such as traveling, like Colin. Colin gives Benedict a drug which he is openly on at a dinner table with guests, but little happens in regard to punishment over it. However, Eloise is putting herself in danger of exile just fighting for the right to follow her passion for education. In Benedict’s art class, the model Tessa explained how she only became a life model as a means to being a part of the art class, as women weren’t allowed to study. To be able to consider studying with the same freedom as Benedict, Eloise has to risk her society and security.
Eloise and Benedict recognize their shared passion for escape, and it bonds them in a way that the other siblings cannot relate to. Being overlooked as a second son/daughter provides certain freedoms. However, Eloise is still restricted at all levels of society in a way Benedict could never be. Eloise cannot leave the house without lying about her whereabouts in case she disgraces the family, as she does when Eloise’s meetings with Bridgerton‘s Theo Sharpe are exposed. Benedict, on the other hand, openly expresses his desire to go to the Royal Academy of Art, albeit with the apprehension of being teased by his siblings, and frequently leaves to attend parties.
The two seasons of Bridgerton have shown the strength of the bond between Eloise and Benedict. Their similarities and passions have connected them and made it seem as if they are equals, both fighting against the restraints of their societal expectations. Bridgerton season 3’s expected focus on Benedict may give their sibling relationship even more development. However, the tragedy remains that Eloise, for as long as she has to fight for women’s rights, cannot be like Benedict as much as she wants and perhaps deserves.
