I love British historical dramas done right so I started to watch the first episode of Bridgerton. During the first fifteen minutes I thought it was the most ridiculous thing I'd ever seen. So far from historically accurate as to be laughable. I figured it had to be the worst kind of wokeism, trying to rewrite history to inflate the role of minorities in early 19th century Britain. But I stuck with it and by the thirty minute mark I was hooked on the story itself. I can't guess the intentions of the producers and whether or not they intended to make a social statement. But they do a fairly good job of storytelling. It's a bodice ripper version of a Downton Abbey saga and has all the necessary elements- greed, lust, romance, sibling drama, etc. A lot more graphic sex scenes but each scene advances the plot so none of it seems forced or gratuitous. They have a stable of good older British actors like Polly Walker and Ruth Gemmell who give their usual good performances. The younger actors are surprisingly good and show a range of emotions without overacting the way a lot of younger actors do in these kinds of productions. I even began to enjoy the Queen's character. I thought it was terribly overacted but by the fourth episode she begins to show some range of human feelings. I wasn't thrilled with the casting of Daphne. She's physically delicate to the point of looking like she's about to break any minute and her constant wide eyed demeanor gets boring. The actor who plays Simon is absolutely wonderful in the part. You immediately forget the fact of his skin color and see only the character. They shouldn't have bothered to explain why or how so many people of color were raised to the ranks they occupied in that society. Their explanation isn't really believable and it's not germane to the storylines. I see it as a great costume drama in the style of Tim Burton. The sets and costumes are over the top, the storylines are a little over the top and the casting is pure fantasy. But if you enjoy that kind of drama and tension it's a good watch. I'm frankly hoping for a second season. And I'm praying that Julie Andrew's comes back as the narrators,
Review of The Duke and I
