In Netflix They are quite clear that there are a series of titles that are the great emblems of the platform. ‘Stranger Things’ has been for years and ‘Wednesday’ burst into force last year, but perhaps the series with the best chance of continuing to be so in the long term is ‘The Bridgertons’. After all, there are eight novels to adapt and so far only two of them have been addressed.
However, this does not seem to be enough to shonda rimeswho did not hesitate to personally create a prequel finally titled ‘Queen Charlotte: A Story of the Bridgertons’. And I say personally because the main character did not appear in the books of Julia Quinnwhich surely has given him more freedom when it comes to shaping a miniseries that explores the queen’s early years as he likes.
A must if you liked ‘The Bridgertons’
will still have to wait until next may 4th to be able to see the six episodes that make up ‘Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story’, but I have already been able to see the first two and I am clear that it is a perfect appetizer to make the wait until the premiere more bearable from the third season. It is true that there are certain limitations -we know which characters are doomed to end up disappearing at some point or something very specific happens to them and which are practically untouchable-, but all the strengths that made ‘The Bridgertons’ a huge success are still there.
Obviously, the love affairs of the characters have a fundamental weight in the story, turning to them with the excuse of a small crisis that the queen is currently going through. And it is that, as had been announced, there are a handful of actors seen in ‘Los Bridgertons’ who repeat their presence here, but even Golda Rosheuvel He has a secondary appearance, since what really interests Rhimes here, who signs the scripts for all the episodes, is taking a look at the past.
As expected, Carlota is the great protagonist of the show, paying special attention to the conflictive beginning of her relationship with King George, but also to the singularity that she represents within the court. This helps to give the series a particular energy, which fits very well as a precursor to what we saw happen several decades later in ‘The Bridgertons’, also being a great casting success with the signing of India Amarteifio to give life to a young version of the character.
However, I must confess that I was more stimulated by the apparitions of Thomas Thomas as a still-adolescent Lady Danbury, as she conveys an enviable freshness, both in her obvious lack of interest in her husband and in her subsequent reactions. There the series gets an extra dose of agility that allows everything to flow and that things are not stagnant in relation to Carlota’s problems with her newly known husband.
Out there, Rhimes is also quite inspired by linking that romance to another romantic subplot in which it becomes clear again that what matters here is not anything similar to any kind of historical accuracy, but to promote that touch oyoyoy which in its own way is the equivalent of a great popcorn story for those viewers more interested in seeing how far they can play with the love relationships between the characters.
That also supposes a technical deployment comparable to that of ‘Los Bridgertons’, since luxury and ostentation are also a key element in this universe. There will be those who still prefer to focus solely on historical anachronisms, but that means starting from a starting idea that is not particularly relevant for these series. If you want to kill her for that, perfect, like someone who says that all the Spider-Man movies are rubbish because it’s impossible to believe that a spider bite makes you develop superpowers.
However, Rhimes does allow himself small tinkering with the theme of the traditions of the time, highlighting a dialogue from the character of Michelle Fairley, the unforgettable Catelyn Stark from ‘Game of Thrones’, about how a certain tradition of wedding nights had evolved. And it is that fun also has an important weight here, although that often does not mean openly betting on humor, but integrating it in different ways in the story. We have a good example with everything related to the protagonist’s dog.
Another striking detail is that Rhimes writes the scripts for all the episodes and Tom Verica, who has already signed two episodes of the first season of ‘The Bridgertons’ and another couple of the second, is in charge of staging all of them. Obviously, that will be more noticeable with the complete series, but this helps to have a more marked continuity in all the elements and that there is no kind of gap of interest. After all, they both know what the moment means for the future and they are the ones who are going to have to reap what they have been sowing.
So is it worth it or not?
Unless there is an unexpected drop in the remaining episodes, ‘Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story’ goes straight to my list of the best Netflix series so far in 2023, well recovers everything good that worked in the mother series but manages to shine by itself. Of course, where I do not think it enters is one of the best Netflix miniseries. The level is too high there, and the work at hand is very enjoyable, but it’s not really exceptional in anything either.
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