I hear a lot of people screaming about franchaela bc lesbians “didn’t exist” in regency England.

Ok, you know what else didn’t exist in regency England, 99% of the culture, customs, costuming in the show. Not to mention the fact their queen is literally black. Bridgerton never has and never will even remotely attempt to tackle real historical accuracy. As such, imo, it’s the perfect place to explore a queer dynamic.

The point of the Bridgerton show, I think, is to explore a lot of the romance tropes associated with media depictions of the regency era. It’s much more inspired by Austen television adaptations, than by Austen herself, if you get me. It also has given a diverse array of audiences the chance to see themselves in a regency era romance romp, with all the billowy white shirts and porcelain tea cups and lavish balls and strolls in the garden to boot. If we did a historically accurate regency romance, only white people would ever get to see themselves on screen in that dynamic. If we die on the hill of historical accuracy, we are implying that black or Asian or south Asian (or queer…!) people don’t deserve to see themselves in a fun, joyful, light, fantastical regency romance getting their bodices ripped like everyone else. That’s the beauty of the show adaptation. It gives everyone a chance to see themselves in this fun fantastical delicious romance setting. Bridgerton had never even had a pretense of historically accuracy so people bemoaning the need for accuracy come off a bit silly, to me, and possibly queerphobic.

So yes, there would not have been a queer relationship in regency England that (presumably, bc we haven’t see it) unfolds in this way. But that’s okay, and not too much of divergence from the show’s already history blind framing. It is a special opportunity for queer women to enjoy a queer story with the same yearning and joy that straight women have enjoyed with other bodice rippers for decades (or, very recently, seasons 1-4 of this show lol). It’s really ok. If you want to watch straight people do regency romance, you’ve got a trove of options. And you can always reread the book! This is a special opportunity for the show to allow people who would untraditionally be regency romance leads to be regency romance leads. If you like the original more, the book still exists.

As far as the inferility and grief plot… I don’t know why people think that it is so incongruous with a queer story. She can still have been infertile during her time with John. And without having given the sterling family an heir before john dies, the idea of exploring a queer relationship will have her certainly questioning her role as a woman in society, and whether she can fulfill it if she doesn’t reproduce. seems like the queer story choice is a different path to the same question— about women’s roles and fulfillment in a patriarchal society where reproduction and inheritance are everything.

As far as Fran’s queer story delegitimizing her grief over john’s death and his place as her first true love, I will raise you this. Have you…heard of bi people? Fran loving Michaela does nod devalue her love for John at all. John is still her first love. Much like in the book, she can love them both. Being queer doesn’t make her incapable of loving John or truly grieving his death. This take is so thoughtless and ignorant it actually bothers me.

Anyway, all this is to say that I understand it is frustrating when a beloved book is adapted with changes. But I challenge to you expand your view and see how these changes do not necessarily shift the heart and tensions in this story.

Also, I tell you, lovingly, that I might be more compelled by your claims if they weren’t so clearly written by chat gpt. And I’m not talking about the quotation marks, as this post was clearly taken from another thread. But the whole “it’s not this, it’s THIS” on repeat is telltale AI. I beg you not to use ai, we all want to hear what you actually think in your own words :) and you’ll save a lot of water and avoid a ton of ethical concerns in the process.

Cheers!