‘Bridgerton’ Review: Why is it so popular and is it worth the hype?

Despite only being released on 25th December 2020, Bridgerton became Netflix’s fifth most-watched original launch, with over 63 million households tuning in to watch the regency drama unfold. Based on the novels by American author Julia Quinn, the series follows the influential Bridgerton family during the eventful social season as they navigate the competitive world of love, status and expectation.

Broadcast amidst tighter lockdown restrictions in the UK, the series benefits from a nationwide desire for escapism. At the centre of the story, is the relationship between favoured debutanté Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dyvenor) and bachelor Simon Bassett (Regé-Jean Page), whose connection is formed on the basis of a relationship ruse. The relationship between the two leads is convincing but also flawed, which adds a level of depth and relatability to the characters which is not always present in period dramas.

 However, it is the strength of the ensemble cast that secures the series’ longevity. The characters are likeable and engaging, with unique story arcs which are already being set up for the second series. Daphne and Simon’s story is largely concluded by the finale, but the audience is left with a desire to see the stories of the secondary characters develop.  The Lady Whistledown subplot, narrated by the revered Julie Andrews, ties the whole Bridgerton universe together and ensures that the drama is not only limited to the two lead characters.

Although largely lighthearted in tone, under the guise of bright costuming and elaborate balls the series also highlights some serious topics. The precarious position of women is explored through the competitive nature of the marriage market and it exposes many women’s lack of autonomy in their destiny. Similarly, although the younger women in Bridgerton are often strong-willed and passionate, they are also extremely vulnerable and largely ignorant of the society which awaits them.

Despite its clear popularity, the series has not been without criticism. There has been some questioning over the historical accuracy and diversity of the series, to which Julia Quinn responded ‘’I’ve been dinged by the accuracy police – but it’s fantasy!’ The beauty of the series is its ability to include and immerse a wide audience. It combines all the elements of successful period dramas; the ball sequences, the country houses and central love arc, without feeling restricted or stagnant. When adapting a Jane Austen novel, you are limited by the notoriety of the characters, the language and the story. An example being the 2020 version of Sanditon, Austen’s unfinished novel, which was met with backlash over its uncharacteristic ending. Therefore, unlike Austen, Quinn’s novels are more flexible, they maintain the regency appeal whilst successfully incorporating modern inspirations from other eras. Bridgerton isn’t afraid to push the boundaries of what is expected of a period drama with its polarising sex scenes quickly revealing to the audience that the series would be multifaceted and unimpeded by convention.

Bridgerton pays homage to the beloved elements of period dramas, whilst still feeling fresh and engaging. Its diverse and charming cast is complemented by the immersive and romantic setting, which appeals to both serial period drama lovers and new fans of the genre. Ultimately, the series temporarily distracts us from the bleak state of the world and reiterates the utter joy and importance of the arts in providing entertainment even in the darkest of times.

Review: Dash and Lily

Dash & Lily is an American Christmas-based rom-com Netflix show based in New York City. The show is based on the young adult book series by Rachel Cohen and David Levithan, with the first book being Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares. Unsurprisingly, the story surrounds the protagonists Dash (Austin Abrams) and Lily (Midori Francis). Lily, encouraged by her brother, creates a book of dares that she hides in a bookshop next to her favourite book, in the hope that it will be discovered by her perfect match. Of course, Dash discovers the book and so the show follows the protagonists as they travel around New York while trading dares, dreams and desires.

If you are a fan of a good cheesy Christmas movie, then you will absolutely love these 8 episodes of pure Christmas fun. Dash & Lily gives you those soppy feel-good feelings that make your heart heavy – think a combination of The Holiday, Love Actually and A Christmas Prince. Whether it’s a crush, a partner, or a long-lost love, this series will immediately make you dream of that special someone. This series brings forth those warm, fuzzy feelings of love, and isn’t that what we all want to feel this year… love.

Of course, like most cheesy Christmas films, or rom-coms in general, some things are a tad far-fetched and unrealistic. It is unlikely that 17-year olds (where the drinking age is 21) would be able to get in a club hassle-free and with no ID checks. It also seems very far-fetched that these teenagers, Lily in particular, would have so many connections in New York to help them plan all their great dares. However, if the story were to follow a more realistic route than we would have a very boring story, where the notebook would never have been found and our protagonists would barely leave the house, spending most of their days sleeping until 2pm. So, bring on the unrealistic relationships for us all to idealise this Christmas!

Even if you don’t usually enjoy Christmas, this show will still be enjoyable, as it is not all Christmas joy and tackles the seasonal blues too and Dash himself doesn’t even like Christmas! Let’s be honest, after such a rough year I think some cheesy comfort watches are in order, we all need a little escapism. So, make yourself a deluxe hot chocolate, pop on Dash & Lily, and enjoy this love letter to New York.

Oh, and if that wasn’t enough the Jonas Brothers also make a cameo appearance!

If Britain can’t handle Diversity’s Britain’s Got Talent performance, how will we ever truly embrace racial diversity?

Over the past few weeks, there has been a lot of talk in the media surrounding the nation’s response to Diversity’s performance on ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent. On Saturday 5th September, Diversity, a successful street dance group consisting of dancers from a range of racial backgrounds, delivered a powerful dance performance which touched on the events of this year. It highlighted how the global coronavirus pandemic brought the world to a standstill, giving room for the tragic death of George Floyd and those of many other black victims of racial violence to be afforded worldwide attention. The performance stood in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, echoing the cries for racial equality that have been voiced by the black diaspora all over the world in the past six months.

To my surprise, but not so surprisingly or out-of-character after all, the British public managed to find offence in what was a moving and unifying performance, claiming that Britain’s Got Talent should be a space for entertainment, not political statements. What these critics fail to understand is that blackness is political. In fact, the public outcry that followed Diversity’s performance, evidenced by the 24,500 complaints it received in just over a week, begs the question: will Britain even truly embrace racial diversity? Or, are most Brits so uncomfortable opening up a dialogue about race in their country that race relations in Britain have reached their peak level of progress – a weird grey area between love and hate, a position of mere tolerance on all things black?

Don’t get me wrong. British citizens aren’t completely averse to admitting that racism exists in the world today. What they are opposed to, however, is admitting the state of race relations in Britain today. Great Britain, with its claim to be such a ‘great’ and mighty island, has developed a national worldview which encourages the country to worship and revere itself, whilst criticising others. 

What exactly does this mean? It means that Brits waste no time when it comes to pointing out how explicit and glaring racism in the US or France is, yet would deny the severity of it in their very own territory. It means that, if I as a Black British individual even attempt to voice the cold, harsh reality of racism in Britain amidst White British people, I will be met with rhetoric which invalidates and dismisses my experience. They’d claim a facade of tolerance and racial harmony in Britain with a series of statements like: “Britain is one of the least racist and most tolerant countries in Europe”, “Racism isn’t really much of an issue in Britain anymore” or “We all get along so well in this country. Stop causing a divide,” and finally, my personal favourite: “Stop playing the race card. It probably had nothing to do with you being black.” 

Of course, none of these dismissive statements should anger people of colour, right? Because that’s the ‘British way’, right? Sweeping things under the carpet with the hope that if you ignore them for long enough, they will cease to be a problem. This may seem like a great solution, but the only issue with this is that it only works for White British people, not for people of colour in Britain. By pretending that racism isn’t a British issue, but a foreign, international one, the country does no favours to minority Brits – particularly Black Brits, who, time and time again, bear the brunt of the insidious and deep-rooted racism in this country. In fact, it worsens our experience, making us feel gaslighted and delusional. It’s one thing to experience discrimination, and another to constantly be told that you’re not experiencing discrimination.

The tendency of the British to gaslight its Black British inhabitants is not specific to Diversity. We saw this same attitude manifest itself earlier this year when many Brits attacked Stormzy for voicing that he thought Britain is “100%” racist in an interview with an Italian newspaper, La Repubblica. Despite most news outlets stepping forward to clarify that Stormzy meant that the UK is certainly and most definitely racist, thousands of ignorant individuals decided to run with their presumptions that he was identifying all British people as racist. Ironically, in an attempt to challenge what seemed to them to be a false generalisation, many Brits proved Stormy right by spewing further racist slurs, stating that he – a British native – should “go back to Ghana” if he is unhappy with the status quo in the UK. 

Not long after this incident, we also saw the same thing occur when thousands of Brits called the Brits Award Show to complain when Dave performed ‘Black’ at the 2020 Brits’ Awards. Once again, Britain revealed to 3.8% of its population that it possesses the uniquely fascinating ability to find ‘offence’ in any performance that sheds light on their black experience. Many began spitefully bringing up the fact that one of Dave’s brothers is serving a life sentence in prison for murder, arguing that he should focus on the kind of “black on black violence” perpetrated by his brothers before accusing Britain of racism, as though the two issues are mutually exclusive. Because surely, a black man with two brothers in prison has no business discussing racism until he single-handedly solves the issue of knife crime in London… because black people shouldn’t dare to speak about racism until the black community is violence-free and harmonious. 

This form of respectability politics has been used to silence the black diaspora for centuries. We have always been warned that we must first prove that we are capable of civilisation and humanity before we are treated like civilised human beings. God forbid that we are entitled to decent human treatment, on the sole basis of us being human. No. First, we must come across as respectable and decent. We must earn our spaces on platforms like Britain’s Got Talent and the Brits Awards… and if we dare speak about taboo topics such as racism in our own country, we should immediately be banned from these platforms, and our voice must be taken away, in the same way it was ‘given’ to us by our benevolent white puppet masters. 

This explains why many White British people respond to pro-black, anti-racist performances with a sense of entitlement and ownership towards British media platforms, demanding that platforms like ITV and the Brits ban black performers for simply speaking their mind. According to them, they have the power to simply shut us up when they feel uncomfortable since they kindly ‘allowed’ us to speak in the first place. Yet, when they can’t bear to hear our reality, they’d rather resort to silencing our voices completely, cutting off any opportunity to initiate the dialogue about racism in the UK. 

This sends a message to all of us Black Brits: it tells us that in the UK, we can only speak when what we are saying allows White Brits to sit comfortably in their cosy seats of white privilege. If Britain can’t deal with the harsh truths of British racism, at least enough to silently sit through a harmless Diversity performance, how will we ever be able to embrace racial diversity?


“When White People Are Uncomfortable, Black People Are Silenced”

– Elizabeth Cargle, 2019