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Bridgerton Season 3 aired its highly anticipated second part on June 13, delivering a satisfying conclusion for Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington (now Mrs Bridgerton). While fans eagerly watched and rooted for the main leads, many were disappointed by what they perceived as mishandling of Francesca’s love story, straying from Julia Quinn’s original novel and sparking heated discussions on Reddit about the ‘Genderswap’ twist.
Bridgerton 3 hints major Francesca’s love story change
As Polin found their way out of Lady Whistledown’s showdown, achieving a satisfying closure with junior Lord Featherington playing in the cradle towards the end, Francesca’s journey seemed to have just begun. She moved to Scotland with her newlywed husband, Lord Kilmartin, accompanied by Eloise who seeks a perfect escape from the society to the world of castles. Fans were delighted to witness Francesca’s steadfast love for John as she bravely stood before the queen. However, readers of the book know her story takes a tragic turn when John passes away shortly after their marriage. The uncertainty of what comes next has left fans in a state of debate.
What change did Bridgerton 3 make with Francesca’s love story?
The younger Bridgerton sibling is said to have an actual love story with John’s cousin Michael. According to the novel, the romance starts after she is widowed, feeling a pull towards Michael with no one else to rely on. However, in Season 3, Michael Sterling has become Michaela Sterling. This change in the character’s gender suggests a future LGBTQ+ love story, which fans are generally accepting of, although many had hoped this angle would be more suitable for Eloise and Benedict or maybe some other character but not her since she wants a baby.
Towards the finale, we get a glimpse of Michaela when she asks Francesca to introduce herself, but she stumbles. Showrunner Jess Brownell told Glamour, “There are also some elements of her story that allow us to make sure we can tell a pretty happy ending for Francesca and Michaela. It was important for me in telling a main queer story for us to be able to give them a happily ever after, as we have with every other couple.”
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Reddit reacts to Francesca’s story in Bridgerton 3
Many debated that since Benedict is already exploring his sexuality amid his relationship with Tilley Arnold and her friend Paul, there was no need to change the beloved character of Michael Sterling, who is one of the famous novel characters. “I think they picked the wrong sibling to do it with. I think, of the love interests of the Bridgertons, the best ones to change probably would have been Sophie and/or Gareth. I think too much of Francesca’s season was about her desire to have children; it will be weird for that to be resolved now if they keep it in, and I’d be sad if they removed it,” a Reddit user wrote.
“Agree, I’m all for changing side stories and subplots as long as they didn’t mess with the main story for each character. I quite enjoyed Francesca and Michael, knowing that I won’t see that story is incredibly disappointing.”
“I think it would have been better if they had not changed the characters from the book but instead done a series with new LGBTQ characters whom the readers weren’t attached to!” Another one wrote. However, few found the upcoming storyline even more intriguing now that the gender has been changed.
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“Shocked that they’re going to this direction, but it’s intriguing. Of all the Bridgertons, I thought they’ll genderswap Phillip Crane,” another user chimed in.
“Same here! As a bi woman myself, the gender swap doesn’t really change anything for me, I’m still excited – but I can understand how it may upset many of the book fans,” wrote one more.
