Once Queen Charlotte establishes its footing, viewers are offered glimpses into what’s unfolding in Bridgerton real time. This is obviously a deliberate yet welcome attempt to catch viewers up on matters before season three of the hit show returns. Things went sour between Lady Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) and Eloise (Claudia Jessie) when Eloise discovered that her dear friend was — Good Lord! — Lady Whistledown (voiced by Julie Andrews), gossip hound for the Ton.
Lady Violet mentions to Lady Agatha that the two aren’t talking for some reason. Of course, Kate and Anthony were married but there’s not much chatter about the Bridgerton kids beyond that. As the showrunner takes viewers through six episodes, Lady Violet ponders her own past and must come to terms with her initial impressions of the Religion as a girl, and the familial bonds that suddenly come into question.
Meanwhile, Golda Rosheuvel chews up the scenery at every turn as the older Queen Charlotte, who is mortified that not one of her millions of children has produced an heir. Between her spoiled sons and her daft daughters, she can’t seem to understand where she has gone wrong as a mother. She’s been grand, in fact. Or so she believes. Brimsley — bless the man — is still at the Queen’s side. Hugh Sachs reprises his Bridgerton role here.
About that… there is no more tender a bond we see than the one formed between devoted butlers to their majesties in the past — young Brimsley to the Queen and Reynolds (Freddie Dennis) to King George. Watch these two. They are one of this series’ shining triumphs.
Why This Queen Feels Royally Duped
In Queen Charlotte time, the young queen frets over her marital frustrations. It doesn’t help that George’s shrewd and manipulative mother Augusta (Michelle Fairley) is also beyond over-protective. What’s she hiding? What is George hiding for that matter? Watch and reveal intrigue with how well this series reveals that and then leaps back to show things through George’s point of view in later episodes.
The big reveal gives this romance more weight than the other romances we’ve experienced in Bridgerton, and India Amarteifio’s portrayal of the young queen is exceptional. She loses herself in the role, as does Corey Mylchreest, giving us a truly complex character, to whom Charlotte must suddenly fight for and pledge her devoted allegiance.
How and whether the young girl handles that is for viewers to experience, but every scene Amarteifio and Mylchreest occupation is believable and rife with an achy desire for something to be resolved. Their on-screen chemistry is something to marvel, recalling the Harlequin-like highs we felt back in season one of Bridgerton. Equally enjoyable is how well the series leans into historic events for what a treat it is here to find King George III exploring astronomy. That all plays out nicely.
Queen Charlotte is the best of the Bridgerton batch. It manages to also illuminate the plight and privilege of royalty. The Crown, and of course, Harry & Meghan spotlight that in spades, but there’s something refreshingly bold and invigorating about Queen Charlotte. Perhaps it is the noticeable thread of humanity woven throughout the tapestry from beginning to end. It’s doubtful this will be the last we see of this clan. It would be a shame to not see more, in fact. This show deserves the royal treatment.
