This story contains spoilers for season one of Netflix’s Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.
After much waiting and anticipation, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story finally premiered on Netflix on May 4, and fans have already fallen head over heels for the show and its characters. Starring India Amarteifio, the first Bridgerton spinoff serves as a prequel to the beloved show. It follows the story of the queen consort in her younger years after she becomes betrothed to King George against her will. However, there is another relationship catching viewers’ attention.
Though Queen Charlotte and King George III’s marriage takes center stage on the show — I mean, it’s the show’s very title, after all — Queen Charlotte also introduces the first queer love story in the Bridgerton universe with Reynolds and Brimsley’s storyline.
Throughout season one, we see the king and queen’s secretaries, played by Freddie Dennis and Sam Clemmett in their younger versions, develop a rapport that quickly goes from professional to personal, giving us plenty of memorable (though arguably short) moments. Their budding romance culminates in episode six of Queen Charlotte with a short dancing scene set to a classical string version of Whitney Houston’s “I Will Always Love You.”
Though the scene might seem perfect for viewers, it included a filming mistake that made Reynolds and Brimsley’s relationship even sweeter. In an interview with Digital Spy, the two actors revealed they actually had some hiccups while filming the dancing scene, which they thought no one would ever see. However, the Queen Charlotte team decided to keep the mistake in the final edit.
Dennis and Clemmett shared that the scene was filmed around 3 am in the morning, and they only got a handful of takes to get the shot right. Though they had “weeks and weeks and weeks of dance rehearsals,” neither of them felt like dancing was their forte. Combine the inexperience with the wild working hours and the nerves of the night, and a fluke was bound to happen.
“We were so nervous – there’s a particular take that one of us, or maybe both of us, messed up the dance, and then we fall into a fit of hysterics,” Clemmett told the publication. “That’s actually in the final episode. That made the cut. So watching that moment where we had messed up, and we know we’ve kind of messed up, just brought the joy of what that scene is, and what it meant to us.”
Despite not being intentional, Dennis and Clemmett believe the candid energy benefitted the scene in the end and made it feel much more worthwhile. “Watching it back, I love it because it’s one of those few moments of unadulterated joy that Reynolds and Brimsley experience,” Dennis said. “Also I love it because it reminds me of what a brilliant time we all had on set … There is that moment that we touched upon where I see – I probably shouldn’t say this — but I see myself. And I see myself having the best time ever, and laughing with one of my best friends. It’s really powerful to watch.” We are going to have to agree.
While we know what Brimsley got up to after that night thanks to Bridgerton, what happened to Reynolds remains a mystery — but who knows? Maybe a Queen Charlotte season two will give us the answers we all need.
