After two relatively successful previous seasons, Netflix and Shondaland recently released a new season of the Bridgerton TV Series called Queen Charlotte. It was thought that the third season of the series would continue the story of Colin and Penelope, but surprisingly, this is a spin-off, following the life of Queen Charlotte.
Following the life of the above character, the film is a journey from when she was a princess in faraway Germany, to when she married King George III and then became Queen, taking on the responsibility of finding the next successor when the whole court fell into chaos.
While seasons 3 and 4 are still filming, focusing on a supporting character compared to the plot of the previous 2 Bridgerton seasons could be a completely smart calculation, when Shondaland needs to consider more in the new seasons, when the previous season received quite a few negative reviews.
The “great experiment” between two skin colors, two races?
Consisting of 6 episodes, Queen Charlotte has two parallel storylines, not following a linear pattern but interwoven to create a complex and multi-dimensional structure. Just a few days after its release, it climbed to the Top 1 Netflix globally with about 150 million hours of viewing upon its release. What makes this work successful?
First of all, it tells a very different story from other works of the same genre. The fact that Queen Charlotte has dark skin is a recent controversy, but more importantly, the meaning and content that the film crew cleverly put into it.
In this work, Queen Augusta (mother of King George III) as well as the court called the combination of two skin colors and two races the “Great Experiment”. They followed each step of the marriage, to evaluate whether a seemingly crazy idea would come true?
Not only in the two main characters, but the experiment also helped to confer titles on the nobility to add diversity. During the ball, we can see an acknowledgement of both Asian and African descent. This is almost unimaginable, and it can be seen that Queen Charlotte is aiming for a greater meaning of unity, even though this is just a work of fiction.
Therefore, although it is not yet consistent with historical events, the film has created quite a few positive impressions, attracting a large number of viewers. From skin color, ethnicity, gender… the film also raised many other more current issues, which are still alive today.
One of them is the role of women. Besides depicting many shackles that have suppressed them, such as giant dresses, arranged marriages… the film also showed relatively secret desires, like when D.H. Lawrence first wrote Lady Chatterley’s Lover.
Representing this perspective are the two ladies Danbury and Violet. Despite facing the “high fences” of that era, both always wanted their “garden” to truly bloom. Danbury is a black woman from the wealthy kingdom of Sierra Leone, and is also a symbol of the struggle to rise to the aristocracy, as well as to protect her family fortune when her husband dies.
In addition, the role of motherhood is also exploited in a touching way. Although not expressed through dialogue, Princess Augusta and Charlotte after their old age both show us the instinct of a mother to always protect her children. Even though they are misunderstood or underestimated, they still shine with that duty.
Deep romance or love that surpasses all?
In addition to the above mentioned issues of struggle, love is also another factor that makes the work different. Although this spin-off is not based on the original works of novelist Julia Quinn, the romance and sweetness are still retained.
Here we still see the love at first sight, noble feelings, “love at first sight”… told between the princess and the prince who seemed like a dream. The story has the same motif of a stubborn opening and then gradually changing, which is classic in romantic works.
The biggest highlight of this film is the relationship between Charlotte and King George III, and the complexities in the relationship between the two of them. Viewers go from doubt, confusion… and then finally realize that sacrifice is the most important, and it helps love have a very different position.
However, the film also deeply explores other lines. Those are characters that seem to be just secondary lines, such as the two assistants, Charlotte’s own friends – the Princess of Danbury as well as Violet. The relationships that overcome the walls of gender, skin color, age, limits… in the secrecy of a somewhat harsh institution, bring viewers many sobs.
Still a royal court with luxury and intrigue, but Queen Charlotte has a somewhat new experiment, showing that the power of great love can overcome many other prejudices. But is she a person of color, or is this work just “pinking”?
Trying to find an answer to the film’s controversies
Although successful, Queen Charlotte also encountered some mixed reactions as mentioned above. Although it is known that this is a fictional work, the issue of skin color and the power of people of color in a real-life context can cause many viewers to misunderstand.
Regarding history books, there is an anecdote that Queen Charlotte was born into the German aristocracy, in the Mecklenburg-Strelitz region, and was described as “broad-nosed, thick-lipped, with a Mulatto face”. Charles Dickens in the novel The Two Cities also said that she was only an average beauty.
Many portraits from that period that have survived to this day confirm this. However, in the film, the Princess Dowager repeatedly wanted the artist to highlight Charlotte’s face, while she wanted to reflect her own skin tone. Therefore, the portraits are not good evidence to believe.
