Bridgerton season four is captivating audiences after Netflix released part two recently and propelled the Regency period drama back to the summit of the Netflix charts globally, with an impressive 28 million viewers consuming the new episodes.

The latest series has been adapted from American author Julia Quinn's third Bridgerton novel, An Offer from a Gentleman, and centres on second son Benedict Bridgerton (played by Luke Thompson) and his scandalous romance with illegitimate maid Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha), reports the Manchester Evening News.

The latest series delivers all the pop instrumental covers, lavish costumes and steamy scenes we've come to expect from Bridgerton, however, I've got one complaint: it's too perfect. Have we finally reached peak Bridgerton?

The stakes in season four's love story are considerably higher than any that have preceded it.

Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon Basset's (Regé-Jean Page) romance was a touching one, given the Duke of Hastings' tragic childhood, but it lacked the same weight as the cross-class affair between Benedict and Sophie.

Meanwhile, Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley) and Anthony Bridgerton's (Jonathan Bailey) enemies-to-lovers tale simmered with chemistry, but there wasn't the heightened sense that their romance could be torn apart at any moment.

Similarly, the friends-to-lovers romance between Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) lacked the same fervour.

Even if they hadn't made it to the altar, she might have happily ridden off into the sunset with Lord Debling (Sam Phillips), continuing to pen Lady Whistledown in secret whilst amassing even more wealth.

However, Sophie and Benedict are grappling with the stringent societal norms and risk becoming pariahs for their love.

Their romance carries a far more substantial and realistic weight that makes previous central Bridgerton couples seem less significant by comparison.

Their love is far more intense, delicate and valuable due to the hurdles they face.

Adding to this, the upstairs/downstairs dynamic injected fresh vitality into the show with a diverse cast of characters facing very different challenges - there's a reason why Downton Abbey, another period drama phenomenon, continues to captivate audiences today.

Nonetheless, Bridgerton is likely to shift away from this upstairs/downstairs perspective as the focus turns to either Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie) and her romance with Sir Phillip Crane (Chris Fulton) or Francesca Bridgerton (Hannah Dodd) and her love story with Michaela Stirling (Masali Baduza).

Both of these narratives firmly place the spotlight back on privileged members of the ton and their struggles, albeit with considerably lower stakes.

I worry this might leave a gap and we could lose some of the depth this element brought to Bridgerton.

With series five currently in production, my hopes for Bridgerton's future are that the show continues to raise the stakes for its characters and makes viewers genuinely champion the lead couple in ways we hadn't experienced prior to series four.

This year Bridgerton also introduced grittier themes with its first significant death. For the first time in the programme, viewers witnessed a darker and more melancholic dimension to the period drama.

This loss had a profound effect on each Bridgerton family member in distinct ways, with Eloise reconsidering her decision to be left on the shelf, whilst Hyacinth Bridgerton (Florence Hunt) felt quite the reverse.

She grew uncertain about matrimony after observing the immense heartbreak Francesca and her mother Violet Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell) endured.

The ramifications of the death proved a masterstroke of brilliance by the writers and it felt as though they had genuinely elevated their craft for series four.

There's considerable grit in Eloise's novel To Sir Phillip, With Love - which will provide the foundation for series five or six - involving bereavement and mental health, so I trust these themes will be addressed with the gravity and care they warrant.

Francesca and Michaela's romance will be another compelling storyline to witness unfold on screen, especially since Netflix has gender-swapped Michael Stuhlbargh for Michaela.

How Bridgerton tackles its first same-sex romance will be fascinating, given the considerable scandal Sophie and Benedict's relationship nearly provoked due to her humble origins.

Perhaps Francesca and Michaela will likewise encounter similar obstacles.

It will demonstrate the capabilities of Bridgerton showrunner Jess Brownell and her writing team as to whether they can maintain this exceptional standard of storytelling whilst exploring fresh territory with Quinn's original material. They have certainly established ambitious expectations.

Can anything surpass season four? This author awaits with bated breath.

Bridgerton season 4 is streaming on Netflix now

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