#48 Jism and Anachronism
20/01/21 13:55
Having concluded my viewing of Bridgerton, I’ve emerged gasping and sweaty, like a post-coital Duchess of Hastings hastily rearranging her skirts as she leaves Clyvedon’s library. It’s unbelievably racy, and I really can’t unsee that staircase cunnilingus scene. Obviously, I BURNED for it, binged the whole thing in four nights, would like to register my willingness to marry the Duke and not bear him any children. But I must admit I exited the ballroom with a few concerns. Firstly, making the latter half of the series centre around a row about ejaculation was bold, to say the least. Secondly, of all the unlikely occurrences (Simon murmuring masturbation tips to Daphne during a promenade, etc), I found the epilogue childbirth scene to be the most jaw-dropping. Your Grace, you really were de trop. Go and have a cigar in your club, next time.
But the thing that really got my fan fluttering over Hump-Bridgerton was a conversation between the Duke and Lady Danbury about his royal responsibilities. When I started this series, I was mostly delighted by the colour-blind casting, pushing pesky queries like ‘how does the abolition movement fit in here?’ to one side in favour of watching this gorgeously diverse group grinding against each other. But then these two leaders of the ton start talking about how King George’s marriage changed a ‘divided’ society. What the what? We’re supposed to understand that Mad George marrying a woman with Black heritage successfully upended racial divides? Even if that didn’t require a huge suspension of disbelief, the maths doesn’t work. Charlotte has been Queen for 50-odd years when Bridgerton begins - we’re to assume that attitudes, and entire aristocratic bloodlines, have changed in that time? If you unpick it even a bit, the whole thing collapses. Why did they bother with this retrospective bullshit reasoning? Just don’t mention it, like Hamilton. It really annoyed me. But, you know, all the shagging and the dresses. Maybe near-instantaneous Georgian racial equality is possible, after all. But obviously not gender, or class – that would be too much of a stretch.
Anyway, talking of hot takes on history, I watched the first episode of The Great, because the trailer made it look like The Favourite, which I adored. And it is, mostly, great, but The Favourite is still my favourite. This American series, originally on Hulu, just began on Channel 4, and it’s a fast and very loose portrayal of 18th century Tsarist Russia. The Great is witty, subversive and silly, but the dialogue breaks the fourth wall too much, and they don’t need to; it’s overindulgent to have a maid say ‘bit harsh’ in response to an insult. She may as well wink at the camera. Secondly, Nicholas Hoult is fine, but he’s too nice for the role of Emperor Peter – a really great actor (e.g. a young Alan Rickman) would have been horrifically awful but made you love him anyway. However, I’ll probably stick with it because, well, the dresses and the shagging. I’m also keen to see if Empress Catherine meets her maker via sexual intercourse with a stallion, as legend has it. That would blow Bridgerton out of the water.
But the thing that really got my fan fluttering over Hump-Bridgerton was a conversation between the Duke and Lady Danbury about his royal responsibilities. When I started this series, I was mostly delighted by the colour-blind casting, pushing pesky queries like ‘how does the abolition movement fit in here?’ to one side in favour of watching this gorgeously diverse group grinding against each other. But then these two leaders of the ton start talking about how King George’s marriage changed a ‘divided’ society. What the what? We’re supposed to understand that Mad George marrying a woman with Black heritage successfully upended racial divides? Even if that didn’t require a huge suspension of disbelief, the maths doesn’t work. Charlotte has been Queen for 50-odd years when Bridgerton begins - we’re to assume that attitudes, and entire aristocratic bloodlines, have changed in that time? If you unpick it even a bit, the whole thing collapses. Why did they bother with this retrospective bullshit reasoning? Just don’t mention it, like Hamilton. It really annoyed me. But, you know, all the shagging and the dresses. Maybe near-instantaneous Georgian racial equality is possible, after all. But obviously not gender, or class – that would be too much of a stretch.
Anyway, talking of hot takes on history, I watched the first episode of The Great, because the trailer made it look like The Favourite, which I adored. And it is, mostly, great, but The Favourite is still my favourite. This American series, originally on Hulu, just began on Channel 4, and it’s a fast and very loose portrayal of 18th century Tsarist Russia. The Great is witty, subversive and silly, but the dialogue breaks the fourth wall too much, and they don’t need to; it’s overindulgent to have a maid say ‘bit harsh’ in response to an insult. She may as well wink at the camera. Secondly, Nicholas Hoult is fine, but he’s too nice for the role of Emperor Peter – a really great actor (e.g. a young Alan Rickman) would have been horrifically awful but made you love him anyway. However, I’ll probably stick with it because, well, the dresses and the shagging. I’m also keen to see if Empress Catherine meets her maker via sexual intercourse with a stallion, as legend has it. That would blow Bridgerton out of the water.
- Bridgerton – Netflix, 8 episodes
- The Great – Hulu and Channel 4, 10 episodes
