Note: The following contains spoilers for the entirety of “Bridgerton” Season 3
“Bridgerton” Season 3, Part 2 introduced a new element of Benedict’s sexuality, though showrunner Jess Brownell confirmed that doesn’t mean his love interest from Julia Quinn’s books, Sophie, has been nixed.
“The introduction of Sophie is definitely still in the cards, but we are going to continue to explore his fluidity,” Brownell told TheWrap.
After his interest was sparked by Lady Tilley Arnold (Hannah New) in Season 3, Part 1, Tilley introduces Benedict to her friend, Paul. Despite his initial hesitancy, the three begin a sexual relationship in Part 2. The Season 3 finale saw Tilley propose a monogamous relationship to Benedict, which Benedict rejected, citing his eagerness to explore his sexuality.
“This is not the end of that storyline,” Brownell said. “As any fluid person knows, fluidity is a part of your identity, whether or not you end up with a man, a woman or a nonbinary person.”
Brownell further stressed that Benedict’s sexual identity isn’t a fixed belief for him, and he might best be described as pansexual in modern terms as he finds connection with an individual’s spirit and mind.
In Julia Quinn’s novels, Benedict meets Sophie at a masquerade ball thrown by the Bridgertons. While some fans were disappointed the latter half of Season 3 did not include Sophie’s introduction, there might be a glimmer of hope for her arrival next season.
“At the end of Season 3, Eloise says to Benedict that she’s going to be home in a few months for Violet’s masquerade ball, so there will be a masquerade ball coming up shortly,” Brownell confirmed. “I’ll just leave it there.”
“Bridgerton” fans have long speculated that both Benedict and Eloise (Claudia Jessie) could be involved in queer storylines in the Netflix series, but Brownell and the team threw in an unexpected queer storyline for Francesca (Hannah Dodd) in the Season 3 finale. After marrying John Stirling (Victor Alli), Francesca’s new husband introduces her to his cousin, Michaela, a gender-swapped version of Francesca’s book love interest, Michael.
“Bridgerton” Seasons 1-3 are now streaming on Netflix.
