Original release: 25 December 2020
Director: Julie Anne Robinson
Writer: Chris Van Dusen
Based on: The Duke and I by Julia Quinn
Rating: ★★★★☆ 4/5
Diamond of the First Water
Daphne Bridgerton enters the 1813 marriage market as Queen Charlotte’s favourite, but her prospects rapidly deteriorate thanks to her overprotective brother. A chance encounter with the marriage-phobic Duke of Hastings provides an ingenious solution to both their problems.
The 1813 London social season opens with Daphne Bridgerton making her debut before Queen Charlotte, who publically declares her “flawless.” The anonymous gossip sheet writer, Lady Whistledown, echoes the praise, therefore instantly framing Daphne as the season’s coveted “diamond,” a very big deal in the Ton. However, Daphne’s hopes for a romantic match like her parents’ are quickly undermined by her eldest brother, Anthony who, since her father’s death is Viscount and head of the family. He overly vets and scares away virtually all of Daphne’s potential suitors.
Meanwhile, Simon Basset, the newly titled Duke of Hastings, has returned to London following the death of his abusive father. Simon experinced a traumatic childhood that still haunts him, and is fiercely determined never to marry or produce a child. His late mother’s dear friend, Lady Danbury, is putting him under pressure to find a match, but Simon refuses to participate in the marriage market at all. His first encounter with Daphne does not go well, as she mistakes his arrogance for hostility but despite this, remain connected through Anthony and both move in the same circles.
Daphne’s situation gets worse with the arrival of Marina Thompson, a distant cousin staying with the Featheringtons who instantly make a major impression on the town’s bachelors. As callers abandon Daphne, Queen Charlotte feels slighted by her chosen favourite’s sudden failure, and Lady Whistledown takes pleasure in reporting on Daphne’s deteriorating status. Anthony is desperate to settle the matter and thoughtlessly promises Daphne’s hand in marriage to the boorish Nigel Berbrooke. Meanwhile, Anthony faces his own pressures of a similar kind: after a stern lecture from his mother, Violet, regarding his duty to the family, he feels obliged to break off his secret affair with opera singer Siena Rosso.
The Featheringtons are also dealing with a crisis: Lady Featherington discovers Marina is secretly pregnant, a scandal that could completely destroy the family’s social standing. Marina is promptly sequestered and excuses are made that she is ill.
The episode culminates at the Vauxhall Gardens ball. When a persistent Berbrooke corners Daphne away from the crowd and demands her hand, things quickly go awry, ending with Daphne punching him square in the jaw, and knocking him unconscious just as Simon arrives! They recognise their mutual dilemmas—Daphne needs to regain suitors to avoid Berbrooke, while Simon needs pushy mothers to leave him alone, and so they make a plan: Simon will pretend to court Daphne.
Their fake romance immediately captivates the ton, with the result that Daphne’s value on the market rebounds and cements Lady Whistledown’s intuition that the Duke has fallen for the season’s diamond.
Where to watch Bridgerton
Bridgerton is available to stream exclusively on Netflix. You can also shop for Bridgerton books, soundtracks and other related releases on Amazon.
