Long before Bridgerton became the iconic show that it is today, it was a beloved book series with a huge following. When it comes to adaptation, there is an age-old question of what kinds of changes are okay and what aren’t. The series has made several adjustments that fans have loved; making certain characters more likable, giving depth to side characters, and even changing the order of the story.
However, at the third season’s end, a new character was introduced that infuriated fans to their very core. Francesca Bridgerton was given quite a lot of attention this season, having a first go at society and even getting married by the end of it. However, just as the credits were about to roll, the character of Michaela was introduced, and since she was a big diversion from the books, it caused massive outrage among fans of the books.
So much so, that the writer of the original series, Julia Quinn, even commented on the matter in support of the changes that were made. While many would expect the writer’s remarks to shut down the conversation to a certain extent, it only seems to be getting worse.
The Author of Bridgerton Tried to Mend the Differences
In Francesca Bridgerton’s book, When He Was Wicked, originally, her first love interest and husband, John Kilmartin, dies soon after their marriage. After such a great loss, she ends up meeting Michael, whom she eventually marries, with him being the main love interest of the book. Fans absolutely loved his character and were quite protective of him.
Knowing this, it is not surprising that fans are upset that one of the most important parts of his character was changed; Michael was turned into Michaela, making Francesca’s story a queer one. While the fans, as a whole, do not have anything against queer love stories, they are simply very upset that the series is taking on unrealistic storylines that are not accurate to the time period it has adopted.
These conversations have become quite big. So much so, that Julia Quinn felt compelled to comment on the matter on her Instagram, as she also had a hand in the change of story.
Anyone who has seen an interview with me from the past four years knows that I am deeply committed to the Bridgerton world becoming more diverse and inclusive as the stories move from book to screen.
I trust Shondaland’s vision for Bridgerton, but I wanted to be sure that we could remain true to the spirit of the book and of the characters. Jess and I talked for a long time about it. More than once. I made it clear that it was extremely important to me that Francesca’s abiding love for John be shown on screen.
The writer was quite clear about her loyalties, stating that one of her biggest goals with the story now that it is being adapted is to add more diversity and inclusivity to it. After the showrunner, Jess Brownell, talked to her about the change and explained her vision in detail, she decided that the risk was worth it.
Fans Are Unfazed
While there is no denying that Julia Quinn’s intentions were harmless and the writer wanted the fans to welcome Michaela with open arms, her comments seem to have only enraged her readers and viewers more. In a Reddit thread about the series, many fans talked about what was going on with the show, and the response to Quinn’s comments has not been positive.
Starting off, many fans accused the show of sending the writer to fix their problems and soothe the fans that were by the book. The criticism that the fans have received has been bombarded by other fans of the series for several reasons.
Many have accused fans of being homophobic for not liking the change, pointing out that no one had an issue when storylines from the first and second seasons were changed. These accusations had very clear answers.
“I found it interesting that so many are screaming that if you don’t agree, you’re a bigot, yet many of those Facebook comments were from the LGBTQIA community and they were all saying the same thing: It’s unnecessary for such a major change to a main character.” said Royallycommon on Reddit, “They wanted that built in fanbase and now they’re trying to gaslight when the fanbase says a fairly universal: No.”
They started by tackling the homophobia of it all, mentioning how a vast majority of the backlash for the change is in fact coming from the queer community. They mentioned how the drastic, unnecessary change to a major character only brings harm to their cause.
“It’s also untrue that people are only mad now that there is a sapphic couple but we’re okay with major shifts from the source material for other couples. Book fans were furious for the way season 2 handled Kate and Anthony’s book and the love triangle with Edwina and very vocal about it.” said SophieBridgerton on Reddit.
They then went on to talk about the accusation that the book fans only care now that it is a queer relationship. It was clear that readers have been criticizing the changes being made in the series since the very first season.
However, it was only when the third season ended that their voices were finally heard, finally being loud and collective enough to catch the attention of the show.
Bridgerton is available for streaming on Netflix.
