‘Bridgerton’ Showrunner Jess Brownell On Season 4 Finale, End-Credits Scene

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Bridgerton season four, part two.

Bridgerton season four, part two has everything: a funeral, a breakup, a steamy bathtub scene, a bold plan that pays off and a wedding.

The latest season of the Netflix series, centered on the Cinderella-inspired love story of Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson), the second-oldest son, and Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha), a maid, concluded with the release of the remaining episodes on Thursday.

In the four episodes, the Bridgertons grapple with the unexpected death of John Stirling (Victor Alli), Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) and Kate Bridgerton (Simone Ashley) return from India with their baby boy, Sophie finds her late father’s will and learns that Araminta (Katie Leung) has been embezzling her dowry and Benedict and Sophie get their happily ever after.

If you’re still reeling from the events of part two, Bridgerton showrunner Jess Brownell is breaking down all the biggest moments — and what to expect next from the series.

John Stirling’s Untimely Death Needed To Be Handled Carefully

Episode six ends with the revelation that John, who had been experiencing headaches, died in his sleep. John’s death is shown through the distraught reaction of Francesca Stirling (Hannah Dodd), and his body is never shown — an intentional choice.

Brownell said that Bridgerton is about love, joy and happily ever afters. Deaths are rarely shown, so John’s tragedy needed to be approached with reverence.

“We tried to be really mindful of being respectful to the character, both in how much we got to grieve him, and really giving proper airtime to the feelings that came up from his loss,” Brownell explained. “Not showing his body was a very specific conversation that was had. I think the idea of seeing the body of someone we loved on the show, particularly a Black male body, is just not something we were interested in seeing on our screens.”

Francesca And Michaela’s ‘Opposites Attract’ Dynamic

John’s cousin, Michaela Stirling (Masali Baduza), returns to Mayfair and causes chaos for Francesca, an introvert and creature of habit, in part two.

After a rough patch, they become friends, and Michaela consoles Francesca after John’s death. But by the end of the season, Michaela has packed her bags and left without saying goodbye. Fans familiar with Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton book series know that this isn’t the end for Francesca and Michaela. In the books, Francesca has two great loves: John and, after his death, his cousin Michael. The TV series version of Francesca doesn’t realize it yet, but she will eventually realize her romantic feelings for Michaela (a gender-swapped version of Michael) and get another chance at love.

Bridgerton has explored connections between contrasting characters before, but Brownell said that Francesca and Michaela “are the best example of opposites attract.”

“They are so diametrically opposed, but it brings out a really interesting side of Francesca,” she said. “It allows us to know her more deeply. And I think Michaela also allows Fran to get to know herself more deeply, in a way that I think actually ends up bringing Fran closer to John towards the end of episode six, before he passes away.”

Kanthony’s Return And How Involved Previous Leads Will Be In Future Seasons

Anthony and Kate return to the ton after welcoming their first child, a baby boy named Edmund, in episode six. The viscount and viscountess, who were the focus of season two, are now settled into their marriage, enjoying parenthood and sharing sage advice with other characters.

“I think those two will always have a sort of honeymoon sense of play between them, and certainly a bit of competition that they’ve always had. But it was just lovely seeing them settling into the role of being elder brother and sister, in a way,” Brownell said.

“I love the way that Kate has become an older sister figure for Eloise, in particular,” she added. “And then, of course, the relationship between Benedict and Anthony is such an important one, and really determines, in a big way, the way Benedict sees himself.”

Typically, the Bridgerton leads return in the following season, but beyond that, Brownell said their continued presence depends on the story and the actors’ availability.

“I think for Benedict’s story, as we said, Anthony coming back is really important,” she said. “I think if we’re thinking about someone like Eloise, actually, her relationship with Kate, as well as her relationship with Penelope, are really important relationships. So those are two characters I would really expect to see. When we talk about Francesca, she doesn’t realize it yet, but she has a bit of overlap with Benedict in terms of queerness. So that is a relationship I would want to see when we get to Francesca’s season.”

The Bathtub Scene Required A Song That Matched The Tenderness Of The Moment

Brownell said that the Camila Cabello cover of “Never Be the Same” used during Benedict and Sophie’s bathtub scene in the finale is one of her favorites in part two. The song choice was crucial, as it needed to fit a scene that’s both sexy and tender.

“I think the intimacy scene at the end of episode five is more about urgency and passion and people making, sort of, an irrational decision,” Brownell said. “But once we get to the bathtub scene, these are two people who are really trying to be considerate of each other’s boundaries, of each other’s vulnerabilities. And I love the way Benedict is being really tender with Sophie, reversing the dynamics of care and letting her be the one who gets her hair washed and she’s the one who gets pleasured. It’s all about her in that moment. It’s really, I think, the break that she needs from being a maid all the time.”

Why It’s Too Soon For Violet To Get Married Again

In part two, Violet Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell) and Lord Marcus Anderson (Daniel Francis) agree to get married. But in the finale, Violet realizes that she needs more time to rediscover herself before getting married again. In response, Marcus says that he wants to share a life with her, but is doubtful that she wants the same, and breaks up with her.

Brownell said that it’s important to show mothers and women in the later stages of their lives putting themselves first and having desires, but in Violet’s case, it “felt too soon” for her to remarry.

“This is the first guy she’s dated since her husband died, and so we felt like maybe Marcus was the catalyst for her to realize that, in fact, she needs to start putting herself first and doing a bit more self-discovery, and that’s something we’re going to play with over the next couple of seasons,” Brownell teased.

Who’s The New Lady Whistledown?

Season four ends with a juicy cliffhanger, as a mysterious new author takes over the Lady Whistledown column after Penelope’s (Nicola Coughlan) retirement.

Brownell said that Julie Andrews, who narrates as the voice of Lady Whistledown, has become an intrinsic part of the show. Even though Penelope gives up the job, Brownell felt that Whistledown still resonates with viewers and is useful narratively.

“What was really exciting for us was getting to start a fresh mystery,” she said. “I think with Penelope, because that’s who Whistledown is in the books, it was never something we felt we could really play with too far in terms of red herrings and clues. I think we felt ready for Penelope to embrace a next chapter, and now we get to have a genuine mystery on the show.”

Benedict And Sophie’s Happily Ever After

For the first time in the show, Bridgerton takes a page out of the Marvel handbook and features an end-credits scene.

The scene shows Benedict and Sophie getting married outside the cottage, with Anthony as the best man and Hazel (Gracie McGonigal) as the maid of honor.

It’s all but officially confirmed that Benedict and Sophie will be back for season five, just as previous leads have returned for the following season. After Benedict and Sophie blackmailed Araminta into going along with the lie that Sophie is a Penwood relative of noble origins, Brownell is looking forward to the couple having “a sense of ease in their marriage and in their lives.”

“I think we will be able to bring them into society a bit more,” the showrunner said. “And it’s going to be quite fun, because Benedict, simultaneously, has been a guy who is opposed to the convention of society, but also loves a good party. Meanwhile, Sophie has longed for balls and all the trappings of society from the sidelines.”

“Getting to see the completion of her Cinderella arc, and just letting her wear some beautiful gowns next season, that’s something I’m really excited about, for both Sophie and Yerin,” Brownell added.

How One Scene Sets Up Future Seasons

At the season four premiere in Paris last month, Brownell teased that Eloise (Claudia Jessie) and Francesca’s stories will be next, but she didn’t reveal the order (though fans are convinced that it’s Eloise’s time).

Typically, Netflix waits about a month or two after a season ends before announcing which Bridgerton sibling will get the spotlight next. If you paid close attention to the end-credits scene, you may have noticed that one moment hints at the next two seasons.

In the end-credits scene, before Benedict and Sophie’s ceremony starts, Kate turns to the ladies and asks, “Whose wedding do you think we will be attending next?”

Eloise says that she loves weddings, but clarifies that she enjoys them as an attendee. When Penelope asks Francesca if she thinks she’ll ever get married again, Francesca says, “Me? A wedding? No. I have had my great love. One time is enough.”

“We’re using that last scene to establish for both of the girls, where they’re at in terms of romance,” Brownell explained. “We’ve had it before where the next lead character either says they’re really ready for love or says they’re really not ready for love. Usually, there’s some kind of statement from the next lead character about where their head is at. And I think we’re leaving it a little open and saying, ‘Hey, it could be either of these young women.’”

Bridgerton season four, part two is now streaming on Netflix.