E01.01: Diamond of the First Water

[Ohiopirate02]

11 minutes ago, Growsonwalls said:

I clicked on this on a whim and I'm already hooked. It's like an R-rated Jane Austen. Love it. 

Possibly dumb question: how did "mistresses" back then manage birth control? How did they avoid not constantly being in the family way? Because it seemed like Daphne's brother should have had more than a few buns in the oven from the way he was constantly boning his mistress.

There were quite a few contraception methods employed in that period.  From sponges to douches to herbal teas to condoms made of sheepskin and the old standby, pull out.  Mistresses needed to stay on top of the matter, and a combination could help prevent pregnancy.  

[shapeshifter]

15 minutes ago, Growsonwalls said:

Possibly dumb question: how did "mistresses" back then manage birth control? How did they avoid not constantly being in the family way? Because it seemed like Daphne's brother should have had more than a few buns in the oven from the way he was constantly boning his mistress

• Condoms existed then, albeit not made of very effective materials and not widely available (wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_condoms#18th_century).
• My best guess is the method mentioned in the Old Testament/Hebrew Scriptures and also used by young men I knew in the 1960s and 70s:
  “From the 18th century until the development of modern methods, withdrawal was one of the most popular methods of birth-control in Europe, North America, and elsewhere” (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coitus_interruptus).

There are other methods of birth control from that time that I can quickly think of just off the top of my head——most of them not very effective, but you get the gist. 

[Growsonwalls]

2 hours ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

There were quite a few contraception methods employed in that period.  From sponges to douches to herbal teas to condoms made of sheepskin and the old standby, pull out.  Mistresses needed to stay on top of the matter, and a combination could help prevent pregnancy.  

Well I did a little research. Apparently there were a lot of out-of-wedlock babies back then, and many were simply abandoned in the church turnstile. Others were discreetly farmed off to relatives.

So far I'm enjoying Simon and Daphne and am interested to see how they develop. I do think the fact that Simon is willing to defend Daphne against that creep Berbooke makes him nicer than most of the guys of that era.

[shapeshifter]

51 minutes ago, Growsonwalls said:

I do think the fact that Simon is willing to defend Daphne against that creep Berbooke makes him nicer than most of the guys of that era.

Or of any era! Simon’s chivalry definitely ups the female viewing audience swoon factor. 😉 
And Daphne’s well-placed punch on the snout of her way too entitled attacker in no way diminishes Simon’s appeal, but rather serves to demonstrate his empathy for those who want to assert themselves.

 

[Ohiopirate02]

7 hours ago, Growsonwalls said:

Well I did a little research. Apparently there were a lot of out-of-wedlock babies back then, and many were simply abandoned in the church turnstile. Others were discreetly farmed off to relatives.

So far I'm enjoying Simon and Daphne and am interested to see how they develop. I do think the fact that Simon is willing to defend Daphne against that creep Berbooke makes him nicer than most of the guys of that era.

Those babies left at the church would have been the ones from "good" girls who had no idea how to prevent a pregnancy.  Mistresses like Sienna were better prepared.  They would seek out the midwives who knew what was up to get the lowdown or would have had an older woman point them in the right direction.  The odds are that Sienna would eventually get pregnant, it is hard to always stay vigilant.  In that case, Anthony would take care of her and their child because he is a gentleman and that is what a gentleman did.  The existence of the child would have no bearing on Anthony securing a bride to give him legitimate heirs when he was ready.  But, this is based on a romance novel.  Romance novel heroes may be rakes, but they never have out of wedlock kids (unless he is the Marquess of Dain).  They get to have all the sex without any consequence until they meet their heroine.  Even then, the author decides when a baby comes.  

[bijoux]

13 minutes ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

Those babies left at the church would have been the ones from "good" girls who had no idea how to prevent a pregnancy.  Mistresses like Sienna were better prepared.  They would seek out the midwives who knew what was up to get the lowdown or would have had an older woman point them in the right direction.  The odds are that Sienna would eventually get pregnant, it is hard to always stay vigilant.  In that case, Anthony would take care of her and their child because he is a gentleman and that is what a gentleman did.  The existence of the child would have no bearing on Anthony securing a bride to give him legitimate heirs when he was ready.  But, this is based on a romance novel.  Romance novel heroes may be rakes, but they never have out of wedlock kids (unless he is the Marquess of Dain). They get to have all the sex without any consequence until they meet their heroine.  Even then, the author decides when a baby comes.  

I can think of a few like Sherry Thaomas' Viscount Hastings and Eloisa James' Duke of Villiers who must take the cake with six, but they certainly are the exception. 

[shapeshifter]

10 minutes ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

The odds are that Sienna would eventually get pregnant, it is hard to always stay vigilant.  In that case, Anthony would take care of her and their child because he is a gentleman and that is what a gentleman did.  The existence of the child would have no bearing on Anthony securing a bride to give him legitimate heirs when he was ready.  But, this is based on a romance novel.  Romance novel heroes may be rakes, but they never have out of wedlock kids (unless he is the Marquess of Dain).  They get to have all the sex without any consequence until they meet their heroine.  Even then, the author decides when a baby comes.  

I haven't yet seen this series in its entirety, but given that this is a Shondaland production with an alternate universe of racial diversity, it wouldn't shock me if the hero had a child out of wedlock--especially to shed light on how that contributed to economic stratification.
IRL, weren't there some instances of out-of-wedlock offspring being later recognized as legitimate heirs if an heir could not be produced elsewise?

[bijoux]

3 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

IRL, weren't there some instances of out-of-wedlock offspring being later recognized as legitimate heirs if an heir could not be produced elsewise?

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54380084

Here'a an extremely recent example of the King of Belgium's illegitimate daughter being recognized and included in the line of succession. 

Good point about Shonda. I may even have a candidate after this season. 

[Ohiopirate02]

16 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

I haven't yet seen this series in its entirety, but given that this is a Shondaland production with an alternate universe of racial diversity, it wouldn't shock me if the hero had a child out of wedlock--especially to shed light on how that contributed to economic stratification.
IRL, weren't there some instances of out-of-wedlock offspring being later recognized as legitimate heirs if an heir could not be produced elsewise?

I don't think the show would tamper with the source material to that extent.  If Julia Quinn's rakes are not siring illegitimate kids, then the show would follow that.  I have not read the books, but the series sounds like it is the fun, fluffy kind of Regency Romance.  In these books, the rakes have all the fun without knocking up their mistresses and without catching any diseases.  The biggest reason most rakes don't have any illegitimate kids is then the author has to deal with the other woman.  Did the mistress die or is she still living to torment the heroine?  

That being said, if you read an indepth synopsis of book 3 in this series, it does seem that we will eventually get the illegitimate offspring of a member of the Ton as a love interest.

[Atlanta]

3 hours ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

3 hours ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

I don't think the show would tamper with the source material to that extent.  If Julia Quinn's rakes are not siring illegitimate kids, then the show would follow that.  I have not read the books, but the series sounds like it is the fun, fluffy kind of Regency Romance.  In these books, the rakes have all the fun without knocking up their mistresses and without catching any diseases.  The biggest reason most rakes don't have any illegitimate kids is then the author has to deal with the other woman.  Did the mistress die or is she still living to torment the heroine?  

 

If you want depressing historicals, you read Edith Wharton, not JQ.

[A.Ham]

Ahem...

Apparently I am less cultured than I believed myself to be, because not only had I not read the books, I didn’t even know the show was based on books. Honestly, I only saw the show (and so far only the first episode) because I saw a clip on Graham Norton when Nicola Coughlan from Derry Girls was a guest.

Topic? So far I liked it. I enjoyed the little details, like the smile forming on Mrs. Bridgerton’s face as she saw Daphne and Simon together. Also, the Bridgerton boys unsuccessfully avoiding what’s-her-name.

[Kim0820]

On 12/27/2020 at 1:23 PM, Brn2bwild said:

The difference with Miss Bates, though, is that her father was a vicar, so in addition to not having a lot of money, she also lost her home after her father died.  I don't get the sense the aristocratic Bridgertons are lacking in money, so my guess is that if Daphne never married, her worst fate would be that she'd be the spinster aunt of the (giant) house, living comfortably but with little autonomy.

Like Aunt Agatha in the Poldark series.  Or Emma's vision of her initially-intended single life. 

[nodorothyparker]

Good gods, did somebody buy a gross of rhinestone tiaras for this production?

Never heard of the books this is based on, but it seems like entertaining escapist week between Christmas and New Year's fare in the same way that The Witcher was for me last year. I'm mostly enjoying the Alternate Universe look of this, even if the costume drama nerd in me is twitching a little at some of it. As a bit of an Austenphile I'm good with most takes on Regency, but why are the queen and her court wearing pre French Revolution gowns that are a good 20 years out of date? The actor playing the duke has got some serious smolder going for him, but I'm snickering a little bit every time he saunters onscreen with his anachronistic sexy stubble and complete lack of proper neckwear. I also did an initial doubletake at Lady Featherington because while she's definitely got the meddling Austen mother routine down, I had to look to be sure she wasn't being played by Melinda Clarke because it's coming off as Julie Cooper does Jane Austen.

The entire premise is a bit of a romance novel trope, but I'm interested enough to see where it goes. The actress playing Daphne hasn't really wowed me yet, but she did make me feel for her when she was so quickly pronounced a dud not for anything she'd really done wrong but because her brother was so ridiculously overbearing and nit-picky before she even got a chance.

[Ohiopirate02]

9 minutes ago, nodorothyparker said:

Good gods, did somebody buy a gross of rhinestone tiaras for this production?

Never heard of the books this is based on, but it seems like entertaining escapist week between Christmas and New Year's fare in the same way that The Witcher was for me last year. I'm mostly enjoying the Alternate Universe look of this, even if the costume drama nerd in me is twitching a little at some of it. As a bit of an Austenphile I'm good with most takes on Regency, but why are the queen and her court wearing pre French Revolution gowns that are a good 20 years out of date? The actor playing the duke has got some serious smolder going for him, but I'm snickering a little bit every time he saunters onscreen with his anachronistic sexy stubble and complete lack of proper neckwear. I also did an initial doubletake at Lady Featherington because while she's definitely got the meddling Austen mother routine down, I had to look to be sure she wasn't being played by Melinda Clarke because it's coming off as Julie Cooper does Jane Austen.

The entire premise is a bit of a romance novel trope, but I'm interested enough to see where it goes. The actress playing Daphne hasn't really wowed me yet, but she did make me feel for her when she was so quickly pronounced a dud not for anything she'd really done wrong but because her brother was so ridiculously overbearing and nit-picky before she even got a chance.

The jewelry is atrocious throughout the series.  Frankly I'm surprised given the show's budget that they did not have better looking "jewels." 

The real Queen Charlotte dressed that way her whole reign.  She liked that silhouette and kept it.  

[Growsonwalls]

I'm rewatching this episode and I actually really like the fact that Simon first takes a liking to Daphne not because she's pretty and considered the "diamond" of the season but because she decked Nigel. I can really buy that being the launching pad of a romance because Simon likes Daphne for her spunk and not for her beauty.

[WatchrTina]

On 12/30/2020 at 12:14 AM, Growsonwalls said:

Well I did a little research. Apparently there were a lot of out-of-wedlock babies back then, and many were simply abandoned in the church turnstile. Others were discreetly farmed off to relatives.

I'm reminded of the character, Harriet Smith, in the Jane Austen novel, "Emma," which is set in a similar time-frame.  She's introduced as "the natural daughter of nobody knows who" who has been placed in the care of a kind of country finishing school.  At the end of the book she ends up engaged to a nice young farmer who is willing to overlook the illegitimacy of her birth.  Emma (who is of a romantic nature) had liked to assume that Harriet must be the illegitmate daughter of a member of the aristocracy, but in the end it's revealed that her father was simply a wealthy merchant who funded his daughter's education but who no doubt kept her existence secret from his legitimate family.  So that's another example of how people of that class in that era dealt with illegitimate children.

As for THIS story -- I confess I am confused.  I'm going to have to re-watch the episode because I cannot for the life of me recall how Daphne, who was such a success at her presentation to the Queen, somehow became damaged goods and was being pressured by her brother into accepting the one foppish suitor who pursued her.  The plot she and the Duke make between them is intriguing but I'm not sure how being (eventually) cast aside by a Duke will somehow make her MORE desirable.  While she's perceived to be the Duke's favorite, yes she will hold a special cache in society.  But I don't understand why those two think that cache will continue after their charade ends.

[nodorothyparker]

16 minutes ago, WatchrTina said:

I cannot for the life of me recall how Daphne, who was such a success at her presentation to the Queen, somehow became damaged goods and was being pressured by her brother into accepting the one foppish suitor who pursued her.

It seemed to be combination of the Lady Whistledown gossip pages sniping that she was already "fading" and thus nothing special, particularly after someone new arrived on the scene, and her brother being so ridiculously nitpicky and overbearing in rejecting every man who glanced in her direction to the point that he scared everyone off. As I followed it, being on the arm of a highly sought after duke would make her the object of more attention and then she could "end it" with him when she found somebody she liked. Because what guy doesn't want to be with a woman who chose him over a duke? 

[Growsonwalls]

The other thing about Daphne is that she's the oldest daughter out of a large family so she couldn't have an eyelash out of place because she was either going to help or hurt the prospects of her siblings. The entire season was basically a very grueling job interview.

[rejnel]

Quote

The first thing that struck me was Eloise's voice.  She looks so young, especially in that opening outfit, with the giant ruffled collar and giant bow, quite similar to the two much younger sisters.  But her voice is so low, it sounds like she's a 60 year old woman who's chain smoked her entire life. 

She has a slight rasp, less pronounced than Emma Stone's. I think it's a smart choice for a character who's out of place in her time. She moves and speaks like a contemporary (to us) young woman, rather than with the delicacy of most girls raised for the marriage market in the early 19th century. 

Edited January 6, 2021 by rejnel
correcting a typo

[Bellatrix]

On 12/27/2020 at 10:25 PM, chaifan said:

And what was the point of the super tight corset on one of the FeatherGirls?  Did they use corsets under empire waist dresses?  If so, why?  At least the men's costumes are flattering. 

 

On 12/28/2020 at 2:05 AM, Ohiopirate02 said:

Women wore stays during this time period which were the precursor to corsets.  They were used to keep the girls in place, not to define the waist.  They were also made of fabric and whalebone so they could only get so tight.  

Actually, I thought this was an anachronism. Stays were in fashion until the French revolution, the 1790's, while corsets came into fashion in the 1820's.

In the mean time, in the Regency period, my understanding was that they wore neither. In fact, slouching became fashionable. There was talk of the "fashionable slouch".

A very beautiful painting at the art exhibition in the series shows a dark-haired woman in this pose. (Episode 3, Art of the Swoon, at 19:33)

In Persuasion Elizabeth Elliot speaks of old family friend Lady Russell thusly:

"You need not tell her so, but I thought her dress hideous the other night. I used to think she had some taste in dress, but I was ashamed of her at the concert. Something so formal and arrangé in her air! and she sits so upright! My best love, of course."

That is of course because Lady Russell sits ramrod straight because stays were the fashion of her youth. So that is what she is used to, but it is considered very outdated and old-fashioned for 1816 (first draft of Persuasion completed July 1816).

Edited January 8, 2021 by Bellatrix

[Ohiopirate02]

56 minutes ago, Bellatrix said:

 

Actually, I thought this was an anachronism. Stays were in fashion until the French revolution, the 1790's, while corsets came into fashion in the 1820's.

In the mean time, in the Regency period, my understanding was that they wore neither. In fact, slouching became fashionable. There was talk of the "fashionable slouch".

A very beautiful painting at the art exhibition in the series shows a dark-haired woman in this pose. (Episode 3, Art of the Swoon, at 19:33)

In Persuasion Elizabeth Elliott speaks of old family friend Lady Russell thusly:

"You need not tell her so, but I thought her dress hideous the other night. I used to think she had some taste in dress, but I was ashamed of her at the concert. Something so formal and arrangé in her air! and she sits so upright! My best love, of course."

That is of course because Lady Russell sits ramrod straight because stays were the fashion of her youth. So that is what she is used to, but it is considered very outdated and old-fashioned for 1816 (first draft of Persuasion completed July 1816).

Women did continue to wear either stays or a proto-corset during the Regency period.  Or at least the women who needed the support.  Some of us need to keep the girls supported, fashion be damned.  The Regency period is a period where fashions were changing, but not everyone adapted.  Older men who grew up wearing wigs, continued to sport them.  Women like Queen Charlotte who liked and were used to a fuller dress continued to wear them.  A young unmarried woman still living with her mother would not adopt the latest fashions if the person paying the bills did not like them.  

[Bellatrix]

1 minute ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

Women did continue to wear either stays or a proto-corset during the Regency period.  Or at least the women who needed the support.  Some of us need to keep the girls supported, fashion be damned.  The Regency period is a period where fashions were changing, but not everyone adapted.  Older men who grew up wearing wigs, continued to sport them.  Women like Queen Charlotte who liked and were used to a fuller dress continued to wear them.  A young unmarried woman still living with her mother would not adopt the latest fashions if the person paying the bills did not like them.  

Ah, this is interesting. Makes a lot of sense.

I have seen a type of underwear from the Regency area that looked like a type of bra, made out of only cloth, without the spills. It covered the upper part of the upper body, with holes for the arms. The only problem was that the researchers was not sure which way it went, if it were tied in the back or in the front.

[Haleth]

44 minutes ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

The Regency period is a period where fashions were changing, but not everyone adapted.  Older men who grew up wearing wigs, continued to sport them.  Women like Queen Charlotte who liked and were used to a fuller dress continued to wear them.  A young unmarried woman still living with her mother would not adopt the latest fashions if the person paying the bills did not like them.  

I really good example of this is in the Kiera Knightly Pride and Prejudice.  Caroline Bingley, a daughter of a wealthy family, wears the latest fashion empire waist dresses while the Bennett girls wear more out of fashion styles. 

[Ohiopirate02]

33 minutes ago, Haleth said:

I really good example of this is in the Kiera Knightly Pride and Prejudice.  Caroline Bingley, a daughter of a wealthy family, wears the latest fashion empire waist dresses while the Bennett girls wear more out of fashion styles. 

That happens in every good adaptation of Pride and Prejudice.  The Bennetts are country people who spend very little time in London while the Bingleys are town people.  There is always going to be a mismatch in fashions.  Trends take time to filter down.  You see the same in Emma when Mrs. Elton descends upon the village.  Her gowns are fancier than Emma's.  Emma can afford the best, but she gets her dresses from the local dressmaker.  Here we see Marina with simpler dresses and accessories because she lives in the country not because she is poor.  The F's are in their finest while not being able to pay the dressmaker's bill.  

[tennisgurl]

I finally had the time to give this a look, and I quite like it so far, very Jane Austin style but with some different twists like the modern music arranged in Regency style and the alternate universe diversity, which I find to be quite interesting. A lot of shows and movies do colorblind casting in period pieces but I don't know if I have seen very many that actually do a whole alternate universe to justify the diversity in universe, so that's quite cool. 

The actor playing the Count is super hot no wonder all of the ladies were instantly besotted, even beyond the title. I don't quite have a handle on all of the characters quite yet, not having read the books, but they are all interesting enough so far, especially the Bridgerton matriarch is just trying to balance their family being happy and also securing their place in society. 

The costumes are certainly not all historically accurate (very few period pieces get it all right) but its all very lovely with the clothes and the dances and the strolling about town, it all has that sweet regency energy. Very beautiful, but all of the rules and pressure all makes it seem really intense underneith the manners and fans. 

[Roseanna]

46 minutes ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

Here we see Marina with simpler dresses and accessories because she lives in the country not because she is poor. 

But now she lives in London, so she should have had better dresses.

[Ohiopirate02]

3 minutes ago, Roseanna said:

But now she lives in London, so she should have had better dresses.

If I was Marina and had to choose between my simple, country dresses or whatever monstrosity Mrs. F concocts, I would stick to my simple dresses.  

[Zima]

Just started watching this, never read the books. The show reminds me of Gossip Girl, but set in the Georgian era. I'm loving the costumes, the sets, and most of the cast. I have to admit, Daphne isn't quite doing it for me...the actress is rather plain-looking, and kind of boring. Simon however...HELLO! 

[Guest]

The first episode was enjoyable. It's hard to keep track of all the characters, but hopefully that will get easier. 

I was a little confused-  why did Daphne fall from grace so quickly?  Did I miss something, or was it more that the other girl captivated people more so word got around that Daphne didn't have suitors?

[Door County Cherry]

46 minutes ago, deaja said:

I was a little confused-  why did Daphne fall from grace so quickly?  Did I miss something, or was it more that the other girl captivated people more so word got around that Daphne didn't have suitors?

I think it's implied that Anthony being so picky was chasing all her suitors away.  With fewer apparent suitors, she appeared less valuable. 

[DanaMB]

On 12/31/2020 at 9:08 PM, Growsonwalls said:

I'm rewatching this episode and I actually really like the fact that Simon first takes a liking to Daphne not because she's pretty and considered the "diamond" of the season but because she decked Nigel. I can really buy that being the launching pad of a romance because Simon likes Daphne for her spunk and not for her beauty.

I’ve started re-watching it, too and totally agree. 

[EyewatchTV211]

57 minutes ago, DanaMB said:

I’ve started re-watching it, too and totally agree. 

Spoiler

In the books, that is actually the first scene where they meet. So they start off on a better foot where he immediately likes and respects her. I started to get nervous that they actually took it out when it didn't happen at the first ball. 

 

[Bellatrix]

On 1/6/2021 at 2:48 PM, Bellatrix said:

I have seen a type of underwear from the Regency area that looked like a type of bra, made out of only cloth, without the spills. It covered the upper part of the upper body, with holes for the arms. The only problem was that the researchers was not sure which way it went, if it were tied in the back or in the front.

I came over this post: Terminology: What’s the Difference between Stays, Jumps & a Corset by The Dreamstress

And apparently what I saw is called short stays. Researchers must since have made headway on the subject, lol. There is a good picture here: Regency Short Stays. They would have provided support and allowed for the fashionable slouch, as well as being in perfect keeping with the Regency silhouette.

Edited January 10, 2021 by Bellatrix

[IndyMischa]

I have a bad habit of watching shows, with only ~80% of my attention. This episode, I didn't even realize there WERE three older brothers. I just saw Colin (with the ridiculous balcony hair) and Not Colin. Later eps were super confusing, as even once I realized they were two different people, I never did figure out how to reliably tell Anthony from Benedict. Oops. 

Aside from that, however, I loved this show and was immediately sucked in. I stayed up all night Friday, because I couldn't make myself turn it off before the end. The brilliant Duke of Hastings casting was a big part of that. That man is utterly delicious. 

[TV Diva Queen]

The actor playing Simon was in a short lived ABC series called We The People, he was an driven US Assistant DA in NY, his mommy was a US senator.  He was somewhat yummy then, but now.....WHOA!  I wonder is he was doing an American accent then or a British one now.  I suppose there's always google.....

[Growsonwalls]

15 hours ago, IndyMischa said:

I have a bad habit of watching shows, with only ~80% of my attention. This episode, I didn't even realize there WERE three older brothers. I just saw Colin (with the ridiculous balcony hair) and Not Colin. Later eps were super confusing, as even once I realized they were two different people, I never did figure out how to reliably tell Anthony from Benedict. Oops. 

Aside from that, however, I loved this show and was immediately sucked in. I stayed up all night Friday, because I couldn't make myself turn it off before the end. The brilliant Duke of Hastings casting was a big part of that. That man is utterly delicious. 

I think it was a good stroke of casting that the brothers had such a strong resemblance to each other. It's realistic for family members to look like each other.

[IndyMischa]

8 minutes ago, Growsonwalls said:

I think it was a good stroke of casting that the brothers had such a strong resemblance to each other. It's realistic for family members to look like each other.

Oh definitely! Great casting! Just makes it hard for non attentive viewers like me, lol. 

[chitowngirl]

17 hours ago, IndyMischa said:

I never did figure out how to reliably tell Anthony from Benedict. Oops. 

Anthony has the sideburns 

[IndyMischa]

18 minutes ago, chitowngirl said:

Anthony has the sideburns 

Yeah, I stupidly didn't read anything here until I finished the binge, lol. 

[iwantcookies]

On 12/30/2020 at 7:25 PM, A.Ham said:

Ahem...

Apparently I am less cultured than I believed myself to be, because not only had I not read the books, I didn’t even know the show was based on books. Honestly, I only saw the show (and so far only the first episode) because I saw a clip on Graham Norton when Nicola Coughlan from Derry Girls was a guest.

Topic? So far I liked it. I enjoyed the little details, like the smile forming on Mrs. Bridgerton’s face as she saw Daphne and Simon together. Also, the Bridgerton boys unsuccessfully avoiding what’s-her-name.

Same. Had no clue it’s based on a book.

On 12/31/2020 at 4:45 PM, nodorothyparker said:

Good gods, did somebody buy a gross of rhinestone tiaras for this production?

Never heard of the books this is based on, but it seems like entertaining escapist week between Christmas and New Year's fare in the same way that The Witcher was for me last year. I'm mostly enjoying the Alternate Universe look of this, even if the costume drama nerd in me is twitching a little at some of it. As a bit of an Austenphile I'm good with most takes on Regency, but why are the queen and her court wearing pre French Revolution gowns that are a good 20 years out of date? The actor playing the duke has got some serious smolder going for him, but I'm snickering a little bit every time he saunters onscreen with his anachronistic sexy stubble and complete lack of proper neckwear. I also did an initial doubletake at Lady Featherington because while she's definitely got the meddling Austen mother routine down, I had to look to be sure she wasn't being played by Melinda Clarke because it's coming off as Julie Cooper does Jane Austen.

The entire premise is a bit of a romance novel trope, but I'm interested enough to see where it goes. The actress playing Daphne hasn't really wowed me yet, but she did make me feel for her when she was so quickly pronounced a dud not for anything she'd really done wrong but because her brother was so ridiculously overbearing and nit-picky before she even got a chance.

The actress does look like Melinda Clark! 

[LeGrandElephant]

On 12/25/2020 at 9:31 AM, bijoux said:

Actually, I've seen articles stating that this isn't color blind casting, that race absolutely plays a part, so that it's rather color conscious. They're going off on the presumption that Queen Charlotte had obvious African ancestry and this had shaped the society's perception of race. It's an interesting concept. While on the topic, they also mention Asian characters. I don't think I've spotted any yet in episode 1.

Interesting concept, I"ll have to read more about this. Was this an aspect of the original books, or something Shona Rhimes came up with? 

I do like this concept better than fully colorblind casting, where it can get confusing when characters who are supposed to be related don't look like they could be related. 

Edited January 15, 2021 by LeGrandElephant

[LeGrandElephant]

On 12/27/2020 at 9:01 PM, statsgirl said:

Why were all three Featherington girls presented together?  Wouldn't they have been presented as each turned 17?

I was wondering this too. 

On 12/29/2020 at 11:12 PM, shapeshifter said:

And Daphne’s well-placed punch on the snout of her way too entitled attacker in no way diminishes Simon’s appeal, but rather serves to demonstrate his empathy for those who want to assert themselves.

 

I like the concept that she could save herself, but how would she know how to throw a real punch like that? I expected some line about how one of her brothers had taught her or something, but with no explanation it seemed odd. 

Edited January 15, 2021 by LeGrandElephant

[ouinason]

As long as you know what a punch is, you can do it.  She did hurt herself, so I assume she did it badly.

[bijoux]

4 hours ago, LeGrandElephant said:

Interesting concept, I"ll have to read more about this. Was this an aspect of the original books, or something Shona Rhimes came up with? 

I do like this concept better than fully colorblind casting, where it can get confusing when characters who are supposed to be related don't look like they could be related. 

Shondaland came up with this concept, it wasn't there in the source material. 

[DanaMB]

On 1/11/2021 at 9:20 AM, TV Diva Queen said:

The actor playing Simon was in a short lived ABC series called We The People, he was an driven US Assistant DA in NY, his mommy was a US senator.  He was somewhat yummy then, but now.....WHOA!  I wonder is he was doing an American accent then or a British one now.  I suppose there's always google.....

He was doing an American accent then which I never knew while watching. It wasn’t until this series that I realized his real accent is British. Makes him even more yummy to me. 🥰

[gingerella]

On 12/26/2020 at 4:30 AM, LucidDreamer said:

But as a former costumer, the clothes and hair are making me twitch. Hair would NOT be worn down except at home, and only then if it was a very casual or intimate situation. The silhouette of the clothes is generally okay, but the colors and some of the fabrics.. no. 

If you feel that way about the colors and fabrics then let me add to this that the jewelry is anything but period-correct! There are Edwardian, Belle Epoque, Victorian, but very little Georgian-era jewelry spotted as of yet. I mean, it's not that difficult to do period-correct jewelry and costuming, I don't understand the need to do otherwise.

The above aside, I felt the first episode was trite and thin in terms of it's depth with both characters and writing. However, given what we've endured during 2020, I gave it wider berth and continued on, and the series grows on you, and the lightness and frivolity is what I need right now, so I'm okay with the mediocre acting on certain levels, and the lack of depth. It is fluffy, light, rather like eating a Pavlova or a Macaron, as opposed to a rich cake or pie confection.

[GaT]

I finally got around to watching this ( only got through the first episode so far ), & I enjoyed it. This isn't the type of show I would normally watch, so I don't care about how authentic the hair, clothes, or jewelry are, & I don't need any kind of explanation about why there are POC because that feels completely natural to me. And speaking of POC...hello Duke, damn, that is one good looking man. 

I am confused about Marina though, what was she looking for in her sheets? And was it actually connected to her not getting her period? Did the servants really check for blood on women's sheets? That whole thing seemed strange to me.

[Umbelina]

5 minutes ago, GaT said:

I finally got around to watching this ( only got through the first episode so far ), & I enjoyed it. This isn't the type of show I would normally watch, so I don't care about how authentic the hair, clothes, or jewelry are, & I don't need any kind of explanation about why there are POC because that feels completely natural to me. And speaking of POC...hello Duke, damn, that is one good looking man. 

I am confused about Marina though, what was she looking for in her sheets? And was it actually connected to her not getting her period? Did the servants really check for blood on women's sheets? That whole thing seemed strange to me.

It confused me as well, but yes, you've guessed correctly.

 

[ouinason]

I don't think they specifically search for blood on the sheets as some kind of purity test or whatever, but I do think that they notice that it hasn't happened.  Like, they have to have special products and processes for cleaning the period sheets of the females of the house, so they probably sort and check for stains on a regular basis, based on past experience (so they see it's the first week of the month and go "right, check girl A's sheets over the next week or so" or whatever.  And, with Marina being newly in the house, they would probably start looking out for it right away to get a good idea of when in the month they might need to keep an eye out in the future, and be puzzled as hell when it doesn't appear.  And I do believe that bloody sheets were much much more of a thing back then since our more modern ways of preventing that didn't exist, and cloth can only do so much.

[awaken]

Wow. So glad I finally started this show after hearing the buzz for months. Finished the Crown and needed a new beautiful British show!  I haven’t read the books and don’t know much about this period in history so any inaccuracies in costuming or plot doesn’t bother me. It’s gorgeous visually, and I’m LOVING the range of skin colors and styles of the cast. I never binge good shows since I like them to last a while, but I’m making an exception for this one!