S01.E03: Even Days

[Door County Cherry]

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Charlotte and George grudgingly perform their marital duties.  Lady Danbury wants to host a ball.  Brimsley spies something curious on Coronation Day. 

 

[Enero]

Lord Danbury’s death was hilarious, yet a relief. I was so happy to see Lady Danbury finally be free of him. That said, I wonder where their kids are? Off at boarding school? 

I liked how she kind of schooled Queen Charlotte on what was at stake if she didn’t start using her power to influence. Queen Charlotte is very young and as a result doesn’t quite understand what she represents not just as Queen but as the first black Queen of England. It’s good that Lady Danbury is a trusted confidant who is there to school her.

Loved how Violet shut down her mom’s “they are different speech” by pointing out that the Danbury’s and others like them are just as wealthy or more wealthy than many white families in the Ton. Being that her father has taken a liking to Lady Danbury I can see how their friendship might develop. 

So sad that George is already starting to exhibit mental illness. His obsession with astronomy and farming I thought was a sign of his instability but I was hoping to be wrong. The end of this episode proved otherwise. 

Edited May 5, 2023 by Enero

[Orcinus orca]

Violet is quite a bit younger than Lady Danbury, it seems.  And it doesn't appear that she has any siblings and is the apple of  her father's eye.  Her mum is pretty uppity.

Loved Lady Danbury and her maid celebrating Lord D's death. Hilarious.

But quite an ominous ending.

Edited May 5, 2023 by Orcinus orca

[Harvey]

Lady Danbury was such a victim. Puts a very different perspective on her widowhood in the present Bridgerton world.

[Atlanta]

I love the BFF relationship of Lady D and Lady B. 

If this show follows history, the king and queen were an arranged marriage, but they fell deeply in love. She wrote love letters to him when he was away on duties and he has his first 'episode' was five years in to the marriage.

[shapeshifter]

This series is the most meaningful Shondaland production I’ve seen — although I tend to not get through a lot of her productions.

17 hours ago, Atlanta said:

If this show follows history, the king and queen were an arranged marriage, but they fell deeply in love. She wrote love letters to him when he was away on duties and he has his first 'episode' was five years in to the marriage.

If George’s first episode of midnight mania had occurred 5 years into their happily ever after marriage, Charlotte’s sincere, calm, creative, and effective manner of dealing with him would’ve been more realistic, but it worked here (for me) nonetheless.

[Orcinus orca]

29 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

If George’s first episode of midnight mania had occurred 5 years into their happily ever after marriage, Charlotte’s sincere, calm, creative, and effective manner of dealing with him would’ve been more realistic, but it worked here (for me) nonetheless.

It was quite touching, really and she was only 17 at that time. Not sure how many teens would be so calm and supportive.  The ones I know would run screaming in the other direction,

[maddie965]

I've always seen Bridgerton as a work of fiction, so I didn't even connect George's mysterious illness with the real George's madness. I just assumed he was impotent. Boy was I wrong.

I know many marriages worked like that in the past. But I really did not need to see Lady Danbury being raped again and again. Because that's how ir felt for me. Bad choice IMO.

I do love that I will have more respect and appreciation for Queen Charlotte and Lady Danbury now. We'll done, show.

P.S. Why isn't this in the Bridgerton forums? I almost didn't find it.

[Orcinus orca]

52 minutes ago, maddie965 said:

P.S. Why isn't this in the Bridgerton forums? I almost didn't find it.

Technically, it's a separate series.

[quarks]

Genuinely glad we didn't have to endure Lord Danbury for this entire show.  Watching him take credit for Lady Danbury's accomplishments, grr, grr, grr.

But yay for Lady Danbury and those accomplishments - and getting Charlotte to start seeing the bigger picture here.

[mrsbagnet]

How on earth did they do those hopping dances in those dresses? My ankles were crying in solidarity.

Edited May 9, 2023 by mrsbagnet

[Mellowyellow]

The chemistry between Charlotte and George is amazing. Best Bridgerton couple for me. Best couple of any series for a while and I've been watching a lot of Chinese series recently!

I love Brimsley and Reynolds too. I love the complexity of their relationship, how each one is motivated to do the best for his master, which causes strain in the relationship instead of the usual nonsense.

What a gem this series is so far!!!!!

 

[ursula]

Probably underrated moment but Charlotte’s dreamy smiles as she tells Lady D how “awful and nightmarish” the marital act is made me laugh.

Edited May 10, 2023 by ursula

[DearEvette]

At this point this feels as much Lady D's story as it does Charlotte.  The Balance between the two is great and each one is interesting and both women are fantastic. 

I agree that the chemistry between Charlotte and George is insane.  Their 'even days' boning is great.  LOL. 

Big contrast to Lady D and her enduring her marital duties with her randy old husband.  But I LOVED her and Coral celebrating his death and then staging it.  Great scene.  Coral is  Lady D's 'Brimsley"

The actress who plays Charlotte is so commanding you forget the character is supposed to be 17 (the actress herself was 20 when this was filming) and then you get the scenes of her being preoccupied with George just like a young girl smitten with a new guy while Lady D is trying to get her to think of bigger issues.  I liked that little reminder.

Again Lady D is hustling, always hustling.  I just love her.  I like her scenes with Princess A.  They spar so nicely.  But you get a sense of respect there -- game recognizes game!

I have always liked the period appropriate remakes of modern songs.  Half the fun is figuring our what they are.  I loved the use of 'If I Ain't Got You' in this one.

Also, Violet's dad is good people!

[peridot]

I loved Brimsley's spiteful remark to his boyfriend on if he has another "rider".  It was very bitchy!

It was sad to see George rip his hand away from Charlotte on the day of their coronation.  I understood why she was upset with him, but not sure of why he was upset with her.

I hate that Lady Danbury was forced to spy on the Queen, but at least she wasn't giving the complete truth to the Dowager.  It was really short-sighted of the Dowager to "think" on the ball, when she wants the Great Experiment to succeed.  I'm glad Lady Danbury forced Charlotte to pull her head out of her ass.  I couldn't believe the ladies-in-waiting were insulting Charlotte like that during Mozart's little concert.

I'm really enjoying the current scenes between the older Ladies and Queen.  The older Brimsley's remarks and the Queen's response were so sad.

[tennisgurl]

Ding Dong Lord Danbury's dead! He died with all of the dignity that he deserved, now Lady Danbury is finally free of him. Loved how gleeful she and her maid was, then they went back in to put on a proper mourning show. I guess they're children are at boarding school?

I continue to enjoy Lady Danbury playing a sort of cool older sister role to Queen Charlotte, reminding her that she has duties to her kingdom and to the people that have only been raised in their position because of her. Charlotte is very mature for her age, but she's still a teenager so of course she's spend a ton of time obsessing over the guy she likes instead of thinking about the bigger picture, she just needs a reminder. 

Violet was quite the cute kid, she definitely takes after her dad, who seems like a nice guy. Certainly much better than her snobby mother, Violet reminding her that they got their titles just the same as the Danbury's reminded me a lot of Eloise, but with more perk than snark. 

George and Charlotte really do have amazing chemistry, that dining room banging! Then when things were going so well for him, George had a nasty attack, looks like we are really going there with George's mental health struggles. That was really sad, I cant imagine how scary and confusing that must have been for Charlotte, and we know that its going to get worse. The "Farmer George" nickname really was a nickname that King George picked during his reign due to his interest in agriculture. 

I'm such a sucker for their instrumental versions of pop songs, I heard "If I Aint Got You" during the ball. 

[shapeshifter]

On 5/10/2023 at 2:18 AM, Mellowyellow said:

The chemistry between Charlotte and George is amazing. Best Bridgerton couple for me. Best couple of any series for a while and I've been watching a lot of Chinese series recently!  
I love Brimsley and Reynolds too. I love the complexity of their relationship, how each one is motivated to do the best for his master, which causes strain in the relationship instead of the usual nonsense.  
What a gem this series is so far!!!!!

Just added to my personal list of Primetimer Awards Category nominations to share:  
Best Depiction of Non-Hetero Relationship

[Chicago Redshirt]

I am trying to figure out: are we to conclude that Lady D murdered her husband, or is it just supposed to be coincidence? It seems like she was way too cool, calm and collected about it. 

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

I am trying to figure out: are we to conclude that Lady D murdered her husband, or is it just supposed to be coincidence? It seems like she was way too cool, calm and collected about it. 

Not the way I saw it. 
Lady D was just ecstatic to be free of Lord D’s frequent, physically painful, rape-like intercourse — as well as his boorishness. 
Lord D’s death by heart attack or stroke was likely the result of lifelong habits of overindulgences.

[Door County Cherry]

1 hour ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

I am trying to figure out: are we to conclude that Lady D murdered her husband, or is it just supposed to be coincidence? It seems like she was way too cool, calm and collected about it. 

No but I do think she hoped he'd die sooner rather than later.  He was older than she was.  

[andromeda331]

I love Lady D. Her talk with Queen Charlotte was really great and exactly what Charlotte needed to hear. How much she can do for her people. I love her sparing with Princess Augusta. I loved how happy she was when her husband died.

I love Charlotte and George. Whether their sparing or having passionate sex on even days. I wasn't sure if George was just being a clueless man or if it was something else. So he already has mental illness I feel so bad for him and Charlotte. She's so young. What do you do when you see your husband like that? 

I really like seeing Charlotte, Lady D and Lady B "now" it's really great seeing them getting so much to do. Except for Lady D. they really don't have much to do.

[oldCJ]

Does anyone else feel like Brimsly and Reynolds came out of fanfic for Beauty and the Beast’s characters Cogsworth and Lumière? The tall blond Reynolds next to the stocky brown-haired Brimsley certainly look like the candelabra and the clock. 

[ursula]

6 hours ago, oldCJ said:

Does anyone else feel like Brimsly and Reynolds came out of fanfic for Beauty and the Beast’s characters Cogsworth and Lumière? The tall blond Reynolds next to the stocky brown-haired Brimsley certainly look like the candelabra and the clock. 

I mean Charlotte and George are metaphorically Beauty and the Beast too 🤣 🤣 🤣

[AnnMarie17]

On 5/11/2023 at 4:50 PM, tennisgurl said:

I'm such a sucker for their instrumental versions of pop songs, I heard "If I Aint Got You" during the ball. 

I wish Netflix would release those songs, I'd stream the heck out of them while I'm working. I love them!

[AnnMarie17]

11 minutes ago, AnnMarie17 said:

I wish Netflix would release those songs, I'd stream the heck out of them while I'm working. I love them!

Quoting myself is vaguely narcissistic, BUT....there's a playlist on Spotify...happy days!!  I'm streaming already!

[Snow Fairy]

I was also wondering where Lady Danbury's children are.

In Bridgerton I had a feeling that she and the Queen are similar in age. But Lady Danbury should be at least 4-5 years older right? 

[retired watcher]

I just love the music in this series. I am mesmerized by this show.

[Roseanna]

On 5/15/2023 at 6:10 AM, Chicago Redshirt said:

I am trying to figure out: are we to conclude that Lady D murdered her husband, or is it just supposed to be coincidence? It seems like she was way too cool, calm and collected about it. 

He died during intercourse, so I guess he got a heartattack from the efforts that was too heavy for him.

I wonder why Lady D wanted bath after sex? Was there other reason than washing away her husbands odors, that is, was she also using some sort of preventives in order not to get more childen?

[chitowngirl]

43 minutes ago, Roseanna said:

I wonder why Lady D wanted bath after sex? Was there other reason than washing away her husbands odors, that is, was she also using some sort of preventives in order not to get more childen?

I assumed it was to wash away, even metaphorically, the stench of him

[ursula]

Yeah there was a scene where she wondered in horror if he would put one of his "gigantic" babies inside her. So I don't think the bath was doing anything besides giving her relief.

[wanderingstar]

I'm loving the young Lady Danbury. Arsema Thomas is great in this role. Her scenes with the Queen are wonderful. Likewise, the scenes with present-day Lady Danbury and Lady Bridgerton are fantastic. I'm really enjoying the work of those two actresses.

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I know many marriages worked like that in the past. But I really did not need to see Lady Danbury being raped again and again. Because that's how ir felt for me. Bad choice IMO.

I really hated those scenes, and I don't understand why the writers thought we needed to see more than one.

[Llywela]

On 5/15/2023 at 4:10 AM, Chicago Redshirt said:

I am trying to figure out: are we to conclude that Lady D murdered her husband, or is it just supposed to be coincidence? It seems like she was way too cool, calm and collected about it. 

Murdered? We saw him die on-screen during intercourse, with Agatha at first not knowing what had happened. I can't see how anyone could interpret that as murder. She was delighted to see him dead, because she hated him, but that doesn't equate to murder!

On 5/16/2023 at 10:30 PM, Snow Fairy said:

I was also wondering where Lady Danbury's children are.

In Bridgerton I had a feeling that she and the Queen are similar in age. But Lady Danbury should be at least 4-5 years older right? 

The age difference can't be more than a few years. That matters much more when one is 17 and one in her early 20s than it does when both are over 70.

[shapeshifter]

On 5/21/2023 at 4:19 PM, chitowngirl said:

I assumed it was to wash away, even metaphorically, the stench of him

And to sooth and heal.

On 5/21/2023 at 8:14 PM, wanderingstar said:

I really hated those scenes, and I don't understand why the writers thought we needed to see more than one

Because to not show it repeatedly is to deny the truth of it.

5 hours ago, Llywela said:

Murdered? We saw him die on-screen during intercourse, with Agatha at first not knowing what had happened. I can't see how anyone could interpret that as murder. She was delighted to see him dead, because she hated him, but that doesn't equate to murder!

Yes, and we could even choose to conclude that Lady D never worried that wishing him dead had magically brought it about, nor had some benevolent religious force heard and heeded her prayers for his death, because if either was the case, he would’ve died years earlier. 
Plus, Lady D displayed zero shame or guilt or remorse or any of those other reactions we see in the faces of murderous wives, regardless of their motives or justifications. 

[catrice2]

On 5/21/2023 at 2:35 PM, Roseanna said:

He died during intercourse, so I guess he got a heartattack from the efforts that was too heavy for him.

I wonder why Lady D wanted bath after sex? Was there other reason than washing away her husbands odors, that is, was she also using some sort of preventives in order not to get more childen?

A lot of people are sore after especially if it was vigorous and some take a warm bath to soothe. She may also felt unclean emotionally after and this was a way to "cleanse" herself.  Both are the way I read it

[Chicago Redshirt]

9 hours ago, Llywela said:

Murdered? We saw him die on-screen during intercourse, with Agatha at first not knowing what had happened. I can't see how anyone could interpret that as murder. She was delighted to see him dead, because she hated him, but that doesn't equate to murder!

What you interpret as "Agatha at first not knowing what had happened" could just as easily be "Agatha at first not knowing that her plan had worked." Lady D could have put something in his food/drink to make him more susceptible to exertion-caused heart attacks or to have just poisoned him outright and just been surprised that it took effect when it did. 

Lady D had motive (despising him and his rapes of her, not to mention wanting his wealth) and opportunity to murder him, and she acted suspiciously (to me) after his death. It's admittedly farfetched that the show would make a heroine out of a murderer, but then again crazier twists and turns have happened, and the show went out of its way to make Lord D seem truly despicable and worthy of killing.

[shapeshifter]

9 minutes ago, Chicago Redshirt said:

What you interpret as "Agatha at first not knowing what had happened" could just as easily be "Agatha at first not knowing that her plan had worked." Lady D could have put something in his food/drink to make him more susceptible to exertion-caused heart attacks or to have just poisoned him outright and just been surprised that it took effect when it did. 

Lady D had motive (despising him and his rapes of her, not to mention wanting his wealth) and opportunity to murder him, and she acted suspiciously (to me) after his death. It's admittedly farfetched that the show would make a heroine out of a murderer, but then again crazier twists and turns have happened, and the show went out of its way to make Lord D seem truly despicable and worthy of killing.

Although nothing definitively indicates that any poison or other deliberate machinations led to Lord D's death, I suppose nothing definitively rules it out either.
I just didn't see it.

[Orcinus orca]

42 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

Although nothing definitively indicates that any poison or other deliberate machinations led to Lord D's death, I suppose nothing definitively rules it out either.
I just didn't see it.

Plus he was older than dirt.  Suspicions of foul play never entered my mind.  He was a randy old goat.

[roseslg]

Wow, some interesting ideas here. Old man dying during sex and there must be a nefarious plot afoot by the wife... 😒🙃.  Sometimes a thing is at it is.  The show showed literally nothing to indicate that there was anything nefarious.  Take the wheel!

[Chicago Redshirt]

34 minutes ago, roseslg said:

Wow, some interesting ideas here. Old man dying during sex and there must be a nefarious plot afoot by the wife... 😒🙃.  Sometimes a thing is at it is.  The show showed literally nothing to indicate that there was anything nefarious.  Take the wheel!

Never said or even hinted at "must." Said "might." 

[ursula]

All this talk about Lord Danbury possibly being murdered really makes me wish that the latter seasons of Bridgerton would introduce an over-arching murder plot. 

[catrice2]

I must admit the first time I watched it I thought they had killed him too. Poison or something

[Scarlett45]

On 5/16/2023 at 4:30 PM, Snow Fairy said:

I was also wondering where Lady Danbury's children are.

In Bridgerton I had a feeling that she and the Queen are similar in age. But Lady Danbury should be at least 4-5 years older right? 

In Bridgerton I always got the impression Lady Danbury is in her 60s, and Dowager Vicountess Bridgerton in her late 40s/early 50s (her youngest child is 10) so it works out here for young Violet to be in her early teens and Lady Danbury in her early 30s; where as the queen is in her late 50s in Bridgerton. 

Edited to add- reading is fundamental! You were referencing Queen Charlotte, Lady Danbury is older than her in “present day Bridgerton”, mid 50s~ for the queen, mid 60s~ for Lady Danbury. Makes a bigger difference when one is 17/18 and one is 31/32. But the age difference is clear in both series. 

[awaken]

11 hours ago, Scarlett45 said:

In Bridgerton I always got the impression Lady Danbury is in her 60s, and Dowager Vicountess Bridgerton in her late 40s/early 50s (her youngest child is 10) so it works out here for young Violet to be in her early teens and Lady Danbury in her early 30s. 

🤦🏽‍♀️ I can’t believe I just realized the girl was Violet Bridgerton. Never crossed my mind. Now I’m going to re-watch!  

[andromeda331]

I don't think Agatha killed her husband. I do think because of his age she was hoping he would die soon. Then happy when he did. 

[wanderingstar]

On 5/24/2023 at 9:01 AM, shapeshifter said:

Because to not show it repeatedly is to deny the truth of it.

Seeing the scene once was enough for me to get the truth of it. The fact that Agatha said she was raised since age 3 to marry this man also got across the point of the awfulness of that marriage.

[CountryGirl]

I laughed so hard when Agatha confided in Coral that her husband was dead and then when they put on their sad faces for her to announce to the rest of the household that he was gone. To finally be free of him after all these years, especially with her being raised to be his sex and breeding vessel. 

Lady Danbury is a survivor, through and through, and I loved her dispensing wisdom to Charlotte. Queen or not, Agatha has time and experience that Charlotte does not. 

George and Charlotte are pure 🔥🔥🔥 with their lightening in a bottle chemistry.  

Now this is how you make an entrance:

Brimsley and Reynolds are a well shaded couple with the competing interests with one caring for the Queen and the other the king vs some nonsense plot contrivance too often tossed in the way of same-sex couples.