Bridgerton Thoughts - Reflecting on Fandom Meltdowns

[pennswoods]

Superficial/general spoilers for Bridgerton but no characters are named- This is mainly my navel gazing about fan behavior and Sherlock fandom.

There are many Bridgerton fans who are very upset with the third season and it's reminding me of a the unhappiness of the Sherlock fandom post series 3. I am not a Bridgerton superfan and the fact that I'm not deeply upset over things is making me wonder if I am really a fan (or just have too much time on my hands) or if my experience in the Sherlock fandom taught me something and I am applying those lessons now.

I was beyond distraught after the end of series 3. I had so much love for Johnlock that I actually sobbed for days in January following Sherlock's "lonely" walk away from Mary and John's wedding reception in The Sign of Three. The fandomwide meltdown that followed and the toxicity that stemmed from really bad actors behind TJLC soured a lot of fandom joy as well. I derived so much joy and motivation and creativity from being a fan, but the downside was being so heavily invested in a certain interpretation of an emerging story that it effected my day to day happiness. I miss that joy, but I don't miss the emotional upheaval.

It seems like there are people in the Bridgerton fandom who may be experiencing some degree of what I did for Sherlock. Bridgerton is based on a series of romance novels so people's investment is in pairing and ships which are definitely present in the television series but not in the exact way that fans have dreamed of. I can sympathize for those who feel devastated upon learning something they loved and dreamed about for years is not manifesting in a way that fits their interpretation and love.

Much like with Sherlock, some of the conversation concerns biphobia or intolerance toward LGBTQ+ storylines. The anger right now is a bit in the opposite direction to Sherlock where fans were hungry for LGBTQ+ representation in the source text that never manifested. In contrast, Bridgerton fans are expressing dismay over what they see as superficial treatment of bisexuality in on-screen characters and deep upset over canon straight characters who are being given a queer storyline onscreen. 

I feel for these fans because I remember what it felt like to be so hyped for something and to perhaps pin too much of myself on someone else's interpretation of a story. This is also why I'm not sure if I'm really a fan - because I can stand outside of this and not really feel deeply invested enough to be disappointed. It's that investment in something enough that it both inspires and hurts on some level that I associate with me being a fan. Neither of these sentiments have been present as I enjoyed Bridgerton, so this makes me think I am not really a fan.

ut something again. 
 

Comments

[mundungus42]

Just finished Bridgerton last night and now I'm going to have to seek out why people are upset. I had my own, "Huh. I guess?" moments, but not having read the books, I don't have a vision of how it should be to compare the show to.

By contrast, S3 of Sherlock thoroughly convinced me that I didn't trust 2/3 of the writers to deliver coherent Sherlock Holmes homage that wasn't blatantly offensive in some way, and only really kept watching because I loved the cast and the production design was lovely. TJLC insanity absolutely kept me on the periphery of the fandom, and I really only engaged with Sherlock through crossovers and/or the Holmestice fest. By the time S4 aired, I had largely fallen out of love with BBC Sherlock, so I was less personally offended by how nonsensical it was. It's a damn shame, though. So much potential squandered on a big-budget circle-jerk. And this is why I have always preferred fanfiction. Because as much as I think TJLC people were always going to be disappointed because Moffat, they were entirely right that Sherlock and John should have smooched onscreen.

At least we got canon Reylo in defiance of the toxic SW culture. Heh heh heh heh.

[pennswoods]

If you would like to see the upset, you can find whole threads on the Reddit BridgertonNetflix sub: https://www.reddit.com/r/BridgertonNetflix/

People who enjoyed the season are more likely to be found on the PolinBridgerton sub: https://www.reddit.com/r/PolinBridgerton/

The biggest complaints seem to boil down to: (1) not enough time devoted to the main couple, (2) dissatisfaction with a change in costuming (colors, fabrics, cuts), makeup (too much modern smokey eye and highlighter) and visible acrylic nails in S3 compared to S1-2 which is attributed to drop in quality due to a new show runner, (3) boredom or anger with the depiction of a character who has been in a hoe-phase for three seasons and is now apparently bi, (4) a reveal that a beloved m/f book couple is going to be f/f instead, which is calling into question a much anticipated book plot point about infertility, (5) the interpretation by some that the f part of an m/f couple is in fact lesbian and didn't know it,leading to many who identified with the nature of that m/f pairing to feel really let down or insulted (some believe this was depicting a neurodivergent couple).

What you wrote about the distrust in the Sherlock writers was something I had forgotten about. There was a definite aspect of queer-baiting and teasing the fanbase by almost giving us what people were shouting for (the Sherlock/Moriarty near kiss) and then laughing at us for wanting it (The Empty Hearse fanclub). I think when I watch the show now I see it for how NOT serious it is and see it as something written by people who like to play, but at the time it felt a lot more serious and meaningful. I agree that the tremendous acting and production value put a lot into it.

Happily, I am not doing that now. I have read some of the Bridgerton books and they adhere with common regency romance tropes. They are light reads about pretty basic people. I think the television show has elevated the stories by giving some of the storylines more edge and touching on the history of a post-racial regency period to bring us a multiracial society. But it is also so clearly fantasy in what it is ignoring about how such a decadent society has been achieved.It's regency-fantasy-romance and I enjoy the pretty clothes and sets and actors.

[mundungus42]

Ooo, thank you for the links! I only follow some of my interests on Reddit kind of for precisely this reason (and the HP and fanfic corners skew toxic, apart from the tiny SSHG corner).

People are watching BRIDGERTON and complaining that there are anachronisms??? LOLOLOLOL

I'm also mildly amused by the complaining about stuff that hasn't even happened yet, though I get that book people will have opinions, and I do empathize with the implied point about onscreen representation and that folks are feeling cheated out of their headcanons.

I also get the complaints about Benedict, sort of, for all that I think he actually grew a fair amount this season (though I did roll my eyes a bit about how the bi situation ended and how flattened the fiery intellectual Tilley was by the end of the season, but I get that it's his story and not hers (still.)).

I'm enjoying Bridgerton on a similar level to you. *toasts you* Hurrah for not falling too far into the hole, though I will probably be looking for some rude fic at some point because, well...