Bridgerton Season 4 Part 1 Review

With a new couple, an intriguing mystery, Season 4 Part 1 of Bridgerton explores a different and exciting side of the ton.

A new season in Mayfair starts with the Masquerade Ball at Bridgerton House, and all eyes are on Benedict Bridgerton, the protagonist of season 4 part 1. But Benedict’s attention has been caught by one mysterious lady who is wearing silver and is reluctant to take off her mask or reveal anything about herself. Despite various attempts, he is unable to find her amongst the eligible young ladies of the ton, and perhaps it is because she is not a part of Mayfair’s wealthy side. In fact, Sophie Beak (Yerin Ha) is not a debutante; she is one of the maids in the Li households who sneaked into the first ball of the season thanks to the aid of a particularly memorable silver mask. 

After the end of season 3, it was clear that the biggest challenge of Bridgerton season 4 was going to be how to include Lady Whistledown now that the whole of Mayfair has found out about her true identity. Part 1 does an excellent job at adapting to this new reality while also staying true to the essence of this character. Not only is Lady Whistledown instrumental to the plot, but she once again drives it from behind the scenes. The new season of the Netflix show also introduces a new mystery for the characters to unravel: who is the mysterious lady in silver that Benedict cannot stop thinking about?  

This element of novelty keeps the characters guessing now that they have found out who Lady Whistledown really is, but it also introduces the new main character of season 4 really well. With her face only revealed at the end of the first episode of part 1, Sophie immediately proves to be a charismatic and exciting leading lady for this new season of Bridgerton. Her chemistry with Benedict is evident, so much so that the audience can’t help but cheer for them from their very first scene together. With Sophie, we are also introduced to a set of new characters who, while not exactly friendly, are very intriguing to see on screen. 

The focus on Sophie also allows season 4 of Bridgerton to focus on another element of the ton: the lives of the servants. While the latter have always been present in the Netflix show, the audience only really catches a glimpse into what their daily routine looks like, including their gossip, friendships, and individual character traits, in part 1 of the newest season. This helps keep its narrative interesting, after three seasons that focused almost exclusively on the wealthy members of the ton, and explores the power dynamics of different social classes during the Victorian era. 

Season 4 of Bridgerton also once again stands out for its inclusivity. As evident from part 1, both the main character and major antagonists of this season are Asian, allowing for a varied and layered portrait of different characters with the same background, something we rarely see in period dramas. But the representation also expands to characters with disabilities. While they may be in minor roles, this season showcases both sign language and limb deformity. More importantly, these never become major plot points or singular identities of the characters, but they simply exist as part of the universe the Netflix show is set in.

Despite delivering an excellent show, season 4 part 1 of Bridgerton also has its flaws. Some of its subplots – namely those focusing on the Mondrichs (Martins Imhangbe and Emma Naomi) on one hand and Francesca (Hannah Dott) and John (Victor Alli) on the other – feel unnecessary. Not only are they largely uninteresting compared to the main storyline, but they also seem to take screentime away from much more beloved, and arguably more exciting, characters who have not yet returned on our screens, such as Kate (Simone Ashley) and Anthony (Jonathan Bailey), who are still, as far as the audience knows, far away in India.

Season 4’s plot borrows heavily from the Cinderella fairytale, just like the original book it is based on. The references to this are many and very evident in part 1, so much so that they make this season of Bridgerton a little too predictable in the first four episodes. Compared to previous seasons, the soundtrack is also not as exciting or memorable, despite it having once been one of the most fascinating aspects of the show. 

Overall, Bridgerton Part 1 is a very promising start for what sets out to be a scandalous, thrilling, and gossip-filled season 4. The first four episodes deliver a lot of the backstory and groundwork which part 2 is likely to be based on and further explore. But one thing is for sure: after the end of the first part of this new season, this author cannot wait to see what the future episodes may have in store for us. 

Season 4 Part 1 of Bridgerton (Eps. 1-4) will be available to stream globally on Netflix from January 29, 2026. The rest of the series will be released on February 26.