Who is Michaela Stirling, Bridgerton’s newest character?

Iwouldn’t be a Bridgerton ending without any scintillating drama, and the last episode of season 3 really delivered with the introduction of a new character, whose presence marks a major departure from the books.

In the final episode, Francesca Bridgerton (Hannah Dodd) has just married the quiet but gentle John Stirling, Earl of Kilmartin (Victor Alli) and is preparing to move to the Scottish highlands, where her husband has a castle. family. The newlyweds won’t be moving to Scotland alone, as their sister Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie) invites herself to escape the scrutiny of high society, and John reveals that his vivacious cousin, Michaela Sterling (Masali Baduza) plans to live with them in the castle too. At the final dance of the season, John introduces Michaela to Francesca – and it’s clear that the two women have an instant connection.

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Like the gentle readers of Julia Quinn’s book Bridgerton books feel good, in When he was bad, the book centered on Francesca, the story begins with Francesca and John enjoying married life in Scotland, where they reside with John’s lively cousin, Michael Stirling, who harbors a secret crush on Francesca. After John passes away from a ruptured brain aneurysm just two years into their marriage, Francesca is left grieving, while an equally grief-stricken Michael becomes the new Earl of Kilmartin. Over the years, the two fall in love, eventually getting married and starting a family.

That’s why the series’ decision to reimagine John’s cousin’s character as Michaela, rather than Michael, is significant. Although there was a strange love story for supporting characters in Queen Charlotte, and Benedict affirms his bisexuality in the last two episodes of season 3, Bridgerton it hasn’t had a big queer love story or plot yet. Given the source material and the palpable chemistry between Francesca and Michaela on their date, it’s safe to assume the two characters could have a romance in the future, which could finally give fans one of the queer romantic storylines that showrunner Jess Brownell teased early on. this year. .

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“It feels right to show all the ways people love, including queer love,” Brownell said in an interview with Refinery 29 Australia. “So we’re exploring queer love stories in the coming seasons. I don’t want to say exactly how it plays out, but it was important for me to put queer love at the forefront and tell queer stories and tell stories about queer joy as well.”

While it’s not yet known which Bridgerton character will be the focus of the upcoming season, we hope to see Francesca and Michaela’s relationship develop during season 4.