Note: This story contains spoilers from “Bridgerton” Season 4, Part 1.
Next up in Julia Quinn’s “Bridgerton” novels to be adapted by Netflix is “An Offer from a Gentleman,” which follows the love story of Benedict Bridgerton and Sophie, his lady in silver.
Following their meeting at Violet Bridgerton’s masquerade ball, “An Offer From a Gentleman” follows the basic structure of the classic Cinderella fairytale, down to the evil stepmother and step sister. Our Cinderella is Sophie (Yerin Ha), whose illegitimate birth to the late Earl of Penwood paved the way for her life as a maid under her evil stepmother, Araminta (Katie Leung).
Netflix and Shondaland’s adaptation of the novel remains pretty true, though, as with all books, there are some slight tweaks here and there in the plot.
Keep reading to see all the book changes for Season 4. This story will be updated with additional book changes once Part 2 debuts in February.
Sophie’s ethnicity
In an effort to keep diversifying the “Bridgerton” world, Sophie, who was originally written as white in the books, takes on an East Asian identity in Ha, with Sophie’s last name shifting from Beckett to Baek. Likewise, Sophie’s father, stepmother and step sisters are also East Asian.
In the same vein, Season 4 dives further into Benedict’s pansexual identity, an addition that did not stem from the book.
Penelope and Colin’s marital status
Due to the switch up in book order for the TV series, which sees third eldest brother Colin get married before Benedict, Season 4 sees Colin and Penelope married to one another after Season 3 focused on their love story, while in the books, they are both single, though their flirtation slowly starts bubbling later in the book.
Details of the masquerade ball
While most depictions of the costumes at the ball are spot on from the book, Penelope opts for a pirate costume in the show, as opposed to her leprechaun costume in the books.
Time jump after masquerade ball
While it seems it’s only a matter of weeks — or perhaps months — since the masquerade ball that Benedict and Sophie meet again at the Cavenders in the series, in the book it’s a longer time jump that amounts to two years.
Sophie and Benedict’s altercation with Phillip Cavender
While the altercation at the Cavenders made it clear that Sophie, nor her fellow housemaid, were safe in their roles, the book depicts an even more dangerous situation, with Sophie fearing she might be sexually assaulted by Phillip — who had already been making unwanted advances towards her — and his friends before Benedict saves her. Instead of Sophie initially being in danger, it’s her friend and colleague who sees such advances — though they don’t go nearly as far in the book — though Sophie quickly becomes a target when she saves her friend and dumps water on Phillip, at which point Benedict comes in.
Sophie’s difference in appearance
Season 4 makes it hard to not want to shake Benedict for not realizing his lady in silver is Sophie sans mask, but the book makes a solid case for why he doesn’t recognize her off the bat. The book explains that in the two years since their meeting, Sophie had cut her hair and lost weight after changing her employment, making her look somewhat different since he last saw her. In the book, Benedict even considers Sophie’s similarities with the lady in silver, but talks himself out of it given the stark difference.
The show also takes away any conversation regarding weight surrounding Posy (the kind stepsister), who in the book falls in the shadow of Rosamund due to her weight, appearance and general affect, much of which is pointed out frequently by Araminta.
Benedict keeps Sophie’s next employer to himself
As Benedict whisks Sophie away from the Cavanders, the show sees him remain sly about where he might find her work, and only reveals it’s at Bridgerton house just before they arrive. In the book, however, Benedict makes the arrangement clear from the start, when they are still at the Cavenders, though Sophie still takes issue with being so close by to him.
Sophie’s apparel at the cottage
One of the funnier images from the book is Sophie wearing Benedict’s breeches even after Mr. and Mrs. Crabtree arrive, at which point Mrs. Crabtree gets an extra dress of hers for Sophie. The TV series sees Sophie find an old dress from one of the Bridgerton sisters.
Lake encounter and mistress ask
While the series sees the tension between Benedict and Sophie up until he asks her to be his mistress in Episode 4, well into her time working at Bridgerton house, the ask happens much sooner in the book, taking place during their lake encounter during their stay at My Cottage. In the book, the lake scene sees a steamy moment between Sophie and Benedict — that goes much further than the kiss they share in the series — before he makes the ask, which Sophie rejects out of fear of 1) having an illegitimate child and 2) being a kept woman like her mother.
Delaying the mistress question keeps the lake scene quite light and flirtatious and sets the scene for later discussions about Sophie being a mistress — conversations that kick off beginning with the lake scene in the book.
Comings and goings from Bridgerton house
In the book, Benedict explains that Violet moved out of Bridgerton house two years prior after the masquerade ball in order to enable Anthony and Kate to head up the household, who now have two sons, Edmund and Miles. In the show, however, Anthony and Kate have been spending time with her family in India and Violet still heads up the same Bridgerton house.
“Bridgerton” Season 4, Part 1 is now streaming on Netflix.
