Bridgerton Author Julia Quinn Defends Benedict and Sophie’s Mistress Scene

Bridgerton author Julia Quinn is weighing in on the controversial mistress scene between Benedict and Sophie.

“It wasn’t so much a scene,” Quinn exclusively told Us Weekly when asked whether there was anything from the books that was a must-include for her in season 4 of the hit Netflix series. “It’s just saying, ‘You have to make sure that viewers understand how unprecedented it would be for him to offer her marriage.’”

From Quinn’s perspective, most of the readers of her books are educated on the Regency era in England — in other words, they’d know how unusual it would have been for someone of Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson)’s stature to ask for maid Sophie (Yerin Ha)’s hand in marriage. Viewers tuning in to season 4, however, might not have that same historical background knowledge.

“That’s something I just said, ‘You need to make sure they understand this, because it’s going to seem really awful,’” Quinn explained of Benedict’s offer to Sophie. “And so that’s why I’m always telling people, ‘Hey, the big deal is not that he does this, not that he asked her to be his mistress, because that’s what would happen.’”

Related: Bridgerton’s Controversial Mistress Twist Explained After Book Changes

Season 4 of Netflix’s hit series Bridgerton introduced a mistress story line that has some outraged. The show returned on Thursday, January 29, with Benedict (Luke Thompson) as the lead after three seasons of waiting. Very quickly, he found himself falling in love with two different women: a mysterious guest at his mother’s ball and […]

She continued, “The big deal is that he grows and overcomes it and changes his mind and then says, ‘You are more important than what anybody else says.’ And I think it’s just as romantic that he has to learn that than coming out at the get go. I like showing character growth. I don’t want my characters to be perfect at the beginning. I want them to be better towards the end.”

In part 1 of Bridgerton season 4 — based on Quinn’s third novel, An Offer From a Gentleman —Benedict finds himself falling in love with the guest at his mother’s masquerade ball and a maid named Sophie. Viewers, and readers of the series, know that the mysterious woman and the maid are one in the same.

As the pair continue to cross paths amid his search for The One, Benedict struggles with his growing feelings knowing that Sophie’s social class would prevent them from tying the knot. He ultimately, however, tells Sophie she deserves better before asking her to be his mistress — which has sparked online discourse with fans rooting for their romance.

Quinn went on to note that Benedict’s outdated views on marriage is a “huge part” of the book and something viewers will presumably watch unfold in part 2 of the Netflix series.

Related: ‘Bridgerton’ Showrunner Addresses ‘Outrage’ Over Benedict’s Mistress Offer

Bridgerton showrunner Jess Brownell broke her silence about the backlash Benedict received for his shocking mistress offer in season 4. During the first part of the new season, which premiered on Thursday, January 29, Benedict (Luke Thompson) finds himself falling in love with two different women: a mysterious guest at his mother’s ball and a […]

“I mean, the characters do — I don’t know if I call them stupid things — but they don’t always make the right choice right away, or they don’t always make the bold choice right away, and they have to learn,” she explained to Us. “And again, I don’t want to have perfect people. I want them to grow and learn, and so that’s why they do some of the things they do.”

As fans of the series eagerly await the second installment of season 4, Quinn is launching her JQ Editions to recommend similar historical romance novels.

“I get so many readers who want to know, like, ‘What do I read after Bridgerton?’ And, ‘I’m new to historical romance, and what should I read?’ And now I can be like, ‘This. This is what you should read. These are my very favorite books,’” she explained to Us. “I do recommend books on social media. But this one it’s going to be six books a year to start out. So these are the top, these are the very, very best. This is me saying, ‘This is the one you should read and I’m mailing it to your house.’”

Part 2 of Bridgerton season 4 releases on Netflix Thursday, February 26.