Get ready for the social event of the year. Or, as Lady Whistledown calls it in the new trailer for Netflix's Bridgerton, "the social season." The new show from Grey's Anatomy alum Chris Van Dusen and Shonda Rhimes' company, Shondaland, premieres on Christmas day, and promises to be filled with awkward social interactions and juicy gossip — you know, the things we used to have before 2020. And this new trailer has me shipping the will they/won't they couple at the center of the Regency drama already.
As many others have noted, Bridgerton is like a period Gossip Girl. Only, instead of Manhattan's elite, the anonymous know-it-all — Lady Whistledown — is spilling the secrets of the debutantes and eligible bachelors of Regency London. It's Gossip Girl without cell phones or the internet. (And also, hopefully without the rapist turned romantic lead.)
Despite it's Gossip Girl vibe, Bridgerton seems less concerned with unmasking the person spreading rumors and more concerned with the love story of Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynover) and Duke of Hastings, Simon Bassett (Regé-Jean Page). And I'm already obsessed with them. Daphne, a young debutante, is entering society and on the hunt or a suitor who might actually appeal to her. Meanwhile, Simon is a playboy uninterested in settling down.
In the trailer, they meet cute — she bumps into him at a ball, a classic clumsy girl move — and swiftly find that they do not get along. But when Lady Whistledown (voiced by Julie Andrews) starts writing, they decide to team up and pretend to be courting. This will show society that Daphne is worthy of being pursued, while also getting the mothers of other eligible ladies off of Simon's back.
There are few romantic tropes more iconic than "fake dating your enemy who you happen to have electric chemistry with." And Bridgerton seems committed to using it to its full, sexy potential. "Stare into my eyes," Simon tells Daphne, "If this is to work, we must appear madly in love." Excuse me while I catch my breath.
Scorching hot chemistry between Daphne and Simon aside, the Bridgerton trailer also teases the Bridgerton family, stifled feminism, and a duel. And then, of course, there's the question at the heart of the series: who is Lady Whistledown?
Assuming Bridgerton stays true to the novels by Julia Quinn, fans of the books already know the identity of the town gossip. But, simply based on the trailer, I have a few ideas. In the clip, we meet Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie), a teenager who is wants more from life than to be married off. "Must our only options be to sqawk and settle or to never leave the nest?" she wonders. "What if I want to fly?" Could her ambition lead her to create her own career as a gossip columnist? Then again, Eloise is close to Daphne, and to ruin her family member's reputation in a local newsletter feels a bit extreme.
Then there's Eloise's friend, Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan), who clings onto Eloise's every word. Penelope's inside knowledge and direct connection to the Bridgerton family could be a major clue. Of course, in a separate sneak peek released in November, the Bridgerton family firmly shuts down the idea that Lady Featherington could be Lady Whistledown, saying that the gossip has published negative things about the Featherington family. Still, there is nothing like a daughter scorned.
Of course, Bridgerton could avoid the Gossip Girl trap of endless plot holes and simply decide to make Lady Whistledown a complete and total stranger, only to be introduced to the show for the big reveal. For now, we'll stick to calling her our lord and savior, Julie Andrews.
Image: LIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX