Bridgerton recently returned with a new batch of episodes, bringing Sophie (Yerin Ha) and Benedict Bridgerton’s (Luke Thompson) Cinderella-inspired love story to a close. But many viewers are waiting to find out what will happen to Francesca (Hannah Dodd), who seems to be struggling to adapt to married life.
Season 4, Part 1 showed Francesca and her new husband, John Stirling (Victor Alli), returning from their honeymoon with her sister Eloise (Claudia Jessie). Francesca and John are still going strong, but Francesca becomes troubled when she realizes she’s having more trouble than expected getting pregnant, which she believes is partially because she hasn’t experienced a “pinnacle” during sex.
What ensues is a series of hilariously awkward conversations as Francesca frankly asks the women in her life to explain what a pinnacle is.
Dodd told DECIDER during a recent visit to our NYC studio, “All of that pressure, when you add wanting to get pregnant onto it as well, like it’s a lot. And I think she’s so up in her head, just as a character.”
Francesca’s life has already changed after marrying John. But Season 4, Part 2 brings even more major life changes for Francesca that could possibly diverge from Julia Quinn’s books. Here is everything that happens to Francesca in Bridgerton Season 4.
Unfortunately, John does die in Bridgerton Season 4, leaving Francesca a widow just ahead of Season 5.
Season 4, Episode 6 ends with John dying in his sleep after he excused himself for a nap. He won’t rouse when Francesca goes to wake him up for dinner. John had been complaining about a headache, but he seemed fine just moments before while completing a puzzle with Francesca and Michaela (Masali Baduza).
Alli told People that he learned about his character’s fate when he did his chemistry read with Dodd. “It’s a nice journey and a nice character arc, and so I was more excited to be joining the ton and exploring this story,” he said.
While grieving her husband, Francesca surprises her family by how calm she’s remained throughout this. But she reveals during a touching moment with Eloise and Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) that she’s been trying to remain calm because she believes she’s pregnant.
Later, Francesca is forced to undergo an invasive exam to reveal whether or not she is actually pregnant when Mr. Dundas comes to confirm if she is pregnant with the next heir of the Kilmartin line. But the test reveals she is not actually pregnant, finally sending Francesca over the edge of grief.
It is still unclear which Bridgerton sister will be the lead love interest in Bridgerton Season 5. Showrunner Jess Brownell confirmed both sisters will get their chance in the spotlight in the coming seasons. However, she also noted fans will learn who will lead Season 5 “really soon.”
“We want to give fans a moment to really celebrate Yerin and Luke and everything they’ve put into this season, but we are starting production very soon on Season 5 and we tend to make an announcement close to the start of production about who the new leads are,” Brownell told DECIDER. “So you should expect that this season as well.”
Bridgerton Season 4, Part 2 is streaming now on Netflix.
