Newly arrived from Germany, seventeen year old Charlotte (India Amarteifio) is thrust into the less than welcoming arms of the palace, and not those of King George III (Corey Mylchreest). Despite their betrothal, the King is notably absent leading Charlotte to the obvious conclusion: he must be “a beast or a troll”. To the relief of both Charlotte and the audience, this is happily not the case, however, there is something else afoot.
“Shut up, do your duty to our country and be happy.”
Exploring themes of female agency, race and mental health this series tackles much deeper issues than those announced in Lady Whistledown’s scandal sheet. Despite the pastel colour palette and extravagant gowns, do not be fooled into thinking this is another Bridgerton. The cutting command “Shut up, do your duty to our country and be happy.” delivered to Charlotte in the first few minutes, sets the tone and theme for the rest of the series.
Though titled Queen Charlotte, there is equal focus on the larger cast, old and new. One of the joys for me was the interactions between young Brimsley (Sam Clemmett) and the King’s manservant, Reynolds (Freddie Dennis), and how they navigate their relationship in competition with the devotion they have for their respective monarchs.
The obvious conclusion: he must be “a beast or a troll”
Returning characters are given new depth by their younger counterparts, in particular young Lady Danbury (Arsema Thomas) who’s strength, wit and intelligence pave the way for the Ton. There’s a sense that we owe a lot of what we see in Golda Rosheuvel’s older Queen Charlotte, to the guidance of Thomas's Danbury.
Mylchreest's King George is charming, but vulnerable and silently suffering. I’ve never felt the need to look away when watching Bridgerton, but Episode Four sees some harrowing scenes relating to the treatment of George’s mental health issues which made my stomach turn and my heart ache; emotions that could only be elicited by brilliant acting.
For much of the series I found myself more invested in the characters of George and Lady Danbury than in the titular character, who I found wanting in comparison to the Queen Charlotte we all already knew. However, by the final episode, solidified in the final scene, I saw the two Charlottes merge in a tear-jerking ending, where I was reminded of what the series was all about: how the Queen Charlotte we know came to be.
This series is her journey and in the final scene, we see the transformation has already happened before our eyes. I had entered into watching this series thinking that the two Charlottes were detached from one another, I see now that they were always one and the melding of both young and old Charlotte in this final scene was spectacular.
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story is available now on Netflix.