Naomi Weisman is a Canadian-Australian and mother of three, who loves to ramble with her dog, cook for family and friends, and laugh whenever possible.
You are going to have to bear with me - reviewing Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story is multifaceted.
Shonda Rhimes is a prolific screenwriter, producer, and director. A true Renaissance woman in Hollywood. She was the force behind epic shows like Scandal and Grey's Anatomy, which both have strong black female characters in them, as well as the limited series Inventing Anna, about a troubled yet brilliant mastermind criminal. But the Bridgerton series … wow!
I watched Bridgerton a couple of years ago when it first came out on Netflix. I enjoyed it for a few reasons. First of all, it is filled with romance, transporting me away from all things pandemic. A win! Secondly, I enjoyed the idea of an anonymous gossip pamphlet stirring up trouble at court. But most of all, I loved watching a more or less post-racial society in Britain function with hardly a mention of race at all.
What Shonda Rhimes has created with Queen Charlotte, starring India Ria Amarteifio, Corey Mylchreest, Golda Rosheuvel, Aresema Thomas, and Adjoa Andoh, is a tour de force. Queen Charlotte, and the other characters that surround her, have been beautifully brought to life, with all of their incredible wigs and costumes, in this wonderful screenplay with enough fiction to entertain and enough facts to have one rushing off to Wikipedia to know more.
As a history major in university, I learned a fair amount about King George lll, aka "Crazy King George," but I must admit that I didn't know much about his wife beyond the fact that she was German. I learned from Wikipedia that the King's mother knew that the King was mentally ill, so she and her advisors searched for a wife in a very obscure and tiny principality that would be unaware of anything amiss about the match. Charlotte's brother, who was her guardian, sealed the deal when Charlotte was just 17 years old and had absolutely no life experience from which to draw upon.
As intoxicating as the factual parts of the series are, the fictitious details are what enthralled me. Early on in the series, the Great Experiment is introduced. They begin discussing it when it becomes apparent that Charlotte is not "white." Augusta, the King's mother, and her advisors are trying to figure out how to spin this complication so that the wedding can proceed. The need for the King to sire an heir trumped all else.
The plan was to give people of color, who had been members of the nobility back in Africa, land and titles. The experiment itself was whether or not the rest of society would go along with it and live harmoniously integrated. This is exemplified in the episode when Lady Agatha Danbury, the Queen's black lady-in-waiting, decides to throw the first ball of the season at their newly appointed estate.
At first, none of the other ladies-in-waiting or their husbands accept the invitation because they want to avoid mixing with people of color. Still, the King and Queen know they will attend, making it impossible for anyone to shun their invitation to the ball. This gave the black characters agency in fighting for and achieving equal access to the nobility.
Prequels are always interesting to me. I love how they connect things I wondered about when watching the original series. When I watched the first two seasons of Bridgerton, I was intrigued by an aristocratic court in England that is seemingly color-blind. Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story completes how this integrated society came about. It features women who overcame enormous factual and fictional obstacles and were instrumental in realizing significant change in society.
This series moved me as it unfolded. It treats the characters with compassion and care. The idea of this Great Experiment is dream-like, but in this post-colonial world, one we all wish could be our reality today.
A period drama like this is a must-see for anyone who wants to be transported emotionally and intellectually. And keep your eye out in Episode 5 for a description of the difference between walking and rambling- "rambling is better than walking because it sounds poetic and less insane."
As always, I would love to hear what you think in the comments.
READ MORE > Nomi's Pics, Rambler Cafe Blog
Leave a comment