Bridgerton Season 4, Part 1 Ending, Relationships, And New Characters Explained

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Yerin Ha as Sophie Baek wearing a mask and looking up at Benedict Bridgerton in Bridgerton Season 4 Episode 1

Published Jan 29, 2026, 6:27 AM EST

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Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Bridgerton Season 4 Part 1.After more than a year-long wait, Bridgerton Season 4, Part 1, comprising episodes 1 through 4, is finally here. This season, it's second-oldest brother Benedict Bridgerton who is the focus of the narrative, although many other Bridgerton siblings, and, in some cases, their spouses, are still integral parts of the story as well.

Season 4 starts off with a Bridgerton-style bang, as matriarch Violet Bridgerton herself is hosting an elegant masquerade ball. It is there that the still unmarried Benedict meets Sophie Baek, a beautiful but mysterious woman who refuses to show her face or tell Benedict her name.

What ensues is Benedict's desperate attempt to track down the "lady in silver," while Sophie, a maid, attempts to conceal who she truly is—and increasingly falls for Benedict, just as he is falling for her. This is only part 1, but already, so much has transpired, and the Part 1 ending suggests what may be coming in Part 2.

Sophie Baek's Rejection Of Benedict Bridgerton Explained

Yerin Ha as Sophie Baek and Luke Thompson as Benedict Bridgerton in Season 4 episode 3

By the end of Part 1, Benedict still doesn't know the truth about Sophie—that she is the "illegitimate" daughter of the late Lord Penwood, as well as Benedict's lady in silver. However, he has fallen in love with Sophie, and he wants to be with her, even as the mystery woman who captured his heart at the masquerade remains elusive.

Unfortunately for Sophie and Benedict, society would never approve of the match, as Sophie is a maid, and Benedict is a nobleman. Because of that, Benedict asks Sophie to be with him in the only way he believes they can be. That is, he asks Sophie to be his mistress.

This proposal comes in the final moments of Season 4 Part 1, and Sophie—who has made her stance on this matter clear multiple times—walks away from Benedict, clearly rejecting his offer despite the two sharing an intimate moment just before Benedict made the request.

For Sophie, this is more than a moral question, much less a question of what she wants. As the so-called illegitimate daughter of a nobleman herself, who was treated terribly by Lord Penwood's wife, Araminta/Lady Penwood, Sophie isn't willing to give a child the same life she had.

No matter how much she loves Benedict, she isn't going to be a mistress, which puts the almost-couple at an interesting impasse going into Part 2. Presumably, in keeping with the multi-season-long pattern in Bridgerton, the two will end up together, but how exactly that will happen isn't yet clear.

Why Lady Penwood Is Season 4's Clear Villain

Michelle Mao as Rosamund Li, Katie Leung as Lady Araminta Gun, and Isabella Wei as Posy Li in Bridgerton Season 4 Episode 1

As mentioned, Sophie was treated horribly by her father's wife, Araminta. Part 1 shows flashbacks to Sophie's childhood, including her first time meeting Araminta and her two daughters, Rosamund and Posy. Although Araminta was initially warm when she greeted Sophie, as soon as she realized Sophie was Lord Penwood's daughter, she was cold towards her.

This escalated when Lord Penwood died, with Lady Penwood making Sophie serve the house as a maid, rather than continuing to be seen and treated as Lord Penwood's ward (a way for Sophie to be more accepted in society than she would be as an illegitimate child). This dynamic is precisely what proves Araminta will be the overall villain of Season 4.

Specifically, Sophie's story is effectively a Cinderella story, making Araminta the evil stepmother. The conclusion of Part 1 also suggested that audiences are about to see an even crueler side to Araminta, as the final episode of Part 1 showed Araminta and her daughters moving to a home near the Bridergton's—where Sophie now works.

Presumably, this will mean at least one future run-in with Sophie and Araminta, and it's clear that viewers should expect things to get worse for Sophie before they get better (assuming that they do).

How Penelope Bridgerton/Lady Whistledown's Role In The Ton Has Changed

Nicola Coughlan as Penelope Featherington in Season 3 Episode 5

Benedict isn't the only Bridgerton—married or otherwise—who is undergoing some major changes in Season 4. Penelope Bridgerton, formerly Penelope Featherington, is also finding her place in society following the major moments from Season 3. In fact, Season 3 was Penelope's season more than anyone else's, as it showed not only her marriage to Colin Bridgerton but also her unmasking as Lady Whistledown.

For three seasons, the Ton had remained unaware of who the real Lady Whistledown was, despite Queen Charlotte's best efforts to find out the gossip writer's real name. However, in Season 3, the truth came out, meaning that everyone now knew it was really Penelope behind the scathing society papers.

This has left Penelope in a bit of an awkward spot at the beginning of Season 4, with Queen Charlotte constantly calling upon her to discuss her latest news and others, including Benedict, using Penelope's skills in their favor. It will be interesting to see how this new role, and the ongoing fallout from her secret being revealed, plays out for Penelope in Part 2.

What Is Happening In Francesca's Marriage To John Stirling?

Victor Alli as John Stirling and Hannah Dodd as Francesca Bridgerton in Season 4 Episode 4

Yet another Bridgerton with a significant Season 4 arc thus far is Francesca, who is now Francesca Stirling. In Season 3, Francesca married the quiet but charming John Stirling, and the two seemed quite happy with each other, despite Francesca's clear attraction to John's cousin, Michaela Stirling.

Season 4 Part 1 has painted a slightly different picture of the newlywed couple, though. While it's clear they still have affection and love for one another, John seems a bit oblivious to Francesca's complex feelings, and there's some trouble in paradise. Primarily, Francesca is experiencing intimacy issues with John and, secondary to that, concerns about not yet expecting a child.

It's likely that this narrative won't be wrapped up in Part 2, as Season 4 is Benedict's season, but hopefully, more insight into the bumps in the road for this young couple will be provided in the next several episodes.

How Bridgerton Season 4 Part 1 Connects To Queen Charlotte

Adjoa Andoh as Lady Danbury, Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte, and Hugh Sachs as Brimsley in Season 4 Episode 3 of Bridgerton

Queen Charlotte is not a significant part of Season 4 so far, but she does have some interesting moments. In particular, her Part 1 story feels very tied to the Bridgerton spinoff show Queen Charlotte, in that Queen Charlotte's complex marriage with her husband, King George, and her friendship with Lady Danbury are both front and center.

The Queen Charlotte-focused show highlighted both relationships, and the Queen's newfound anxieties about being alone in Season 4, Part 1, are a clear callback to the story laid out in the show. In particular, Queen Charlotte's fears about what will happen when King George dies suggest that the Queen Charlotte story is far from over.

How Bridgerton Season 4 Part 1's Ending Sets Up Part 2

Luke Thompson as Benedict Bridgerton in Season 4 Episode 4

Bridgerton Season 4, Part 2, will be released on Netflix on February 26th, and there are numerous major questions on the table ahead of the new episodes. The biggest question mark at the end of Part 1 is what will become of Benedict and Sophie. Right now, the two feel worlds apart in terms of what they see for their futures.

It seems that, at the very least, Sophie and Benedict will need to confront what just happened with Sophie rejecting Benedict's request for Sophie to become his mistress. Of course, this will now be taking place under even more precarious circumstances, as Sophie's evil stepmother, Araminta, will only be a few doors down.

Several other characters, including Penelope, Francesca, and Queen Charlotte herself, also have loose narrative threads that will need to be addressed, meaning that there is plenty left to uncover in Bridgerton Season 4, Part 2.

Release Date December 22, 2020

Network Netflix

Directors Tom Verica, Tricia Brock, Alex Pillai, Alrick Riley, Bille Woodruff, Cheryl Dunye, Sheree Folkson, Julie Anne Robinson

Writers Abby McDonald, Sarah L. Thompson, Daniel Robinson, Oliver Goldstick, Leila Cohan-Miccio, Azia Squire, Sarah Dollard, Eli Wilson Pelton, Janet Lin