What “Bridgerton” Should Learn from “The Buccaneers”
I am in love with both Bridgerton and The Buccaneers. Both are spectacular in their own and in similar ways, but there is one area in particular that The Buccaneers is outpacing Bridgerton, and it’s a major one. Two big things occur with one character, namely Mabel, played by Josie Totah. Josie is transgender, which is an amazing piece of representation that Bridgerton isn’t exactly shining in. And another major aspect, one related to the actual storytelling, is Mabel’s arc as a lesbian woman exploring and embracing her sexuality, as well as Honoria’s journey to realizing she’s gay herself and having a romance with Mabel. They are imperfect, complex, and wonderful characters given full and powerful stories.
Their romance is in no way treated as lesser. They are given the ups and downs of any other romance in the show, the developing intimacy, and the beautiful sex scene that is both sensual and not male-gaze fueled. It’s a triumph for lesbian storytelling in popular historical dramas, and I am absolutely here for it. Possibly the biggest lesson Bridgerton needs to learn is that LGBTQ+ characters are not only window dressing or background, but that they are main character material. While I adore what we got from Reynolds and Brimsely, they are largely concerned with the ups and downs of the King and Queen. Apt, maybe, for a show called Queen Charlotte, but leaving a bit to be desired for the first real gay romance we see unfold in Bridgerton. Compared to The Buccaneers, it’s fairly paltry.
Moreover, The Buccaneers is also based on a book. It’s based on an unfinished Edith Wharton novel, and suffice it to say, she did not have a lesbian main character. But the show has the confidence to depart the text and make something more inclusive, and honestly what I think is even better. It proves that if the books of an absolute giant of literary history like Edith Wharton can and should be changed, I think hiding behind the idea that the Bridgerton books only had straight characters is just that — hiding. LGBTQ+ stories deserve to be told. LGBTQ+ actors deserve to be main characters. And shifting main storylines in order to do that is not a vice, but it is a virtue.
I hope so much that Bridgerton takes some cues from the Buccaneers and makes their own headway for gay, trans, and other queer characters. We deserve it as an audience, and the world deserves it for storytelling. And our characters deserve to explore and be who they truly can be. As shows develop more in the arena of representation, it is important for a show that makes its bones largely on representation to make good on the promise it’s made to its viewers. We need more shows like Bridgerton, and like the Buccaneers, and we certainly need those shows to be the best they can be in regards to their representation.
