‘Bridgerton’ Recap, Season 4 Episode 6: ‘The Passing Winter’

I hate to out myself as an old millennial, but I have to confess that the entire time I was watching this episode, all I could think about was this 2019 Twitter classic: “Me sowing: Haha fuck yeah!!! Yes!! / Me reaping: Well this fucking sucks. What the fuck.” The last episode was all about the sowing, wink, wink, and this episode … Oh, it’s time for Benedict and Sophie to reap what they’ve sown.

Of course, the reaping means wildly different things for the two of them. Their blissful morning after is rudely interrupted by the fact that Sophie, you know, has to work for his family. Benedict, all rumpled and goofy, doesn’t understand why Sophie is going back to work. Did they not decide she was to be his mistress? Is that not what all the fucking was about? I hate to side with a man, but I do have to admit that I was kind of on Benedict’s side for this one second. I, too, would think she agreed, based on the whole “I love you” and “Now we’re having sex” thing. But Sophie, once again, sees their actions as nothing more than getting carried away. And despite all of Benedict’s assurances to Violet that he knows ways of getting around pregnancy, that apparently all went out the window last night? Bro, are you kidding?? If Sophie is pregnant, she will have no other option than to be his mistress. “Forgive me if I am not convinced that love is enough,” she tells him.

My girl has a point! Aside from waking up with Benedict, Sophie’s day is pretty rough. Not only does she have to check her planner to start the countdown for a possible baby, she’s gotta do the mending, and on top of it all, Araminta has come to call. Not! An! Ideal! Day! I do want to shout out Violet for passing on having them over the other two times the Dowager Penwood came to call this week because that is deeply petty and I love it. Also, how bold does one have to be to get rejected twice and come back for a third time? Could not be me!

Alas, Violet is better than me, and she acquiesces. Araminta, Rosamund and Posy settle in for what promises to be the most boring call of all time. Honestly, if Rosamund wasn’t there, I do think Posy, Hyacinth, and Eloise would have a fun time! They would have a good vibe, and I know Eloise would love Posy’s dreams about feet! Meanwhile, Araminta is scanning the staff like a hawk, and as a bird of prey herself, Violet catches on. Granted, it would be kind of hard not to catch what’s going on after Sophie walks into the room, looks terrified and then sprints out. Pro: She gets out and only Posy sees her! Con: Araminta tells Violet that the maid who stole her dumb shoe clips is named Sophie Baek. Of course, there is no way that Violet would give Sophie up to this woman we know she doesn’t like. Instead, she looks at Mrs. Wilson, who snaps behind her back, letting John the footman know that it’s time to make up an excuse. That’s a gorgeous bit of household choreo right there!

Sophie is pacing in her room when Violet comes in, shocking me and Sophie both. “I wanted to be sure you were quite well after seeing your former employer,” she says. Sophie seems surprised that Violet put this together, and with love, I have to say, mama, you ran out of the room! Violet wants Sophie to know that she never liked that bitch anyway, and despite Sophie’s confession that she did take Araminta’s shoe clips, it was only because she had never paid her in seven years. None of this matters to Violet; she is worried that Araminta will not stop coming after Sophie and that living next door will make her life quite hard. It is simultaneously very touching that Violet is this concerned about her and fully bonkers that Sophie has to open the door to her own room so Violet can exit. I know that’s how things work, but still! After Violet leaves, Sophie places her hand on her stomach in universal TV language for “Is there a baby inside me?” and I am like, no, you fucked like one day ago, come on!

Upstairs (metaphorically), Benedict is having quite a good day, as it were! He starts off in a productive frenzy, declaring they will not invest in coal because it “seems a dirty business” and that he is not going hunting with Lord Powell. His valet is like … “Who are you? Who is this man I once knew?” Benedict just grins and asks him to tell the Crabtrees that he might be preparing My Cottage for permanent residence. He is in love, damn it, and he will have the life he wants!

Little does he know that Daddy is home, and by Daddy, I mean Anthony, looking INCREDIBLE, my word! Turns out having a hot wife who you are obsessed with means you get a good tan and perfect close beard. I was thrilled to see Anthony, Kate, and baby Edmund all cozy at home, and yes, like every person on earth, I would like to see them on this show more. Of course Violet immediately wrote to Anthony to come deal with the Benedict problem. I love her bad, but Violet is suuuuch a #BoyMom, my god! While at the club with Colin, the two brothers immediately get into it. Benedict gleefully declares that he is more clearheaded than ever these days, and Anthony fires back with “Is that because of your fraternization with our younger sister’s lady’s maid?” Anthony cannot believe that Benedict is willing to complicate not only his own life like this but his sister’s, too. Benedict isn’t having it and storms out before Colin even comes back with drinks.

In defiance of, well, everyone in his family, Benedict invites Sophie to a nighttime hang in the conservatory. He gives her a sketch of My Cottage, and did you clock that it is titled “Our Cottage”? He tells her the Crabtrees are preparing the “cottage” for the two of them. Despite Anthony’s warning, he is in love and he wants to make a life with this woman, even if it is not the life she deserves. Isn’t that better than not being together at all? Sophie can’t agree yet; they need to know more about each other, don’t they? Benedict agrees and, to my utter delight, immediately comes out. Sophie’s reaction is so chill I thought she didn’t hear him at first. Not to say she should have had a terrible reaction, but the total lack of surprise? She is just like, “I love my bisexual king,” and moves on — gotta thank Alfie for softening that ground. Sophie also has a secret to share, one that makes Benedict understand why she is so hesitant to commit to his offer. Her mother was a maid and her father was a nobleman, meaning that Sophie is not only a maid but illegitimate. Benedict is still all in with love, convincingly enough that Sophie sneaks back to her room, glowing and grinning, with the drawing of Our Cottage clutched in her hands.

Oh, but it can’t last, can it? I like that they are dedicating this much time to deal with the seriousness and complications of this situation. It is one thing to say you will be fine living in the country with the love of your life, but as the episode progresses, Benedict is forced to face truth after truth about the life he wants versus the life he and Sophie will be able to have. When he goes to meet baby Edmund, he bumps into Lady Danbury while lingering in the hall, trying to avoid his mother. Lady Danbury thinks his hesitation is “because you have always been the spare, but now, you’ve been put out to pasture by that small, wriggling child.” Damn, don’t hurt him, girl! He admits that yes, it is a little strange seeing his replacement, but mostly it’s envy. As he watches Sophie cross the parlor and stand dutifully in her place, it’s clear the envy is coming from the fact that he wants his relationship to be as accepted as Kate and Anthony’s, and he knows it never will be.

And who better to make that point super-clear than Anthony himself? After finding Benedict’s plans and sketches, Anthony is even more pissed about this whole mess than he was before. Having an attachment is one thing, but planning a whole damn life with her? That’s simply a step too far for the Viscount. And he does not hold back at all when he breaks down all the ways in which this will end up hurting Benedict. What about a family? What would life be like for his children? “They’ll never be able to join our family. Not truly; they’ll be shunned by society. Cast out. Not even our mother is saintly enough to allow such a thing.” Okay, that last one hurts, especially knowing how much Violet likes Sophie already. Could everyone be, like … 3 percent easier on my boy? If not him, could we have some respect for the fact that because this is a TV show, Sophie is in the hallway and can hear every single part of this conversation? To his credit, Benedict does not back down on his girl! Anthony begs him to end it and is convinced he will eventually see reason. Here’s hoping!

Sophie has heard enough. She runs back up to her room, tosses the drawing of Our Cottage into the flames, and sits down to check off another day of not bleeding on her planner. Then she looks down in a way I recognized as Oh shit, I just started bleeding. Trust me, it’s a thing. The next day, in the conservatory (with a pipe), Sophie finally gives her answer. She’s interviewing at Penwood House tomorrow, and she will take the position if she is offered. She is not pregnant, and he doesn’t need to take care of her. They wanted love to be enough, but “what is love in the face of generations of established practice?” She cannot take him away from his family; it would kill him, and that would kill her. She has to leave because they will make more mistakes if she stays. After begging her to not call their night of lovemaking a mistake, he watches, desolate, as Sophie leaves. She curls up on the floor and cries. Hot take: I think this class-and-rank system is wack!

• I’m bringing SCOTLAND WATCH up this week, out of respect for burgeoning lesbianism and Lord John Stirling, RIP. I would love to know if anyone watching didn’t know he was going to die? I have been spoiled on all the plots of these books by simply being online at this point. Even if you didn’t know it was coming, all of his scenes were so clearly foreshadowing his upcoming doom in that classic TV way: the mention of headaches, his love confession in the garden while looking up at the moon, and the long loving look he gives Fran and Michaela as they work on jigsaw puzzle No. 19 before he goes up for what will be his final nap. Rest easy to a real one!

• I love that Francesca’s attempt to set Michaela up ended with them getting drunk off their gourds and making up a drinking game about barley. I also love how confused John is about how well they are getting along. More than that, I love how they both just look at him like, “Duh?” It’s just the rules: Two girls get drunk at the right time together, and magic happens!

• The new Lady Penwood ru-veal is, in fact, everything I wanted! The artist formerly known as Cressida Cowper is back in with the Ton and, wow, does she still love pink. Her deeply tacky ball is the event of the episode, and her arrival has quite the ripple effect throughout the Ton. She comes to see Penelope first, under the pretense that she saved all the details of her whirlwind courtship and marriage for Whistledown. Not so easily fooled, Pen knows that Cressida really wants her to ease her way back into high society. The queen is still pissed about her pretending to be Whistledown last season, and Cressida knows rumors about her are still all over the Ton. Next time, I would suggest not sending an exploding invite to the palace.

• This poorly timed ball invite to the queen does give Alice Mondrich a chance to step in and attempt her best Lady Danbury impression. Wouldn’t it be better to insist the new Lady Penwood hold the ball in her honor and then no-show at the last minute? Damn, Alice, you would have been a menace in high school!

• Can we ring some freedom bells for Pen and Lady Danbury? They have been trapped under the yoke of the queen’s whims, and finally, they both manage to escape. Penelope finds her freedom by taking some wisdom from Eloise, of all people. She has discovered sympathy for the queen since being the only unmarried woman around and tells Pen that Whistledown is probably the only time that the queen gets to feel a part of things, locked away as she is. This gives Pen the inspiration to tell her that Whistledown has become too powerful: Everyone is scared of letting something slip and even more so now that her identity is known. Penelope wants freedom for everyone from scrutiny, and surprise, surprise, the queen agrees!

• I straight up cried when Queen Charlotte asked Lady Danbury to come back, only for them to not say anything but nod and cry together. Actresses! I love them!

• Looooved Araminta talking shit about the decorations at the ball in Cantonese. More of that, please!