A prequel to the fantasy Bridgerton world, “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story,” released on Netflix on May 4th, and fans are in love with it. Set before the two Bridgerton seasons in a fictional regency era, it follows the story of young Charlotte as she gets arranged to marry the to-be King George. It also showcases the story of Lady Danbury’s rise to power and the obstacles she faces in her young life.

Many felt that it was far better than the other Bridgerton stories in terms of acting, plot and character development.

“It exceeded my expectations,” Lambert junior Cora Thrower said.

Charlotte and George’s marriage is referred to as “The Great Experiment” throughout the course of the show. Since it is the first interracial marriage in the storyline, the segregation barrier between black and white characters starts to thin and break, but not without resistance. More black characters, including Lady Danbury, are given proper titles and fight to maintain them as they try to integrate into high society. 

Meanwhile, there are a couple sporadic romance scenes between Charlotte and George. In the first episode, Charlotte and George get married and there’s a hopeful tone set for the marriage. However, things soured when George left Charlotte to spend her honeymoon alone. 

“I wished maybe they had done more of the natural buildup because I felt like they had so much chemistry in the first episode,” Thrower said. “And then it was just immediately shut down and then brought back up again.”

Unlike Bridgerton seasons one and two, “Queen Charlotte” does not revolve around the two leads’ romance. It instead focuses on the multiple stories of different characters. There is tension between the two kingsmen and queensmen. There is Lady Danbury’s sad life with her husband and later, her efforts to ensure her title passes to her son. There is George’s torture-treatment and his mother’s attempts to try to control as much of his marriage as she can. There is the story of the characters set in the time after Bridgerton season two. Finally, there is Charlotte’s rise to power. All of these subplots combine and mold together to set the basis for the first two Bridgerton seasons and produce a spectacular story for this prequel. 

If the theory that most people had developed a shorter attention span is true, “Queen Charlotte” certainly makes itself appealing for the modern audience. It consists of many different sides to the same story, where each character is developing in their own pocket of the Bridgerton world. 

  Perhaps this is why people felt that it was so phenomenal. Many reviews hope for a season two and others call it “the best Bridgerton yet.” A bittersweet romance balanced with the harsh truth of reality, “Queen Charlotte” seems to have it all. The show has definitely set the standard high for Bridgerton’s upcoming seasons.