‘Bridgerton’ Author Weighs in on “Disappointment” In Francesca’s Season 3 Twist, Asks Fans To Give Her And Shondaland “Some Faith”

deadline.com:

SPOILER ALERT: The following reveals major plot points for Season 3 of Netflix’s Bridgerton. Bridgerton author Julia Quinn has commented on the reaction to that twist involving Hannah Dodd‘s Francesca at the end of Season 3 of the Netflix series.

Season 3, which largely focused on the friends-to-lovers story between Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) and Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) from Quinn’s Romancing Mister Bridgerton, also intertwined some of the plot of Francesca Bridgerton’s (Hannah Dodd) love story, inspired by the book When He Was Wicked.

While fans of the books expected the introduction of one Michael Stirling, cousin of Francesca’s new husband John Stirling, Earl of Kilmartin (Victor Alli), they were met instead with a gender-swapped character — Michaela Stirling (Masali Baduza).

Francesca was notably stunned when she first saw Michaela, and showrunner Jess Brownell told Deadline of her plans to gender bend Francesca’s story, which felt natural. “Many Bridgerton fans have expressed their surprise, and for some, disappointment in the twist at the end of Bridgerton Season 3 – that Michael Stirling, with whom Francesca eventually falls in love in When He Was Wicked, would instead be Michaela,” Quinn wrote in a message posted to Instagram. “When Jess Brownell first approached me with the idea of turning Michael into Michaela for the show, I needed more information before conferring my agreement.” A post shared by Julia Quinn (@juliaquinnauthor) Quinn went on to assert her trust in Shondaland’s vision for Bridgerton as well as her desire that the spirit of the books remain in the television adaptation, especially when it came to Francesca’s love for John. “I actually had to fight to have the first four