Bridgerton fans go feral for Francesca/Michaela scenes

"Although Benedict and Sophie are the main love story this time around, queer fans have been keeping a keen eye on his younger sibling Francesca (Hannah Dodd) - who recently tied the knot with Sir John Stirling (Victor Alli) - and her relationship with her husband's cousin, Michaela (Masali Baduza)."

"At the end of the last season, fans of Quinn's original books were quick to point out that female character Michaela is a gender swapped version of the character Michael from the book When He Was Wicked. In that book, after John dies, Francesca falls in love with Michael."

"Sapphics promptly lost their mind at the idea of a queer Francesca, who was previously speculated to be asexual, with Bridgerton showrunner Jess Brownwell later confirming that a queer love story for Francesca was coming to the show."

Bridgerton season four part two released on 26 February, continuing the Netflix regency-era romance series based on Julia Quinn's novels. While the main storyline follows Benedict Bridgerton and Sophie Baek's love story, queer audiences have focused on the developing relationship between Francesca Bridgerton and Michaela, her husband's cousin. Michaela is a gender-swapped adaptation of the character Michael from Quinn's book 'When He Was Wicked,' where Francesca falls in love with Michael after her husband's death. The character pairing, nicknamed 'Franchaela' by fans, represents a significant queer narrative for the show. Showrunner Jess Brownwell confirmed this queer love story was intentional, and actress Hannah Dodd has expressed enthusiasm for the storyline.

Read at PinkNews | Latest lesbian, gay, bi and trans news | LGBTQ+ news