Queen Charlotte Retconned Bridgerverse, Making Spinoff Unskippable

Summary

• Bridgerton Season 3 featured many changes that surprised fans.
• One of those transformations involved the arc of Queen Charlotte.
• It proved that the spinoff dedicated to the character has retconned the fictional universe.

Bridgerton Season 3 came with a set of surprises and transformations, some of which happened behind the camera and felt wildly out of place. The majority of viewers agree that the chapter had too many subplots that were not connected to the main storyline. And one of those arcs was a direct result of the spinoff dedicated to Queen Charlotte's backstory.

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story

Back in the spring of 2023, when the prequel about a young German princess coming to England for an arranged marriage to the newly crowned King George hit Netflix, Bridgerton fans were ecstatic.

In the first two seasons of the parent series, Charlotte was this larger-than-life character surrounded by a cloud of mystery, and it was really exciting to dive into the story of her romance with George, which had become the starting point for the on-screen Bridgertverse. Not to mention, the prequel was penned by the one and only Shonda Rhimes, which was evident in every line of dialogue.

However, the miniseries had an unexpected impact. Bridgerton Season 3 proved that Queen Charlotte has retconned the main story, making the spinoff an inseparable part of Bridgerton. You can't watch one without the other.

Surprising Change

Bridgerton grows in popularity with each new season. The buzz around the show attracts thousands of new viewers who binge watch all the released love stories in one sitting. In addition, seasoned fans hold their own Bridgerton marathons from time to time.

With the premiere of the latest chapter, many of them have noticed that the queen's arc has taken a 180-degree turn. And it all happened because of the spinoff.

In the first two seasons, Charlotte is portrayed as a headstrong ruler who keeps her distance from other people and servants. For example, she kicks Brimsley out of the room when she meets with Violet Bridgerton because, as she says, he's a blabbermouth and can't be trusted. Lady Danbury has her ear, but she is still very careful in every conversation.

However, in Season 3, people suddenly become very casual with the queen. Brimsley is her bestie with whom she jokes around. And Lady Danbury is her helper in the search for Whistledown and suitable suitors for the Diamond of the Season.

Someone who hasn't watched Queen Charlotte might think they're missing something, so much has changed in the character of the queen and her dynamic with those around her between Seasons 2 and 3.

This transformation was likely done to make Bridgerverse fans happy. But narratively it made no sense and kind of ruined the experience for new viewers. Now we have to consider Queen Charlotte an inseparable part of Bridgerton, no matter what the creators say.