Sophie Baek and Benedict Bridgerton looking at one another in Bridgerton Season 4 Part 1
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Liz Declan
Published Jan 31, 2026, 7:15 PM EST
Liz Declan is a Lead Writer for ScreenRant, primarily covering Star Wars. She is a massive fan of Star Wars, the MCU, and Supernatural. In addition to writing, Liz loves attending and covering conventions. Find her on TikTok and Instagram @va.va.vera
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Warning! This post contains SPOILERS for Bridgerton Season 4, Part 1.
Bridgerton Season 4, Part 1, which includes episodes 1 through 4 of the brand-new season, has officially hit Netflix, and there's already a major narrative hint about where this story is going. Each season of Bridgerton tends to follow one Bridgerton sibling's marital arc, even as multiple narratives are woven together in the show.
This season, the Bridgerton sibling who is front and center is Benedict, the second-born of the alphabetically named children. After a beautiful masquerade ball, in which he meets the mysterious "Lady in Silver," Benedict goes searching for the woman whose face he never saw and name he never knew.
Rather than finding her (or, so it seemed), however, Benedict encounters a maid, Sophie Baek, and he quickly falls in love with her. Although Part 2, containing the final four episodes of the season, is about a month away, it's easy to guess where this story is going because it's a tale as old as time—a very specific one, in fact.
Bridgerton Season 4 Is A Cinderella Story
Michelle Mao as Rosamund Li, Katie Leung as Lady Araminta Gun, and Isabella Wei as Posy Li in Bridgerton Season 4 Episode 1LIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX
From Sophie's evil stepmother, Araminta, and two stepsisters, Rosamund and Posy, to her forced role as the family maid, Bridgerton Season 4 is a Cinderella story.
In fact, while Sophie may not have a fairy godmother or use magic to slip into the masquerade ball in the way that Cinderella does, even her one-night taste of nobility and Benedict's search to find her replicate that fairy tale. Cinderella's glass slipper has been replaced with a monogrammed glove, but the narrative remains the same.
While that might be obvious—Bridgerton doesn't exactly shy away from the fact that the story, originally written in author Julia Quinn's books, borrows heavily from that narrative—what is interesting about that connection is what it might mean for Bridgerton Season 4, Part 2, and the fate of Benedict and Sophie's relationship.
Will Benedict And Sophie Get A Happily Ever After?
Yerin Ha as Sophie Baek and Luke Thompson as Benedict Bridgerton in Season 4 episode 3LIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX
The Bridgerton Season 4, Part 1, ending left Sophie and Benedict in a less-than-happy place. Benedict, restricted by the expectations of society, asked Sophie to be not his wife but his mistress—something that Sophie, a so-called "illegitimate" child of a nobleman herself, is unwilling to do, no matter how much she loves Benedict.
There's also the fact that her cruel stepmother, Araminta, is now just down the street from the Bridgerton home, where Sophie currently works, and that presumably means something very unpleasant is in store for poor Sophie. However, it's still much more likely than not that Sophie and Benedict will get a happily ever after.
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Get deeper Bridgerton Season 4 analysis by subscribing to the newsletter for expanded book-to-screen comparisons and thoughtful takes that deepen your understanding of Sophie and Benedict's arc - ideal if you want richer context and theory. Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.For one, Bridgerton isn't the type of show to have disappointing endings for characters. Yes, characters have experienced tragedies, such as the death of the Bridgerton kids' father, Edmund, but that isn't quite the same as having two characters who are clearly meant to be together end up apart.
The show also generally tends to follow the books, at least in terms of the overarching narrative, and in the book on which Season 4 is based, An Offer from a Gentleman, Sophie and Benedict do end up with one another. Yet, perhaps the most compelling bit of evidence is the fact that Season 4 is a Cinderella story.
While things may be looking dire heading into Part 2, if Benedict and Sophie's Bridgerton story is indeed meant to mirror Cinderella, then the two will eventually get a happily ever after, even if they have some more hardships to go through first.
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Bridgerton
10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed TV-MA Drama Romance Release Date December 22, 2020 Network Netflix Directors Tom Verica, Tricia Brock, Alex Pillai, Alrick Riley, Bille Woodruff, Cheryl Dunye, Sheree Folkson, Julie Anne Robinson Writers Abby McDonald, Sarah L. Thompson, Daniel Robinson, Oliver Goldstick, Leila Cohan-Miccio, Azia Squire, Sarah Dollard, Eli Wilson Pelton, Janet Lin
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Luke Thompson
Lady Violet Bridgerton
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Benedict Bridgerton
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