Article In 'Film Threat' Mag From The Early 90s. We're Either Looking At A Cool Movie Which Went Into

Article in 'Film Threat' mag from the early 90s. We're either looking at a cool movie which went into production but never released, or Goncharov 2

Viserys: this is a secret passed down only from the King to their Heir.

Rhaenerya: *suspiciously eyes the family tree, in which Jahaerys (the third son) only became the heir after the death of his father and his two elder brothers * sure…

Viserys: I am only telling you now as it is clear you will be my heir

Rhaenerya: *considers the 15-ish years she has been the presumed heir while her father ‘awaits’ the birth of a son, while at the same time Daemon was his actual legal heir* okay…

Viserys: I have told no other about this until now, not even your uncle Daemon

Rhaenerya: *remembers the 10 children of Jahaerys who died unexpectedly, considers that Viserys’ father and uncle both died suddenly at about the age he is now, imagines if Viserys had died at any time before now having told 0 heirs about this secret* solid plan dad

Thinking again about the Eternals and how bad they fumbled that potential. Because you have an Oscar winning director, who ensures breathtaking cinematography, solid performances from capable and exciting actors, with set pieces and choreography that is honesty very good.

And you fuck it up with the script.

It’s the same issue we had with Batman v Superman: there’s 3 good movies fighting for space in 1 film.

Firstly you could focus on relationships, exploring the found family/ageless guardians/eternal love story route with the ‘urgent problem’ just being a more powerful or capable version of the Deviants. From Friends, to The Umbrella Academy, via The Avengers, Avatar the Last Airbender, Big Hero 6 - we love a found family trope, especially if they’ve been brought (back)together to save the world. Ultimately the other Eternals are the only beings on the planet who can truly understand and empathise with each other so let’s explore and show that bond. Tell their story across the ages of the Earth with proper time spent to flesh out these conflicts and moments which define the group as a whole and how they individually relate to one another.

Tell the eternal love story of Sersi and Icarus, but consider the view of the brilliant Only Lovers Left Alive: Tom Hiddleston and Tilda Swindon convincingly portray an ageless love, unconcerned with immediate worries. They are currently living apart but both know that eventually they will make their way back to one another, and they are in constant contact across the globe. Sersi and Icarus could be that: they have been/are/will be together but as they measure life by millions of years living separately for a couple of decades is nothing. They will be drawn back together again and in their hearts only the other can truly know and love them for all that they are. Explore this while they fight for the planet they both have come to love.

Or consider the less brilliant but arguably more entertaining eternal love in Hitchcock: Charlize Theron and Will Smith are thousands of years old and have been driven apart by circumstance but now Charlize loves another man and wants to spend his moral lifespan with him. Both acknowledge that it’s inevitable they will be together again as some point in the future but for the next 60ish years they will live apart so she can experience that love. Maybe in the time they’ve been apart Sersi has come to love another and now that war has brought Icarus back into her life and they have to fight together their different assumptions are being tested; Icarus assumed they would fall back into their love, while Sersi wants another 60 years with her mortal lover. All to the backdrop of fighting to wipe out The Deviants forever and be released from their duty.

Secondly you could tell the story of soldiers betrayed by their general and commander, using the same plot from the actual movie. The Eternals are foot soldiers stationed to defend the human population and have devoted their lives to their growth and safety. They’ve even stood aside when other threats revealed themselves (the MCU up to this point) because their mission was Celestially Ordained and to deviate from it would compromise their purpose. To realise that devotion was twisted and they must now stand aside and allow those they spent their lives protecting to die horribly would be traumatic; explore and tell that story. Again we love an underdog discovering they have been lied to or used and turning on their previous corrupt commander; Mission Impossible, Gladiator, all the Bourne movies. We *like* the story of cogs in the machine realising they have been used and standing up for their principals. Have them discover this news earlier and the movie then deals with their decision to accept their assigned role or rebel against their commander. Add Athena’s PTSD and past memory revelations to bring home the stakes of their choice, with a ticking clock counting down to ‘emergence’, and you’ve got a real tragedy brewing,

Furthermore, weave in the power struggle between Sersi and Icarus regarding who will be leading them with Ajax dead. Icarus is the loud and commanding ‘leader” type stepping forward to assume command, but Sersi is the reassuring rock for the team who each member finds themself turning to for advice, guidance, or to ask what she wants to do next with the expectation they will follow her. Or Ajax isn’t dead here but Icarus has fallen in line as her loyal lieutenant, assuming the rest would follow his lead. Instead of the eternal love story being the focus it’s instead a clashing of ideologies and personalities; upon learning of the betrayal and their assumed role Icarus and Sersi react very differently, showcasing what kind of leader they would be. The team being forced to fight one another as they also split along lines of ‘acceptable collateral’ allows for personal stakes and drama for the audience as well; we’ve spent the movie learning about this family and now they’re being forced to destroy one another…? In the words (and voice) of Benoit Blanc ‘it compels me’.

Finally, you could tell the mystery of an unknown threat present on the planet who takes out Ajax without warning or explanation. The team must gather or be gathered to solve the whodunnit, assuming Deviant involvement despite flimsy and unconvincing evidence, and the shared mystery brings the group together once more, forcing them to confront buried history and historic disputes while they plan an attack on the remaining clusters of Deviants. The Umbrella Academy S1 followed similar lines but you’ve got a list of movies that also circle this plot: R.E.D, The A Team, Watchmen. The revelation of betrayal from within doesn’t need to go hand in hand with the Celestials betrayal plot , as long as Icarus has another reason for turning on the team.

This plot could dive more into the tensions and strain of their posting to Earth; they’ve had different opinions on how problems with humans should be solved, leading to fall outs and separations. Sometimes one or other of them has ‘called it wrong’ and another has had to come bail them out of a situation they created. But what unites them was a shared purpose and assumption that they would what’s have one another. Losing that surety is scary and forces character exploration.

All of these ideas were present in the actual movie, but were fighting for screen time to do their plot lines justice. The Eternals was such an interesting concept and honestly was executed well in so many regards. But trying to tell all these tales, while also encompassing the breadth of time and circumstance they encompass, and allow for personality and individuality in each team member to be showcased… that movie is bursting at the seams and the poorer for it.

There are so many missed opportunities in Part 1 of Bridgerton Season 3 its frustrating to behold.

As one half of the season is out it’s possible that some of these will be fixed in the second half however having to wait until then (not just in terms of release date but also narratively) is not good planning. Having to wait for Part 2 to have most of the interesting things happen with our supposed 'main characters' makes the structure of the season feel unbalanced, and annoys the audience trying to root for the main couple. And a lack of attention to our romantic leads leaves the audience feeling uninvested and unconvinced in their love.

Spoilers below.

....................................................................

1. No flashbacks: by the end of Episode 4 in S1 we knew all of Simons backstory, why he didn’t want children or marriage, and his key character motivations. This helped us understand why Antony was so against the match (he knew of Simon’s vow), why Simon duelling him instead of agreeing to marry Daphne was actually a sign of love, and helped the audience understand his struggle to accept love. Similarly by Ep 4 of S2 we have had Anthony’s tragic past with his father revealed, explaining his fear of love impacting on those around him and explaining why he is fighting the clear feelings he has for Kate. For both of these romantic leads we (the audience) now know why they are refusing their clear and obvious feelings for the heroine, what internal struggles they are going to need to overcome this season, and by proxy have been reassured that they must truly love the heroine otherwise they wouldn’t be tormented.

This explanation and fleshing out of key character-beats reveals the internal motivations which are governing these characters; this knowledge is essential for future scenes where their actions will appear dismissive or unloving and the audience needs to know that they are operating under their own internal world view in which those actions make perfect sense.

Simon rejecting Daphne's hand? He’s not being cruel, he doesn’t want to deprive her of children as he has foresworn having them. Anthony rejecting his feelings for Kate and continuing to pursue her sister? He’s not unfeeling, he’s actually feeling too much and trying to run from it. This knowledge helps us forgive actions that could make us doubt their ‘true feelings’ and is essential to the audience rooting for the couple. When the romantic lead is being an ass it helps for us to know what may be making them act that way.

No Colin flashbacks means we have no idea what motivates him, what his internal journey for this season is, or any reassurance that his love to Penelope is true. What might have been motivating Colin to act like an ass, not just to Penelope but to other people, and what m ight be be grappling with now which is impacting him either realizing his feelings or coming to terms with them? We have no idea, so his journey to love is a little less compelling.

2. Colin didn’t get humbled: through season 1 + 2 we’ve seen Penelope pine after Colin while he bumbles happily along seeing her as a cherished friend but ignoring her for other romantic options. We finished season 2 with a Colin deeply hurting Penelope and implying to the audience that he actually doesn’t respect her even as a friend - what friend would imply their fiend is unattractive or unmarriable to others, especially in that time and society?

As the audience has been following this one sided romance from Penelope’s perspective we’re predisposed to be on ‘her side’, hence wanting Colon to be humbled and have to properly apologise. We want to see Colin chasing Penelope (in a role reversal from the previous two seasons) and be made to eat his own worlds.

Instead we get one scene of Penelope revealing her hurt over Colin’s actions, and then their next scene together Colin is all but forgiven. He apologises but immediately move the conversation on, asking to atone for his actions by offering help and then bam! For all intents and purposes it’s business as usual between the two again. Penelope is happy to chat and banter with him, smile at him lovingly, and agree to a secret (and scandalous) partnership.

Whats even more concerning is that they’ve set up Colin to property hate Lady Whistledown so when Penelope reveals herself she may even have to humble herself before Colin for his forgiveness. Having started the season (with two years to dwell on Colin’s actions) wanting Colin to have to beg Penelope for forgiveness, it feels disappointing that not only do we not get that but we may get significantly more scenes of her begging for his.

3. Penelope and Colin together: this may be more personal preference but I’m not feeling the same for this couple as I did for Daphne+Simon or Kate+Anthony, or even Charlotte+George. Some of it is line delivery (Anthony felt like Brooding Fuckboy, or Fuckboy who’s fighting their inner demons, whereas Colin just feels sleezy), some of it is script (Colin hasn’t been given nearly as much dialogue and little of it is noteworthy), and some is just preference in that this lead doesn’t feel mysterious or challenging or interesting. He’s really just there.

Simon and Daphne, Kate and Anthony, Charlotte and George they all had this tension when they were on screen together that you could feel through the screen. Maybe it’s the lack of anger or hatred or antagonism between the two of them and due to them being a friends to lovers storyline but the tension just doesn’t feel like it’s there.

4. Time with the main couple: It doesn't feel like the 'main couple' this season has had as much time or scenes to help us understand why they are meant to be together.

This is an ensemble show and as season continue and characters develop or are added this will become a bigger issue; there are more named characters and players than S1 to juggle, plus some characters need time this season to set themselves up for future plot lines.

But Season 1 felt like Daphne and Simons season. Season two felt like Kate and Anthony's season. This doesn't feel like Colin and Penelope's season. Its more like this is a drama-filled season, and one aspect of it is Colin and Penelope.

5. Colin's Character: This is actually a much bigger problem so lets break it down further

5.1 Why Colin? In a friends to lovers plot (a childhood friends to lovers plot too) we really need to see why our heroine is fixated on this man; why is he better than all her other options, why did she originally fall and then remain in love with them for all these years, and why should we want him to realise his own feelings? Crucially what is so special about him?

As Colin hasn't yet been fleshed out, really at all, we don't know why he is this great love for Penelope and why we should root for him to fall in love with her in turn. So Penelope's pining for him comes across as less understandable and more 'I don't get what you see in him but okay'. And that's bad, especially for a show which wants you to go feral over their central couple; fewer members of the audience falling in love with the lead means fewer people understanding Penelope maintaining this crush (especially when its detrimental to her future) which means fewer people rooting for the main couple.

5.2 Colin’s character dissonance: this is kind of a show don’t tell issue but we keep being told all these things about Colin’s character, instead of seeing examples of this behavior ourselves, and on top of that what we are told doesn’t match with what we are shown.

Violet tells Colin he’s ’always putting others first’ but we have never seen this in 2 1/2 seasons of this show. Colin has left to travel in every off season, a very self centred action focused solely on what he wants to do and not what others may want. We’ve seen Benedict put people first more than Colin (being the shoulder for Eloise, helping her out in ballrooms, being Anthony’s second for his duel and his sounding board with Sharma issues) so that character assessment feels untrue.

Violet also calls Colin her ‘most sensitive child’ but we have not one scene of Colin showing this sensitive side. There’s no scene of him comforting Daphne about her failed season or Anthony about his problem with the Sharmas; no moment showing him helping out anyone outlet out of the kindness of his heart, or reacting to another’s pain or worry or problems so again this feels like Violet is describing a totally different character.

Penelope says Colin’s eyes are more beautiful ‘when you’re being kind’ but we haven’t seen Colin be overly kind to anyone. He told Marina in S1 he would have still married her if she had told him of her pregnancy, but this is stated when he’s angry so he’s probably not feeling or looking very kind right then, and it isn’t him actually doing this action, it’s just him claiming what he would have done. When he’s goes to visit Marina in S2 his actions come off more desperate and clingy than anything close to kind. If you argue that his tutoring if Penelope is kind, it’s actually self serving as he offered to do this to atone for him being decidedly not kind at the end of last season. He’s helping her out but he offered this to make up for hurting her before so I don’t think you can view this as a selfless act.

When he reveals Jacks scheme in S2 and demands he pay back money while preserving the Featherington Ladies good name he is undoubtably doing a good act but ‘kind’ isn’t the way he’s portrayed: he’s shown as decisive, protective, angry, courageous, bold, etc.. all very good things but still not that ‘kind’ Penelope talks about.

The last time Colin did something entirely kind may have been Season 1 asking Penelope to dance after Cressida ruined her dress. If that's it, that's very little to go on and a very long time ago.

It feels like people are trying to tell us that Colin is a good guy, without showing us moments where he actually is good. It comes off as clunky and doesn’t match the character we have seen, so these claims have little impact on our assessment of him as a person and as a lead.

5.3 Colins Writing; Stop trying to make Colin's Great Writing happen. Its not going to happen.

At least not when the only snippet you give us is basically porn.

I haven't read the books but I've heard that Colins writing snippet that Penelope finds, while starting as porn, eventually turns into a rumination on how unfulfilled and alone these actions make Colin feel and how he feels lost. That would have been an amazing moment to have in the show, giving us honesty and a secret from the romantic lead and adding depth to Colins actions (which are a little jarring to watch while we actively want him to be falling for Penelope).

If Colin is this great writer then have him writing more. In the back of conversations at breakfast, have him reading his travel journals or scribbling in a notebook. In the hot air balloon scene have Colin seek out an adventure novelist to talk about his experiences. Maybe he gets a letter from Sir Phillip asking about his travels since they enjoyed speaking so much last season, and Colin sends long and detailed responses people joke are like novels (also great for future seasons).

Right now it feels like window dressing and a throw away comment that he's 'an incredibly talented writer' and doesn't match what we've seen of him.

(Side note: it is objectively hilarious that Penelope reads one page of smut about a naked woman the author is sleeping with, then later describes this page of writing as 'incredible' while claiming she 'would love to read more'. You sure you're 100% interested in Colin there Penelope...?)

5.4 How is Colin a Tragic Hero?: This figure always works best for romatic stories and all other Bridgerton Seasons have followed the formula. Simon had a negligent and abusive father and no good examples of marriage or family, Anthony had traumatically had his beloved father die in front of him and been parentified at a young age, and George had the weight of the crown destroying his mental health. All of these leads had a demon they were wrestling with and it gave them intrigue and interest.

Colin has no demons; at least none we've been made aware of.

There's a vague allusion (from Eloise, Lady Whistedown and Violet) that Colin is in some way 'putting on a front' this season. What would have been amazing for the audience would have been a scene or two showing Colin struggling to fit in (in his family, in the Ton, etc) and him feeling alone or isolated because of it. Maybe traveling was his attempt to have interesting stories to tell, or something to distinguish himself with but upon his return (Season 2) no one had an interest in listening and groaned when he tried to share his stories, and so he turned to writing them down instead and decided to shut himself off from trying to relate to everyone as 'himself' and instead to become 'The Traveler' character and pretend so he can fit in.

This would not only give Colin a Secret or a Demon that he needed to work through, but offer us (the audience) a way in which he would be able to understand and support Penelope; another person feeling isolated and unheard who turned to writing to express themself.

While there are the bones of a great love story here the little work put in to flesh out Colin as an individual, giving us no idea of what experiences made him and what he is currently grappling with, means the audience doesn't have much to go on when Penelope professes to love him. Who is this man, as descriptions of him don't match his actions and those actions he does have are both seemingly self serving (travel) and not fully fleshed out (writing); and both annoyingly happen largely off screen. And as the current structure pits Penelope as likely the one needing to beg forgiveness by the end of the season, while we entered it expecting Colin to begging for her forgiveness, their current relationship doesn't feel as salifying or as earned as we could have hoped.

Here's to Part 2 doing some very heavy lifting.

Daemon's Wrong Wraith-visions (2/2)

Harrenhal and the visions or illusions therein should be a great narrative device to explore the newly discovered shortcomings of Daemon as a husband and leader, and it would make sense to address them now; after taking Harrenhal Daemon isn't said to have done much for a while in Fire and Blood so it makes sense to fill out the plot. There are also some hugely tough and tragic events on the horizon, and having Daemon recommitted to Rhaenyra is essential for the Black Faction to remain as a challenger for the throne. Additionally in the final arc of the Dance, Daemon being firmly and assuredly devoted to Rhaenyra will add tragedy to both his and her actions. To have the impact of those events and actions truly land, the audience's faith in Daemon as a husband to Rhaenyra and as a King-Consort to his Queen need to be unshakable. So it makes sense to devote time now to addressing any cracks in him.

But they picked the wrong wraiths to do it.

The first vision should have been of Viserys, allowing Daemon the chance to lash out at him properly; for never treating him as the true heir, and for not realizing Daemons devotion to him as a brother and a ruler. A lot of this was Ottos HighTower's poisoning of Viserys against him, but Dream-Viserys should also bring up all the instances in which Daemons selfish and short sighted actions not only undermined his own cause but harmed those he proclaimed to love.

Case in point; Rhaenyra and the brothel. Riding high on the step stones victory Daemon could have used that leverage and well thought out arguments and petitioned for her hand; It would quieten those people who didn't like a woman as the next ruler, as they may feel he would rule through her, which was incorrect but it would mean they didn't act against her rule; it would have stopped those who were whispering that Aegon should be the heir as he was a son, as now the kings brother would be the next King(in a way); it wouldn't have been out of character for the family, and Daemon had always treated her well (even if Viserys didn't believe he truly loved her); Rhaenyra hadn't found any men on her tour she liked but after such a procession she needed to announce a betrothal. And Viserys could annul the marriage to Rhea and allow her to marry again - another female 'ruler' of her house, which would lend support to Rhaenyra's claim to rule as a woman and a daughter of the former Lord.

But instead Daemon tries to 'force' Viserys to give him what he wants, and looses out on all of it. Not only that, Rhaenyra's reaction to his abandonment is sleeping with Sir Criston and then rejecting him which creates an enemy for life, one who is now in command of her bothers Kingsguard and Army; An enemy she would not have if not for that night. Additionally a key part of Daemon trying to force the marriage relied upon Rhaenyra's reputation being sullied, which would have carried over to her as Queen. She would have started her rule with people whispering that she was a whore in the same way they currently whisper that her sons are bastards. In trying to get what he wanted Daemon actively harmed Rhaenyra, something he claimed in his next breath he would ever do; why on earth should Viserys trust that he loved her when his first act when back home was to harm her?

These discussions and scenes would be compared to Daemons actions with Blood and Cheese; anther instance of Daemon acting selfishly because he was frustrated but which harmed Rhaenyra's reputation and position as Queen. He needs to stop acting this way, or no one he loves will ever trust him to act without supervision.

The second vision should have been Jaehaerys, for Daemon to work through his reaction to having to manage both the duty as a ruler and that of a husband. Jaehaerys is seen in Fire and Blood and GOT as probably the greatest Targaryen King, however his actions as a father and grandfather were terrible and caused untold issues within the Targaryen family which Daemon is still dealing with. His disregard of his children left them feeling like pawns in his plans, his lack of care for his daughters and forcing them to not only marry but marry young lead of 4 of them dying before the age of 20 and 1 fleeing the continent, his decision to change the succession from Aemon's line (i.e. Rheneys) to his second son Baelon (who was alive with two sons - Viserys and Daemon) caused his wife to leave him and live apart for ~2 years, and his refusal to betroth Daemon to his youngest daughter instead of Rhea Royce caused Daemon years of anguish and didn't prevent his daughter Geal from dying a few years later.

Jaehaerys also put the succession to the vote in The Great Council, instead of deciding the succession for himself; he had already declared Baelon as his heir over Rhaenys when her father Amon died, he could have done the same again when Baelon died and simply stated that the succession stood unchanged and Viserys would continue to be his heir. Instead he called all the great houses and asked their opinions; not only did this fracture the relationships between Rhaenys and Viserys/Daemon as they stood as challengers to one another, it established a male heir as 'better' than a female one and it gave the houses the impression that their opinion on the succession could and should be asked for. Now The Greens are exploiting these precedents to argue that the houses (who follow Andal succession rules) should champion Aegon and ignore the previous Kings wishes. Jaehaerys acted as a ruler by soliciting his lords opinions, and not as a head of the family to prevent fracturing relationships.

As a result of or at least partially because of Jaehaerys' actions the Targaryen family at the time of his death had only 4 members (if you count Rhaenys as a Velaryon due to her marriage) and was fundamentally fractured, and now a succession is able to be challenged.

A Dream-Jaehaerys who praised Daemon for prioritizing the realm over his laboring wife would likely horrify Daemon. To be told that he was on the course to be that kind of ruler would be a great opportunity for Daemon to work through what kind of father and grandfather he wants to be within the context of also being a King. Daemon was shown to be quite a loving husband to those partners he loved and respected, so having him reaffirm that he doesn't want to be a great ruler at the expense of his family would be an amazing character moment.

The final vision should be of Aemma, his mother Alyssa, and his first wife Leana, to make Daemon realize that his 'role' is one traditionally held by women and yeah, news flash, it sucks. Oh your opinions and views, which are informed and intelligent, aren't being listened to? You can only advise the ruler and not just have your advice acted upon? Your power is dependent upon the person you married, and all your decisions, advice and suggestions must be run past them before they can be actioned? Wow, truly shocking, how horrible for you.

This is the reality of those married to the ruler and while that has up until now been a women you are seeking to change that and so it will be the role you occupy; Your duty is to advise and aid them, you will not be able to act in your own interest unless it aligns with theirs. Daemon would struggle with this, both as a man who has never needed to defer to his wife or to any woman to be 'allowed' to do anything, and also as a person who has never liked answering to others or having to have approval for his actions. When we see Leana and Daemon in Pentos it is clear that Daemon is in control of their life and decisions as a couple and a family; Leana wishes to return to Driftmark and needs to petition Daemon for permission to return. Daemon is not used to being the one needing to petition. This position is hard to navigate and so those who occupy it, and up until this point that was been women, have learned to work by influencing others and controlling those who are able to act without oversight or restriction.

It wouldn't be 100% the same for Daemon of course as he still is both a man in a world that values that and a proven leader, so his opinion will be sought out and heard. But he will need to come to terms with the reality of his role and the world in which he will operate.

If he wishes to be given greater freedoms to act independently then he must earn that trust, and to do so he needs to stop acting selfishly and re-prioritize his role as a husband and father over that of a leader and ruler. Then the actual ruler will trust in the decisions he makes enough that they will not need to constantly limit or review them.

And if he can make peace with the reality of his role within his family, in that he was never supposed to be King and will always be second to his wife, then he can finally be the support and comfort that he claims he wants to be to the woman he loves. He can stop judging her actions by the yardstick of his own perspective (i.e I would have handled that differently, and by not doing it my way you are doing it wrong) and truly help his family heal and reestablish themselves as the gods-amongst-men which he views them to be.

**Spoilers for S3 and beyond** expanding on this for more Michael-Michaela parallels

Original plot: Michael is a rake, and Frannie loves his tales about being wicked

Michael is described as charming and flirtatious before John marries Fran but its afterward that he really starts being seen as a Rake. This is mainly in reaction to him losing Fran to another, and Frannie loves to ask him about a time 'when he was wicked' for him to share these rakish/scandalous exploits with her. Its a big part of their friendship when she's married to John, and does a lot of set up work for Michael's character and his interactions with Fran in the future.

It is also revealed later that some of his exploits are exaggerated and a result of gossip more that action; he has been sleeping around and acting rakish, but not to the extend the gossips claim.

Solution; Michaela can be scandalous too

Firstly, the intention behind Michael being rake-ish during the time Frannie knows him and in then sharing those stories is 1) to show his reaction to the devastation in having lost Fran to another and 2) to share tales which will shock and entertain her, while showing Michael as a passionate person. The intention behind sharing those tales wasn't 'this man loves sex', it was 'this man lives wildly and not by society standards', 'this man does after what he wants', 'this man is an engaging entertaining storyteller, unashamed of the varied life he has lived'. All of these things can be conveyed by Michaela as well, just tweak the tales slightly.

Michael is said to be charming before Johns marriage, but its only after he sees the woman he loves marry another that he starts being described as a 'rake'. In the book its implied that this is mainly due to having no chance to marry Fran, so he becomes more loose with women. Being seen as a Rake was one of the few things a man could do which would be seen as 'scandalous' due to their comparative greater freedom in society; therefore in describing him as one Michael is being shown to be scandalous, or act in a scandalous way.

They can show that Michaela has also been scandalous her whole life; a wild thing as a child, doing unladylike things and not listening to her governess; secretly visiting a card parlor in disguise; travelling to the continent (Mainland Europe) with only a companion and no notice etc...Maybe Michaela reacts to seeing Fran marry John by becoming more wild and scandalous; riding and walking alone and unchaperoned, traveling to other towns with little notice and dancing with anyone at local assemblies, writing to women across the world. There are many ways the writers can convey that Michaela has become more scandalous in her actions post Johns marriage, and that it is a reaction to her loving Fran from afar. These tales don't have to be as explicitly sexual, as the main aim for Michaels was to show his personality not his sexual prowess, but they could easily mix in a few double entendre in there or allusions to past lovers which Fran doesn't pick up on but the audience does.

Original Plot: Michael contracts malaria in India

Michael comes back to England with malaria and tells no one. Early on in their time in London he falls ill with a fever due to this and Fran discovers his condition. While he survives this and is said to be healthy again, later in the book he gets a fever again and is seriously ill. This makes Fran race to his side, worrying that she is going to loose him forever, thinking 'its not fair that I loose 2 husbands so young, when others who don't even love theirs have them live to old age'. Fran needs this moment, thinking he is dying, to realize that she is in love with him and embrace her new feelings.

Solution; There's no reason Michaela can't go to India

Bridgerton The Show has established women can travel internationally, under specific circumstances; Queen Charlotte traveled from Germany to England for her wedding, under heavy guard; The Sharma women literally travelled from India to England in Season 2, we assume with a chaperone but one is never mentioned; Kate's plan was to travel back to India once Edwina married and no one was raising an issue over her going on her own, even if she would have had a chaperone or travelling companion; Kate and Anthony are planning to travel to India after S3 to have their first child there and visit Edwina and no one is raising an issue with a pregnant woman travelling with only her husband.

These examples all show that a women travelling internationally is possible, there just have to be certain conditions in place. Give her a pen pal or friend to visit and boom! You could even make this Edwina; Kate keeps in touch with Edwina but also Eloise and Fran during the time John is alive, through this Michaela comes to know of Edwina and maybe even writs to her herself, when she needs to flee the country to run from her feelings India seems a very long way away, what do you know she knows someone there she could visit.

Michaela just needs a chaperone or travel companion with her and she can run off to wherever; give her a fantastic older lady, who has been with Michaela for years and kind of enables her wildness, who travels with her so that its 'allowed' but in reality is a great friend and confidant. This also allows someone who has supposedly know her for years to reveal to the audience that Michaela is different around Fran, that this friend has known for years of Michaela's feelings and helps her with her guilt etc..

Thee no reason Michaela can't go to India during those 4 years (of however long the show wants to make this) and contract malaria, to follow the book plot of her illness.

But if that would be jumping the shark, she can always have gone to somewhere else for those 4 years and contracted another potentially deadly disease which will allow the plot to work in the same way; at that time there's a plethora of illnesses to choose from, so send her to Spain and have her contract Yellow Fever, it doesn't really matter as long as she has a way of potentially being on deaths door to scare Fran into realizing her love.

Original Plot: tension on being the heir between Michael and John

There is (apparently) some small tension between the two, from Michaels side, over John being the heir to the Earldom and Michael having nothing to his name. Their fathers were twins, and Johns father being born 7 min earlier means he inherited and John after him, while Michael inherits nothing and has little money himself.

Michael struggles with this, especially after Johns death; part of him has been angry about this accident of birth meaning he misses out on the Earldom, and now he has everything he sometimes wished for but he has lost John for it. Michael is horrified he might have spoken this into existence and that what he once wanted has cost him so much.

Solution; I work twice as hard, for half the pay

Dissatisfaction with the accident of birth making one cousin the heir and the other penniless? Of course this could still happen for a women, and even more so due to her gender.

Michaela is not only frustrated that her fathers later birth meant he wasn't the heir, but now she is also frustrated that her gender makes her doubly ineligible. Combine this with her attraction to women in a time it wasn't possible to have a relationship, and you can have some great angst around 'if only my father has been born first', 'if only I had been born a man', 'the accident of birth and gender has screwed me over in life'. None of this tension and underlying resentment in her relationship with John (though very small and nothing that would ever impact their relationship) has to be lost, and actually will be enhanced by Michaela's gender and sexuality.

This would add to the horror after Johns death, and anger as society's reaction; a woman becoming heir to the Earldom would be an even greater improvement in circumstances than a penniless cousin inheriting it, so society would be saying Michaela is the luckiest women who ever lived to gain this. Completely disregarding that she only has this due to her beloved cousin dying tragically and unexpectedly young. If John is the one to specify this in his will that only make it worse; literally everything she now has is because of John, and because he has died, so her self hatred and anger will be enormous.

TL;DR Michaela can still be 'wicked' in her scandalous actions (sexual elements optional), there is no reason she can't travel overseas when she runs from her feelings, and men don't have a monopoly on 'I'm angst ridden over loosing out over the inheritance' feelings.

**Speculation for Francesca's Season plotline** Sorry this is so freaking long and spoilers for the show and books ahead ....

Francesca's love story can still retain the key emotional beats, motivations and character growth from her book even with Michaela Stirling in place of Michael, so no one should panic regarding that. Here's how...

Original plot: Inheritance and titles

Michael is torn up that he inherits the Earldom, estate and money when John dies; he feels that he has gotten everything at the expense of a man he saw as his brother. The idea of also ‘inheriting’ his brother’s wife (whom he is secretly in love with) horrifies him and so he flees the country for 4 years. This absence allows Francesca time and space to grieve John and for her to continue acting as the Countess, living in comfort and peace while she rebuilds her life.

Solution: Ally John to the rescue!

The writers should clarify that there is literally no one still living who could inherit the title and estate. Only child of an only child for the last 100 years kind of thing, and all possible cousins by marriage etc are also dead. Have the estate guy from Season 3 come in and inform Fran that he has conducted extensive interviews and there is literally no one living who could inherit the estate, so they will have to honor John's very strange provision in his will. John has specified in his will that the title will pass to whomever Michaela marries, as his cousin and the last of the Kilmartin’s - her father was his fathers younger twin bother. Bridgerton the show has established that women cannot inherit but they can manage an estate (Lord Deblings wife will act for him as he travels, the Mondridge's son inherits not his mother, one of the female Featherington's will inherit the estate once they have a son and act as 'the mother of the lord') so John cannot pass the title to Francesca upon his death but he can pass to to Michaela's possibly future spouse.

(He could also have put in a provision like the Featherington's that Fran would act as the Earl until their child reaches their majority, but as he dies childless this isn't an issue)

This way Michaela will still feel the guilt for inheriting everything from John, plus the men who will pursue her for the title will make her flee the country to escape marriage. In her mind she can not only escape marriage to someone who wants the title, but in practice it will allow Francesca to remain acting as the Countess. As Michaela is in love with Fran already this is a kind gesture of ‘the least I can do is not take all that away from her after she just lost John’ plus she just cant be around her as she mourns John and turns to Michaela for comfort.

Bonus plot point; Michaela is a lesbian and she confessed this to John when they were children as they grew up together as siblings! Therefore in passing the estate to her John in practice gives her the title. He knew she would never marry a man, or be able to marry a woman and so this is his way of passing the title to her. This gives Michaela the same guilt at inheriting everything (everyone is claiming my life is in many way better off after my cousin died but I would give it all up for John being alive again) and allows her journey during Fran's season to be to focus on accepting what John has done for her.

Original plot: Infertility and motherhood

Francesca deeply loved John and mourned him for years. She struggled with infertility while they were married, thought she was pregnant after he died and then lost their child soon after. As she is now a widow she mourns the loss of the only piece of John she had left, and the idea of being a mother. She eventually decided to try and remarry specifically because she wanted to be a mother.

Solution: Accepting the loss of biological motherhood

Francesca still struggles with infertility throughout her marriage with John and loses her baby just after John’s death. She decides to remarry to become a mother, and part of her growth is allowing herself to want this and take steps to become a mother. However part of her struggle as she falls in love with Michaela is the idea of never having biological children of her own. Through Michaela and coming to terms with the reality of loving a woman, Fran comes to embrace motherhood by another route: adoption, wardship, sponsoring etc.. Infertility is still a huge part of Frans character arc and journey, but this version tells the story of people who are truly never able to have their own children, whether by personal infertility or the constraints of biology. But Fran and Michaela (and people like them) can still be parents, they can still build families, and sometimes even loosing out on something you love is worth it when you find true happiness with another.

Frans season could end with her and Michaela taking in a baby or young child of a friend as their ward, and becoming mothers together.

Original plot: More than one great love

John and Francesca were deeply in love; Fran's journey in her book is unique in the Bridgerton siblings in that she gets two great loves. She has to come to terms with loving again, not only allowing herself to look for passion and love but to accept it when she does find it.

Solution: Bisexuality vs Lesbianism

Completely ignore that little moment at their wedding where the writers and directors implied that she didn’t like the kiss with John and was later instantly attracted to Michaela. Francesca's journey is the struggle of allowing herself to love again, ergo she must have a first love to compare against. Fran should be written as Bisexual not as a Lesbian - she had true and deep love with John, and her journey with Michaela is to 1) discover that she is also attracted to and able to fall in love with women, and 2) that she is allowed to fall in love again. Francesca needs to come to the realization that this second love shouldn't be compared to the first and that it doesn't diminish it; she did love John and she can love Michaela, and one doesn't invalidate the other.

This would also touch on such great points about bisexual awareness and erasure; people truly can be attracted to both genders, and it doesn't have to be an either-or decision. These loves can and often are equally rewarding and true across genders and shouldn't be seen as one being 'experimenting' or a 'mistake' until you settle down with the other. Also it would solve the issue that the writers have (hopefully) inadvertently created; by making Francesca have a moment of attraction for Michaela at her wedding to John; if they write her as bisexual and having been attracted to Michaela throughout her marriage then it reinforces the harmful stereotype of 'bisexuals are never faithful because they are attracted to everyone'. Removing this and making no further mention of it would be in everyone's best interests.

This will allow great Mother-Daughter bonding between Violet and Fran. Violet struggled to initially understand Fran and John as a couple, but came to accept and champion their love. As Violet is being set up for a great '2nd act' love of her own, by the time Fran starts to struggle with allowing herself to want her new partner Violet will be able to provide real advice and support for her in that regard. How a second great love can be different but only because you yourself are different and one can't truly be compared to the other. It will also allow a degree of healing from Violet's handling of Fran+John, as she is perhaps the only person who will understand Fran continuing to mourn John long after his death.

Original plot: Michael's return and Francesca's future

In the book Michael returns to 'do his duty' and marry, and its only when he comes back after 4 years of little to no contact that he realizes he is still in love with Francesca. Fran also realizes she dearly wishes to be a mother and won't give up on that dream, so is looking for a husband to enable this to happen.

Solution; Michaela is chasing Fran

Francesca and Michaela have been in loose contact the whole time, mainly regarding the estate but also helping one another deal with he loss of John. One huge advantage is that women are able to write to one another freely with no worry of scandal, and so they become distant pen pals through the years. When Francesca decides that motherhood is important to her and she is going to find a husband so she can become one, Michaela rushes back home to England. She has no interest in marrying but she will be there for Fran.

Michaela knows she is still deeply in love with Fran but 1) there is no indication that Fran would or could ever feels the same and 2) Fran desperately wants children, which is something Michaela can never give her. Kind of like Simon from S1 only this time it wont be overcome by talking about your trauma. So Michaela comes back to England to truly hep Fran find a husband, justifying this as due to being in love with Fran and will never marry, its likely Michaela will leave the estate to Fran's child. So she should at least see who is a contender and help Fran choose the father of her child.

Original Plot: Michael's devotion while refusing to act on his love

Michael has been in love with Francesca for 6-ish years by the start of their story; 2 while she was married to John and the 4 years since his death. Not only has he not acted on that love since his cousins death, he doesn't even when Fran decides she wants to remarry for children. This is due to his loyalty to John and his guilt over loving his wife and now widow; even when they reconnect and he worships and adores her, he is not going to properly 'act' upon this love by proposing marriage as that would feel like a betrayal to John.

Solution; Daphne to the rescue

We still have the guilt and loyalty to John and Michaela not feeling comfortable pursuing the woman she loves because of it. However later on, once an attraction has been first stablished maybe, this can be expanded to Michaela feeling guilt that being with her will not give Francesca what she was claimed she dearly wants; children. Michaela will not properly act on their feeling's for one another, and maybe when Francesca is starting to embrace there romance Michaela can be the on to pull back and tell Fran she should still look for a husband. Fran would have to convince her that this is what she wants and that Michaela can make her happy.

This would also be a great way to bring in Daphne for a quick scene in Season 6(?), as she added so much to S2! Daphne could discover this struggle and share her own issues with having children with Fran; how she initially thought she wouldn't be able to have children with Simon and even after realizing they were both deeply in love she had to come to terms with never being a mother. This would also be a fantastic opportunity to address Daphne's awful actions in S1; She could reveal that she did not handle to loss well, and that in truth she had not properly accepted a life without children and so when the possibility of them was there she acted cruelly, something she regrets to this day. She took her pain and anger at having to give up children because of Simon out on him once it was revealed they were still possible. So her advice to Fran is totally be sure biological children are something she could live without. Because resenting the person who made you give up a dream will quickly poison your love and it is hard to come back from that. But she does also understand loving someone enough to give up on a dream.

Original Plot: Seduced into marriage, not realizing you're in love

Michael follows Francesca back to Scotland and proposes a business marriage so she can have a child and remain the Countess. After getting lost in a storm they start an intimate affair for several weeks while Fran thinks over his offer of marriage; she is torn over her attraction to Michael as this was never supposed to be part of her 2nd marriage and it feels like a betrayal of her first love. Eventually Michael cracks and tells Fran if she won't marry him then she must leave as he can't watch her marry another. He confesses his love and Fran agrees to marry him because she likes him and he's her friend and she enjoys sleeping with him. Its only after he suddenly falls ill after their marriage that she realizes she has fallen in love again, and truly embraces that risk for the reward of being with him.

Solution: M won't be a side piece and F needs to make a decision

As there is no need to rush to Scotland to tell Fran about Colins wedding this can al take place in London during the season. Michaela proposes a relationship while Fran looks for a husband; they can have fun together but when Fran wants to marry Michaela will stand back. Fran is the one who starts to think she doesn't want this arrangement to end and that she has proper feelings for Michaela, which still feels like a betrayal to Johns memory. She doesn't think there are romantic feelings from Michaela, just passion, and so she isn't realizing that she herself is falling in love.

This would also give great opportunities for double jealously for both women, as both are being actively pursued.

As Fran falls more in love though she starts to think about staying with Michaela, how they could run the Earldom together and live as if they were married. She will just take a husband but have a lover on the side as many men do. Michaela is the one who pushes Fran away, as she is focused on giving Fran her dream of children and marriage, neither of which are an option with her. Eventually, during an argument over one of Francesca's suitors Michaela confesses to loving Fran since the moment they met; not only is she feeling guilty about this due to John's memory but she couldn't forgive herself if she was the reason Fran gave up on her dream of motherhood. Michaela tells Fran she should leave her and go find a husband as Michaela can't give her the life she wants. Then when Fran proposes the secret lover route Michaela is devastated, as she will not be a mistress, even for the woman she loves. It would be agony to see Fran with another so Fran can't have her cake and eat it too; if she marries, their relationship will be over.

This could be when Fran has to truly think about what she should be giving up with this relationship and to have those heart to hearts with Daphne and Violet. Can she embrace a second great love and risk her heart again, and can she make pace with never having biological children?

In the time she has been thinking this over Michaela has fallen seriously ill; learning that she is close to death Fran races to her and realizes she does love Michaela. This is how she felt abut John and she is already mourning losing another great love; if that's how she feels, shouldn't she do anything to keep it?

Upon reaching Michaela it becomes clear she isn't as seriously ill as reported but there is no going back for Fran now. She confesses her love too and convinces Michaela that there are other forms of motherhood that will satisfy her. She won't regret loving her and can make her peace with everything she will have to give up for this relationship as long as she gets to be with Michaela.

So most of the main themes and character journeys which Francesca and Michael(a) go on throughout their love story are still open to being portrayed. Most of these plots are ready to go, just needing some adapted structure to make them work. Though it came out of left field and with no warning, that doesn't mean its not going to work.

This can still be a gorgeous story of longing and loss, and finding love where you least expect it.