Reactions: Cute, Sexy, Fun
Where to watch: Netflix

I have never watched Bridgerton, but in the past I have enjoyed shows like Hulu’s The Great and Amazon’s My Lady Jane – both similar in style and story. You don’t have to know anything about Bridgerton to understand and enjoy Queen Charlotte.

The show is set in two timeframes: One when Charlotte and Charles III meet and marry; and the second many many years later when Charlotte is trying to get her 13 children to bear an heir so that their royal line will continue to rule.

Overall I liked this show. It feels like the romance paperbacks my mom’s best friend would buy at the supermarket. It’s just pure lighthearted fun. With lots of sex and drama. Someone in writing, casting or directing really really liked adding sex scenes – there are a lot of them.

I preferred the earlier setting most. The actors that play Charlotte and Charles are just delightful. And it’s nice to see the gay romance between their royal attendants Brimsley and Reynolds. I wasn’t as big of a fan of the future setting. The queen felt cold and brutal, in contrast to her warm and hopeful younger self. And that difference was never adequately developed to my liking.

One thing I did not enjoy was Lady Danbury’s story. In the early timeframe, she served as a perfect character to explore the intricacies of “the great experiment.” But in the later timeframe, she was a weird character that didn’t feel fitting to the story. And her odd connection to Lady Bridgerton also felt a little out of place. Like maybe they were trying really hard to connect this to the other show.

I suppose having it set in the two timeframes does distinguish it from a “young royal lovers” story like The Great. But the later timeframe never really mattered to me, probably because it didn’t feel intentional or well developed.

My favorite part of the entire series was the final episode. Twice I cried because of the touching moments shared between the King and Queen. In the first scene, and in the early timeframe, Charlotte aggressively forces a confession of love out of the terrified Charles’s protected heart. Beautiful, tense, and romantic. Jump forward 40-50 years and Charlotte and Charles share a really beautiful, tender moment together in their “safe place.” I cried a lot as they held hands and stared at each other in that final scene.

This certainly isn’t the deepest or most complex story I’ve ever watched. However, I enjoyed it quite a bit. I only recommend it to those viewers who like light-hearted, romantic, historical fiction. And for those who are looking for an LGBTQ+ story, there’s enough of a gay love story to make it interesting on that front. Finally, for the ladies and gay fellas reading, you’ll enjoy the ample scenes of Corey Mylechreest’s (King Charles’s) bare butt – so much so that it really should have had an acting credit of its own!