\n<\/p>\n
As the family joyfully reassembles, one\u00a0Bridgerton family member<\/a> is noticeably absent: Season 4\u2019s leading man,\u00a0Benedict Bridgerton<\/a> (Luke Thompson). He\u2019s missing seeing Season 3 newlyweds Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin (Luke Newton)<\/a> dote on their lordly baby and the return of Francesca<\/a> (Hannah Dodd), Eloise<\/a> (Claudia Jessie), and Lord John Stirling<\/a> (Victor Alli) from faraway Scotland. Hyacinth (Florence Hunt) has even lowered her hems! Violet, always one to prize family time, is dismayed that her second child isn\u2019t part of the festivities.\u00a0<\/p>\n With the help of Footman John (Oli Higginson), Violet hurries to Benedict\u2019s private apartment. She demands to see her son … but Footman John and Benedict\u2019s valet Hatch (Esh Alladi) recommend anything but. In fact, Footman John says, he would be happy to fetch the regularly truant Benedict for his mother, just so she doesn\u2019t have to see what\u2019s hiding in his bedroom. So what has Benedict been up to these last few months? Why hasn\u2019t he been showing up to society events? What is concealed inside his quarters? And is it something more than a mere \u201cinebriated slumber\u201d?<\/p>\nWe\u2019re about to learn all of that \u2014 and more \u2014 when Bridgerton<\/i> returns. The new season follows Benedict as his romance with series newcomer Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha)<\/a> makes him question his ideas about love, commitment, and society. \u201cBenedict is very free and very keen to hold onto his freedom. He can be a certain person at home, he can be a certain person at the demimonde, he can be a certain person in society,\u201d says Thompson. \u201cHis weak spot is where love comes in, because you can\u2019t really be in love with someone if you\u2019re not fully there \u2026 to get to spend a full eight episodes digging into him and making a whole symphony about him, it\u2019s great.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n While Benedict is the romantic hero of Season 4, the premiere sneak peek reveals that we\u2019ll also get to know the people who maintain\u00a0Bridgerton House<\/a> \u2014 and the many magnificent manors across the ton. The sprawling one-shot opener introduces the work that goes on downstairs and the hardworking characters that do it.\u00a0<\/p>\n This is a fitting way to start\u00a0the season<\/a>, which finds Benedict falling in love with the captivating Lady in Silver at his mother\u2019s masquerade ball \u2014\u00a0a fan-favorite moment<\/a> from the book An Offer from a Gentleman<\/i>, on which Season 4 is based. As he searches high and low in the ton for her true identity, a chance encounter leads him to grow close to Sophie, a hardworking maid. At the start of Season 4, Sophie works at the aristocratic Penwood House for new-to-Bridgerton<\/i> characters Araminta Gun (Katie Leung), Rosamund Li (Michelle Mao), and Posy Li (Isabella Wei).\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s so beautiful about [Sophie and Benedict\u2019s] relationship is that they see each other for who they are, and they do start to question the standards that society puts on people,\u201d says Ha. \u201cIf you are in love with the person at the core of who they are, then that should be all that matters, right?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Benedict will have to answer that question as he contends with the reality of his feelings for the maid in front of him, and the feelings he has for the mythic Lady in Silver \u2014 unaware that they are actually the same woman. Watch the trailer for Part 1<\/a> to see more of \u201cBenophie,\u201d as the pairing is lovingly called.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Benedict isn\u2019t the only Bridgerton for whom things are heating up this season. Catch up with the Season 4 stars at the\u00a0Paris Premiere Masquerade<\/a> earlier this month. And if that doesn\u2019t quench your craving for tea, tune into the companion podcast Bridgerton: The Official Podcast<\/i><\/a>, and read about all the ways you can celebrate with the\u00a0Season of Love<\/a>.<\/p>\n Stay tuned to the Society Papers \u2014 aka Tudum \u2014 for everything there is to know about the latest Bridgerton<\/i> season<\/a>, due on\u00a0Netflix Jan. 29<\/a><\/p>\n Watch the Trailer for Bridgerton: The Official Podcast<\/i><\/span>Dive deep into romances, scandals, and familial ties of Mayfair<\/span><\/p>\n