hindsight being 20/20 really fucks me up because when i say i doubted myself about fran and mich being the leads for season 5 despite the foreshadowing being so obvious. like eloise and penelope setting fran up to state that she would never get married again, but eloise is down to attend more weddings??? instead people got angry at pen for implying a second marriage “too soon after john” even though fran’s actual story is just that, after mourning, she does eventually try to marry again.
BUT the real punch in the face for me was realizing michaela’s carriage scene is the first moment the show frames her from her own perspective instead of solely through francesca. they did not have to show michaela leaving. they could’ve kept all the emotional weight on fran, being devastated that she left without notice. fran not even noticing the maid leaving because she’s so confused. instead, however, the show deliberately centers the fact that fran is completely shattered by michaela leaving after promising she would stay. the parallel of fran’s shock and michaela’s guilt showing them both emotionally affected set up what’s to come. with the emotional twist of fran losing both john and then immediately michaela too, she may not have died, but she left a void where she should be. the show makes a point of michaela choosing to leave anyway, despite knowing what she means to fran. (that’s gonna set up the best kind of angst for fran worrying that mich won’t always be there, which isn’t true, but it’s a fear nonetheless)
yes, i know the reason is connected to fran. obviously. she’s in love with her. but that’s different from how the show had previously used her character. before this, michaela mostly existed within fran’s emotional orbit. even scenes like her crying in the hallway or reacting to fran screaming after finding john are still framed through francesca’s arc. the carriage scene shifts that. for the first time, the narrative pauses to follow what michaela is choosing to do with her grief and feelings, not just how fran experiences them. and honestly, that tracks with how bridgerton structures future leads. kate and sophie only have their seasons to be seen and then become a unit with their bridgerton spouse later on. penelope is the exception because lady whistledown gave her that space, plus she’s eloise’s best friend and the yearning for colin had to be set up. so, until the romance actually begins, michaela is still “john’s cousin” within the story structure right now, even if she’s fran’s endgame. but, come s5, she’ll be sharing the spotlight.
so when i see comments about the show giving michaela scenes that function for her own arc and from her own POV rather than solely fran’s perspective, it reminded me that that was her first scene without francesca involved, hinting at the start of her personal narrative.
it really was all right there.
