Bridgerton Season 3 Hinted At The Next Tragedy
Bridgerton season 3 established Francesca and John’s bond as one unlike any other. The show made a point to show their relationship as valid and fulfilling even if it didn’t include the drama Simon and Daphne, Anthony and Kate, Colin and Penelope all had to overcome. Developing feelings for each other was easy for Francesca and John, even if Francesca had nonetheless to fight for that union, as Violet didn’t fully understand it. With their marriage, John and Francesca seemed to have overcome the worst, but their book story includes one of Bridgerton’s biggest tragedies, and season 3’s finale hinted at that.
John and Francesca’s private wedding in Bridgerton season 3, episode 8, “Into the Light” was a wholesome affair, but it also included an unusually loaded look at John as the celebrant said, “May you now live together in holy matrimony until your dying breath.” While the sentence could easily be overlooked by viewers unaware of their book story, Bridgerton book readers were reminded of the tragic ending of Francesca and John’s story by it. Indeed, Francesca is left widowed merely two years after marrying John in When He Was Wicked, and Bridgerton Season 3 hinted at that with that sentence.
John’s Death Mirrors Francesca’s Father’s
John’s sudden death in When He Was Wicked also mirrors the fate of Francesca’s father, Edmund Bridgerton. Bridgerton Season 3’s part 1 already hinted at that when it showed Francesca pensively looking at her mother and father’s portrait in the living room, but Francesca’s book story cements her as the one most similar to Violet among her siblings for how their fates tragically link them. Indeed, like Edmund’s death is brought upon by a bee sting, John’s death is caused by a ruptured cerebral aneurysm in When He Was Wicked, making both deaths unpredictable and happening too soon.
The similarities between Edmund’s story and John’s don’t stop at that, as the medical knowledge of Regency England also guaranteed their families wouldn’t have known the real reasons for their deaths. While they understood that Edmund died after a bee sting and John did so after an explosive headache, Violet and Francesca didn’t know what specifically caused their sad fates, potentially making their coming to terms with their deaths more difficult.
John’s Death Will Completely Change Francesca’s Future
Given John’s introduction in season 3, Bridgerton season 4 will likely continue to tell his and Francesca’s story, even more so if it focuses on another Bridgerton sibling, as that would make it possible to give even more insights into John and Francesca’s love before John’s untimely death. However, John’s death will undoubtedly and drastically change Francesca’s future, as she expected to discover herself away from her family by Bridgerton season 3’s ending, but her relatively near future has insurmountable grief in store for her.
Francesca’s struggles with infertility are a big part of her story in When He Was Wicked. This is a problem for her both with John and Michael, even if she eventually gives birth to two children with the latter. Bridgerton season 3 genderswapping Michael and presenting Michaela Stirling as John’s cousin hints at her future story providing long-awaited LGBTQ+ representation, but it also greatly changes her book story, as it’s unlikely she and Michaela can marry after falling for one another.
