This post contains SPOILERS for Bridgerton
Bridgerton's season ending Lady Whistledown reveal was a last minute addition to the season. Bridgerton premiered on Netflix on Christmas Day, the first show in Shonda Rhimes' overall deal with Netflix. Based on the Julia Quinn romance novels, Bridgerton follows the titular family in high-society London as they search for their perfect matches. Lording over it all is Lady Whistledown, the narrator of the show and scandal-extraordinaire.
Bridgerton is the perfect mix of Pride & Prejudice and Gossip Girl - Lady Whistledown's papers drive much of the plot as she writes about the season's scandals and pairings. Occupied with her identity is Eloise Bridgerton, one of the younger Bridgerton siblings. Eloise wants to expose Lady Whistledown initially, but by season's end is protecting her identity while the Queen tries to expose her. Little does she know that she's protecting the identity of her closest friend, Penelope Featherington.
It is revealed at the end of the season that Penelope Featherington, played by Nicola Coughlan, is Lady Whistledown. Coughlan says the big scene in which Lady Whistledown's identity is revealed was a last minute addition, filmed after principal photography had already ended in February 2019. In an interview with Variety, Coughlan reveals that she flew out to film the final scene as lockdowns swept the globe. She says that the whole process was top secret so as not to give away the show's biggest shocker.
It was so much fun. We had to film that in the middle of COVID. I had to be super, super secret. I had to be flown over from Ireland, and tested and tested and tested, and do the fitting. It was hyper secret; I couldn’t let anyone know I was there or what was going on. But it was so much fun to film that.
The reveal of Lady Whistledown's identity was shocking, to say the least. The secret identity of London's most notorious gossiper could have been drawn out for at least a few seasons in an effort to ratchet up the tension. That's what Gossip Girl did, drawing out that plot for its entire six season run. Bridgerton seems to have some other things on its mind, though - the heart of the relationships at the show's core. It will be interesting to see how things develop in the future. Bridgerton season 2 is expected to start filming soon, even though Netflix hasn't officially announced it.
Eloise and Penelope are the series' closest friends and their quest to reveal Lady Whistledown's identity leads to a fractured relationship. Although they eventually do reunite, forgiving each other's transgressions, it feels almost poetic that Eloise is the one to stop the Queen from revealing Lady Whistledown's identity, without even knowing that she was protecting her closest friend. The reveal at the end of Bridgerton season 1 may have come early for some folks, but the emotional payoff made it all worth it.
Source: Variety
