‘Bridgerton’: A Refresher on All of Benedict’s Past Relationships Before Season 4
It may have taken four seasons for Benedict (Luke Thompson) to get his fairy tale romance, but the second eldest Bridgerton hasn’t been sitting idly by while his siblings found love. Benedict has been on a journey of his own since Bridgerton Season 1. In addition to exploring his passion for art and escaping the ton for the more free-spirited circles of society, the bohemian bachelor has had a few romantic endeavors.
Before Benedict begins pursuing the Lady in Silver from his mother’s masquerade ball — who, unbeknownst to him, is maid Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha) — we’re revisiting all of the others who caught his eye in the first three seasons. Scroll for a full recap of Benedict’s past relationships, none of which convinced him to settle down before Sophie. From Benedict’s Season 1 affair with a modiste to his Season 3 throuple, let’s get into it.
Season 1
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What happens between Benedict & Madame Genevieve Delacroix?
While Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor) is falling in love with Simon (Regé-Jean Page), Benedict has an affair with someone polite society wouldn’t deem appropriate for a man of his standing: modiste Genevieve Delacroix (Kathryn Drysdale). In Episode 5, they meet at a party of artists, prompting Genevieve question why a Bridgerton would be in such a place. It doesn’t take much flirting for them to fall into bed together — with a third, no less.
Lady Lucy Granville (Sandra Teles) joins them, and Benedict later finds out that she has an arrangement with her husband. Lord Granville (Julian Ovenden), whom Benedict briefly flirted with at a party, is in love with a man. Lord Granville explains it to Benedict at a ball in Episode 7 that he and his wife have an arrangement that allows them both to see other people.
“It takes courage to live outside the traditional expectations of society,” Granville says when Benedict struggles to understand. “You talk of doing the same, but perhaps it is merely just that: all talk.”
Benedict brings up his “friendship” with Genevieve to Anthony in Episode 8. Anthony shocks his brother when he says he’s happy for him. After that, Bridgerton doesn’t address Benedict and Genevieve’s relationship again, implying that it fizzles out between Seasons 1 and 2.
Season 2
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What happened between Benedict & Tessa?
When Benedict heads to the Royal Academy of Art, he meets Tessa (Emily Barber), one of the school’s models. Bendict discovers that she’s an artist herself when he finds her drawing in an empty classroom. Benedict offers to pose for her before taking off his clothes. They sleep together afterward, but Tessa isn’t seen again.
Season 3
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What happened between Benedict & Lady Tilley Arnold & Paul Suarez?
Benedict’s most significant relationship thus far has been with Lady Tilley Arnold (Hannah New), a widow he meets in Episode 3. At a hot-air balloon demonstration, she’s the sole woman in a room full of men, and she asks a question about the engineering. Her unconventionality immediately draws his interest.
They cross paths again at a ball. Benedict says he braved the marriage-minded mamas of the ton to see her. During their flirty conversation, which is followed by a dance, Tilley reveals that she doesn’t want another husband, which intrigues the independent Benedict. He calls on her at home afterward, and they begin a casual affair.
Tilley introduces Benedict to her friend, Paul (Lucas Aurelio), a patron of the arts. The three of them hit it off during a dinner, before Benedict and Paul have a one-on-one conversation on the balcony. Paul subtly expresses his interest and flusters Benedict. That evening, Benedict catches Tilley and Paul kissing, and the latter extends an offer for Benedict to join them upstairs. Benedict runs away at first, but eventually takes them up on it.
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During another tryst with Tilley, Benedict questions where Paul is. (He was spending time with someone else.) Tilley reveals that she wants to have Benedict to herself and that she’s beginning to have non-platonic feelings for him. But when she expresses her desire for something more serious, Benedict shuts her down. She’s helped him realize how good it feels to be free — and he isn’t ready to stop feeling that.
Of course, that’s going to change when he meets Sophie. Benedict’s final lines in Season 3 hint at his Season 4 journey: “The more I learn, the more I realize how little I know,” he tells Eloise (Claudia Jessie). “It feels right now that the next thing I might learn may change me entirely.” Right you are, Benedict!
Bridgerton, Season 4, Part 1 Premiere, Thursday, January 29, Netflix
Bridgerton, Season 4, Part 2 Premiere, Thursday, February 26, Netflix
