The queen has arrived! Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story 1×01 “Queen to Be” is the episode where the fairy tale begins…and ends. Charlotte arrives stomping, rebelling against social conventions, and choosing her destiny, although nothing turns out as she expected. Ready?
Here we go!
Advantageous Obligations
Queen Charlotte 1×01 “Queen to Be” begins with Charlotte witnessing how her brother Adolphus closed her future and her destiny without her being able to comment. Charlotte refuses to be treated as a mere possession of her brother. She fights tooth and nail for her voice to be heard. But she doesn’t get it.
In Queen Charlotte 1×01 “Queen to Be,” Adolphus insists that this is for the best because she will be queen. The point here is that nobody asked Charlotte if she wanted to be. And yes, the crown has a lot of power and the benefits that they can obtain with this commitment are very beneficial. But the problem is that her sister is not something to take advantage of. Or she shouldn’t be.
Playing devil’s advocate here, Adolphus loves her sister and it’s clear that he wants what’s best for her. He truly believes that accepting the engagement on her behalf in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story 1×01 “Queen to Be” is the best for her future.
Adolphus doesn’t realize that he should be listening to her. But no man at that age listens to a woman’s desires, so he’s not doing anything that isn’t a normal practice in society. Of course, it’s not well but Adolphus is just a symptom of a bigger disease. A disease that Charlotte will promise herself to eradicate, and throughout the show we will see if she succeeds or not.
The Right to Choose in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story 1×01 “Queen to Be”
Despite her struggle, the future queen arrives at the palace in Queen Charlotte 1×01 “Queen to Be.” But she doesn’t stop fighting and manages to escape… but George is faster. And this is where the magic happens. When they meet, we can feel how sparks fly in the air. At all times George is charming, charismatic, and friendly.
Charlotte realizes that she can talk about everything with him and maintains her level of sarcasm, sense of humor, and a battle of speech. She can hardly believe that he is her future husband.
But what conquers Charlotte in Queen Charlotte 1×01 “Queen to Be” is not how charming George is with her, nor even the sense of closeness and trust that makes her feel when he insists that she call him by name. What wins over her is that he is the first to care to listen to her and to ask what she wants. George is the first and only one who gives Charlotte the right to choose her own destiny.
And that’s all Charlotte needed.
Time for a Fairy Tale in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story 1×01 “Queen to Be”
This man understands Charlotte like no one ever has. But, beyond that, George values her opinion. He values her, so much that he understands that she has the right to choose her own life and offers her what no one has ever done: freedom and free will.
In Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story 1×01 “Queen to Be” she feels and knows instantly that no other will ever offer her that. She doesn’t love George, she doesn’t even know him, but she chooses him. She chooses to believe in him and the hidden promises she sees in his eyes. Charlotte chooses to take a leap of faith and take a chance.
Charlotte feels that she really could fall in love and be happy next to this charming man who understands that the choice for women should not be a privilege, but rather a right. This sensitive man is so close that Charlotte just wants to squeeze him closer. Queen Charlotte doesn’t choose the crown, she chooses George… that’s why she gets married in her dress.
The wedding dress that Augusta made for Charlotte in Queen Charlotte 1×01 “Queen to Be” symbolizes her condemnation, the bonds that were woven against her will. However, the dress that Charlotte ultimately chooses for her wedding symbolizes her choice. She is choosing to link her life to George. She is choosing him.
And it feels almost like a fairy tale. For her and us. Charlotte chose him and now they are going to meet, fall in love, and be happy together… but soon those dreams are shattered.
The Fragility of Happiness in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story 1×01 “Queen to Be”
As soon as the newlyweds step out of the royal carriage, the magic breaks in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story 1×01 “Queen to Be.” George decided that he and Charlotte would live apart. Before that day, Charlotte would have signed anywhere to have this: a silver lining. But not now, not after meeting George, feeling that spark inside her, not after she had trusted and believed in him, leaping blindly into the unknown.
So Charlotte tries, by all means, to get George to reconsider and allow them to start getting to know each other. But he leaves no room for reply and is despotic with her. Suddenly, the close and charming man who made Charlotte believe in him has disappeared. Charlotte has her Majesty before her, not George, not hers George.
That is enough for Charlotte to suppress her hopes and the illusions that she had collapsed like a house of cards. She is not willing to show herself more exposed and vulnerable than she already has for someone who doesn’t deserve it in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story 1×01 “Queen to Be.” A queen, indeed.
George, for his part, immediately regrets the way he handled things, but stands by what he said. Although his eyes… his eyes tell a very different story than what his words say. And we wonder why.
In any case, Charlotte isn’t about to look back on someone who, from what he’s shown, only charmed her like a snake. And that’s how Queen Charlotte feels: disappointed, angry… and cheated. Not the best start to a marriage, that’s for sure.
The Woman Fierceness
Lady Danbury appears on our screens for the first time in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story 1×01 “Queen to Be.” And we meet the character who is becoming the amazing woman we all know. She is married to an older man for whom she feels between disgust and admiration.
She is disgusted by the man who sexually assaults her whenever he wants, but she admires the intellectual man behind him. Because of this, Lady Danbury’s life is based on contempt for the man she is married to.
Lady Danbury never got to choose the way Queen Charlotte chose George and she didn’t feel that spark that changed everything either. But now, with the arrival of Charlotte, things begin to change. For the first time, someone like her becomes a monarch.
That not only brings opportunities for Black royals to enter high society but also an opening for them to establish themselves there forever. It’s an opportunity for them to take the place that has been denied them. And Lady Danbury is willing to fight to secure that place.
Other Stuff in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story 1×01 “Queen to Be”
- I am not the best person to dissect the aspects of racism that Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story 1×01 “Queen to Be” alludes to. Later, we will have the voices indicated for it in a roundtable. In the meantime, I can only say that I have seen red when Augusta said that Charlotte was “too brown” and when she stared at her teeth, treating her like cattle.
- And the height of insult is knowing the contemptuous way in which Black Nobles are treated, given their rightful place just for appearances’ sake. My stomach has turned. Luckily, Lady Danbury can realize the manipulations of the crown and she knows that they are still considered Second Class Nobles… but she is willing to fight so that they will not be like that anymore.
- I was surprised by Adolphus’ treatment of his sister after the wedding but I understand that it’s a symbol of Charlotte’s new status. Now her family is royalty, not him.
- Lady Danbury is being sexually assaulted, don’t be fooled by the lack of violence, there is no consent. I said what I said.
- I too would fall at George’s feet after that encounter in the garden.
- My heart broke at the same time as Charlotte’s. I could feel it.
- In LOVE with Charlotte and Lady Danbury.
- Queen Charlotte has a job at present if she wants to put her family on the line.
- And the irony is not lost on me that Charlotte is now doing what she so hated being done to her in the past.
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story is available to stream on Netflix.
