Dear reader, Sophie Baek has arrived. Last September, Bridgerton announced that Yerin Ha would portray the romance series’s Sophie, a resourceful maid who dresses as the Lady in Silver at Violet Bridgerton’s masquerade ball. Since then, Netflix and Shondaland’s promotional materials have leaned heavily into the unique spectacle of that event. So, Bridgerton’s Season 4 rollout focuses more on the Lady in Silver and less on Sophie – until now.
Fitting for the season’s leads, this latest promo video pairs with that of Luke Thompson as Benedict Bridgerton, released earlier this month. Benedict’s video hinges on familiarity in anticipation of what’s to come for him when the show premieres its first four-episode part in January. Meanwhile, Sophie’s is about the opposite. Not only is she a new character to Bridgerton, but Sophie is also new to the ton. The caption reads, “Dearest Readers, it would seem we have a new face in the ton. This author can only wonder what we shall see of Miss Sophie Baek this season….” The video itself reflects that with Sophie walking into frame to face the camera. Alternatively, Benedict comfortably stands there already.
When Sophie does turn to the camera, she is revealed to be wearing a maid’s uniform – not that silver gown. Bridgerton fans will likely notice this is the third of its kind that Sophie has worn. The other two are in materials shared at the Season of Love event on Valentine’s Day this year. The behind-the-scenes video of the season reveals a different uniform than is worn in the photo of Sophie at Bridgerton House (That is Footman John, is it not?).
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The one noticeable similarity between this maid’s uniform and the Lady in Silver’s ensemble is Sophie’s necklace. It is not visible in the footage of the other maid uniforms with their higher, yet distinctive necklines. Its meaning remains a mystery. Otherwise, there are subtle differences in Sophie’s makeup and physicality that separate her from what Bridgerton has shown of the Lady in Silver. Even Sophie’s expression sets a different tone than that of Benedict in his video. Bridgerton is really building the anticipation by teasing aspects of Benedict and Sophie’s Cinderella-inspired story in these videos.
The reality is that all of this – the Lady in Silver, the (seemingly) three maid uniforms, and everything else we get to learn in the episodes – wraps up into Sophie and her story. “What drew me to Sophie was that she immediately has obstacles — something that she constantly has to overcome. Whether it’s this battle around social status or trying to hide her feelings from Benedict,” Ha said. Meanwhile, Thompson has spoken about the fantasy and reality of Season 4: “Both are true. You have to hold both of them — the romance and the reality — in your hand. In its best version, ‘true love’ happens in the middle of that.”
For Sophie, that reality includes being a maid. Presumably, one of these maid uniforms is one that Sophie will wear while working for Lady Araminta Gun (Katie Leung). She and her two daughters, Rosamund (Michelle Mao) and Posy (Isabella Wei), are also newcomers to Mayfair society. Is there a chance that Bridgerton will give them and the show’s familiar favorites promo videos of their own? Time will tell, and that clock is ticking until January 29 (and February 26).
In the meantime, it’s exciting to finally see Yerin Ha as Sophie. For fans of the book, like myself, it feels like a long time coming just to know that the character exists, let alone that Ha will portray her in a season that releases so very soon. After all, for years, Julia Quinn’s website had merely a silhouette of Sophie on An Offer from a Gentleman’s page. Now, Ha’s picture fills that spot. As this promo video reminds, she is Bridgerton’s Sophie Baek, the leading lady of Season 4.
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What do you think of this Bridgerton promo video? Let us know in the comments below!
Bridgerton Season 4 Part 1 premieres on Thursday, January 29, on Netflix.
