Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘Bridgerton‘ follows the titular family, with each season focusing on the love story of one sibling. The fourth season brings Benedict Bridgerton into the spotlight, focusing on his complex upstairs-downstairs romance with Sophie Baek. While the Bridgertons and their romantic interests remain at the centre of the spotlight, the show also gives space to supporting characters, whom the audience has grown to love over the course of the seasons. Lady Danbury is one of them and has played an important role in the love lives of almost all Bridgerton siblings so far. This is why it is curious to see her talk about leaving for a bit, suggesting that she could be going on a hiatus, raising questions about the character and the actor’s future in the show. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Lady Danbury’s Talks of Leaving Serve the Core Theme of the Season
No other character has been as socially influential in ‘Bridgerton’ as Lady Danbury. She has been the Queen’s confidante for many years and has actually become so indispensable that when she asks to take a break from her responsibilities and visit her ancestral home, Queen Charlotte flat-out refuses to do it. To her credit, Lady Danbury doesn’t immediately dump it on the Queen. Her first step is to hand over the responsibility of hosting the first ball of the season. Instead of following the tradition, she gives over the responsibility to Violet Bridgerton, who opens the season with a masquerade ball. It is during the ball that Lady Danbury puts forth her proposal of taking a respite from the social responsibilities and leaving England for a while. The queen ignores her request at first, but in their next meeting, when Lady Danbury becomes more insistent and explains her situation, the Queen flat out refuses. This results in a rift between them, which leads Lady Danbury to not visit the Queen for a few days. It isn’t until Brimsley shows up at her house, begging her to come back for the Queen’s sake, that she finally offers an olive branch.
Still, the idea of a leave hasn’t left her mind yet. She knows that the Queen will not allow her to leave because of the fear of being left alone in a place where she has no friends, especially not like Lady Danbury. So, her best bet is to find a replacement who can keep the Queen entertained as well as on her toes, so that Lady Danbury can leave in peace. For this, Alice Mondrich turns out to be a great candidate. Not only does she have all the qualities that a lady-in-waiting needs, but she is also someone Lady Danbury can trust, though she knows Alice won’t like being thrust into that position. Initially, she thinks she is being selfish, but at the same time, this move will be great for Alice’s social standing. At the same time, it will also give the Queen a new friend, so it will be great for the monarch. With Alice set to take that position, does this mean Lady Danbury will take her leave and may not appear in the next season? Not exactly.
The showrunner, Jess Brownell, revealed that the reason for Lady Danbury’s desire to leave was to present the power imbalance in an otherwise great relationship. With Benedict and Sophie’s romance being the core issue, the show’s writers wanted to reflect the upstairs-downstairs theme in other parts of the story as well, and Lady Danbury and the Queen’s friendship also presented the possibility of exploring that theme. It also allowed the writers to expand Alice Mondrich’s storyline and establish her as a more impactful character in the show. The show’s creator also assured the fans that while Lady Danbury may be talking about leaving, it doesn’t mean that she will. With the show already greenlit for a fifth and sixth season, Lady Danbury will continue to play an integral role in the future seasons, which means that Adjoa Andoh is not going anywhere, and Lady Danbury’s contribution to society will continue.
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