Diksha Sundriyal
One of the things that makes Netflix’s ‘Bridgerton’ such a great watch is the attention to detail. It isn’t just about the characters in the spotlight in a particular season but also about the ones who might not seem so important to begin with but actually cast a long shadow on the fate of the rest of the characters. We met a similar character in Season 2. Called Jack Featherington, he appeared following the death of Lord Featherington, Portia’s husband and the father of Penelope and her sisters. Jack was supposed to have turned around the tide for the Featheringtons, but he turned out to be even worse news than the previous Lord Featherington, who gambled away his family’s fortune.
Jack Featherington is Unlikely to Return to Bridgerton
Played by Rupert Young, Jack Featherington was revealed to be more cunning than what appears at face value. As the new Lord Featherington, he had the chance to do things right, and he must have come into the house believing his bad luck was about to change. However, it turned out that even his new position was not good enough to do him any favors financially. However, he could use his title to garner enough trust to put a scheme into motion that just might do the trick.
True to his nature, Jack tries to ensnare Portia into his trap when he realizes his plan cannot work without her anymore. He had already witnessed her wit and intellect and her innate ability to be great at being wicked. He could use all of that in his new life, so he offers Portia a new future, one that is away from the judging eyes of the ton in America. He offers to run away together and build a new life with all the money he has stolen from the other men. However, Portia cannot leave her daughters, and when she asks Jack what they are going to do about the girls, he reveals that he is ready to leave them behind, for now, at least.
Jack underestimates Portia’s love for her daughters as well as her desire to be a part of the ton. She wants to be the best of them, not run away from them. So, at the end of the day, she chooses her family and her title and tells Jack to leave while he has the chance. She is pretty capable of taking care of her daughters on her own, and she doesn’t need a man to do that. Her husband had never been around either, so what difference would it make now?
One of the things that Portia does before sending Jack on his way is to have his signatures forged in a document that says that Jack has given up the deed of the Featherington estate in favor of the first son born to one of her daughters. She knew that convincing Jack to do it would have been impossible, so she decided to cheat him, which shouldn’t be surprising, considering that he had been cheating the men in society for his own profit.
The forged signature becomes an important part of the third season’s plot, which leaves a window, small as it might be, for Lord Featherington’s return. What if he is not done with the Featherington fortune yet? In that case, it would mean terrible things for Portia, even though her girls (except Penelope) are already settled. It is illegal to forge signatures, and Portia would have to pay the price. Moreover, her daughters would be shunned from society, and the title of Featherington would be passed on to someone who would not bat an eye before letting Portia and her daughters go down the spiral.
Still, considering that the third season is set to seal the deal for Colin and Penelope, and considering that she is the main Featherington, it makes sense that all the drama of her family will go on complete backfoot in the coming seasons. With her having married a Bridgerton, the future of her family is secure, so any threats of Jack Featherington would be rendered meaningless, making his presence in the show entirely unnecessary.
