Just when you thought this was another tale of Victorian-era heterosexual romance, Netflix quietly opened the door to a “she-meets-she” storyline. In the newly released second half of Bridgerton Season 3, the once sweet and reserved Francesca Bridgerton suddenly encounters a new presence — Michaela Stirling, a woman as poised and mysterious as she is. That scene, scented with the subtle violence of a rose-bladed dagger, sliced a stark line between loyal book fans and LGBTQ+ viewers.
In the original novel, the love story between Francesca and Michael Stirling was a restrained yet deeply passionate forbidden romance—between a widow and her late husband’s cousin. It was quiet, emotional, and intensely intimate, cherished by fans as the most devastatingly beautiful of the series.
But at the end of Season 3, Netflix drops a bombshell: the “Stirling” Francesca meets isn’t Michael—it’s Michaela, a woman. One casual line—“We finally meet”—paired with Francesca’s moment of visible panic, was enough to signal Michael’s complete erasure.
One longtime Reddit user wrote, “That look wasn’t shock, it was attraction. My Michael didn’t even get a chance to appear.”
Book fans broke down. New fans cheered.
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