Bridgerton Season 4: Sophie and Benedict's Romance Deserved More

Midway through Season 4 of Bridgerton, and right after Benedict Bridgerton’s anguished cry “I cannot love a maid!!”, the central romance becomes clear: Benedict (Luke Thompson), the previously unattached Bridgerton son, falls for Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha), a maid thrown out by her stepmother and left in dire financial straits.

The show briefly explores weighty questions — one episode looks at how a relationship across class lines lacks equal consent, another shows how Sophie as Benedict’s mistress would live in a gilded cage — but the plot is ultimately resolved with an eleventh-hour twist.

Sophie’s late father, Lord Penwood, left her money for a dowry that her stepmother, Lady Araminta Gun (Katie Leung), hid, and a stipend clause explains why Araminta kept Sophie in service so long. When the Bridgertons confront Araminta, she threatens to expose Sophie’s masquerade disguise — a peasant posing as nobility — which would exile Sophie from society.

bridgerton, season 4, benedict bridgerton, sophie baek, luke thompson, yerin ha, araminta gun, katie leung, dowry, class lines