The Lost Art of Happily Ever After
Most of us grew up reading or watching classic fairy tales in which the prince and princess fell in love, encountered a problem, and struggled for a while before magically solving it and living happily ever after. These stories were safe. No matter what went wrong, the characters were guaranteed to end up satisfied, and we were guaranteed to leave the story feeling content and hopeful. However, as we grew up, we began to consume stories that usually end with either ambiguity or compromise. The characters aren’t always completely disappointed, but they could have been happier.
This detail is what separates Bridgerton from most popular shows for adults: it always ends with hope and certainty. The waters may be rough, and the twists may be shocking, but in the back of our minds, we’re excited to see how the couple is going to live happily ever after and how love is going to prevail. Such happy endings may be extremely cheesy and unrealistic, but amidst the chaos and uncertainty of our modern world, some of us need to be reassured by something uplifting and unrealistic.
What I find especially interesting about Bridgerton is that it mimics the way fairytales developed. Stories like Sleeping Beauty and The Little Mermaid started off a lot darker and more tragic but were adapted to have more gentle endings in order for them to be suitable for younger kids. The adapted versions teach children that although there are problems in the world, they can be fixed and everything will be alright. Birdgerton does a similar thing for an adult audience by taking complex, universal themes such as relationships and societal expectations and writes them into narratives that offers hope and dismisses all our fearful “what ifs”.
After finishing season 4, my roommate and I discussed how the show unashamedly emphasizes a whimsical, hopeless, and romantic perspective that we both found to be very refreshing. On top of that, it’s beautiful how almost anyone can see themselves in the stories – giving the show even more points as this is something that older fairytales lack. Although the classic stories didn’t explicitly state the characters’ ethnicities, the visuals and descriptions painted a white, European context. Therefore a large percentage of children who heard and saw those stories weren’t able to see themselves in the characters’ shoes living their joyful lives. The representation of characters of different ethnicities, abilities, backgrounds, and life choices reflects the real world, making it feel a bit more realistic and including almost everyone who watches the show.
All in all, in a world full of conflict and disarray, Bridgerton’s promise of happiness is like a gentle bedtime story you hear before falling asleep. It reminds us to stay positive and hopeful, reassuring us that life will work out beautifully and reviving our faith in a “happily ever after”.
