Freddie Dennis and Hugh Sachs as
Viewers tuning into “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story” may be left wondering what happens to King George’s chief secretary, Reynolds, whose storyline seems to be left open-ended in the Netflix series.
Reynolds (Freddie Dennis) is introduced in the first episode of the new Netflix prequel as the king’s righthand man, similar to Brimsley’s (Hugh Sachs) relationship with Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuevel) in the main show.
In the “Queen Charlotte” scenes set in the long distant past — the show spans two timelines, one set in 1761, and the other in 1817 — Reynolds and a younger version of Brimsley (played by Sam Clemett) have a complicated relationship, especially when it is revealed that they are in a secret romantic relationship.
When the series jumps to the scenes set in 1817, Reynolds is nowhere to be seen and he is never mentioned.
The only reference to him in the latter timeline is a moment in the finale when the show cuts from a scene featuring young Reynolds and Brimsley dancing together to an older Brimsley dancing alone.
What happened to Reynolds?
Sachs, who plays the older Brimsley, told Vulture that the script initially had a small scene that would have addressed what happened to Reynolds, however, it wasn’t filmed.
“There was a scene that we didn’t film because it was cut, where I was going to meet the older Reynolds,” Sachs said.
“He was the love of his life, and for whatever reason, they could not stay together. So when they would pass each other in the passageway in the deleted scene, it wasn’t a toxic moment. Because of the world they inhabited, it was still a hangable offense to be gay, and it was just not possible.”
Because of the period “Bridgerton” is set in, the show’s queer characters have often hidden their sexuality.
In “Bridgerton” season one, Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) befriends a married artist Henry Granville (Julian Ovenden), who is secretly in love with another man.
When Benedict catches the two men together, he later criticizes Granville for having an affair, only to find out that the artist’s wife knows about the relationship and that their marriage is a sham to allow each other to explore relationships that are frowned upon in society.
Many fans were critical of the plot because “Bridgerton” often takes creative liberties with history, such as reimagining a more racially diverse society.
Some viewers were also hopeful that fan favorites Benedict and Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie) might be queer and date people of the same sex in the series.
“Bridgerton” author Julia Quinn told Cosmopolitan Spain that she would be open to a gay protagonist in the series despite there being no such narrative in the original book series. However, she clarified she is not part of the writing process for the show.
