Bridgerton’s sex favors quality over quantity – that’s a good thing

Bridgerton‘s first season threw viewers into a lavish alternate history romance and made one thing very, very clear: unlike historical romances of the past, these characters fucked. A lot of. So a lot of.

When the first season went cold at the end of 2020, its steamy reputation spread like Lady Whistledown’s gossip pamphlet. Daphne and the Duke got to work on every surface of their estate, and fans were thrilled. But then seasons 2 and 3 saw a sharp drop in the number of sex scenes, which some viewers turned to complaining about the lack of horniness in their torrid Regency romance.

But the thing is, horniness isn’t just about the actual act of sex. It’s about the build-up, the yearning, the longing, and both seasons 2 and 3 have that in buckets. Bridgerton‘s sex scenes are about quality, not just quantity — at least when it comes to each season’s main romantic pairings.

Thanks to Regency-era double standards, Bridgerton There will always be a single guy having a threesome with prostitutes in the background, if you just want fornication for sex scenes. But Bridgerton‘s main couples have always been much more than that. From the beginning, the intimate scenes between the romantic leads were always about the nature of their relationship, rather than just being sexy for sexy’s sake. It just so happened that Daphne’s entire arc was exploring sex and passion, so there was a lot of the boning going on for her.

But the slow burn of Kate and Anthony’s enemies wouldn’t have worked if they had gotten out of it right away. Instead, every longing look and lingering hand touch was slowly stoked and simmered until it boiled over. They only had a single sex scene, but by God, it was so cathartic after a season of verbal sparring and anxious pining. Finally they let go! They shed their burdens and responsibilities and found comfort in each other’s arms. (And season 3 shows them blissfully happy and making love on every possible surface of their home.)

Photo: Liam Daniel/Netflix

Colin and Penelope’s scenes, meanwhile, are both passionate and tender. You can tell that these are two people who care deeply about each other – and two people who would love to rip each other’s clothes off. They don’t have montages of lustful positions; their few scenes are intimate and tender in a way that evokes a completely different kind of butterflies.

Bridgerton‘s best intimate scenes aren’t just hot; they contribute to the character arcs and relationship developments. Case in point: Benedict’s bi-waking trio in this season. Of all the Bridgerton brothers, Benedict had the most carefree sex throughout the three seasons. It’s easy to figure out which new girl (or girls) he’s currently involved with, especially compared to the other, more compelling romantic pairings. But this trio actually resources something. When he turns away from his current female lover Tilly and shares his first kiss with a man, it actually creates a burning tension that is finally released. It’s a culmination of his character arc, one that could explode with fireworks, rather than just another background tie-in for old Benedict.

The first season of Bridgerton had a lot of sordid scenes between the lead pair. But the fact that the other seasons didn’t live up to the sheer volume doesn’t make them any less. We shouldn’t lament the discrepancy in sex scenes Bridgerton season 1; we should celebrate the fact that the showrunners and intimacy coordinators took the time and care to show different types of romantic moments — and still have them be incredibly hot.

All three seasons of Bridgerton streaming now on Netflix.