Everyone thought Season 5 would finally belong to Eloise Bridgerton. The buildup and curiosity were there, and honestly, it just felt like her turn. But the show has flipped expectations again. Season 5 is officially putting Lady Francesca Stirling and Michaela Stirling at the heart of the story, and filming has already begun outside London.
Played by Hannah Dodd and Masali Baduza, the duo steps into the spotlight after a slow emotional build in Season 4.“I’m panicked and excited!” Dodd told Netflix.
Showrunner Jess Brownell praised the pair, “I cannot say enough good things about Hannah and Masali. The two of them have such a beautiful friendship and support each other in such a beautiful way.”
A Love Story Built on Grief and a Lot of Yearning
If there’s one word defining this season, it’s yearning. A lot of it. Francesca is now a young widow after losing John Stirling, and she’s trying to figure out what life looks like after that kind of loss. Michaela (John’s cousin) is the only person who really gets it. That shared grief pulls them close in a way no one else can.
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“As John’s cousin, Michaela is the only other person who fully understands what Francesca might feel like,” Dodd explained. “That just connects them on another level.” But things don’t stay simple. Michaela runs. Literally leaves London.
“It’s just too much for Michaela. With intense emotions like that, leaving is the only way she copes,” Baduza said. “She’s just like, ‘I’m just going to leave everything behind and move forward.’ She’s delusional right now. Eventually, things like that catch up with you.”
Season 5 picks up two years later. Francesca is back in the marriage mart, not for love just for practicality. Then Michaela returns to handle the Kilmartin estate and suddenly everything gets messy again.
Dodd hints at a softer, healing arc for Francesca. “I’m really looking forward to her feeling like she deserves love,” she said. “I’m really excited for her to experience feeling loved [again] … and feeling enough within herself as well.” Michaela, on the other hand, has walls. Big ones.
“Michaela … really struggles to show vulnerability to people that she doesn’t know,” Baduza said. “I’m excited to tear down those walls and have her let Francesca in. I’m excited for people to see her wanted so deeply and so badly … I’m excited for people to see Michaela yearn for Francesca.”
A Big Moment for Representation and a New Direction for the Show
This is not just another Bridgerton romance. It’s the show’s first same gender central love story. For a series rooted in period drama, this shift brings queer love into a space that has usually ignored it.
Dodd said, “[Those love stories] have traditionally been excluded from things like period dramas and queer people did exist, have always existed, and will always exist,” she says. “So they deserve a love story just like everybody else.”
Baduza added what the team is aiming for: “What we really want to achieve is giving a realistic view of queer love onscreen and [giving them] a happily ever after. I think [this] is really important for a lot of the queer community to see onscreen, to know that it can work out, and that they deserve to also feel love.”
And beyond the representation, the story itself leans into something fans love about Bridgerton. Familiarity turning into something deeper. Two people who already know each other suddenly see each other differently. “They do have a lot in common,” Dodd pointed out. “They just haven’t realised it yet.”
Also, a small bonus. The season draws from When He Was Wicked (Bridgerton Book 6 by Julia Quinn), which means that there is a chance to see actual Scottish landscapes and intense dramatic scenes.
