Bridgerton Season 3 Character Death Might Set Up Benedict's Season 4
Here's why it would be best not to skip Benedict's solo story again.
One of the biggest sources of speculation among Bridgerverse fans right now, aside from the Season 3 premiere date, is who will be the main character of Season 4. While the producers' official announcement is likely to come after the Colin/Penelope love story lands on Netflix, fans are sure there are ways to figure out the next protagonist through some plot details in the upcoming episodes.
And the death of a certain side character could be a clue.
Marina Crane could die in Season 3
If the Shondaland show follows Julia Quinn's source novels and keeps all the main couples unchanged, there's one character who will sadly have to die. In the books, Eloise Bridgerton meets her love interest through tragedy.
When Marina Crane (née Thompson) passes away, Eloise writes to her widowed husband, Sir Phillip Crane, to offer her condolences. Letter by letter, they become pen pals and soon realize that there may be something deeper than mutual interest in their exchange.
Ruby Barker, who plays Marina, confirmed on her Instagram that she would not be returning to Bridgerton in the new season. And it got fans thinking, what if Season 3 is when the news of Marina's death hits the London ton and Sir Phillip becomes a widower?
What Marina's death could mean for Season 4
If Marina dies in Season 3, this could be a sign that Benedict's story is next. You may be wondering why Benedict's and not Eloise's — after all, Marina and Sir Phillip are part of her arc. But there is a plausible explanation.
Even though Sir Phillip and Marina married out of convenience and duty rather than love, according to Regency rules, a widower was expected to mourn for at least a year or even longer.
Besides, the romance between Eloise and Phillip is a slow burn. In the books, their correspondence lasted a year before they met for the first time. So if Eloise's season comes next, it will have to include a time jump, which will ruin a lot of storylines and arcs and make Benedict even less of a compelling lead than he is now.
It makes much more sense for the series to set up Benedict's solo season in the coming episodes, and while his love story unfolds in Season 4, give Sir Phillip time to grieve and Eloise the opportunity to have a proper correspondence with him and change her mind about not wanting to marry. All before our eyes and without crazy time jumps.