Bridgerton's Controversial Sex Scene Needs a Trigger Warning
From the first time I watched Shondaland's Bridgerton, there was no question in my mind that it was destined to be a hit. The period drama's sweeping sets, lush costumes, an irresistible gossip columnist, fabulous Queen Charlotte, and casting of Regé-Jean Page as Simon saw to that. But as overwhelmingly delightful as this book series turned-Netflix show is, I can't talk about the good without mentioning the bad. And that bad comes in episode 6's "Swish."
Some may associate this particular episode with Daphne (played by Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon's shameless romps on every surface of Hastings House. But it's the controversial sex scene towards the end of the 57-minute mark that has people talking. After Daphne realizes that her husband has been practicing the withdrawal method and his "I can't have children" is more of an "I won't have children," the newlywed feels betrayed, believing that Simon has taken advantage of her naivety when it comes to the ins and outs of conception.
The next time the couple has sex, in the midst of their love making, she changes her position to be on top. And unlike before, she doesn't let Simon pull out of her when he climaxes, knowing that this is what will increase her chances of getting pregnant. In the throes of passion, despite his protests, Simon is unable to stop himself from release.
"How could you?" he asks in disbelief afterwards.
"You took advantage. You seized an opportunity, so I did the very same," Daphne responds. What follows is an estrangement that nearly breaks their marriage, as the couple waits to see whether or not Daphne is "with child."
The scene is mired with dubious consent, muddled with grey areas that left me considering whether or not Daphne assaulted her husband. Yes, Simon was clearly a willing participant at first—up until the point where Daphne knowingly (and somewhat forcibly) took control, preventing him from doing the very thing she knew he wanted to do: withdraw before climaxing.
On social media, articles, and amongst my own family and friends, I've seen the moment spark intense debate. One side offers the possibility that the couple mutually consented; Simon simply lost willpower on his own account, while Daphne took the opportunity to empower herself in a society that put women at a sexual disadvantage. The other side argues that this scene is plain and simple: it depicts rape.
Regardless, in my opinion, it should have never existed in the first place.
The creators of the series should have, in fact, seen this coming, thanks to the book season 1 of Bridgerton is based upon: The Duke and I by Julia Quinn. This very same scene in the novel has been inspiring intense discussion amongst readers since its publication in 2000. However, The Duke and I paints a slightly more succinct picture of the situation. In the book, Simon was drunk and asleep when Daphne initiated sex, and he was clearly non-consenting. Passages from the scene, which takes place in chapter 18, read:
"He was in her control, she realized. He was asleep, and probably still more more than a little bit drunk, and she could do whatever she wanted with him. She could have whatever she wanted."
"Daphne had aroused him in sleep, taken advantage of him while he was slightly intoxicated, and held him to her while he poured his seed into her. His eyes widened and fixed on hers. 'How could you?' he whispered. "
"She wasn't ashamed of her actions. She supposed she should be, but she wasn't. She hadn't planned it. She hadn't looked at him and thought—he's probably still drunk. I can make love to him and capture his seed and he'll never know. It hadn't happened that way."
For the second time today, I gotta tweet a CW for sexual assault and dubious consent for #Bridgerton. It’s episode six - Swish. It is VERY different from the scene in the book - everyone is sober and awake. It is still disturbing. This happens around the last 10 minutes of the ep
— Pythia - Necromancer Intern (@pythiatweets) December 26, 2020
I love #Bridgerton but I hate that the assault/rape bit wasn’t acknowledged and discussed. Simon removed consent and Daphne consciously ignored it. It was worse than a betrayal of trust; she consciously inflicted harm. We don’t even get to see Simon deal with that scene.
— oluwa-is-involved (@olubela) December 26, 2020
As most book readers will have guessed, this scene was the reason I never much cared for Daphne. Consent issues in general, and rape in particular shouldn't be plot points - and they especially shouldn't when they aren't going to be dealt with at all. #Bridgerton https://t.co/ocqMxUtSk5
— Lizzie ??? (@lizziethat) December 24, 2020
There were so many ways this show could have changed/improved that scene, and yet I still have to grit my teeth through a rape. #Bridgerton
— Alyce Caswell (@AlyceCaswell) December 26, 2020
In reference to the on-screen version, Page tells OprahMag.com: "I was very happy that we had a different scene in the TV show than in the book."
For her part, Quinn made consent between her characters a priority in her work that followed The Duke and I. But in a November exchange with romance vlogger BooksandKrys, the novelist explained that in her opinion, it's difficult to apply our 21st century knowledge of consent to 1813 when the story takes place, a time when Simon had ownership and power over Daphne just because they were married.
“It was shocking, but no one seemed to feel that Daphne had done anything morally wrong [when The Duke and I was published},” Quinn told BooksandKrys. "It was only as years passed and we gained new understanding of consent that people started to question her actions.”
Showrunner and writer Chris Van Dusen told us that he took a modern approach to the concept of a period drama with Bridgerton in order for it to "reflect the world that we live in today." If that is true, it was short-sighted to further the plot by using a scene that even slightly raises the question of sexual assault, particularly during the era of the #MeToo movement, and—as Quinn pointed out—heightened public awareness of what qualifies as consensual sex.
Now, if production was that intent on keeping the scene, a trigger warning should have been added to the beginning of the episode, especially for those who have experienced rape or sexual assault. Because even for viewers who did not view it as such, it would have been more responsible to keep in mind those who do.
And if it was so essential to the plot, the characters of Simon and Daphne should have directly addressed their intentions and reactions regarding the sexual act. Instead, we see them fight over the idea of having children and a possible impending pregnancy. They eventually make up and don't look back, with much of the blame placed on Simon's betrayal. It's up to the audience to make their own conclusions about whether or not he consented, which resulted in much discourse—and the very article you're reading right now.
Bridgerton shows that when it comes to writing, Van Dusen has a flair for dramatics. So it was completely possible for him to create tension between our hero and heroine without involving questionable intimacy. There are endless beloved tropes in the romance genre to choose from: an overheard conversation, a mistaken assumption of infidelity, an evil villain's lies, or just plain miscommunication.
Instead, we were left to question whether or not our supposed heroine raped the leading man. That's an unfortunate and troubling caveat for a love story that deserved a happy ending in all viewers' eyes.
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