Bridgerton Season 4 Proves the Michaela Stirling Change is the Right Choice

Bridgerton Season 4 has proven tenfold that Michaela Stirling is one of the show’s boldest — and best — choices.

On Bridgerton Season 3 Episode 8, “Into the Light,” the show shocks audiences when they introduce When He Was Wicked‘s Michael Stirling as Michaela Stirling. However, Michaela easily captures Michael’s charming, rakish personality with just one scene.

Thankfully, Francesca and John’s arc on Bridgerton Season 4 illustrates that, despite all the loud and undeserved noise, turning Michael into Michaela Stirling is the best choice the show can make.

In Bridgerton Season 4, Francesca and John have a storyline that explores the intimacy of their marriage. Unable to reach her pinnacle, this narrative heavily implies that Francesca might not be attracted to men.

However, Francesca’s potential lack of attraction does not diminish her love for John in the slightest. If anything, it strengthens it.

John reaffirms his love for Francesca no matter what, and she does the same. She is frustrated that she cannot experience intimate pleasure because she loves him so much.

It had been the oddest sensation when she’d met him, almost as if she were a jagged puzzle piece finally finding its mate. Their first meeting hadn’t been one of overwhelming love or passion, but rather filled with the most bizarre sense that she’d finally found the one person with whom she could completely be herself. – When He Was Wicked

In When He Was Wicked, Francesca is attracted to John, but there are still many parallels to their show counterpart. Their love is also not overly passionate or as exciting as what she has with Michael, but it is still a quiet, beautiful love all the same.

However, Francesca’s inability to be attracted to men would not make any sense without the existence of Michaela Stirling.

If the show introduced Michael on Bridgerton Season 3 Episode 8, “Into the Light,” it would drastically change the circumstances. Michael Stirling would mean Francesca is attracted to men — just not John.

Francesca finding herself drawn to Michael while not finding John attractive would be disrespectful. In this case, Francesca’s love for Michael would be stronger, but she settled for John instead.

“She is proof that one can be happy twice,” Violet said, “with two different loves. But, you know, she’s not the same kind of happy with Michael as she was with John. I would not value one higher than the other; it’s not the sort of thing one can measure. But it’s different.” – Violet in Bloom: A Novella

Since Michael is now Michaela, Bridgerton establishes a clear distinction between Francesca’s love for John and her potential attraction to Michaela. Her love for each Stirling cousin is wildly different, which is a concept consistent with the books.

Furthermore, Michaela’s existence propels Bridgerton to give John a bigger role than he has in the books. John dies at the end of the second chapter of When He Was Wicked.

Although he haunts the remainder of the narrative, he barely gets to be a character, and there is very little on Francesca and John’s marriage. On the flip side, Bridgerton portrays their love story on screen with great detail.

Season 3 illustrates how no one can understand Francesca the way John does, and why they are drawn to each other. Bridgerton Season 4 proves that, regardless of attraction, Francesca deeply loves John. 

John is also a far more developed character on the show, which will make his inevitable fate so much more heartbreaking. Bridgerton fleshing out his character further will have a greater impact on Francesca’s season and on Francesca and Michaela’s love story.

John enriches Francesca’s story with Michael, and he will do the same for Francesca’s story with Michaela. Bridgerton would not provide the additional screen time for John if Michaela did not exist because there would be no need to prove she loves him.

After all, Michael is not a woman, and audiences can take Francesca and John’s marriage at face value. With Michaela, Bridgerton has to provide more context, which will only elevate Francesca’s season when the time comes.

Since Michaela Stirling’s introduction, many avid readers of Julia Quinn’s works have voiced their objection. Among the most popular arguments are jeopardizing Francesca’s infertility storyline and Michael being a unique character who does not exist elsewhere.

I will confess that when I wrote the final words of When He Was Wicked, it didn’t even occur to me to wonder whether Francesca and Michael would have children. Their love story had been so moving and so complete that I felt I had closed the book on them, so to speak. – Julia Quinn in the introduction for When He Was Wicked‘s second epilogue

There are already hints of Francesca’s infertility in Bridgerton Season 4, something the book does not touch beyond her miscarriage after John’s death. Francesca’s infertility storyline exists only in the second epilogue of When He Was Wicked, a short chapter that Julia Quinn wrote years later.

Truthfully, When He Was Wicked is a story about grief, friendship, and a second chance at love. Francesca’s desire for motherhood is a driving force of the narrative, but she comes to realize her love for Michael is more important than anything else.

As for Michael, the essence of his character is imposter syndrome. When John dies, he inherits the earldom against his wishes because it has always been John’s role. Michael cannot be around Francesca because he feels like he is stealing her from John, too, so he runs to India to escape his feelings.

There is nothing inherently gendered about Michael’s character because women could inherit earldoms in Scotland during this time. Michael’s inner conflict would only be more intriguing as Michaela.

Michaela Stirling enriches the themes of motherhood, grief, and second chances. With the added layer of lesbianism, she is a force that Francesca will have to reckon with. Their love story will be the perfect mix of forbidden love, intimacy, friendship, and steaminess. 

At its heart, When He Was Wicked is a love letter to John Stirling. With the birth of Michaela, Bridgerton has effectively enhanced Francesca’s story and will provide another opportunity for marginalized representation.

When the time comes, Hannah Dodd and Masali Baduza will make history for Francesca Bridgerton and Michaela Stirling’s love story.

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The first four episodes of Bridgerton Season 4 are streaming on Netflix. 

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