Animation
Disney Junior’s Ariel
Disney Junior’s Ariel is so kid-friendly, even the sea witch is now the friendly and soulful Tauntie Ursula.
Dearest Gentle Reader,
Unsatisfied with the love lives and scandals of Bridgerton, Netflix has produced Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. It gives viewers a peek at how the willful Queen of England (who directs the marriages of the ton, Britain’s nobility, with an iron fist) first came into her acclaimed title.
The series shines a light on the envied lives of these aristocrats, highlighting the treats, trials and tribulations of their noble birth. And through it, we come to a greater understanding of why Charlotte exudes such a steely exterior.
Queen Charlotte is a fictional story inspired by fact, we’re told. Charlotte and her husband, George, were indeed Great Britain’s monarchs. And the story here focuses on a wife’s unfailing love and commitment to her husband.
King George III, as history (and the show) reminds us, suffered from a mental illness that was never properly diagnosed or treated. Desperate to hide this “weakness” from the British government and even his new bride, George undergoes many torturous treatments in an attempt to cure himself.
When Charlotte discovers her husband’s ailment in the show (and the inhumane methods his doctor performs on him), she shuts it all down. Despite George’s insistence that she stay far away from him and even return home, Charlotte aids him, showing him love, patience and kindness. She helps him to put on a brave face as England’s leader so that his throne won’t be torn from him. And above all, she accepts him exactly as he is, never subjecting him to torture or ridicule again, even as his condition worsens with age.
But as beautiful of a love story as that is, Queen Charlotte is just as risqué as its parent series. We see many a love scene between married couples, and we see a lot of skin (and some nudity) in those scenes. And sometimes, couples who aren’t wed hop into bed, too (including same-sex pairings and people who are married to others). In her old age, Charlotte criticizes her 13 children for not having produced a single heir between the lot of them (though she calls her sons “whores” for the multitude of illegitimate children they’ve managed to conceive).
There are a few conversations that strike a sad note regarding infertility, miscarriages and a woman dying in childbirth along with her baby. And we also witness some racism, since this story also shows us how the elite of Bridgerton became so multicultural.
But really, the main thing that will steer parents away from this period piece is the sexual content. Because even though Charlotte and George are given privacy from the court and their servants whenever they perform their “marital duty,” the cameras never leave the room.
After Charlotte’s brother, Adolphus, signs a betrothal contract, Charlotte is shipped off to England to marry the king.
When Adolphus accuses Charlotte of pouting since she hasn’t moved once during a six-hour carriage ride, she explains that her position is partially to preserve the delicacy of her gown and partially to prevent herself from being “sliced and stabbed to death” by her undergarments, which are very uncomfortable but serve the purpose of giving her a certain figure. (And she threatens to purposefully harm herself using these garments.)
Speaking of those undergarments and gowns, they display cleavage on the women who wear them. A married couple has sex (we see movements but no skin). Later, the wife complains about being dissatisfied with her marriage (her husband is much older, which upsets her), and we see her bare back and shoulders as she bathes. A couple kisses during their wedding. That night, the bride is shocked when her new husband refuses to perform his “marital duty.” An older Charlotte calls her sons “whores” for producing many “b–tards.” She orders her children to enter into respectable marriages in order to produce legitimate heirs. Some maids flirt with pages.
We learn a woman died during childbirth along with her baby. Her father openly mourns, but her grandmother simply states, “Sorrows, sorrows. Prayers.”
Adolphus admits that part of the reason he arranged Charlotte’s marriage to the king was to boost their family’s social standing since “no one who looks like you or me has ever married one of these people.” To his point, when George’s mother meets Charlotte, she comments on how “brown” Charlotte is. And in order to gain the acceptance of the people, the monarchy and government decide to perform a “great experiment,” issuing land and titles to people of all ethnicities.
Charlotte purposely breaks a bust by shoving it to the ground. People lie. Characters drink and smoke. A man shows off some scars he received from minor injuries. Charlotte is mean to her personal attendant at times. George shouts at Charlotte during a disagreement.
Charlotte helps George to overcome his illness so he can rule. Meanwhile, the recently widowed Lady Danbury fights for her son’s right to inherit his father’s title.
A couple has sex, and we see some nudity. We see this couple post-coital (lying in bed, covered by sheets) in another scene, and we see them kiss many times. A gay couple bathes together (we see nothing critical) and kisses. (We also see them dancing in another scene.) Later in life, someone discovers that Lady Danbury had an affair with a married man after her own husband’s death. There’s some sexual innuendo. Many women’s dresses show cleavage. We see some people in various stages of dressing. There are a few nude statues. A couple kisses.
We learn that Princess Augusta (George’s mother) and George were both physically abused by George’s grandfather, the previous King, after the death of George’s father.
An older Charlotte’s children tell her that she was never a good mother: She is unsympathetic to her son, who recently lost his daughter, and she is woefully unaware that many of her own daughters have suffered infertility and miscarriages. Charlotte and George shout at each other during an argument. People snap at each other. A young girl’s mother is overly critical of her.
When the Archbishop of Canterbury refuses to let George witness Charlotte giving birth, George reminds the Archbishop that as king, he is the Head of the Church of England. George is then forced to overrule Charlotte’s doctor, who is hesitant to intervene when the baby is breached and Charlotte is bleeding heavily. (It should be noted that George’s efforts save both Charlotte and the baby.)
George experiences something like a panic attack, rendering him completely catatonic just before an important address to Parliament. Charlotte, who failed to notice the symptoms, helps him recover. We see her helping him overcome his mental illness in other scenes thereafter.
A woman uses her gender as an excuse for not remembering someone’s name. Princess Augusta manipulates Lady Danbury, threatening to end the “great experiment” to include other races in the nobility.
People gossip and lie. Someone says that Charlotte needs opium during childbirth. A woman pours brandy into some tea from a hidden flask. People drink champagne at a ball.
Emily studied film and writing when she was in college. And when she isn’t being way too competitive while playing board games, she enjoys food, sleep, and geeking out with her husband indulging in their “nerdoms,” which is the collective fan cultures of everything they love, such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Stargate and Lord of the Rings.
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