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Bridgerton season 4, part two, has been out for more than a week now. One of the major highlights of the edition has been Francesca’s storyline with her husband, John Stirling. Those who have read the books by Julia Quinn on which the Netflix show is based already knew what was coming for her.
For the unversed, John dies, and Francesca’s story revolves around a second-chance romance. Her endgame is Michael in the books, but the character’s gender was swapped, and Michaela was introduced in the show. But here’s why Francesca’s miscarriage storyline was removed.
Why Was Francesca’s Miscarriage Plot Changed After John’s Death?
Francesca’s book, titled When He Was Wicked, sees her losing her baby after a miscarriage weeks after John’s death. But the show changed the story and removed the miscarriage portion. Instead, Francesca undergoes an examination, and it is revealed that she was mistaken and was not pregnant.
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Fans wondered why such a crucial moment of Francesca’s life was changed in the show. Jess Brownell, the showrunner, told Swoon, “I think John’s death and the funeral are already in so many ways such a departure from the tone of the show,” referring to the dark themes of the situation.
She pointed out that while there were some light moments, the death of John was dark for how Bridgerton normally is. The reason the miscarriage was removed was that the team felt it would be too morbid. “We’re still very interested in honoring the fertility storyline,” Jess further expressed.
She added that the rest of the storyline will be honored as it was in the books, but the miscarriage felt too far and too difficult to show on screen. “I think it would be difficult for Fran to come back from all that,” she explained, as to how the grief she was feeling due to losing John was already a lot.
Julie Quinn, the author of the novels, revealed that she wrote Francesca’s character after her own failed pregnancy experiences, but felt that removing the miscarriage part from the show “doesn’t affect her grief with that.” The show also depicted John’s death earlier than it did in the books.
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“I think that the main motivation behind that was to allow us ample time to grieve John,” Jess divulged, and stated that the death happening in her own season would feel too rushed and not do justice to Francesca’s grieving. It also helped push Benedict into going after Sophie out of fear of losing her.
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