Those who pay close attention to Netflix's Bridgerton [1] will be rewarded with its humour and wit. Here's a fun fact: the members of the title family in Bridgerton [2] are named in alphabetical order. See for yourself — its bounty of eight perfectly handsome sons and beautiful daughters include Anthony, Benedict, Colin, Daphne, Eloise, Francesca, Gregory, and Hyacinth. So why did Viscountess Bridgerton [3] and her husband start this playful tradition? Well, why do folks follow the teachings of Marie Kondo [4]? To keep things neat and orderly of course!
The first couple minutes of season one episode one introduced us to the tight-knit Bridgerton [5] family, and we learnt that the Viscountess Bridgerton has an army of children to round up as they scramble to see Queen Charlotte [6]. When the Bridgerton sisters looked at Lady Whistledown's latest scandal sheet [7], they learned that the mysterious author had some pretty harsh thoughts about the Bridgertons: she loathed the fact that the Bridgerton siblings were named in alphabetical order from oldest to youngest. Violet Bridgerton then replied that she and her husband thought it was orderly, though Lady Whistledown found it to be a "banality." OK, yeah, it's a little bit cringe, but it's honestly not a bad method for keeping track of eight kids, you know?
If you were wondering, yes, the Bridgerton alphabetical order situation is very much a thing in Julia Quinn's literary universe [8], too. In chronological order, the Bridgerton books officially start with The Duke and I [9], which brings us to Daphne's romance with the Duke of Hastings. Each of the other eight books follows the romances of a different Bridgerton child. The Duke and I addresses the naming order in its first chapter, which begins with the Lady Whistledown scandal sheet that kicks off episode one.
If you're gearing up for the second season of Bridgerton [10], you'll be pleased to discover a sentimental throwback to the ABC order at the very end of the eighth episode to refresh your memory before it arrives in March.