Bridgerton: Simon & Daphne’s Baby Changes The Story In A Crucial Way

At the end of Bridgerton season 1, Daphne and Simon welcome a son into their family, which alters the course of their story. Throughout Bridgerton season 1, Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon, the Duke of Hastings (Regé-Jean Page), are diametrically opposed when it comes to having children; Daphne desperately wants to become a mother and Simon wants his family line to end. The conflict peaks when Daphne tries to force Simon into having a child with her by sexually assaulting him. This happens in both the book and the Netflix series – and Simon is rightfully appalled. However, the show regretfully glosses over Daphne’s actions and focuses on Simon’s need to let go of a vow he made to his father.

When Simon was young, he was rejected by his father because of a stutter. Simon excelled in school, but that didn’t matter to the then-Duke of Hastings. After Simon’s father rejected him, Lady Danbury (a friend of Simon’s late mother) took him in and raised him. As an adult, Simon returned to visit his dying father in Bridgerton season 1, episode 2, “Shock and Delight,” and made a vow to him on his deathbed: “I will never marry. I will never sire an heir. The Hastings line will die with me.” Simon made this vow as an act of revenge and, somewhat pridefully, stuck to it after his father was gone – even though it may not have been what Simon really wanted. While that still doesn’t justify what Daphne does to Simon, he eventually realizes that he doesn’t need to let his father dictate his life anymore.

Once Simon can let go of his father and the pain of his childhood, he admits that he does want a family. The estranged Simon and Daphne reconcile during the finale and decide to start a family. Simon and Daphne welcome a baby boy in the final moments of Bridgerton’s season 1 finale, “After the Rain.” But aside from the obvious point that a baby will change their relationship, the fact that they had a son will also change Daphne and Simon’s story in Bridgerton season 2 – this is especially true because, in the Bridgerton books by Julia Quinn, Simon and Daphne’s first child is a girl.

Simon and Daphne’s First Child Is Already Different From The Books

Bridgerton is based on a series of romance novels by Julia Quinn, and Simon and Daphne’s love story is told in The Duke and I, the first book in the Bridgerton series. According to Julia Quinn’s website, the Bridgerton family tree shows that Simon and Daphne have five children: Amelia, Belinda, Caroline, David, and Edward [via JuliaQuinn.com]. This, of course, raises the question of what Simon and Daphne will name their son. In the show, they agree that they should continue the Bridgerton family tradition of naming children alphabetically and pick a name that begins with an “A.” A few popular Regency era names include Alexander, Arthur, Augustus, and, of course, Anthony – but audiences will have to wait until season 2 to know for sure.

In the books, Simon and Daphne do eventually have two sons, but their first three children are girls. Since Bridgerton has already changed many details from the books, it’s impossible to say at this point whether Simon and Daphne will have more children and how many sons or daughters they will have. It might not seem like a big deal today, but during the Regency era, it would have changed their family dynamic immensely.

What Having A Son Means For Simon’s Family Line

Having Simon and Daphne’s first child be a son might seem like a minor detail to change from the books to the Netflix show, but it has significance because of the time in which it is set. During the early 1800s in England, only male heirs could inherit titles or property (with few exceptions), so it was incredibly important for wealthy and noble couples to ‘sire an heir’ in order to keep the title and money in the direct family line as well as care for the women in the family.

This is a prevalent theme in Bridgerton. Anthony struggles to take his rightful place as the Bridgerton heir, Simon constantly tries to shrug off his title, and the Featherington family’s fate becomes dependent on an unknown heir after Lord Featherington dies. The fact that Simon and Daphne’s first child is a boy immediately resolves Simon’s conflict with his father and answers the question of whether the Hastings line will continue. If Simon and Daphne’s first child were a daughter, Bridgerton might have extended that conflict through multiple seasons.

How Simon And Daphne’s Son Changes Bridgerton Going Forward

If Simon and Daphne’s first child had been a daughter, it would have left the possibility open for the young couple to agonize over whether they’d ever produce an heir in future Bridgerton seasons. This is something people have seen time and again in other period romances like Downton Abbey and Pride and Prejudice. Unfortunately, virtually all period romance plots revolve around the heroine’s need to find a suitable (translation: wealthy) husband and produce a son to keep the money in the family. Bridgerton could have chosen to create conflict by leaving Simon and Daphne to wonder if they’d ever sire an heir – but it’s a good thing they didn’t.

While Bridgerton is more historical fantasy than historical drama, there are a few historic plot points that it has stuck with so far, including the system of male inheritance. The show takes place in a somewhat fictionalized Regency-era London where segregation and slavery don’t exist, but women can still be thrown out on the streets for impropriety or forced into marriages with abusive men – both of which Lady Featherington considers doing with Marina Thompson. But having the fate of every character hinge on their biological sex and the biological sex of their children feels tired and outdated to a modern audience.

Bridgerton wants to be a progressive and modern Regency drama, yet that creates some dissonance between Bridgerton’s setting and its themes. However, it also means that Bridgerton isn’t necessarily constrained by historical accuracy and could have chosen to give Simon and Daphne a daughter – and then shown her defying society and taking her father’s title. Instead, Bridgerton circumvented the issue by having Simon and Daphne ‘sire an heir,’ which breaks the final part of Simon’s vow to his father. Simon’s family line will continue, and his son will inherit the title Duke of Hastings, neatly wrapping up a loose end in season 1’s story before Bridgertonmoves on to season 2.

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