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National News

Daylight saving time 2026 begins soon. Here are the details about when the time changes and other important information

Daylight saving time 2026 begins soon. Here are the details about when the time changes and other important information

Daylight saving time 2026 begins soon. Here are the details about when the time changes and other important information

 

Daylight saving time, often known as the yearly time shift, is planned to begin in 2026, which means most Americans will lose an hour of sleep as they “spring forward” this weekend. For nearly two decades, the second Sunday of March has seen the annual ritual of shifting clocks an hour forward.

 

What is the exact definition of daylight saving time?

 

By moving the clocks forward an hour, daylight saving time essentially shifts one hour of daylight from the morning to the evening.

 

According to the National Weather Service, sunrise in Boston on Saturday, the day before the time change, will be at 6:09 a.m. and sunset at 5:41 p.m. On Sunday, once the clocks are changed, the sun will rise at 7:08 a.m. and set at 6:42 p.m.

 

What day and time does daylight saving time begin in March 2026?

 

This year, daylight saving time begins on Sunday, March 8, at 2 a.m. local time.

 

Since 2007, the commencement date has been set for the second Sunday of March, according to the United States Naval Observatory, the Defense Department’s official timekeeper.

 

For the two decades prior to 2007, daylight saving time began on the first Sunday in April. Before 1987, the Uniform Time Act of 1966 established the start date as the final Sunday of April.

 

According to the Congressional Research Service, during the 1970s energy crisis, Congress chose to experiment with year-round daylight saving time, which began on the first Sunday of January 1974.

 

The experiment did not continue a full year, as the country returned to standard time in October and then resumed daylight saving time on the final Sunday of February in 1975. After 1975, the commencement date was moved back to April.

 

Do we lose or gain an hour of daylight saving time in March?

 

The majority of the United States will lose one hour on Sunday due to the clock change, which occurs at 2 a.m. and lasts until 3 a.m.

 

We “spring forward” ahead of the vernal equinox on March 20, which marks the beginning of spring.

Daylight saving time 2026 begins soon. Here are the details about when the time changes and other important information

When will daylight saving time stop in 2026?

 

Local time on the first Sunday of November, which this year falls on November 1. The country will be nearly six weeks into fall after the autumnal equinox on September 22.

 

Daylight saving time will be in force for 238 days, according to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, a government institution that sets the official time in the United States.

 

Why do we have Daylight Saving Time?

 

Daylight saving time was initially implemented in the United States in 1918 to preserve gasoline during World War I, according to the Congressional Research Service. It was employed for the same purpose during World War II, as well as to “promote national security and defense,” according to the Defense Department.

 

The annual time change has been in force since the 1960s, although it has not been shown to be a substantial source of reduced energy usage. According to the Congressional Research Service, the Transportation Department determined in 1974 that it had modest benefits in terms of energy conservation, traffic safety, and violent crime reduction.

 

The Energy Department discovered that after daylight saving time began earlier in 2007, electricity consumption decreased by 0.03%. The time shift has also been linked to certain detrimental health consequences.

 

Which states don’t observe daylight saving time?

 

Only two states, Hawaii and Arizona, do not follow daylight saving time, with the exception of the Navajo Nation in the Grand Canyon State’s northeast.

 

American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands do not alter their clocks.

 

Will my phone automatically alter the time for daylight saving?

 

If your phone is set to update automatical

ly, it should update itself with the time change.

 

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World News

War Machine review—Netflix fearlessly asks, “What if Predator was Transformers?”

War Machine review—Netflix fearlessly asks, "What if Predator was Transformers?"

War Machine review—Netflix fearlessly asks, “What if Predator was Transformers?”

Alan Ritchson, who played Reacher, takes on extraterrestrial robots in an action thriller with some better-than-usual streaming special effects.

 

You’d be forgiven for avoiding Netflix’s brutal, militaristic action movie War Machine at this point. There is, after all, a real war going on (is there ever a good time, one may argue?), but those behind the film would most likely cite its sci-fi nature as a distinguishing defense.

 

The conflict depicted in this film is not between the United States and a foreign earthly force; instead, it features our countless soldiers battling against aliens. It’s a clear “if you like” column filler for fans of Predator, Edge of Tomorrow, and, if they exist, Battle:

 

Los Angeles, but unlike the many films it’s clearly inspired by, the extraterrestrials here are designed to resemble machines from another country rather than another planet, with robotic whirring over tentacle slithering.

 

It gives the film a slightly generic gloss, like a cheaper Transformers spin-off, but it’s also free of the infamous Netflix murk, that flattening filter that turns most colors to gray, as the film was acquired by Lionsgate.

 

Set in Colorado but shot in Australia by native writer-director Patrick Hughes and given a theatrical distribution there last month, it makes for a slicker-than-usual streaming premiere, an easy, drink-your-way-through-it Friday night alternative for people who want to remain completely unchallenged.

 

In another era, it would have received a large theatrical release, and its comically muscular hero, Alan Ritchson of Reacher fame, would have been one of Hollywood’s most prominent actors.

 

The actor, who has found an unusual lane as the progressive man’s action hero (despite his brawn-first on-screen persona, he’s become an eloquently outspoken critic of all things MAGA, much to the right’s fury), is an obvious Arnie upgrade, at 6 ft 3 in with the body of an over-pumped GI Joe, and so he makes for the obvious star of a Predator rip-off (the pair are co-headlining a Christmas comedy later this year).

 

It’s ironic that, while the Predator franchise has strayed into surprisingly diverse territory with leads who are either female, of color, or both, this remix has returned to its more traditional red-meat roots—white, bro-y, gung-ho—with even a mercifully small role for Trump-loving sycophant Dennis Quaid.

War Machine review—Netflix fearlessly asks, “What if Predator was Transformers?”

In an almost parody-level predictable cold open, Ritchson’s hulking soldier, known as 81, has been deployed in Afghanistan with his younger brother (Jai Courtney, returning to basics after breaking bad brilliantly in the sharp shark thriller Dangerous Animals), and as they quip and discuss their future training to be army rangers together on the side of a dusty desert road, it’s not hard to guess that tragedy is about to strike.

 

Rushing forward to the present day, 81 is a pill-popping shell of the man he once was, but he is still desperate to become a ranger, undergoing a harsh selection course designed to screen out those who lack the necessary qualifications.

 

But when his crew (which includes familiar characters like Stephan James and Keiynan Lonsdale) is dispatched into the woods, he realizes that something more evil than the US military is hunting them down.

 

It’s also not difficult to predict what’s coming, given the clumsy insertion of news items about a descending asteroid, and once the combat begins, it’s not difficult to predict how it will all end.

 

And instead, action is, most of which is at least staged effectively enough with some decently super-sized special effects that, for once, wouldn’t have looked out of place on a far larger screen (I’d also recommend turning the volume up at home).

 

Hughes keeps things crisp and to the point, even if some of his set pieces feel a touch reheated. I wished the alien had more personality, since it is overly reliant on familiar “scan, target, destroy” technology rather than anything more innovative or nasty, resulting in a large death count with little real impact. Despite the fact that it is supposedly unique, everything feels like a sequel or remake.

 

Ritchson is caught in the thankless mindset of “haunted,” which makes it a performance that’s easier to compliment for his physical effort than anything more emotional; his by-the-book boomerang journey from stoicism back to becoming “officially one crazy motherfucker” never truly sparks alight.

 

But, like the movies around him, he does what he has to do; everything here is just about serviceable for the moment, but never noteworthy enough for the one after.

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Sports

Cutter Gauthier and Ville Husso lead the Ducks past the Islanders

Cutter Gauthier and Ville Husso lead the Ducks past the Islanders

Cutter Gauthier and Ville Husso lead the Ducks past the Islanders

 

Gauthier scores two goals, Beckett Sennecke adds a goal and an assist, and Husso makes 42 saves, as the Ducks score five straight goals to win 5-1.

 

ANAHEIM—The New York Islanders‘ Matthew Schaefer and the Ducks’ Beckett Sennecke could face off in the Calder Trophy voting at the end of the season, but first their teams met on Wednesday night at Honda Center.

 

The Ducks scored five consecutive goals to split the season series with one of the Metropolitan Division’s top teams, winning 5-1.

 

Sennecke, 20, scored and provided the primary assist on one of Cutter Gauthier’s two goals. Ryan Poehling and Frank Vatrano both scored, and Chris Kreider had two assists.

 

On December 11, the Isles defeated the Ducks 5-2. Captain Anders Lee scored a goal. Schaefer, 18, recorded game highs in minutes on the ice and shots on goal but finished with a minus-2 rating.

 

In net, it was a fight of backups. Ville Husso saved an incredible 42 shots for the Ducks, while “Big Save Dave” Rittich made 20 saves of varied importance.

 

True to trend, Isles coach Patrick Roy, widely regarded as the best goalie in NHL history, withdrew Rittich with 8:34 remaining, facing a three-goal deficit. Though New York effectively guarded its empty net for more than four minutes, Vatrano’s first goal since December 7 and first point since December 20 put the game away with 4:11 remaining.

 

After weathering a second-period rain, the Ducks led 4-1 2:11 into the third.

Cutter Gauthier and Ville Husso lead the Ducks past the Islanders

In his first game since December 27 (broken shoulder), Frank Vatrano charged in on the forecheck, separating Schaefer from the puck. Ryan Strome, who last played on January 26, received it and passed it to Poehling in front for a forehand-to-backhand goal that banked off Rittich’s skate. Poehling has scored seven goals in his debut year with the Ducks.

 

Husso and his teammates preserved the second period scoreless despite a 13-4 shooting disparity and three New York power opportunities.

 

Prior to that, the visitors scored first, but the hosts answered with three consecutive goals in their opening salvo.

 

Sennecke’s 20th goal of the season, with 80 seconds remaining, tied him with Schaefer for the most by a rookie. He and Mason McTavish competed at the net front, while Ian Moore shot directly at Rittich’s right pad. The massive Czech kicked a mouthwatering rebound right to Sennecke, who leads all rookies with 51 points.

 

The Ducks now have three 50-point scorers: Leo Carlsson, Sennecke, and Gauthier.

 

With 3:55 remaining, Gauthier raced off the rush, putting himself on natural hat trick watch. Kreider found a ball that squirted into the neutral zone and made a between-the-legs drop pass that set Carlsson free. Scott Mayfield’s overeagerness left Schaefer alone with Carlsson and Gauthier, and Carlsson waited out his pass for a Gauthier one-timer until the very end.

 

Gauthier tied the Ducks at 12:56 with a man-advantage goal after Sennecke’s feed from below the goal line reached him in the left circle. Gauthier has 31 goals to lead the squad, eight of which have come in his last seven outings. He also became the first player in Ducks history, according to the team’s press release.

 

Score five consecutive goals for the squad over three games.

 

For the sixth time in a row, the Ducks let up the game’s first goal, this time on a power play, just under five minutes in. Lee smashed in Tony DeAngelo’s rebound.

 

The Ducks will visit the Montreal Canadiens on Friday night, just

hours after the NHL trade deadline.

 

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Local News

DWTS star describes health concern from Illinois hospital bed: ‘I’m just spinning everywhere.’

DWTS star describes health concern from Illinois hospital bed: 'I'm just spinning everywhere.'

DWTS star describes health concern from Illinois hospital bed: ‘I’m just spinning everywhere.’

Val Chmerkovskiy was on tour with “Dancing With the Stars Live” in the Midwest when he was admitted to a Peoria hospital for vertigo.

Val Chmerkovskiy, a “Dancing with the Stars” pro, was hospitalized in Peoria this week while on a DWTS tour, according to a social media video in which the star is shown lying in a hospital bed with the phrase “small hiccup.”

“I ended up out here in Peoria,” Chmerkovskiy stated in the video, which was posted from a hospital bedside on Sunday. He had appeared on stage with the group the day before at the Peoria Civic Center. “I’ve been experiencing vertigo for the previous few days. I had it yesterday and managed to get through the show.”

“I’m just spinning everywhere,” Chmerkovskiy explained. “On the bus as it’s moving. I just woke up and couldn’t get myself together.”

The Cleveland Clinic defines vertigo as a “sensation that the environment around you is spinning in circles.”

DWTS star describes health concern from Illinois hospital bed: ‘I’m just spinning everywhere.’

“It can make you feel dizzy and off-balance,” a clinic website article stated.

According to health specialists, vertigo is most commonly caused by an inner ear problem.

Chmerkovskiy expressed his feelings, adding, “Once that kind of crystal in your equilibrium goes out, it’s really hard to get back in.”

In a comment on Chmerkovskiy’s tweet, DWTS Live said, “We hope you feel better soon.”

At the end of the video, Chmerkovskiy said “he hopes to be back Tuesday” and released another picture from the hospital bed with the caption “blood work done, vitals checked, see you soon.”

 

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World News

Bruce Campbell announces cancer diagnosis; ‘Fear not,’ he assures fans

Bruce Campbell announces cancer diagnosis; 'Fear not,' he assures fans

Bruce Campbell announces cancer diagnosis; ‘Fear not,’ he assures fans

The Royal Oak-born actor’s plans to tour his new feature, ‘Ernie & Emma,’ this summer will be delayed due to treatment.

Bruce Campbell, a cult figure from Royal Oak, disclosed on social media on Monday that he has been diagnosed with a type of cancer that is “treatable” but not “curable.” The “Evil Dead” star, 67, apologized for the news, which came as a shock to him as well.

He went on to say, “I’m not going to go into any more detail,” and he didn’t. He explained that the public revelation was due to a reduction in his performance schedule, which included tour dates for his current feature, “Ernie & Emma.”

Campbell had planned to premiere the film on June 5 at the Redford Theatre; as of Monday night, that date was still on the Redford schedule; nevertheless, Campbell stated in his statement that he plans to “work as well as I possibly can over the summer so that I can tour with my new movie ‘Ernie & Emma’ this fall.”

Bruce Campbell announces cancer diagnosis; ‘Fear not,’ he assures fans

Campbell wrote, directed, and acted in the film about a man embarking on a journey following his wife’s death. Campbell produced the film with his wife, Ida Gearon, and shot it in Oregon, where he now resides.

Campbell told The News in January that he dedicated “Ernie & Emma” to his childhood filmmaking friends, notably Scott Spiegel, who died of a heart attack in September 2025.

“It’s a callback to the carefree days of Super 8, where we could do whatever the fuck we wanted to do,” Campbell explained in reference to “Ernie & Emma.” “So I thought, ‘All the boys are responsible for this project,’ so they are all included in the film.”

Campbell began making movies in Metro Detroit with his childhood friend, Sam Raimi. Campbell starred in Raimi’s “Evil Dead” trilogy and has subsequently been in the majority of Raimi’s films; Campbell appears briefly in a photograph in the background of an early scene in Raimi’s most recent film, “Send Help.”

In his social media statement, Campbell thanked followers and stated that he was not looking for sympathy.

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World News

A Florida guy used taco seasoning packets to steal $40,000 worth of products from Target, according to authorities

A Florida guy used taco seasoning packets to steal $40,000 worth of products from Target, according to authorities

A Florida guy used taco seasoning packets to steal $40,000 worth of products from Target, according to authorities

Keith Wallis faces up to 90 years in jail if convicted of all counts.

A Florida man is facing retail theft charges after allegedly using taco seasoning packets to steal hundreds of dollars in trading cards from Target.

Keith Wallis, 39, of Palm Beach, was arrested last week for allegedly committing organized retail fraud at Target shops from Miami to Orlando between July 2025 and February 2026, according to Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier.

Investigators believe Wallis committed 75 thefts. During each, he would pick up several large packs of trading cards and an equal amount of 99-cent taco seasoning packets.

Wallis would bring his purchases to the self-checkout line but only pay for the seasoning packets.

Authorities said Wallis planned to resell the stolen trade cards on eBay, collecting roughly $40,000 in revenue.

A Florida guy used taco seasoning packets to steal $40,000 worth of products from Target, according to authorities

The attorney general’s office claims that his suspected thefts caused Target to lose more than $10,000.

Wallis was charged with two charges of criminal organized retail theft, three counts of felony dealing with stolen items, and one count of felony money laundering.

Authorities said the investigation is ongoing, but they believe Wallis committed further thefts at Walmart and Publix stores.

If Wallis is found guilty of all charges, he may face up to 90 years in the Florida Department of Corrections, according to the news release.

Florida has the “number one economy” in the country due to its “commitment to law and order,” said attorney general Uthmeier.

“Organized retail theft drives up consumer costs, which we cannot accept. These schemes shall be dealt with the harshest punishment possible under law.”

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World News

Who Are Nicholas Braimbridge and Tony Cooper From the ‘Bridgerton’ Season 4 Tribute?

Who Are Nicholas Braimbridge and Tony Cooper From the 'Bridgerton' Season 4 Tribute?

Who Are Nicholas Braimbridge and Tony Cooper From the ‘Bridgerton’ Season 4 Tribute?

 

Here’s why their names appeared before the season 4 finale’s post-credit scene.

Key Points:

The last episodes of Bridgerton season 4 premiered on Netflix on Thursday, February 26.

 

An homage to two crew members, Nicholas Braimbridge and Tony Cooper, appeared before the post-credits scene in the conclusion.

 

Here is what we know about Nicholas and Tony’s roles in Bridgerton.

 

Bridgerton season four is now out, with the second batch of episodes arriving on Netflix on February 26, so we’re in the middle of our binge-watching. If you’re spending your time in the ‘Ton, you’ve definitely spotted a special dedication before the final episode’s post-credits scene. The note said, “In loving memory of Nicholas Braimbridge, Tony Cooper.”

 

But who are Nicholas Braimbridge and Tony Cooper, and what roles did they play in creating the world of Bridgerton? This is what we know.

Who Are Nicholas Braimbridge and Tony Cooper From the ‘Bridgerton’ Season 4 Tribute?

Who was Nicholas Braimbridge of Bridgerton?

While Nicholas Braimbridge did not appear on screen, he played an important role in creating the world of Bridgerton as a scenic artist. According to a GoFundMe campaign started by the show’s art director, Alison Gartshore, Nicholas passed away in May 2025. The reason for death was not disclosed.

 

He is survived by his two adolescent children, Flora and Amelia, while his wife died shortly before his untimely demise. His colleagues in Bridgerton and beyond remembered him as a delightful, beloved art department member whose skill contributed to the show’s characteristic elegance.

 

Who was Tony Cooper from Bridgerton?

Tony Cooper was another behind-the-scenes contributor to the Netflix success. As a unit driver, Tony ensured that the cast, crew, props, and equipment for Bridgerton and its spin-off, Queen Charlotte, arrived on location each day. The timing and cause of his death have not been made public.

 

According to his IMDb page, he also drove for projects including the Mission: Impossible franchise, The Crown, the Downton Abbey movies, Spider-Man: Far From Home, and others.

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Local News

What about the crisis? What’s the point? For ‘Bridgerton,’ the word ‘orgasm’ would not quite do

What about the crisis? What's the point? For 'Bridgerton,' the word 'orgasm' would not quite do

What about the crisis? What’s the point? For ‘Bridgerton,’ the word ‘orgasm’ would not quite do

LONDON (AP) – Francesca is dissatisfied in Season 4 of “Bridgerton.”

That’s because the sixth Bridgerton sibling is on a personal journey to understand the secrets of female pleasure, and she keeps using the word “pinnacle” to describe the orgasm she can’t seem to get.

Part two of the fourth season continues Benedict Bridgerton’s fairytale love story with the mysterious, disguised Sophie, while also providing updates on the rest of the expansive family’s romantic exploits.

Francesca, newly married to the Earl of Kilmartin (Victor Alli), realizes she has no idea what happens in a four-poster bed and wants to learn the mysteries of sex from her married friends and relatives.

“I wonder if that was a bit of a workshop with, like, what word they were going to use for it?” Dodd mused during an interview.

The answer is yes.

Jess Brownell, the showrunner, admits that they investigated and discussed which term to use. A thesaurus was helpful.

“It felt like ‘orgasm’ wasn’t a word that was used in that time period,” according to Brownell. The drama, based on Julia Quinn’s books and produced by Shondaland, is set in Britain’s Regency era, the early nineteenth century.

What about the crisis? What’s the point? For ‘Bridgerton,’ the word ‘orgasm’ would not quite do

“Pinnacle” was eventually deemed obscure and amusing enough for the character to employ.

So, did that word hit the spot?

According to Jessica Cale, a novelist and sex historian, the term “pinnacle” is not historically accurate, but it is “very effective.”

The term “orgasm” was in use at the time—the Oxford English Dictionary dates it to the late 1600s—but it was mostly employed as a clinical term; the first instance of its use in medical literature dates back to 1671 by physician George Thompson.

Euphemisms have existed for ages. Cale mentions popular sexual writing like “Fanny Hill,” also known as “Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure,” which was published in portions in the late 1740s, long before the “Bridgerton” era.

The novel by John Cleland refers to orgasms as “the point.” “The critical phase, ‘the die-away moment,’ and—this is the greatest one—’the critical ecstasy, the melting flow, into which nature, spent with an excess of pleasure, melts and dies away,'” Cale continues.

Whether Francesca’s plot ends in a physical or figurative crisis, her character’s apex of another kind is still to come, since Dodd is slated to play a larger role in a future season.

 

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National News

South Korea will finally get a fully functional Google Maps

South Korea will finally get a fully functional Google Maps

South Korea will finally get a fully functional Google Maps

South Korea will no longer be one of the few nations where Google Maps does not function properly after its security-conscious government permitted the export of high-precision map data to foreign servers.

 

SEOUL, South Korea—South Korea will soon no longer be one of the few nations where Google Maps does not work properly, after its security-conscious government altered a two-decade attitude and approved the export of high-precision map data to outside servers.

 

The license was granted “on the condition that strict security requirements are met,” according to a statement from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport.

 

According to the report, these conditions include blurring military and other important security sites, as well as blocking longitude and latitude coordinates for South Korean land on Google Maps and Google Earth.

 

The ruling is expected to affect Naver and Kakao, the local internet behemoths that now dominate the country’s digital map services sector. However, it will placate Washington, which has pressed Seoul to address what it claims is discrimination against US technology companies.

South Korea will finally get a fully functional Google Maps

South Korea, which is still officially at war with North Korea, rejected Google’s prior efforts to export the data in 2007 and 2016, citing the risk of exposing key military and security facilities.

 

While South Korea did not explicitly prohibit Google Maps, other countries have taken a more stringent approach. It is illegal in mainland China, North Korea, Syria, and Vietnam, for example.

 

The data in question is 1:5000 scale data, which means that one centimeter on a map represents 50 meters of actual distance. Google has stated that it needs to export the data in order to deliver real-time navigation information around the world. This includes people seeking South Korean locations from other countries.

 

The criteria state that Google must handle map data on locally based servers and can only export data relating to navigation and direction services that have been pre-approved by the government.

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World News

Bridgerton Season 4, Part 2 Review

Bridgerton Season 4, Part 2 Review

Bridgerton Season 4, Part 2 Review

The fourth season of Bridgerton concludes with a bang. And that bang was the sound of my jaw dropping to the floor when the final twist of the show was revealed. It appears that there is a new Lady Whistledown in town, and she promises to offer her readers (and the rest of us) “so much fun.”

It may appear to be a simple undertaking to revisit an updated version of the show’s major mystery (especially one that does not feature in Julia Quinn’s books).

But if that mystery keeps Julie Andrews (long may she reign) on our screens for even a minute longer than she would have otherwise, count me in. The finale stunner and cliffhanger question—who is Lady Whistledown? – are emblematic of an improved group of episodes that boost Season 4 of the Netflix Regency drama from mediocre to great.

While Part 1 of the Benedict Bridgerton-centric season was occasionally slow and annoying, Part 2 takes off like a rocketship and doesn’t stop until the titles roll. It makes one question (Dear Gentle Reader) why Netflix insists on separating the seasons. Regardless of the rationale, the four new Bridgerton episodes are well worth the wait.

When we last left our favorite huge 18th-century British family, second son Benedict (Luke Thompson) had requested his maid-turned-paramour Sophie (Yerin Ha) to be his mistress (despite the fact that she was the lady he had mistakenly fallen in love with during a masquerade party).

Penelope (Nicola Coughlan), formerly Lady Whistledown, was having difficulty determining her social standing now that her secret identity had been disclosed. Matriarch Violet (Ruth Gemmell) was navigating a new relationship, while shy Francesca (Hannah Dodd) was attempting to reconcile with her husband’s cousin.

Bridgerton Season 4, Part 2 Review

When we return to Season 4, Part 2, a plodding and at times absurd series of events resets and takes off in a dramatic way. Benedict and Sophie’s relationship grows stronger and more passionate. Despite their social class differences, Benedict finally recognizes Sophie as the mysterious lady in silver and plans to marry her.

Violet, who becomes betrothed to her love interest, Lord Anderson (Daniel Francis), utilizes Benedict’s position to understand she is better off on her own and wishes to rekindle the spirited girl she once was.
As a result, one bond fades while another grows stronger.

Sophie’s “wicked stepmother” and her stepsisters (one good, one not) are punished in a realistic and humane manner. In one of the season’s biggest surprises, we’re left with a sense of grief and empathy for the Season 4 “villains,” given how difficult their lives were in the stuffy Regency era. Congratulations to Katie Leung, who plays the major villain Araminta.

The season’s third major plotline is around Bridgerton resident Francesca, her husband John (Victor Alli), and John’s cousin Micaela (Masali Baduza). Micaela is a gender-swapped version of the character Michael, who eventually develops a relationship with Francesca after John’s death. Season 4, Part 2 features John—surprise!—kicks the bucket, leaving Francesca and Micaela to pick up the pieces.

Dodd and Baduza portray the connection wonderfully. There’s hardly a suggestion of future romance, but there’s something there, even if you don’t know what it is. And if you weren’t familiar with the novels, you’d have trouble locating it.

It’s a wonderful choice by the show’s producers, and the two actresses deliver excellent performances. This is not the yearning we see between Sophie and Benedict, but there is a connection that is severed when Micaela leaves in the middle of the night at the end of the season, leaving Francesca—and us—regretting what could have been (and most likely will be in Season 5).

All of these plotlines combine to create a Cinderella happy ending for Benedict and Sophie, culminating in a mid-credits wedding sequence prefaced by the Lady Whistledown reveal. Some may argue that the surprise is a cop-out: returning the show to the surefire mystery that made it a hit in the first place. But I disagree.

Bridgerton’s attractiveness was always built around its central enigma. The “Who is Lady Whistledown?” I’m thrilled the show is going “back to basics,” and I’m happier that Penelope will be given something to do other than pretend to care for her old alter ego.

Bridgerton Season 4, Part 2 puts the show back on track after a dismal start to the season. It brings the series back to where it was in previous seasons, which is fantastic.

 

Verdict

Bridgerton Season 4, Part 2 returns the show to its roots as a rollicking romance with elements of mystery, drama, and comedy.

 

Long-running stories are concluded in the new episodes, while entirely new ones are put up, ensuring that the show’s following seasons are not to be missed.

 

The cast is fantastic, the narrative is forward-thinking, and the settings and costumes are as beautiful as ever. Bridgerton has made a significant return to

form.

 

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