What Would Danbury Do?

Daphne Bridgerton [f41] is very happily married to a duke [m49] when she finds herself in a position that Kate described as her very worst nightmare. 

Rather than sharing this blessed news with her husband, Daphne instead prolongs the not-telling long enough that pretty much every other person in London knows before he does. 

What is marriage if not for keeping little secrets? 

It’s Season Two: The Second Epilogues, and we’re all left asking ourselves, ‘but why?’

Featuring: 

• Daphne Bridgerton Hastings, the fourth Bridgerton sibling and mother of four

• Simon Hastings, a bonafide Duke who leaned into the alphabetical naming conventions

• A chamberpot

• Hyperlexia - and a lesson on good parenting

• Some letters that probably everyone forgot about

• An opportunity to break out the baby name book (spoiler: they name him Edward)

This week, our What Would Danbury Do feature book is Crush Interrupted by Zaida Polanco. You can learn more about Crush Interrupted and find buy links here. 

Remember that you can find us online at www.bridgertonpod.com, and on twitter and instagram @bridgertonpod. Use #WWDDpod to continue the discussion and we’ll see you in a fortnight!

This episode was recorded on the traditional and unceded land of the Gadigal, Wurundjeri and Boonwurrung people and edited by Rudi Bremer on Gadigal country.

Welcome to Season Two of What Would Danbury Do... a podcast about Julia Quinn’s iconic family, the Bridgertons. In Season One, Rudi, Adele, and Kate took you through the original eight, the O.G. alphabetically named siblings, the Bridgertons from Anthony to Hyacinth. These episodes are available via our website, www.bridgertonpod.com or wherever you get your podcasts. We recommend you go and check them out!

The plan for Season Two was to focus on the Netflix series, but not even the formidable Lady Danbury can mould 2020 into anything resembling order, so instead, we invite you to our revised Season Two:  What Would Danbury Do presents - Happily Ever After: The Second epilogues! 

For reasons none of us can understand (but have everything to do with fan service), Julia Quinn wrote second epilogues for each of the eight original Bridgerton titles, and one bonus Violet story, and this season we will read and discuss all of them so you don’t have to. Look for episode one coming in September. 

In the meantime… for no reason other than we all deserve some extra joy in our lives, stick around for a very special, very Australian episode of WWWDD pod.

Don’t forget you can find us on twitter, instagram and facebook @bridgertonpod - and join the conversation using the hashtag #WWDDpod

This episode was recorded on the traditional and unceded land of the Gadigal, Wurundjeri and Boonwurrung people and edited by Rudi Bremer on Gadigal country.

Rudi [f?], Kate [f??], and Adele [f???] break down the season past, talk about their highlights and their lowlights, provide surprisingly similar rankings, and tackle some thorny reader questions. And, as always, we wonder...who hurt Rudi?

Featuring:

• Why you should only be friends with Kate

• Objectively Good versus Effective versus Giving You All The Feels

• Fan fic supporting Rudi’s favourite theory

• Lady Danbury’s Happy Ever After

• Checkov’s Bridgertons

• Millennial gals

Not Featuring:

• A long, thorough, and deep discussion on Brendan Fraser as an actor, a man, and a thirst object (Blame time restrictions!)

Extra reading:

• Jennifer Hallock on chronotopes 

  • Part One: http://www.jenniferhallock.com/2018/06/27/history-ever-after-part-one/

  • Part Two: http://www.jenniferhallock.com/2018/06/27/history-ever-after-part-two/

• Penelope x Eloise fanfic link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9000283

• Courtney Milan - Mrs Martin’s Incomparable Adventure: https://tinyurl.com/y9zndst8

• Lucy Parker - Act Like It: https://tinyurl.com/y9538bws

• A timeline of Sarah Paulson and Holland Taylor’s relationship: https://www.businessinsider.com.au/sarah-paulson-and-holland-taylors-relationship-timeline-2020-3

We have a surprise What Would Danbury Do this week sent in by Gabby from Book Thingo Podcast,discussing Rose Lerner’s A Lily Amongst Thorns https://tinyurl.com/y9h54hsg

What Would Danbury Do is part of the Frolic Podcast Network. Find more podcasts you’ll love Frolic.media/podcasts

This episode was recorded on the traditional and unceded land of the Gadigal, Wurundjeri and Boonwurrung people and edited by Rudi Bremer on Gadigal country.

The Rankings:

Rudi - 

1. Romancing Mr Bridgerton

2. It’s in His Kiss

3. When He Was Wicked

4. The Viscount Who Loved Me

5. The Duke and I

6. To Sir Phillip, with Love

7. On the Way to the Wedding

8. An Offer from a Gentleman

Kate -  

1. Romancing Mr Bridgerton

2. It’s in His Kiss

3. When He Was Wicked

4. The Duke and I (the one Kate left out in the original ranking)

5. The Viscount Who Loved Me

6. On the Way to the Wedding

7. To Sir Phillip, With Love

8. An Offer from a Gentleman

Adele -

1. When He Was Wicked

2. The Duke and I

3. Romancing Mr Bridgerton

4. The Viscount Who Loved Me

5. To Sir Phillip, With Love

6. It’s In His Kiss

7. On the Way to the Wedding

8. An Offer From A Gentleman

Gregory Bridgerton [m26] has watched every single one of his siblings fall into a true love match, and thus has become a bit of an overconfident git about a) finding true love and b) knowing true love when it shows up. 

Meanwhile Lady Lucinda Abernathy [f20] is not the kind of woman that believes any man professing true love, having heard enough of them profess it to her beautiful best friend, Hermione [f20]. Besides, it doesn’t matter. She’s practically engaged anyway. Why mess anything up with emotions? 

Featuring:

• A beautifully pragmatic heroine

• An overly romantic hero

• Insta love!!

• Musings on female friendships

• So. Much. Running.

• Grim realisations

• The emergence of a new matriarch 

In What Would Danbury Do, we hear from AJ Felipe from No Two Ways by #romanceclass author Chi Yu Rodriguez. If you want to read more about love triangles, makeovers, and the untimely emergence of one-night-stands, click here.

Remember that you can find us online at www.bridgertonpod.com, and on twitter and instagram @bridgertonpod. Use #WWDDpod to continue the discussion and subscribe for information on our SUPER SPECIAL BONUS EPISODE and what’s happening for Season Two!

This episode was recorded on the traditional and unceded land of the Gadigal, Wurundjeri and Boonwurrung people and edited by Rudi Bremer on Gadigal country.

Francesca [f23] is happily married to John [m28], living in Scotland, and palling around with John’s cousin Michael [m29] in a completely platonic threesome. Then the unimaginable happens. Flash-forward four years and Francesca has lost both her husband and their mutual best friend as Michael hangs out in India and avoids all familial responsibility. But on his unexpected return to England, something shocking happens - sparks fly, tables are used in unconventional ways, and Francesca and Michael swing wildly between horny and guilty. It’s not like they can get married...can they? WWDD?

Our sixth episode things get raunchier than expected as Francesca keeps it in the family.

Featuring:

• Francesca Stirling, nee Bridgerton, who passes unnoticed through all family events

• Michael Stirling, a man who has chemistry with literally everyone

• So much retconning. 

• An actually beautiful heroine

• A hero who fucks (with a comprehensive definition of what ‘fucks’ actually means)

• Angst. Guilt. Emotional minefields.

• Dirty talk *fans self*

• Vanilla. And tofu. 

• Sexy, sexy, dirty consent

• Dev Patel’s hair from Lion

In What Would Danbury Do this week, we discuss Naima Simon’s Sin and Ink, Sweetest Taboo series book 1 (with bonus book discussions of Cecelia Grant’s A Lady Awakened and Alisha Rai’s Wrong to Need You). If you want to read more about widows getting a second chance at romance please click here.

Remember that you can find us online at www.bridgertonpod.com, and on twitter and instagram @bridgertonpod. Use #WWDDpod to continue the discussion and we will see you in a fortnight!

This episode was recorded on the traditional and unceded land of the Gadigal, Wurundjeri and Boonwurrung people and edited by Rudi Bremer on Gadigal country.

Sir Phillip Crane [m30] just wanted to hang out with his plants, but his brother’s death in France landed him the title, the estate, the responsibility, and a wife he married for duty and not love. Now a widow with two demons *cough* children in his care, he just wants someone to help make his life easier. Enter Eloise Bridgerton [f28] who is on the shelf and therefore should be desperate enough to marry just about anyone. Desperate enough to show up on his doorstep unannounced anyway. But she seems to have plans and ideas of her own? WWDD?

To Sir Phillip, With Love takes us out of London and into the wilds of Gloucester, an ancient estate, a modern greenhouse, and some apparently engrossing trials with pea plants. It’s the regency equivalent of a tinder romance, and we have thoughts. 

Please note: this episode comes with a content note for depictions of mental illness and suicide. 

Featuring:

• Eloise Bridgerton, who doesn’t know who Lady Whistledown is

• Phillip Crane, who is really bad at relationships

• Twins 

• Pranks

• Eels

• The unexpected arrival of four Bridgerton men

• An unexpected drinking sesh with four Bridgerton men and one Crane man

• Practical advice from a sister-in-law

• Another patented Violet Bridgerton ‘birds and the bees’ talk

• A dry spell, broken

• A match made in an archery competition

What Would Danbury Do this week addresses a letter from Rafe, the titular character from the romance novel by Rebekah Weatherspoon, book one of the Loose Ends series. For one of the most soothing, grown-up, mature, low-stakes, low-conflict competency porn romance novels we’ve read in a long time, please click here. 

Remember that you can find us online at www.bridgertonpod.com, and on twitter and instagram @bridgertonpod. Use #WWDDpod to continue the discussion and we will see you in a fortnight!

This episode was recorded on the traditional and unceded land of the Gadigal, Wurundjeri and Boonwurrung people and edited by Rudi Bremer on Gadigal country.

Perpetual wallflower Penelope Featherington [f28] has been hopelessly in love with Colin Bridgerton [33m] for years, however he only sees her as a friend. Now he’s back in London after a lengthy Greek sojourn, and something is different. Penelope is finally finding her courage, and Colin can’t help but notice the woman he never noticed before. WWDD?

Our fourth episode has us (and everyone else) sighing over the popular guy/unpopular girl trope, with a bonus queer reading of the text. It also made us all very hungry for sandwiches. Maybe grab a snack before you listen?

Featuring:

• Penelope Featherington, the most relatable of all characters

• Colin Bridgerton, eater of everything

• A secret writer

• Another secret writer

• Two delighted mothers

• One kind of delighted sister? I mean definitely. Absolutely. Completely delighted.

• A regency mean girl getting a bit of comeuppance

• A wedding cake church

• Sandwiches.

• More sandwiches.

• A prat fall.

• One. Huge. Revelation.

In What Would Danbury Do this week, we discuss Lydia San Andres’s A Summer for Scandal, Arroyo Blaco series book 1. If you want to read more about noblemen being pushed into large bodies of water, we suggest that you check out this book (and others!) including buy links here. 

Remember that you can find us online at www.bridgertonpod.com, and on twitter and instagram @bridgertonpod. Use #WWDDpod to continue the discussion and we will see you in a fortnight!

This episode was recorded on the traditional and unceded land of the Gadigal, Wurundjeri and Boonwurrung people and edited by Rudi Bremer on Gadigal country.

Benedict Bridgerton [m31] has an inexplicable, almost mystical attraction to two women. One is a mysterious woman [f22] he met two years ago at his mother’s masquerade ball and never sees again, and the second is Sophie Beckett [f24] a housemaid who seems oddly familiar. How can he possibly choose between them? WWDD?

It’s our third episode, and we go full Cinderella with An Offer from a Gentleman, though through the course of the story, it becomes less and less clear whether Benedict is a gentleman or kind of a Benedick, really. 

Featuring:

• Benedict Bridgerton: is he hot or is he just tall?

• Sophia Maria Beckett, a by-blow, an orphan, an excellent lady’s maid

• An evil step-mother

• An evil step-sister

• A slightly less evil step-sister who is nonetheless evil because bad things happen when good people do nothing

• Birth order angst

• A masquerade

• A rustic cottage

• Several indecent proposals

• A convenient new back story

• A long-term house guest who is never mentioned again

In What Would Danbury Do this week, we discuss Talia Hibbert’s The Princess Trap, book 1 of her Dirty British Romance series. If you too want some dirty Brits in your life, you can find out more about The Princess Trap and Talia’s other books, including buy links here. 

Remember that you can find us online at www.bridgertonpod.com, and on twitter and instagram @bridgertonpod. Use #WWDDpod to continue the discussion and we will see you in a fortnight!

This episode was recorded on the traditional and unceded land of the Gadigal, Wurundjeri and Boonwurrung people and edited by Rudi Bremer on Gadigal country.