Showrunner Jess Brownell tells "" that Sophie “has a real right to be very pissed” after Benedict asks her to be his mistress.

*Bridgerton *stars and showrunner react to Benedict’s controversial offer in episode 4: ‘I was fuming’

Showrunner Jess Brownell tells "" that Sophie "has a real right to be very pissed" after Benedict asks her to be his mistress.

By Emlyn Travis

Emlyn Travis is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2022. Her work has previously appeared on MTV News, Teen Vogue, and *NME*.

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January 29, 2026 12:00 p.m. ET

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Yerin Ha and Luke Thompson in 'Bridgerton' season 4. Credit:

Liam Daniel/Netflix

**Warning: This article contains spoilers for the *Bridgerton* season 4, episode 4, "An Offer From a Gentleman."**

How could you, Benedict?!**

That’s likely the first thought many *Bridgerton* fans had after witnessing the season 4, episode 4 cliffhanger, in which Luke Thompson’s character passionately proclaims his feelings for housemaid Sophie (Yerin Ha) only to completely blow up everything between them moments later by asking her to become his mistress. Hurt by his proposal, Sophie dashes away without giving Benedict an answer, leaving him standing seriously confused and alone.

If it makes anyone feel better, Thompson was taken aback by Benedict’s less-than-gentlemanly offer when he first received the script. “It’s nice to surprise people,” he tells **. “And I do feel like, when I read it, I was like, ‘Whoa, okay!'"

Ha as Sophie in 'Bridgerton'.

Liam Daniel/Netflix

He adds that it was particularly fun to showcase a side of Benedict’s personality that felt like the polar opposite of the clever suitor that Sophie had gotten to know throughout season 4. **

“That [scene's] from the book, but they've elaborated Benedict in a certain way in the show,” Thompson explains. “So to have a character like he's been portrayed so far say something that can seem insensitive, maybe cold, maybe a bit blind, or trying to have his cake and eat it sort of thing... It’s quite fun, because it feels in some way maybe out of character for Benedict.” **

And he's fully here for Benedict’s rights and Benedict’s wrongs. “We all do things that are out of character sometimes and, often, the things that we do that are out of character are the things that actually say the most about us,” Thompson points out. “So yes, it's a great moment. I just read it and thought, ‘This is so fun to play this build up that it’s going to be this wonderful proposal!’ And then he says what he says and it’s, like, [eek].”

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Ha, however, has a very different take on Benedict’s offer. “Yeah, I was fuming,” she replies, sending Thompson into a fit of laughter. “I was *fuming*.”

In Benedict's defense, Thompson believes that his character is aware he’s “doing not necessarily the right thing” by asking Sophie to become his mistress, but that it’s the only solution that he can come up with that allows him and Sophie to be together. “I think he thinks that it could work,” he says. “That he could sort of splice all these things together and make this sort of weird situation that works for him… and then it doesn’t.”

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Which Ha understands. “And [Benedict] thinks that it's going to help Sophie’s life and make it easier,” she adds.  **

“I don't think he thinks it's necessarily the most *romantic* thing to do,” Thompson concedes, “but it's like, ‘This is me being realistic and also trying to be with you.’”

Showrunner Jess Brownell adds that Benedict's proposal is very much in keeping with the series’ Regency Era setting. “I think for a modern audience, it seems like a real slap in the face, but the fact of the matter is that it was incredibly common,” she explains. “And it would have been the only logical ask to make between a gentleman and a housemaid in that period of time.”**

Thompson as Benedict in 'Bridgerton'.

Liam Daniel/Netflix

Still, that doesn’t mean she's siding with Benedict. “However, I think Sophie's reaction of being pretty damn outraged is really valid,” she continues. “She wanted to believe that Benedict saw her for more than her station, and that their connection was something special. So she has a real right to be very pissed.” **

Brownell explains that viewers will get a chance to see Sophie process Benedict's ask in the second half of the season, which premieres on Netflix on Feb. 26. “In the little time we've had to get to know her, I think viewers can already tell that Sophie’s not someone who suffers fools, or allows herself to be insulted in that way,” she says. “So she's absolutely going to separate herself from Benedict a bit.”**

Not for too long, though. “Don't worry,” she teases. “The thirst will get them back together pretty quickly.”**

The first four episodes of *Bridgerton* season 4 are streaming now on Netflix.

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