The main couple of “Bridgerton” has a big problem

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When you’ve seen them all Bridgeton In one day (there’s no other way to experience it), you might get dizzy from the rush of Daphne and Simon’s hurricane romance. They may have swooned over their courtship, their chemistry, and their future as it stands in the finals.

But we have some notes.

Daphne and Simon Hastings are not #goals; They’re a classic example of a couple sweeping their deeper issues under the rug so they can keep up appearances and focus on the brighter parts of a rich and complex relationship.

At the heart of it all is their poor communication. In how many episodes is the central conflict between Daphne and Simon that they just misunderstand one another? In episode 3? Simon stops the ruse but doesn’t tell Daphne why, so she’s upset. They need to be told they love each other over and over again – through obvious body language and classic crushing behaviors, by third parties including Daphne’s mother, in front of the Queen, and finally on their wedding night if the message will at least sink in long enough for this epic and seemingly never-ending sex scene.

It’s okay that Phoebe and Simon have a lot of sex, but it’s probably in their best interests to chat sometimes!
Credit: LIAM DANIEL / NETFLIX

Communication is also at the root of her biggest problem: Simon’s refusal to have children because his father abused him. Dude could have addressed that back in Episode 2. It might not be the kind of light-hearted conversation he wanted with his new boyfriend… so bring it up in episode 4 when Anthony demands they get married! Or later in the same episode when Daphne demands that they get married and suddenly Simon agrees! Maybe after the wedding, during that endless montage of lovemaking—I mean, he certainly felt at least a little urge to tell the truth? Or maybe not, with other shoots taking center stage so prominently.

To that end — and I really hate to have to bring this up — Daphne and Simon’s sex lives get in the way of the love they both describe so passionately. This begins with the poor, if not non-existent, sex education of the Regency era; I remember it was Simon who told Daphne about masturbation in the first place. She doesn’t learn how babies are made(Opens in a new window) until she engages in regular baby making activities! Based on Episode 6, these two don’t so much talk about what they like as they learn through trial and error; verbal communication is simply not welcome in the duke and duchess’s bedchamber (or in the library or in the pavilion… basically anytime within 50 feet of them).

That’s all fine and dandy while they’re having torrid consensual sex times, but causes them to struggle to talk when that’s what the relationship desperately needs. That episode 7 stairway encounter is undeniably hot, but it’s a well-known case of a couple choosing to return to familiar physical comfort to avoid harder emotional discussions.

Daphne is getting married without knowing how babies are made and that’s patriarchy!!
Credit: LIAM DANIEL / NETFLIX

Apparently, Simon’s reluctance to share the whole truth is part of the ingrained trauma of his childhood. This is perfectly valid, but the breakup emerges from episode 6 when Daphne learns he is not willingly fathering an heir. It was time to tell the whole truth and stop sitting on the information that makes everything fit. Simon’s childhood troubles are worth discussing and analyzing—for the couple and for us—but that never happens. He magically changes his mind after a conversation in the finale, a conversation that up to this point has clearly been postponed to keep the conflict between them going.

In other words, we could have looped this shit up until episode 6 and then spent the rest of the season watching Benedict kiss boys. But we didn’t, and that’s on us as society. But it’s eight Bridgeton Books, so nothing we can’t fix in future seasons.

Bridgeton now streaming on Netflix(Opens in a new window)(opens in a new tab).