Let's Unpack All the Drama at the End of Bridgerton Season 1

Simon Basset, the Duke of Hastings (Regé-Jean Page), has planned to separate from Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) should she get her courses (aka her period). Lo and behold, she gets her courses. While still clearly in love, they put together the final ball of the season as their last hurrah. As she coordinates the party, Daphne comes across her husband’s childhood letters to his father and speaks with Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh) about Simon’s past. The ball starts off splendidly, then rain pours down on the guests. Daphne has a moment of clarity and professes her love to Simon, Meredith Grey-style.

Simon entertains Daphne one last time by welcoming her sister Francesca (Ruby Stokes) home and throwing the season’s final ball. Before everything unfolds, he goes to the match to support Will Mondrich (Martins Imhangbe), who’s in cahoots with Lord Featherington. Simon figures out that Will lost deliberately and expresses his disapproval, so we’ll have to see if Will faces any consequences for the questionable scheme.

After the party, Simon confesses to Daphne that he doesn’t want to be alone. They hook up once more. This time, Simon doesn’t – there’s no delicate way to put this – pull out. Fast-forward some time after their steamy shenanigans, Daphne gives birth to their son. Simon seems more than elated, suggesting that they honor the Bridgerton alphabetical naming tradition by giving him a name that starts with the letter A.

Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) and his lover Siena Rosso (Sabrina Bartlett), a popular soprano, have a hot hookup session under the bleachers at Will’s match. While they’re in bed together, Anthony invites her to Daphne’s ball. When he comes to pick her up, she’s with another man and rebuffs his advances, saying that he’s lost and that she would rather look after herself. As everyone bids Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) farewell before his travels, Anthony announces his plans to find a wife, albeit with no intentions to find love. Oof.

The headstrong and intellectually inclined Bridgerton sister believes that she’s finally tracked down the mysterious Lady Whistledown. As Eloise Bridgerton attends her sister’s ball, she learns that Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) has hired people to end Lady Whistledown after figuring out where and when she drops her scandal-sheet drafts. Eloise intercepts, and Lady Whistledown lives to see another day. Only, Whistledown isn’t Genevieve Delacroix (Kathryn Drysdale) as Eloise previously suspected. More on her identity very soon!

Marina Thompson (Ruby Barker) learns that her lover George Crane has died in combat when his brother Phillip (Chris Fulton) pays her a visit at the Featheringtons’. At first, she declines Phillip’s offer to marry her. However, Marina finds out that she’s still pregnant despite trying a sketchy tea concoction to end her pregnancy. At the very end, the Featheringtons’ distant cousin takes Phillip up on his offer.

The Featheringtons, at first, regain their footing in society after Lord Featherington (Ben Miller) brings home a bunch of money following his betting win at Will’s match. However, the people who cut Archibald his deal find out that he rigged Will’s loss and kill him. Portia Featherington (Polly Walker) discovers her husband’s death after the ball, and she’s devastated, despite showing little affection for her late husband all throughout. On the financial side of things, the Featherington estate will now go to another man.

At the ball, Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) comes close to confessing her love for Colin, only to learn of his plans to travel. She then returns home to discover her father’s untimely death. Suffice to say, she’s dealing with a lot at the moment.

All of that considered, there’s even more to Penelope than meets the eye. Eloise finds out that Madame Delacroix was with her brother the night of the ball, which debunks her theory about Lady Whistledown. A flashback to when Eloise intercepts the queen’s people reveals that the elusive Lady Whistledown is none other than Penelope.