Francesca’s Story Takes a Surprising Turn in ‘Bridgerton’ Season 3, Part 2

“Surprising, forceful, and quick.” That’s how Violet Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell) describes the type of love that she originally envisioned for her children—including the enigmatic Francesca Bridgerton (played by Hannah Dodd)—in Bridgerton season three. But by the time of Francesca’s low-key wedding to the sweet but subdued John, Earl of Kilmartin (Victor Alli), Violet has awoken to “beauty in the slow approach.”

Still, she can’t help but reminisce about the first time she laid eyes on her late husband, Edmund Bridgerton. “When I first met your father, I could barely speak my own name,” Violet tells Francesca. “I was so taken by him. I stumbled over words most familiar.” This sentiment echoes in the final minutes of Bridgerton’s third season, when Francesca meets a person who does, in fact, cause her to forget herself entirely: Michaela Stirling (Masali Baduza), cousin to Francesca’s new husband. And that name will be somewhat familiar to fans of Julia Quinn’s original book series.

In a major departure, the novel’s male-identifying character of Michael has been switched to the female-identifying Michaela. Ahead, showrunner Jess Brownell breaks down the shocking change in Francesca’s future love interest.

Who is Francesca Bridgerton?

Described in the novels as her older sister Eloise’s (Claudia Jessie) “accidental twin” because of their close proximity in age, Francesca is the most subdued of the Bridgerton siblings. Until now, she had largely been sidelined on Bridgerton. She was gone for large swaths of seasons one and two, with the show blaming her absence on visits to her Aunt Winnie in the countryside town of Bath. When Francesca is reintroduced in Bridgerton season three, we learn that she’d rather be tickling the ivories than fending off potential suitors. “I don’t think she ever wants to be the center of attention, so she feels quite uncomfortable with it being all eyes on her,” Dodd recently told Town & Country. After the show debuted, some neurodivergent fans referred to the character as “autistic coded” because they share traits with the introspective Francesca.

Why is Francesca played by a new actor?

Ruby Locke, who played Francesca in seasons one and two, departed Bridgerton for a leading role on Netflix’s Lockwood & Co. “I have to hand it to Hannah Dodd, who stepped into the role of Francesca this year,” showrunner Jess Brownell previously told Vanity Fair. “There was the risk with the Francesca character that she could be unknowable or inaccessible, but Hannah brings this real nuance and subtlety that allows us inside her head in a really powerful way.”

As costar Claudia Jessie told VF, “Can you imagine stepping into this two seasons in? I’m terrified turning up, and I’ve been there since day one. Hannah, the minute she turned up, it felt like she’d been with us for years. She is glorious through and through…. Hannah has done a beautiful job. I came away from [this season] very, very, very proud of her.”

What is Francesca’s storyline in Bridgerton season three?

Despite her reticence about the marriage mart, Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) names Francesca this season’s “sparkler,” precisely because she performs for herself and not the society set. The queen then masterminds what she believes to be an ideal suitor for Francesca in Lord Samadani (David Mumeni). “I love my family dearly, but it can be rather lonely to be around them all at once,” Francesca tells him in the season’s third episode. Samadani, also one of eight siblings, disagrees with her viewpoint and makes his intentions for a similarly large family known. Dismayed by his response, Francesca retreats to the outskirts of that evening’s ball, where she meets John, Earl of Kilmartin, with whom she bonds over their shared need for solitude.

But when Francesca and John meet, sparks fly in complete silence. “How will they know each other if they do not speak?” asks Violet Bridgerton wary of their courtship—in part because it goes against the match the queen has selected for Francesca.