Daphne’s uninvolved role comes as no issue for showrunner Jess Brownell. In an interview with Variety, Brownell explained that they initially planned to address it, but they eventually decided that they never needed to explain her absence at all. The showrunner did consider options, such as Daphne and Simon actually being at the weddings but simply happening to be out of sight during any important scenes. Although “there was a version of the scripts” where that was the case, they wanted to avoid bringing them up in a “wonky” way. Check out the full quote below:
There was a version of the scripts this season where at Penelope and Colin’s wedding, we threw a line at the fact that like, “Oh, Daphne wishes she could be here — but she’s pregnant again,” or, “Daphne and Simon? I just saw them, they’re sitting over there.” But the truth of the matter is that it just gets a little wonky to bring them up, and then not see them. But I firmly feel that in my brain, they are still a part of the universe. Obviously on the television show, you’re not seeing every part of these people’s lives . And so they are still going to see Daphne and Simon, Daphne and Simon are still coming over — just not at the time when the camera happens to show up, weirdly.
Daphne Was At The Bridgerton Weddings
Even Without Dynevor’s Involvement, Daphne Attended The Weddings
Daphne may not have appeared on-screen, but she was still present at the Bridgerton family weddings and remains a core member of the family. Much of Bridgerton season 1 was focused on Daphne’s love for Simon, so it is no wonder that Dynevor left the show shortly after Simon did. There was little for Daphne to do in season 2, leaving her to become a supporting character in his absence. After Dynevor left, Daphne’s absence was palpable, but it did not take away from the love stories, or the family dynamic that makes the show so compelling.
The Bridgerton family tree still has enough characters to comfortably lead the narrative in Daphne’s absence. In fact, the shift in focus reflects the structure of Julia Quinn’s books. Each book focuses on a different member of the family, so each season focusing on new central characters is an excellent way to reflect that. Considering that her arc has already passed, Daphne’s absence does not entirely change as much as a future central character might. Any future lead might need to be recast in that case.
While season 1 focused on Daphne, season 2 followed the burgeoning love between her elder brother Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) and newcomer Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley).
However, while she might not have needed to be there, Daphne’s absence is still disappointing. Even if audiences can recognize that she was at the wedding, it would still have been rewarding to see her celebrating the love lives of her siblings. The relationships between these characters were essential to seasons 1 and 2, so dropping them outright is jarring. If Dynevor ever returns to Bridgerton, Daphne will undoubtedly become an important character again, but her absences from the weddings nevertheless remain a point of contention.
Bridgerton Needs To Handle Its Missing Characters Better In The Future
More Stars Are Likely To Leave The Netflix Show
The fact that different characters cycle in and out of the spotlight works perfectly with the storytelling style of the original Bridgerton books. While they all have a largely consistent cast of characters, the leads who are the center of each book take supporting roles in the seven other installments, and especially in the case of the younger Bridgerton siblings, sometimes don’t appear in more than just a few chapters apiece. Below, see a breakdown of which Bridgerton sibling is the center of each of the books:
Title
Bridgerton Sibling
Love Interest
The Duke & I (2000)
Daphne
Simon
The Viscount Who Loved Me (2000)
Anthony
Kate
An Offer from a Gentleman (2001)
Sophie
Romancing Mister Bridgerton (2002)
Colin
Penelope
To Sir Phillip, With Love (2003)
Eloise
Phillip
When He Was Wicked (2004)
Francesca
Michael
It’s In His Kiss (2005)
Hyacinth
Gareth
On the Way to the Wedding (2006)
Gregory
Lucy
Because of this, it seems likely that more of the Bridgerton cast will depart the show once their love stories are told. So far, out of the lead characters on the show, only the central couple from season 1 has been absent for season 3. However, it seems possible that Jonathan Bailey and Simone Ashley may desire to pursue other projects now that they have played supporting characters for a full season. The same may soon be the case for Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton, whose time in the spotlight is over after waiting their turn for two seasons.
Regé-Jean Page left Bridgerton after season 1 while his onscreen love interest Phoebe Dynevor stuck around until the end of season 2.
If the number of siblings onscreen in the show’s titular family continues to shrink, it will become more necessary for the script to include them in some way, so the consistency of the universe can be maintained. While it may have been wonky to mention Daphne during the weddings in season 3, if more characters are missing, it may tip the scale over toward it instead feeling wonky not to mention the unseen characters. However, it remains to be seen what stars return for the upcoming Bridgerton season 4, as this may not become an issue for some time.
