A Recap To Get Ready For 'Bridget Jones's Baby'

If there ever was a character who could accurately inspire a proclamation of "that's so me," it would be Bridget Jones. There are so many single girls out there who have, at one time or another, turned to Bridget in times of heartbreak or turmoil. And luckily for all of us single (and non-single) people out there, Bridget is back to usher in a new era of clumsy, awkwardly adorable behavior that will have us all saying "that's me!" Now, it's been about 12 years since Renée Zellweger last graced the silver screen as our eponymous heroine, but have no fear, because as of Sept. 16, she's back! And I'm here to catch you up on all things Bridget Jones before seeing the third entry into the franchise. This is the Bridget Jones recap you need before seeing Bridget Jones's Baby.

OK, I have to admit that before you read my Bridget Jones recap, you should know that I am a fan. As in, Bridget Jones's Diary is one of my favorite movies of all time, I'm slightly biased toward one man over the other but I still totally think the other is hunky, and I would never, in my life, utter a bad word about the O.G. Bridget Jones's Diary. But enough chatter, let's get to it — here's a Bridget Jones recap of all the major plot points.

Bridges Jones's Diary

Our tale begins with Bridget — a woman who believes that she needs to lose weight, stop smoking, and stay away from men that are bad for her. Bridget decides to keep a diary for the next year about her life and her progress making better choices. It is around this time that Bridget starts a sexy flirtation with her boss, Daniel (Hugh Grant). Daniel has one of the best character introductions of all time:

See what I mean? OK, so Bridget and Daniel start to get frisky and she starts to fall in love. Meanwhile, Bridget's foe Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) seems to always show up at the worst times and they do nothing but bicker and argue. Bridget basically thinks that Mark hates her. And ~plot twist~ Daniel tells Bridget that Mark slept with Daniel's ex-fiancée, which, of course, makes Bridget hate Mark even more. It seems that life is going better than expected for Bridget. What could go wrong? Well... Bridget could catch Daniel cheating on her, which is exactly what happens. This sends Bridget into a downward spiral.

As it turns out, Daniel cheating on Bridget was the kick in the pants she really needed to actually get her life together. Bridget gets a new job that she kicks ass at and she's happy, even though she's still single. It is then that Mark Darcy starts to appear more and more and it seems that, wait a second, Mark actually doesn't hate Bridget. In fact...

Swoon! Of course, in typical rom-com fashion, hijinks ensue that keep Mark and Bridget apart and they struggle to admit their real feelings to one another. Then, Daniel returns to try and win Bridget back but she's all "no way!" It's also then that Bridget actually finds out that Daniel is the one who slept with Mark's ex-fiancée, not the other way around. Well, of course, it doesn't take much more between the two for them to admit they basically love each other and there's an epic kiss in the snow with Bridget wearing nothing but her knickers.

And that is where Bridget Jones's Diary ends. Which leads us to..

Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason

Four weeks after the end of the first film, we find Bridget becoming increasingly insecure in her relationship with Mark. Bridget realizes that Mark is a conservative voter, that he has a gorgeous colleague named Rebecca, and to top it off, Daniel offers Bridget a new job. But Bridget tries to push that all aside and goes on a skiing vacation with Mark, where she finds out that Rebecca recommended the spot. To make matters worse, Bridget thinks she's pregnant and she and Mark fight about children. Luckily, the test comes back negative, but the damage to the relationship has been done. Then, Mark tells their parents marriage isn't something they're yet thinking about, which shatters Bridget's heart. It's then that Bridget suspects that Mark is cheating with Rebecca and her friend advises her that if Mark says "I refuse to dignify that with an answer" then yes, he is cheating. So Bridget confronts him and well:

So Bridget breaks up with Mark. And she regresses back to, well, old habits.

Old habits being Daniel. Bridget agrees to go to Thailand with Daniel to film something for work where they, naturally, begin to have a flirtation. And then, of course, Bridget catches Daniel with a prostitute so that ends before it really begins. On their way back home, Bridget carries something for one of her coworkers in her bag, which turns out to be cocaine so she's arrested and sent to a Thai prison. Mark is sent to negotiate her release, as pissed as ever. But then, because he's clearly not over her, Mark confronts Daniel about not helping Bridget when she was arrested and the two, yet again, fight over Bridget.

Then some other rom-com hijinks happen, and Bridget rushes to Mark because, oh yeah, they're both still madly in love with each other. Bridget also learns that Rebecca has no interest in Mark because she's interested in Bridget. Can you say plot twist? Then, Bridget and Mark reunite and Mark asks Bridget to marry him. The film ends with Bridget catching the bouquet at her parents' vow renewal.

For me, this one is nothing compared to the masterpiece that is Bridget Jones's Diary, but we cannot omit it from the franchise; it's canon. So, Bridget and Mark are technically engaged, but I wonder what tears them apart? Because in Bridget Jones's Baby, Bridget is single and pregnant! Only she doesn't know who the father is. Is it hunky American, Jack (Patrick Dempsey aka McDreamy) or is it Mark Darcy? I, for one, cannot wait to find out.

And that, my friends, is the saga of my friend, Bridget Jones.

Images: Giphy (7); Universal Pictures