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No, all those bees weren't a coincidence.
Bridgerton is quite unlike any other series from Shonda Rhimes. For one, the show's period setting of Regency England is a far cry from the modern-day hospitals and political backrooms we're used to seeing in other Shondaland productions like Grey's Anatomy and Scandal. The show is also the raunchiest fans have seen from the producer, owing in large part to it being the first Shondaland scripted series to air on Netflix, which doesn't have to abide by the same strict rules regarding content as networks like ABC. And one other aspect that sets the series apart is the number of Bridgerton Easter eggs that proliferate Season 1.
Hunting for Bridgerton Easter eggs has quickly become a favorite past time of Shondaland stans, as they've been combing the show for references to modern pop culture, actual English history, and the Julia Quinn novels on which Bridgerton is based. That last category has proved especially fruitful for online sleuths, as people are hunting for clues about what's in store for future seasons. That's by design, as creator and showrunner Chris Van Dusen told Decider in a December interview. "I think fans of the book are going to see all the elements they love on screen too — and that is elements like the bees, and that is the way that the siblings banter with each other and the love amongst the Bridgerton family," Van Dusen said.
Take a look below to see some of the most notable Bridgerton Easter Eggs fans have spotted so far.
Modern Music
Listen closely to some of the music in the series and you're likely to hear something familiar. Though the songs are in classical arrangements and usually played by string quartets, Bridgerton features familiar modern pop hits like Ariana Grande's "Thank U, Next," Billie Eilish's "Bad Guy," and Taylor Swift's "Wildest Dreams."
A Black Queen Charlotte
Fans of period dramas set in ye olde England are used to a lack of diversity, but Bridgerton is turning the page on that trope by having a surprisingly diverse cast. That includes casting Black actor Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte, which doubles as a historical Easter egg since some scholars believe the real Queen Charlotte may have had Black African ancestry.
The Bees
Even if you haven't been paying super close attention to the finer details in Bridgerton, you've probably noticed the series' prevalence of bees. There's a bee on the door knocker at the start of the first episode and another on a windowsill at the end of the season finale. In between, decorative bees show up on Eloise's hairpin and Benedict's collar. These buzzy insects are a reference to the novels, as Edmund Bridgerton's death was caused by a bee sting in the books, an event that had a lasting impact on several characters.
Gunter's Tea Shop
One of the places to see and be seen in Bridgerton is more than some English version of Central Perk. Gunter's Tea Shop was a real store in Regency London and was considered a pretty hip gathering place back in the day.
Lady Whistledown's Identity
Lady Whistledown's identity as Penelope Featherington is something that was known to book readers heading into the show, but unknown to casual watchers of the series. So the series' writers and producers opted to create clues about her identity throughout the season that would be noticeable to readers without tipping off non-readers. They did this by slyly inserting Penelope into scenes where Lady Whistledown needed to have been. "When Daphne and Simon first meet, if you look closely, you’ll see Penelope’s eyes in the corner of the screen watching this go down," Van Dusen gave as one example of this in an interview with The Wrap.
The Pall-Mall Game
One fan-favorite scene from the books are the Bridgerton pall-mall games, and Quinn has already pressed for the activity's inclusion in Season 2. "I did make Chris Van Dusen promise that if we get a second season, there has to be pall-mall," the author told Oprah Magazine. Perhaps as a nod to Quinn, Season 1 does feature a reference to the game in the finale, with Anthony telling Hyacinth to stay clear of his lucky mallet.
Tulips
In one Season 1 scene, Violet embroiders tulips and mentions to Anthony that his eventual wife would probably like the same. Many fans see this as a reference to his gifting of a tulip to Kate Sheffield — a character we haven't met yet — in Book 2, The Viscount Who Loved Me. This event is a significant part of one of the series' most notable romances, so it's unlikely that the tulip reference was an accident.
Sir Phillip Crane
A new character who shows up in the Season 1 finale to propose to Marina Thompson, the two depart together with plans to marry by episode's end. But book fans should have little confidence in their nuptials, as Sir Phillip's romance with Eloise Bridgerton is the basis of Book 5 in the series, To Sir Phillip, With Love.
