Bridgerton simon cant have children series#

Reviewers tout Bridgerton as pure escapism, but there’s no excuse for downplaying sexual assault for entertainment value.

It is a harsh reminder of the kind of manipulation and victim-blaming that sexual abuse survivors experience. But here, Daphne deprived Simon of any semblance of agreement to both sex and fatherhood. The episodes that follow see Daphne demanding that Simon win her forgiveness and give up his vow to not have children. This could have been a worthwhile exploration of the importance of informed consent. Simon’s pain and upset becomes Daphne’s as we spend the rest of the scene watching her lament to him about his alleged betrayal. She even gives a convincing speech about the difference between Simon saying that he “can’t” have children and saying that he “won’t.” Instead, the next episode focuses on Daphne’s fury that Simon was capable of ejaculating but didn’t want to. But here, Bridgerton uses a scene that’s painfully familiar to male sexual abuse survivors as an entertaining plot device. The show commits another disservice by failing to investigate Simon’s emotional reaction to the event. If a man forcibly straddled a woman as she asked him to stop, the outrage would be enormous. He cries out for Daphne to stop, but she doesn’t. The result is a rape scene that is brief but disturbing. During sex, Daphne changed position so Simon can’t pull out. Simon simply told his wife that he can’t have children. Regardless of intent, Simon does not get to name his experience or his own the feelings of betrayal that it created as the plot leads to him learning to change his mind about children for the sake of Daphne getting what she wants.But while show ticks many boxes when it comes to diversity and female sexual desire, it misses the mark on male consent.Ī scene from Quinn’s original novel that avid romance readers called out as a rape is a central part of the Netflix series The non-consensual sex scene is part of Quinn’s The Duke and I and appears in the show’s sixth episode, around the 57-minute mark.ĭaphne (Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon (Rege-Jean Brown) are a couple. Daphne knows very little about sex and is unaware that her husband has secretly vowed to never father children… but adopted the good ol’ pull-out method of contraception. It could have been written out of the plot entirely, but instead it was rewritten to this. So, why doesn’t Bridgerton acknowledge this as sexual violence? Knowing what the scene had been adapted from in the novel, it’s likely that Bridgerton’s writers knew they were dealing with a nonconsensual situation. This seems a bit ironic because Bridgerton is frequently concerned with Daphne’s ability to consent to situations in her life, but it doesn’t extend the same sentiment to Simon in this moment. At times, it feels like we are even made to side with her in this situation, as if her taking control over Simon in this way is actually an act of women’s empowerment in a time period where Daphne has little power over her life. However, the show seems to all but gloss over Simon’s pain in favor of Daphne’s entitlement. Does this mean that Daphne has a right to violate Simon to get what she wants? Absolutely not. Could they have communicated better on their desires about children? Yes. She doesn’t stop what she is doing and continues with a knowing look on her face until he finishes a moment later.ĭaphne justifies her violence against Simon with his own dishonesty about not wanting children. We can see the fear in his eyes as he tells Daphne to “wait”. When he realizes he is close to ejaculating, he tries to get Daphne to move or stop, but she doesn’t. The show adapts this moment so that Simon is awake, sober, and consenting to sex until Daphne becomes forceful. In the original version of the story, Daphne has sex with Simon with the same attempt to become pregnant while he is passed out from intoxication.

Bridgerton simon cant have children series#

The show is based on a series of romance novels by Julia Quinn published between 2000-2013. The next time they have sex, Daphne positions herself on top of Simon and forces him not to pull out in an attempt to become pregnant against his wishes. Late into the season, Daphne learns the truth of how pregnancy happens from her handmaid. Simon has told her that he “can’t” have children (rather than “won’t”) and relies on the pull-out method when they have sex, an act that goes unexplained to Daphne.