Just like the aristocratic ton, Bridgerton loves tradition. Season 3 follows in the steps of what came before. The premiere opens with a third Bridgerton sister preparing to make her debut. In Season 1, it was romantic Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor); in Season 2, it was anxious Eloise (Claudia Jessie), and now, in Season 3, it’s “pragmatic” Francesca Bridgerton (Hannah Dodd). Francesca is new to society, and Dodd is new to viewers. This is the actor’s first season on the show, stepping into a role that was recast for Bridgerton Season 3. 

“Francesca has been preparing for [her debut] … Filming it was absolutely terrifying, because it was quite early on in production,” Dodd tells Tudum. “There was a little bit of life imitating art there. She was nervous and I was nervous. She was watching people, and I was watching people to learn. We were kind of going through it together.”

Although Francesca — the sixth Bridgerton progeny — follows in her eldest sister Daphne’s footsteps by getting married to Lord John Stirling (Victor Alli) during her first season in society, she doesn’t take to aristocracy the same way her older five siblings have. Showrunner Jess Brownell explains she’s the “introverted” one in a brood of proud scene-stealers. “Francesca doesn’t always say what she’s feeling like the rest of the Bridgertons,” Brownell tells Tudum. “So we were always looking for little ways to clue people in on the fact that there’s a lot more going on than meets the eye. She has a very rich internal world.” 

So what is going on with Francesca, a young woman who prizes quiet days in Bath and her pianoforte above all else? And what did her finale moments with John and his cousin Michaela Stirling (Masali Baduza) mean? You’ll have to keep reading to find out. 

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Who is playing Francesca Bridgerton? 

Hannah Dodd has taken over the role of Francesca from previous actor Ruby Stokes, who exited the series to film supernatural drama Lockwood & Co. Dodd previously starred in the Millie Bobby Brown mystery Enola Holmes 2 and British drama Anatomy of a Scandal. 

Have I seen Francesca before in Bridgerton? 

Yes, you have — albeit when Stokes was playing Francesca. The character appears in five episodes over the first two seasons. She, like the rest of the Bridgerton family, is introduced in the series premiere, awaiting Daphne’s debut. However, Francesca departs London for the countryside town of Bath for most of Season 1 to live with the siblings’ Aunt Winnie. 

In the Season 1 finale, Francesca returns to Mayfair after her many months away. Daphne asks her to show what she’s learned over the summer, and we witness Francesca play pianoforte for her family. 

We then see Francesca pop up in the first three episodes of Bridgerton Season 2. More often than not — you guessed it, she’s tickling the keys of her beloved pianoforte. Francesca is nothing if not consistent. 

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Which Bridgerton is Francesca most like? 

You might assume Francesca and Daphne are the most alike of all the Bridgerton siblings. They both dazzle in Bridgerton blue and become favorites of Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel). But Dodd has another idea. 

“Fran is a completely different character. But if she’s more similar to anybody, I think it is Eloise,” Dodd says. “In the book, she’s referred to as Eloise’s accidental twin quite a lot, and so I wanted her to have some of that sarcasm and banter that the others have.” 

The biggest difference, for Dodd, is how Francesca approaches merriment. She’s someone who feels joy watching other people have a good time. “She doesn’t always feel like she needs to be in the center of the fun and definitely never the center of attention,” Dodd says. 

What’s going on with Francesca in Bridgerton Season 3, Part 1? 

After plenty of time in Bath with Aunt Winnie, it’s time for Francesca to enter the marriage mart in Season 3. So she spends much of Part 1 getting to know different suitors and learning the art of courting. Francesca finds herself intimidated. 

“There’s definitely an air of innocence about her,” Dodd says. “Debutantes are so young. Although they prepared for these moments for their entire lives, you can’t replicate a ball or suitors that you’ve never met before coming up to you. You don’t know how those conversations are going to go.”  

Still, Francesca is trying to put her best foot forward. “She’s not fighting it. She’s going to these balls. She is trying to find a husband,” Dodd says. “I think the difference is that she’s not excited about it. She’s not spent her entire life dreaming about what her wedding day will look like and what her husband’s going to be. She just knows it’s her time and this is part of life, and here we go.”

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Who is John Stirling? 

An unseen romantic curveball for level-headed Francesca. In Episode 2, Francesca is named the “dazzler” of the season by Queen Charlotte. In Episode 3, we find out what that attention comes with: an introduction to a marquess. At the queen’s behest, Francesca meets Lord Samadani (David Mumeni) at the hot air balloon demonstration. Francesca understands this is the man Queen Charlotte wants her to marry. 

Unfortunately for the queen and her matchmaking schemes, Francesca has a chance meeting with Lord John Stirling, the Earl of Kilmartin (Victor Alli), later that night at the Innovations Ball. John and Francesca have an instant connection. But it isn’t the “fireworks” Bridgerton fans — or caring mama Violet (Ruth Gemmell) — expect. John and Francesca can sit in silence together. That ease is something she values far more than Samadani’s dream of re-creating a hectic household like the Bridgerton’s eight-child family.   

 “John doesn’t try and change Francesca. There’s a really beautiful thing about being comfortable with someone,” Dodd says. “Love, especially in TV and film, is described as lots of butterflies. Actually, it can grow. It can be a companionship and safety … [Their relationship] is just not the same as what we’ve seen with the siblings before.”

Violet appears to have reservations about Francesca’s diversion from the splashy fairy-tale romance she wants for her children. But John seems to win Francesca’s affections with a grand gesture. In the Part 1 finale, he has music rearranged to Francesca’s exact specifications. She’s elated. 

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What did Francesca’s wedding kiss mean? 

Unlike fellow Bridgerton heroines Daphne, Kate Bridgerton (Simone Ashley), and Penelope Bridgerton (Nicola Coughlan), Francesca actually did wait for her wedding day to share a first kiss with her husband. So we see Francesca’s initial reaction to finally smooching John in the Season 3 finale. It’s difficult to read. 

“Violet suspects there’s something missing [between Francesca and John]. Fran doesn’t know better,” showrunner Brownell says. “Part of her exploration going forward will be about whether or not there is in fact something missing.” 

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What is going on between Francesca and Michaela?    

In one of Francesca’s final scenes of Season 3, she is introduced to someone unexpected: Michaela Stirling, a gender-swapped version of a major character in the Bridgerton books named Michael. Upon meeting Michaela, Francesca forgets her name — saying it’s “Bridgerton” instead of her new married surname — just like Violet once did when she met the love of her life, Edmund (Rupert Evans), so many years ago. 

“That connection between her and her mom is so special,” Dodd says. “Francesca feels really safe with John and she does love him. But that absolute forget-your-name, can’t-think moment [with Michaela] surprises her as well. It’s probably going to cause Francesca a little bit of anxiety about what that means. But, who knows what the writers will come up with?” 

Brownell is trying to stay quiet about the topic for now. “Book readers will know what it means when Francesca meets Michaela,” she says. “You’ll just have to wait to see, going forward, what we do with that.”

While the writer is mysterious about Bridgerton’s future, she can be quite honest about her approach to bringing the Francesca of Julia Quinn’s novels to the screen. “Francesca’s book, [When He Was Wicked], really spoke to me as a queer person. Her book is so much about feeling different and not knowing why,” Brownell says. “In the book, it’s really just about her introversion. But to me, that sense of feeling a little bit different and not knowing why is part of the queer story.”

Dodd learned that Michael would be swapped for Michaela early in production. “I’m just so excited and really proud to get to tell that story. I don’t know how similar it’s going to be to the books. But I’m so excited,” she says. “We’re so lucky to have Masali, and she’s the most beautiful person in the world.” 

Keep coming back to Tudum to learn what’s next for Francesca, John, Michaela, and the rest of your favorite members of the ton.  

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