Historical Inaccuracy in Fiction: Why Bridgerton Succeeds and The Buccaneers Doesn't

MsMojo

"Bridgerton" vs "The Buccaneers," one clearly wins the historical accuracy department. On this channel we love to get swept up in the romance of a bygone era, but not all TV-assisted time travel is created equal.

Transcript

00:00 "Anthony, you're here."

00:01 "Of course I'm here, sister.

00:02 I'll never miss such an important day for you and our family."

00:04 Welcome to Ms. Mojo.

00:06 On this channel, we love to get swept up in the romance of a bygone era,

00:10 but not all TV-assisted time travel is created equal.

00:13 We'll be getting into some plot details for both these series,

00:16 so beware of spoilers.

00:17 "Actually, Nan doesn't even like any of this, the lords and the titles and so on.

00:21 She thinks it's all silliness."

00:22 "It's true, it's stupid.

00:23 Who actually wants to be a part of this?"

00:25 "I do.

00:26 I like it."

00:28 For as long as people have been gathering around moving pictures,

00:31 creators have been using the medium to carry us to different times and places.

00:35 Set in an alternate version of Regency England,

00:38 Bridgerton debuted over the 2020 holiday season when more people than usual

00:41 were looking to their media for an escape.

00:44 The show was an overnight smash success for Netflix.

00:47 It's no wonder that other platforms scrambled to find their own IP

00:50 to capitalize on the new interest.

00:52 "As such, an even rarer jewel of only the most remarkable brilliance,

00:58 fire, and luster has been unearthed."

01:01 Apple TV+ launched in fall of 2019,

01:04 and quickly built a reputation for excellence,

01:06 prioritizing quality over quantity in their original content.

01:09 They dipped a toe in the historical fiction pool

01:12 with shows like The Clever and Irreverent Dickinson,

01:15 and the exquisite book-to-film adaptation of Pachinko.

01:17 "Do you think you can forget me? Really?"

01:23 But while both series are highly acclaimed,

01:26 neither broke into the zeitgeist to become the kind of pop culture sensation

01:29 Apple might have hoped for.

01:31 When the streamer announced in 2022 that it would produce

01:34 a new adaptation of The Buccaneers, however,

01:36 it looked like they may have found the kind of property that could make that leap.

01:39 "There is talk, Mrs. Paramore, that for certain girls of refinement,

01:43 New York has become too limited."

01:45 "Very limited, I quite agree."

01:48 "Yes, I quite agree too."

01:49 On paper, no pun intended,

01:51 Bridgerton and The Buccaneers share some commonalities.

01:54 Both are book adaptations,

01:56 with Bridgerton being based on a contemporary series by Julia Quinn,

01:59 and The Buccaneers adapted from Edith Wharton's unfinished final novel.

02:03 "What are you reading?"

02:05 "A book."

02:07 "Yeah, I think I heard of that."

02:11 Both heavily feature young women in pursuit of love and marriage

02:14 as they navigate high society,

02:16 and both use historical elements and real traditions like the London social season

02:20 as a framework for the fictional drama of their plots to unfurl.

02:23 "Lady Whistledown has all but declared me ineligible,

02:27 worthy of the affection of a detestable simpleton and no one else."

02:32 While Bridgerton patterns itself recognizably after the Regency era

02:36 so many of us first encountered through Jane Austen,

02:38 the 1813 world of the story is openly much more fantasy than fact.

02:42 From the canonically addressed integrated population of the Ton,

02:45 to the almost confection-like visual aesthetics,

02:48 this London has the fairy tale quality of a garden in eternal bloom.

02:52 And yet, real-world history is a heavy influence on the rigid social order

02:56 that forms the boundaries each character is expected to act within.

03:00 "If you desire the sun and the moon,

03:01 all you have to do is go out and shoot at the sky.

03:03 Some of us cannot."

03:05 By contrast, in The Buccaneers, acting out is the whole point.

03:09 The story of five upstart Americans offering their fortunes

03:12 in exchange for fancy British titles instantly positions

03:15 the vaguely Gilded Age quintet as very not like the other debutantes.

03:19 "Girls, have you not noticed? We're not them. We're Americans.

03:23 When did we ever care what people think of us?"

03:26 The dollar princesses who inspired Wharton's novel were considered fresh

03:29 and interesting in England for their outgoing American demeanors,

03:32 which is an idea The Buccaneers carries to the extreme.

03:36 Conchita, Nan, Ginny, Mabel, and Lizzie aren't just rambunctious

03:40 by the standards of the 1880s, but frequently behave in a manner

03:43 that is more sex-wise of college girls than the Gilded Age.

03:46 "Look and learn. Feed the party."

03:52 We are told that society as a whole disapproves of their antics,

03:56 but the four are rarely in the company of society enough for this to carry much weight.

04:01 Though they cross the Atlantic to join in on the London season,

04:04 the series quickly sends its characters to the country where they drink,

04:07 dance, and carry on, frequently in the company of young, unmarried men.

04:11 "We'll get a reputation for-"

04:13 "For what? Not being miserable? Well, I'm happy with that."

04:15 "There would be an almighty round, you know it."

04:17 "Ginny, you do know I'm married, right? I'm chaperoning.

04:21 I'm a pillar of respectability."

04:23 Historically, this would have been ruinous behavior,

04:26 and Conchita's presence would have damaged her own standing

04:28 rather than saved her friends.

04:30 However, the characters who populate the insular setting

04:33 treat their indiscretions as more akin to bad etiquette.

04:36 Absent a society to bounce off of,

04:38 it becomes difficult to get a sense of how this behavior scales in the reality of the show.

04:43 "Goodness, what a lady you are."

04:45 "All I've ever wanted to be."

04:46 Bridgerton's London society is practically a character in its own right,

04:50 with its judging eyes and whispering lips personified in the gossip writer Lady Whistledown.

04:55 The series not only goes out of its way to establish the standards of behavior,

04:59 but it shows us those standards in action.

05:01 "A jewel. And a new carol."

05:04 "He dishonors you, sister. He dishonors you and me and the very Bridgerton name."

05:09 Most of the relevant plot points are built around adherence to the rules of society,

05:13 and the devastation that comes from even the perception of having broken them.

05:17 And characters like Eloise Bridgerton not only stand out in contrast to their surroundings,

05:21 but are also forced to reckon with the repercussions when they flout convention.

05:25 There are real emotional stakes in those moments

05:28 because we have seen the penalty for failing to conform.

05:31 "Why have you brought me here?"

05:32 "Because I wanted you to see your future first hand.

05:35 Should you refuse to follow my instructions, heed me.

05:39 This is what your life will be if you do not agree to be married."

05:44 When The Buccaneers opens up to include a wider world,

05:47 whether it be among old-money New York or aristocratic London,

05:51 the worst consequences the five heroines face is disapproving glances and catty comments.

05:56 In general, this paints their behavior as more uncouth than scandalous.

06:00 So, when it all comes to light that Nan St. George is illegitimate,

06:03 the reaction seems both over and underblown all at once.

06:07 "If you were to marry my son, you'd destroy 500 years of civility."

06:13 For Nan's sister Ginny, as well as for her future mother-in-law,

06:16 this information has the potential to affect not only Nan's future,

06:20 but everyone around her.

06:21 Her parents recognize this possibility,

06:23 while seeming more focused on the inter-family dynamics.

06:26 And for Nan herself, it is keeping secrets that's the real problem,

06:30 with apparently no concern for the nature of the secret.

06:33 "I am proud to be...

06:35 I'm proud to be...

06:39 I'm really sorry for having lied to you."

06:43 Her view is reinforced when Theo,

06:46 who is a duke with all the social expectations that implies,

06:49 treats her birth status as a minor inconvenience for the sake of love.

06:54 Not only does he hand wave the issue away,

06:56 he behaves as though it wouldn't have enough impact

06:58 on any of their lives to be worth caring about.

07:01 "Well, lucky Nan to have fallen for a man so big-hearted and charitable,

07:05 and with the means to be able to disregard her secret."

07:09 The showing and telling never quite matches up.

07:11 Are we supposed to believe that Theo is that naive,

07:14 or that Ginny is overreacting?

07:16 "You say your past is a lie, Nan, but your future, I mean, it won't exist."

07:19 Here we see the Buccaneers trying to have its cake and eat it, too.

07:23 It wants the breathless drama of high society scandal,

07:26 in an era where reputation was supreme,

07:28 but does not want to be constrained either in having to establish clear rules or follow them.

07:34 There's a lack of specificity in all aspects of the production

07:37 that make the show feel less like period escapism,

07:40 and more like a run-of-the-mill teen drama.

07:42 "Kachita, we've seen your moves. Come and sit back down."

07:44 "Shall we, can't she?"

07:49 "Yes."

07:50 Bridgerton's world is constructed fully and thoughtfully.

07:53 It's not a Regency reenactment by any means,

07:55 with aspects of costuming, behavior, and historical fact having been altered in various ways.

08:00 "I was able to squeeze my waist into the size of an orange and a half

08:03 when I was Prudence's age. Your sister shall do the same."

08:06 A few glaring errors aside, there is a cohesion in this version of 1813 London

08:11 that helps it feel thoroughly realized.

08:14 Worldbuilding is an essential component of period media,

08:17 with consistency and internal logic going a long way to make up

08:20 for any deviation from historical realism.

08:23 "Oh, I do relish a challenge."

08:27 Ultimately, it's less about the specifics than it is the specificity.

08:32 Regardless of its less-than-orthodox adherence to facts,

08:35 Bridgerton excels in feeling like a fully-fleshed reality

08:38 with just enough similarity to our own.

08:40 "I'm sure we have much to learn from you, such as the preparation of this most excellent tea."

08:46 The Buccaneers gives few details beyond place names.

08:49 The year of the story isn't explicitly stated, and the aesthetic choices give no hint.

08:54 "Lady of Wild Times keeping watch."

08:56 "Pinenaurea."

08:57 "The Elegance."

08:59 "I have no idea why my brother leaves home so often."

09:04 The five Americans dress in a grab bag of styles that could have been pulled out of

09:08 any number of 19th and early 20th century decades,

09:12 and sport very modern, messy hairstyles.

09:15 Pop and rock fill out the soundtrack,

09:17 while the scripted dialogue favors more contemporary speech.

09:20 Personal interactions are casual and familiar in a way that would have been rare

09:24 in the actual 1880s.

09:25 "Could you advise your friend to find somewhere other than the bathroom for crying?

09:29 She's causing a queue."

09:30 All these choices are intended to boost relatability,

09:34 and anachronism can be a very effective tool to bridge past and present in historical fiction.

09:40 "Has Madame read the brief on our current situation?"

09:43 "No, I haven't read it yet."

09:45 "Can you just tell me about it?"

09:47 Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette also featured modern music in its soundtrack,

09:51 as well as loose, improvised dialogue.

09:53 Bridgerton takes popular hits and incorporates them as string instrumentals,

09:57 translating our pop culture into the accent of the show.

10:00 Apple TV's own Dickinson worked by adding highly stylized elements to the setting,

10:05 while juxtaposing contemporary delivery with solid period design.

10:08 "Your type of immortality won't come from you following the rules,

10:11 it's gonna come from you breaking them."

10:14 For anachronism to pay off as an artistic choice,

10:17 various pieces have to come together into something deliberate, rich, and well-defined,

10:22 as Bridgerton has done so well.

10:24 Whereas The Buccaneers declines at every turn to give shape to itself.

10:28 "Now please say you'll forgive me.

10:29 You forgive people, it's what you do."

10:31 "Well, you don't know me."

10:32 "I don't know me. I could be anyone."

10:35 It makes occasional tentative nods to a more heightened aesthetic,

10:38 but neither makes them a recurring theme,

10:40 nor commits to the kind of sharp contrast that made Dickinson effective.

10:44 Instead, it merely throws modern signifiers on top of vaguely period trappings.

10:49 "All this, the title, is not easy for everyone."

10:56 The end result feels more akin to the misfire that was Netflix's Persuasion.

11:00 Or even more so, the Gossip Girl School production of The Age of Innocence.

11:03 "That charm will prove useful when Beaufort arrives. I want him to feel welcomed."

11:07 "Uh, Beau- Beaufort."

11:09 "Oh, right."

11:10 Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified

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11:26 Most historical fiction fans don't come in looking for a pure history lesson.

11:30 The best examples of the genre use their settings as a vehicle,

11:34 transporting us to unfamiliar eras and then showing us how our universal human

11:38 experiences unfold in the context of a distant time and place.

11:41 "One should never apologize for that. One finds oneself in such an incredible position and well,

11:47 one should declare it. Assuredly. Fervently."

11:52 For Bridgerton, the setting is both backdrop and player on the stage. For The Buccaneers,

11:58 it's rendered so inconsequential that there seems to be no reason the story wasn't simply

12:02 reimagined in the present day. As escape or window to another world, it doesn't show us

12:08 anything we haven't already seen. "I moved on. I had to."

12:12 What are your feelings on Bridgerton, The Buccaneers, or historical fiction TV in general?

12:18 The Ceylon is open, friends, so let's discuss in the comments.

12:21 "The exchange of ideas with like-minded men and women on subjects beyond the trivial

12:25 concerns of polite society, ideas that you yourself invited me to consider."

12:29 Do you agree with our picks? Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo.

12:33 And be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.

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