My complicated relationship with Bridget Jones

When I first heard there was going to be a fourth *Bridget Jones* movie, I hated the idea. And when I found out that Mark was dead? I loathed everything about it. I swore I’d never watch it. Why couldn’t they just let things end when Mark and Bridget finally got together?

But, well—here I am, glued to Peacock. I was even excited at first, thinking I'd see it in theaters. Then I found out it was going straight to streaming, and honestly, I was pleasantly surprised.

I watched the first few minutes and immediately loved the throwback to Bridget and Cleaver’s relationship. Their conversation, where they ended up—it felt natural. Just good friends, with Cleaver being there to support Bridget. I really enjoyed those moments; they made me nostalgic.

But I still hate that Darcy is dead. And the cameos sprinkled throughout? They somehow made it worse.

The scene with her dad really got me, though. *"It's not enough to survive, you've got to live."* That hit hard.

Also, why are Bridget’s diaries just lying around in the living room for everyone to see? If those were my mom’s diaries, there’s no way I wouldn’t be reading them. Just saying.

The introduction of familiar faces was cute, even if everyone looked much older (as expected—it’s been, what, 20 years?). And was the son’s name Jack? Not sure, but anyway...

Had to take a break after that heavy intro. Did a quick NFM trip. Refreshing.

Same old Bridget, same cute accent, which I adore btw, kinda why I was hooked to her.

I, for one, love Bridget and Daniel’s friendship—*fucktwittage* and all.

The boy toy? A total fantasy and some light comedic relief. A subtle throwback to pre-woke cinema, where objectifying an Adonis-like man was just funny. My era finds it funny. Wokeness makes it confusing. But I really liked the pool scene.

Still, it was heartbreaking to see Bridget finally be with Mark, only for him to just... die. I hated it. And that song by Billy? This is NOT comedy. I cried.

I liked seeing Bridget’s four friends get more screen time. In the third movie, they were barely there. But this time, they were back—celebrating NYE together after 20, 30 years of friendship. It felt right.

The movie touched on so many stages of life—losing a spouse, aging, “checking in” to a senior community (Pamela and Una’s scene was another nice throwback), and growing old with your core friends. It hit me in the feels.

I also love that they didn’t bother explaining how Daniel rose from the dead. We just accept it and move on.

And, of course, Bridget got her another happy ending. Nothing against the new guy, but I was invested in Darcy for the whole series, only for him to be killed off and replaced by someone I just met for a few minutes.

But in the end, this is *Bridget Jones*. This series has gotten me through so many heartaches and life moments. I’m sure I’m not the only one who relates to it. Watching this felt sentimental—heavy and light at the same time. Made me cry a little.

Maybe this is a kind of symbolism. The story ends. The heartaches end. That era of your life ends. It’s done.

And then, you get your happy ending (ish).

Heartwarming.