Bridgerton Season 1 Episode 5 Recap – The Duke and I

Daphne changes into her nightclothes hurriedly to look like she has been sleeping all night. She fakes a yawn when Rose enters her room and asks if her mother is already up.

Daphne goes downstairs and sees that Mrs. Wilson is tending to her mother because she has a hangover, though she refuses to admit it. She tells Violet that she is engaged, and Violet tells her she’s happy that her daughter will be a princess. Daphne then tells her that she is not committed to the prince but to the duke. Violet asks her how she feels, and Daphne tells her that she is so excited that she cannot wait a month to get married. She asks her mother to obtain a special license to get married sooner.

Feeling that her mother is growing suspicious, Daphne tries to tell her mother more about what happened, but Violet means she does not need to explain. She tells Daphne that even she and her late husband had difficulty controlling their passions. She says she is overjoyed that Daphne is getting what she always wanted – marrying for love.

At the palace, the queen gets disappointed by the news she learned from reading the latest Whistledown as she thinks that her nephew was the one getting married to the season’s diamond.

Prince Friedrich comes to the Bridgerton’s to talk to Daphne. He tells her that he thought they had an understanding, given that they seemed to agree about their future during their previous conversation. Daphne apologizes and explains that she and the duke are so enamored with each other that they decide to get married. The prince tells her he wishes her a lifetime of contentment with her new husband and leaves.

At the promenade, Simon arrives late and appears unhappy. Some congratulate them and tell them they’ll make a great family. Daphne thanks them and tries to hold Simon’s hand, but he refuses to let her. They get disapproving stares from the townspeople.

Anthony bangs the door of Madame Delacroix in the hopes of finding Siena there. Genevieve tells him he should leave Siena alone because she does not need his money or anything else from him.

At the Featherington’s, Portia tells Archibald that they cannot get new dresses for the girls because their bill hasn’t been paid. He tells her that the girls should wear their old dresses, so Portia tells him that he should also do without his tobacco. Colin comes to call on Marina, and Penelope tries to come between them by reminding Colin of his upcoming tour to Greece. Colin then tells her that there are things in London he’ll miss should he go on tour.

At the Bridgerton’s, Rose is being bombarded by the staff with questions about the wedding preparations. Mrs. Wilson tells her that she will be the duchess’ maid, so she needs to know many things, especially when they arrive at the duke’s household.

Daphne visits the modiste to get fitted for her wedding gown. Her mother tells Madame Delacroix to get her a new pelisse and five nightdresses. Cressida also comes to the modiste and accuses Daphne of dallying with the prince to make the duke jealous and then luring him to the gardens to trap him into marriage. Daphne warns her to be careful about what she says because she is speaking to a future duchess, so she can choose whether she is a duchess’ friend or enemy. Cressida challenges her to ensure that the duke marries her first before she makes any more threats.

The prince bids goodbye to the queen, who is still disappointed that he let a duke beat him to marry Daphne. She sends him away and tells him that she doesn’t like losing.

Inside the church, Simon and Anthony wait for the archbishop to grant them the special license to marry. While waiting, Anthony tells Simon that they should discuss Daphne’s dowry, and Simon tells him he will not accept dowry because he does not need to be paid to marry Daphne. He offers to place the money in trust for Daphne so that she may spend it however she wants. He says Anthony does not need to worry about Daphne’s well-being because he is serious about his duty to take care of her.

Anthony apologizes for shooting at Simon during the duel. The two laughs when Simon tells him he has always been a foul shooter. The archbishop comes and means them that their request has been denied.

Daphne panics at the thought and tells them that the delay gives more time for Cressida and Lady Whistedown to uncover the truth about what happened that night. Lady Danbury comes and tells them that the queen is responsible for the denial of their license because she did not take Daphne’s rejection of her nephew well. She suggests that Simon and Daphne present themselves and appeal their case before the queen, so she gets the attention she wants. However, she warns them that the queen will know if they are pretending, so they should appear madly in love.

Benedict comes to Henry Granville’s house and is surprised to see that he is in for a sexual form of entertainment. He enjoys a passionate night with Madame Delacroix and another woman but gets an even bigger surprise when he catches Henry making love to another man.

At the Featherington’s, Portia tells Marina that she has arranged for Lord Rutledge to have dinner with them and warns her that she must get a proposal from him by then. Marina tells her she will not be engaged to Lord Rutledge because Colin will surely propose to her. She even tells Portia that her marriage to a Bridgerton will benefit her family. She asks Portia to give her until that Saturday to seduce Colin to trap him into marriage. Portia agrees with her. Penelope overhears the entire conversation.

At the palace, the king is having one of his lucid episodes. The queen comes to dine with him, and they talk about the gardens. The king asks about their daughter, who has died because of an illness. Not recollecting this, the king grows angry and accuses the queen of killing their daughter. The queen walks away.

Daphne spends some alone time in the garden. Rose finds her there and tells her she should not worry about the wedding because she is taking care of everything. Daphne tells her that she is worried about the duke, but Rose tells her that he will also be a good husband and father. Rose’s smile fades when Daphne tells her that the duke cannot have children. Daphne tells her she also knows that this must sadden the duke.

Morning comes, and Simon gets awakened by Will’s child — he fell asleep on their couch after getting so drunk the previous night. He invites Will and his wife to their wedding as he witnesses how happy their marriage is, having three children.

At the palace, Violet, Lady Danbury, Simon, and Daphne present themselves to the queen. Daphne tries to convince the queen by saying that what happened with them is love at first sight. Simon, though, tells the queen that it was not love at first sight. He tells the queen that romance was out of the question for them, but in trying to avoid it, they have found something – friendship. He says that they have been fooling people into thinking that they are courting when they enjoy each other’s company so much that they are inseparable. He tells the queen that he hasn’t been much of a talker, but with Daphne, conversation comes easy, and her laughter brings him joy. Lastly, he tells her that she is his best friend and apologizes if it took the prince to come along for him to realize that he wants Daphne to be his wife.

Their request gets granted, and the wedding takes place. At the reception, Simon barely looks at Daphne, and Cressida congratulates DAphne and reminds her to repay her someday for keeping their secret.

Penelope tries to find other men for Marina at the reception, but Marina intends to have Colin. Penelope tells her that she must not trap a good man into marriage, and Marina thinks otherwise. Portia tells Marina that Colin is her last hope because Lord Rutledge has been engaged that morning.

Marina approaches Colin and asks him to bring her to a more private place. When Colin brings her to their library, she asks him to close the door, so they may be alone. She comes closer to him in an attempt to seduce him; however, Colin pulls away and says that he must maintain her honor. When Marina is about to walk out the door, Colin asks her to marry him. Marina gladly accepts, and Colin tells her they will marry at the end of the season. Marina tells him that it is a rather long engagement, but Colin tells her that she needs a grand wedding and that they need to prepare. Before leaving the room, Colin tells her they shouldn’t say anything that day because it is Daphne’s day.

Eloise and Penelope bump into each other but do not reconcile. Eloise accuses Lady Danbury of being Lady Whistledown, and the queen overhears their conversation. After Lady Danbury tells Eloise that she is not Lady Whistledown, the queen asks Eloise about her investigation into the identity of Lady Whistledown.

Henry approaches Benedict to explain what he saw the other night, but Benedict tells him that he does not know that anything happened the other night. Henry then introduces him to his wife, Lucy.

Anthony approaches Daphne and tells her that Simon refused her dowry, but he is putting it in her trust so that she may use it for their children. The mention of children upsets Daphne, so she retreats to her room. Simon sees her running up the stairs, and so does Violet. Violet follows and talks to Daphne.

Violet tells Daphne that she knows it must be hard for her to leave the house because of her memories there, but she will be making new ones with her new husband. Violet proceeds to tell her how she was apprehensive about her wedding night. She tells Daphne that the marital act is the most natural thing in the world and is performed to have children. This worries Daphne and prompts her to ask if they can still perform the act even when they cannot have children. Violet tells her that she shouldn’t be worried about it. Daphne was about to ask another question when Rose came to say that it was time for them to go.

Daphne says her farewell to her siblings and her mother. She and Simon leave for Clyvedon. In the carriage, Simon tells Daphne that they shall be spending the night in an inn because Clyvedon is a long way from there, and the roads get dangerous at night.

When they arrive at the inn, Daphne is surprised that Simon has requested a separate room – they are to spend their wedding night apart. They both pace back and forth in their rooms, and just as Daphne is about to go into Simon’s room, she finds Simon by her doorstep. Simon tells her they should go to dinner. Daphne angrily tells him she doesn’t want any dinner. She tells him she wanted to talk to and be with him for the past three days, but he has avoided her. Simon tells her that he cannot bear witness to the misery he has caused her. He tells her he knows he doesn’t want anything to do with him because he has asked her to make an unimaginable sacrifice even though he knew she wanted a life with kids. He tells her he knew she wanted a love match, yet he knows she does not love him.

Simon tells her that everything he said about the queen was true and that he cannot stop thinking of her. He tells her, “I am yours, Daphne. I have always been yours.” Daphne tells him she doesn’t understand. Simon gets enraged and tells her he does not know how to be clearer. He tells her that he burns for her. Daphne tells him that she burns for him too. They kiss and make love for the very first time.

Our Thoughts

This episode was a whirlwind of emotions. Whew, it was quite a ride! Who would have thought that an episode that started with a duel with end with a passionate scene? We believe this is the best episode as of yet. We’ve long known that Simon and Daphne are attracted to each other, but the details that were revealed here and the lines, especially Simon’s when he pleaded to the queen and when they were at the inn, were so poetic and romantic – something you would typically put into love notes if that is still a thing. This episode is difficult to top, so let’s see if the next one comes close.