What Happened To Reynolds & Brimsley In Bridgerverse? Cut Scene Gives Answer

Summary

• Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story shed new light on minor characters in the Bridgerverse.
• Perhaps the best secondary couple to emerge from the story was the royal footmen Brimsley and Reynolds.
• While the show kept the future of its first major queer pairing behind the camera, fans had lots of theories about it.
• Unfortunately, the truth, revealed by Brimsley actor Hugh Sachs, is disturbing.

In anticipation of Bridgerton Season 3, which debuts on Netflix in two parts on May 16 and June 13, 2024, fans are passionately speculating about what's in store for new central characters Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington and their siblings. But there are also a number of minor characters whose arcs have fans intrigued.

After the spinoff, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, which premiered last spring, many Bridgerverse fans have turned their attention to one of the best secondary couples, royal footmen Brimsley and Reynolds.

Failed Chance at Happiness

By the time young Charlotte arrived in England, the young men were already in a relationship, and it was even better than fans who had been calling for queer representation could have imagined.

Every stolen look and touch felt electric. Every interaction - passionate and chemistry-filled. Every conversation - sweet and hopeful. It even seemed that at some point the couple would find their happily ever after, and we would see the older Brimsley come home to his aged boyfriend.

Sadly, that was not to be. At the end of the spinoff, as Brimsley danced alone to the strains of 'I Will Always Love You' in the same spot where he had danced with Reynolds many years before, saddened viewers realized that the couple had split up.

Fan Theories

But what happened? Why didn't Bridgerverse's first major LGBTQ+ pairing work out?

Fans had several theories, the most popular being Reynolds' death and the duty-over-love trope. We know that Reynolds has been a part of King George's life since childhood, more of a friend than a servant. So when the king's mental health deteriorated, it was natural to expect Reynolds to devote his entire life to caring for him.

However, even if this is true (we never saw the older Reynolds near the older George), it does not seem to be the reason for the breakup.

Cut Scene

Back when Queen Charlotte aired, Hugh Sachs, who plays the aged Brimsley, lifted the veil of mystery in an interview with Vulture. He revealed that there was originally a scene in the script where his character passes the elder Reynolds in the corridors.

‘He was the love of his life, and for whatever reason, they could not stay together. So when they would pass each other in the passageway in the deleted scene, it wasn’t a toxic moment,’ Sachs said.

The good news is that Reynolds is alive in the Bridgerverse, and there is a chance that Bridgerton will bring him back at some point. The bad news is that his relationship with Brimsley fell apart because of the outside forces.

Even many years after their young romance, they still harbor feelings for each other, but Regency society is no place for a gay couple to be happy, as Henry Granville so masterfully pointed out in his speech to Benedict Bridgerton.

‘Because of the world they inhabited, it was still a hangable offense to be gay, and it was just not possible,’ Hugh Sachs explained to Vulture.

And that makes our hearts bleed.

Source: Vulture.