In the third episode of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, Charlotte and King George consummate their marriage multiple times, even when they claim they do not like each other. Charlotte lets Lady Danbury know she thinks the King is a liar, but the part she omits is that she likes getting physically intimate with him. Lady Danbury is under the assumption that Charlotte is forcing herself to get into bed with the person she dislikes. Lady Danbury also uses her influence on Queen Charlotte and Princess Dowager, the mother of the King to get things her way so that she can become an important figure in the social circle as well. Her plans work, but unfortunately, she loses her husband. King George, on the other hand, has one of his many breakdowns, and Charlotte tries to help him, but she is still clueless about what is causing these fits.
Spoilers Ahead
The Story So Far From King George’s Perspective
The episode begins with Queen Charlotte in utter disbelief at what she witnessed. She saw her husband spiraling and speaking to the sky a lot. She is not sure what the matter is with him, but she wants answers, especially from Reynolds. She knows George is in no condition to talk to her, and she expects Reynolds to let her know what has been going on behind her back. She is expecting answers because she must live with him, and for that, she will need answers. The story goes into a flashback zone where we get to hear the entire narrative up to that point from King George’s perspective.
King George was always told that he would be the head of the state of the country and the head of the church, but what they did not realize was that the man had passions of his own that were not nurtured. The fact that the King is supposed to be interested in kingly duties and nothing else took a fairly large toll on the man, and ever since, he has been plagued with nervous breakdowns. Even when he was told about his marriage propositions, George was not sure of why he was being put through in this charade. He was hoping the girl would be simple and naive, and he would be done with his responsibility towards her the moment she got pregnant. On being confronted about his duties as King and the necessity to get married, George again has a nervous breakdown, something that is only witnessed by his mother and Reynolds.
After meeting many doctors who provide no solution at all, Dr. Monro comes forward from a mental health institution to offer to help the King with his woes. The Dowager Princess, the King’s mother, has no option but to look for other options to help her son become better. Dr. Monro is another attempt, for the man has fresh ideas and approaches to treating the head of state. King George is also impressed by the man’s out-of-the-box methods. But to begin his program, the King will have to let go of the garb of royalty and treat himself as a normal human being. George will have to forget he is a royalty and begin the treatment from scratch as a commoner. This is what Dr. Monro thinks is the only way to help George cut through the frequent breakdowns. Dr. Monro means business when it comes to helping the King. His methods might be different from the usual path doctors would take, but he is sure the King would feel better about himself.
What Is King George’s Plan Of Action To Make Himself Feel Better?
Dr. Monro begins his work with the King, and the first thing he does is treat the man as a patient and not as a man who is the face of the country. He starts calling him George and introduces him to many things around his office. This is the way Dr. Monro plans to approach the treatment. The King also puts forward that since he is the head of the state, any new treatment that is considered a breakthrough especially in the field of psychological health, should be used on him. The King is desperate to find a solution to his fits now that he is about to get married as well. He would not want to come across as deranged or sick. Even in front of Charlotte, he would want to be prim and proper.
On the day of the wedding, when the news of the bride’s disappearance reached his ears, King was almost on the verge of losing his nerves again when Dr. Monro helped him and pushed him to seek Charlotte, which he did. But again, since his treatment was going on, King was not keen on letting his new bride know of his condition because he was not sure if she would be able to grasp the concern at hand. He remained distant and aloof because he needed time to be okay with himself. The King was working on himself, thanks to Dr. Monro. The doctor insisted on breaking the man the King is right now and fixing him so that there would be a new version of King George. But Reynold’s right hand had a different approach. He would ask King George to be a better version of himself for Charlotte. Even on the night of the confrontation at his observatory, he realized Charlotte was the one who would push him and challenge him to be good and do good.
His mother’s note to consummate the marriage makes his move back to Buckingham House in the hope of meeting Queen Charlotte. The King is also mesmerized to see how she is with herself. The King is happy to know the woman is not as naive as he expected her to be. Though King is keener on becoming a farmer than the head of state, he is not sure if Charlotte would understand his simple ambitions and his lack of hunger for power. But somehow, she does understand, and they start getting along very well, especially whatever their encounters were after the coronation. George starts feeling better in her company, and he moves out of the Palace at Kew to be with Charlotte at Buckingham House. Dr. Monro was not in favor the King moving out, but George had other plans, for he started feeling calmer in the presence of Charlotte. But things go awry after the ball at Lady Danbury’s home. George spirals again and goes into a delusional phase, where he starts talking about things that do not make sense. This is when Charlotte is made aware of his mental health issues. She confronts the Dowager Princess about keeping her in the dark about his condition.
Charlotte feels cheated and betrayed, a conversation that George overhears. The fourth episode of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story ends with George walking away from Buckingham House, as he is disappointed to know his condition is far from dealt with. He moves back to Kew and asks Dr. Monro to begin working with the treatment. George was expecting Charlotte to be more understanding of his condition, but what the King himself does not understand is that he should have a deep one-on-one conversation with his wife so that it would be easier for her to digest the news, comprehend it, and work around him accordingly. George’s mother too trivializes the problem George has and makes it about Charlotte having to deal with it as his wife and Queen of the country. Charlotte was kept unaware, and her anger was justified. It would be interesting to watch how Charlotte and George would come back again to make their marriage work after this big showdown.
