TVLine spoke with "Bridgerton" showrunner Jess Brownell, who adds some context to Benedict's proposal for us modern folk: He's asking Sophie to be his official side piece, Brownell explains. How could the supposedly "bohemian" Bridgerton son have such a conservative view of romance and marriage? And a noble man publicly committing to a relationship with a maid during that time would be scary. It could spell doom for the Bridgerton family; they could be ousted from the social scene and the young Bridgerton girls might never marry. What was your reaction to watching Benedict's mistress proposal come to life in the Netflix series?