This New Netflix Drama Combines ‘Bridgerton’ Pastel-Soaked Romance With ‘Amélie’-Style Mischief
Netflix’s newest period drama, The Lady’s Companion, takes all of the best elements of Bridgerton from the manners of the 19th century marriage market to its bright whimsical costumes and choreographed dance numbers, and combines it with the most memorable structural elements of the 2001 film, Amélie, including a playful, omniscient narrator, quirky flashbacks that give rapid insight into character backstories, and a female protagonist who breaks the fourth wall by giving the audience well-timed and jaunty winks directly into the camera.
It’s a beautifully executed and strategic attempt by the streaming giant to expand success into global markets. Set in 1880’s Madrid, and starring Cable Girl‘s Nadia de Santiago as Elena Bianda, The Lady’s Companion dives headfirst into the world of ladies chaperones, women hired by wealthy families to supervise daughters of marriageable age, protect their honor, and secure them with eligible suitors. They are confidantes, go-betweens, and puppeteers pulling the strings behind the social scenes.
The one challenge is that when a chaperone does her job well, she suddenly finds herself out of work, which is why Elena is drawn to the Mencía family and its three sisters who have recently lost their mother. While on the outside she appears as wholesome and tidy as a Mary Poppins, the audiences watches as her lies, manipulation, and deceit unfold in real time, tools used to navigate her way into the Mencía home, and through the perils of society.
Even so, Elena has her hands full with the three sisters. The eldest, Cristina, has a suitor with questionable intentions, the middle sister, Sara, is studying to become a doctor in secret, and the youngest, Carlota, has a morbid sense of humor akin to Wednesday Addams.
Meanwhile, Señor Mencía’s godson, Santiago, has instant tension and chemistry with Elena that manifests in a palpable tennis match of wits, but is complicated by Santiago’s not so hidden feelings for Cristina. Elena, on her end, is being pursued by a former lover who has the power to completely ruin her reputation.
It’s a brilliantly light-hearted recipe for entertainment that has the power to captivate audiences who won’t shy away from subtitles.