They’re one of our favorite couples in the Bridgerton universe, even though they have to keep their love a secret. However, fans were left wondering if Brimsley and Reynolds’s story in Queen Charlotte ended happily or tragically because the ending was unclear.
Fans online have theorized endlessly for the past year about what happened to Reynolds, who we never see in the main Bridgerton timeline despite Brimsley having been present in the show since season one.
Who are Brimsley and Reynolds?
In the Bridgerton universe, Brimsley and Reynolds—Charlotte’s valet and George’s secretary, respectively—offer the first well-known gay romance.
What happened to Brimsley and Reynolds?
They split up to put their jobs first
The heartbreaking scene, in which we see younger Reynolds and Brimsley dancing together before cutting to an older Brimsley dancing by himself, made it clear that the two were, at the very least, not as much together as they once had been.
A Bridgerton-ified classical version of Whitney Houston’s I Will Always Love You plays during the scene, hinting at the exact fate of Brimsley and Reynolds.
In the movie The Bodyguard, Whitney Houston’s character and their romantic interest do not work out because of their respective careers. In that movie, I Will Always Love You plays at the exact moment Whitney’s character admits they are not together anymore but that she will always have a place in her heart for him. It sounds exactly like what might have happened in Queen Charlotte to Reynolds and Brimsley.
In one of the last scenes of the six-episode series, the secret couple is shown dancing together; however, when the show jumps to the Bridgerton point in time, Brimsley is dancing alone, leaving viewers wondering what happened to Brimsley and Reynolds in Queen Charlotte.
They split up to avoid persecution
An even sadder possibility is that Reynolds and Brimsley had to split up for fear of being arrested or killed for being gay if they were caught together.
The script had a scene where an elderly Brimsley and Reynolds passed each other in the hallway, but Hugh Sachs, who played Brimsley, said that scene had been cut.
Thus, it was not a toxic moment when they would pass each other in the scene that was cut out. Being gay was still a capital offense in the world they lived in, and it was impossible.”
