Warning! Spoilers lie ahead for Bridgerton season four part two. 

If, like me, you were left feeling a little short-changed by the ending of Bridgerton season four, then perhaps, Gentle Reader, you missed a huge hidden scene that perfectly ties up the latest chapter.

Season four of the hit Netflix period drama landed on Friday with its final four episodes, bringing to a close the love story that bloomed between Benedict Bridgerton and Sophie Baek.

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Luke Thompson plays Benedict Bridgerton while Yerin Ha is Sophie Baek

The final episode saw Sophie and Benedict finally triumph over their upstairs/downstairs obstacles after Sophie’s father, Lord Penwood, was revealed to have left her a sizeable dowry in his will.

Before the credits roll, viewers are treated to a scene of Benedict and Sophie returning to the veranda where they first met at the masquerade ball. We also learn that a new Lady Whistledown has taken the reins after Penelope hung up her quill. But as diehard fans who stayed to the very end discovered, that was not the final scene after all.

What happens in the Bridgerton post-credit scene?

After the credits, viewers are transported back to ‘My Cottage’ – the country estate owned by Benedict, where the pair previously sought refuge earlier in the series. This time, it is their wedding day, and we see Benedict and Sophie embark on their happily ever after as they tie the knot in front of their nearest and dearest.

Benedict is joined by his best man and eldest brother, Anthony, who jokes: “Never listen to me again.” After the newlyweds seal their union with a kiss, the camera pans inside the cottage to reveal a full-length portrait of Sophie from the masquerade ball – this time with her mask off – hanging on the wall.

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The hidden scene takes viewers back to the cottage

The painting is signed by Benedict himself, signalling a full-circle moment for the former rake.

“The symbolism of finishing a painting is that he is taking something to its utmost limit rather than sort of giving it up,” Benedict actor Luke Thompson told Tudum. “I think the fact that he finishes the painting – that something has shifted in him.”

Fans were left confused by the post-credits scene

Placing the wedding after the credits meant some fans missed it entirely, and many viewers took to X, formerly Twitter, to share their confusion.

“Post credits scene? Am I watching Bridgerton or a Marvel movie? I was so confused for a second because I had obviously seen pictures of the scene online but didn’t realise it was a post-credits scene,” wrote one viewer, while a second said: “No, this was crazy. It started rolling credits and I thought everyone on Twitter talking about a wedding scene had lost their minds.”

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The happy couple are surrounded by their family and friends spanning the social classes of society

A third added: “Guys, confession time. I finished Bridgerton season four yesterday and just found out there’s a post-credits scene. I spent a day wondering where the wedding scene came from. I didn’t even know where to find it, I was imagining an episode nine I overlooked watching until I rechecked episode eight. Made me doubt my memory for a moment.”

Despite the confusion, many fans hailed the scene as the perfect ending to the season. “Bridgerton finally gave us a post-credits scene and it was the Benedict and Sophie wedding of our dreams!” wrote one viewer. “Anthony telling Ben: “Never listen to me again” and saying their father would be proud… I’m a puddle.”

What have the Bridgerton creators said?

In an interview with Variety, season four showrunner Jess Brownell explained that the post-credits scene was originally intended to be the finale. However, the team felt that ending with Benedict and Sophie under the veranda was “so magical and full of so much romance” that they wanted to allow that moment to settle before showing the wedding.

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Did you miss the final scene?

“It almost felt like a hat on a hat,” she said. “But we really wanted to keep in this beautiful wedding that we shot. We also thought it would be fun for the die-hard fans who really stick around and talk about the show to get that Easter egg, and then to tell their friends who maybe didn’t stick around, and that it could create some fun chatter.”

Jess also told Tudum that showing Benedict and Sophie tying the knot at the cottage, surrounded by friends from all levels of society, provided a full-circle moment from where the fantasy first began.

“To watch the classes comingle like that, it felt so representative of the journey that these two have been on, and it really felt like the perfect mingling of fantasy and reality,” she said.

All four seasons of Bridgerton are available to watch on Netflix.