When it comes to TV series based on original written source material, there are bound to be some changes. Bridgerton Season 4 took the liberty of adding some creative flair when it comes to Benedict (Luke Thompson) and Sophie’s (Yerin Ha) Cinderella-style romance.

Based on An Offer from a Gentleman, the Julia Quinn book follows Benedict as he’s finally done being a rake after falling head-over-heels for the mysterious woman in silver. Along his way to trying to uncover her identity, he also begins to fall for Sophie Baek, an ordinary maid.

Netflix’s Bridgerton has taken creative liberties before, like the addition of new characters, gender-swapping roles, and having Colin (Luke Newton) and Penelope’s (Nicola Coughlan) love story unfold before Benedict’s. For fans of the original novel, the changes made for Bridgerton Season 4 are clear as day.

[WARNING! This article spoils the events of Bridgerton Season 4, Part 1 and 2, now available for streaming on Netflix. Please do not read further if you do not intend to know what happens in Episodes 1-8.]

Related: Bridgerton Is Returning for Season 5: What We Know About the ‘Really Sexy Season’

The timeline for the fourth season was changed

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Fans are well aware that, based on the Bridgerton sibling order and Quinn’s books, Benedict finds his true love after the eldest son, Anthony (Jonathan Bailey). Therefore, the book often mentions how Lady Whistledown’s identity is still a secret, and Colin hasn’t opened his eyes to Penelope’s true feelings for him.

One of the main timeline changes is what occurs after the masquerade ball, where Benedict meets the Lady in Silver. After Sophie escapes and leaves Benedict stranded, he goes on the hunt to find her with the immediate help of his mother. His efforts to find the Lady in Silver dwindle, and two years have passed since the ball.

In Bridgerton Season 4, there’s a slight change with Benedict first seeking the help of Eloise (Claudia Jessie) and attending seven balls during the season that would accumulate to a few months. Throughout the four episodes, there’s never a huge time jump like in the book.

Another small change is its Lady Violet who believes she’s found the Lady in Silver instead of Alice Mondrich (Emma Naomi).

Sophie Beckett is originally blonde

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When the fourth season was announced, it was clear that the showrunner and producer made the creative decision to make Sophie of Asian descent and changed her last name to Baek, compared to the book. In the book, Sophie is described as looking exactly like her father and aunt and having ethereal blonde hair.

The Netflix series cast Australian actor Yerin Ha, who is the exact opposite, born to South Korean parents with dark, almost black, hair. As a result, the Earl of Penwood’s nationality was also changed alongside Araminta (Katie Leung) and her daughters.

The Cottage scenes don’t follow the book events

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Some of the biggest deviations from the book in the Bridgerton Season 4 are Sophie and Benedict’s time at the cottage and what leads them there. In Part 1 of the season, Sophie defends her fellow maid from being assaulted by Philip Cavender and a group of men, when Benedict intervenes.

In the book, Sophie has had enough of working for the Cavenders and tries to escape during a party. As she leaves, Cavender and a few of his male friends corner her with plans to assault her. Benedict realizes what’s happening and comes to her rescue.

While the carriage ride in the rain leading to My Cottage does happen in the book and Part 1, there is one major difference. In Part 1, Benedict is wounded by a piece of broken glass during his fight with Cavender, while the book only has Benedict become gravely ill due to having fought off a cold weeks before.

Related: ‘Bridgerton’ Showrunner Confirms Who Will Lead the Next Two Seasons of the Netflix Series

Benedict asks Sophie to be his mistress at My Cottage

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The biggest change of all is what happens while Sophie stays at My Cottage. During their time together, Benedict does fall for Sophie, and they have a heavily intimate moment at the lake after Benedict catches Sophie watching him take a naked dip.

This is where the series heavily differentiates from the book. During their intimate moment, Benedict pours out his heart over how much he desires Sophie and wants to give her everything. It’s also the moment he asks her to be his mistress.

In Bridgerton Season 4 Part 1, this doesn’t happen. Benedict and Sophie do share a steamy kiss, but it ends there, and they return to the cottage. His asking Sophie to be his mistress doesn’t occur until the end of Episode 4, when Benedict realizes he wants to commit to being with her despite their social classes.

Sophie’s story and the shoe clips

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Bridgerton Season 4 does closely follow Sophie’s backstory with a few minor changes. While Araminta does dislike and tries to push away Sophie, the death of the Earl of Penwood is slightly different. In the season, Araminta makes it appear that she will take care of her and will make her a maid. The book has Araminta eager to get rid of Sophie after the earl’s death, but changes her mind once learning she will get a heftier salary if she keeps Sophie.

A major change that fans noticed takes place in the season is Sophie and the earl’s relationship. The book has him heavily ignore and refuse to acknowledge her as his daughter, much less his ward. The only thing he does for her is ensure she takes part in lessons, which also occurs in the season.

In Bridgerton Season 4, their storyline is more caring. A flashback has the earl concerned when Sophie is not at her lessons at the request of Lady Araminta, and assures her that he will make things right. When Sophie asks him about her mother, the earl looks at Sophie with genuine emotion and says that missing her mother is “natural”. He assures her that he is there for her and will make sure she’s always taken care of.

Another change is the shoe clips that Sophie takes after being fired by Araminta. The novel has Sophie take them from her stepmother’s closet to hopefully pawn for money after leaving her with nothing. Bridgerton instead has Posy (Isabella Wei) secretly give them to Sophie in the hopes of helping her, having never had ill feelings towards her stepsister.

How Sophie leave Bridgerton House

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Novel fans know the difference between how Sophie ends up leaving Bridgerton house in the series versus the original story. The novel has her done with trying to live in proximity to Benedict and sits down with Lady Bridgerton to tell her about her wishes to leave. Like the novel and series, Lady Bridgerton admits to having noticed their relationship but agrees to let her find a new job.

Sophie makes up the excuse that she will venture to the north, where she has family, with Lady Bridgerton offering a coach to take her and some money. Sophie ends up being arrested before she returns. Season 4 Part 2 instead has Sophie tell Lady Bridgerton earlier, and with plans to return to Penwood House with her old friends/staff. She also tells Benedict she’s leaving for other employment, which doesn’t occur in the novel.

The series also changes Sophie’s story of the new position becoming unavailable and instead takes a position with a family traveling to the Americas. Sophie emotionally leaves the estate the day before the family is set to depart, and at the same time, Benedict tries to find her to ask her to marry him. Instead, Sophie is met with Lady Amarinta and a constable.

How Benedict finds out about the Lady in Silver

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One of the biggest changes to the original novel has to be how Benedict uncovers the truth of Sophie being the Lady in Silver. The novel makes its a anger-filled and tumultuous moment for the couple that doens’t actually happen in Season 4. Benedict uncovers the truth when being urged by Eloise to go see Hyacinth, who’s in the nursery with Sophie.

Sophie and Eloise are playing a game that has her wearing a scarf that covers her eyes and the top half of her face. When Benedict enters, he’s taken aback seeing how the scarf poses as a demi-mask and realizes Sophie’s lips are the same as the Lady in Silver’s. In a fit of anger, he orders Hyacinth out of the room and confronts Sophie over her deception and lies.

Unable to understand Sophie’s reasoning, he leaves in a fit of rage. It’s also what prompts Sophie to leave Bridgerton house in the novel. Season 4 tells a less dramatic story when Benedict finds Sophie’s missing necklace in his bedroom. He realizes it looks familiar and looks through his old drawings of the Lady in Silver and the necklace he drew on her.

While still shocked by the reality, he isn’t angered. Instead, Benedict confronts Sophie at Bridgerton House and explains to Sophie that he fell for her at the masquerade. While Sophie tries to explain herself, Benedict is hurt, believing her love for him wasn’t enough for her to tell him the truth.

The jail scene

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The infamous jail scene didn’t go as expected, and no Lady Bridgerton didn’t say the cool line of “I’m more popular.” Lady Araminta does have Sophie arrested for theft, but the jail scene plays out very differently. In the novel, every single confession happens in jail, from Sophie being the illegitimate child of the Earl of Penwood, Benedict’s love for her, to learning Lady Araminta stole Sophie’s dowry.

Bridgerton Season 4 does it very differently by splitting the confessions. At the court, Benedict and his mother do interrupt the proceedings to vouch for Sophie and call out Lady Araminta wanting severe justice over a pair of shoe clips. Lady Bridgerton manages to convince the constable to let Sophie go under the ruse that she’s needed as a maid and will be under their supervision upon further investigation.

Part 2 then has Sophie find her father’s will at Penwood House, now run by Cressida Cowper. Here is where she learns of her dowry and Lady Araminta receiving a higher pay for having kept her all these years. In the novel, Posy is the one to reveal the dowry.

The grand reveal is done at the Queen’s ball in Part 2, where Lady Bridgerton, Benedict, and Sophie confront Lady Araminta about her lies and stealing the dowry. It’s also revealed that she used the dowry for her daughter to have a higher pay for marriage. The novel also doesn’t include the Queen‘s involvement or Lady Araminta being forced to say Sophie is a legitimate heir of Penwood House to avoid jail. Benedict also asked Sophie to marry him at the ball, which doesn’t happen in the novel.

Posy’s new life

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One detail from the novel that was changed involved Posy’s life after the downfall of her mother. The novel has her siding with Sophie, as she has always seen her as a sister, and takes up Lady Bridgerton’s offer to join the family. Part 2 changes this to give Posy a new happily ever after.

By Episode 8, Posy has learned the truth about the dowry and her mother’s lies. She also witnesses her sister’s suitor ending their engagement and walking away. In a prior scene, Eloise encouraged her to follow her heart and not let her mother dictate her actions after noticing Lord Barnaby had an interest in Posy. The finale shows Posy taking a chance and accepting his invitation for a dance.

The wedding

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Bridgerton Season 4 broke tradition by having a post-credit scene revealing Sophie and Benedict’s wedding. Everyone was in attendance, even the people from the Penwood estate. In the novel, they never have an actual wedding, and instead, Quinn wrote an epilogue that takes place a few years later. The epilogue reveals them happily married and having had children.