I will use the booksbooks timeline as guideline and derivate from them, though I do expect more changes tbh. It's really not a post about the genderswap, or which couples should have gone first or none of other discourse. It's merely speculation about where we're going based on what we know and decisions already made. Polin as a couple has been removed from the timeline because their season is already done way too early. We'll pick things from after Michael(a) leaving England because all those already happened in the show.
Books timeline (very loose)
- 1823: Marina died and Eloise sends a letter to Phillip.
- March 1824: Francesca and Michael are both back in London and see each other again
- Michael is sick and Francesca takes care of him
- Violet Birthday party with everyone talking about how hot Michael is which makes Francesca jealous
- Burwick ball - Michael saves Francesca from an unwanted suitor and they have their first kiss
- Francesca left for Scotland. Michael tries to get Francesca out of his mind,goes to a club and is convinced to pursue her seriously instead.
- Michael follows Francesca to Scotland and proposes to her for the first. She says they can't marry, but feels a lot of things and asks him to tell her something wicked. They're intimate for the first time.
- Francesca tries to leave again, Michael finds her again. It's raining and cold and they have sex in the small cottage they found refuge in.
- Back at Kilmartin house, Michael courts Francesca properly with flowers and everything...
- Daphne's Ball: Eloise disappeared
- Day 1 at Romney Hall: first meeting face to face, beginning of the prank war, greenhouse kiss
- Day 2 at Romney Hall: the twins go too far in their prank and Eloise gets a black eye after she fell. She makes them spend time with her as an apology.
- Day 3 at Romney Hall: Eloise takes the twins to the lake and Phillip has a panic attack when he sees them. Eloise calms him down,they almost kiss again. While they are dining, the brothers break in.
- Eloise has to go to My Cottage while Phillip visits to court her properly and shows her how well they suit in Sophie's study (I'd change my enter furniture if I was Sophie)
- After three weeks of push and pull in Scotland, Francesca was about about to write a letter to her mother toto announce her engagement with Michael when she receives a letter from her mother that Eloise is to marry in three days.
- Phillip and Eloise marry four days after they decided they'll suit and they have a very passionate first night where she also discover hints of his past.
- Francesca and Michael marry earlier than planned (the news of Eloise's marriage is a bit to thank).
- After a week of marriage and a quick montage of them having sex morning and night, Phillip and Eloise have a fight because she thinks Nurse Edwards' behavior towards the kids might be suspicious. Eloise left to My Cottage. Phillip witness Nurse Edwards be abusive to his twins and fires her. By the evening, Eloise isn't back, so Phillip goes to My Cottage and there he saves Benophie's child from dying.
- Eloise and Phillip go back to Romney Hall and Phillip tells her about his own abusive father and that he's afraid to become like him because that's the only parental guideline he received. At night, she finds him looking at Marina's portrait and they talk about her. Later, they make love together and affirm their love for each other.
- A few days later, Phillip suggest they all go out along with the kids and spend the day together. At night, he makes his grand confession with notes because it all started with a letter.
- After two weeks of marriage, Francesca thinks Michael has bouts of malaria again. She goes to the gazebo John gave her to cry because she thinks she'll be a widow again. The next day, she realizes that it was just fever. She goes to John's tomb to confess that she has fully realized her feelings for Michael and cries all her bottled up feelings. Michael had followed her and they declare their love for each other.
- WHWW's epilogue with Janet's letter accepting their love for each other
- TSPWL's epilogue with Eloise's letter to her baby daughter Penelope.
My wish timeline for season 5:
- Part 1:
- Episode 1: Michaela and Francesca seeing each other for the first time
- Episode 2: Michaela being sick and Francesca taking care for her. Flashbacks about Michaela and more about her side of things and her life as a lesbian, how she got so much liberties in her life (most likely because she was the only child of an untitled gentleman), her life when she was overseas.
- Episode 4: Francesca have their first kiss and with part 1 cliffhanger of Francesca leaving for Scotland.
I think Colin's role in WHWW will most likely be done by Lady Elizabeth Ashworth (though I do wonder about her background, if she received her title through marriage or if she's the daughter of an earl and above and is a lady by birth. I also expect her to have a tiny tiny storyline with a woman that she fell for, similar to John and Hazel). For Eloise, I don't think we'll see the start of her letter correspondence. But that's she's been acting secretive this past year and is seen with ink on her hands, always buying papers and so. Hyacinth, instead of being interested in her upcoming debut next year, she's more curious in the new Lady Whistledown and thinks Eloise is her. Gregory is now attends university.
- Episode 5: Michaela is now in Scotland with Francesca, beginning of the push and pull - Tell me something wicked, Michaela
- Episode 7: Michaela is sick again and Francesca thinks she's lose a person she loves for the second and finally realise her feelings for her.
- Episode 8: Michaela and Francesca confess their love to each other and then, go back to London to announce their intention to stay together. At night, there's a ball. They dance together. Eloise had disappeared during the ball. Chaos at Bridgerton House. Hyacinth ends her investigation and tells the family that she's at Romney Hall with Phillip. The Bridgerton brothers break in in the intention to beat Phillip's ass. Eloise tells them the family her intention to marry Phillip. Then, Francesca and Eloise might have a talk about why she's entering this marriage. She could say something like how he is the only man for her (because of what this marriage will offer her), but that can't possibly be love. Francesca then tells her she used to think she could marry for practical reasons, but she's been proved that twice that she couldn't. Francesca and Michaela finds a way to have a symbolic marriage. HEA scene in Scotland and Janet blessing.
Part 2, the public should see who Eloise has been writing to and establish their intellectual connection with depth. Realistically, we would only have a few cameos of Phillip - we absolutely have a scene to visually establish Phillip as a widow (doubt it's the funeral, but possibly a Polin visit and paying their respects after having missed the funeral.), their first meeting, etc - something about 4/5 scenes where to set the next season. Francesca will also have to be involved like Daphne was to Marina's plot, with the bonus point that Eloise is her closest sister.
Edit: because it got posted before I was done.
Season 6
Marriage at about episode 1 or 2
As much as I dread another season of Eloise being trapped, I don't want for either of them, both Phillip and Eloise, to be able to achieve any of their dreams before getting married to one another. If anything, it should be the reason they especially marry each other and have a marriage of convenience, because they both gain something that gets them to be closer to where they wished to be in their life.
Episode 2 should've flashbacks focusing on Phillip's childhood, forced to let go of his dreams for responsibility he never wished for, maybe Marina's funeral and the impact on the household.
I think they'll keep their romantic development after the marriage. There's going to be many changes, but hopefully they'll keep the iconic scenes (please, keep the shooting competition with the Bridgerton brothers and Phillip being Eloise's cheerleader)
Sideplot for the unmarried kids left: Hyacinth debuts and being so outspoken and too fabulous that it puts men off because they keep expecting the meek pretty and quiet girl. Gregory wanted to be takentaken seriously as a proper adult man (idk, it kinda fits with his reaction when Eloise calls him a baby and asks him why he's even there to try to beat up Phillip with the rest of the brothers).
Edit: because I wasn't done with my post...