‘Queen Charlotte’ Ending Explained: Reynolds And Brimsley

In Bridgerton’s delightful spin-off series Queen Charlotte, viewers finally get answers to a lot of pressing questions about Queen Charlotte’s life, her journey with her husband, King George, and the origin stories for several Bridgerton faves. But the show also raises several new questions that have everyone asking: “Where the heck is season 2?!?”

Specifically, fans who have already plowed through the series may still be feeling a little unsatisfied when it comes to one adorable, non-royal couple. As viewers follow Charlotte and George’s ups and downs, they’re also given a peek into the lives of two of their confidantes, Brimsley and Reynolds, who fall in love. But the final episode leaves this love story very much unresolved. For one, what did that final scene even mean? And why was Brimsley having a “Dancing On My Own” moment?

Below, Women’s Health explains what that ending might mean, and what may have become of the two love birds.

Wait, who are Brimsley and Reynolds?

Okay, let’s start from the beginning. Brimsley and Reynolds, who are Charlotte’s valet and George’s secretary, respectively, provide the first prominent queer romance in the Bridgerton universe, per Netflix. There have been hints of queer love in Bridgerton (think: Henry Granville and Lord Wetherby), but Brimsley and Reynold’s story represents the first time this storyline has been in the spotlight.

If you’ve seen Bridgerton, you’ll know Brimsley (whose younger self is played by Sam Clemmett) shows up in the original series. Queen Charlotte gives a bit more insight into the backstory behind the queen’s right hand man and his love life. Reynolds (played by Freddie Dennis) is only introduced in the spin-off as King George III’s secretary, and Brimsley’s love interest.

As the main confidantes for Charlotte and George, Brimsley and Reynolds act as liaisons between the royals—and they’re also in love. In the final episode of Queen Charlotte, Brimsley and Reynolds are shown dancing to “I Will Always Love You” outside the ball, and as a viewer, you think everything is going to end on a happy note. However, the scene cuts to Bridgerton-era Brimsley dancing outside the palace on his own. So, obviously, things might not have worked out.

Since this is the last scene in the new series, it’s never clear what happened between the two men, or what this ending truly means for their love story.

Do Reynolds and Brimsley end up together?

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it doesn’t seem like Reynolds and Brimsley live happily ever after. In older Brimsley’s final scene, he looks pretty sad. Does that mean Reynolds died? Did he leave Brimsely?

Hugh Sachs, who plays older Brimsley, recently told Vulture that the men’s final scene together—where they both meet up in the Bridgerton timeline—was actually cut from the script.

“[Reynolds] was the love of [Brimsley’s] life, and for whatever reason, they could not stay together,” Sachs told Vulture. “So when they would pass each other in the passageway in the deleted scene, it wasn’t a toxic moment. Because of the world they inhabited, it was still a hangable offense to be gay, and it was just not possible.”

So, while this scene was cut from Queen Charlotte, it doesn’t seem like Brimsley and Reynolds could’ve truly ended up together either way—at least from Sachs’ interpretation.

What happened to Reynolds at the end of ‘Queen Charlotte’?

Freddie Dennis, who played Reynolds, had his own explanations for why his character wasn’t in that final scene.

“Reynolds is on holiday in the Maldives, sipping on a mojito,” Freddie Dennis recently told Buzzfeed.

Dennis also explained that young Reynolds was originally going to appear in the last scene with older Brimsley. “They didn’t use this shot, but one of the ideas that we played with was me, younger Reynolds, dancing with Hugh [Sachs],” Dennis told Buzzfeed.

However, the Queen Charlotte creators ended up scrapping the idea, and had Brimsley dance by himself. “I think they left it more open,” Dennis told Buzzfeed. “I think [young Reynolds dancing with older Brimsley] would’ve sent too much of a message.”

This explanation makes it seem there is a Regency-era Reynolds somewhere out there, even if he hasn’t entered the Bridgerton universe yet.

Will Reynolds ever show up again?

IMO, the vague nature of the final scene leaves the plot open for Reynolds to make a reappearance at some point in the Bridgerton timeline again—but that hasn’t been confirmed.

Julia Quinn, author of the novels that inspired Bridgerton, recently told Insider that she’d like Reynolds to be a “secret duke,” but also admitted she doesn’t have any control of the secretary’s fate in the TV series.

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“Literally, I’ve said that to Shonda so many times. I’m like, ‘Secret duke, secret duke,’ because I didn’t create [Reynolds] so I don’t get to decide this character as much,” Quinn told Insider.

The show’s producer, Shonda Rhimes, hasn’t confirmed Reynolds’ fate yet, but she did tell Variety in 2021 that Bridgerton will run for “at least eight seasons,” so hopefully she’ll find some way to address this unresolved love story.

Either way, you can watch Brimsley and Reynolds fall in love in Queen Charlotte, currently streaming on Netflix.