By Herman M. Lagon

There is a quiet excitement creeping in as the end of February approaches. It is not the kind tied to election tallies, budget hearings or the latest corruption headline. It is softer, almost embarrassing to admit for someone who spends most days talking about literacy gaps and policy failures. I have simply been looking forward to the last episodes of “Bridgerton Season 4” on February 26 on Netflix. I catch myself checking the calendar the way students count the days to semestral break. I do not even remember when I became a fan. What I do remember is my daughter nudging me, again and again, to watch it. One night, with Smart C, unfinished papers and too many emails open, I pressed play just to humor her. Before the next stack of flipped tasks was done, I was already deep into Season 2.

If this sounds a little geeky coming from someone who usually writes about budget gaps and crowded classrooms, I apologize. Even teachers need their small pockets of kilig after long days of reports, meetings and worried conversations about the state of our schools. This story may not be for everyone, and some names or scenes might only resonate with a few. But stay with me for a bit. You might stumble upon a moment, a character or a feeling that quietly mirrors something in your own life.

I was not supposed to enjoy “Bridgerton” this much. It looks like something easy to dismiss — fancy dresses, chandeliers and polite scandals. Most conflicts revolve around letters, reputations and elegant dances. Yet that softness is the hook. Season 1 was a gentle surprise. Season 2 cut deeper. Season 3 gave the strongest kilig. Season 4 now feels playful but more complicated. My daughter and I even share the same ranking: Season 3 first, then Season 1, then Season 2, with Season 4 just behind. We pause scenes, debate character choices and analyze motives like we are in a contest. Sometimes we talk more than we watch.

Season 4’s first half added a twist that got people talking. Benedict falls for a mysterious woman at a ball, only to meet her again as Sophie, a maid with a difficult past. By the end, he asks her to be his mistress without knowing her story. Some saw romance. Others saw danger in the imbalance. The online debates were lively, with many comparing it to Mr. Darcy’s awkward proposal, where love and class pride clash.

Now the excitement centers on the final episodes. Part 2 promises to deal with the fallout of that awkward proposal. The teaser hints at deeper confessions, more tension and the inevitable revelation that Sophie is the mysterious “Lady in Silver.” Their story will have to face the stiff class lines of Regency society. Around them, other lives continue to move: Violet exploring a late romance, Francesca navigating her marriage, and new characters stirring fresh trouble. The creators hint at a happy conclusion in the country, maybe even a wedding, with the kind of soft emotional closure that the show is known for. Even the most exhausted teacher can picture a calm weekend with the curtains drawn and the next episode ready.

What surprised me most was not the kilig, but the relief. It feels like stepping into a quiet library after a hectic meeting, or sitting by the sea after too much bad news. The national mood has not been light. There are corruption stories that sound like satire, schools still asking for classrooms, and programs that look better on paper than in real life. Many teachers carry these worries every day. So a show about dances and declarations becomes more than fluff. It becomes a short, welcome pause. A chance to breathe, to laugh at awkward suitors, to wonder whether a glance across a ballroom means something.

In that hour of watching, inflation, class sizes and political noise fade a little. The mind turns instead to softer questions: Does that dance mean affection? Did that letter change everything? Can two people from different worlds meet somewhere in the middle? Teachers understand this instinctively. After a difficult day, a good story can do what another memo or meeting cannot. It takes the sharp edge off the day.

My advice is simple: start with Season 1. The story grows gently, and that is what makes it special. Season 1 sets the tone, Season 2 deepens the feelings, Season 3 offers the purest kilig, and Season 4 complicates everything. Skip the journey, and the ending loses its spark. The kilig just does not feel real.

At home, the best parts are the small ones — my daughter laughing at a twist, stopping the episode to share her theory, or shaking her head at a stubborn character. Those moments remind me how stories still connect parents and children. Not every talk at home needs to be about reforms or deadlines. Sometimes a series becomes its own gentle classroom.

So when February 26 arrives, I will do what many tired Filipinos will do. I will find a quiet corner, press play and escape to an early 19th century ballroom for a while. It is a small indulgence, but also a quiet way to steady the heart. These days, a little kilig helps more than we admit. It is sometimes the gentlest way to stay hopeful.

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Doc H fondly describes himself as a “student of and for life” who, like many others, aspires to a life-giving and why-driven world grounded in social justice and the pursuit of happiness. His views do not necessarily reflect those of the institutions he is employed or connected with./WDJ