“Bridgerton” finally addresses Benedict's sexuality, but what does it mean?

"His connection with Tilley Arnold is about him figuring out how to be of society while still being true to himself," showrunner Jess Brownell tells EW.

Warning: This article contains spoilers about Bridgerton season 3, part 2.

As a second son, Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) has always felt a bit aimless.

Season 3 wasn't entirely different for him, as he once again tried to evade his mother's attempts to pair him off with an eligible young lady of the ton. He found a successful deterrent in Tilley Arnold (Hannah New), a widow who says she also has no interest in anything serious.

Benedict and Tilley attend society events together by day, while enjoying friends-with-benefits activities at night. But things get complicated when he meets her "friend" Paul (Lucas Aurelio), catches them kissing, and is then invited to share their bed. At first, Benedict panics, hurriedly makes an excuse, and leaves.

Related: Bridgerton showrunner answers our burning season 3 questions

But once he gives himself time to think, he realizes he does want to experiment in the bedroom and turns up at Tilley's house, kissing them both. Benedict temporarily becomes part of their throuple, engaging in bedroom activities with them simultaneously. But the experience leads Tilley to realize that she has deeper feelings for Benedict and that she doesn't like sharing him.

Benedict tells her that he's not ready for something serious, especially after what he's just experienced with her and Paul. "You opened my world, and I'm not ready to close it again just now," he tells her. Later, he muses to Eloise, "The next thing I learn may change me profoundly."

Related: Bridgerton showrunner talks that big Francesca, Stirling cousin twist

But what does this all mean? Are we ever getting a Benedict season? Will he be queer? Many fans had speculated that Benedict might be bisexual if not gay, due to his various artistic interests and general lack of interest in the marriage market. That is now confirmed, but showrunner Jess Brownell is tight-lipped about whether season 4 might be Benedict's love story.

"If anything, [this throuple] confirmed something for him about himself," she says. "Benedict has always been a character who hasn't felt like he quite fits in society, but he hasn't figured out how to break the rules in a way that works for him. His connection with Tilley Arnold this season is really about him figuring out how to be of society while still being true to himself."

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"His embrace of his queerness with the throuple is a moment where he's really figuring out how to be true to himself," she adds. "And we'll continue that going forward."

Those who've read the Bridgerton novels might have caught on to a clue in the season finale. Eloise (Claudia Jessie) promises to return from Scotland to attend the Bridgerton masquerade ball and Benedict notes, "I will be there in a mask, hiding from eligible young ladies."

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In Benedict's book, An Offer From a Gentleman, he dances with a beautiful and mysterious woman in a mask at the Bridgerton masquerade ball. Later, he rescues the woman, Sophie Beckett, and earns her a position as a housemaid in his mother's home, not realizing it is the same girl. But Brownell won't take the bait, saying only, "You should read into that in that you will see the masquerade ball next season. That's as much as I can say."

Whether or not we'll see Sophie next season (or if Benedict will still end up with a woman, much less Sophie Beckett), remains an open question. Perhaps Lady Whistledown has some intel.

Bridgerton season 3 is now streaming on Netflix.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.