This post will discuss plot points from Heated Rivalry and season four of Bridgerton. If you haven't seen them, you may want to watch them first.

Romance fans have become obsessed with one phrase: “I’m coming to the cottage.” From Heated Rivalry to Bridgerton, secluded summer homes have become the emotional epicenter of blockbuster TV love stories.

In case you’re not one of the millions of people who watch these shows, here’s the background: In Heated Rivalry, one of the hockey-player protagonists, Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie), calls his long-time lover, Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams), and declares his intent to visit him over the summer at his lakefront getaway. The sentence, “I’m coming to the cottage,” has become a joy-inducing rallying cry of commitment. Merchandise has been created, people are changing their Zoom backgrounds to the summer home, and songs are being remixed with “I’m coming to the cottage” playing on repeat.

Then, to our collective surprise and delight, season four of Bridgerton included an impromptu romantic interlude between Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) and Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha), at a summer home called (you won’t believe this) “My Cottage.” Fans of both shows were elated to see another cottage provide a setting for romance to blossom.

Both shows feature forbidden love, secret trysts, explicit sex scenes, and deeply intimate connections that build over time. It’s no surprise that viewers have devoured these shows with enthusiasm given society’s general proclivity towards romance........

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