Dearest Gentle Reader,
Finally, this author has finished the latest season of Bridgerton. I guess being late to the ball is better than never arriving at all. Perhaps it is only right to preface this publication with an admission that this author has never read the acclaimed novels by Julia Quinn. Thus, I have no expectations on how the Netflix show should be made and am not claiming to be any wiser. For the readers who may not share the same enthusiasm regarding the series as I, Bridgerton can be briefly recapped as a romance series that follows the many children of a noble family during the Regency era England; Season 1 followed Daphne’s story with the Duke of Hastings, Season 2 was Anthony and Kate’s, and Season 3 was Colin and Penelope’s.
The relationship between Colin and Penelope is one of old friends-turned-lovers. We find out how a fateful wind had blown her hat to his face and started a love that will span decades, but not without struggle. Even before their season, we already felt the depth of which Penelope was enamored with Colin, even if her interests did not seem to be reciprocated. The most hurtful thing that led Penelope to accept the impossibility of her one-sided crush, was when she overheard Colin openly claim that he would never court her. Honestly, during that scene, I found myself disliking Colin. Penelope, always the butt of the joke and an invisible wallflower at social events, really deserved better (imo).
When Lord Debling was introduced, his kindness towards Penelope made me 100% on #teamlorddebling. Every time Colin started to throw jealous glares at the two of them interacting, I threw an imaginary fist in the air: that’s what you get, taking her for granted all these times! With the Passenger song “Let Her Go” playing in the back of my mind, I still found it difficult to ascertain the authenticity of Colin’s love. If he really did love her that much, he didn’t need Penelope begging him to kiss her the first time, or the fact that another respectable man was going to marry her, for him to realise it (but maybe I’m just not romantic enough & I could be wrong).
Honestly, the only reason why I eventually did accept Colin as a better match for Penelope was when Lord Debling alluded to the fact that he was not looking to marry for love, and that there was a possibility – with him always away from home – that their marriage would be only practical. Still, a part of me felt like if they’d gone ‘off script’, and Penelope had expressed how important love was, then Lord Debling found out he was in fact head over heels for her and abandoned all talk of what was “practical”, their love story would still be more romantic than that with Colin (idk).
Aside from the love story, we also witnessed a breakdown in friendship between Penelope and Eloise after the discovery of Lady Whistledown’s true identity. Many viewers have commented their disappointment with Eloise on Season 3 YouTube trailers. They felt that Eloise’s animosity was a sign of jealousy towards Penelope’s success at building something so powerful as a writer, which they feel reveals Eloise as a hypocrite despite always preaching about feminism. Personally, I believe that Eloise’s anger towards Penelope came more from a sense of betrayal: how could her best friend keep such a huge secret from her, cause harm to her reputation and kill any hopes of a relationship with Theo. This precise feeling was also shared with Colin Bridgerton himself, who unknowingly was harmed by Penelope’s quill, finds out, and questions everything he knows about her – totally understandable. However, I do have to say that while both Colin and Eloise had started off rightfully distanced from Penelope after they found out, I did enjoy the fact that they ended up still protecting and supporting her in the face of external threats – a.k.a Cressida Cowper.
A little bit on Cressida Cowper – this season, we get to understand a little more about her character, her upbringing under an authoritarian father and a voiceless mother, and how the pressures of marriage and reputation can cause, essentially, the rise of a villain. In previous seasons, we only saw Cressida as a bully who taunts and makes Penelope’s life miserable. Through Eloise’s friendship, we are afforded a glimpse into Cressida’s vulnerable side, her isolation, and why she turned out the way she has. When she chose to keep the secret of Penelope and Colin’s project, it is perhaps to show that she is not entirely bad, sometimes misunderstood and desperate – although I don’t think that, in any way, excuses cruelty.
Another Bridgerton character who has found love this season was Francesca with Lord Kilmartin. I don’t really have much to say about them, except that compared to other Bridgerton siblings, their love story was less of a whirlwind romance but more of a calm breeze. As much as Francesca was a character who kept to her pianoforte, didn’t really express herself as did the older siblings, she was surprisingly one of the strongest people on the show – knowing what she wanted and going for it even if it risked the Queen’s ire. It was nice to see that not all love needed a grand gesture, heartbreaks, tears and kissing in the rain, which was something Mama Bridgerton would eventually come to accept. Speaking of Mama Bridgerton, seems like we may get to see her gardens blooming, now that her “businesses are in order” (iykyk!).
Finally, it’s also worth mentioning that one of the highlights for me was how another Mama finally had the much-needed quality bonding time with a daughter she’d neglected for too long. Mama Featherington and Penelope going through hardships together and admitting how alike they actually are, brought a literal smile to my face.
All in all, this author had quite an enjoyable time watching the latest happenings of the ton. The transformation of Miss Penelope Bridgerton into a stronger and more radiant lady who owns up to her past deeds and finally gets the love and renown she worked so hard to achieve, brings a satisfying conclusion to the long-awaited sequel.
What did you think of the latest season? Are you by any chance also #teamlorddebling? Do you think Francesca deserved more screen time? Did the Netflix show disappoint you as a reader of the original novel?
Please share your thoughts in the comment section!
P.S. I also went to the Bridgerton exhibition at Liberty London a few weeks ago. Some of the original pictures here were taken from my time there!
Lovely post! I actually found myself a little bored (for lack of a better, kinder word) in the second half of the third season and I still have two episodes left to watch! Maybe I'll watch them later today as you've re-inspired me to do so. I love Penelope and was so excited to watch her glow-up. I was also very happy to see a sex scene involving a fat person - films and television NEVER show this. It was a positive step in a direction where we can all feel sexy in our bodies, whether we're skinny, fat, muscular, jiggly, bony- whatever! As long as we're healthy. (and if I may, her sex scene was 10 out of 10, she is stunning)
Again, thanks for this post!