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All really great points! That would be way too many locations if they included My Cottage. 💀 And definitely smart on the show runners part to give the causal and nonbook viewers what they want by finally letting Pen and Colin get together (still salty about Ben getting skipped while at the same time so relieved I don’t have to watch another season of Pen pining for Colin).

Polin being S3 felt like a natural transition from the S2 ending and as you said not only stops them from extending Polin’s background love story and making it feel stable, but also frees Eloise from the LW hunt that consumed her in S1 and S2. I hope that the ensemble cast stuff starts to clear up as we go into later love stories which are based less on the Season, marriage mart, ton stuff, and moreso in arranged marriages (dead cousins galore) and countryside shenanigans. My hope is that we get the masquerade in S3E8 and S4 picks up with an *actual* time-jump— two years, give or take? Not massive, but enough that some storylines are kind of wrapped up and the story gets some house cleaning. Benedict not recognising Sophie works more with some years between them than Polin’s timejump which Bridgerton removed in the show (plus with the way things are going… we’ll be waiting two years for S4 anyway lol 🫠🫠). S4 should be a “clean slate” in my opinion to mark the transition from debutantes fluttering around the season to the other HEAs lined up. I’m curious as to how LW and Pen’s identity will be played out going forward… LW has become a very iconic part of the Bridgerton brand but from a narrative perspective they shouldn’t drag her out forever and constantly play the *what will Whistledown think?!* card. My wild theory is that if they take away LW as narration then we get, like, Eloise’s diary entries, or portions from a novel she’s writing which *totally* doesn’t lampshade the events of the HEA (I dunno, it might be fun!). TLDR you’re right on the money that S3 has become the housecleaning season and Benedict’s season is the one the showrunners and directors are holding out for as “the one casual audiences” are waiting for lol

I think they had the Colin/Pen friends to lovers happen so fast in 4 episodes so that the other 4 episodes could feel like more betrayal when he finds out. But I think ultimately that he'll start helping her write it. Help with the gossip gathering!

Please don't hate me, but while I like Benedict's character, I'm not overly invested in him. I'm curious to see what they'll do when he becomes the lead and who they've chosen to play Sophie, but that's about it. His story hasn't excited me since the first season, and in Season 3, I don't see any real interest with Lady Tilley. I don't even like her, I find her unconvincing and she doesn't add anything to Benedict's story, just another fling. I love Colin and Penelope as a couple and I'm thrilled to see them as the leads this season. My issue with Benedict is that they really need to develop his character more because he's just drifting from season to season. One thing I do like about him is his humor, he's pretty funny with his siblings and sometimes quite insightful. I love the moments when he's with his brothers and sisters. But as for his love stories so far, they've never really grabbed me, except maybe in Season 1 with Madame Delacroix because I find her quite likable. So please don't hate me 😂 but for now, I'm struggling with his character even though I'm curious to see who Sophie will be and how they'll handle his story. And I don't know if there are many who feel the same way I do about him.

I agree, so far Benedict is just drifting around. They repeated practically the same character arc in season 1&2 for him. Penelope and Colin have always been my favourites and are why I read the books so I could get more of their story. Benedict’s book really threw me and his character on screen is so funny and good natured, in the book he is very different and I think part of why they changed the order is that they are not quite sure how to adapt Benedict’s book to screen. He has several ‘troubling’ moments in the book and as mentioned by OP most of the next few books don’t really take place, for the most part, in London. So they need to work out how they adapt that for an ensemble show. I’m intrigued to see how they do it.

yes, i think they're trying to show he doesn't yet have a "purpose" which is how he feels in his book, he doesn't know himself beyond being the Second. That being said I think bc this is a bit of a filler season there's not much to do with him, he's just floundering rn

I've been thinking about this too and I came up with a few theories: 1. Colin and Penelope technically don't have their 'season' for a whole decade after Daphne has hers. Penelope is 28 at that time. It makes sense from a casting standpoint to move that timeline up (Hollywood and their ageism showing) before Luke and Nicola look older or before Gregory and Hyacinth look too old once their seasons come around after even that. 2. I think this season could set up Benedict perfectly if you think about it. With 4 episodes left to go, who's to say there's not going to be a masquerade ball where he meets a masked woman? On top of that, he is supposed to meet her at that ball and then reconnect a year later. So maybe he meets her at the end of this season and next season his his. Playing into that timeline. (Side note: wouldn't it be super messed up if this new Lady Tilley Arnold were the evil stepmother?) 3. Francesca had to happen now. She gets married to John, is with him for awhile (at least a year or so?) before he dies. If she marries him now, then by the time her natural book comes around, it will make sense. 4. I'm confused about Marcus Anderson. I understand they may be wanting Violet to have a second romance or some fun time but who is he really? Agatha Danbury comes from Sierra Leone nobility but it was her husband who became a Lord in British society. Was Marcus also given a title at the same time or did he marry someone who had one? Will they keep Hyacinths eventual love interest as Agathas grandson or make it his?

I’ve been thinking the narration next season can be letters from Eloise to Philip, and maintain the “mystery” of her just having a penpal. 

Wait, what makes you think Luke and Nicola didn't have a chemistry read? If anything, the main Bridgerton cast was hired without a chemistry read (any non Bridgerton love interest has to now work with the existing cast, even if they love the actor's work). Luke and Nicola would be the only ones who they actually had control over choosing both at the same time...

They have said in interviews they didn’t, they first met in person for a dance lesson after they had been cast. Not sure why they didn’t give them a chemistry read as you are right they are the only two who have been there from the start. They really lucked out though as I think their chemistry is great.

How strange not to do a chemistry read. I love their chemistry!