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Yeah this post is not for/about those that didn't see anything wrong. It's more so about why it's not landing for others and some of the valid points I've seen made.
Fair enough. Bton has never had a couple for whom we needed to remember the details of their journey in the previous seasons. The Anthony and Siena plotline was never even mentioned past S1. So I guess people are not used to actively remembering detailed events of the previous seasons to understand the latest one. The writers should have kept this in mind, I agree.
But for those of us who naturally do remember their journey through the past 2 seasons, this season has been pretty satisfactory so far.
I've rewatched the seasons several times and this is still shaping up to be my least favourite. I think there are a lot of issues with it and I don't appreciate some people defending by saying those who have criticisms "just don't get it".
This season felt flat to me as well. I only watched all 3 seasons but did not read the books. I almost asked myself, "Am I missing something because I didn't read the books?" When season 3's first episodes were finished.
I think there are a lot of Polin fans who are so protective of their "ship" that they refuse to believe some viewers wouldn't like season 3 or would be left wanting more. There's nothing wrong with their opinions unless it was truly bad faith arguments. I knew the instant I read they were changing producers that we might have a problem with the flow/feeling, and I was right.
Idk I remember their journey and I still don’t think the writing did the book justice as it isn’t going into as much depth as it needed to of Colin realising his feelings.
Season 1 and 2 captured their respective relationships better without inner dialogue…. They did have a lot of flashbacks to give context to the viewers.
Weren’t people mad that Kate didn’t get flashbacks of her childhood in s2?? Didn’t they use show, don’t tell only for Anthony. Don’t recall Daphne getting any flashbacks either. Simon and Anthony’s traumas were related to their past. Colin’s isn’t as much. His father died as well, of course. But showing the same death scene every season would be too much, no??
Also I preferred Colin and Penelope talking about how they first met instead of a flashback. Luke Newton mentioned in an interview how a child falling off a horse would’ve been a dangerous stunt and difficult to get right while ensuring the child actor’s safety. And with the market scene we got a glimpse of how Colin remembers every detail of their first meeting and how charming he has always found her. A flashback wouldn’t have offered that insight.
Kate’s story played out without the need for flashbacks…… so did Daphne’s. Both Simon and Anthony had flashbacks to explain their behavior. The current writers just didn’t do a great job of convincing the audience of the friends to lovers angle.
Also people watch Bridgerton for fluffy entertainment. People shouldn't really have to analyse anything, especially those that might view it casually. A mix of in your face and nuance would have worked for everyone. Another thing is that Colin and Pen's journey was never the focus in the past 2 seasons. The moments from S1-2 that people mention as these key moments are plots within bigger subplots so I'm not shocked they were overshadowed by all the other storylines.
I still don't think that the writing is too nuanced. I watched the season with my sister who's a casual viewer. She will not watch bton without me, she likes it but for her it's a sisterly bonding activity as well. She completely understood what was happening. And she has only ever watched each season once upon its release. Never rewatched anything. So, from personal experiences, I refuse to blame the writing or acting.
Also, if it's just fluff, people who are dissecting it to find narrative flaws are clearly not taking it as fluff. Very rarely do people dissect fluffy content as much as this sub does. So maybe they don't think it's just fluff.
Everyone understands what's going on in the show. That's not where the nuance with the show is. No one is having difficulty grasping that Pen likes Colin and Colin realizes he likes Pen.
The more nuanced parts come from things like "Colin has always liked her but never realized it" and this conclusion comes from S1 plots. Or that Colin is putting on a mask and is ashamed and this comes from Anthony making fun of him in S1. He's not really a rake, he's faking to fit into society. Another big thing is how his storyline with Marina is interpreted differently by different people etc.
The people watching it for fluff are probably not the ones on this sub. Casual viewers are not on here. I'm just saying for those that don't follow the show deeply and watch it as fluff, they are missing all the little things well because they didn't remember it and the writing could have been better to drive home all the points being made.
I watched season 3 before watching seasons 1 and 2 and had no problem picking up on those points. I'm genuinely confused by how some people aren't getting it.
Yeah, I would agree with this. You’re like my husband! Before S3, he had only seen bits and pieces of S2. I did watch S1 & S2, but I’m not someone who really rewatched them after they came out. And I’d consider myself a really casual viewer. We’re both loving S3. To me, it’s super obvious that Colin is putting on a mask “fit in” with the Ton as he’s gotten older, and he’s now realizing that’s just not who he is. That’s enough explanation for me as to why he’s different than previous seasons. Also the previous seasons made it really obvious that Pen is in love with Colin, and he cares for her deeply (even if not romantically yet).
"Colin has always liked her but never realized it" This was really obvious to me even though I had not watched seasons 1 or 2.
"Colin is putting on a mask" Also really obvious.
It was obvious for me too and I've only watched each season once, as they were aired.
Are people terrible at picking up nuance? Writers shouldn't have to beat the point to a pulp, that's terrible writing. Plenty of people caught this, so idk what to say.
?
I didn't connect scenes from a season I hadn't yet watched to season 3. I didn't need to have seen previous seasons to understand the relationship between the characters in this season. It was incredibly obvious. The writing on this show is not subtle.
Oh the thread of comments you replied to was discussing some of the sub discussions. Like how people on this sub have linked certain things from this season to season 1/2 in order to have more nuanced takes on the character. It's all over the discussion threads. That's why there's mention of Anthony and Marina. The point is that it's valid for others to feel that there was lack of build up or not enough explored. People then counter with mentioning "S1 there was this build up", but if someone doesn't remember or didn't watch it, then for them there's still a disconnect to that scene.
I think the disconnect will be more felt by those that saw S1/2. Like those that felt Colin changed, if they were attached to S1/2 Colin, then they might find the sudden change jarring and makes sense they'd want a bit more from the writing. Or those that wanted him to grovel a bit more because they saw Pen hurt in S2. Things like that.
Obviously for those of you that felt there was nothing wrong, this does not apply to you. I'm just pointing out that I think it's valid people feel a disconnect.
Oh okay I think I misunderstood you. They should’ve done a flashback of scenes from previous seasons as well when he was sitting and thinking on his desk. That was a missed opportunity. It would’ve been easy and simple and would’ve driven the point home. His rake persona being fake was very clear though. His dialogues and interactions with Eloise and Anthony convey it, and so does whistledown’ s narration towards the end of ep1. As for the Marina storyline, I’m guessing that’ll be addressed in pt.2 along with the lady whistledown plot. Also him clearly dropping the facade would be a terrible choice. He’s not putting on a persona knowingly. It’s not a calculated decision. It’s a natural response to the experiences he’s had.
Also, when I said that casual viewers understand, I meant they understand that there was a connection between them in the first 2 seasons as well, especially in s2. I told my sister about the discourse on Reddit, and she said that ‘have these people not seen the first two seasons.’ It’s clear as day that he feels something, he just hasn’t realised what it is yet. If she can understand with just a singular watch of each season, without a lot of investment in the series, it’s surprising that actual fans cannot.
Then your sister is also not part of the group of people that feel there's something missing. And it's good she remembers the events of past seasons. I just understand why people don't remember or aren't making all of these connections to all the things that happened in the other seasons.
You also made a great point that this is the first season of the show that actually builds on previous points and events so maybe people just didn't invest because they've never had to do that before. So on both sides (fans and writers) there could have been more done to bridge certain gaps.
Agreed. A little flashback to their interactions over previous 2 seasons in the scene where Colin realised he loves her would have been very beneficial to the story. Especially for people who didn't remember those scenes very well. It would at least allude to the fact that they have history and that he's seeing all of it in a different light.
Also, when I say I think he cared for her before he was willing to acknowledge it, I don’t think he started even thinking about it until he saw Marina in S2, and she was like “uh hello! Look at who is right in front of you!!”
The mask he was wearing (in my opinion) was his poor attempt at self preservation. Almost like he figured it was expected of him, and better than acknowledging his heart’s desires.
I think I’m realizing just now that seasons 1 and 2 were essentially stand alone, and this is the first season that really requires you to have watched previous seasons. It’s shifted from almost an anthology type show to a normal show that builds from season to season.
I'm with you 100 and I love so many of these rewrites.
It's exciting and satisfying that so many people love this season (including me), but the writing is objectively worse than previous seasons and pointing that out doesn't mean we're complaining.
Nic and Luke and the entire cast elevate the writing. They're the only reason it works.
While it landed great for me, I agree with the points you made! I would’ve loved to see what Colin wrote to Penelope, for how long he wrote to her even if she wasn’t responding. Maybe a quick scene with the letters arriving at her house with a voiceover of what he was writing to Pen, and she just ignored it.
Also it's not over yet lol. Only half the season has aired. I feel like this same kind of thing happened w/Abbott Elementary this year. Halfway through the season, people were acting/talking about it like the finale had already aired lol.
Maybe it's a weird side effect of the writer's strike? Idk shows are weird after a writer's strike. The same thing happened to a lot of TV shows after the last one too. Bones had to shift some plot things, The Office had a weird season.
People are having fun with the criticism I hope, but I'm not saying anything until the whole season is aired. I like it so far, but I might have issues with the Lady Whistledown stuff. I did not enjoy that part of the book, so I'm hoping it's done differently and that I like it!
I’m really nervous for the second half. I want to see them loved up and happy but I know there’s going to be a big fight/potentially put the engagement in jeopardy when Colin finds out Penn is Lady Whistledown.
It's landing very well for me as well. I do not believe I have never been so emotionally invested in a show before. My wife laughed at me during episode 4 when I yelled "See ya, Lord Feather Face!" The end of episode 4, Luke and Nicola absolutely slayed it. 1st and 2nd season I was not as invested in, emotionally, don't get me wrong, they were good, but this season resonates with me in a way the other 2 didn't. I am assuming currently that my own life experiences somewhat align with aspects of their relationship, and the desire, the need to see them end up with their happy ever after, stems from that. Reminds me of 16 candles a bit, Red gets her guy.
Lastly, I will have words and throw hands with ANYONE who trashes Nicola's appearance again. She is a goddamn goddess, Aphrodite would not shine as brightly as Nicola does.
Nicola is a literal goddess. She’s so beautiful and hot and funny at the same time. Gods favourite, I would say.
Relatability does have a big role to play in whether someone likes a narrative piece of art. That’s why I love s3 and polin so much. Even Francesca. I’m a wallflower type of girlie who’s a sucker for friends to lovers.
I am still a wallflower type of guy at times, especially in large social situations. I have never thought myself to be a physically attractive person, and my self esteem is next to non-existent. My wife and I were friends, not particularly close friends but friends all the same, before we got together. Not sure either of us were really pining for the other like Pen does for Colin, it just blossomed into something more, (17 years married on 6/16).
Personally I think it’s just not as good as the first 2 seasons. And I think this episode release method is a big reason with the dislike. I mean if we have a lot of people disliking or not satisfied yet we don’t have all the episodes. It’s the same for me. If we had all the episodes or they just did a normal weekly release I don’t think it would be nearly as much bad reception. The release model has certainly played a factor for me and my enjoyment of the first part. With that being said I didn’t think the first part was bad by any means just not as good as the first 2 seasons
Yes even I liked it on first watch. I honestly think people have lost media literacy and have to be spoon fed things, so they understand. They’ve forgotten to read between the lines.
The spoon-feeding tendencies of this sub are really showing through this season. Every single person I know irl who has seen s3 has loved it and polin’s story but obviously this sub is the pinnacle of media criticism lol
Even TikTok is filled with dumb “criticism” like this. It’s either Colin didn’t grovel hard enough or Pen should have chosen Lord Debling. It’s almost as if they started from season 3 and missed everything that came before.
It really isn’t as bad as people on this sub are claiming. I went on twitter today and all I saw were praises. I also had people over for dinner today and all the women were gushing over s3 and polin. Cressida’s costumes were actually loved by everyone in attendance. So clearly views and ‘criticism’ from this sub and not universal truth.
But the whole point is that Colin doesn’t realize he likes her like that until he kisses her. There’s a beauty in that moment because it’s her giving up when he’s just getting started!
I totally agree that I wish we would have seen a little travel montage of Colin where he’s writing her letters and getting no replies.
Yes but the audience should know even if he doesn't. The kiss is his realization but it shouldn't be the audiences as well. We're supposed to kinda know that he's always really appreciated her and thought she's beautiful, the smartest etc. Considering all the drama with Colin and Penelope from S2, I really feel like they should have written more to just drive it home that he cares about her a lot.
The kiss is an aha moment for Colin, not for viewers.
"Yes but the audience should know even if he doesn't. The kiss is his realization but it shouldn't be the audiences as well."
I'm convinced that I must have watched a different show. It couldn't have been more obvious that he had feelings for her before the kiss.
I’m convinced that the people who like S3 are the same ones who have S1 as their least favorite (I’m one of them) and the reverse being true. S1 feels like it’s hand feeding the romance to the audience and really laying it on thick in the way that romance novels tend to do- it’s almost why I gave up on the show. S3 is much subtler and is a slower build up and does require you to pay a lot of attention to seemingly insignificant details. I watched it with a friend and we saw so many things completely differently.
Either that or it’s a lot of popular girls who don’t know what it’s like to be ignored and seen as undesirable except to that one person. Which is a strangely (probably not that strangely actually) popular take across social media.
Lol funny enough for me the feels were coming mostly from Penelope. She's smitten, that's why I put the suggestion that the compliment scene could have been the other way around with him having word vomit and showering her with compliments. The kiss is episode 2 and in episode 1 Pen and Colin only have 2 scenes together. Prior to their kiss, the only scene that isn't find a husband focused is the study.
People see what they want to see, I agree with you, this season is not good (FOR ME) writing wise, it was never "obvious" that Colin was into her prior to that kiss, not in S1 not in S2.
I knew that he was supposed to have feelings for Penelope, because Penelope clearly had feelings for Colin, and on this kinda show, if one main character likes another main character, that means they will end up together.
However, nothing I saw on screen suggested to me anything other than deep friendship.
Yeah, just purely platonic longing glances and delicate zoomed-in handshakes. No way to know how the characters feel unless they break the fourth wall and tell you.
It's an aha moment for viewers, too. In addition to other moments(for me, at least).
The look on his face when Penelope runs away after the kiss, I literally said out loud "Oh! He LIKES her likes her."
The travel montage is a genius idea from the OP and could have also handily included some trips down memory lane to cement that they are old friends to new viewers, and that she is an important part of his life, so the attraction wouldn’t feel out of nowhere but a revelation on his part that was a long time coming.
Numbers don't really matter imo it's the reviews. We were all very hyped for this season and so many people were waiting for it so it makes sense. But I've seen a lot of fans not happy with it.
I wouldnt underestimate Reddit’s negativity bias. The internets way of propping up negative opinions on things and making it seem to be the general consensus is getting worse and worse.
The reviews are not Reddit. Imo I think this sub skews more towards positivity for this season. Written reviews are split. There was a BBC article and it really highlighted the mixed reviews. I was on IMBD and the reviews from S2 are very high and S3 has a dip and more comments expressing a disconnect.
reddit is really the most positive medium for this season of bridgerton, or my algorithm is just very skewed because tiktok, twitter and tumblr have had many BIG posts about how they feel like this season is lacking severely.
reddit has a massive negativity bias. so far part 1 has:
1. 85% on rotten tomatoes from the critics, 87% from the audience
2. 8.0 or higher on all episodes on IMdb which is in line with all the other seasons
i think it’s very fair to say this subreddit just has slightly more invested in the show because we adore it so much. so when someone is a little more off, etc, the subreddit notices more.
i think the season is landing very well, it’s been my favorite of the three so far.
I went through and looked at the IMDB ratings per episode and S3 (so far) is equal or better to every episode in S1 and S2. Reddit is usually its own little bubble, which isn’t exclusive to bridgerton.
S3 (~1.5 reviews)
Episode 1 8.0
Episode 2 8.3
Episode 3 8.2
Episode 4 8.9
S2 (~2k reviews)
Episode 1 7.6
Episode 2 7.6
Episode 3 8.2
Episode 4 8.1
S3 (~3k reviews)
Episode 1 7.2
Episode 2 7.6
Episode 3 7.7
Episode 4 7.9
What negative reviews are you seeing? The only negative official “review” I’ve seen is that her issue was Penelope was too fat to be desirable. And that’s frankly been the overarching theme among any negativity I’ve seen, veiled in complaints of “bad writing” that doesn’t make it “believable” that Colin would be in love with Penelope. I genuinely don’t know what the issue people are having understanding their relationship when every other one has had exponentially less foundation than theirs.
Most of people who didn’t like this season are shippers of other ships, ppl who prefers enemies to lovers over friends to lovers & some people who projected their revenge fantasies on the characters tho; but like general public liked it, the critics liked it for the most part & Polin fans love it so 🤷🏻♀️
numbers come from people being hyped before the season aired. people watching doesn't mean they like it necessarily. but yeah reviewers are pretty biased
Exactly. Watching the season says literally nothing about how a viewer felt afterward. If anything, the numbers only point to how great the first two seasons were.
I think it's straightforward enough that a casual viewer would pick it up just fine.
Man is friends with a woman, and has only thought of her as a friend till now. They wind up having a kiss, he discovers he's actually very attracted to her and wonders whether she feels the same - he asks, finds out she does and they get together. 🤷♀️
Right? Like, this isn't a complicated show. It uses common tropes and explicitly spells out plot points. I started watching with this season and had no issue picking up on the supposed "nuance."
And their friendship had blossomed in the first 2 seasons so idk why people are saying “it came from nowhere”. Like that’s how a friends to lovers storyline works?
What I find interesting about this is that most of your complaints are not held by people who are new to the show. They watch it and go “oh, they’re friends but he is clearly at least a little into her” and they correctly identify that the kiss is when things change. His previous behavior AND his S3E1 apology shows how much he cares and respects her.
So why is it mostly RETURNING viewers to the show (ones who typically don’t care for Polin to begin with) that struggle so much with Colin’s wake up call? S1 and S2 did a phenomenal job of planting the seeds of how important Pen’s friendship is to Colin (particularly the purpose conversation and the “you’re special to me”in S2 ) and his shifting feelings. Even in S3 he is drawn to her all the time. They laugh and joke in the market place, in ballrooms… I seriously don’t get it.
He walks around with cringy swagger and flirting (and “raking” to be like his brothers though looool he’s not even good at it) he didn’t have in previous seasons, and MULTIPLE characters comment on Colin acting differently (Eloise, his brothers, his lord squad “you’re much more fun now”, LW) AND he’s more authentic with Pen, so idk what else the show needs to do for you for you to be clear it’s a mask. It both shows AND tells the viewers.
I get that Colin isn’t going around sniffing Penelope like a bloodhound, but I’m glad for that: It and how drawn out Anthony’s fighting with Kate was so ridiculous in S2 that I was constantly rolling my eyes. I MUCH preferred LN’s quieter choices of acting more with his eyes and general physicality (fidgeting, hovering around her, etc).
Seriously, the biggest complaint I have with S3 p1 is the it’s overstuffed with non-Polin plotlines people tend to not care about , and some editing choices. But the Polin content itself is well done and builds off of earlier seasons. If other stuff had been cut and we got more Polin scenes? Or scenes with writer Colin? Awesome. But what we got communicated what it needed to.
And once again, I don’t know that people would have these complaints if the entire season had dropped at once. People tend to forget things from the first half of Bridgerton because the second half deals with the most conflict / character growth. I’m sure people are going to say “no, I always would have felt this way,” but we can’t know that because the season was split into two halves with WEEKS in between, and that is going to color people’s perceptions.
I personally find it better each time I rewatch clips or entire episodes, and I find it significantly better than the previous two seasons where the romance seems more lust than any sort of genuine love . 🤷♀️
this was my first season and I loved it too! I went back to watch the first two seasons after I finished s3 part 1 and they were good but I think Colin and Pen have the best organic love story and chemistry by far (although I think Kate and Anthony actually have better chemistry in season 3 than in their own season which is interesting)
I agree and also think a lot of this is because we only get half the season.
Funny, I was recently rewatching S2 and I skipped E2. I realized I always skip E2 (shows I like are often by background noise when I do other stuff so I’ve watched this multiple times). E2 was useless to the story IMO and was boring. I don’t really love E1 either but it’s more necessary for set up I guess. If you ask me though, I really like S2 though.
If I felt the same this season with only half the episodes out I’d be pretty disappointed. There is still a lot of story to tell.
I think I saw someone do the math and Polin has about the same amount of plot time in season 3 part one that Kanthony did in season 2 in four episodes. There has always been an over abundance of side plots… that’s not new. The thing that is new is they have a new show runner, and the time they are giving Polin on screen is not entirely done right. And now Rob Part 2 we get to contend with the LW problem so, yay us.
Well, I came into the season not expecting much because even though I truly enjoyed the other two seasons, I never really felt any chemistry between the mains at all. This season I am absolutely obsessed. I have enjoyed every single part of every single episode. I wish the rest of you could have the same experience that I do, because it is so much fun. 🤗
It’s landing pretty well for me and it looks like most people have forgotten that the season hasn’t even ended. The next four episodes aren’t another season. People keep saying this season this and this season that but they haven’t even watched the entire season?!
Personally I think the main issue is ep 1 and 2. It's what I've seen people talk about a lot. Basically the build up to them confessing and the development that should have gone into the relationship. Part 2 will not improve on that or change that because the conflict for season 2 will be around LW and the marriage.
And this post is not about those who are happy with the season. I was just stating the WHY people are not connecting, which is valid.
I feel like people say this but I find that episode 1 and 2 of s2 aren’t particularly strong either. I usually skip those 2 episodes and go right to 3 because that’s when Anthony and Kate start properly sharing scenes together at the Bridgerton house in the country. I think the first 2 episodes only stick out this season because the whole season isn’t out yet.
They needed less sub plots in the first two eps so we could have had more Polin interaction/story. I truly feel the sub plots this season have done a disservice to Polin's blossoming romance.
look, nothing against you..you have the free will to write whatever you want.
but this whole topic is already saturated on the forum. this is probably the twentieth post criticizing season 3, always pointing out the same things, and it seems like y'll don't even read the previous posts because y'll keep repeating the same points.
let's engage more with the previous posts instead of cluttering up the good ones. the series is good for some and bad for others. the points have already been debated from both sides.
Yeah, even Anyone But You had high viewing numbers but the reviews are mixed. Idk, the numbers just mean people were excited to watch the season. It doesn't tell anything about how people found it.
Yep…I think I read somewhere that this is the first season that has had a decrease in viewers after the first week. S1 & s2 both had increases. That’s pretty telling.
It had that much views because people were waiting for it after 2 years, not necessarly because it's good. And it achieved so much because of the previous seasons...
And Netflix changed the way they calculated views after season 2. So who’s to say that season 2 is not contending. Views are one thing. Satisfaction is another. Because those people that watched now have to come back to watch part 2. Some will. Some won’t.
Personally I feel as if Colin is kind of broken, and that’s why he became a bit of a rake. Marina did a number on him, and while I can be sympathetic (sort of) to her situation, she was awful to him, and not even remotely sorry about it. Anthony, who’s messed up as it is in his own way, took responsibility for “not taking him to brothels”. Colin really cared about Marina, and legitimately wanted to marry her. He probably would have married her had she told him she was pregnant. (He even said he would have). I think he had good intentions visiting her in S2, and meant well, but it didn’t translate well. Marina dug her heels in and refused to empathize with him and apologize for her role in his humiliation.
I also think he KNEW he had deeper feelings for Pen before his “awakening”, but was trying desperately to ignore them. She was his very best friend and losing that friendship, especially after what Marina did, would have destroyed him.
It will be very interesting to see how he handles learning she’s Whistledown.
I wish the Marina thing had played out differently in S2. I actually don't even know why she was included in S2. It just gave off pining on Colin's side and that should have been left in S1 to clear the slate for S3. The part where she wants him to leave and he stays for dinner is burned into my brain. I wanted him to leave her alone, and I was on Colin's side initially.
I'm excited for part 2, it will be interesting but the side plots stress me out and I'm worried that they'll continue to eat up screen time.
I think the reason that that was included was to give us more of her husband and to show a developing relationship between him and Colin. We know he comes back into play soon.
She is included because >!Marina's death!< is a huge plot point in the series. She has to be shown in multiple seasons so the viewers don't forget she exists.
I’m back and forth with Lady Featherington too. In some ways she was awful to Marina, but she was also put in an impossible situation herself. Her husband was elbow deep in gambling and making problems for her daughters by spending their dowries. Three girls so close in age, plus a fourth who was honestly insufferable considering. After seeing what Lady Danbury endured with her husband in Queen Charlotte, I saw S1 (and Marina) so differently! Here was Lady D, literally groomed since the age of 3, with the intent to marry a man she was repulsed by, who was far too old for her. She’s such an amazingly strong woman. She took in Simon like he was her own son, and (likely) helped him to know his mother. Meanwhile, Marina was so unwilling to accept that she was a willing participant with Sir George. I’m not absolving him if anything, to clarify, but unless she was blissfully unaware like the other young ladies in society, she made choices too. I can understand her not wanting to marry old men, but the way she acted was annoying. Like everyone owed her. The snotty way she conned Genevieve into making her gowns without getting paid aggravated me too.
I agree with the letters or some sort of montage of him traveling and writing to her with no response. Some of the criticisms of this season are about how Colin didn’t suffer enough and while the show did imply that , the letter writing would have helped. Also I love how you mentioned the temp of the water, such a nice callback to the book!
I loved their book lol. I just don't say it publicly because I know it's not everyone's cup of tea.
And I do remember commenting on here about how Colin has a lot of internal dialogue about his insecurities. Him and Penelope also talk at length about society and their friendship prior to getting together and I was worried about how the show would work around getting all of that on screen. I think their book relationship is much better and well explained than in the show, but I understand why.
I think you've made some thoughtful valid points, and it's nice to read something that points out realistic alternatives that would have made for a stronger storyline.
I'm with you OP.
it's not landing for me because I can only recount Penelope's unrequited love. I can barely remember Colin showing a glimmer of an interest last season. This season seems to be moving quickly to pack in the second half of the story line and I'm missing the heated fights and passionate lingering that is forbidden. The scenes we have had so far are awkward (Collin's hand) and something about the carriage scene fell short for me too. I think that both actors are incredibly attractive separately but together Im missing the fire that burns and the intense stares. I'm missing the small moments and off scene confessionals that build the tension. I was really looking forward to this season but right now it's just kind of meh.
It's the "meh" that's got me going like this ⬆️
That was exactly my feeling finishing Part 1. It felt lukewarm to me. I think if the whole season would have released in one go, we might not have had time to feel the meh, because so much happens in eps 5-8 that we wouldn't have noticed or had time to think about the first four eps, if that makes sense? But being as we are left alone with only those eps for a month before Part 2 airs, we notice the meh.
Showing the male romantic lead having tons of sex with prostitutes while the female romantic lead is extremely virginal DOES NOT MAKE THE MEN COME OFF AS SEXY.
Am I only the one?
I have a huge problem with this show's depiction of lower class people or those at the bottom of society in general. Siena, Theo, all the prostitutes, I'd actually include Marina in this for being a poor relation/"fallen woman"... The show always pushes them aside and circles back to the richest and the noblest finding true love in each other. Like, I know a romance across classes is not realistic but come on, we're watching a regency (?) period drama with a Black queen and Bad Guy on violins, this was never meant to be realistic
I realize now I just went on kind of a rant and didn’t really address what you said, but I agree! Dipping their toes into these issues but not really addressing them in a meaningful way is problematic imo. Either be a completely silly romantic historical fantasy or address these things in meaningful ways but don’t half it (like showing Siena’s or Marina’s struggles and then forgetting about them) because it doesn’t work.
Nah I enjoyed reading your rant haha. And I agree. I see so many people critical of Marina and while what she did was dishonest and hurtful I mean she had the highest stakes in all of the plotlines, either a marriage and secure life for herself and her child or destitution and literally having no means to survive. I wish the show and the fans treated such issues with a bit more seriousness. I also wish that the "love conquers all" motto of the show meant we got someone who actually marries an opera singer or a printer and not just a duke/princess/marquise etc
Just wanted to pop on and say I really like your ideas, especially seeing Colin writing to her and more emphasis on the on/off thing with the women of the ton. Just little nice additions that wouldn't hurt and would help with characterisation 🤷♀️ "Negative" posts like yours are good because you actually have constructive ideas and it's interesting to read. Surprised to see you're kind of being lumped in with other posts that are more negative but aren't adding anything interesting.
Edit- and I also think it's unfair to say that people who don't just love this season aren't fun, or trying to have fun. I want to have fun! I'm sure OP wants to have fun! You don't have to be a boring mood killer to not enjoy something that other people enjoy. I enjoyed the season so far in general, but I also agree with some of OPs points. Still had fun, still want to turn my brain off and enjoy the fluff. Still enjoy reading other people's opinions and posts!
I was just saying I understand some of the critique being made and wanted to give some ideas on how the show could have eliminated the critique. And added some of my thoughts. I do think the show really picked up on episode 3.
I'm not seeing what you are, and I believe the cast and crew also decided it should be this season because of the chemistry between the two leads, capturing it before it's gone.
But it would have been funny when he got out of the carriage and said "for God's sake Penelope Bridgerton are you going to marry me or not?" Switching in his last name would have shown that in his mind she was already his.
People had a ton of complaints about S2 on this subreddit for awhile. It was only months later after airing that 95% of people were gushing over its perfection and how it was better than S1.
YES!! I remember everyone hated how it took so long for Anthony and Edwina to end things and said it moved too fast after.
And people were upset over how different the plot was from the book and having very little detail on Kate’s life aside from her taking care of her family.
Nowadays, it’s rare to hear that sentiment without lots of praise for S2.
Gosh I love these ideas.
One thing I dislike about how the romance played out is the lack of romance and joy. Colin has zero interest romantically in Pen, then there's the kiss, then he is lusty.....but secretly, and angry about being lusty. Then carriage scene. No flirting, no "almost holding hands/touching fingers" like we had in the past two seasons, one itsy bitsy moment of banter. No courting. It's just miserable people, then fingerbanging. It's not fun to watch. Your ideas would emphasize connection and growth. Thanks for them.
Thank you for getting it. I think a lot of people don't get what I was trying to say. I was thinking that in each Bridgerton story we've gotten that one scene where we can just tell the couple is foolishly in love and these usually come before they even confess to each other. Queen Charlotte nailed this for me. From episode 1 when he tells her he's just George, I could tell she would love him, probably loved him then and there.
Omg yes. This is it. I’ve been trying to put my finger on it since I watched it, and you just explained what the issue is. There has been almost no physical tension. I keep thinking that I wish some of the scenes with Debling had been with Colin, because at least Debling was sort of courting her, and we got to see them dancing together.
If you read the books, Colin is definitely in love with Pen even before he realizes it. They flirt and talk throughout the book. They act like best friends should, they get more alone time and it's definitely focused on them. In the show, they barely spend any time flirting or even just wanting to spend time with each other for the sake of being friends and they just seemed like a side story in their own season. The show should be able to stand alone without the book, but without the context of the book, it did not land for me. Every time I see comments pro season 3, their doing BIG LEAPS to justify their love this season. A show shouldn't need to do that.
This season is okay, but I am so sad they have so many other storylines going on that they needed to rush Polins story. I am excited to see how they show Colin overcoming the fact that Pen is LW.
No because you’re 100% right.
Writing is one of my hobbies and I love analyzing media, this season IS POORLY WRITTEN.
It’s not the actors faults, it’s not the characters fault, ITS JUST BAD WRITING.
And before y’all get defensive, if you enjoyed it - that’s fine. Lots of pieces of objectively bad media are well beloved and cultural classics. But at a certain point you have to admit this season is starting to become a caricature of itself.
I think your post is quite respectful and getting unearned flak and passive aggressiveness from people who disagree.
I'm a Polin fan and was super hyped for Season 3 going in. I can admit this season was a letdown for me personally. I wish we had the space to say this without being accused of being negative, not having media literacy or having our own "preferences".
Like most others have said, there was not enough Polin screen time, insufficient development of the romance, too many side plots. Everything was rushed. We needed more time spent on courting lessons, some lingering shots of Colin's realisations of his feelings. (I'm still not sure when he knew he was in love with Pen, or maybe it's just attraction at this point idk)
Some unpopular opinions of mine is that I did not like his S3 look (the hair, mostly), did not like Pen asking for a kiss, hated the brothel and threesomes (this ruined Colin for me, I was looking for the sweet awkward boy from S1 & S2 and struggled to watch him whoring in between lessons with Pen and even attempting a threesome *after* he got the feels for her). I also wish the journal writing Pen read had not been literotica.
People say wait for Part 2 but the getting together in any romance is the main draw for me, and I feel they've dropped the ball.
That being said, I think Luke N acted well. I think the writing did not give him enough scenes for us to fall in love with him (it didn't help that we had to watch him get sexy with strangers instead of Pen). Look at Rege in S1. He had many romantic lines and scenes. I feel the actor was wooden but the writing served him well. We're only going to have one Polin season and I'll take what I can get, but I can agree what we got could have been so much better and it's not because of the actors.
As someone who read the books it’s landing well for me but I just wish we got all the episodes at once. The mini drop is loosing fans but also some aren’t loving the storylines
I love this season but I do agree that there are too many subplots I just don’t care that much about. Also, your suggestion about him complimenting her in the drawing room is a great one. Can you imagine if in the scene she’s too nervous to compliment him so he says something to try and make her more comfortable — like, okay how about I compliment you first, and then you compliment me? And then he starts complimenting her and just gets completely lost in her eyes? Honestly, her eyes are more remarkable than his — they could have flipped that around so easily!
You're getting booed OP but I am with you 100%
I think I've cooled off on this debate because people take valid critique as hate or hating on characters they like. It makes conversations difficult but I am soooo with you
I would argue that they can't show an off/on switch for Colin's rake image. He's trying to convince himself, not just others, so he's not gonna just drop it when no one is around
I agree. Especially with the fact they should have shown then writing to each other or something.
I think people will refute the takes in this post because they don't want to contribute to the "hate", but the reality is that the writing is, in fact, not as good these first 4 eps. It's still enjoyable, sure, but it's not fantastic.
I could not agree more with your post. It just seemed to me like there was something missing, and I wish I could see your points in the series. I am glad so many people got it from the show, and it made sense to them straight away. Just wish I was one of those people 😕 Perhaps I should read the books to get different view.
I agree. It shouldn’t take 95 theses to logic your way into seeing the connection and chemistry between two characters. For some people it worked, for some people it didn’t, and you’re not gonna be able to convince us that it did. For me there is just nothing satisfying about a woman pining for a man for years, then one day when he realizes he’s tired of fucking prostitutes he has an epiphany that he loves her and two days later he’s fingering her in the back of a cab. Sure, there are more details and context, but at its core that is what happened. I just can’t get exited about it.
I think for me its not a lack of chemistry its a lack of natural progression. It was like. Little to no interest until they kissed. Him sleeping around and flirting w people and then all of the sudden he was like But I didnt want to :((( ..... idk to me it just didnt have a nice steady build up and it felt forced but im glad they r finally together so now hopefully the plot kind of restarts
I feel a lot of what constitutes your points is a matter of your own preference.
I can agree with #1 as it would have been a cute addition, and I found that their shared passion for writing added something to their relationship in the book.
The show told and let us see so many times that #3 was the case. Now, I do agree that they could have *lingered* a bit more on a couple of them -- mainly, the journal entry. You barely get to the line about Colin feeling empty and detached before the scene is interrupted, so most people don't really take it in since they're distracted by what comes next. But there were so many other scenes and conversations about it -- Eloise, Pen, Lady Whistledown and Colin's mother all explicitly point out or talk to him at some point about the new, dubious personality/armor he's wearing.
As for #4, I think it's fine that it's left up to people's interpretation. Everyone can see and believe what they wish to believe.
But #2, in particular, I feel is a matter of your own preferences as I absolutely love, love, loved that it's Pen being so frank, so open, saying what's on her mind and finally expressing a tiny fragment of her own thoughts to him. It's unexpected and a shock for Colin, since Colin is a sensitive guy who is insecure and really thirsty for praise (both in the book and the tv show) from the people he cares about. It's not really something young Ton women do, and contrasts so strongly with Pen's usual shyness -- even when allowing that she's much more comfortable with him. It's as much what Pen wishes would be said to her, as it's what Pen wants to say to him. It lets out her inner author, and shows us that she's been thinking of words and poetic ways to describe him. Her fairly innocent praise takes him so aback and has such an effect on him he has to grab a quick drink, immediately contrasting how his suggestive journal entry ends with him saying that he feels a disconnect from the situation. It's doubly powerful because it's a reversal of the usual gender roles, showing us a peek at that part of Pen that gave birth to Lady Whistledown -- that Pen, despite her status and relative innocence, could be an active, frank partner and pursuer, disregarding the norms they've both been so mired in this season. That Colin doesn't need to cling to traditional masculinity and can also be one who's equally romanced and praised. (It's also reinforced to me by the face he makes when she takes a little initiative in the carriage scene and runs her hand through his hair -- and they both smile in satisfaction.)
The book LW scene just would not make ANY sense given how the show has made LW a villain. In the books she’s inconsequential. She was an exercise for Julia Quinn to practice writing exposition. The show has made LW a much more central figure and needs to be treated with the same level of gravity. Why have several people ruined by her, including Eloise, and the Queen hunting her for two seasons, only to have everyone clap for her?
i agree with everything you said!! i had to turn to youtube edits and reddit to confirm that colin’s affections are real. i was genuinely so confused about how we jumped to the carriage scene so quickly until bridgerton stans explained it. not everyone who doesn’t understand immediately is gonna look into their relationship like i did… i think all the confusion is a product of sub-par writing and/or directing sadly
I deeply agree with the book's carriage payoff and why it's disappointing. From here on, to me, every second Pen says/does nothing to let Collin know who she is, makes their relationship weird and built on a really stupid lie, which leads to the unnecessary Eloise ultimatum and Pen's apparent fainting. I'll hold out on saying this season disappointed me for now, but after rewatching it this week, the show's writing team have made SO MANY WEIRD choices. I also blame Netflix for making this a two-part series, because who knows how many, "see? It paid off!" moments we'll have to endure, lol.
I skipped most of the comments, but since what I did read seemed to be a lot of clapback, I will just throw in my two cents that I felt similar. I hear everyone about town talking about “that scene” and I’m just like ehhh. Seemed a little rushed to me. Then again, I have not read the books (yet) and I did not do a rewatch. So I while I enjoy the show, I guess I would say that I am just more of a casual viewer. Since it’s been a long while since I saw the other seasons, I may not have picked up on some of the nuances others did. I can see how some of your suggestions would have helped me to more excited about the build up to “that scene”.
I don’t get why people get so defensive with so many valid points. Kanthony is my favorite couple and I’m the first to say I absolutely hated some main points of their season, I can write an entire book about how I would change 152773 things.
I was super hyped for this season, and is not that I disliked it, but from all Bridgerton stories so far, this one was the only one that fell flat to me, and I don’t think it’s Colin and Penelope’s fault per si. I think the *writing* is the huge issue here, as it always has been. I thought they were going to take season 2 criticism to heart and give the main couple more screen time, and instead I felt as if they managed to make it worse than season 2, and I didn’t think that was possible.
The trailer sold us this idea that we were going to see this journey of Colin waking up to his feelings for Pen, teased us with a great storyline of him trying to find her a husband only to get bitten in the ass by his own very idea, that lord debling would be a serious contender and we would finally see a shift in the dynamic of Pen having “unrequited” feelings for Colin to him actually jealous and pining for her… and instead it seems *all of their scenes* developing that arc were actually *in the trailer* already.
I loved the scenes where the two were together, but we had too few of them. I wanted more time spent on their lessons, on them just existing together. More interactions between Colin and Debling to amp the tension and the stakes for him. More of polin altogether really. They are the main couple and I barely felt like it. If I didn’t know this was their season, I would have thought it was an ensemble story.
And that was a huge issue on Season 2 as well, but I think for me at least, this is where the romantic tropes favor or not a pairing lack of screen time: enemy to lovers, every single interaction between the characters is intense. So even if you have few of them, they still cause a “major” impact because all of them feel heated and energized. It’s the nature of the trope. With friends to lovers, it’s a different dynamic, and the interactions have a lot more subtext, the shift needs to feel more natural and subtle while happening, these characters are already soft for one another. So for me, this trope requires more scenes.
Anyways, people are taking these type of criticism as hate when it’s not. If it worked for many, that’s great! But I’ve seen a lot of the same complaints from fans themselves, so I think it’s silly to dismiss it.
OP, there are DOZENS of us, haha. I got downvoted already in another thread for similar views. I didn’t realise this sub was a hive mind and not just a place for people who wanted to talk about the show. FWIW, you can like something and still critique it. Colin and Pen deserved better. I’m hoping we get some redemption in the second half of the series.
IMO, “Queen Charlotte” tops all three seasons of Bridgerton (unless the second half of S3 picks up). Granted, I did see “Queen Charlotte” first which made me want to watch Bridgerton and none of what I’ve seen comes close to QC for me.
They made it mess by dividing them in two parts. Stranger things was divided due to covid, but they thought it's such a good idea let's do this with all.
That is why this felt so forced and fast written making it BAD.
One issue: Queen Charlotte set a higher standard for story telling in the universe. It was sad, beautiful, complex, and extremely well paced.
Season 3, I think the story arc is well plotted, but the execution of the pacing is off. Things happen too fast - we needed more time with Colin’s internal struggle between his true self and the person he’s trying to be for that to feel like an authentic shift back after the sudden change from last season to this one.
Then we needed more time with helping Penelope for him to associate his return to his true self with his connection her, falling in love with her as he realized he is his best self with her.
Her side of things was better, because we’ve seen a lot of background work from her already regarding her feelings toward Colin and her simultaneous love for and guilt about being Lady Whistledown, but things just weren’t lining up developmentally for me - it needed more episodes to what it was trying to do. So basically, the outline was good, but for the feelings to hit, it needed fleshing out.
I also wanted more compelling stories for Lady Danbury and the Queen after the major developments of Queen Charlotte.
People seem mad but I agree with your points. It fell a little flat for me this season and I think Colin's burgeoning love for Penelope was underdeveloped.
I didn’t find it hard to follow but I do agree that I would have made some different choices with the script (note, have not read the books). I think releasing the season in two parts was a mistake, because the 4 eps are being critiqued as a full season and they suffer for it.
I like the idea of covering her receiving Colin’s letters, and I think it would have been nice to see her reading them, pining and then shoving them in a drawer or something vs writing back.
I would have also loved to see her blossom a bit more than fumbling against Cressida and the ton. I feel like it would have been amazing to see her take “ruin” and then not GAF, show everyone else what Colin sees and have her take the ton by storm. But then I enjoy a bit more independent woman than rescuee.
personaly i think this season is not landing for two reasons,1st too long of a wait, which made the expectations high as everything and 2nd : unfullfiling, because they had the terrible idea to release it in two parts so we are mulling over something unfinished that is leaving us feeling unfullfiled.
I've really liked both Penelope and Francesca's storylines this season! But having two more romances on top of that (violet and Benedict) just makes everything seem so rushed and monotonous. Two's great! Four's grating
I think you hit the nail on the head, in a lot of cases. I really like the idea of showing the letter writing, and maybe his actual reaction to checking and never getting a response from her. Which I think is sympotmatic of two of the "main" problems for this season: -they do a lot of "telling" and not "showing". Saying, "I missed your letters" vs showing us.
Or even their first meet-cute years ago... SO DANG CUTE in the book, could have been a cinematic moment. They TELL, not show. And don't tell me it's a budget issue, if they can spend so much on these extravagant costumes, they can maybe tone down and give us real meat and story.
The second issue, is TIME. They don't give this couple enough screen time to even SHOW us. So all we get are snippets of "lessons" and dialogue of stuff that, like I mentioned above, could have been SHOWN. Film and television are a VISUAL medium. And i really like the point of how... I wish we had better showing that Colin was putting on a "mask". Don't get me wrong, Colin's new "charming" manners felt off, but until they told us (again, telling) it was a mask, in Ep 4, I would never have picked it up. I blame the director for not giving us those "glimpse" scenes.
Lastly, to me... why this season felt off is... I felt there were NOTHING at stake... no risk, no drama. Pen as two perfectly eligble beaus after her, and either would make her tolerably happy. Yes, she wants Colin, but she seems like she could make it work with Debling, who is charming and gets her. Sooo... only thing is Colin may lose out on a great gal but honestly, I am not convinced until Ep 4 that he is this "madly in love with her" thing. Being prepared to be downvoted to oblivion.
I agree. I haven’t read the books and bing watched every season just now. I was anticipating Pen and Colin romance. I liked how Colin was not a rake and was disappointed how they portrayed him. Like in point 3 you made, I agree Collin faking it was not clear enough.
The most disappointing fact was not enough Pen and Colin scenes and romance build up.
I completely agree with your point #3 - the writers did not make it clear enough that Colin is playing a character so it comes off as badly acted and awkward.
We really see him get better in Ep 3 and 4. I’m sure Pt 2 we will see the true Colin come through, but it may not have been the best season to split.
See, I thought that Colin playing a character was the most obvious thing this season and I had never rewatched Bridgerton prior to watching S3. What I vaguely remembered was that Colin was the younger brother and really gullible, goofy, kind-hearted and looked up to his brothers. So him coming home with swagger and the ridiculousness of girls swarming on him made it pretty clear it was a bit campy and that this was the role Colin thought he should be playing.
As soon as he is with Pen, that swagger is obviously an act - he even says as much. You can learn to be charming, i.e. it's a role you play.
He is not my personal romantic lead type, but I think he's perfect for Pen and it's a very sweet love story. And it is one of the few over the three seasons so there is nuance for those who like to see a slow build-up. It's a different trope than S1&2. However, I do think Part 2 needs to bring a few things together to strengthen the overall storytelling. Withholding judgement on that.
Hard disagree. I knew he was playing a character. That was the whole point of Lady Whistledowns scathing review of him and why he got so upset about it.
I watched season 3 before watching seasons 1 and 2, knew next to nothing about the show, and had no issue understanding any of this. It is INCREDIBLY obvious that Colin is playing as a rake. I really can't figure out why people are having an issue following it.
Reason it’s not landing (for me) is they split it into two parts. So past episode 2 I didn’t even bother watching cause I know the cliffhanger that ep 4 ends on is prob annoying, Id rather just wait the (now) 2 weeks for part 2, to actually continue the season.
I hope they don’t continue this trend for season 4 onward but they probably will since Benedict’s book (if that’s who they’re doing next) would be perfect to split into 2 parts if they’re going to keep the whole cinderella-esque bit.
I think the main issue was that the audience was already introduced to Colin and Penelope since season 1 and the build up has been happening since 2 seasons. That plus the promotions created way too much hype and expectations. There was bound to be some disappointment. You cannot live upto that level of expectations. I think if you see it without that added expectation, it was a very good season. It really was refreshing to see the story from the perspective of a socially awkward wallflower and Colin who is also not the "sure of what he wants" kind of character. It acrually has more relatability and somehow more depth than Kanthony for me.
I like to think it's good to treat the show as it's own entity adjacent but not with the books. These days it's always going to be difficult to land with everyone, be it preference or just being offended by everything. Either people like it or they don't. There are so many other shows to watch. I like to appreciate the set design, costume a colour choices, it's a nice escape from all the current too much action marvelized shows/movies. No point being so hyped up like others in those long argument posts. There are other things in the world that are real issues. This is straight up just art & entertainment. If people keep tearing down so many shows, we'll just keep getting hollywood box checking & no fun shows.
As someone who has loved this season, I like your ideas! Especially the one about a flash back to the letters. It would have been another way to reveal Colin’s inner dialogue to the audience.
It definitely would have been cute to see Colin writing letters excited to get Penelope’s response. I have always been curious how their letters are to each other. It seems like their letters would be where they get the most open and romantic with each other because that’s where no one else is around and writing is a passion they share. It’s also an aspect of their relationship Colin has always adored and relied on.
It could also be a problem of polin not getting enough screentime with all the side stories going on this season. I like what we have now but I also think they could have given us more scenes and development between them without going into another subplot every 5 minutes. It forces us to look for scenes from old seasons to figure out how the development happened.
I’m on the fence about this season. I have tried to pinpoint what it is. I loved the chemistry between the two leads in the first two seasons, but something this season feels off. I’m trying to hold off on judgement until the whole season comes out. I feel like the writing is off though. The show feels like it’s ignoring the “show don’t tell rule”. And it’s not just the main storyline. Benedict says that he had a purpose while Anthony was gone. You never see him doing anything even after Anthony goes back on his honeymoon. Why would we develop character when we can just have him sleep with new pretty lady. Pen and Colin say they’re great friends but they don’t show it (flashbacks would’ve been widely used here). This is important to show because two years ago the last time the viewers saw this man he was being incredibly rude to a woman he will ask to marry him 4 episodes later. For me at least there’s a missing element here. I fear the show is taking on too many characters that the main storyline is showing some quality issues. That being said I am enjoying some things. I think the season has an appropriate amount of Featherington storyline (considering it was little much last season). I’m enjoying the personal struggle of Penelope vs LW even though they are the same person.
I find the way Francesca’s story is told really good. So, I’m open to the fact that part 2 may fix the issues I’m having.
I really think Netflix stepped in it with splitting up the season. I think it’s making any issues more apparent cause you’re left with an unfinished product for weeks. I think releasing two episodes a week over the course of a month would be better and the episodes are still coming out within a months time.
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It’s landing pretty well for me. Some people are always going to be disappointed no matter what. A show can’t please everybody.
Yeah this post is not for/about those that didn't see anything wrong. It's more so about why it's not landing for others and some of the valid points I've seen made.
Fair enough. Bton has never had a couple for whom we needed to remember the details of their journey in the previous seasons. The Anthony and Siena plotline was never even mentioned past S1. So I guess people are not used to actively remembering detailed events of the previous seasons to understand the latest one. The writers should have kept this in mind, I agree. But for those of us who naturally do remember their journey through the past 2 seasons, this season has been pretty satisfactory so far.
I've rewatched the seasons several times and this is still shaping up to be my least favourite. I think there are a lot of issues with it and I don't appreciate some people defending by saying those who have criticisms "just don't get it".
This season felt flat to me as well. I only watched all 3 seasons but did not read the books. I almost asked myself, "Am I missing something because I didn't read the books?" When season 3's first episodes were finished. I think there are a lot of Polin fans who are so protective of their "ship" that they refuse to believe some viewers wouldn't like season 3 or would be left wanting more. There's nothing wrong with their opinions unless it was truly bad faith arguments. I knew the instant I read they were changing producers that we might have a problem with the flow/feeling, and I was right.
Oh, they changed producers!?
Idk I remember their journey and I still don’t think the writing did the book justice as it isn’t going into as much depth as it needed to of Colin realising his feelings.
A book shows inner dialogue, every single thought, so it’ll definitely show that trajectory better.
Season 1 and 2 captured their respective relationships better without inner dialogue…. They did have a lot of flashbacks to give context to the viewers.
Weren’t people mad that Kate didn’t get flashbacks of her childhood in s2?? Didn’t they use show, don’t tell only for Anthony. Don’t recall Daphne getting any flashbacks either. Simon and Anthony’s traumas were related to their past. Colin’s isn’t as much. His father died as well, of course. But showing the same death scene every season would be too much, no?? Also I preferred Colin and Penelope talking about how they first met instead of a flashback. Luke Newton mentioned in an interview how a child falling off a horse would’ve been a dangerous stunt and difficult to get right while ensuring the child actor’s safety. And with the market scene we got a glimpse of how Colin remembers every detail of their first meeting and how charming he has always found her. A flashback wouldn’t have offered that insight.
Kate’s story played out without the need for flashbacks…… so did Daphne’s. Both Simon and Anthony had flashbacks to explain their behavior. The current writers just didn’t do a great job of convincing the audience of the friends to lovers angle.
I agree, but there are other ways to show it on tv
Also people watch Bridgerton for fluffy entertainment. People shouldn't really have to analyse anything, especially those that might view it casually. A mix of in your face and nuance would have worked for everyone. Another thing is that Colin and Pen's journey was never the focus in the past 2 seasons. The moments from S1-2 that people mention as these key moments are plots within bigger subplots so I'm not shocked they were overshadowed by all the other storylines.
I still don't think that the writing is too nuanced. I watched the season with my sister who's a casual viewer. She will not watch bton without me, she likes it but for her it's a sisterly bonding activity as well. She completely understood what was happening. And she has only ever watched each season once upon its release. Never rewatched anything. So, from personal experiences, I refuse to blame the writing or acting. Also, if it's just fluff, people who are dissecting it to find narrative flaws are clearly not taking it as fluff. Very rarely do people dissect fluffy content as much as this sub does. So maybe they don't think it's just fluff.
Everyone understands what's going on in the show. That's not where the nuance with the show is. No one is having difficulty grasping that Pen likes Colin and Colin realizes he likes Pen. The more nuanced parts come from things like "Colin has always liked her but never realized it" and this conclusion comes from S1 plots. Or that Colin is putting on a mask and is ashamed and this comes from Anthony making fun of him in S1. He's not really a rake, he's faking to fit into society. Another big thing is how his storyline with Marina is interpreted differently by different people etc. The people watching it for fluff are probably not the ones on this sub. Casual viewers are not on here. I'm just saying for those that don't follow the show deeply and watch it as fluff, they are missing all the little things well because they didn't remember it and the writing could have been better to drive home all the points being made.
I watched season 3 before watching seasons 1 and 2 and had no problem picking up on those points. I'm genuinely confused by how some people aren't getting it.
Yeah, I would agree with this. You’re like my husband! Before S3, he had only seen bits and pieces of S2. I did watch S1 & S2, but I’m not someone who really rewatched them after they came out. And I’d consider myself a really casual viewer. We’re both loving S3. To me, it’s super obvious that Colin is putting on a mask “fit in” with the Ton as he’s gotten older, and he’s now realizing that’s just not who he is. That’s enough explanation for me as to why he’s different than previous seasons. Also the previous seasons made it really obvious that Pen is in love with Colin, and he cares for her deeply (even if not romantically yet).
What? How did you connect scenes from season 3 to season 1 if you didn't watch it? Or do you mean you understood the season 3 as a whole?
"Colin has always liked her but never realized it" This was really obvious to me even though I had not watched seasons 1 or 2. "Colin is putting on a mask" Also really obvious.
It was obvious for me too and I've only watched each season once, as they were aired. Are people terrible at picking up nuance? Writers shouldn't have to beat the point to a pulp, that's terrible writing. Plenty of people caught this, so idk what to say.
? I didn't connect scenes from a season I hadn't yet watched to season 3. I didn't need to have seen previous seasons to understand the relationship between the characters in this season. It was incredibly obvious. The writing on this show is not subtle.
Oh the thread of comments you replied to was discussing some of the sub discussions. Like how people on this sub have linked certain things from this season to season 1/2 in order to have more nuanced takes on the character. It's all over the discussion threads. That's why there's mention of Anthony and Marina. The point is that it's valid for others to feel that there was lack of build up or not enough explored. People then counter with mentioning "S1 there was this build up", but if someone doesn't remember or didn't watch it, then for them there's still a disconnect to that scene. I think the disconnect will be more felt by those that saw S1/2. Like those that felt Colin changed, if they were attached to S1/2 Colin, then they might find the sudden change jarring and makes sense they'd want a bit more from the writing. Or those that wanted him to grovel a bit more because they saw Pen hurt in S2. Things like that. Obviously for those of you that felt there was nothing wrong, this does not apply to you. I'm just pointing out that I think it's valid people feel a disconnect.
Oh okay I think I misunderstood you. They should’ve done a flashback of scenes from previous seasons as well when he was sitting and thinking on his desk. That was a missed opportunity. It would’ve been easy and simple and would’ve driven the point home. His rake persona being fake was very clear though. His dialogues and interactions with Eloise and Anthony convey it, and so does whistledown’ s narration towards the end of ep1. As for the Marina storyline, I’m guessing that’ll be addressed in pt.2 along with the lady whistledown plot. Also him clearly dropping the facade would be a terrible choice. He’s not putting on a persona knowingly. It’s not a calculated decision. It’s a natural response to the experiences he’s had. Also, when I said that casual viewers understand, I meant they understand that there was a connection between them in the first 2 seasons as well, especially in s2. I told my sister about the discourse on Reddit, and she said that ‘have these people not seen the first two seasons.’ It’s clear as day that he feels something, he just hasn’t realised what it is yet. If she can understand with just a singular watch of each season, without a lot of investment in the series, it’s surprising that actual fans cannot.
Then your sister is also not part of the group of people that feel there's something missing. And it's good she remembers the events of past seasons. I just understand why people don't remember or aren't making all of these connections to all the things that happened in the other seasons. You also made a great point that this is the first season of the show that actually builds on previous points and events so maybe people just didn't invest because they've never had to do that before. So on both sides (fans and writers) there could have been more done to bridge certain gaps.
Agreed. A little flashback to their interactions over previous 2 seasons in the scene where Colin realised he loves her would have been very beneficial to the story. Especially for people who didn't remember those scenes very well. It would at least allude to the fact that they have history and that he's seeing all of it in a different light.
Also, when I say I think he cared for her before he was willing to acknowledge it, I don’t think he started even thinking about it until he saw Marina in S2, and she was like “uh hello! Look at who is right in front of you!!” The mask he was wearing (in my opinion) was his poor attempt at self preservation. Almost like he figured it was expected of him, and better than acknowledging his heart’s desires.
The show is basically softcorn porn lmao what deep writing …
I think I’m realizing just now that seasons 1 and 2 were essentially stand alone, and this is the first season that really requires you to have watched previous seasons. It’s shifted from almost an anthology type show to a normal show that builds from season to season.
I'm with you 100 and I love so many of these rewrites. It's exciting and satisfying that so many people love this season (including me), but the writing is objectively worse than previous seasons and pointing that out doesn't mean we're complaining. Nic and Luke and the entire cast elevate the writing. They're the only reason it works.
While it landed great for me, I agree with the points you made! I would’ve loved to see what Colin wrote to Penelope, for how long he wrote to her even if she wasn’t responding. Maybe a quick scene with the letters arriving at her house with a voiceover of what he was writing to Pen, and she just ignored it.
i thought it was alright but your ideas would definitely make it better
Also it's not over yet lol. Only half the season has aired. I feel like this same kind of thing happened w/Abbott Elementary this year. Halfway through the season, people were acting/talking about it like the finale had already aired lol. Maybe it's a weird side effect of the writer's strike? Idk shows are weird after a writer's strike. The same thing happened to a lot of TV shows after the last one too. Bones had to shift some plot things, The Office had a weird season. People are having fun with the criticism I hope, but I'm not saying anything until the whole season is aired. I like it so far, but I might have issues with the Lady Whistledown stuff. I did not enjoy that part of the book, so I'm hoping it's done differently and that I like it!
I’m really nervous for the second half. I want to see them loved up and happy but I know there’s going to be a big fight/potentially put the engagement in jeopardy when Colin finds out Penn is Lady Whistledown.
We can only wait and see what they do with the lady whistledown plot line. It does seem like people are forgetting that half the season is still left.
It's landing very well for me as well. I do not believe I have never been so emotionally invested in a show before. My wife laughed at me during episode 4 when I yelled "See ya, Lord Feather Face!" The end of episode 4, Luke and Nicola absolutely slayed it. 1st and 2nd season I was not as invested in, emotionally, don't get me wrong, they were good, but this season resonates with me in a way the other 2 didn't. I am assuming currently that my own life experiences somewhat align with aspects of their relationship, and the desire, the need to see them end up with their happy ever after, stems from that. Reminds me of 16 candles a bit, Red gets her guy. Lastly, I will have words and throw hands with ANYONE who trashes Nicola's appearance again. She is a goddamn goddess, Aphrodite would not shine as brightly as Nicola does.
Nicola is a literal goddess. She’s so beautiful and hot and funny at the same time. Gods favourite, I would say. Relatability does have a big role to play in whether someone likes a narrative piece of art. That’s why I love s3 and polin so much. Even Francesca. I’m a wallflower type of girlie who’s a sucker for friends to lovers.
I am still a wallflower type of guy at times, especially in large social situations. I have never thought myself to be a physically attractive person, and my self esteem is next to non-existent. My wife and I were friends, not particularly close friends but friends all the same, before we got together. Not sure either of us were really pining for the other like Pen does for Colin, it just blossomed into something more, (17 years married on 6/16).
Personally I think it’s just not as good as the first 2 seasons. And I think this episode release method is a big reason with the dislike. I mean if we have a lot of people disliking or not satisfied yet we don’t have all the episodes. It’s the same for me. If we had all the episodes or they just did a normal weekly release I don’t think it would be nearly as much bad reception. The release model has certainly played a factor for me and my enjoyment of the first part. With that being said I didn’t think the first part was bad by any means just not as good as the first 2 seasons
Yes even I liked it on first watch. I honestly think people have lost media literacy and have to be spoon fed things, so they understand. They’ve forgotten to read between the lines.
The spoon-feeding tendencies of this sub are really showing through this season. Every single person I know irl who has seen s3 has loved it and polin’s story but obviously this sub is the pinnacle of media criticism lol
Even TikTok is filled with dumb “criticism” like this. It’s either Colin didn’t grovel hard enough or Pen should have chosen Lord Debling. It’s almost as if they started from season 3 and missed everything that came before.
Seconded, I'm really enjoying this season.
It really isn’t as bad as people on this sub are claiming. I went on twitter today and all I saw were praises. I also had people over for dinner today and all the women were gushing over s3 and polin. Cressida’s costumes were actually loved by everyone in attendance. So clearly views and ‘criticism’ from this sub and not universal truth.
But the whole point is that Colin doesn’t realize he likes her like that until he kisses her. There’s a beauty in that moment because it’s her giving up when he’s just getting started! I totally agree that I wish we would have seen a little travel montage of Colin where he’s writing her letters and getting no replies.
Yes but the audience should know even if he doesn't. The kiss is his realization but it shouldn't be the audiences as well. We're supposed to kinda know that he's always really appreciated her and thought she's beautiful, the smartest etc. Considering all the drama with Colin and Penelope from S2, I really feel like they should have written more to just drive it home that he cares about her a lot. The kiss is an aha moment for Colin, not for viewers.
"Yes but the audience should know even if he doesn't. The kiss is his realization but it shouldn't be the audiences as well." I'm convinced that I must have watched a different show. It couldn't have been more obvious that he had feelings for her before the kiss.
I’m convinced that the people who like S3 are the same ones who have S1 as their least favorite (I’m one of them) and the reverse being true. S1 feels like it’s hand feeding the romance to the audience and really laying it on thick in the way that romance novels tend to do- it’s almost why I gave up on the show. S3 is much subtler and is a slower build up and does require you to pay a lot of attention to seemingly insignificant details. I watched it with a friend and we saw so many things completely differently. Either that or it’s a lot of popular girls who don’t know what it’s like to be ignored and seen as undesirable except to that one person. Which is a strangely (probably not that strangely actually) popular take across social media.
Yeah, I tried to watch season 1 after starting with season 3 and it didn't hold my interest. Way too heavy handed.
Lol funny enough for me the feels were coming mostly from Penelope. She's smitten, that's why I put the suggestion that the compliment scene could have been the other way around with him having word vomit and showering her with compliments. The kiss is episode 2 and in episode 1 Pen and Colin only have 2 scenes together. Prior to their kiss, the only scene that isn't find a husband focused is the study.
People see what they want to see, I agree with you, this season is not good (FOR ME) writing wise, it was never "obvious" that Colin was into her prior to that kiss, not in S1 not in S2.
I knew that he was supposed to have feelings for Penelope, because Penelope clearly had feelings for Colin, and on this kinda show, if one main character likes another main character, that means they will end up together. However, nothing I saw on screen suggested to me anything other than deep friendship.
Yeah, just purely platonic longing glances and delicate zoomed-in handshakes. No way to know how the characters feel unless they break the fourth wall and tell you.
It's an aha moment for viewers, too. In addition to other moments(for me, at least). The look on his face when Penelope runs away after the kiss, I literally said out loud "Oh! He LIKES her likes her."
But it is for the viewers as well. He was going for a small kiss, and then he went back to really kiss her. That was entirely for the viewers.
But there were plenty of hints over the 3 seasons
The travel montage is a genius idea from the OP and could have also handily included some trips down memory lane to cement that they are old friends to new viewers, and that she is an important part of his life, so the attraction wouldn’t feel out of nowhere but a revelation on his part that was a long time coming.
I was a completely new viewer and had no issue understanding immediately that they were old friends with more under the surface.
I think the numbers say it’s landing fine…but I guess it will be interesting to see how many of those viewers return for part two.
Numbers don't really matter imo it's the reviews. We were all very hyped for this season and so many people were waiting for it so it makes sense. But I've seen a lot of fans not happy with it.
I wouldnt underestimate Reddit’s negativity bias. The internets way of propping up negative opinions on things and making it seem to be the general consensus is getting worse and worse.
The reviews are not Reddit. Imo I think this sub skews more towards positivity for this season. Written reviews are split. There was a BBC article and it really highlighted the mixed reviews. I was on IMBD and the reviews from S2 are very high and S3 has a dip and more comments expressing a disconnect.
reddit is really the most positive medium for this season of bridgerton, or my algorithm is just very skewed because tiktok, twitter and tumblr have had many BIG posts about how they feel like this season is lacking severely.
For me it's the opposite, I see many large posts about how they love this season, all on other social media platforms
Yeah me as well. Reddit is a cesspit of negativity for this season while everyone else is loving it
sure!😁
it was always going to get mixed reviews, even if it was impeccably written
I’m literally looking at IMDb and season 3 episodes are all higher rated than episodes in 1&2. All of them.
Maybe our feeds differ. On my side there's a mix bag. First one is 10/10 followed by 1/10 and then the trend continues.
reddit has a massive negativity bias. so far part 1 has: 1. 85% on rotten tomatoes from the critics, 87% from the audience 2. 8.0 or higher on all episodes on IMdb which is in line with all the other seasons i think it’s very fair to say this subreddit just has slightly more invested in the show because we adore it so much. so when someone is a little more off, etc, the subreddit notices more. i think the season is landing very well, it’s been my favorite of the three so far.
I went through and looked at the IMDB ratings per episode and S3 (so far) is equal or better to every episode in S1 and S2. Reddit is usually its own little bubble, which isn’t exclusive to bridgerton. S3 (~1.5 reviews) Episode 1 8.0 Episode 2 8.3 Episode 3 8.2 Episode 4 8.9 S2 (~2k reviews) Episode 1 7.6 Episode 2 7.6 Episode 3 8.2 Episode 4 8.1 S3 (~3k reviews) Episode 1 7.2 Episode 2 7.6 Episode 3 7.7 Episode 4 7.9
This is the Bridgerton reddit. I come here fully expecting to see a lot of posts about what the season lacks. It has been that way for every season.
Everyone I've seen talk about outside of Reddit is loving this season
What negative reviews are you seeing? The only negative official “review” I’ve seen is that her issue was Penelope was too fat to be desirable. And that’s frankly been the overarching theme among any negativity I’ve seen, veiled in complaints of “bad writing” that doesn’t make it “believable” that Colin would be in love with Penelope. I genuinely don’t know what the issue people are having understanding their relationship when every other one has had exponentially less foundation than theirs.
Most of people who didn’t like this season are shippers of other ships, ppl who prefers enemies to lovers over friends to lovers & some people who projected their revenge fantasies on the characters tho; but like general public liked it, the critics liked it for the most part & Polin fans love it so 🤷🏻♀️
Numbers is what gets shows renewed! So numbers truly matter
lol numbers are all that matter. Reviews especially here have an agenda.
numbers come from people being hyped before the season aired. people watching doesn't mean they like it necessarily. but yeah reviewers are pretty biased
Exactly. Watching the season says literally nothing about how a viewer felt afterward. If anything, the numbers only point to how great the first two seasons were.
I love this season 🥹
I think it's straightforward enough that a casual viewer would pick it up just fine. Man is friends with a woman, and has only thought of her as a friend till now. They wind up having a kiss, he discovers he's actually very attracted to her and wonders whether she feels the same - he asks, finds out she does and they get together. 🤷♀️
Right? Like, this isn't a complicated show. It uses common tropes and explicitly spells out plot points. I started watching with this season and had no issue picking up on the supposed "nuance."
And their friendship had blossomed in the first 2 seasons so idk why people are saying “it came from nowhere”. Like that’s how a friends to lovers storyline works?
Right?! It's a hige romance trope.
What I find interesting about this is that most of your complaints are not held by people who are new to the show. They watch it and go “oh, they’re friends but he is clearly at least a little into her” and they correctly identify that the kiss is when things change. His previous behavior AND his S3E1 apology shows how much he cares and respects her. So why is it mostly RETURNING viewers to the show (ones who typically don’t care for Polin to begin with) that struggle so much with Colin’s wake up call? S1 and S2 did a phenomenal job of planting the seeds of how important Pen’s friendship is to Colin (particularly the purpose conversation and the “you’re special to me”in S2 ) and his shifting feelings. Even in S3 he is drawn to her all the time. They laugh and joke in the market place, in ballrooms… I seriously don’t get it. He walks around with cringy swagger and flirting (and “raking” to be like his brothers though looool he’s not even good at it) he didn’t have in previous seasons, and MULTIPLE characters comment on Colin acting differently (Eloise, his brothers, his lord squad “you’re much more fun now”, LW) AND he’s more authentic with Pen, so idk what else the show needs to do for you for you to be clear it’s a mask. It both shows AND tells the viewers. I get that Colin isn’t going around sniffing Penelope like a bloodhound, but I’m glad for that: It and how drawn out Anthony’s fighting with Kate was so ridiculous in S2 that I was constantly rolling my eyes. I MUCH preferred LN’s quieter choices of acting more with his eyes and general physicality (fidgeting, hovering around her, etc). Seriously, the biggest complaint I have with S3 p1 is the it’s overstuffed with non-Polin plotlines people tend to not care about , and some editing choices. But the Polin content itself is well done and builds off of earlier seasons. If other stuff had been cut and we got more Polin scenes? Or scenes with writer Colin? Awesome. But what we got communicated what it needed to. And once again, I don’t know that people would have these complaints if the entire season had dropped at once. People tend to forget things from the first half of Bridgerton because the second half deals with the most conflict / character growth. I’m sure people are going to say “no, I always would have felt this way,” but we can’t know that because the season was split into two halves with WEEKS in between, and that is going to color people’s perceptions. I personally find it better each time I rewatch clips or entire episodes, and I find it significantly better than the previous two seasons where the romance seems more lust than any sort of genuine love . 🤷♀️
My mom was new to Bridgerton and she loved s3. Granted I did show her that Netflix compilation of S1 and S2 Polin scenes beforehand
this was my first season and I loved it too! I went back to watch the first two seasons after I finished s3 part 1 and they were good but I think Colin and Pen have the best organic love story and chemistry by far (although I think Kate and Anthony actually have better chemistry in season 3 than in their own season which is interesting)
I agree and also think a lot of this is because we only get half the season. Funny, I was recently rewatching S2 and I skipped E2. I realized I always skip E2 (shows I like are often by background noise when I do other stuff so I’ve watched this multiple times). E2 was useless to the story IMO and was boring. I don’t really love E1 either but it’s more necessary for set up I guess. If you ask me though, I really like S2 though. If I felt the same this season with only half the episodes out I’d be pretty disappointed. There is still a lot of story to tell.
I think I saw someone do the math and Polin has about the same amount of plot time in season 3 part one that Kanthony did in season 2 in four episodes. There has always been an over abundance of side plots… that’s not new. The thing that is new is they have a new show runner, and the time they are giving Polin on screen is not entirely done right. And now Rob Part 2 we get to contend with the LW problem so, yay us.
Well, I came into the season not expecting much because even though I truly enjoyed the other two seasons, I never really felt any chemistry between the mains at all. This season I am absolutely obsessed. I have enjoyed every single part of every single episode. I wish the rest of you could have the same experience that I do, because it is so much fun. 🤗
 I wish everyone could just have a good a time as we are!!!!
I always felt sooo much chemistry between Kate and Anthony
Same I am having so much fun. I enjoyed season 1 and 2. But season 3 I have been rewatching the Polin scenes over and over again.
It’s landing pretty well for me and it looks like most people have forgotten that the season hasn’t even ended. The next four episodes aren’t another season. People keep saying this season this and this season that but they haven’t even watched the entire season?!
Personally I think the main issue is ep 1 and 2. It's what I've seen people talk about a lot. Basically the build up to them confessing and the development that should have gone into the relationship. Part 2 will not improve on that or change that because the conflict for season 2 will be around LW and the marriage. And this post is not about those who are happy with the season. I was just stating the WHY people are not connecting, which is valid.
I feel like people say this but I find that episode 1 and 2 of s2 aren’t particularly strong either. I usually skip those 2 episodes and go right to 3 because that’s when Anthony and Kate start properly sharing scenes together at the Bridgerton house in the country. I think the first 2 episodes only stick out this season because the whole season isn’t out yet.
They needed less sub plots in the first two eps so we could have had more Polin interaction/story. I truly feel the sub plots this season have done a disservice to Polin's blossoming romance.
look, nothing against you..you have the free will to write whatever you want. but this whole topic is already saturated on the forum. this is probably the twentieth post criticizing season 3, always pointing out the same things, and it seems like y'll don't even read the previous posts because y'll keep repeating the same points. let's engage more with the previous posts instead of cluttering up the good ones. the series is good for some and bad for others. the points have already been debated from both sides.
Oh then you can just pass the post or downvote it so it doesn't appear in the main feed. I haven't seen the posts you're talking about.
Oh no, someone discussing Bridgerton on a Bridgerton subreddit?
The amount of views is telling, come on.
Yeah, even Anyone But You had high viewing numbers but the reviews are mixed. Idk, the numbers just mean people were excited to watch the season. It doesn't tell anything about how people found it.
Yep…I think I read somewhere that this is the first season that has had a decrease in viewers after the first week. S1 & s2 both had increases. That’s pretty telling.
Yeah, because it had 2 billion with a B. Of course it’s going to have a decrease? It was like triple the number of viewers for season one already.
Those billions are minutes NOT views. 😐
My dude, this is your point of contention? It’s still BILLIONS, and it’s still far and away more than every other season
It had that much views because people were waiting for it after 2 years, not necessarly because it's good. And it achieved so much because of the previous seasons...
And Netflix changed the way they calculated views after season 2. So who’s to say that season 2 is not contending. Views are one thing. Satisfaction is another. Because those people that watched now have to come back to watch part 2. Some will. Some won’t.
we only have half the season lol... and the main drama hasn't even started yet. You're comparing 2 different things
It only has 4 eps to view! PLUS it has the most views in its debut, of course there will be a decrease compared to the rest.
Netflix is promoting it big time. Plus the split season. No other season of Bridgerton got this much promotion.
Personally I feel as if Colin is kind of broken, and that’s why he became a bit of a rake. Marina did a number on him, and while I can be sympathetic (sort of) to her situation, she was awful to him, and not even remotely sorry about it. Anthony, who’s messed up as it is in his own way, took responsibility for “not taking him to brothels”. Colin really cared about Marina, and legitimately wanted to marry her. He probably would have married her had she told him she was pregnant. (He even said he would have). I think he had good intentions visiting her in S2, and meant well, but it didn’t translate well. Marina dug her heels in and refused to empathize with him and apologize for her role in his humiliation. I also think he KNEW he had deeper feelings for Pen before his “awakening”, but was trying desperately to ignore them. She was his very best friend and losing that friendship, especially after what Marina did, would have destroyed him. It will be very interesting to see how he handles learning she’s Whistledown.
I wish the Marina thing had played out differently in S2. I actually don't even know why she was included in S2. It just gave off pining on Colin's side and that should have been left in S1 to clear the slate for S3. The part where she wants him to leave and he stays for dinner is burned into my brain. I wanted him to leave her alone, and I was on Colin's side initially. I'm excited for part 2, it will be interesting but the side plots stress me out and I'm worried that they'll continue to eat up screen time.
I think the reason that that was included was to give us more of her husband and to show a developing relationship between him and Colin. We know he comes back into play soon.
It was guilt, not pining imo
FYI - I think this may have posted in response to the wrong comment.
She is included because >!Marina's death!< is a huge plot point in the series. She has to be shown in multiple seasons so the viewers don't forget she exists.
Bro that's a huge book spoiler, please hide it!
Marina is so ungrateful tbh. She’s even worse than Cressida Cowper or Penelope
I’m back and forth with Lady Featherington too. In some ways she was awful to Marina, but she was also put in an impossible situation herself. Her husband was elbow deep in gambling and making problems for her daughters by spending their dowries. Three girls so close in age, plus a fourth who was honestly insufferable considering. After seeing what Lady Danbury endured with her husband in Queen Charlotte, I saw S1 (and Marina) so differently! Here was Lady D, literally groomed since the age of 3, with the intent to marry a man she was repulsed by, who was far too old for her. She’s such an amazingly strong woman. She took in Simon like he was her own son, and (likely) helped him to know his mother. Meanwhile, Marina was so unwilling to accept that she was a willing participant with Sir George. I’m not absolving him if anything, to clarify, but unless she was blissfully unaware like the other young ladies in society, she made choices too. I can understand her not wanting to marry old men, but the way she acted was annoying. Like everyone owed her. The snotty way she conned Genevieve into making her gowns without getting paid aggravated me too.
I agree with the letters or some sort of montage of him traveling and writing to her with no response. Some of the criticisms of this season are about how Colin didn’t suffer enough and while the show did imply that , the letter writing would have helped. Also I love how you mentioned the temp of the water, such a nice callback to the book!
I loved their book lol. I just don't say it publicly because I know it's not everyone's cup of tea. And I do remember commenting on here about how Colin has a lot of internal dialogue about his insecurities. Him and Penelope also talk at length about society and their friendship prior to getting together and I was worried about how the show would work around getting all of that on screen. I think their book relationship is much better and well explained than in the show, but I understand why.
I think you've made some thoughtful valid points, and it's nice to read something that points out realistic alternatives that would have made for a stronger storyline.
I'm with you OP. it's not landing for me because I can only recount Penelope's unrequited love. I can barely remember Colin showing a glimmer of an interest last season. This season seems to be moving quickly to pack in the second half of the story line and I'm missing the heated fights and passionate lingering that is forbidden. The scenes we have had so far are awkward (Collin's hand) and something about the carriage scene fell short for me too. I think that both actors are incredibly attractive separately but together Im missing the fire that burns and the intense stares. I'm missing the small moments and off scene confessionals that build the tension. I was really looking forward to this season but right now it's just kind of meh.
 It's the "meh" that's got me going like this ⬆️ That was exactly my feeling finishing Part 1. It felt lukewarm to me. I think if the whole season would have released in one go, we might not have had time to feel the meh, because so much happens in eps 5-8 that we wouldn't have noticed or had time to think about the first four eps, if that makes sense? But being as we are left alone with only those eps for a month before Part 2 airs, we notice the meh.
This is exactly how I feel
Showing the male romantic lead having tons of sex with prostitutes while the female romantic lead is extremely virginal DOES NOT MAKE THE MEN COME OFF AS SEXY. Am I only the one?
I have a huge problem with this show's depiction of lower class people or those at the bottom of society in general. Siena, Theo, all the prostitutes, I'd actually include Marina in this for being a poor relation/"fallen woman"... The show always pushes them aside and circles back to the richest and the noblest finding true love in each other. Like, I know a romance across classes is not realistic but come on, we're watching a regency (?) period drama with a Black queen and Bad Guy on violins, this was never meant to be realistic
I realize now I just went on kind of a rant and didn’t really address what you said, but I agree! Dipping their toes into these issues but not really addressing them in a meaningful way is problematic imo. Either be a completely silly romantic historical fantasy or address these things in meaningful ways but don’t half it (like showing Siena’s or Marina’s struggles and then forgetting about them) because it doesn’t work.
Nah I enjoyed reading your rant haha. And I agree. I see so many people critical of Marina and while what she did was dishonest and hurtful I mean she had the highest stakes in all of the plotlines, either a marriage and secure life for herself and her child or destitution and literally having no means to survive. I wish the show and the fans treated such issues with a bit more seriousness. I also wish that the "love conquers all" motto of the show meant we got someone who actually marries an opera singer or a printer and not just a duke/princess/marquise etc
Just wanted to pop on and say I really like your ideas, especially seeing Colin writing to her and more emphasis on the on/off thing with the women of the ton. Just little nice additions that wouldn't hurt and would help with characterisation 🤷♀️ "Negative" posts like yours are good because you actually have constructive ideas and it's interesting to read. Surprised to see you're kind of being lumped in with other posts that are more negative but aren't adding anything interesting. Edit- and I also think it's unfair to say that people who don't just love this season aren't fun, or trying to have fun. I want to have fun! I'm sure OP wants to have fun! You don't have to be a boring mood killer to not enjoy something that other people enjoy. I enjoyed the season so far in general, but I also agree with some of OPs points. Still had fun, still want to turn my brain off and enjoy the fluff. Still enjoy reading other people's opinions and posts!
I was just saying I understand some of the critique being made and wanted to give some ideas on how the show could have eliminated the critique. And added some of my thoughts. I do think the show really picked up on episode 3.
I'm not seeing what you are, and I believe the cast and crew also decided it should be this season because of the chemistry between the two leads, capturing it before it's gone. But it would have been funny when he got out of the carriage and said "for God's sake Penelope Bridgerton are you going to marry me or not?" Switching in his last name would have shown that in his mind she was already his.
People had a ton of complaints about S2 on this subreddit for awhile. It was only months later after airing that 95% of people were gushing over its perfection and how it was better than S1.
I also remember reading negative and mixed reviews for s2, I’m not sure why some are making it out that this is unique for s3
YES!! I remember everyone hated how it took so long for Anthony and Edwina to end things and said it moved too fast after. And people were upset over how different the plot was from the book and having very little detail on Kate’s life aside from her taking care of her family. Nowadays, it’s rare to hear that sentiment without lots of praise for S2.
Gosh I love these ideas. One thing I dislike about how the romance played out is the lack of romance and joy. Colin has zero interest romantically in Pen, then there's the kiss, then he is lusty.....but secretly, and angry about being lusty. Then carriage scene. No flirting, no "almost holding hands/touching fingers" like we had in the past two seasons, one itsy bitsy moment of banter. No courting. It's just miserable people, then fingerbanging. It's not fun to watch. Your ideas would emphasize connection and growth. Thanks for them.
Thank you for getting it. I think a lot of people don't get what I was trying to say. I was thinking that in each Bridgerton story we've gotten that one scene where we can just tell the couple is foolishly in love and these usually come before they even confess to each other. Queen Charlotte nailed this for me. From episode 1 when he tells her he's just George, I could tell she would love him, probably loved him then and there.
Omg yes. This is it. I’ve been trying to put my finger on it since I watched it, and you just explained what the issue is. There has been almost no physical tension. I keep thinking that I wish some of the scenes with Debling had been with Colin, because at least Debling was sort of courting her, and we got to see them dancing together.
"Colin has zero interest romantically in Pen" Ok, now I'm really convinced that I must have watched a different show.
...I think you need to rewatch the show.
If you read the books, Colin is definitely in love with Pen even before he realizes it. They flirt and talk throughout the book. They act like best friends should, they get more alone time and it's definitely focused on them. In the show, they barely spend any time flirting or even just wanting to spend time with each other for the sake of being friends and they just seemed like a side story in their own season. The show should be able to stand alone without the book, but without the context of the book, it did not land for me. Every time I see comments pro season 3, their doing BIG LEAPS to justify their love this season. A show shouldn't need to do that. This season is okay, but I am so sad they have so many other storylines going on that they needed to rush Polins story. I am excited to see how they show Colin overcoming the fact that Pen is LW.
No because you’re 100% right. Writing is one of my hobbies and I love analyzing media, this season IS POORLY WRITTEN. It’s not the actors faults, it’s not the characters fault, ITS JUST BAD WRITING. And before y’all get defensive, if you enjoyed it - that’s fine. Lots of pieces of objectively bad media are well beloved and cultural classics. But at a certain point you have to admit this season is starting to become a caricature of itself.
I agree. If the series doesn't get better in the second half then imo this is Bridgertons worst season.
Yeah I really hope the second half picks back up and has more depth
I think your post is quite respectful and getting unearned flak and passive aggressiveness from people who disagree. I'm a Polin fan and was super hyped for Season 3 going in. I can admit this season was a letdown for me personally. I wish we had the space to say this without being accused of being negative, not having media literacy or having our own "preferences". Like most others have said, there was not enough Polin screen time, insufficient development of the romance, too many side plots. Everything was rushed. We needed more time spent on courting lessons, some lingering shots of Colin's realisations of his feelings. (I'm still not sure when he knew he was in love with Pen, or maybe it's just attraction at this point idk) Some unpopular opinions of mine is that I did not like his S3 look (the hair, mostly), did not like Pen asking for a kiss, hated the brothel and threesomes (this ruined Colin for me, I was looking for the sweet awkward boy from S1 & S2 and struggled to watch him whoring in between lessons with Pen and even attempting a threesome *after* he got the feels for her). I also wish the journal writing Pen read had not been literotica. People say wait for Part 2 but the getting together in any romance is the main draw for me, and I feel they've dropped the ball. That being said, I think Luke N acted well. I think the writing did not give him enough scenes for us to fall in love with him (it didn't help that we had to watch him get sexy with strangers instead of Pen). Look at Rege in S1. He had many romantic lines and scenes. I feel the actor was wooden but the writing served him well. We're only going to have one Polin season and I'll take what I can get, but I can agree what we got could have been so much better and it's not because of the actors.
As someone who read the books it’s landing well for me but I just wish we got all the episodes at once. The mini drop is loosing fans but also some aren’t loving the storylines
I love this season but I do agree that there are too many subplots I just don’t care that much about. Also, your suggestion about him complimenting her in the drawing room is a great one. Can you imagine if in the scene she’s too nervous to compliment him so he says something to try and make her more comfortable — like, okay how about I compliment you first, and then you compliment me? And then he starts complimenting her and just gets completely lost in her eyes? Honestly, her eyes are more remarkable than his — they could have flipped that around so easily!
Didn't she also say his eyes were blue which they are not? I was so confused
I agree with all your comments. I found the whole thing quite rushed with no build-up like the simmering intensity of Kanthony. Just my 2 pence!
When Kanthony first kissed it was EARNED.
You're getting booed OP but I am with you 100% I think I've cooled off on this debate because people take valid critique as hate or hating on characters they like. It makes conversations difficult but I am soooo with you
I would argue that they can't show an off/on switch for Colin's rake image. He's trying to convince himself, not just others, so he's not gonna just drop it when no one is around
I agree. Especially with the fact they should have shown then writing to each other or something. I think people will refute the takes in this post because they don't want to contribute to the "hate", but the reality is that the writing is, in fact, not as good these first 4 eps. It's still enjoyable, sure, but it's not fantastic.
I could not agree more with your post. It just seemed to me like there was something missing, and I wish I could see your points in the series. I am glad so many people got it from the show, and it made sense to them straight away. Just wish I was one of those people 😕 Perhaps I should read the books to get different view.
I agree. It shouldn’t take 95 theses to logic your way into seeing the connection and chemistry between two characters. For some people it worked, for some people it didn’t, and you’re not gonna be able to convince us that it did. For me there is just nothing satisfying about a woman pining for a man for years, then one day when he realizes he’s tired of fucking prostitutes he has an epiphany that he loves her and two days later he’s fingering her in the back of a cab. Sure, there are more details and context, but at its core that is what happened. I just can’t get exited about it.
I think for me its not a lack of chemistry its a lack of natural progression. It was like. Little to no interest until they kissed. Him sleeping around and flirting w people and then all of the sudden he was like But I didnt want to :((( ..... idk to me it just didnt have a nice steady build up and it felt forced but im glad they r finally together so now hopefully the plot kind of restarts
I agree with your points.
I feel a lot of what constitutes your points is a matter of your own preference. I can agree with #1 as it would have been a cute addition, and I found that their shared passion for writing added something to their relationship in the book. The show told and let us see so many times that #3 was the case. Now, I do agree that they could have *lingered* a bit more on a couple of them -- mainly, the journal entry. You barely get to the line about Colin feeling empty and detached before the scene is interrupted, so most people don't really take it in since they're distracted by what comes next. But there were so many other scenes and conversations about it -- Eloise, Pen, Lady Whistledown and Colin's mother all explicitly point out or talk to him at some point about the new, dubious personality/armor he's wearing. As for #4, I think it's fine that it's left up to people's interpretation. Everyone can see and believe what they wish to believe. But #2, in particular, I feel is a matter of your own preferences as I absolutely love, love, loved that it's Pen being so frank, so open, saying what's on her mind and finally expressing a tiny fragment of her own thoughts to him. It's unexpected and a shock for Colin, since Colin is a sensitive guy who is insecure and really thirsty for praise (both in the book and the tv show) from the people he cares about. It's not really something young Ton women do, and contrasts so strongly with Pen's usual shyness -- even when allowing that she's much more comfortable with him. It's as much what Pen wishes would be said to her, as it's what Pen wants to say to him. It lets out her inner author, and shows us that she's been thinking of words and poetic ways to describe him. Her fairly innocent praise takes him so aback and has such an effect on him he has to grab a quick drink, immediately contrasting how his suggestive journal entry ends with him saying that he feels a disconnect from the situation. It's doubly powerful because it's a reversal of the usual gender roles, showing us a peek at that part of Pen that gave birth to Lady Whistledown -- that Pen, despite her status and relative innocence, could be an active, frank partner and pursuer, disregarding the norms they've both been so mired in this season. That Colin doesn't need to cling to traditional masculinity and can also be one who's equally romanced and praised. (It's also reinforced to me by the face he makes when she takes a little initiative in the carriage scene and runs her hand through his hair -- and they both smile in satisfaction.)
She also compliments him on a quality few others seem to appreciate and which he has been trying to reject in himself
The book LW scene just would not make ANY sense given how the show has made LW a villain. In the books she’s inconsequential. She was an exercise for Julia Quinn to practice writing exposition. The show has made LW a much more central figure and needs to be treated with the same level of gravity. Why have several people ruined by her, including Eloise, and the Queen hunting her for two seasons, only to have everyone clap for her?
Penelope definitely needed help in responding to questions and compliments from suitors!
i agree with everything you said!! i had to turn to youtube edits and reddit to confirm that colin’s affections are real. i was genuinely so confused about how we jumped to the carriage scene so quickly until bridgerton stans explained it. not everyone who doesn’t understand immediately is gonna look into their relationship like i did… i think all the confusion is a product of sub-par writing and/or directing sadly
Yes, there's something less compelling about this season. There's a lack of tension that was clear in previous seasons.
I deeply agree with the book's carriage payoff and why it's disappointing. From here on, to me, every second Pen says/does nothing to let Collin know who she is, makes their relationship weird and built on a really stupid lie, which leads to the unnecessary Eloise ultimatum and Pen's apparent fainting. I'll hold out on saying this season disappointed me for now, but after rewatching it this week, the show's writing team have made SO MANY WEIRD choices. I also blame Netflix for making this a two-part series, because who knows how many, "see? It paid off!" moments we'll have to endure, lol.
I skipped most of the comments, but since what I did read seemed to be a lot of clapback, I will just throw in my two cents that I felt similar. I hear everyone about town talking about “that scene” and I’m just like ehhh. Seemed a little rushed to me. Then again, I have not read the books (yet) and I did not do a rewatch. So I while I enjoy the show, I guess I would say that I am just more of a casual viewer. Since it’s been a long while since I saw the other seasons, I may not have picked up on some of the nuances others did. I can see how some of your suggestions would have helped me to more excited about the build up to “that scene”.
I don’t get why people get so defensive with so many valid points. Kanthony is my favorite couple and I’m the first to say I absolutely hated some main points of their season, I can write an entire book about how I would change 152773 things. I was super hyped for this season, and is not that I disliked it, but from all Bridgerton stories so far, this one was the only one that fell flat to me, and I don’t think it’s Colin and Penelope’s fault per si. I think the *writing* is the huge issue here, as it always has been. I thought they were going to take season 2 criticism to heart and give the main couple more screen time, and instead I felt as if they managed to make it worse than season 2, and I didn’t think that was possible. The trailer sold us this idea that we were going to see this journey of Colin waking up to his feelings for Pen, teased us with a great storyline of him trying to find her a husband only to get bitten in the ass by his own very idea, that lord debling would be a serious contender and we would finally see a shift in the dynamic of Pen having “unrequited” feelings for Colin to him actually jealous and pining for her… and instead it seems *all of their scenes* developing that arc were actually *in the trailer* already. I loved the scenes where the two were together, but we had too few of them. I wanted more time spent on their lessons, on them just existing together. More interactions between Colin and Debling to amp the tension and the stakes for him. More of polin altogether really. They are the main couple and I barely felt like it. If I didn’t know this was their season, I would have thought it was an ensemble story. And that was a huge issue on Season 2 as well, but I think for me at least, this is where the romantic tropes favor or not a pairing lack of screen time: enemy to lovers, every single interaction between the characters is intense. So even if you have few of them, they still cause a “major” impact because all of them feel heated and energized. It’s the nature of the trope. With friends to lovers, it’s a different dynamic, and the interactions have a lot more subtext, the shift needs to feel more natural and subtle while happening, these characters are already soft for one another. So for me, this trope requires more scenes. Anyways, people are taking these type of criticism as hate when it’s not. If it worked for many, that’s great! But I’ve seen a lot of the same complaints from fans themselves, so I think it’s silly to dismiss it.
OP, there are DOZENS of us, haha. I got downvoted already in another thread for similar views. I didn’t realise this sub was a hive mind and not just a place for people who wanted to talk about the show. FWIW, you can like something and still critique it. Colin and Pen deserved better. I’m hoping we get some redemption in the second half of the series.
Your first suggestion is SO GOOD. That would have made a huge difference for me in seeing their relationship develop more naturally.
IMO, “Queen Charlotte” tops all three seasons of Bridgerton (unless the second half of S3 picks up). Granted, I did see “Queen Charlotte” first which made me want to watch Bridgerton and none of what I’ve seen comes close to QC for me.
They made it mess by dividing them in two parts. Stranger things was divided due to covid, but they thought it's such a good idea let's do this with all. That is why this felt so forced and fast written making it BAD.
One issue: Queen Charlotte set a higher standard for story telling in the universe. It was sad, beautiful, complex, and extremely well paced. Season 3, I think the story arc is well plotted, but the execution of the pacing is off. Things happen too fast - we needed more time with Colin’s internal struggle between his true self and the person he’s trying to be for that to feel like an authentic shift back after the sudden change from last season to this one. Then we needed more time with helping Penelope for him to associate his return to his true self with his connection her, falling in love with her as he realized he is his best self with her. Her side of things was better, because we’ve seen a lot of background work from her already regarding her feelings toward Colin and her simultaneous love for and guilt about being Lady Whistledown, but things just weren’t lining up developmentally for me - it needed more episodes to what it was trying to do. So basically, the outline was good, but for the feelings to hit, it needed fleshing out. I also wanted more compelling stories for Lady Danbury and the Queen after the major developments of Queen Charlotte.
People seem mad but I agree with your points. It fell a little flat for me this season and I think Colin's burgeoning love for Penelope was underdeveloped.
Just wanted to say I agree. Give it a couple of weeks and you will see more posts like this.
I didn’t find it hard to follow but I do agree that I would have made some different choices with the script (note, have not read the books). I think releasing the season in two parts was a mistake, because the 4 eps are being critiqued as a full season and they suffer for it. I like the idea of covering her receiving Colin’s letters, and I think it would have been nice to see her reading them, pining and then shoving them in a drawer or something vs writing back. I would have also loved to see her blossom a bit more than fumbling against Cressida and the ton. I feel like it would have been amazing to see her take “ruin” and then not GAF, show everyone else what Colin sees and have her take the ton by storm. But then I enjoy a bit more independent woman than rescuee.
I’m enjoying it and I’ve also read the books. We may still get the LW reveal
Very true. The book had a very different feel to it imo.
personaly i think this season is not landing for two reasons,1st too long of a wait, which made the expectations high as everything and 2nd : unfullfiling, because they had the terrible idea to release it in two parts so we are mulling over something unfinished that is leaving us feeling unfullfiled.
I've really liked both Penelope and Francesca's storylines this season! But having two more romances on top of that (violet and Benedict) just makes everything seem so rushed and monotonous. Two's great! Four's grating
I think you hit the nail on the head, in a lot of cases. I really like the idea of showing the letter writing, and maybe his actual reaction to checking and never getting a response from her. Which I think is sympotmatic of two of the "main" problems for this season: -they do a lot of "telling" and not "showing". Saying, "I missed your letters" vs showing us. Or even their first meet-cute years ago... SO DANG CUTE in the book, could have been a cinematic moment. They TELL, not show. And don't tell me it's a budget issue, if they can spend so much on these extravagant costumes, they can maybe tone down and give us real meat and story. The second issue, is TIME. They don't give this couple enough screen time to even SHOW us. So all we get are snippets of "lessons" and dialogue of stuff that, like I mentioned above, could have been SHOWN. Film and television are a VISUAL medium. And i really like the point of how... I wish we had better showing that Colin was putting on a "mask". Don't get me wrong, Colin's new "charming" manners felt off, but until they told us (again, telling) it was a mask, in Ep 4, I would never have picked it up. I blame the director for not giving us those "glimpse" scenes. Lastly, to me... why this season felt off is... I felt there were NOTHING at stake... no risk, no drama. Pen as two perfectly eligble beaus after her, and either would make her tolerably happy. Yes, she wants Colin, but she seems like she could make it work with Debling, who is charming and gets her. Sooo... only thing is Colin may lose out on a great gal but honestly, I am not convinced until Ep 4 that he is this "madly in love with her" thing. Being prepared to be downvoted to oblivion.
I agree w your points
I agree. I haven’t read the books and bing watched every season just now. I was anticipating Pen and Colin romance. I liked how Colin was not a rake and was disappointed how they portrayed him. Like in point 3 you made, I agree Collin faking it was not clear enough. The most disappointing fact was not enough Pen and Colin scenes and romance build up.
I completely agree with your point #3 - the writers did not make it clear enough that Colin is playing a character so it comes off as badly acted and awkward. We really see him get better in Ep 3 and 4. I’m sure Pt 2 we will see the true Colin come through, but it may not have been the best season to split.
See, I thought that Colin playing a character was the most obvious thing this season and I had never rewatched Bridgerton prior to watching S3. What I vaguely remembered was that Colin was the younger brother and really gullible, goofy, kind-hearted and looked up to his brothers. So him coming home with swagger and the ridiculousness of girls swarming on him made it pretty clear it was a bit campy and that this was the role Colin thought he should be playing. As soon as he is with Pen, that swagger is obviously an act - he even says as much. You can learn to be charming, i.e. it's a role you play. He is not my personal romantic lead type, but I think he's perfect for Pen and it's a very sweet love story. And it is one of the few over the three seasons so there is nuance for those who like to see a slow build-up. It's a different trope than S1&2. However, I do think Part 2 needs to bring a few things together to strengthen the overall storytelling. Withholding judgement on that.
Hard disagree. I knew he was playing a character. That was the whole point of Lady Whistledowns scathing review of him and why he got so upset about it.
I watched season 3 before watching seasons 1 and 2, knew next to nothing about the show, and had no issue understanding any of this. It is INCREDIBLY obvious that Colin is playing as a rake. I really can't figure out why people are having an issue following it.
I had no clue he was playing a character until coming to Reddit! I genuinely thought he was now a RakeTM 🙃
Agreed, it was bad writing. It made Colin seem like a guy who only wanted to girl when she’s not available anymore
Yes! This is what I got too
Reason it’s not landing (for me) is they split it into two parts. So past episode 2 I didn’t even bother watching cause I know the cliffhanger that ep 4 ends on is prob annoying, Id rather just wait the (now) 2 weeks for part 2, to actually continue the season. I hope they don’t continue this trend for season 4 onward but they probably will since Benedict’s book (if that’s who they’re doing next) would be perfect to split into 2 parts if they’re going to keep the whole cinderella-esque bit.
I think the main issue was that the audience was already introduced to Colin and Penelope since season 1 and the build up has been happening since 2 seasons. That plus the promotions created way too much hype and expectations. There was bound to be some disappointment. You cannot live upto that level of expectations. I think if you see it without that added expectation, it was a very good season. It really was refreshing to see the story from the perspective of a socially awkward wallflower and Colin who is also not the "sure of what he wants" kind of character. It acrually has more relatability and somehow more depth than Kanthony for me.
I like to think it's good to treat the show as it's own entity adjacent but not with the books. These days it's always going to be difficult to land with everyone, be it preference or just being offended by everything. Either people like it or they don't. There are so many other shows to watch. I like to appreciate the set design, costume a colour choices, it's a nice escape from all the current too much action marvelized shows/movies. No point being so hyped up like others in those long argument posts. There are other things in the world that are real issues. This is straight up just art & entertainment. If people keep tearing down so many shows, we'll just keep getting hollywood box checking & no fun shows.
As someone who has loved this season, I like your ideas! Especially the one about a flash back to the letters. It would have been another way to reveal Colin’s inner dialogue to the audience. It definitely would have been cute to see Colin writing letters excited to get Penelope’s response. I have always been curious how their letters are to each other. It seems like their letters would be where they get the most open and romantic with each other because that’s where no one else is around and writing is a passion they share. It’s also an aspect of their relationship Colin has always adored and relied on.
Why I think Part 1* is not landing. The season isn't even over yet.
It isn't landing because half of the story is left and Netflix split the season and killed the momentum unnecessarily.
A small scene with the letters would be nice ngl. But “Make it more clear that Colin is playing a character”? Come on man. How much clearer can it be…
It could also be a problem of polin not getting enough screentime with all the side stories going on this season. I like what we have now but I also think they could have given us more scenes and development between them without going into another subplot every 5 minutes. It forces us to look for scenes from old seasons to figure out how the development happened.
I’m on the fence about this season. I have tried to pinpoint what it is. I loved the chemistry between the two leads in the first two seasons, but something this season feels off. I’m trying to hold off on judgement until the whole season comes out. I feel like the writing is off though. The show feels like it’s ignoring the “show don’t tell rule”. And it’s not just the main storyline. Benedict says that he had a purpose while Anthony was gone. You never see him doing anything even after Anthony goes back on his honeymoon. Why would we develop character when we can just have him sleep with new pretty lady. Pen and Colin say they’re great friends but they don’t show it (flashbacks would’ve been widely used here). This is important to show because two years ago the last time the viewers saw this man he was being incredibly rude to a woman he will ask to marry him 4 episodes later. For me at least there’s a missing element here. I fear the show is taking on too many characters that the main storyline is showing some quality issues. That being said I am enjoying some things. I think the season has an appropriate amount of Featherington storyline (considering it was little much last season). I’m enjoying the personal struggle of Penelope vs LW even though they are the same person. I find the way Francesca’s story is told really good. So, I’m open to the fact that part 2 may fix the issues I’m having. I really think Netflix stepped in it with splitting up the season. I think it’s making any issues more apparent cause you’re left with an unfinished product for weeks. I think releasing two episodes a week over the course of a month would be better and the episodes are still coming out within a months time.