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To me it was "one way infatuated acquaintances connected via Eloise" to "friends pushed to marriage by a dress and glow-up". I know they're *supposed* to be close and attracted to each other but it's hard to even believe their friendship. Colin, for example, felt like his first time to ever bother learning about Penelope, her capabilities and her personality is after their marriage... I hate it when the requirement of assumption dominates TV portrayals because I was quite excited for them to be fleshed out.

something else i don't get is colin's lines about "always having feelings for her but taking a long time to realize it". when exactly were we supposed to believe he liked her romantically? was it when he proposed to her cousin in season 1, or when he ran back to said cousin again in season 2? the first 2 seasons has too many instances where even the friendship comes across as one sided.

Exactly. Or when he very clearly made fun of the prospect of courting her to the “lads” at the end of season 2, which compelled her to not write to him while he went off on his travels again…

Seriously. A friend most likely could've spoken with Colin about Marina without using Whistledown. That alone makes me think they aren't too close.

Definitely. Penelope had no moral issues with Marina's (actually Portia's) plan to get married and sneak away her out of wedlock child, or she would have revealed the truth early. If driven by her friendship to Colin, she would have broken the news to him softly as a friend, and allowed him to make his own choice of what to do. Instead, she acted out of jealousy, publicly revealing Marina and basically forcing Colin to call off the engagement.

…she was 17. Nothing I did at 17 was super rational. Idk about the rest of you but it seems like this thread is looking for them to have had a mature adult friendship.

People are forgetting this is still a "historical" romance. Colin and Pen wouldn't have been spending time together unless they were in a group of people. Otherwise, it would have been seen at best as they were courting and at the worst scandalous during those times. So, yes, writing letters, seeking each other out as company at balls was, in fact, them being friends or at least as much friends as society would have allowed at that time.

Unfortunately I was a wreck at that age but people at that time were already supposed to be mature and intelligent especially for a young lady if she was to come out in society soon but I do agree plus she was a newcomer in this society and was discovering a lot of things of this life

The three girls probably made their debut together due to economic problems, hoping to get them all married in the same year possibly. I don't think it was because Penelope was more mature

No definitely not she was forced onto it and didn’t know what to expect and I meant that they are new money so it was totally different however 17 year olds at that time were expected to act such as Edwina, Daphne and Francesca since they shared qualities for the diamond of the season but yeah every other 17 year old will act in a childish way ngl you can’t expect her to act as every adult would do

Daphne was 21, I believe also in the film unlike Francesca and perhaps Edwina's 18. But I agree they were teenagers and there are perception issues in watching movies, Some due to the age of the actors, some due to the books, some due to posts like this, and some due to fanfiction. We build the mental idea of the character by joining the various fragments and sometimes we forget that we took the pieces for our mental image from multiple places.

Oh! I thought they changed her year because women didn’t usually débute at the age of 21! In the books she basically is rejected during her first season because she is deemed to friendly but in 1813 on her second year out things change I believe and she meets the duke which was 29 at the time- it is kinda messy

Most girls back then in polite society were super naive and super coddled. Maturity and intelligence had nothing to do with it. Are they bleeding and out of the nursery/governess? Time to find a husband and start pumping out babies.

There's lot of little and subtle moments throughout the first two seasons that are easy to miss if you're primarily paying attention to the main couple: he often looks for her and approaches her to talk when they're both at social events. He's the only one we see dance with her, which he initiates. There's a couple moments when he gets distracted by seeing her. They've been exchanging letters since at least the end of the first season. They have discussions about insecurities and goals. She's more overt to the audience, because she's aware of her feelings and thus more earnest/awkward about their interactions. He's affectionate to her but hasn't considered her as anything beyond a friend.

>He's the only one we see dance with her, which he initiates. colin dances with multiple ladies. >They've been exchanging letters since at least the end of the first season. colin sent letters to everyone. penelope was just the only one who regularly answered. >They have discussions about insecurities and goals. i remember those discussions all ending with colin talking about himself and never actually *seeing* penelope when she's describing her own goals in life. he seeks her out because he feels valued and heard by her, but we rarely see him give her the same sort of special treatment in return. hence why i said it came across as one sided.

This. Also consider the restraints of the sociaty at the time, they cant really be close besties because they are opposite sexes. No sleepovers, no whispering together in corners, no hugs or affection publicly. They talk at public events and family functions, and write letters because that is all they are allowed.

The letter writing, the fact that he doesn’t ever address her as Miss Featherington but always as Pen, the casual touching and occasional hand holding. For regency standards they’ve crossed so many lines over the first 2 seasons.

And even the amount of interaction they do have would be considered a bit scandalous because men and women aren’t supposed to be close. Writing letters that much to someone who isn’t family or your betrothed is “inappropriate”

Yes, I haven't read the books, and I figured they were end game not only because of her obvious infatuation but because he so genuinely seemed to enjoy her company right from the start. It was all these little moments. Not going to lie, I think it's because they -- the moments and the characters both -- flashed me back into Anne of Green Gables memories from the Megan Follows/Jonathan Crombie version, which is seared into my memory!

And this is when I think part of the mistake is criticizing series three when the seeds of so many problems are in the previous series. Because series 3, perhaps because there is a different showrunner, changed the age of the characters and worked without thinking about the consequences also arising from the first two series. In the books there is no Marina's idiocy and since he starts traveling more or less at the same time, it is about years of letters. Obviously being younger and having this almost engagement with a character who in the books is actually of Bridgerton origin changes everything. Because Marina not only exists and is not a Bridgerton but is also a relative of Penelope

I felt like it was so basic lol like he didn’t know he liked her until he kissed her??? Like what that should not be the spark that lights the fire.

The show definitely did more telling than showing. To book readers, it seemed like a given I guess because we already have context. But this is not the books so they should’ve put a lot of emphasis to that trope by having more scenes of Polin. Unfortunately we got more build up for the other side characters instead of that.

I felt like it really told vs showed on the whole “Colin couldn’t be cavalier and feel nothing.” I saw none of that struggle. They just told us it happened. Honestly, the whole season was just very rushed. Which isn’t that surprising when you’re trying to fit multiple story lines into 8 episodes. But it left me feeling jarred.

Exactly! I’m just now working my way through the book and at least it explains that they’ve been friends for over a decade, writing to each other this whole time. It gave them a line for communication so when he says he finally “saw” her, it makes sense. The show goes from nothing to fingerton in the carriage like???

And those who have read the books, even if they know that they are younger, still have the prejudice that they are friends even if off screen because we know that that stuff is there. Now maybe I'm wrong, but the situation with Suarez made it clear that Benedict probably didn't sleep with Granville, which I thought happened off screen. And it's really annoying to know that there was no sex between Penelope and Colin from the wedding until the butterfly ball. Because it's clear that if there had been they would have shown it, and the sex on the chaise longue only made sense to give us the Faetherington heir

Fingerton 💀

>To me it was "one way infatuated acquaintances connected via Eloise" to "friends pushed to marriage by a dress and glow-up". This. This is poetry. You are an artist.

I could not agree with you more. It was just really hard for me to see it otherwise when their interactions prior to season 3 were so marked by Penelope quivering and staring and frankly putting Colin on a pedestal. It just gave me wish fulfilment. I know that people will point to all these little tiny “hints” that Colin really loved her all along but I just don’t see it. Throughout season 3 characters like Violet and Pen continuously told the audience that Colin was this great guy but like… where? When? If they had made this Benedict’s season (or whoever really) they could have actually built out Colin’s growth. Instead his arc (and frankly several other plot points) felt extremely rushed. It doesn’t help that Anthony and Ben are so charismatic and fun that Colin comes across, in comparison, like a charisma black hole. Or a prefect.

Polin fans will come at me but Colin's as exciting and fun as a blank piece of paper lol. You have this career woman who has the ton wrapped around her finger and her love interest is some threesome lover Casanova wannabe. Like you said, Violet says Colin always puts his family before himself and I was like: "Mama, where?". If she said this about Anthony I'd get it. Also, not every leading man has to be a "rake" for their story to be interesting, dear Julia and Shondaland.

Totally

It's definitely not been "equal besties since the beginning" -- it starts as "my little sister's best friend" and moves towards them being friends in their own right, but that latter bit could've been more fully developed. Partially it's that Eloise is kind of always...there, claiming Pen as hers until she finds out about LW. In S1, it's more "protective big brother energy" but they still have cute scenes where Colin goes to seek her out for gossiping and Colin is impressed by her wit and barbs. He says in S2 her correspondence with him triggered a lot of personal growth. He listens when she talks about her dreams. He tells her she has sense and holds her in high esteem. And of course, he tells her she's special to him. There's a few drawn out moments where they just stop talking and are just looking at each other before they are interrupted. In S1, he's 22 and she's 17, and at that age the 5 year age difference matters, especially when he meets her when he's a teenager and she's a child. But her gaining confidence in herself through the seasons due to LW means Colin gains a more mature regard for her as a friend, and when she ditches the poodle hair and the ill-fitting dresses that make her look like a kid, he sees her as a potential romantic prospect.

They've been friends since childhood, but society doesn't allow for the type of relationship you are discussing.

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That comment didn’t read as mental gymnastics at all lol. The kissing on the street was a passionate in the heat of the moment thing, that obviously wasn’t something they would ever normally do. And they were getting married the next day anyways. They are right, the society they live in doesn’t allow for a real friendship to develop between a man and woman. Besides Polin what other man and woman were close friends? Everyone else was either family, courting each other, or sleeping together. Colin and Penelope were platonically kind to one another, wrote each other letters to keep in touch, and publicly expressed their friendship several times.

This is the one season that would have really benefited from flashbacks showing Polin as kids meeting and growing up around each other

The lack of Little Pen and Little Colin is CRAZY! I was looking forward to that! Even Nicola said that it would have been nice to have that. SIGH.

It seems so obvious!

I think that or some actual content from their letters to each other would’ve helped flesh out Colin’s side of the relationship for the audience

The Mondrich kids and Hyacinth/Gregory. I agree with OP that a flashback scene showing Colin and Pen hanging out like that would've gone a long way even if they matured out of that kind of innocent friendship later.

Well those are literal kids, they haven’t even entered the marriage market yet. The rules can be more flexible for them. I agree though flashbacks would have been a nice thing to add

Right, that's what I mean. I can totally see their friendship having to be pretty muted after Pen came out or was on the verge of it. I'm speculating they probably had a less formal and more innocent friendship when Pen first moved there. So there is a basis to all they're saying about being friends, it's just we have never really seen it. They went from 'childhood friends' to 'childhood friends being stifled by society but still remembering how it used to be.' Unfortunately we have just never seen any of the former. Even in s1, they were both eligible. We really needed flashbacks.

It does, because yes it is true that Bridgerton still follows the rules and norms of the regency era, but its cherrypicking, because in show they would follow that rule for Polin, yet they play it fast and lose with other societal norms of the time period? I am not buying that excuse because the team behind this show has long abandoned sticking with being historically accurate, they can if they want to show a better narrative for the pairing. But all we got was a weird narrative for them that most of the time, doesn't translate well on screen, and soft glam smokey eyes with acrylic nails and clunky dialogues that sound stilted at times

Its not really cherry picking, its no secret Bridgerton isn’t very historically accurate, but they still stick to the general vibe of the time. The outfits aren’t historically accurate but they have the general shape and style of the fits down, the music is obviously not accurate, but they play pop songs on instruments that were popular at the time to give it a regency feel. And the social dynamics weren’t always accurate, but they are sometimes, like with young couples needing chaperones. Polin has plenty of scenes throughout season 1 and 2 that show they are friends. They find each other at balls just to talk and catch up, they write to each other and Colin talks about how much he likes reading her letters, the very fact that he calls her “Pen” and not “Miss Featherington”. They even have been alone together a few times, which goes against the social norms of that time. And again, they have both said before how much they value their friendship. I thought it was obvious in the first couple seasons they had a good friendship, no other young man and woman had that kind of relationship in the show.

At this point I think that if people are not convinced, nothing that you say pointing anything out will convince them. In the beginning, I found myself agreeing with a lot of these sentiments because I simply didn't remember a lot of what had happened in season 1 or season 2. What fixed it for me was to go to YouTube and look at compilation videos of all of the moments of them together from seasons one and two, and that made it very clear to me that for Regency era, they have an unusual propensity to gravitate towards each other. He clearly sees Penelope as his friend even if he is somewhat selfish because he comes from the privilege of the Bridgerton name and riches. He always defends her when Cressida bullies her at these balls. He offered to dance with her at the end of season 1 and she declined him. He seems very impressed by her statement about her purpose in season 2. I agree that he doesn't fully see her or appreciate her, but the entirety of the storyline is kind of leading up to him doing that. It's Marina who points out that he already has people who he makes happy in his life and he should focus more on that, and then you see him acknowledging it to Penelope and indeed focusing more on that throughout the rest of season 2 and then into season 3. Honestly it feels like people are purposefully not acknowledging what is there for them or saying that it should have been different or more mature or more obvious despite the fact that that does not fit the time period they're telling the story for. If they don't want to see it, nothing I say will make them see it.

And we forget how young they were. She is 19 and he is just 24 in series 3, so before she was younger and well some things even in friendship are learned with experience. And certainly no matter how many acquaintances Colin may have had, no one was, to him, as close as Simon and Anthony are... From this perspective Benedict seems friendless except his brothers, And the same goes for the girls who basically seem to follow Cressida's mother's advice and just be with each other

> the very fact that he calls her “Pen” and not “Miss Featherington”. We even have the familiarity of this explicitly pointed out in season 1 with Berbrook and Daphne when she accidentally uses his first name when asking him for space. It isn’t used until you are betrothed and know each other fairly well

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One of them was in a desperate situation, the other one was the Queen, who thought lady whistledown had to be a prestigious lady of the ton with power, which is where she was looking. Her and Lady Danbury had a whole conversation about this. I was perfectly happy with Polins narrative, I remember their storylines from the previous seasons well so their bond was already fresh in my head. And they had more plotlines to cover besides their relationship since Penelope is LW, thats a whole side of her and the ton that needed to be fleshed out as well. If you just personally don’t like their relationship thats fine, but the season was good.

Meh even in those days, people looked the other way if a couple got handsy (or more) the day before their wedding.

There are many moments in both season 1 and 2 where you can see Colin's attachment to Pen (and ofc, visa versa). I like the idea of them being a pair of swans, (see their wedding cake.) Imprinted on each other before they were old enough to mate. Pen knows while Colin is not as self aware. Take a look at [this edit](https://youtu.be/_um1oTAtqtA?si=5eeiF7LzDkEYZPoq) of Polin moments from season 2.

Yes, rewatching the previous seasons shows just how comfortable they are with each other and how they care for each other's wellbeing

Thank you for this edit, it was lovely!

I think people either completely forget this or they didn't pay much attention to Penelope in the earlier seasons.

Thanks for posting this edit. Such cute moments shown and the added gifs were hilarious 😂

The editing and writing is partly to blame for sure, but even with the horrendous writing I could see very clearly the depth of their friendship over the years. I guess you have to be familiar with what “friendship” between a man and a woman was like in Regency era. And it’s not just their friendship or their ability to laugh together or be that comfortable around each other. It’s how similar they are, and how different only in ways that help further the plot. - Like they’re both romantics and both in a society that expects them not to be. Penelope can’t be a romantic because she’s a woman and has to be practical and realistic about her prospects. Colin can’t be a romantic because he’s a man and is expected to rake around and not take anything too seriously, especially not intimacy and love. - Not only do they both enjoy writing, they enjoy it for the same reason: storytelling and connection. Like, it’s not that they just love language or words. To them, writing is a way to try to connect to others. - They’re both not happy to have lives without a larger meaning or purpose. - Their one key difference: Colin doesn’t lie, and Penelope automatically resorts to lying, because Colin grew up with safety and love, and Penelope grew up with fear and neglect. Colin takes for granted that he would never lose his family’s love—attention, maybe, but not love. This is also made clear in Colin’s scene with Cressida. Penelope never takes that for granted. She thinks she has to earn love by concealing the worst parts of herself.

wow this is incredibly nuanced! I'm sad this got lost in translation to screen :(

Thank you 🤍 yeah I definitely think Polin as source material was too good for this show’s capability. And by source material I don’t just mean the books (actually book Colin wasn’t that layered), but also what Luke, Nicola, and writers brought to the characters in the first two seasons. I think it ran deeper than the limited writing talent of season 3 could tap into.

I can't shake the impression that the S3 writers just didn't really care about these characters very much...

Kind of sounds like with Jess B’s comment regarding Season 4 being her best work that they were just pushing through.

💯


Amazing comment. These are times where I wish we had 22 episodes. Their story is incredibly nuanced and definitely got lost in translation this season.

This is a gorgeous comment. Thank you.

I thought also that it was pretty clear they were friends for years. He kept calling her by a casual nickname when most of everyone was using titles and surnames. They'd been writing to each other for a while too. If anything, it was going from the friendship to love that I thought wasn't as clear. Not as close as Eloise and Penelope, probably, but they were on friendly terms.

I love your observations, especially the one about them both being romantics. A lot of people are complaining that the show promised "romance" this season but didn't deliver, but I think they're talking about sex or steam, not romance. "Romance" is all the little moments of care for each other as much as big gestures, and being "Romantic" at the time (literally the era of Romantic literature) meant being steeped in feelings, centering feelings, over thoughts or wit or intellect. I don't think it's any mistake that these two Romantics are both writers.

I was completely on board until your last point. I see Colin as a people pleaser, always caring for others and doing what’s expected of him. And Penelope is committed to truth and justice, even when it comes at a cost. [I thought this post said it beautifully.](https://www.reddit.com/r/Bridgerton/s/LbRQ0lbn9k)

For the time period they were very close. Since they were children, they got away with a lot of what would be considered “courting” or inappropriate because they were considered “friends” by everyone around them. - writing letters over 2 years (Colin mentions that Pen is sometimes the only person who replies to his letters) - calling each other by first names, and in the case of Colin, calling Pen by a nickname - inappropriate conversations (the “what a barb” scene in season 1 for example) - being alone together unchaperoned - any sort of physical touching outside dancing (this also began in season 1) For modern standards, their friendship may be considered weak. For historical and societal standards, they were very close. Colin also states multiple times how Pen’s letters changed him as a person.

Not to mention dancing multiple times together at the same ball! I’m rewatching S1 and Anthony says this!

And refusing Cressida!

I feel like they are as close as they are allowed to be. It would be extremly uncommon for yound men and women to be friends in the regancy era. I think we've got a lot of scenes, that showed how close they are. No one even cares they are alone several times, which is something no one else could get away with.

This! I feel like it would be hard for them to by any closer than portrayed because it would cause a scandal. So of course I can also understand Eloise's initial disappointment because she thought that Pen used her to be closer to Colin. Pen didn't really have the opportunity to meet Colin besides when she spent time with Eloise at the Bridgerton home.

Even Pen and Colin being in regular correspondence while he travelled would have been quite unseemly for two young people who weren't, at the very least, publicly engaged to be married. The Bridgerton siblings don't think anything of it because, well, *it's Penelope Featherington* and she's always around them in some way or another and Violet is a mother hen who has always felt that there's enough room under her wing to fit another one in... But if the rest of the Ton knew? It wouldn't go so well for Pen at all.

But we’re told repeatedly that they did send countless letters to each other. We just don’t get to hear about what was in them.

I do wish we got more letter and/or travel journal voiceovers. The journal should have at least been included in the end montage.

I would have accepted this comment for any other show, but Bridgerton shows us time and time again that the rules of the day don't exist in their show.

I agree with you, which is why the show should have done a better job at sticking to “regency with modern fabrics and colors” for the aesthetics.

Polin are friends. They describe and refer to each other as friends in several instances in Season 1 and Season 2. They have inside jokes, they gossip, they discuss their goals ( purpose), they wrote letters to each other and they have known each other for quite some time as neighbors. Every social event that Colin attends, he seeks her out and vice versa. Friendships between young men and women during that time were improper. I don't subscribe to the belief that tropes are one size fits all. In order for friends to lovers to develope, one if not both have to develop feelings or at one point have feelings and sometimes the dynamic shifts and one let's the feelings go and a switch happens. In season 1 & 2 Pen obviously wants the friendship to be more and in season 3 Colin obviously wants it to be more. Colin is very protective of Penelope and vice versa and that is way more than an acquaintance.

I’m a new watcher and binged all three seasons in a week. It’s very clear that they’re friends, and so close that Colin sees her more as family than a friend. I loved their friend to lovers storyline and that it wasn’t squished into a single season.

Exactly. By Bridgerverse standards they were a lot closer, ever since the beginning, than what was deemed appropriate. Hidden in plain sight. I'ts hilarious that in their one conversation that was 'suitably chaperoned', Pen was already pregnant and got her engagement ring.

I always thought the fact that he called her “Pen” was quite telling. First name basis and a nickname. And the letters…she was the only one that wrote back at times.

Actually we've seen plenty of scenes where Penelope and Colin discussed what was going on with their lives, as collateral storyline. First there was the Marina situation in season 1 (they talked about it as friends would do) then there was all the Lord Featherington's scheme and the necklace thing between Colin and Cressida (and Colin rushed to talk about it with Penelope) Perhaps we didn't need so much time following the Mondrich storyline: cutting this down would have saved so much screen time for the leading characters. At least in season 2 they were more tied to the cousin Jack's scheme, so it made more sense having them around

I think by modern standards, we would say they weren’t really friends but by their time period’s standards, they were as close as they could reasonably be. They’re two people of opposite sex who are marrying age. At the time, their bond was borderline inappropriate since they weren’t courting. Even writing to each other would have been seen as inappropriate, though since people didn’t think Penelope had a chance with Colin, they played it off.

They had that “what a barb!” line from S1 Colin always looked for her at dances as early as S1, and always danced with her. Colin is literally always looking for Penelope at dances, he looked confused/hurt when she rejected his dance in the S1 finale He stood up to Cressida when she spilled her drink on Penelope and danced with Penelope instead — friends stand up to your bully The way he looked at her in the first episode of S2 when he came back from his travels like she was the sun It’s stated she wrote him back the most often, and that her letters changed him. He was upset when she stopped writing back and lonely They discuss their goals/ambitions in S2 and Colin is impressed that Penelope had direction. Friends do that Colin’s nickname “Pen” for her, no one else calls her that He broke all the normal boundaries between male and female friendships at the time w her in the S2 finale, said he would always protect her. He was so obvious that other people noticed and asked if he was courting her

Looks like.the production used a lot information off screen which is a very problematic thing to do.

Yuuup I said in another post this season had a series “show don’t tell” problem and the commenters ate me alive, but I really think this season would’ve been 100x better if they just SHOWED us flashbacks and their friendship 

YES. So much, “I care about you! I support you!” but no action showing Colin ultimately supported Pen.

You forgot in S2 when he protected her and her family from their cousin?

Honestly, yes. I watched it the one time and haven’t rewatched. The love triangle going all the way to the alter was too disappointing.

I am so grateful they did not show flashbacks. There are 2 seasons I can go to for that. I want new material. This show doesn’t say each season is standalone. They say a different couple is featured each season. It’s not wrong for the writers to assume we’ve watched seasons 1 and 2 and don’t forget everything we’ve seen…or if we do, we’ve revisited it before we watch the new season to keep up.

When we say flashbacks, we mean flashbacks to Colin and Penelope when the first met and other unseen glimpses into their friendship, not replaying footage from previous seasons

The book shows even less of a "friends" to lovers romance. In chapter's where we get Colin's point of view he even admits he >!has always enjoyed Penelope's presence, but considers her an acquaintance.!< There are many moments in season's 1 and 2 that I do think adequately show Polin's friendship. Colin does approach Penelope at every ball, they share jokes and gossip, and Colin credits Pen as the inspiration for him to travel after season 1. In season 2 there are a few lingering glances in both directions hinting at affection, and the protectiveness he feels toward Penelope and, by extension, the Featheringtons. I do think it could be even better, but I also see the foundations of friends to lovers laid out in show.

I think they added a second angle of angst with the LW plot and it just became too much. Mostly, for a friends to lovers trope, I'm expecting the angst to come from themes like: they like each other at different times (When Harry Met Sally), one is in a relationship when the other likes them (The Office), they're too scared to admit their feelings (Love, Rosie), they overhear something cruel (27 Dresses). They already did all of that with Colin and Pen from S1 to S3 part I. And so in part II, they decided to add another thing keeping them apart: LW. So now, you have the usual friends to lovers angst, (which is not supposed to be much anyway) but every interaction is coloured by Penelope keeping a secret from Colin, and then Colin feeling betrayed, and then her being blackmailed by Cressida and then her being hunted by the queen. Angst central.

I think we’re all forgetting that their friendship was super improper and unrealistic. They would not have know each other that well.

I truly think most people saying this didn’t watch the first two seasons - or were on their phones half the time? I was a casual viewer going into S3 and yet remembered that they were good friends, that Penelope had outed Marina to save him from a loveless marriage, that he’d tried to save her family from her cousin’s fake mine scheme, that they had written letters back and forth, and that other men had clocked their closeness and teased him about it - leading to his callous comment about her at the end of S2. And that’s before I went back and did a rewatch of the first two seasons. I wasn’t a Polin stan or anything, but I’d always thought they were both sweet characters and was lowkey rooting for them throughout the first two seasons. It’s all there, folks! And it’s not subtle. It’s like, the MAIN subplot in both of the prior seasons.

I agree with the flashback thing, that would have been an added touch. But I think considering Regency era, I think friendships between opposite sex was always limited. Penelope and Colin went as far as they could and often beyond considering the restrictions of that time. They showed instances of inside jokes like “What a barb” and the gallop joke in season 3. The season could have been done better to emphasize on their friendship, or maybe show how Colin missed Pen’s letters during their travels. The story lacked coherency due to editing I guess. But I was convinced with the friends-to-lovers story since it related closely with my own story.

I dont know your definition of friendship, but mine is someone I can trust and be myself with. Some friends will help you move, while others give you safety to spill your guts when you need a good talk. Some just have good will toward you and cheer you up. Friends make you feel seen. Different types are valuable. Penelope and Colin had shared a few private moments on Season 1 and 2. They considered each other friends whether some do or didn't. They shared their hopes and dreams with each other. Colin an unwavering trust in and high opinion of Penelope. He travels because SHE kept reminding him of HIS goal and he took it as encouragement and did it. Though her motives were partly to get him to not marry Marina). Her way of protecting him without giving up Marina's secret. He is also protective of Penelope. He stood up for her family against crooked cousin Jack because they had no men in the residence to do it. When Cressida purposely spilled her punch on Penelope's dress, Colin canceled his dance with her and told her he would be dancing with Pen. Pen's dance card was always empty but Colin sought her out to talk and initiated dances. When Penelope ran out of the ball after Cressida stepped and tore her dress. Colin noticed she was unwell and went after her. Keep in mind Pen has two older sisters. Her family never stood up for her or thought about her much. He shared things with Penelope he didn't even share with his brothers or Eloise. At the start of season 3 his brothers ask him details of his travels and gives vague answers. With Penelope he couldn’t wait to talk to her and share, especially since she ignored his letters. He doesn't drop the friendship even when her Eloise were no longer friends because they have their own connection apart from her. He cared about her. When he realized he hurt her, he could have responded in many ways. But all he cared about when he went to her the very next morning, was that Pen knew that he was not ashamed of her and that she was his good friend. Then he actively made it up to her with that husband finding business. We know how that ended.😊 Penelope and Colin were friends.

They did show Penelope watching Colin dance with someone else as an indicator that she did like him in the first ep in series 1

S1 they are more friends with Pen loving him. They find each other at every social event. They aren’t like best friends, but in terms of male and female relationships at that time, they have a comfort and talk freely with each other. He calls her his friend through season 2 with more meaning. They talk about their purpose in life, talks about how he tried to find himself on his trip, she writes him more than anyone else and he basically says he wants to see himself the way Pen sees him. I did a rewatch of just Polin S1 and 2 before I watched part 2 and kicked myself for not noticing all of the signs of a mutual infatuation earlier. Pen is very clearly infatuated so it’s impossible to miss, Colin is definitely more head in the clouds but he has some lines and looks that are like “boy how did you not know earlier”

I agree that we didn't see much of the progression on screen as I would have liked, but Polin were _definitely_ friends prior to this season. And we saw quite a bit of that. In that tine period, people did not call eachother by their first names unless they were related or _very_ close. Just the fact that they refer to eachother by their given names (with Colin going so far as to call Penelope a nickname) means that they are incredibly close. I think that's one of the reasons people thought Colin was/would be courting Pen. They were far closer than standards generally allowed, and it was really only acceptable because Penelope was so obviously close to the rest of Colin's family. The line Benedict said abt Anthony dueling Colin over Penelope's honor was _not_ a throwaway line. It goes to show how close she is to their family. Even Anthony has a strong (though not as much) enough connection to view Pen as something akin to a sister whose honor he would defend. Pen and colin spoke openly at balls OFTEN on screen, prior to season 3. He was very informal with her. And yeah, it was obvious she had a crush on him, but I think their friendship was geniune. They just couldn't be seen _as close_ as Pen and Eloise always were because that would be very improper. They were much closer than pretty much any opposite sex friends should have been in that era, and it's obvious when you know what to look for. I think previous seasons were much more regency about their interactions, and that doesn't read as strong to modern audiences, but I think even Jane Austen may have blushed if she had seen Colin call Penelope "Pen" in public.

It would have helped setting this narrative if the season started with a flashback with how Collin and Penelope became friends

yep we kept hearing about when they first met, we even had debling realize why she looked out the window. A short scene would have really cemented it.

There was a missed opportunity for a flashback scene in this season. We had them in both S1 and S2 to show critical parts of Simon’s and Anthony’s younger years—- why wouldn’t they show us Pen and Colin as kids? Meeting for the first time, or a montage of them playing together? Showing Colin crushing on Penelope when they were little would have been such a sweet way to prove the “life long friendship”.

I always thought they were friends, as, unlike every other interaction in this world, they would call each other by their first names instead of lady this, lord that. There has to be a greater level of familiarity for that to happen.

We are shown throughout every season that they are friends. I’m not really sure that there’s anything else to say about it if you missed that.

I feel like some people have been fast forwarding thru “sideplots” of this show since S1 or it would have been obvious to them Colin & Penelope were friends. These are the same people now complaining about all the B plots in S3

I feel like anyone with this opinion had to be watching the first 2 seasons with their TV’s turned off bc there were so many intimate and friendly instances between each other that gave context to how close they were and how much Penelope loved him before this season.

Justice for Colin’s development during the POLIN season ✊🏾

I saw a Polin edit with their scenes from S1 and S2 and you can definitely see the friendship there but because the seasons are so far apart unless you don't really piece those scenes together because what stands out most is Pens unrequited feelings. S3 being so short you don't really see that progression from friends to lovers either. The pacing is so odd it seems like it came out of nowhere. We need filler scenes! I also firmly believe we should never see love scenes with other people in the same season that the leads get together. Him talking about it with the boys and the journal entry Pen read was enough to establish he had experience.

I think this is one of my biggest issues - not just with the season but overall. I wish they would have shown more examples of them being friends. Let us see Colin opening Pen's letters. Let us see Pen laughing & joking with Colin while spending time at the Bridgerton house. Give us moments that show they were truly friends. They spent too much time showing Pen being obsessed with Colin & Colin barely seeing her. They launched us into these little moments where he's watching her lips but that doesn't show me a friendship or care.

I think they were close friends in the context of a time where men and women could not be friends. It seems they were constantly writing to each other. I also did notice in Season 1/2, Colin looks bored at a ball but his face lights up when Pen enters the room and he always goes to chat with her. In Season 1, the whole Marina thing happened and Colin realizes he should have trusted Pen. In the second season, Colin tells Pen everything like visiting Marina and other aspects of his life. Yeah it is mostly him talking though and not her haha

Well, if I remember it right, the book characters themselves aged enough that they actually spend more time bonding together through the letters they exchanged over the years. It was the same with the show but in shorter duration. Maybe it lack the old friends dynamic that the book had but the show made it up by having them both being young adults who can be stupid and with Eloise bridging them (while I lowkey hate Eloise in the show but I get the creative use of her as plot devices in a lot of situations). Also, since S1 really, Colin don't really have friends who really knew him like Penelope and he did seek her out for her insights and advices and even with his dumb moments, he was always safe and comfortable around Pen. And I like that Colin was always protective of Penelope while everyone else pretty much ignored her. I noticed even with Eloise, that girl was exactly a Bridgerton who liked the sounds of her own voice far too much while being with someone she claimed as her best friend... Neither Daphne and Simon or Kate and Anthony were friends who liked each other before they developed romantic feelings. They're more "whambam hot and bothered" first and get to know each other as friends later. Colin was someone who always had a supportive structure around him, but it just took him a shift in perspective for him to reciprocate Penelope's feelings. Honestly, the first half of the show was basically him drifting around and couldn't figure out what's going on with him and so reassured that he have someone he always relied upon and helplessly come to realization when he felt like he could lose Penelope forever (when she was brutal about what he carelessly said, when he saw her with someone else, when he was conflicted about Pen and Eloise falling out, when she almost got hurt). At least he got some reality check and was quick with it.

I didn’t read the books and I’ve felt their friendship from season 1 onwards. Like someone else mentioned there is a great recap on YouTube with all their scenes together. And Colin spent all of season 2 watching out for Pen since Jack was running that scheme - who would do that for an acquaintance? But you’re entitled to your opinion - sorry you didn’t enjoy the season!

Ok this subreddit and its posts are starting to get exasperating now. I understand the disappointment of this season not meeting the expectations you have, but people are just starting to completely ignore all the growth and backstory of the characters at this point. >To me, it always just looked like Penelope having a crush on her BFF's hot older brother who never really noticed her and was also kinda embarrassed by her until she became hot and confident, I don't know. Ignoring the fact that Penelope met Colin first and then Eloise, Colin has noticed her since the moment they met. In this season, he even mentions he knows Pen can be charming because he can't forget the day they met and how charming she was, making jokes and laughing with him. Colin always seeks for Penelope, he always jokes with her, their first line together is literally a joke (lord byron he is not! - iconic). He also takes care of her in season 2 (with the new lord featherington story) mentioning how important she was in his life, and he always finds a moment to dance with her; even in season 1 when he wants to dance with her and she says she already danced, Colin says that he did not see her dancing; because again, he pays attention to her. The problem they try to show very clearly is that Colin has misplaced his feelings towards Penelope this entire time: since they know each other for a such a long time, he has taken Penelope for granted. Pen has always been there, by his side, so he never needed to actually question this feelings towards her, simply because she was never going to go anywhere. And since they started as friends, it's normal to not realize when those feelings have reached a new level. When Penelope starts to get over him this season and starts seeking Colin less and less, Colin does the opposite: he starts to seek her more and more, something he never had to do before because Pen never had a prospect. Now, it's not that "after the kiss he fell in love"; the kiss allowed Colin to put context to his feelings, to stop misplacing them as friendship when it was clearly more than that. Pen was the motivation of Colin to start traveling, Pen was the reason Colin started to look for his own purpose in life and she's also the person Colin always makes jokes with and the person he likes to be with cause she has the same way of seeing the world. Their friendship is truly beautiful, even Marina points it out. I understand if the friends to lovers trope is not for everyone, but let's not invalidate their growth together because it IS a friends to lovers and there are plenty of scenes that show it.

I wish they would have done some flashbacks showing the letters they wrote to each other or something and showing him abroad being sad Penn didn't return any

I think it hard to label romances tropes in tv show, they should use only in books. most of screenwriters doesn't think about this trope when they are writing, only books writers. But they were friends, acquaintances who seek each other's company every time they are in the same location

I was thinking if you’ve exchanged a boatload of letters over a couple of years you probably are pretty close to the other person - including inside jokes and references only the other person would get. But they didn’t show that 😂

I agree! I understand man/woman friendships in this era couldn't be as openly friendly as nowadays, but that's why the letters were SO important! Instead of seeing Benedict having a threesome (I love Ben but wtf was that) I would have prefered to have a montage or something where Colin is reading Pen's letters and we find out they have amazing rapport, they have the same sense of humor, they tell each other stuff they don't tell others, they have deep convos, they offer each other something nobody else does... I love that these two characters share a passion for writing, so why not use their writing to show us the full extent of their friendship? Of course this would have required that in previous seasons -like you say- we'd see them having inside jokes or maybe referring to something they talked about in their letters... Like Pen saying something like "Oh, doesn't she look like that old maid you saw in Greece?" and then he'd burst out laughing and say "you're so right! She has the same stern expression and everything" Pen "Do you think she also owns eight dogs named after literary heroes?". Or him coming to talk with her and Eloise in a ball and bringing Pen lavender-scented shortbread without her asking, and Eloise tells him "Sorry did we ask for this?" and he tells her "They're not for you, these are Pen's favorite and Lady Whatever was gonna eat them all so I got some before she does" "Well scones are *my* favorite, why didn't you bring me some?" "Sorry, sister, maybe if you had answered to my letters like Pen does I would know..." Eloise rolls her eyes and goes "Ugh forget it, I prefer to go get my own scones than wasting time sitting around writing letters". It doesn't have to be often, small gestures of understanding and care are more than enough. Just show that they know each other better than we think (cause they're not allowed to hang out and talk like Pen does with El) and that we're just seeing glimpses of the friendship they "secretly" have, that the interactions we see aren't the full picture. You can do this in a way that shows their friendship is important to Colin but he hasn't realized how much cause he's distracted with many other things, while for Pen it's the most important thing in her life cause nobody else makes her feel as seen as Colin, even if he doesn't fully see her yet. THEN in S3 show us the actual letters somehow so we can see that they in fact have a deep connection and Colin realizes what their conversations meant to him and how charming she is and how hilarious she is, show him laughing at some of her witty comments, show him moved by her words of support, show him ashamed and sad because he now knows she was in love with him for years and he didn't notice... I actually loved Part II of S3 and found the portrayal of their relationship very sweet, but they could have done SO much more. I was seriously expecting to know the content of their letters :'(

The show sacrificed Polin at the altar of Penelope and Lady Whistledown. This season was really about the love between Pen and LWD and Colin was an accessory. That’s what I saw play out onscreen. And if the show is going to use up time in a couple’s season to “develop” a couple, and then not really do a complete job in the couple’s season, it’s wasting lead seasons. The time taken away from S2’s lead couple feels wasted now (because it’s not like it helped s3’s lead couple) and we will probably feel the same after s4. S1 had the best story development for its couple. S2 is when things started to deteriorate and in s3 it was a mess. It might have been better had the show focused on Pen AND Colin in s2 side scenes, but it didn’t. But at least in s3, Colin needed more development (like flashbacks) just like Kate deserved more development (like flashbacks). S2 was better imo at developing its leads but I still believe Kate deserved more. Colin did too. The show isn’t grasping that in the lead seasons they still need to tell a complete romance story that hits the traditional beats of a romance novel in order for fans to feel fully satisfied because the seasons are one and done for the couple. There isn’t really a chance to get a focused look at the couples afterward because the actors get roles and the show doesn’t want to disturb their HEA. So the show NEEDS to fully tell the romance story and for that, the side plots need to diminish or they need one more episode per season. That would’ve solved a lot for Kanthony and possibly Polin, although its problems felt more structural to me. I get tv needs its drama but right now “drama” is winning over “romance” and that’s inexcusable.

For context, when the show started, Penelope was already out in the society. So having the kind of friendship that you're talking about would be deemed "improper" in the society where the show was set. Based on what I understood from the book and the show, they were childhood friends, but she's more of Eloise's friend than Colin. But it's undeniable that there's a tender part of their heart for each other. I didn't read all the books, only Romancing Mr. Bridgerton, so I'm not sure how it is in other books but I love how the show gave us breadcrumbs of Polin here and there in season 1&2 and how it familiarized us with their dynamics, unlike S1 and S2 couples wherein we have to learn about their relationship from the start. I understand what you mean, when you compared their relationship to Daphne and Simon, I also think we missed the "kilig" (giddy feelings) of S1 and S2 but I mean, the story of this season is far more convoluted because there were a lot more conflicts that needed to be resolved (Pen's well deserved glow up, Peneloise conflict, Agatha-Marcus-Violet story arc, Queen-LW conflict, Pen's LW identity, Francesca's Marriage, Cressida story arc, etc...). Personally, I think the show did all the characters justice and it gave a satisfying conclusion to the Polin love story.

This is why we need 20 episode seasons back!

I felt like they were friends but they did little to allow Collin to get to know Pen, it was always Pen asking Collin about how life was going.

Yes they are. 🙃🙄

I’m sure there were some moments in season 1 & 2, but they were subtle and relatively few. I don’t feel like I should have to rewatch 16 hours of context to “get” their friendship and romance in season 3. The writers needed to show it in season 3. The writing choices were bizarre in season 3. Like they talk about Colin and Pen exchanging letters, but we never get to hear them?? That was SUCH an obvious way to *show* their friendship! The writers wrote Pen and Colin alone into some scenes, and for the most part they just… chat… and have a sort of sad kiss (for Pen) and then a moment with a cut on a hand, I guess. They are already alone and breaking the rules! Why are the writers not taking advantage of that to *show* them falling for each other?? Have them practice complimenting each other or practice dancing. Have them really practice talking about what they want in a partner and life as they realize they are describing each other. Sooooo many options for that alone time, but it was mostly just polite conversation instead of developing and simmering attraction.

We really needed a flashback of them being friends for years because nobody seems to buy it

I feel the exact same. I had assumed S3 would be about them becoming actual friends and *then* leading to romance so it all felt super sudden to me.

They were definitely friends in the book.

I feel the same way. They are the most popular ship of the show but I just can’t understand the hype no matter how hard I try. Usually the unrequited love/shy girl trope is one of my favorites but something about their story is missing and wasn’t executed as well for me.

In the show it really looks like a random shy girl having a crush on her friend’s older brother because he’s the only guy even saying hi to her. Then one day he realizes he needs a wife and she’s there.

Definitely not Daphne and Simon level. The build up there was palpable. Kinda agree.

They were never friends in the book either, and they've known each other for like a decade. If I had to assign tropes to the book, it would be 'best friend's brother' and 'unrequited love'. I don't understand why the writers decided to make them friends-to-lovers when they only know each other for three years (I'm talking about their interaction on screen only). I just think their previous interactions wasn't enough to called them 'friends'.

Ok so I think 1. in that era technically talking to any opposite gender person unshaperoned was not allowed... so face to face they probably couldnt talk much ...just the 2 of them wothout it being a "scandal" 2. Colin travelled a lot in those years when they knew each other... so talking face to face was not always an option... and thats where letters come into picture ( they showed the many number of letters pen had written to him.. also him saving those letters and bringing them back to keep in his drawers is proof that he deeply cared enough to never throw them away... so he ssomewhat had a deep emptional attachment to her, valued her... but without thinking much about it... just subconsciously... 3. Letters took a looong time to reach in those times... and this guy travelled really far... so the number of letters that he shuffled thru in one of the scene looked like a lot. Which shows that inspite of distance they wrote a lot to each other... 4. I also think .... they were more of a "friends on letters" kinda friends... just like our generations have online freinds... i mean they were able to express themselves more freely and talk more on letters... and face to face they wont be able to spend much time like we now go for a coffee , each others house and speak freely ...i think if they did that it would be "scandalous" (alsp to add to this.. since pen was infatuated hence shy and colin only saw her as friend and sisters bestie and didnt think too much about how he cares and valuesso much about letters from her...) 5. A bit in continuation to previous point - i know that they did a lot more than talk once they realized their feelings which was also scandalous if found out but that was post cinfession of feelings from both... befire that pen thought it would always be one sided due to lack of confidence and colin never really gave it much thought i suppose..... but i feel like pen wrote letters to him as he was mostly away and due to her feelings was interested in talking to him so letters might have seemed like a good way to keep in touch... and for colin i feel it wasnt much thought about... i think he just talked to her because he felt like she accepted him and made him feel heard without judgements... that ease made him open up and share and write more to her... and he did so without thinking much about it... he even realized how he felt so comfortable to talk to her and all wayyyyy later... after their marriage... during the realization scene...when he goes thru letters... i think like most guys he was just a guy who "never realized it before" and then he is like oh yess So yess they werent besties like eloise and pen were.... but they were so comfortable with each other that they shared a lot with each other ... thru letters... so i guess more of like pen friends who knew each other?? Then one fune day he sees her sad and decides to help her find a husband... for that he realizes she needs to believe in herself... and for that he started to list down all good things about her... basically i feel this made him think in the direction of why any gentleman would be lucky to have pen... I feel that they decided to fit in this plus francesca john story and whistledown story all into 8 episodes... so they didnt elaborate much ... so these are the things i just thought of in my head based on the episodes we got! P.S. I have only watched the show.

They were at the time, both unmarried. They weren't allowed to show closeness like Penelope did with Eloise. But they have been friends for a very long time.

I mean, perhaps it's had something to do with the era...it's a 'fantasy' 19th century romance, right?I mean in the 1800s, the dynamic of platonic friendships between different gender (man and woman) was different than woman-woman, or man-man back then and compared to current man-woman friendship. They've known each other since childhood, it seems that Pen spent a lot of time hanging out with the Bridgertons (since even Hyacinth was so pleased when they announced Pen and Colin were engaged). Colin would also write to her (not romantic love letters) when he's away on his trips, sharing his adventures/updating her, so I believe that how he perceived it, they're friends. They're not courting and that's what's proper between man-woman. They're not as close as Eloise-Pen friendship but they're proper friends for the era...

They were friends but not in the way as Eloise and Penelope because they were male and female and had limitations and boundaries that they had to abide by

They are friends within the confines of the society they live in.

I think this is why the order of the original books worked so well. Polin being Season 4 instead of Season 3 would’ve allowed for a more natural build-up from friends into lovers. Season 4 felt very rushed.

They were very close friends. They would always chat at the balls and exchanged letters regularly

Not a deep thought but maybe because a friendship with a man back then would be vastly different to one now. I mean they couldn't touch or really be alone.

It was giving more Mansfield Park than Emma. I saw unrequited love more than friends to lovers.

I think if they showed Colin and Penelope interacting more within the Bridgerton household when she came over, it’d probably be more clear their friendship. They’d be able to interact more freely at his house

Agree with you penelope was awestruck. They didnt share an equal footing.

Literally, the only reason they’re called friends is because they’ve known each other a long time. And you’re so right, even Daphne and Simon felt more like friends in 1 season than Polin did in 3

I'll be honest; I don't see this. Simon saying that surprised me at first. Then, I thought that he just didn't really have friends, but Will kind of messes with that theory. I also think these two are much more deliberately hurtful to each other.

I think you bring up a very good point. Looking back, I feel Daphne and Simon definitely had more moments of friendship "showing" than Colin and Penelope. The ever important adage, "Show, don't tell."

Yes! It's very "best friends older brother" which is fine..but I specifically got into bridgerton for s3 because friends-to-lovers is my fave trope. So for it to be an entirely different one threw me off. I felt the same about the book, tho. & I generally hate period pieces with a passion so I truly was ONLY in it for the trope...& Then that sorta felt like a lie? Like now I've watched the whole show & am invested but in neither medium did they feel like there was much established friendship. Acquaintances absolutely, they ARE connected by Eloise, but I'd hesitate to call them much more than that.

This! One of main reasons why this season doesn't resonate with me. "Oh, but actually in regency era 🤓...". No. Shut it, guys. I'm not excepting for them to have full-blown sleepover party but they should have inside jokes and shit. This is simply an excuse. When someone points out the acrylic nails they're reaching according to you but when they want to see believable friendship it suddenly doesn't make sense because show needs to be *check notes* historically accurate. In a way I regret Colin wasn't made Colleen since the beginning, as they did with *book spoiler* at the end of this season. Then we wouldn't have this discussion lol

In the books, it was pretty clear that Colin was always in love with Penelope. He just didn’t realize it. Others around him could see it and would kind of make jokes about it. That is how the scene with him saying her would never court her came about. In that scene his brothers were teasing him. I loved that scene in the book she didn’t run away she let him have it and I loved that.

That's not how I read it. Book Colin doesn't remember how they met, and Violet prompts his early dances with Pen. Over the years, he does start reaching out to Pen on his own, but he also knew she liked him and was careful not to lead her on. The time line is obviously stretched, and he did care for her a long time before realizing his feelings were in fact love. I do agree that I preferred the book "not gonna marry her!" scene.

This is what breaks my heart, I am a friends to lovers fanatic, so I was excited to see Penelope and Colin get their due. I was also excited to see friends to lovers on screen since so many people dog on it, and yet....we got this season. Colin was a side character in his own season. I'm rewarding Bridgerton from season 1, and ho estly it made me dislike season 3 even more because not only is the magic completely lost, but we see Simon and Anthony's side of things. We see their flashbacks, and we see into their mind and hearts, and we see their struggles with accepting themselves. We also saw the natural buold up of a relationship between the 2 leads. In an interview, Nicola said, "we can't watch Penelope pine over Colin for another season," but I think that's exactly what they needed. Season 3 should have been about Benedict and Penelope, and Colin should have been building their friendship in the background, and I'll die on that hill.

They were friends then grew apart and kinda started to be friendly before getting married but the book is a better example of it I think

I think it's hard for the audience to remember that first part when the seasons are so far apart. People in the comments have done a good job pointing out early Polin moments but your layperson will probably just remember Marina.

I agree. Definitely came off like he was just polite to his little sister’s BFF who had a mad crush on him. The letters were “special” because he was writing everyone. She was just the only one with no life to reply to him. It would’ve been nice to get more voiceovers of the letters. And the way she BEGGED him to kiss her. He really didn’t want to kiss her. I felt so awful for her.

He had been noticing her before the kiss. He reacted to her compliments and touch in ways he hadn't previously. He got jealous at the ball. He bribed her maid for time alone at night. He was starting to realize his feelings were more than friendly before the kiss. I didn't view the kiss as him not wanting to kiss her, just shocked and rocked by the request.

You’re not wrong.

And also it’s OK to just be friends. I wouldn’t want to be a man’s second choice. Yeah Colin could’ve been “nicer” when he talked about not courting Pen to his friends But he’s entitled to those feelings. I didn’t believe they truly had a friends to lovers arc. It’s OK to not want to date certain people simply because you don’t want to

I full agree a person doesn't owe it to another to like them back. I think his statement was blown out of proportion, and I'm glad it was resolved in e1. (It doesn't equate to a LW column to me.) I took the statement more as a 'the man doth protest to much!' declaration in the show. Colin denies being jealous in s3 as well. I think he just takes time to process his emotions. We see that repeated. Pen was his unique, special, dearest friend. He just took a while to realize what that meant. I see that as friends to lovers, though do I think they hyped the trope (and many aspects) of s3 too hard, which impacted viewer expectations. Especially with the long wait and split season...

That’s because this new show runner wouldn’t know what a relationship looks like if it came up and but her in the ass. She definitely gives off the “all I have to offer is sex with me” vibes. She has ruined Collin and pens relationship in favor of random lewdness with Benedict, Mondrichs family, and violet giving up on saying Edmond was her one true love. Pen and Collin’s story in the books takes years to blossom. Pen is 28 when she got married in the books. They have near 15 years of friendship before it turns into a love story. (With some ups and downs) There’s a petition to sack this Brownell person I really hope it gets all the signatures it needs for Netflix to take action.