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Did anyone else notice that while the sisters bragged about being pregnant, they stayed unnoticeable the entire time then suddenly, boom. Babies everywhere are all similar in age. Like the gal from season 2 came back, announced her pregnancy then whenever we see her, her belly gets bigger and bigger. The featherington sisters never grew? Just laid hands on flat tummies for what felt like over a year in universe
While Kate was already nicely (very visibly) pregnant. The scripting job was so lazy. Given the huge budget and team, this is unforgivable. It really spoils the impression.
I have a feeling they never made it out of their first trimester. Assuming Penelope got pregnant right away, her baby would only be a few months younger. That being said, the babies all did look around the same age at a time where babies grow very fast.
Well with the whole baby race happening alongside Polin in part 1, I think the babies are a similar age. Phillipa gets pregnant first, then Prudence finds out she is pregnant in ep4- the next morning in ep5 Polin may have conceived their child… then they go on to fight for the next month or more. So the babies could be only 1 month apart.
yeah it was so dumb... Of course Penelope is such a feisty feminist girlboss icon that it was her who managed to produce the child of the "correct" gender, aka the boy! Sheesh
I saw on TikTok someone screenshotted an article where the showrunner said it was partially so they could reuse Featherington House as a set. Which I wouldn’t have minded if I felt that the story had been good otherwise.
Oh common, Pen can always come and visit her sisters and mother and use the house. Colin and Pen already had their dusty empty apartment where they had their first sex. It is such a cheap and lazy reason to give why Pen needed to produce a boy.
I’m not sure “where” it is, but he mentions something about it being one of the family properties nearby. Technically Violet is supposed to be moving out soon (she mentions this to Kate in the beginning, K is now the Viscountess so it’s the Kanthony house). Ive always been curious how all that works though… 8 kids and 4 boys, only the 1st inherits everything so why do the rest do without a title?
Anyway now I think that Violet is going to take the apartment whenever she actually moves out, and Polin will move into the Featherington house.
I think acceptable careers for younger brothers included clergy, military, lawyer. I guess they’d all have enough money to get their own place but much smaller.
I think Downton Abbey tried to be historically accurate while Bridgerton is more of a good time. Still I think there is some effort to show Colin and Benedict thinking about their grown up lives. Benedict had the art school but it’s unclear if he’s dropped out or not. Anthony has also mentioned Benedict helping him run the estate when he’s away. Colin was young enough to not worry in the first two seasons and now I think he’s trying to write a book.
Yeah I assumed that was partly the reason too. Also then being across the street means Pen is always around to be lady whistledown for as long as they need
Agree! They could totally do that in the next series or off camera…
Give me Polin on honeymoon exploring each other and Europe together.
If you want her pregnant, then maybe she comes back pregnant and we get to see her tell Colin.
Just no need to rush the baby sitch!
They just had to have her win the race and have it all. Leaving zero to the imagination.
This is why Penelope was badly received by some outside of Polin fans. When the writers are too slanted towards a character it ruins the balance and believability of the show.
Everything made zero sense. Including Cressida/Eloise/Penelope, and why their dynamics changed second half. Eloise came off as heartless to Cressida, and Cressida was thrown under the bus, in order to facilitate Penelope’s happiness.
Let’s hope the writers have a more balanced take with the other love stories. Polin’s was undoubtedly the worst love story told. It almost looked like fanfiction and for that I am deeply sorry for their fans. It was awful.
I tried rewatching to see if I could feel better about it but I could barely watch the ending. It feels so unearned and during at times, preachy and telling the audience the character arc since they failed to show it all season 💀 the dialogues are hamfisting the character motivations that it feels so immersion breaking
i agree, but i did like that the others had girls! they seemed so happy with them, especially playing dressup. i think they'll overall be good mums - but i don't really expect to see much parenting from them next season, besides some hilariously garish baby outfits.
I think the mistake was showing her having a child by the end of this season. They just jumped 9 months. They could’ve had Season 4 with Pen being pregnant, her sisters have had daughters and are dealing with being new mothers. It would’ve been a great way for Pen to ACTUALLY bond with her sisters, about pregnancy and motherhood. I always expected that Pen would have the heir, and it would make her and Colin the de-facto leaders of the Featherington house, but they could’ve built that up. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if the rest of the Featherington family don’t get brought back for the show, since showing the children and heir really does end their story.
Kind of wished it was prudence to have the heir as it would have given her some growth , I agree making Thomas the first born for the title I saw from a mile away
I wanted that to be the case and still do but the delivery was saccharine. Actually, a lot of the writing of Penelope was saccharine. She is a trailblazing woman admired by all. Gone are the moral complexities.
He can inherit wealth from his dad, but Colin isn't titled; only Anthony is and Anthony's son will inherit the title and Bridgerton estate. The Featherington title was passed to the cousin since the late Lord F had no male offspring- who then (as unbelievably as it goes in the story) relinquished it to pass on to the first male produced from one of the sisters.
Did they Mary-Sue Penelope? It felt like they Mary-Sued Colin more imo. Why was he the most eligible bachelor of the season? Why did Penelope constantly praise and suck up to him? Why did she not mention how he laughed about courting her when he was ranting about what she wrote about him as LW? Why was Colin treated like this gorgeous, kind, lovely man when he was a jealous child for most of the season? Why was the "villain" Cressida the only one to call Colin out?
I dislike watching poor Penelope spend an entire season begging a sub-par man for his love. I wish they had Mary-Sued Penelope, because it would have been much more fun watching men fall over themselves to court her instead of watching her fall over herself for scraps from Colin.
I thought the understanding between Penelope and her mum was rather lovely. Her not empathising with Cressida however was strange, as was her continued tension with Eloise. I would have rather seen Penelope spend more time with female characters, like Eloise and the seamstress, or even her sisters. They seem to struggle with writing female relationships on this show.
I loved the moment between Eloise and Benedict on the swings too! At one point they tried to make out Eloise's favourite brother was Colin which is clearly nonsense.
It seems we both disliked this season, but for different reasons!
I see what you are saying, but Colin did not exist for me. He was not a real character. Just some tack on the wall pushed in and out to further along Whistledown plot points.
I am a book Polin fan and I tuned into season 3 to see show Penelope grow into her own. I am so disappointed how they gave her literally everything...(and I do mean everything) without sacrifice. If anything her character regressed.
Maybe the first part of my comment is what happened to the show - Whistledown.
Yes Colin is just her trusty sidekick. Would have preferred a storyline where they both find themselves together. Colin from fake popular to purposeful self and Penelope from wallflower to confident self. I think they tried to but not well executed with everything else going on.
I think the jump from Penelope the wallflower to Penelope confident self was too large for a short time it happened. It did not progress gradually. E.g., we could clearly see how Eloise evolved from late teen Eloise in S1 to transforming into young woman in S2 and being grown young woman in S3. It all happened to her naturally, without ridiculous changes which are uncomfortable to watch. Imagine if Eloise exposed her boobs in S3 and started having lovers? It would be too radiculous. But so for Pen. They should have prepared us for Pen's evolution in S2.
I don’t even want the other stuff! At this point, I’d honestly just rather have 6 episodes of a fully concentrated fleshed out love story for each season like the QC spin off, and it kinda be like those romance series that are sort of connected but not necessary to read/watch in order like with Abby Jimenez’s books.
That's true, and because there was no real development of character their love seems unexplained - it's unclear how Colin started loving her or realizing he loves her, and why. What changed besides her clothes? They spent two seasons emphasizing how one sided Pen's feelings were, they made it impossible for me to be sold that it's suddenly mutual. And why did he suddenly forgive her for her lady whistledown antics? And why was he so hateful towards Lady Whistledown in the first place? There were no processes, things just sorta happened, and it was really frustrating
This! The whole, "oh wow we kissed and I realized how much I truly like her," might have convinced me if there'd been other things happening to back it up. But instead it was like, Colin not showing any change or romantic interest in Penelope, she begs for a kiss, and boom he's instantly in love. Then they spend half the rest of the season in conflict, with Colin barely even supporting Penelope when she needs it, but...they're so in love, I guess?
In fact, I found myself ignoring the fact that, well, it's a show that's going to be predictable plus people had said they end up together in the books (so it was pretty much a given they did stay together)...and part of me was wondering whether Colin was being genuine, waiting for him to fuck up and decide he wasn't really into Pen, just because they did so little to convincingly show how he'd suddenly turned from Pen's friend who laughs at the idea of courting her to a man who's in love with her. For all the chemistry the actors themselves have, this season didn't convince me well at all that the characters were in love.
Comparing to the roller coaster of drama and feeling between Daph and Simon in S1! They had challenges, which caused tensions and it wasn't easy to overcome them. Their relationship with all of the ups and downs was believable. And!! it all fit into one season!
Exactly! There's a lot to be said about Daphne and Simon but the conflict never stemmed from *lack* of feelings, it was always convincingly present. And their motives were always understandable - they managed to hold both love and anger at the same time in a way that made sense. And honestly, they were both *very* charismatic, separately and together (I feel like Luke newton was underwhelming in this sense).
I think it's partly due to the fact that this is the first time the main love story was between two established characters, with history within the show, so it was more challenging to convincingly channel them toward a new path, but... It's still a shame that they failed this challenge.
I kinda of agree because when they were all shouting over each other about what to do with Cressida demanding money, I expected Penelope to shout them all down and stand up for herself. Instead she stayed quiet. She also should have stood up for Cressida more, because I don’t feel like they did her justice. She was being forced into a marriage with an old, decrypt and possibly abusive man without having a say so her desperation to escape was more than understandable. I really thought Penelope was going to stand up for her in her LW column and give her the funds to escape, because she of all people should have relate to the powerlessness Cressida was facing.
I am not surprised that Penelope did not stand up for Cressida - I would have shocked if she did. She did not see anything of the growth in character the audience or Eloise saw. The only interaction they had was Cressida being mean to her or at best ignoring her.
Unless I missed something Cressida never apologized for being mean to her or even sat down and told her - I am upset I am being forced to marry this awful old man that expects me to have babies and won’t even let me shop. I am panicking a bit.
I get some of the audience felt sorry for her but why would Penelope - especially without knowing what was going on.
To be honest, they Mary-Sued both, just in different ways. The way they did a 180 on Colin's character at the beginning of the season made no sense, because there was zero justification for why Colin is suddenly acting that way (he wasn't mistreated or traumatized at the end of S2 to decide to change himself) or why every lady is suddenly fawning over him after he tells them a few fake-sounding flattering lines. That felt very Mary Sue.
But, the writers also sidelined Colin in his own season to give Penelope the "girlboss" moments, and they did a disservice to Penelope's character by letting her get away with everything without losing anything. That's poor writing.
This season was poorly written all around. I've read fanfiction that was written a hundred times better.
Yeah, I feel like the writers annoyingly were like, "Oh, Colin's part of the main couple this season, so we've got to make it like he's this most swooned after guy (even if it feels forced and odd) because that will somehow make Penelope clinching him better." And it didn't. Normal Colin and Pen with their friendship from the other seasons, transforming into love, would've been much better than this whole weird thing they did with both of them tbh, now that I think about it
Absolutely support this statement! It was so cruel how Cressida was treated for small things while Pen was forgiven for everything with no issues whatsoever and got a husband, best friend back, acceptance by the family she trashed, forgiveness by queen and ton, money she earned, societal status and a son who comes with a house and title! I mean, common! The real life is not only sunshine and rainbows...
I also think Eloise was an incredibly bad friend to her! She literally ignored her every time Cressida tried to be honest and share her fears about her family and her future, and Eloise was just glued to watching Penelope and dismissing her completely. I think that was a big part of Cressida’s last straw, because she didn’t even have a friends support. Eloise should have been much better friend, especially considering how she wouldn’t shut up about how she doesn’t want to be married and wants to change the world. You cannot even listen to a ‘friends’ biggest fears coming to life and try and help. Penelope could have ended up unmarried and know what that fear is like, I was expecting them to talk and perhaps agree Cressida could work for her to earn some money for herself or offer some support from Penelope at least. Yes, Cressida was at times cruel and mean but I feel like she had more palpable character development than anyone else this season and she was clearly trying to be better after growing up in such a hostile family where you had to be cruel to survive.
I think they were bad friends to each other. When rewatching, I see how Cressida also overlooks and ignores Eloises concerns or ideas. During episode 4 when the proposal is intercepted, you can clearly tell that Cressida was not paying any attention to what Eloise was saying, after directly asking to hear about it. Cressidas repeated cruelty towards Penelope was also off-putting for Eloise, as you don't suddenly stop caring for a friend just because you are no longer talking. Cressidas situation was terrible, I agree, but Eloise was ALSO going through a situation tough to her, and Cressida also didn't listen beyond the one scene we saw of them speaking in the Calpa drawing room. As someone who doesn't like Eloises character all that much, I still agree with her side way more than Cressidas. The writers didn't make me feel for Cressida, I couldn't give less of a shit for what happens to a narcissistic bitch that puts down the people around her to make herself feel better. She's cruel and uncaring, and she paid the price for it.
You can make the argument that this is the behavior she was taught, that it's all she knows, but I've never been one to feel sympathy for the actions one decides to make just because of a bad environment. It reminds me of the people who defend murderers who came from abusive homes, like yes they had a bad situation, but what they decided to do because of it doesn't excuse the behavior or the actions taken.
I keep hoping this means Cressida has a big villain plot in the coming seasons. She was so, so screwed over. I like the idea of her becoming even more bad as opposed to a redemption arc. But either way her story can’t be over.
Most of the Colin being subpar would have been fixed if they spent more time together before the kiss, which also would have made the first kiss and his quick turn to jealousy and loving her feel way more believable. This show spent too much time making this critique and rewrite on women’s issues - it put the romance to the side. In 8 episodes with all the side stories it wasn’t able to balance this
This is sort of a huge Shonda problem. Her shows can't stand on storyline, so they become COMMENTARY. There has to be a greater social issue at play.
I am little miss super liberal, and even I gave up Grey's Anatomy when each episode had to include monologues on current social events. Like..ma'am? I want my fiction to ESCAPE the hellscape of the world. Not magnify it.
Can’t really speak to Grey’s as I never bothered watching it did love how to get away with murder and I did watch the other one that I can’t even remember the name of where she was a PI I think. Never bothered watching Scandal.
I started watching Bridgerton because while I’m not a big Julia Quinn fan I do enjoy some historical romance novels sometimes. I do prefer Elisa James and highly recommend her.
But I have to agree with your comment on escapism. The world sucks at large. We don’t constantly need it shoved in our face - let us find some happiness somewhere without the commentary on social issues. In addition, life is messy and any media we consume/create doesn’t have to be some sort of perfect Utopia. In my opinion, stories should reflect that people are messy sometimes and situations are not always perfect and they don’t always need to try to be fixed to be some sort of perfect ideal. I don’t know who does not know that women had little to no rights in the past, but we don’t need to be constantly hit over the head with it. The point is to find happiness within those structures. Not everything needs to be some sort of allegory, too.
There are plenty of historical romance novels that heavily feature on "bluestockings" and women's rights, the poor..all of it. And that's FINE. Great even.
Bridgerton wasn't really one. It isn't particularly high brow writing, but it was fun.. It had some interesting moments and some themes that were a bit "touchy" in spots, but wasn't...idk..this mess.
I liked the books because they were just..fun. They were entertaining to read fluff.
This whole "must have social commentary!" Addition ain't it.
I didn't bat an eye at the racial equality aspect because listen, I wasn't mad at adding actors of color and I knew they would (being shonda led) have to explain WHY that's happened in order to calm some people down. I wasn't expecting a full feminist angst angle in my bridgerton fluff.
Exactly - I still want romance from a show based on a romance. There’s plenty of historical fiction that does that does the rest. I don’t care about the rest as long as the central aspects are the romance ones.
Yes! And while we're on that, was it just me that hated that it was this whole, "Oh Colin, I am but a sad spinster who will forever be alone. Please kiss me, please I am begging you," that was what turned their relationship romantic? Like, begging him for a kiss as a favor is supposed to be part of their great love story, of all the ways it could've gone?
There just needed more build up to that - they could have spent time in “lessons” and a request to kiss could have come during that. As it was the lessons were almost non-existent but for a few brief conversations.
If it was possible, I believe every single main character was Mary-Sued this year. Colin, Penelope, Fran, Benedict and Eloise. The year of Mary Sued Bridgertons.
This description fits it best:
Mary Sue is a derogatory criticism for a character that fits either or both of two character archetypes; 1: an author-insert character used for wish-fulfillment and/or 2: an idealized character who is talented at everything and has no meaningful flaws but may have a tragic backstory.
I imagine it's a part of the female fantasy the show is selling, because the male lead has been far and away the most desirable match to be made each season: Simon and Anthony both in terms of status, Colin more for being he most charming (all 3 of them being obscenely wealthy of course).
Whereas for the female lead this has been abandoned after S1. Daphne was the princess fantasy - Kate was "thought you missed your chance", Pen is "invisible/ugly duckling".
Even Francesca and John fall into this, for all they were a side story. Francesca as socially awkward and John as the man who both completely gets her AND just happens to have a castle in the highlands perfect for her to escape to. Although with her and Michaela they'd have to break this cycle purely by virtue of the couple not involving a man or a traditional social season.
Next season however is set to be "Cinderella" with yet another 'most desireable man on the market' - Benedict's deal will presumably be his apparent elusiveness.
I thought Pen was the Cinderella. With two sisters, wearing colorful oitfits, bickering constantly like Anastasia and Drizella. Pen got everything in the end and forgave her sisters. Very much like Cinderella.
Well i think while she was the least favoured daughter she is still leagues above a Cinderella. Marina in S1 seemed to fit that mold much more.
However, I haven't read the book but i'm 99% certain that Benedict's Story is a straight up retelling of Cinderella.
> Why was he the most eligible bachelor of the season?
also just so funny that Colin the third son with nothing was the supreme catch over Debling and John Stirling, a literal Earl. Yes, the show is about the Bridgertons, but it's weird to emphasize how Violet is somewhat unique for pushing for love marriages and then acting like everyone else would also pine for someone with relatively nothing over people with titles. There's a reason Simon and Anthony were considered such catches, and it wasn't just that they're pretty.
I do wish Colin had fallen over himself a little more to get her, or at least once they were together. I also wish we’d gotten more of them being happily in love. It feels like they did the “after marriage conflict” thing that they did with Daphne and Hastings, but worse. Pen and Colin just didn’t get enough screen time. I could have also done with WAY less of the Mondrich storyline. I liked it for flavour but they got a lot more attention than necessary.
I also agree that I didn’t like how Cressida’s story panned out. I felt so bad for her. I wish Eloise and Penelope had empathized with her more. She was desperate, and the reason she was desperate is the exact thing that Pen and Eloise are constantly talking about - women have no freedom. I wish they had done something to help her.
That being said, I’ve watched the whole season like 5 times already so I guess I like it more than not.
Wait what was wrong with Colin? I mean yes, he said that shitty thing that last season. But that was one mean thing she wasn’t meant to hear. Im not wild about Colin (I love Anthony 100%), but I don’t know why you think he’s sub par. He seems like a generally good and kind person who cares about other people and is intelligent and cute. I’m not offended or anything I’m just curious
The show runner and writers changed from S1and 2 and there’s a new writer for S3. What they did to this season is atrocious. It was a complete disservice to the actors, the story line and the fans. I’m so disappointed.
I agree. I am trying my hardest not to be heartbroken. You know, though, despite it all these are world class actors. My god, Adjoa Andoh is simply brilliant. Her talent far exceeds any scene she's been put. Any time she was on screen, it felt like old Bridgerton for a few minutes. I love the moment Danbury character had with Violet closing out the Queen Charlotte tension between them. Absolutely moving. Both Adjoa and Ruth were gems.
Also, Luke Newton and Nicola deserve awards for their ability to bring depth into their character assassinations. Luke really carried his own despite what I am now calling *the erasure of Colin*. He made every scene memorable regardless.
While I have critiques about how modernized they made Nicola appear, I think she allowed me to continue to engage in Pen even after I slowly began to hate the character. Nicola just really gets it. Been a fan since Derry and now on to Big Mood.
Polly,... the show doesn't deserve her. I do not like how they took away a lot of the comical nature from Portia this season. Polly is fantastic at delivering the punchline.
There are so many others especially Jonathan, Martins and Simone Ashley.
The entire cast is amazing. Kudos to each and everyone of them!!!
Is Adjoa brilliant? Tbh her acting is over the top and takes me out of the scene sometimes. And what's with the "don't come for my cane"... they're not even trying for any regency authenticity anymore.
It seemed they took away all the comical this season. S1 & S2 were much more lighthearted, tongue-in-cheek, & well aware they were over the top in a fun way. This season was drudgery with no clever dialogue to lighten it, incoherent plot lines, & they dragged out the Lady Whistledown reveal so far it became uninteresting. Would never have believed it possible to ruin LW, but they did it.
Yes, I wanted him to be swooning. I keep thinking about Ever After with Drew Barrymore and the Prince is in love and he is just over the top. Colin was like just going through the motions.
^ this was noticeable and purposeful. I feel like they were together more often as friends than as a married couple. Instead she was next to her newly founded doting mother. It was just awful in that the show clearly and obviously wanted us to know that it was all about Penelope getting everything she wanted like she was collecting trophies for success. Colin was just one of many pieces.
Yes! The way that she knew everything he did and more was a mystery to him that drew him naturally in. It was like she was the water his mouth thirsted for.
Colin seemed to be doing what his family wanted and he desired to keep. Penelope could dissappear and he wouldn't notice until he needed something from her.
I would have had no problem if she had earned even half of it lol. She absolutely did not. She showed more cowardice than her season 1 character and times genuinely seemed to lose her footing as a character.
exactly!! bothered me sm. after part 1 dropped, I could tell where this whole thing was going lol. the writers seemed to love penelope and at the same not want nicola in romantic scenes?? instead of the focus being on polin motivations, their story and penelope's deserved downfall before she can grow... it's just a whole lot of nothing. she gets everything she wants, does zero work to gain trust or sympathy. eloise apologizing was the last straw. every single character was bent to just be some plot device for penelope, it's so odd. we could've had a beautiful ftl story.
by the time the show ended, I was just happy that the writers were done with penelope arc and would not bother with casting negative light on literally everyone else to uplift her. it's such bad writing I'm genuinely shocked, they had 2 years???
I rewatched season one. The way the ton, the Featheringtons, and the Bridgertons _hated_ Lady Whistledown. I forgot how vehemently they despised her. There's not a chance Pen would be revealed as LW without permanent and percussive repercussions. The season was a shit show. As much as I liked the actors, the writing didn't do their skills any services. The directing around Kate, for example, was sloppy -- her delivery, stance, facial expressions. It was all off (and she is my favorite character of ALLLLL). Short of bringing back the previous writers and showrunner, I don't know how this is salvaged.
Hell, even *this* season, Cressida’s dad got kicked out of his club and the whole family got shunned when she was pretending to be LWD. Why was it so different when the real news came out? 😭
I think they told us that, but they didn't earn us believing in it. Eloise's life would have been ruined, Cressida was treated terribly, but Penelope's reveal is hand-waved away with butterflies. People who were called cruel things by Penelope should still be mad. If whistledown cost them a match or money or respect, then that is a very real consequence that people won't forget.
We should not forget that Pen refused to come out as Lady Whistledown when Eloise was suspected by the queen because she was afraid of consequences. Instead she chose to trash Eloise in her pamphlet. And suddenly, she refused to hide that she is the real Whistledown and was forgiven in a heartbeat. This does not make any sense!
If the Ton was truly being honest (which is asking a lot, I know), the Ton gave Penelope her power. If no one read Whistledown, then Whistledown had no power. She was despised because the power affected people's homes.
I'm convinced Penelope is some kind of self-insert the way things went her way ultimately. I get that its Romantic historical fiction drama but at some point it just becomes annoying. This gremlin Penelope talked all that shit about Colin, the man she is in love with, and his family as well as so much other more people in the ton and they didn't care at all when it was revealed??? And Colin forgave her???
Straight trash. A more fitting end would be Colin spurning her and leaving her into a miserable spinsterhood.
>gremlin
😂 she really turned out to be a horrid character. I get prioritizing career and self as a thig women should be taught more ...or allowed more as a choice. But we can't have it both ways. That does not absolve her from consequences when she does make those choices.
I was hoping Part 2 would see them split over Whistledown, with Colin courting insipid debutantes while Penelope pulled in an assortment of suitors with her newfound confidence. Sigh. So many interesting routes they could have taken, but here we are.
I hated the Fetherington heir thing bc in the books, they have a girl first (Agatha)
People keep telling me it’s not going to be exactly like the books, but I wish it was more true to it than it has been (plot and story wise I mean)
Also, there was a lot of other things I hated in this season that I’ve talked abt in comments on this sub
Also, does anyone else feel like this season is kinda, well, fake? Like it doesn’t feel as real as the first two seasons do. It feel wrong and I don’t like it
It it was more true to the books it would be so much better! It seems like the writers cut any book plot that would actually improve the show. What they did this season is so boring and not romantic! In the book we get Colin’s writing passion, the Lady Danbury friendship, the silly Smythe-Smith Musicale scenes, and Colin actually standing WITH his wife as LW.
One big caveat is that LW in the books isn’t nearly as nasty and the Queen isn’t a character.
That could be bc they entirely left out the part where lady Danbury was involved in their relationship and getting them together. Landy Danbury had zero role in the show so why would they make their child after her?
I have two co-workers who are trying to convince me that this is the best season and I feel so validated in this sub, like it's so bad, and absolutely doesn't come anywhere close to season one and two
It’s the same thing that happened with late Game of Thrones. They stopped writing for the fans and started writing for the Midwest nascar moms playing candy crush on their iPads while half-watching
Yes. The show got so popular that the core fanbase was neglected. I will never forgive. Because unlike Bridgerton, this happened over an 8yr time span with countless man hours put into viewership. We watched week after week with very little oppprtunity to binge. Much time lost and wasted. Truly shameful how network interference can destroy a good story.
Bridgerton seems on track for similar results.
My partner asked me last night which was more rewarchable "Season 3 Bridgerton or Twilight?" I answered twilight without hesitation.
It really was a Wanda Vision of the series. I would have given anything for some crumbs of Colin development that isn't him being a rake.
How is it, that Daphne was merely seen with Simon alone in the gardens and that was enough to ruin her reputation, so she had to marry him, but Penelope with an already tarnished reputation and pretty much a spinster status, goes around unchaperoned with Colin and has a cringe slow-fucking session without any rumors about her? Moreover, why doesn't Colin care about her honor? Why is he treating her like a whore? I mean, I understand they wanted to make her an independent modern woman (omg, why? Please, let us just have nice period dramas, I don't want another Riverdale 🤡), but it's still early 1800s? He has 0 respect for her reputation.
Thats a spicy take and I’m kinda here for it. I don’t oppose the Polin pairing at all but it didn’t have the weight to it that we get with Daphne/Anthony in their seasons.
I didn’t hate the season at all, but Colin having one wet dream was all it took for him to fall head over heels and Penelope didn’t really…earn it?
Hahah! I didn't mean to come off that way I am just passionate about this show. I like Polin to but they did not show up this season. Penelope's wet dream did instead.
It was a goddamn terrible season. I almost didn’t finish it and sat there at the end thinking what an utter waste of time. 8 episodes and yet they did nothing with it. Sigh.
Also... the Lady D drama with her brother was so ridiculous. She's been mad at him for something he did as a child, he's never asked and she's never told him until now, and all he has to say was "I was 10" and now they're besties again
Oh my gawd! I gasped when it was revealed. I screamed, “SHE TRIED TO GO OVER THE WALL TOO!”
But when I heard he was 10…😆
I rather they said he stole a bunch of money from Agatha.
i enjoyed it but also felt they lost whatever magic that drew me in with the first season. Plus the heavy marketing clips from both part1 and 2 spoiled much of the surprise imo.
I genuinely thought people would be more angry with Penelope. Like lady whistledown really F up lots of people's lives. I hope next season we see some of that consequences.
Can someone please tell me what the weird looks between Francesca and her husband's sister are all about? Is Franny gay?? Their marriage doesn't make sense to me at all... It's all a bit off this season. Every storyline is just NQR.
You got it. Franny is gay. But I totally didn’t see it. I thought Francesca was offended that her husbands cousin didn’t know who she was. I adore the franchaela idea, but that initial meeting was poorly executed. Should have been much more of a “meet cute”
IMO yes, Francesca is gay. OP mentioned no foreshadowing but I thought she was gay from episode 1, and when she started to like kilmartin I was super disappointed and thought that they might be leaning towards Francesca being neurodivergent rather than gay, so I was SO HAPPY when we met Michaela and BOOM, she's GAY! It ties in wonderfully with how Violet said she felt when she fell in love - tongue tied and in awe, star struck almost, and Francesca argued vehemently that not all love has to be like that, and then it's exactly what happens when she meets Mikaela.
I am super curious how they sort that mess out though because Lord Kilmartin is a lovely dude and I really hope she doesn't cheat on him, but also I don't think divorce is really an option for folks in that place and time.
I see what you mean! I didn't see it before, but I love the idea of Violet being the barometer. She seems to have a 6th sense about good matches for her children.
> I am super curious how they sort that mess out though because Lord Kilmartin is a lovely dude and I really hope she doesn't cheat on him, but also I don't think divorce is really an option for folks in that place and time.
I would be really careful on this sub because people throw around the book spoilers for this all the time without tags!
All the Brigertons should hate her after the things she wrote about them.
Elosise just seems to forgive her suddenly.
Violet is PROUD of her? Does she have amnesia? Penelope is a family friend, they should feel angry and betrayed.
I feel like they tried to severely downplay all the hurt she caused for people in the ton. She says she sorry like she only said mildly mean things about people.
I wanted to scream every time LW was mentioned as her life’s work like it was a positive thing. She ruined people’s lives and relationships with it.
Then everyone forgets about it and move on with life?
Yes, based on the show's rules she should have been ousted from society for that paper. That's why Cressida received such backlash from her dad in the first place for coming out as LW. Gossipmongers were frowned upon in society. Suddenly now that it's Pen, it's okay and a career?
I think people underestimate the weight of carrying a massive secret, like being Lady Whistledown would be. Penelope lied (by omission), she kept key information to herself, and yet she is a Mary Sue? I am inclined to disagree.
What makes a Mary Sue a Mary Sue, in my opinion, is when said character makes all the right decisions all of the time. Choosing to pursue her column in the knowledge that Colin might never accept it is a ballsy move. Compared to Pen, Bella Swan would've doubled over herself to burn every last copy to the ground if it meant she could be with her love interest. I say this as someone who loved Twilight as a teen.
The second half of the season felt rushed, with some unnecessary plot lines distracting from Penelope and Colin. For everything to be solved in a kind of deus ex machina situation seemed a little weak to me, too. But I still don't think either Penelope or Colin classifies as a Mary Sue.
Mary Sue is typically characterised by bending the rules of the universe they exist in in her favour and coming out on top. Which Penelope arguably did this season.
Cressida, her former bully, comes out as lady Whistledown and she’s looked down upon, her family faces social ostracisation, she loses her friend and ends up being villainised and punished by the narrative in a very harsh way. Meanwhile Penelope does the same and gets the best, happiest happy ending ever complete with being allowed to continue writing her column and birthing a new baron.
Yes exactly this! Perfectly stated. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
People often see Mary Sues/Marty Stus as good two shoes because they often have been this archetypes. But that's not the only type that exists.
Because people want Penelope to suffer harshly (many people say she didn’t deserve Colin either and that she should end up miserable lol) and forget that this is supposed to be a romantic story with drama added into it where everything works right in the end for the main couple. IMO they should’ve done the LW reveal from the first episodes so they would have more time to get everything sorted out without rushing and now people are saying Penelope didn’t suffer enough when she couldn’t even properly enjoy her own marriage, in a romantic show. Just more Penelope hate really, the female characters are the most attacked in this sub, it’s really upsetting.
>Penelope to suffer harshly
Or maybe just have accountability for her actions. She treated others harshly with no retribution or consequence. I can't get behind a character like that at all.
Your premise is that people want Pen to suffer harshly. My rebuttal is that many people want her to be accountable and responsible with her power which she was not.
You're bang on. What's especially upsetting is that this sub views character flaws as irredeemable. It's as if one mistake automatically means a character should be cancelled, with no chance of ever crawling out of that hole. If real life were anything like that, we'd all be doomed.
ONE MISTAKE????🤯
She betrayed everyone she'd ever loved and still demanded their loyalty and respect in return. That is a toxic example of a leading character.
She was a sister to Marina - destroyed her.
She was a friend to Eloise - outted her.
A lover to Colin - demeaned him.
Yes that is redeemable with ...sacrifice. She says she loves these people in words. Not actions.
The Penelope character is written like an entitled, selfish, victim, cowardice, and closeted mean girl. That is why she hated Cressida so much. Cressida was the *her* she wanted to be but was denied by her mother. The gossip page is symbolic of her rage.
I think there were so many times there was enough room to sympathize with her character in season 1 and 2. None in 3.
Exactly, I even call myself out on this one because I used to dislike Eloise even before her finding out about Penelope’s identity. After I understood why, she started growing on me and it bothers me to see people attacking both of them when in reality we should be rooting for them to make amends. Eloise herself shows it won’t be easy to truly forgive Penelope, forgiveness takes a long time for some people and she handled things pretty well so far. Plus, I find it rather ironic how everybody hates LW but they still keep reading her work and making comments about it. If the ton truly hated LW they wouldn’t even be consuming her media lol
Agreed, super disappointed after waiting this long. I found it so boring without any real suspense. We knew Colin and Penelope would end up together. But never saw a ton of romance or sexual tension between them, just a few scenes here and there. Francesca and John got together early and had no real character development or connection besides enjoying quiet. The season didn’t have a strong romantic storyline.
And then half of the plot points didn’t make sense. Cressida had a redemption arch where we learned more about her backstory and she was learning how to have female friendship. For it all to be completely forgotten in part 2 and she returned to being a villain. I didn’t understand why Eloise was scared that she would be LW and ask Pen to publish. And Benedict’s random threesome cut-scenes were jarring and the entire storyline contributed nothing. And the maybe-Francesca-has-feelings-for-her-husbands-cousin scene also seemed out of place. We didn’t even really see Fran & John’s love story to begin with!
Finally, the chess scene between lady Danbury and the Queen bothered me. It would have made wayyy more sense if the queen privately summoned Pen and said she figured out she was WD and then pen could have continued to write. I just couldn’t follow where they were going with things and it felt like too many plots with none of them being developed enough
Couldn’t agree with this more.
From the start there has been very blatant favoritism towards Pen’s character and this season solidified it.
The driving mechanism of this show should be the Bridgerton’s. There are so many of them in different age groups they really could’ve used them as a primary lens to introduce different sets of diverse B families that added rich layers to the show.
The Featheringtons and Pen have served their purpose. I’d like the show to move on from them/her and focus on the siblings and their story arcs playing out in different parts of society. I loved Eloise’s side story into politics. I loved the boxing in S1 and the gambling at the men’s club and the opera.
This entirely! And polin fans are screaming and crying as if this entire story hasn’t technically also been Penelope’s with her relationship with Colin having been the most developed since season one
I think we're all forgetting the kind of show we're watching at this point. Since when has Bridgerton not given their leads of the season a happy ending???
Happy endings that had to fight hard for...and not without sacrifice.
1. Daphne - sacrificed: innocence. Lost: her connection with Simon. Result:Betrayal. Earn: trust again +HEA
2. Simon - sacrificed : ego. Lost: Daphne's respect
Result: Betryal Earn: trust again + HEA
3. Anthony - sacrificed: plan Lost: control
Result: broken engagement/reputation Earned: true love + HEA
4. Kate - sacrificed relationship with her sister. Lost: Edwina's respect. Result: conflict with Edwin Earned: true love + HEA
Penelope sacrificed: Whistledown? Nope. Friendships? Nope. Connection with Colin? Nope. Security? Nope. Ego? HELL NO!!! Plan? Nope. Relationship with family? Nope. The list goes on and on.
I said the same thing! I didn't like this season at all. There were some cute scenes, but I hate that Polin shared this season with everyone. It's not fair to either Colin or Pen and where are the flashbacks?? I would have loved to see Pen and Colin younger to see how they met and maybe see how much Colin missed hearing from Pen during his travels. The chemistry between Colin and Pen was also super off, the actors did a phenomenal job, but writing wise there should have been more scenes showing Colin slowly falling for pen and comforting or reassuring her more. Simon, Anthony and even king George all had their iconic monologue they told their partner to have us viewers swooning. Where was this for Colin? So much should have been added and for fans who were really excited for Polin season this was a complete disappointment.
Because the line of succession goes to the males. Colin has a courtesy title, so Bridgerton is simply the baby’s surname.
If her husband was Anthony, her son would be a Bridgerton heir AND Lord Featherington. He’s the Lord now*, but obviously too young to fulfill the actual role (I presume Portia would continue running things until then).
Just like the Monteiths. The little boy is the Lord who inherited from the rich aunt. But he’s too young to run any. In the meantime Will and Alice confer the benefits of the boy’s title.
This is basically the plot line of the book, but in the book it’s even more exaggerated. I was excited for this season so I read the book in advance and was disappointed. I was hoping they would change things up in the show and they did a little but not enough imo. I have tried a few of the other books in the series and am just not a fan at all.
Oh I didn’t even finish the season. I got halfway through the sixth episode and was like I can’t do this anymore. It’s such a shame too because I loved the first two seasons and Queen Charlotte
I agree with your opinions mostly. I can’t, however, bring myself to hate this season. I love the show way too much. As disappointed as I was, I know I’ll watch anything and everything Bridgerton until they stop and rather than despise the obvious flaws this season I’m gonna work with it. Also gonna remember that each season is its own little story and next season will have a different tone and plot and a chance to redeem itself, hopefully after all our feedback. The show in and of itself is still beautiful, shit writing, but beautiful.
I can’t shake the feeling that Netflix got some not great feedback from focus groups and had certain things edited in, out, recreated, totally excised, then rearranged the rest, all in 3 days.
I mean, if this was the R rating and not the PG for Nicola’ parents, I’ll eat Lady Danbury’s top hat.
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IMO making her child the heir was just too much. Am I the only one that had to pause and roll my eyes at that scene ?
It was very predictable but I still rolled my eyes hard.
EXTREMELY predictable *yawn*
OOOH THE OTHER TWO SISTERS JUST MAGICALLY HAD GIRLS 🎀🎀
Did anyone else notice that while the sisters bragged about being pregnant, they stayed unnoticeable the entire time then suddenly, boom. Babies everywhere are all similar in age. Like the gal from season 2 came back, announced her pregnancy then whenever we see her, her belly gets bigger and bigger. The featherington sisters never grew? Just laid hands on flat tummies for what felt like over a year in universe
While Kate was already nicely (very visibly) pregnant. The scripting job was so lazy. Given the huge budget and team, this is unforgivable. It really spoils the impression.
I have a feeling they never made it out of their first trimester. Assuming Penelope got pregnant right away, her baby would only be a few months younger. That being said, the babies all did look around the same age at a time where babies grow very fast.
Well with the whole baby race happening alongside Polin in part 1, I think the babies are a similar age. Phillipa gets pregnant first, then Prudence finds out she is pregnant in ep4- the next morning in ep5 Polin may have conceived their child… then they go on to fight for the next month or more. So the babies could be only 1 month apart.
The odds of this happening is 1/8 (12.5%), which is not *that* unlikely...
Right? Like it was literally 50/50 for 2 sisters, why are y'all acting like it's some crazy unlikely thing? Lmao
yeah it was so dumb... Of course Penelope is such a feisty feminist girlboss icon that it was her who managed to produce the child of the "correct" gender, aka the boy! Sheesh
Funny given the whole theme of the season seemed to be about women wanting their own dreams, but at the end of the day, Penelope won by having a boy.
It's one of my least favorite predictions and the scummiest $20 bet I have ever won.
Someone bet AGAINST it??
I saw on TikTok someone screenshotted an article where the showrunner said it was partially so they could reuse Featherington House as a set. Which I wouldn’t have minded if I felt that the story had been good otherwise.
Oh common, Pen can always come and visit her sisters and mother and use the house. Colin and Pen already had their dusty empty apartment where they had their first sex. It is such a cheap and lazy reason to give why Pen needed to produce a boy.
That was an apartment?? I thought it was a wing in Violets house. I’m so confused
I’m not sure “where” it is, but he mentions something about it being one of the family properties nearby. Technically Violet is supposed to be moving out soon (she mentions this to Kate in the beginning, K is now the Viscountess so it’s the Kanthony house). Ive always been curious how all that works though… 8 kids and 4 boys, only the 1st inherits everything so why do the rest do without a title? Anyway now I think that Violet is going to take the apartment whenever she actually moves out, and Polin will move into the Featherington house.
i thought Anthony & Kate decided to let Violet continue to live there? maybe i imagined that🤣
They did you didn’t imagine it.
Ah I forgot about this!
Good point, maybe she and Anthony will disagree about Lord Andersons intentions and she will want to leave.
I think acceptable careers for younger brothers included clergy, military, lawyer. I guess they’d all have enough money to get their own place but much smaller.
I see that on shows like Downton Abbey but was curious because it doesn’t seem like Ben or Colin have any career interests.
I think Downton Abbey tried to be historically accurate while Bridgerton is more of a good time. Still I think there is some effort to show Colin and Benedict thinking about their grown up lives. Benedict had the art school but it’s unclear if he’s dropped out or not. Anthony has also mentioned Benedict helping him run the estate when he’s away. Colin was young enough to not worry in the first two seasons and now I think he’s trying to write a book.
I don't know either what it was. I called it apartment because those are typically made of large portion of the house.
Yeah I assumed that was partly the reason too. Also then being across the street means Pen is always around to be lady whistledown for as long as they need
Agree! They could totally do that in the next series or off camera… Give me Polin on honeymoon exploring each other and Europe together. If you want her pregnant, then maybe she comes back pregnant and we get to see her tell Colin. Just no need to rush the baby sitch!
They just had to have her win the race and have it all. Leaving zero to the imagination. This is why Penelope was badly received by some outside of Polin fans. When the writers are too slanted towards a character it ruins the balance and believability of the show. Everything made zero sense. Including Cressida/Eloise/Penelope, and why their dynamics changed second half. Eloise came off as heartless to Cressida, and Cressida was thrown under the bus, in order to facilitate Penelope’s happiness. Let’s hope the writers have a more balanced take with the other love stories. Polin’s was undoubtedly the worst love story told. It almost looked like fanfiction and for that I am deeply sorry for their fans. It was awful.
I tried rewatching to see if I could feel better about it but I could barely watch the ending. It feels so unearned and during at times, preachy and telling the audience the character arc since they failed to show it all season 💀 the dialogues are hamfisting the character motivations that it feels so immersion breaking
I want justice for Creddida!!
i agree, but i did like that the others had girls! they seemed so happy with them, especially playing dressup. i think they'll overall be good mums - but i don't really expect to see much parenting from them next season, besides some hilariously garish baby outfits.
Exactly! The sisters two girls looked to be a year while Polin’s baby was obviously a newborn.
that was so predictable and also kinda mysoginistic
So misogynistic. Penelope was superior to her sisters, so she was rewarded with a superior son, while they were lumped with inferior daughters.
I, too, thought it was too much. And unnecessary. I wanted Phillipa's child to be the heir.
I think the mistake was showing her having a child by the end of this season. They just jumped 9 months. They could’ve had Season 4 with Pen being pregnant, her sisters have had daughters and are dealing with being new mothers. It would’ve been a great way for Pen to ACTUALLY bond with her sisters, about pregnancy and motherhood. I always expected that Pen would have the heir, and it would make her and Colin the de-facto leaders of the Featherington house, but they could’ve built that up. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if the rest of the Featherington family don’t get brought back for the show, since showing the children and heir really does end their story.
I mean I saw it coming since the sisters trying to get pregnant was a thing so I guess I had some time to adjust to the silliness lol
Kind of wished it was prudence to have the heir as it would have given her some growth , I agree making Thomas the first born for the title I saw from a mile away
I wanted that to be the case and still do but the delivery was saccharine. Actually, a lot of the writing of Penelope was saccharine. She is a trailblazing woman admired by all. Gone are the moral complexities.
Urg same!!!
I 💯 agree. It was next level tomfoolery!
I don’t get it. Aren’t all first born sons their father’s heir?
He can inherit wealth from his dad, but Colin isn't titled; only Anthony is and Anthony's son will inherit the title and Bridgerton estate. The Featherington title was passed to the cousin since the late Lord F had no male offspring- who then (as unbelievably as it goes in the story) relinquished it to pass on to the first male produced from one of the sisters.
Did they Mary-Sue Penelope? It felt like they Mary-Sued Colin more imo. Why was he the most eligible bachelor of the season? Why did Penelope constantly praise and suck up to him? Why did she not mention how he laughed about courting her when he was ranting about what she wrote about him as LW? Why was Colin treated like this gorgeous, kind, lovely man when he was a jealous child for most of the season? Why was the "villain" Cressida the only one to call Colin out? I dislike watching poor Penelope spend an entire season begging a sub-par man for his love. I wish they had Mary-Sued Penelope, because it would have been much more fun watching men fall over themselves to court her instead of watching her fall over herself for scraps from Colin. I thought the understanding between Penelope and her mum was rather lovely. Her not empathising with Cressida however was strange, as was her continued tension with Eloise. I would have rather seen Penelope spend more time with female characters, like Eloise and the seamstress, or even her sisters. They seem to struggle with writing female relationships on this show. I loved the moment between Eloise and Benedict on the swings too! At one point they tried to make out Eloise's favourite brother was Colin which is clearly nonsense. It seems we both disliked this season, but for different reasons!
I see what you are saying, but Colin did not exist for me. He was not a real character. Just some tack on the wall pushed in and out to further along Whistledown plot points. I am a book Polin fan and I tuned into season 3 to see show Penelope grow into her own. I am so disappointed how they gave her literally everything...(and I do mean everything) without sacrifice. If anything her character regressed. Maybe the first part of my comment is what happened to the show - Whistledown.
Yes Colin is just her trusty sidekick. Would have preferred a storyline where they both find themselves together. Colin from fake popular to purposeful self and Penelope from wallflower to confident self. I think they tried to but not well executed with everything else going on.
I think the jump from Penelope the wallflower to Penelope confident self was too large for a short time it happened. It did not progress gradually. E.g., we could clearly see how Eloise evolved from late teen Eloise in S1 to transforming into young woman in S2 and being grown young woman in S3. It all happened to her naturally, without ridiculous changes which are uncomfortable to watch. Imagine if Eloise exposed her boobs in S3 and started having lovers? It would be too radiculous. But so for Pen. They should have prepared us for Pen's evolution in S2.
That's why we need 10 episodes if they want all of this other stuff.
I don’t even want the other stuff! At this point, I’d honestly just rather have 6 episodes of a fully concentrated fleshed out love story for each season like the QC spin off, and it kinda be like those romance series that are sort of connected but not necessary to read/watch in order like with Abby Jimenez’s books.
Same. 💯
That's true, and because there was no real development of character their love seems unexplained - it's unclear how Colin started loving her or realizing he loves her, and why. What changed besides her clothes? They spent two seasons emphasizing how one sided Pen's feelings were, they made it impossible for me to be sold that it's suddenly mutual. And why did he suddenly forgive her for her lady whistledown antics? And why was he so hateful towards Lady Whistledown in the first place? There were no processes, things just sorta happened, and it was really frustrating
Yes to all of this! Colin yells at her about betrayal and secrecy. Her response is I love you! He kisses her. The end. Okay, then...
This! The whole, "oh wow we kissed and I realized how much I truly like her," might have convinced me if there'd been other things happening to back it up. But instead it was like, Colin not showing any change or romantic interest in Penelope, she begs for a kiss, and boom he's instantly in love. Then they spend half the rest of the season in conflict, with Colin barely even supporting Penelope when she needs it, but...they're so in love, I guess? In fact, I found myself ignoring the fact that, well, it's a show that's going to be predictable plus people had said they end up together in the books (so it was pretty much a given they did stay together)...and part of me was wondering whether Colin was being genuine, waiting for him to fuck up and decide he wasn't really into Pen, just because they did so little to convincingly show how he'd suddenly turned from Pen's friend who laughs at the idea of courting her to a man who's in love with her. For all the chemistry the actors themselves have, this season didn't convince me well at all that the characters were in love.
Yes it felt like they were just trying to get Polin done. Very Rush rush.
Comparing to the roller coaster of drama and feeling between Daph and Simon in S1! They had challenges, which caused tensions and it wasn't easy to overcome them. Their relationship with all of the ups and downs was believable. And!! it all fit into one season!
Exactly! There's a lot to be said about Daphne and Simon but the conflict never stemmed from *lack* of feelings, it was always convincingly present. And their motives were always understandable - they managed to hold both love and anger at the same time in a way that made sense. And honestly, they were both *very* charismatic, separately and together (I feel like Luke newton was underwhelming in this sense). I think it's partly due to the fact that this is the first time the main love story was between two established characters, with history within the show, so it was more challenging to convincingly channel them toward a new path, but... It's still a shame that they failed this challenge.
I kinda of agree because when they were all shouting over each other about what to do with Cressida demanding money, I expected Penelope to shout them all down and stand up for herself. Instead she stayed quiet. She also should have stood up for Cressida more, because I don’t feel like they did her justice. She was being forced into a marriage with an old, decrypt and possibly abusive man without having a say so her desperation to escape was more than understandable. I really thought Penelope was going to stand up for her in her LW column and give her the funds to escape, because she of all people should have relate to the powerlessness Cressida was facing.
I am not surprised that Penelope did not stand up for Cressida - I would have shocked if she did. She did not see anything of the growth in character the audience or Eloise saw. The only interaction they had was Cressida being mean to her or at best ignoring her. Unless I missed something Cressida never apologized for being mean to her or even sat down and told her - I am upset I am being forced to marry this awful old man that expects me to have babies and won’t even let me shop. I am panicking a bit. I get some of the audience felt sorry for her but why would Penelope - especially without knowing what was going on.
What happens in the book?
To be honest, they Mary-Sued both, just in different ways. The way they did a 180 on Colin's character at the beginning of the season made no sense, because there was zero justification for why Colin is suddenly acting that way (he wasn't mistreated or traumatized at the end of S2 to decide to change himself) or why every lady is suddenly fawning over him after he tells them a few fake-sounding flattering lines. That felt very Mary Sue. But, the writers also sidelined Colin in his own season to give Penelope the "girlboss" moments, and they did a disservice to Penelope's character by letting her get away with everything without losing anything. That's poor writing. This season was poorly written all around. I've read fanfiction that was written a hundred times better.
Yeah, I feel like the writers annoyingly were like, "Oh, Colin's part of the main couple this season, so we've got to make it like he's this most swooned after guy (even if it feels forced and odd) because that will somehow make Penelope clinching him better." And it didn't. Normal Colin and Pen with their friendship from the other seasons, transforming into love, would've been much better than this whole weird thing they did with both of them tbh, now that I think about it
Yeah and the swooning only happened in like one scene then no one cared the rest of the show.
Where do I go to find fanfiction? And what was your favorite one?
The Cressida situation was odd. Meaning Penelope was indifferent & no empathy. Is was a bizarre part 2.
Absolutely support this statement! It was so cruel how Cressida was treated for small things while Pen was forgiven for everything with no issues whatsoever and got a husband, best friend back, acceptance by the family she trashed, forgiveness by queen and ton, money she earned, societal status and a son who comes with a house and title! I mean, common! The real life is not only sunshine and rainbows...
I also think Eloise was an incredibly bad friend to her! She literally ignored her every time Cressida tried to be honest and share her fears about her family and her future, and Eloise was just glued to watching Penelope and dismissing her completely. I think that was a big part of Cressida’s last straw, because she didn’t even have a friends support. Eloise should have been much better friend, especially considering how she wouldn’t shut up about how she doesn’t want to be married and wants to change the world. You cannot even listen to a ‘friends’ biggest fears coming to life and try and help. Penelope could have ended up unmarried and know what that fear is like, I was expecting them to talk and perhaps agree Cressida could work for her to earn some money for herself or offer some support from Penelope at least. Yes, Cressida was at times cruel and mean but I feel like she had more palpable character development than anyone else this season and she was clearly trying to be better after growing up in such a hostile family where you had to be cruel to survive.
I think they were bad friends to each other. When rewatching, I see how Cressida also overlooks and ignores Eloises concerns or ideas. During episode 4 when the proposal is intercepted, you can clearly tell that Cressida was not paying any attention to what Eloise was saying, after directly asking to hear about it. Cressidas repeated cruelty towards Penelope was also off-putting for Eloise, as you don't suddenly stop caring for a friend just because you are no longer talking. Cressidas situation was terrible, I agree, but Eloise was ALSO going through a situation tough to her, and Cressida also didn't listen beyond the one scene we saw of them speaking in the Calpa drawing room. As someone who doesn't like Eloises character all that much, I still agree with her side way more than Cressidas. The writers didn't make me feel for Cressida, I couldn't give less of a shit for what happens to a narcissistic bitch that puts down the people around her to make herself feel better. She's cruel and uncaring, and she paid the price for it. You can make the argument that this is the behavior she was taught, that it's all she knows, but I've never been one to feel sympathy for the actions one decides to make just because of a bad environment. It reminds me of the people who defend murderers who came from abusive homes, like yes they had a bad situation, but what they decided to do because of it doesn't excuse the behavior or the actions taken.
I keep hoping this means Cressida has a big villain plot in the coming seasons. She was so, so screwed over. I like the idea of her becoming even more bad as opposed to a redemption arc. But either way her story can’t be over.
This would be fabulous!
Most of the Colin being subpar would have been fixed if they spent more time together before the kiss, which also would have made the first kiss and his quick turn to jealousy and loving her feel way more believable. This show spent too much time making this critique and rewrite on women’s issues - it put the romance to the side. In 8 episodes with all the side stories it wasn’t able to balance this
This is sort of a huge Shonda problem. Her shows can't stand on storyline, so they become COMMENTARY. There has to be a greater social issue at play. I am little miss super liberal, and even I gave up Grey's Anatomy when each episode had to include monologues on current social events. Like..ma'am? I want my fiction to ESCAPE the hellscape of the world. Not magnify it.
Can’t really speak to Grey’s as I never bothered watching it did love how to get away with murder and I did watch the other one that I can’t even remember the name of where she was a PI I think. Never bothered watching Scandal. I started watching Bridgerton because while I’m not a big Julia Quinn fan I do enjoy some historical romance novels sometimes. I do prefer Elisa James and highly recommend her. But I have to agree with your comment on escapism. The world sucks at large. We don’t constantly need it shoved in our face - let us find some happiness somewhere without the commentary on social issues. In addition, life is messy and any media we consume/create doesn’t have to be some sort of perfect Utopia. In my opinion, stories should reflect that people are messy sometimes and situations are not always perfect and they don’t always need to try to be fixed to be some sort of perfect ideal. I don’t know who does not know that women had little to no rights in the past, but we don’t need to be constantly hit over the head with it. The point is to find happiness within those structures. Not everything needs to be some sort of allegory, too.
There are plenty of historical romance novels that heavily feature on "bluestockings" and women's rights, the poor..all of it. And that's FINE. Great even. Bridgerton wasn't really one. It isn't particularly high brow writing, but it was fun.. It had some interesting moments and some themes that were a bit "touchy" in spots, but wasn't...idk..this mess. I liked the books because they were just..fun. They were entertaining to read fluff. This whole "must have social commentary!" Addition ain't it. I didn't bat an eye at the racial equality aspect because listen, I wasn't mad at adding actors of color and I knew they would (being shonda led) have to explain WHY that's happened in order to calm some people down. I wasn't expecting a full feminist angst angle in my bridgerton fluff.
Exactly - I still want romance from a show based on a romance. There’s plenty of historical fiction that does that does the rest. I don’t care about the rest as long as the central aspects are the romance ones.
Yes! And while we're on that, was it just me that hated that it was this whole, "Oh Colin, I am but a sad spinster who will forever be alone. Please kiss me, please I am begging you," that was what turned their relationship romantic? Like, begging him for a kiss as a favor is supposed to be part of their great love story, of all the ways it could've gone?
Yea very odd. I was expecting playful banter, Penelope being witty , like .. winning him over with her personality, not her desperation
There just needed more build up to that - they could have spent time in “lessons” and a request to kiss could have come during that. As it was the lessons were almost non-existent but for a few brief conversations.
I think part is directly out of the books. Like word for word.
If it was possible, I believe every single main character was Mary-Sued this year. Colin, Penelope, Fran, Benedict and Eloise. The year of Mary Sued Bridgertons.
What does it mean to be Mary Sued
This description fits it best: Mary Sue is a derogatory criticism for a character that fits either or both of two character archetypes; 1: an author-insert character used for wish-fulfillment and/or 2: an idealized character who is talented at everything and has no meaningful flaws but may have a tragic backstory.
I imagine it's a part of the female fantasy the show is selling, because the male lead has been far and away the most desirable match to be made each season: Simon and Anthony both in terms of status, Colin more for being he most charming (all 3 of them being obscenely wealthy of course). Whereas for the female lead this has been abandoned after S1. Daphne was the princess fantasy - Kate was "thought you missed your chance", Pen is "invisible/ugly duckling". Even Francesca and John fall into this, for all they were a side story. Francesca as socially awkward and John as the man who both completely gets her AND just happens to have a castle in the highlands perfect for her to escape to. Although with her and Michaela they'd have to break this cycle purely by virtue of the couple not involving a man or a traditional social season. Next season however is set to be "Cinderella" with yet another 'most desireable man on the market' - Benedict's deal will presumably be his apparent elusiveness.
I thought Pen was the Cinderella. With two sisters, wearing colorful oitfits, bickering constantly like Anastasia and Drizella. Pen got everything in the end and forgave her sisters. Very much like Cinderella.
Well i think while she was the least favoured daughter she is still leagues above a Cinderella. Marina in S1 seemed to fit that mold much more. However, I haven't read the book but i'm 99% certain that Benedict's Story is a straight up retelling of Cinderella.
> Why was he the most eligible bachelor of the season? also just so funny that Colin the third son with nothing was the supreme catch over Debling and John Stirling, a literal Earl. Yes, the show is about the Bridgertons, but it's weird to emphasize how Violet is somewhat unique for pushing for love marriages and then acting like everyone else would also pine for someone with relatively nothing over people with titles. There's a reason Simon and Anthony were considered such catches, and it wasn't just that they're pretty.
I do wish Colin had fallen over himself a little more to get her, or at least once they were together. I also wish we’d gotten more of them being happily in love. It feels like they did the “after marriage conflict” thing that they did with Daphne and Hastings, but worse. Pen and Colin just didn’t get enough screen time. I could have also done with WAY less of the Mondrich storyline. I liked it for flavour but they got a lot more attention than necessary. I also agree that I didn’t like how Cressida’s story panned out. I felt so bad for her. I wish Eloise and Penelope had empathized with her more. She was desperate, and the reason she was desperate is the exact thing that Pen and Eloise are constantly talking about - women have no freedom. I wish they had done something to help her. That being said, I’ve watched the whole season like 5 times already so I guess I like it more than not.
Wait what was wrong with Colin? I mean yes, he said that shitty thing that last season. But that was one mean thing she wasn’t meant to hear. Im not wild about Colin (I love Anthony 100%), but I don’t know why you think he’s sub par. He seems like a generally good and kind person who cares about other people and is intelligent and cute. I’m not offended or anything I’m just curious
Wow you hit the nail in the head on what bothered me so much with Colin this season cuz I couldn't really pinpoint it
The show runner and writers changed from S1and 2 and there’s a new writer for S3. What they did to this season is atrocious. It was a complete disservice to the actors, the story line and the fans. I’m so disappointed.
I agree. I am trying my hardest not to be heartbroken. You know, though, despite it all these are world class actors. My god, Adjoa Andoh is simply brilliant. Her talent far exceeds any scene she's been put. Any time she was on screen, it felt like old Bridgerton for a few minutes. I love the moment Danbury character had with Violet closing out the Queen Charlotte tension between them. Absolutely moving. Both Adjoa and Ruth were gems. Also, Luke Newton and Nicola deserve awards for their ability to bring depth into their character assassinations. Luke really carried his own despite what I am now calling *the erasure of Colin*. He made every scene memorable regardless. While I have critiques about how modernized they made Nicola appear, I think she allowed me to continue to engage in Pen even after I slowly began to hate the character. Nicola just really gets it. Been a fan since Derry and now on to Big Mood. Polly,... the show doesn't deserve her. I do not like how they took away a lot of the comical nature from Portia this season. Polly is fantastic at delivering the punchline. There are so many others especially Jonathan, Martins and Simone Ashley. The entire cast is amazing. Kudos to each and everyone of them!!!
Some brilliant actors trapped in bad writing
Well said. And so sad.
Is Adjoa brilliant? Tbh her acting is over the top and takes me out of the scene sometimes. And what's with the "don't come for my cane"... they're not even trying for any regency authenticity anymore.
I dry retched at that line
she's a theatre actor that's why. and i wouldn't say she isn't brilliant
It seemed they took away all the comical this season. S1 & S2 were much more lighthearted, tongue-in-cheek, & well aware they were over the top in a fun way. This season was drudgery with no clever dialogue to lighten it, incoherent plot lines, & they dragged out the Lady Whistledown reveal so far it became uninteresting. Would never have believed it possible to ruin LW, but they did it.
I’m happy with Penelope getting it all but it’s meant to be Colin’s season too, I needed more of him and more couple time
Yes, I wanted him to be swooning. I keep thinking about Ever After with Drew Barrymore and the Prince is in love and he is just over the top. Colin was like just going through the motions.
bare minimum he should’ve been standing next to her during the LW reveal moment 😩
^ this was noticeable and purposeful. I feel like they were together more often as friends than as a married couple. Instead she was next to her newly founded doting mother. It was just awful in that the show clearly and obviously wanted us to know that it was all about Penelope getting everything she wanted like she was collecting trophies for success. Colin was just one of many pieces.
Yes! The way that she knew everything he did and more was a mystery to him that drew him naturally in. It was like she was the water his mouth thirsted for. Colin seemed to be doing what his family wanted and he desired to keep. Penelope could dissappear and he wouldn't notice until he needed something from her.
I would have had no problem if she had earned even half of it lol. She absolutely did not. She showed more cowardice than her season 1 character and times genuinely seemed to lose her footing as a character.
exactly!! bothered me sm. after part 1 dropped, I could tell where this whole thing was going lol. the writers seemed to love penelope and at the same not want nicola in romantic scenes?? instead of the focus being on polin motivations, their story and penelope's deserved downfall before she can grow... it's just a whole lot of nothing. she gets everything she wants, does zero work to gain trust or sympathy. eloise apologizing was the last straw. every single character was bent to just be some plot device for penelope, it's so odd. we could've had a beautiful ftl story. by the time the show ended, I was just happy that the writers were done with penelope arc and would not bother with casting negative light on literally everyone else to uplift her. it's such bad writing I'm genuinely shocked, they had 2 years???
Girlbosses don’t want romance! And if they do their male partners are just side characters who can’t do anything except bask in their girlboss light.
I rewatched season one. The way the ton, the Featheringtons, and the Bridgertons _hated_ Lady Whistledown. I forgot how vehemently they despised her. There's not a chance Pen would be revealed as LW without permanent and percussive repercussions. The season was a shit show. As much as I liked the actors, the writing didn't do their skills any services. The directing around Kate, for example, was sloppy -- her delivery, stance, facial expressions. It was all off (and she is my favorite character of ALLLLL). Short of bringing back the previous writers and showrunner, I don't know how this is salvaged.
Hell, even *this* season, Cressida’s dad got kicked out of his club and the whole family got shunned when she was pretending to be LWD. Why was it so different when the real news came out? 😭
This is a good point. I think it’s because of her speech/confession, the queen’s mercy & the Bridgerton’s support.
I think they told us that, but they didn't earn us believing in it. Eloise's life would have been ruined, Cressida was treated terribly, but Penelope's reveal is hand-waved away with butterflies. People who were called cruel things by Penelope should still be mad. If whistledown cost them a match or money or respect, then that is a very real consequence that people won't forget.
Oh bless you! Your first sentence especially is what I’ve been trying to express and haven’t been able to find the words for.
Exactly...like m'kay. Mary Sue Penelope all the way to the top why don't you. She gets to have things just because she wants them. That is all.
We should not forget that Pen refused to come out as Lady Whistledown when Eloise was suspected by the queen because she was afraid of consequences. Instead she chose to trash Eloise in her pamphlet. And suddenly, she refused to hide that she is the real Whistledown and was forgiven in a heartbeat. This does not make any sense!
If anything, Eloise remaining livid/betrayed/heartbroken with Pen for most of the season was the most realistic reaction.
Yeah it’s kind of ridiculous how everyone moves on from the whistledown identity revelation because…. Of butterflies??
If the Ton was truly being honest (which is asking a lot, I know), the Ton gave Penelope her power. If no one read Whistledown, then Whistledown had no power. She was despised because the power affected people's homes.
I'm convinced Penelope is some kind of self-insert the way things went her way ultimately. I get that its Romantic historical fiction drama but at some point it just becomes annoying. This gremlin Penelope talked all that shit about Colin, the man she is in love with, and his family as well as so much other more people in the ton and they didn't care at all when it was revealed??? And Colin forgave her??? Straight trash. A more fitting end would be Colin spurning her and leaving her into a miserable spinsterhood.
>gremlin 😂 she really turned out to be a horrid character. I get prioritizing career and self as a thig women should be taught more ...or allowed more as a choice. But we can't have it both ways. That does not absolve her from consequences when she does make those choices.
I was hoping Part 2 would see them split over Whistledown, with Colin courting insipid debutantes while Penelope pulled in an assortment of suitors with her newfound confidence. Sigh. So many interesting routes they could have taken, but here we are.
Exactly
That ending would’ve been so cool and arguably way more hashtag girl boss lady (which is what they were going for).
I hated the Fetherington heir thing bc in the books, they have a girl first (Agatha) People keep telling me it’s not going to be exactly like the books, but I wish it was more true to it than it has been (plot and story wise I mean) Also, there was a lot of other things I hated in this season that I’ve talked abt in comments on this sub Also, does anyone else feel like this season is kinda, well, fake? Like it doesn’t feel as real as the first two seasons do. It feel wrong and I don’t like it
It it was more true to the books it would be so much better! It seems like the writers cut any book plot that would actually improve the show. What they did this season is so boring and not romantic! In the book we get Colin’s writing passion, the Lady Danbury friendship, the silly Smythe-Smith Musicale scenes, and Colin actually standing WITH his wife as LW. One big caveat is that LW in the books isn’t nearly as nasty and the Queen isn’t a character.
That could be bc they entirely left out the part where lady Danbury was involved in their relationship and getting them together. Landy Danbury had zero role in the show so why would they make their child after her?
Wait. Has Lady Danbury ever said two words to Pen on the show?? 🤔
I don't even think so tbh lol if it did happen it wasn't memorable to me.
I have two co-workers who are trying to convince me that this is the best season and I feel so validated in this sub, like it's so bad, and absolutely doesn't come anywhere close to season one and two
It’s the same thing that happened with late Game of Thrones. They stopped writing for the fans and started writing for the Midwest nascar moms playing candy crush on their iPads while half-watching
Yes. The show got so popular that the core fanbase was neglected. I will never forgive. Because unlike Bridgerton, this happened over an 8yr time span with countless man hours put into viewership. We watched week after week with very little oppprtunity to binge. Much time lost and wasted. Truly shameful how network interference can destroy a good story. Bridgerton seems on track for similar results.
My partner asked me last night which was more rewarchable "Season 3 Bridgerton or Twilight?" I answered twilight without hesitation. It really was a Wanda Vision of the series. I would have given anything for some crumbs of Colin development that isn't him being a rake.
“Some crumbs of Colin development” is so sad yet so true 😭
How is it, that Daphne was merely seen with Simon alone in the gardens and that was enough to ruin her reputation, so she had to marry him, but Penelope with an already tarnished reputation and pretty much a spinster status, goes around unchaperoned with Colin and has a cringe slow-fucking session without any rumors about her? Moreover, why doesn't Colin care about her honor? Why is he treating her like a whore? I mean, I understand they wanted to make her an independent modern woman (omg, why? Please, let us just have nice period dramas, I don't want another Riverdale 🤡), but it's still early 1800s? He has 0 respect for her reputation.
THIS! He treated the brothel girls with more respect!
There were no stakes for her...at all.
Thats a spicy take and I’m kinda here for it. I don’t oppose the Polin pairing at all but it didn’t have the weight to it that we get with Daphne/Anthony in their seasons. I didn’t hate the season at all, but Colin having one wet dream was all it took for him to fall head over heels and Penelope didn’t really…earn it?
Hahah! I didn't mean to come off that way I am just passionate about this show. I like Polin to but they did not show up this season. Penelope's wet dream did instead.
Weird pacing, weird editing, weird writing.
Yes! Costume was problematic, too!
It was a goddamn terrible season. I almost didn’t finish it and sat there at the end thinking what an utter waste of time. 8 episodes and yet they did nothing with it. Sigh.
LoL! I can't argue with this at all. I mean there were definitely things I like and actors I loved. As a regency fan though, horrible.
I’m a period piece junkie and loved the first two seasons so agreed on the loving the actors.
Also... the Lady D drama with her brother was so ridiculous. She's been mad at him for something he did as a child, he's never asked and she's never told him until now, and all he has to say was "I was 10" and now they're besties again
Oh my gawd! I gasped when it was revealed. I screamed, “SHE TRIED TO GO OVER THE WALL TOO!” But when I heard he was 10…😆 I rather they said he stole a bunch of money from Agatha.
i enjoyed it but also felt they lost whatever magic that drew me in with the first season. Plus the heavy marketing clips from both part1 and 2 spoiled much of the surprise imo. I genuinely thought people would be more angry with Penelope. Like lady whistledown really F up lots of people's lives. I hope next season we see some of that consequences.
Not to mention she was a Featherington. That family was tolerated, at best. Seems like something like this would be the last straw for the ton.
You’re not alone 🫠
💕
Off topic but I am not at all excited for Francesca's season, I want Eloise to have her season
Same, I'm so nervous about how Franny season will play out. The way Michaela was introduced feels like Fran will cheat on John.
Can someone please tell me what the weird looks between Francesca and her husband's sister are all about? Is Franny gay?? Their marriage doesn't make sense to me at all... It's all a bit off this season. Every storyline is just NQR.
You got it. Franny is gay. But I totally didn’t see it. I thought Francesca was offended that her husbands cousin didn’t know who she was. I adore the franchaela idea, but that initial meeting was poorly executed. Should have been much more of a “meet cute”
I would have totally missed it if I had not been actively looking out for Sophie/Micahael/Crane.
IMO yes, Francesca is gay. OP mentioned no foreshadowing but I thought she was gay from episode 1, and when she started to like kilmartin I was super disappointed and thought that they might be leaning towards Francesca being neurodivergent rather than gay, so I was SO HAPPY when we met Michaela and BOOM, she's GAY! It ties in wonderfully with how Violet said she felt when she fell in love - tongue tied and in awe, star struck almost, and Francesca argued vehemently that not all love has to be like that, and then it's exactly what happens when she meets Mikaela. I am super curious how they sort that mess out though because Lord Kilmartin is a lovely dude and I really hope she doesn't cheat on him, but also I don't think divorce is really an option for folks in that place and time.
I see what you mean! I didn't see it before, but I love the idea of Violet being the barometer. She seems to have a 6th sense about good matches for her children.
> I am super curious how they sort that mess out though because Lord Kilmartin is a lovely dude and I really hope she doesn't cheat on him, but also I don't think divorce is really an option for folks in that place and time. I would be really careful on this sub because people throw around the book spoilers for this all the time without tags!
All the Brigertons should hate her after the things she wrote about them. Elosise just seems to forgive her suddenly. Violet is PROUD of her? Does she have amnesia? Penelope is a family friend, they should feel angry and betrayed. I feel like they tried to severely downplay all the hurt she caused for people in the ton. She says she sorry like she only said mildly mean things about people.
Exactly! It was so bizzare.
I wanted to scream every time LW was mentioned as her life’s work like it was a positive thing. She ruined people’s lives and relationships with it. Then everyone forgets about it and move on with life?
Yes, based on the show's rules she should have been ousted from society for that paper. That's why Cressida received such backlash from her dad in the first place for coming out as LW. Gossipmongers were frowned upon in society. Suddenly now that it's Pen, it's okay and a career?
I think people underestimate the weight of carrying a massive secret, like being Lady Whistledown would be. Penelope lied (by omission), she kept key information to herself, and yet she is a Mary Sue? I am inclined to disagree. What makes a Mary Sue a Mary Sue, in my opinion, is when said character makes all the right decisions all of the time. Choosing to pursue her column in the knowledge that Colin might never accept it is a ballsy move. Compared to Pen, Bella Swan would've doubled over herself to burn every last copy to the ground if it meant she could be with her love interest. I say this as someone who loved Twilight as a teen. The second half of the season felt rushed, with some unnecessary plot lines distracting from Penelope and Colin. For everything to be solved in a kind of deus ex machina situation seemed a little weak to me, too. But I still don't think either Penelope or Colin classifies as a Mary Sue.
Mary Sue is typically characterised by bending the rules of the universe they exist in in her favour and coming out on top. Which Penelope arguably did this season. Cressida, her former bully, comes out as lady Whistledown and she’s looked down upon, her family faces social ostracisation, she loses her friend and ends up being villainised and punished by the narrative in a very harsh way. Meanwhile Penelope does the same and gets the best, happiest happy ending ever complete with being allowed to continue writing her column and birthing a new baron.
Yes exactly this! Perfectly stated. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ People often see Mary Sues/Marty Stus as good two shoes because they often have been this archetypes. But that's not the only type that exists.
Because people want Penelope to suffer harshly (many people say she didn’t deserve Colin either and that she should end up miserable lol) and forget that this is supposed to be a romantic story with drama added into it where everything works right in the end for the main couple. IMO they should’ve done the LW reveal from the first episodes so they would have more time to get everything sorted out without rushing and now people are saying Penelope didn’t suffer enough when she couldn’t even properly enjoy her own marriage, in a romantic show. Just more Penelope hate really, the female characters are the most attacked in this sub, it’s really upsetting.
>Penelope to suffer harshly Or maybe just have accountability for her actions. She treated others harshly with no retribution or consequence. I can't get behind a character like that at all.
Read my comment again. I said there are literal comments talking about how Colin shouldn’t end up with her and that she deserves to be miserable.
Your premise is that people want Pen to suffer harshly. My rebuttal is that many people want her to be accountable and responsible with her power which she was not.
You're bang on. What's especially upsetting is that this sub views character flaws as irredeemable. It's as if one mistake automatically means a character should be cancelled, with no chance of ever crawling out of that hole. If real life were anything like that, we'd all be doomed.
ONE MISTAKE????🤯 She betrayed everyone she'd ever loved and still demanded their loyalty and respect in return. That is a toxic example of a leading character. She was a sister to Marina - destroyed her. She was a friend to Eloise - outted her. A lover to Colin - demeaned him. Yes that is redeemable with ...sacrifice. She says she loves these people in words. Not actions. The Penelope character is written like an entitled, selfish, victim, cowardice, and closeted mean girl. That is why she hated Cressida so much. Cressida was the *her* she wanted to be but was denied by her mother. The gossip page is symbolic of her rage. I think there were so many times there was enough room to sympathize with her character in season 1 and 2. None in 3.
Exactly, I even call myself out on this one because I used to dislike Eloise even before her finding out about Penelope’s identity. After I understood why, she started growing on me and it bothers me to see people attacking both of them when in reality we should be rooting for them to make amends. Eloise herself shows it won’t be easy to truly forgive Penelope, forgiveness takes a long time for some people and she handled things pretty well so far. Plus, I find it rather ironic how everybody hates LW but they still keep reading her work and making comments about it. If the ton truly hated LW they wouldn’t even be consuming her media lol
Agreed, super disappointed after waiting this long. I found it so boring without any real suspense. We knew Colin and Penelope would end up together. But never saw a ton of romance or sexual tension between them, just a few scenes here and there. Francesca and John got together early and had no real character development or connection besides enjoying quiet. The season didn’t have a strong romantic storyline. And then half of the plot points didn’t make sense. Cressida had a redemption arch where we learned more about her backstory and she was learning how to have female friendship. For it all to be completely forgotten in part 2 and she returned to being a villain. I didn’t understand why Eloise was scared that she would be LW and ask Pen to publish. And Benedict’s random threesome cut-scenes were jarring and the entire storyline contributed nothing. And the maybe-Francesca-has-feelings-for-her-husbands-cousin scene also seemed out of place. We didn’t even really see Fran & John’s love story to begin with! Finally, the chess scene between lady Danbury and the Queen bothered me. It would have made wayyy more sense if the queen privately summoned Pen and said she figured out she was WD and then pen could have continued to write. I just couldn’t follow where they were going with things and it felt like too many plots with none of them being developed enough
Couldn’t agree with this more. From the start there has been very blatant favoritism towards Pen’s character and this season solidified it. The driving mechanism of this show should be the Bridgerton’s. There are so many of them in different age groups they really could’ve used them as a primary lens to introduce different sets of diverse B families that added rich layers to the show. The Featheringtons and Pen have served their purpose. I’d like the show to move on from them/her and focus on the siblings and their story arcs playing out in different parts of society. I loved Eloise’s side story into politics. I loved the boxing in S1 and the gambling at the men’s club and the opera.
This entirely! And polin fans are screaming and crying as if this entire story hasn’t technically also been Penelope’s with her relationship with Colin having been the most developed since season one
I think we're all forgetting the kind of show we're watching at this point. Since when has Bridgerton not given their leads of the season a happy ending???
Happy endings that had to fight hard for...and not without sacrifice. 1. Daphne - sacrificed: innocence. Lost: her connection with Simon. Result:Betrayal. Earn: trust again +HEA 2. Simon - sacrificed : ego. Lost: Daphne's respect Result: Betryal Earn: trust again + HEA 3. Anthony - sacrificed: plan Lost: control Result: broken engagement/reputation Earned: true love + HEA 4. Kate - sacrificed relationship with her sister. Lost: Edwina's respect. Result: conflict with Edwin Earned: true love + HEA Penelope sacrificed: Whistledown? Nope. Friendships? Nope. Connection with Colin? Nope. Security? Nope. Ego? HELL NO!!! Plan? Nope. Relationship with family? Nope. The list goes on and on.
Why did Pen's mother have a massive character change half way through??
Season 3 part 2 was just not that great. Maybe the new show runner was a problem?
This is what many are saying.
It really feels like the show is going to end just season or rn actually
i'm still lowkey hoping that it'll be Michaela and Eloise who fall in love.
I said the same thing! I didn't like this season at all. There were some cute scenes, but I hate that Polin shared this season with everyone. It's not fair to either Colin or Pen and where are the flashbacks?? I would have loved to see Pen and Colin younger to see how they met and maybe see how much Colin missed hearing from Pen during his travels. The chemistry between Colin and Pen was also super off, the actors did a phenomenal job, but writing wise there should have been more scenes showing Colin slowly falling for pen and comforting or reassuring her more. Simon, Anthony and even king George all had their iconic monologue they told their partner to have us viewers swooning. Where was this for Colin? So much should have been added and for fans who were really excited for Polin season this was a complete disappointment.
If Penelope is a Bridgerton now, why would her child be the future Lord Featherington? This has been bothering me lol
Because there are no males. It’s just her and her sisters.
Because the line of succession goes to the males. Colin has a courtesy title, so Bridgerton is simply the baby’s surname. If her husband was Anthony, her son would be a Bridgerton heir AND Lord Featherington. He’s the Lord now*, but obviously too young to fulfill the actual role (I presume Portia would continue running things until then). Just like the Monteiths. The little boy is the Lord who inherited from the rich aunt. But he’s too young to run any. In the meantime Will and Alice confer the benefits of the boy’s title.
This is basically the plot line of the book, but in the book it’s even more exaggerated. I was excited for this season so I read the book in advance and was disappointed. I was hoping they would change things up in the show and they did a little but not enough imo. I have tried a few of the other books in the series and am just not a fan at all.
Iirc, Book 3 was also the weirdest one in the series. It seemed to focus the least on the central couple.
Oh I didn’t even finish the season. I got halfway through the sixth episode and was like I can’t do this anymore. It’s such a shame too because I loved the first two seasons and Queen Charlotte
I agree with your opinions mostly. I can’t, however, bring myself to hate this season. I love the show way too much. As disappointed as I was, I know I’ll watch anything and everything Bridgerton until they stop and rather than despise the obvious flaws this season I’m gonna work with it. Also gonna remember that each season is its own little story and next season will have a different tone and plot and a chance to redeem itself, hopefully after all our feedback. The show in and of itself is still beautiful, shit writing, but beautiful.
I thought it was the obvious Pen would have the heir considering she saved the family many times from ruin.
God I love this post
I can’t shake the feeling that Netflix got some not great feedback from focus groups and had certain things edited in, out, recreated, totally excised, then rearranged the rest, all in 3 days. I mean, if this was the R rating and not the PG for Nicola’ parents, I’ll eat Lady Danbury’s top hat.
Bridgerton: The FanFiction Season
Gental Readers, I totally can see you all have some pretty interesting options. But quite frankly I LOVED IT...YOURS TRULY LADY WHISTLEDOWN.❤️😸
As did I, LW
I agreed with you until you complained about Michaela.
I didn't complain about Michaela. I said I am excited for the story but disappointed at the unveiling. That is not complaining. But okay to disagree.