Lady Whistledown and the Bridgertons are back. Last week, the first half of the highly anticipated and newest season of Bridgerton dropped on Netflix. Now that I’ve gotten to properly view all of the episodes and reflect, it’s time to look at what the highlights are from the first part of this season.
Warning: This article contains spoilers for Season 3, Part One of Bridgerton.
1) Eloise and Penelope’s fallout. We knew things between these two were going to be a bit messy after what went down last season, but I was impressed at how complicated and nuanced it was dealt with. Eloise isn’t trying to destroy Penelope or play mean girl with her, but she’s very hurt and the repercussions of what Penelope wrote as Whistledown have pulled the rug out from under her in a very real way. Anytime Cressida seemed to pull a mean girl on Penelope, Eloise shut it down. Eloise doesn’t tell Colin what went down between them, and she does seem to feel bad for Penelope after Penelope is sort of forced to set the Whistledown treatment against herself. We all have fingers crossed that they can reconcile.
2) The complications of being Lady Whistledown. I’m not sure Shondaland is ready to reveal Penelope as Whistledown during the tv show, but Penelope is definitely feeling the impact of this identity and her actions. While we were upset with Marina for deceiving Colin in season one, outing her as being pregnant could have caused her and the babies to be thrown onto the streets. She also torpedoed her friendship with Eloise in season two. This season, she was on the nasty end of a gossip inducing scene and had to ridicule herself because there’s no way Whistledown wouldn’t have done so. Let’s not forget she infuriated Colin to the point where his finding out could be a huge problem between them in the next four episodes. Book fans paying attention will also appreciate the sneaky detail about the origins of the money Lady Featherington got from an “aunt” as they know it was actually Lady Whistledown money Penelope was using to support the family.
3) Cressida is a more complex character this season. We all hated the seemingly scheming and petty Cressida in season one. This season we see some explanations as Cressida notes to Eloise that women are often set against each other in the marriage mart to try to secure good marriages. Her own family is cold, toxic, and her father is pretty much ready to marry her off to one of his old friends because seasons do not come cheap and Cressida is on her third. Like Penelope, she desperately wants a marriage to get out of her family situation, but Penelope is not at risk of being married off to some friend of her late father’s if she remains a wallflower. I was also pleasantly surprised that Cressida didn’t spread the gossip about Penelope, and that was a result of Eloise not being discrete.
4) Penelope’s scene stealing sisters. We’re aware that women often got little knowledge in sex education, but the fact that Prudence and Phillipa seemed to marry the only clueless men in the ton and Lady Featherington’s reaction was comedic gold. Those two characters are completely underestimated in their comedic potential. I will give a thumbs up to Mr. Finch for being an awesome brother-in-law when he seemed genuinely happy for Penelope’s glow up moment however. He may be clueless about some things, but he is a truly kind man.
5) Penelope takes charge of her life. From the beginning of the season, it was obvious that Penelope can be bold and clever on paper, but not in person, and it was time to reconcile the two. She starts dressing in a way that compliments her, she attempts flirting lessons with Colin, and she starts taking steps to stop being a wallflower in little bits until she attracts the attention of Lord Debling who is seeking a wife. She needed to believe in Penelope, and this season she finally starts to do just that.
6) Francesca’s launch into Society. I always love how each Bridgeton sister has a different reaction to their Presentation. Francesca is there for all of the introverts out there who just want to be allowed to live their introverted life without a lot of public attention. I loved getting to see her meet John Stirling and how the two just got each other so much even wen no one else did. His gesture of getting the music rearranged for her was an absolutely perfect *chef’s kiss* moment.
7) The Mondritch Family joins the ton. It can be complicated to go from untitled person with money to society and the Mondritch family is going to underscore this with their discovery that their son is gaining a title. Fans of period romance might be a little confused at this plotline because generally, you can’t inherit a peerage title through your mother. There are some exceptions that can be explained here. The question does remain about how much they can stay true to themselves while trying to build up opportunities for their kids that they never dreamed of being a reality.
8) Violet and Lord Anderson. Not in the books, but I am 100% here for this. Violet may step into the waters of romantic relationships again, and Lord Anderson never had a chance at a love match. Yes, please. Romance is not just for the young.
9) Colin and Penelope. Watching these two dance around each other for several seasons while we screamed at Colin to get a clue is what helps make the Friends to Lovers trope so popular in the romance genre. Colin needed to mature enough to realize what’s actually important to him and I like seeing how he outgrew what was effectively his Regency Frat Boy pack because he wants something real. Penelope needed to believe in herself and her own value. Colin then needed to realize if he didn’t wake up, someone else might just swoop in and marry Penelope before he can make a move. Penelope needed to stay true to who she is and realize that Lord Debling, as kind as he may be, can’t promise her a love match or even dedicated companionship.
The famous Carriage Scene was absolutely vindicating for fans, but now we go into the last half of the season wondering how the Lady Whistledown issue is going to play out. Book fans may know how things end, but there’s enough variation in these adaptions on how the characters get to that point that the exact path and repercussions is no longer certain.
Bridgerton Season Three Part One is now airing on Netflix. Part 2 will drop on June 13.
