Dearest gentle reader, the latest season of Bridgerton has the internet abuzz with the sizzles of a slow burn two seasons in the making.
Bridgerton is a historical romance drama that centers the Bridgerton family as they find love. This season follows Penelope Featherington, longtime friend to the Bridgertons, as she gets her happily ever after with her childhood friend, Colin Bridgerton.
However, this first part of the season is off to a very odd start with the disjointed story it’s telling.
Penelope’s Glow Up
After a summer hidden away, Penelope starts season 3 with the glow-up of the century. With a new wardrobe, Penelope begins her mission to find a husband and get away from her family.
In past seasons, Penelope’s wardrobe didn’t make her stand out. Garish yellows paired with very odd dress cuts that made her appear frumpy didn’t do her a lot of favors. However, her wardrobe changes drastically this season, and it’s glorious. Her garish yellows turn into different shades of green that complement her alongside new dress cuts that emphasize her figure.
It’s wonderful how a simple wardrobe change signals to viewers that it’s her time to shine. However, the story itself is all over the place.
Questionable Pacing
Penelope and Colin start the season in a wounded place. Last season, Penelope overheard Colin saying he would never court Penelope. This hurts Penelope’s feelings as she becomes standoffish.
After her glow-up, she meets Lord Debling. They find common ground, leading them to pursue a courtship built on mutual respect and camaraderie, much to Colin’s chagrin. The rest of the season focuses on Colin coming to terms with his feelings for Penelope. Penelope, on the other hand, is trying to let go of her lifelong feelings and settle into a new reality.
Watching Colin writhe in agony over potentially losing Penelope due to his hubris is fun. However, given the drama surrounding the duo, I would have liked to see them have an emotional confrontation before the carriage scene.
A key difference between the TV series and the books is that Colin finds out Penelope is Lady Whistledown before he confesses to her. He confronts her about this, and he devotes himself to her. This is arguably much more romantic as he courts her knowing the good, bad, and ugly sides of her.
Too Many Cooks
A flaw in this first part is that the season heavily focuses on side stories.
The Mondrich family was introduced in season one through Simon Basset. However, in later seasons, they’ve played a small part as they only appear when the main characters appear in their club. Oddly enough, they come into great wealth this season, boosting them into members of the ton overnight. Throughout the season, we watch them struggle with their sudden socioeconomic jump. Normally, navigating the dissonance from being working class to nouveau riche is something I’d enjoy watching.
However, Penelope and Colin’s rushed courtship makes me question if so much time needed to be focused on the Mondriches and other original characters who do not push the central storyline forward.
An exception to this is the side story with Francesca. While Francesca does have a book, and most likely will have a season for herself, her love story does begin in Penelope’s book.
The other exception is Eloise and her relationships with Cressida and Penelope. It seems as if Eloise is used as a lens to expand more on Cressida and her motivation to seek a husband and her clash with Penelope. While Eloise and Penelope have tension this season, it is danced around until the end where there’s some discussion about it. However, their relationship is still in limbo.
Looking Forward to Part Two
As a whole, it is too early for this viewer to make heads or tails on whether or not this season is as strong as its predecessors. There are too many stories going on at once which takes away much-needed focus on Penelope and Colin. Hopefully, the next part wraps up these side stories and focuses more on the central relationship.
