Bridgerton Season 3: TV Show vs. Book
Where We Find Penelope Featherington
In the Netflix version, Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) becomes our heroine, deciding that at 19, it’s time to completely change herself in order to escape her introverted ways and find a husband. To that end, she ditches the yellow and orange suits she wore for much of seasons one and two, opting instead for more flattering dresses and colors—often wearing Bridgerton’s signature blue. Pen also gets help from Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton), whom she’s had a crush on for years, on how to improve her flirting skills.
The situation is very different for Penelope in the books, who is 28 in Romancing Mister Bridgerton, as the story is set in 1824, 10 years after Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) marries Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley). Penelope in the books is seen as an old maid, and her change in fashion stems more from her mother finally leaving her alone after she didn’t marry. While Pen in the books is also stressed about living with her mother for the rest of her life, that doesn’t push her to find a husband.
Another big difference? No one, not even the reader!, knows that she is Lady Whistledown, the town gossip at the beginning of the book, a secret that isn’t revealed until about midway through the fourth book; Netflix viewers, meanwhile, were treated to that bombshell in season one.
Where We Find Colin Bridgerton
Colin is our handsome young man in season three, and as has been the case with the character throughout the show, Colin’s trajectory in the books is different from Colin’s on the show.
In the books, he’s 33 and has been traveling for years—as opposed to just a few months in the show—rarely leaving him at home. He also finds himself struggling to find his purpose in life, something he’s less concerned about in the show.
As on Netflix, he finds himself increasingly attracted to Penelope throughout the book, and spends much of the book marveling at how kind, funny, and cool Pen is—all qualities he’s surprised he and the rest of the upper class never realized before.
Colin’s Crush on Penelope
In both the book and the show, the feeling really comes to a head for Colin and Penelope when she accidentally reads his travel diary. The book Pen visits the Bridgertons because she’s still best friends with Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie), while the show Pen visits their home in episode two to learn how to flirt privately with Colin.
In both versions, Colin cuts his hand, although in the book it’s with a box cutter and in the show it’s with a broken candlestick.
Regardless, as she wraps his hand, Colin really starts to notice Penelope.
