- Season three of “Bridgerton” wrapped up Colin and Penelope’s story, but left fans with even more questions.
- Despite resolving major conflicts, several loose threads remain left to be addressed on season four.
- Business Insider rounded up the biggest burning questions we had after watching the season three finale.
Warning: There are major spoilers ahead for season three of “Bridgerton.”
Season three of “Bridgerton” is over, but there’s plenty of fresh gossip and drama to come when the show returns for season four.
The latest season of Netflix’s hit drama series concluded on June 13, wrapping up Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) and Penelope Featherington’s (Nicola Coughlan) friends-to-lovers romance and appearing to set up Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) as the next leading man.
Even though part two resolved the biggest conflicts of the season, several loose threads remain to be addressed.
Here are all the burning questions we had after watching the season three finale of “Bridgerton.”
After hearing how much Kate (Simone Ashley) misses India, Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) decides that he’d like to visit her home country and wants their future child to grow up knowing their identity as a Sharma. Anthony then suggests that they head to India immediately so that they can arrive in time for the birth of their first baby.
Kanthony doesn’t stick around for Francesca Bridgerton (Hannah Dodd) and John Sterling’s (Victor Alli) wedding, nor do they get a proper send-off before leaving for India.
Details about season four of “Bridgerton” are sparse, so it’s unclear if Bailey and Ashley will return in any capacity next time. However, at a special screening of part two in London, Ashley told reporter Josh Rom that she’ll be back for season four.
“Absolutely,” she said. “Kate Sharma is here to stay.”
It’s unlikely that the viscount and viscountess will be able to run the Bridgerton household from India, which means another sibling will have to step up and take on the responsibilities.
Benedict is the most obvious choice, considering that he took care of the estate while Anthony was on his honeymoon and apparently did a good job.
Now that Lady Whistledown has been unmasked, what is Queen Charlotte going to be up to during season four?
Most of her storyline so far has revolved around her games with Lady Whistledown and trying to figure out who the writer is. Now that Penelope has come forward and spilled her secret to the town, Queen Charlotte will have to find some other source of entertainment.
Season three of “Bridgerton” is set in 1815 and in real life, Queen Charlotte died in 1818. When it comes to the Netflix version of Queen Charlotte, creative liberties are taken. But fans have been theorizing that perhaps the show may kill off the queen.
Cressida (Jessica Madsen), the town’s resident mean girl, is shown to be a complex antagonist that fans could feel sympathy for.
Initially, Cressida comes forward claiming to be Lady Whistledown because she’s desperate to avoid being forced into marriage with an old, repugnant man named Lord Greer. However, he rescinds the offer because of her tarnished reputation. As punishment, Cressida’s cruel father Lord Cowper says he’s going to send her to live in Wales with her Aunt Joanna.
Eventually, Cressida learns that Penelope is Lady Whistledown and attempts to blackmail her so she can use the money to set up a better life for herself abroad. Cressida’s plan doesn’t work, and instead, she’s last seen reluctantly being sent away in a carriage.
It would be strange for “Bridgerton” to write the character off after she played such a pivotal role in this season’s events. Perhaps there’s hope for Cressida to return to town once the drama and controversy has died down. Showrunner Jess Brownell has said that it’s her intention to bring the character back.
When Francesca decides to move to Scotland with John after their wedding, she reassures Lady Violet Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell) that she’ll return to town; she just needs space to learn more about who she is.
In Julia Quinn’s “Bridgerton” book series, Francesca’s love story is the focal point of the sixth installment, “When He Was Wicked.” Fans who read the book (or looked up the spoilers) already know that John dies two years into their marriage and his cousin Michael becomes the new Earl of Kilmartin. Years later, Francesca and Michael reconnect and get married.
The show has already made a huge change in Franceca’s story by introducing a gender-flipped version of John’s cousin, named Michaela (played by Masali Baduza).
Season four is expected to focus on Benedict (though there hasn’t been an official lead announcement yet), so it remains to be seen how heavily the episodes will show the development between Francesca, John, and Michaela in Scotland.
In “When He Was Wicked,” Michael is extremely reluctant to take over his cousin’s title as the Earl of Kilmartin. But now that Michael is Michaela, there’s another concern to contend with: She can’t assume his title at all because she is a woman.
In the book, Francesca is pregnant with her and John’s first child when he dies, but the title passes to Michael after she miscarries. Four years later, she only pursues a second marriage so that she can have children.
Of course, nothing is set in stone: “Bridgerton” could decide not to kill John after all. But the finale fairly plainly set up a romance between Francesca and Michaela, so it’s safe to assume we’ll see more of them in the future. What remains is to see how the show handles the details of their story.
“Bridgerton” finally established Benedict’s long-hinted-at queerness by setting him up in an apparently very long threesome with Lady Tilley Arnold (Hannah New) and her other friend with benefits, Paul. The encounter — specifically, seeing Benedict with another person — made Lady Tilley realize her true feelings for him. Unfortunately for her, it makes Benedict realize that he’s not ready to commit to a serious relationship.
That’s all well and good, but a bit inconvenient when it’s probably about to be Benedict’s turn to get married. His story — and that of his wife, Sophie — would have occurred in season three if the show had followed the books. But showrunner Jess Brownell told Entertainment Weekly that the show’s team didn’t feel like it was Benedict’s time yet.
“He’s such a fun character and such a fan favorite that we are really excited to play with him for a little bit more and let him have more fun before he settles down,” Brownell said.
Benedict definitely did have fun in season three. But we’re curious to see how his approach to romance has changed by the time season four rolls around.
The TV series strayed from Quinn’s novels in several ways throughout season three. One of these changes occurs in the epilogue scene, which shows Penelope and Colin’s baby boy, who becomes the heir and new Lord Featherington since her sisters gave birth to daughters.
None of the characters mention the Polin baby by name, but in the book series, Colin and Penelope have four kids: Agatha, Thomas, Jane, and George.
The epilogue takes place at least nine months later, considering that Penelope has already given birth to her and Colin’s first child. But Kate was already pregnant before Penelope, meaning that she and Anthony had their baby by the time the show skips ahead several months.
Throughout season three, part one, Kanthony’s primary focus was enjoying marital bliss and trying to get pregnant. Wouldn’t it have made sense to complete their season three arc by including a scene showing the couple and their baby in India?
Since the start of “Bridgerton,” Andrews has voiced Lady Whistledown. Her immediately recognizable, warm voice is so synonymous with the show that it’s difficult to hear anyone else saying “dearest gentle reader” — even Whistledown herself, Penelope.
The season three finale ends with Penelope writing her final sentence as Lady Whistledown and signing her name as “Penelope Bridgerton.”
Does that mean Andrews’ work on the show is finished?
In the epilogue, Penelope retires her literary persona but continues her work as a columnist under her own name.
“And hopefully, dear reader, you will stay on to enjoy them with me as we begin the next part of our journey,” she writes, as Coughlan takes over the narration from Andrews.
Lady Whistledown has always been a key component of the series, even before Penelope’s storyline took the spotlight on season three. But with another character leading season four, Polin will likely have less screen time, as is the pattern for all the main couples once they’ve completed their seasons.
Coughlan and Newton already confirmed that they’ll return next season. Fans will probably have to wait a while before getting any solid details about what the future holds for Polin, but Newton told Teen Vogue that he’s sticking around because “there’s still stuff to get sorted in season four.”
Although each season of “Bridgerton” comes out every two years, only a year passes within the show. It may not be easy to keep that momentum forever.
For starters, the younger Bridgerton actors, Will Tilston and Florence Hunt, will be growing much older than the characters they play, which may make them look out of place in later years.
In addition, some of the love stories from the “Bridgerton” books just work better with multi-year gaps between them. In “An Offer From a Gentleman,” there is a two-year gap between the time Benedict meets his lover, Sophie, and when they find each other again to fall in love.
A key element in both “To Sir Phillip, With Love” and “Romancing Mister Bridgerton” is that Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie) and Penelope are in their late 20s and definite spinsters, which makes their desperation for marriage more believable.
If “Bridgerton” is going to adapt every Bridgerton book, the writers may have to start changing their timeline.
A prominent storyline in season three, part one, is Will (Martins Imhangbe) and Alice (Emma Naomi) Mondrich’s promotion to nobility. But the promotion means Will must give up the Gentleman’s club he built up in the previous season.
Will resists this for all of season three, part one. But in episode five, Alice tells Will that his family matters more than the club, so he gives it up. Later in the episode, the pair host a ball to integrate into society properly.
However, after this, the pair are forced to the sidelines again and not given much to do for the rest of the season.
Does this mean Will and Alice’s arc is officially over, or will the “Bridgerton” writers come up with a new storyline for the couple?
It’s worth noting that these characters were created specifically for the show, so the book series won’t give any clues as to where they may end up. Fans will have to wait for season four.
In “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story,” Violet Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell) says she is ready to find a new lover after conversing with Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh). Her first husband, Edmund, died before the series began.
In season three, Violet meets Lord Marcus Anderson (Daniel Francis), Lady Danbury’s widowed younger brother. They bond over losing a partner. Marcus tries to court Violet, but obstacles keep getting in their way.
Lady Danbury and Marcus must first settle a family dispute. Violet is too busy solving her children’s love lives. The pair don’t even get a chance to dance together before the season ends.
Although we will likely have another Bridgerton on the marriage mart in season four, there might be more space for Violet to sort out her own love life, too.
