This author is relieved to report that, although with much angst and precarity, the ends have justified the means in ‘Bridgerton’ Season 3, Part 2. But at what cost?
Picking up from the end of Part 1 when Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) proposed to Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan), Episodes 5-8 offer a heartwarming conclusion to chaotic plotlines and relationships. Even though some elements are predictable and cliché, these episodes captivate viewers in more ways than one, from powerful female agency to changes in book-to-screen adaptations.
As this season’s female protagonist, Penelope continues to grapple with her secret identity as the secret gossip columnist Lady Whistledown. As more and more people discover the truth, she is forced to take drastic measures to protect herself. She lies to her one true love, struggles to win her mother’s praise, and still harbors a complicated ex-friendship with Eloise (Claudia Jessie), Colin’s younger, spirited sister.
In raw and unnerving interactions between Penelope and her mother Portia (Polly Walker), we see how strained this mother-daughter relationship is. Portia advises her daughter that as a wife, she must cater to her husband’s dreams, discrediting any of Penelope’s own. This adds to Penelope’s internal conflict of choosing between marriage and blazing her own trail as a writer.
Once again, we see further developments with fellow debutante Cressida Cowper (Jessica Madsen); she claims to be Lady Whistledown herself and blackmails Penelope after uncovering her secret. I couldn’t help but pity this antagonist, though, as Cressida’s motivation for sullying her own reputation is to obtain the Queen’s 5,000 crown reward for coming forth as the writer, securing her freedom away from her insensitive parents.
Cressida’s plotline poses the question of whether desperation allows for deception. Completing her third season on the marriage mart, Cressida has managed to drive away each of her suitors off English shores: Prince Friedrich to Vienna, Jack Featherington to the Americas and now Lord Debling to the far reaches of the world. Although Cressida doesn’t experience her happily ever after, her story is far from over, and next season should prove very intriguing in this regard.
It’s clear that Shondaland, the show’s production company, advocates for strong female characters and leads. ‘Bridgerton’ Season 3 champions agency, body positivity and pleasure. Given a chance to exercise autonomy — mentally, emotionally and physically — Penelope is now among three female leads who each bring their style and charisma to the table.
The highly-anticipated mirror scene from Colin’s story, “Romancing Mister Bridgerton” by Julia Queen, is adapted into Episode 5 in a steamy montage where Colin and Penelope watch their lovemaking through a floor-length mirror. Aside from this passionate and risqué display, it’s a very emotional and powerful moment for him and Penelope, as she is learning to embrace her beauty through Colin’s encouragement. In an interview with Harper’s BAZAAR, Newton speaks on how the scene resonates with both him and Coughlan.
“It’s one of those scenes that I feel like is essential [to the plot],” he said. “There’s such a beautiful moment when they’re having a shared experience and they just laugh. In that moment, it feels so real and modern. It feels authentic to them.”
The passion so familiar to the Bridgerton world is also explored through Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson), as he pursues a polyamorous relationship with Lady Tilley Arnold (Hannah New) and Paul Suarez (Lucas Aurelio). Although Lady Arnold later desires an exclusive relationship, Benedict shares how he cannot discredit his sexual instincts and how wonderful it feels to be free.
“You’ve opened my world,” Benedict says to Lady Arnold. “And I’m not ready to close it again, just now.”
While the latter four episodes lack disability representation in contrast with the former, they still depict diverse identities and sexualities. There’s a beauty in the fluidity of characters and the liberation they experience, despite how unrealistic their awakenings would’ve been in the true early 1800s.
We also see our first glimpse of religion in the show’s history, followed by a touching scene where Colin and Penelope dance in the empty church. This same church is where the couple marries, and Penelope radiates in a simple yet elegant wedding dress.
Fans of instrumental covers will shed a tear when Penelope walks down the aisle to “Yellow” (Coldplay), a farewell to her old Featherington frock and lifestyle, now becoming a Bridgerton. Other songs include “You Belong With Me” (Taylor Swift) and “pov” (Ariana Grande), along with the incomparable original score by Kris Bowers.
One of the most unexpected moments of the season happens in the finale after Francesca (Hannah Dodd) and John Stirling (Victor Alli) marry. A shock came to fans of the books when John’s cousin, Michael Stirling, received a gender-swap and was introduced as Michaela (played by Masali Baduza). This presents a queer storyline for Francesca next season, and showrunner Jess Brownell shared in an interview with Glamour how audiences may have mixed emotions about this switch.
“Michael Stirling still exists in book world,” Brownell said. “Whereas, queer audiences haven’t gotten the chance to see themselves represented in a major way on the show, which is a show that is in so many other ways so inclusive.”
Also in the finale is Penelope’s dramatic monologue about revealing her identity as Lady Whistledown to the ton, in a moment of shock and delight as she fully embraces this part of her life. We also see Colin — whose reaction in Episode 6 was pained and furious — now beam with pride at his wife’s bravery.
Penelope and Portia reconcile at the end-of-season ball, and Penelope gives her Whistledown earnings to her mother to save the family title. Though it would’ve been wise for her to have designated some of the money toward her future children’s dowries, a heartwarming epilogue in Episode 8 shows how happy endings are still possible.
Now that Penelope has finally found her Lord Whistledown, this author’s attention has turned to speculations about the fourth season. The conclusion to Season 3 hints at explorations of Benedict’s, Eloise’s and Francesca’s storylines. Only time will tell which Bridgerton sibling will receive the spotlight next.
