Bridgerton has taken the world by storm since its premiere on Netflix in 2020, and as Bridgerton season 3 approaches, there are some plot points the show cannot change from the story in the books. The TV series is based on the book franchise by Julia Quinn, with a total of eight novels that each track the love story of one of the titular Bridgerton children. Both the books and the TV show are a revisionist history of Regency-era London that turns up the volume on the intrigue, scandal, and drama, making the romances all the more watchable.
It’s the first season to deviate from the order of the books, telling the story of Colin (Luke Newton) and Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) from Romancing Mr. Bridgerton, the fourth book of the series.
Season 1 followed the story of Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor) and her love story with the Duke (Regé-Jean Page), while season 2 introduced the amazing enemies-to-lovers romance between Anthony (Jonathon Bailey) and Kate (Simone Ashley). Many fans are sad to say goodbye to Anthony and Kate’s steamy love affair, but Bridgerton season 3 will be very different from seasons 1 and 2. It’s the first season to deviate from the order of the books, telling the story of Colin (Luke Newton) and Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) from Romancing Mr. Bridgerton, the fourth book of the series.
The series creators decided to skip over the third book, An Offer From A Gentleman, which encompasses Benedict’s (Luke Thompson) story because Colin and Penelope’s chemistry was so clear in the first two seasons. However, even though the order of the books has changed, that doesn’t mean all the aspects of Romancing Mr. Bridgerton should be. Plenty of moments particularly between Colin and Penelope, must remain unchanged for their relationship to blossom and for audiences to see how much they mean to each other. Their friends-to-lovers relationship is a highlight of the Bridgerton canon.
How Colin & Penelope Met
Shown in a flashback, proving they always had chemistry
In the book, readers gain insight into Penelope and Colin’s early relationship and the events that set their love in motion. For the first two seasons, Penelope and Colin are good friends, but Penelope wants them to be more. She privately pines for Colin throughout her life, and he obliviously doesn’t see her as anything more than a friend. In the show, it seems as if Penelope has always been attached to the Bridgerton family because of her closeness to Colin’s sister, Eloise (Claudia Jessie). Eloise and Penelope are practically inseparable throughout the first two seasons.
It would be easy to assume that Colin and Penelope met through Eloise, but their first meeting is much more impactful. Bridgerton has incorporated flashbacks before, like in Anthony’s season when he recalled the death of his father, and providing a look back at Colin and Penelope’s first meeting shouldn’t be omitted from the show. As teenagers, they meet on a walk, and Penelope’s hat flies into Colin’s face. In a moment that should be awkward and mortifying, Colin eases Penelope’s anxieties and laughs at his misfortune, showing that he is genuinely a good fit for her.
Penelope & Colin Bonding Over Writing
Establishing their shared interests and intellectual compatibility
What brings them together is their mutual love of writing, though they express it in different ways. In the book, when Penelope discovers Colin’s writing, she’s impressed and intrigued.
Colin and Penelope struggle with how others perceive them throughout the series. Penelope wishes to be taken more seriously and looked at as a romantic prospect by young men instead of an awkward member of a family with a middling reputation. Conversely, Colin wants people to see him as more than yet another charming Bridgerton who has little to offer besides his looks and social standing. What brings them together is their mutual love of writing, though they express it in different ways. In the book, when Penelope discovers Colin’s writing, she’s impressed and intrigued.
Though there’s some concern over Colin and Penelope’s romance in Bridgerton and how different it will be from the books, maintaining the throughline of a connection through writing will strengthen their budding relationship. The fact that Penelope is not only a writer but Lady Whistledown herself becomes a major point of tension between the pair. Understanding that Colin is a writer himself and feels jealousy at Penelope’s success adds nuance to her role as Whistledown and depicts them as equals. This illustration of her success is vital as Penelope frequently puts herself down and thinks she isn’t worthy of Colin.
Colin Discovering Penelope Is Lady Whistledown
Eloise shouldn’t tell him even though she already knows in the show
Bridgerton season 3’s biggest character change will be Eloise. Particularly the relationship between Eloise and Penelope, since Eloise knows she’s Lady Whistedown. The fact that Eloise knows Penelope is Whistledown is a shift from the books, but it was the right move for the show to tell Colin and Penelope’s story in season 3. Penelope needs to break away from her friendship with Eloise to figure out who she is away from the Bridgertons. Additionally, her rift with Eloise will allow Colin to stop seeing her as a little sister and start seeing her as a romantic prospect.
However, Eloise must stay out of their courtship and not disrupt how Colin discovers Penelope’s secret. Bridgerton season 3 has teased that Colin is going to help Penelope find a match in the marriage mart and slowly realize his feelings for her along the way. As they grow closer, he must discover that she is Whistledown on his own as he does in the books. If Eloise were to tell him and rob Penelope of the opportunity to explain her side of things, it could be disastrous for their relationship and would be a betrayal Penelope wouldn’t easily forgive.
The Ton Accepting Penelope As Lady Whistledown
She deserves acceptance after being ostracized for so long
It’s in Romancing Mr. Bridgerton that Penelope’s identity as Lady Whistledown was made public, but instead of being angry at her and casting her out of society, she was celebrated for her work as a writer. It would be difficult for the show to put off this reveal to another season, as Penelope isn’t likely to be a protagonist after her relationship with Colin is chronicled. Extending Penelope’s Lady Whistledown plotline past their story wouldn’t work for the show. Colin and Penelope must end up married and be honest with each other by the end of the season.
Penelope has been cast aside by her friends and family so far in Bridgerton, and her Whistledown unmasking should be triumphant.
It would be shocking if Colin encouraged her to keep her identity a secret and continue hiding from the ton. Instead, season 3 should allow Penelope to come clean with everyone and receive the recognition she’s waited for all these years. It’s true that some of what she wrote as Lady Whistledown hurt people she cared about, but it was an important outlet for her and allowed her to discover her strength as a writer. Penelope has been cast aside by her friends and family so far in Bridgerton, and her Whistledown unmasking should be triumphant.
Colin Supporting Penelope’s Writing And Ideas
Setting aside his jealousy and believing in her
Penelope has faced humiliation at Colin’s hands and has been hurt deeply by his actions. Even if he was never vicious or overlooked her on purpose, that doesn’t change how much their relationship has to come back from in season 3. They both have a lot of maturing to do as characters, and the tables have turned so that Colin must prove he is good enough for Penelope instead of the other way around. A change that season 3 must make is having Penelope enter the marriage mart with newfound confidence and the realization that she can live without Colin.
However, she’ll soon discover that she doesn’t want to be separated as Colin evolves and starts to understand her more deeply. This change should be illustrated through his support of her being Lady Whistledown and the realization that she’s a talented writer with an incisive voice that adds important insight into the workings of the ton. It’s alright if he’s jealous or hurt at first, so long as he sticks to the book’s characterization of love and support in the face of learning that Penelope is more skilled and wise than he knew.
Eloise And Penelope Becoming Friends Again
Forgiving each other and being united as a family
She and Penelope will be on separate paths in season 3, but this will allow them to heal following their blowout fight in season 2 and for Eloise to gain perspective into why Penelope wrote what she did as Whistledown.
Although Eloise’s plotline and romance are bound to change significantly, that doesn’t mean her relationship with Penelope should take a different course. In the book, Eloise gets married around the same time as Penelope. Of course, Bridgerton season 3 has moved up the timeline of these events, so it might be difficult to squeeze in Eloise’s romantic prospects. However, there’s plenty of opportunity for her to heal her relationship with Penelope and for their ending to remain the same. Though Eloise finds out that Penelope is Lady Whistledown differently in the books, she still forgives her and understands.
However, Eloise is much more concerned with who Lady Whistledown is in the show, and season 3 might deviate from Eloise’s story for good. She and Penelope will be on separate paths in season 3, but this will allow them to heal following their blowout fight in season 2 and for Eloise to gain perspective into why Penelope wrote what she did as Whistledown. Seeing them grow as characters and come back together as adults who love and respect each other will be just as rewarding a payoff as witnessing Colin and Penelope fall in love.
