Daphne’s input is crucial in getting Colin to know his feelings for Penelope in Romancing Mr. Bridgerton, making her absence worrisome for S3’s story.

Daphne’s centrality to Bridgerton season 1 guaranteed she wouldn’t have had a similar role in the subsequent seasons, but her absence from Bridgerton season 3 might hurt the story and Penelope and Colin’s romance. Netflix’s Bridgerton mirroring the structure of Julia Quinn’s novels ensured each season would focus on one Bridgerton sibling finding love, even if many of the other Bridgerton siblings would get their own storylines progressing without them being the focus of the season. Unlike the TV show, Quinn’s book series shied away from showing other characters’ stories, but Daphne’s input was often part of the books, even if she only appeared minimally to forward the protagonist’s story.

Phoebe Dynevor’s Daphne absence from Bridgerton season 3’s cast follows Regé-Jean Page not returning as Daphne’s husband Simon for the Bridgerton seasons after season 1, but it would also work with Daphne’s limited role in her siblings’ stories. However, even if Daphne’s role was limited, she crucially influenced her siblings and helped them through their romantic problems, especially her older brothers, with this also canonically happening in Quinn’s book series. Given Daphne’s centrality in getting Colin to understand something very important in Romancing Mr. Bridgerton, her absence could greatly change Bridgerton season 3 and affect Colin and Penelope’s romance.

Daphne Plays An Important Role In Colin & Penelope’s Romance In The Bridgerton Books

While Netflix’s Bridgerton nor the books explored Colin and Daphne’s special bond, Romancing Mr. Bridgerton’s Chapter 16 had Colin ruminating on love and finding himself reaching Hastings House, where Daphne and Simon lived, without meaning to do so. Bridgerton’s fourth book easily introduced how close Colin and Daphne were by using their small age gap, but their heart-to-heart was actually one of the few among siblings in the Bridgerton book series. Indeed, although Colin never wavered about marrying Penelope, having seen all his older siblings marrying for love, he worried about what way to know if it was love or not.

Although Colin’s questions to Daphne slightly unsettled her, her input saying that “love grows and changes every day” and shouldn’t be confused with “some thunderbolt from the sky, instantly transforming you into a different man” still left him with something. From Romancing Mr. Bridgerton’s initial chapters, Colin clearly felt something for Penelope, even losing his patience at certain moments.

For example, when asking for Penelope’s hand in marriage to Portia Featherington, all the Featheringtons kept ignoring and belittling Penelope. However, Colin’s uncertainty about how to define love clearly bothered him, especially on the day of his and Penelope’s engagement ball, as he couldn’t help but wonder if it would be more disastrous to love Penelope or never do so. Daphne’s answers, albeit confused, still helped him in the end.

Daphne Already Played A Similar Role In Bridgerton (& It Was Great)

Anthony’s obstinance in pursuing a marriage of opportunity with a wife who understood his duties rather than one of love upset Violet, but not Daphne, at least not till she caught on his connection to Kate. While Daphne’s suggestions might have gone voluntarily ignored by Anthony, her influence bettered Anthony and Kate’s story, offering comic relief when she made fun of Anthony and an insight into the dynamics involving the eldest Bridgerton siblings. Daphne proved an entirely positive influence in Bridgerton season 2, as she might have stubbornly pushed Anthony toward admitting his feelings for Kate, but she never forced their marriage as he did with her and Simon.

Who Could Take On Daphne’s Book Role In Colin & Pen’s Romance In Bridgerton Season 3?

Daphne’s absence from the show following Bridgerton season 2’s ending risks jeopardizing a beautiful realization about his love for Penelope Colin that comes in the books. However, someone else could take over Daphne’s mantle and help him through his journey to make sense of his feelings for Penelope. After all, Romancing Mr. Bridgerton has Colin realize really fast that not only he is attracted to Penelope, but also that he seems to have feelings for her, even if he can’t precisely pinpoint what they are. Violet having known true love with Edmund might be a beacon for Colin, as he could go to her to ask her about love.

Another option could be Anthony, as his having recently accepted true love in Bridgerton season 2 could make him someone who would help Colin navigate his feelings for Penelope. However, a central point of Daphne and Colin’s heart-to-heart in Romancing Mr. Bridgerton involved Colin being embarrassed about needing help, especially from an older brother like Anthony or Benedict, with this reasoning leading him to Daphne. Another possibility could be another younger sister, but with them not having been the focus of any Bridgerton season, the most probable of them could only be Francesca, whose first marriage happened in 1818 in the books, and could potentially offer him her wise advice.