After two years, Bridgerton is finally back with its third regular season, this time focusing on the highly anticipated love story of Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington. Was it worth the wait? Well, the problem is that we're still waiting.
Photo from houseandgarden.co.uk
Considering that the regular series took a break last year to make way for the Queen Charlotte spinoff, hype was real and high for this incoming season of Bridgerton. Fans of the show were eager to finally see the Penelope and Colin (affectionately, "Polin," which is the reason for this article's title) storyline come to a head after two seasons of them being on the sidelines. Book fans might be equally curious to see how the show is going to live up to Romancing Mister Bridgerton.
So far, the show has done quite a good job in building up the would-be romance between the two. The biggest clue that there would definitely be a romance, of course, is Penelope's not-so-secret crush on her best friend Colin. Aside from this, the pair demonstrated a natural chemistry and an intimate bond that lovers of the popular "friends to lovers" trope simply know too well. The second season gave the pair a conflict, Penelope overhearing Colin say that he wouldn't consider courting her, which comes before he leaves to sail across the world.
The show manages to establish the season's major arcs within the first episode. Everyone has returned to the ton after summering in the countryside, and Penelope is starting to deal with the aftermath of the fallout between her and Eloise as well as accepting that she needs to do something about her current situation as a spinster if she wants to leave her family. Colin has returned from his travels with seemingly a new outlook in life and is trying to pick up where he and Penelope left off in their friendship, all while attempting to "help" her find a suitor. Eloise begins a laborious friendship with Cressida Cowper and tries to get close with the other ladies of the ton. We also get a couple of interesting minor plots throughout the rest of the episodes, including everyone's desires (and, in Portia Featherington's case, need) to have heirs, the upward mobility of the Mondrich family, and (potentially) a new partner for Violet Bridgerton.
There are many high points in the show so far. We catch up with newlyweds Kate and Anthony, and we see just how well Kate has meshed with the family in her new role as viscountess. We also see Violet dote on her daughter-in-law and continue her friendship with Lady Danbury. We witness Penelope finally advocating for herself, and she reaps the fruits of her labor quickly enough, going from a wallflower to now having two eligible bachelors vying for her hand in marriage. (Even though she did kind of need Colin's help.) And although it's kind of cringe-y to see Colin try on a broody personality that does not suit him in the slightest, this at least leads to him finally seeing Penelope.
Despite all of that, the season did not need to be cut in half, considering how short it already is. The show already tries to cram too much story into four one-hour episodes, which means that some arcs get a lot less screen time than others. Or, in the case of Penelope and Colin's storyline, it gets rushed in an attempt to have an Act I finale. Colin could definitely have groveled a little more.
That being said, I'm already looking forward to the release of Part 2, which, as of this writing, is still about three weeks away. So they did their job, I guess? Until then, stay tuned for a full season review.
Enjoyed this article? Check out our other features below! If you're a writer looking for a professional editor, look no further. Send your manuscript to themanuscripteditor.com for a complimentary 800-word sample. Let us help you bring your book to life!
Comentários