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CW: Potential spoilers ahead

Michelle Monaghan

Dearest gentle reader,

Bridgerton fans finally get to see romance bloom between Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) and Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan), aka ‘Polin’. 

The highly anticipated third season is based on Julia Quinn’s novel Romancing Mr. Bridgerton. However, viewers were only treated to the first half of the new season. The second half is set to be released on 13 June. But is it enough to keep fans hooked?

A New Season, a New Romance

Penelope or ‘Pen’ has clearly had enough of being a wallflower constantly berated by her mother and older sisters. She can’t stand the thought of putting up with it for the rest of her life. But the only solution is to find a husband (the sad reality for women of the Regency era).

By changing her wardrobe with the help of Madame Delacroix (Kathryn Drysdale), Pen transforms from a caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly, in both appearance and personality.

Colin returns from travelling abroad with an entirely new look and persona, too, which immediately attracts the attention of London’s debutantes. But his declaration that he would “never dream of courting Penelope Featherington” has created tension between him and Pen, which he tries to fix in helping her to find a husband, and so the season kicks off. 

Undeniable Chemistry

There is no denying the natural chemistry between actors Luke and Nicola, both on and off screen. Their warm and easy-going nature around each other builds the perfect foundation for their inevitable journey from friends to lovers. 

The way they express their emotions through body language and physical contact is especially convincing. In a scene from the book Colin cuts his hand on broken glass after discovering that Pen has read his journal. Then she bandages his hand and we get a sense of vulnerability from Colin.

You can see this through his darkened gaze as he watches Pen fix his hand and the slightly guarded expression on his face. But as the camera zooms in you see Colin fold his fingers over Pen’s as she lightly holds his fingers, and it becomes a tender but beautiful moment between them. His expression softens when Pen compliments his writing you can see the mixture of emotions running through his eyes before he abruptly pulls away. 

The depth of Pen’s care for Colin is really on show in this scene. Given how Colin reacts as discussed above I believe he senses it. Pen doesn’t need to reassure Colin because it is all conveyed through her eye contact and body language.

Even though she remains completely focused on what she is doing, when she finishes wrapping Colin’s hand she doesn’t pull away. Pen’s fingers linger because she wants this physical contact with Colin, and when his fingers close over his palm as if to keep the bandage in place her fingers follow and they are essentially holding hands. 

“Emotional vulnerability becomes a key theme explored in this season”.

This scene is important not just because it stays true to moments from the book, but also because it is when we see Colin begin to realise his feelings for Pen. 

A Strong Start to the Season

Other than the star couple, there are multiple character stories to follow throughout the season. My personal character highlights are newlyweds Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) and Kate (Simone Ashley), Francesa’s (Hannah Dodd) debut and her search for a match and Eloise (Claudia Jessie) and Cressida Cowper’s (Jessica Madsen) friendship.

Although fans might not be happy about the rift between Pen and Eloise, the latter’s new friendship with Cressida is refreshing. By separating Pen and Eloise you get to see who these characters are without one another and extends to Cressida. 

She may not be the kindest person but you can see how the growing expectation for her to marry  from her family impacts her personality. Cressida’s friendship with Eloise gives her an opportunity to be her true self and similar to Colin, it demonstrates a more vulnerable side of her that we have not yet seen before. Clearly, emotional vulnerability is a key theme this season. 

Following on from Queen Charlotte

Violet Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell) shares a few moments with newcomer Marcus Anderson (Daniel Francis). Following on from Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story the mother of eight is considering whether to open her heart to love again after losing husband Edmund. 

While pondering whether her daughter Francesa has found a ‘spark’, Violet and Marcus discuss their own love lives. In a simple exchange, a connection is formed between the two, illuminating for the audience Violet’s identity, removed from her role as mother. It is also refreshing to see love and initial attraction explored from characters who have experienced love and loss. These characters are free from the pressures that the likes of Pen and Cressida face.

So far, the third season of Bridgerton does not disappoint. Every character has their own story to share. However, there may not be a lot of Polin scenes as expected. The chemistry between Luke and Nicola translates into a true friends to lovers story with every scene between Colin and Pen meaning so much more.

All episodes of Bridgerton Season 3 Part 1 are available on Netflix. 

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Featured image courtesy of Shayna Douglas on Unsplash. No changes were made to this image. Image license can be found here.

Originally from Australia, Michelle moved to the UK to pursue her dream of becoming a journalist. She is a reporter at the Farnham Herald and a NCTJ trainee at News Associates. Michelle holds a Bachelor of International Relations and a Bachelor of Arts, with a Major in Women's Studies and a Minor in Creative Writing from Flinders University.

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