Bridgerton Season 3 Review

Will This Season Bloom or Become a Wallflower?

Dearest gentle reader, we return to the lavish world of regency-era London for Bridgerton Season 3. Where every ball is a spectacle, and every scandal is whispered, this season features a love story two seasons in the making, bringing attention to broken friendships and welcoming new stories for some side characters.

Bridgerton is a historical romance Netflix series created by Chris Van Dusen and adapted from the book series by Julia Quinn. Season 3 is based on the 4th book of the series Romancing Mister Bridgerton. But before we get into the new season, let’s recap the events in season 2, spoilers ahead if you have not watched the last season.

In both seasons a major story arc for Eloise Bridgerton is her trying to find out the identity of the popular gossip publisher Lady Whistledown. Of course, we should all know by now that Lady Whistledown is Eloise’s best friend Penelope. At the Featherington ball, Eloise discovers her friend’s secret identity and all the profits she has made from spreading secrets. The two get into a big fight and end their friendship, which does carry over to this current season. Now moving on to Penelope and Colin, we have watched their friendship develop and evolve for two seasons with Penelope having a crush on Colin. After Penelope’s fight with Elosie, she overhears Colin talking to his friends outside stating that he would never court Penelope, leaving her and the viewers heartbroken.

This season begins with Penelope trying to get over her feelings for Colin and putting herself in the marriage market while keeping her secret identity as the infamous Lady Whistledown. At the show’s start, she attempts to build her self-confidence and move away from being the wallflower she normally is. She meets with her friend/seamstress Madame Delacroix and states that she wants to dress more like they do in France. She then enters the ball wearing a darker green dress for a more sensual adult look and moving away from the flowery yellows like the season before. This change in the show catches the eyes of gentlemen like Lord Debling a potential love interest, her family, the queen herself, and Colin Bridgerton.

The first four episodes of Bridgerton season 3 lean heavily on the relationship between Penelope Featherington & Colin Bridergton. Nicola Coughlan delivers a fantastic performance, bringing out Penelope’s vulnerability and frustration in this superficial society that she lives in. We see Penelope deal with social awkwardness, anger, and heartbreak, making her a very relatable character. Luke Newton steps up in his leading role as Colin Bridgerton. After playing a more secondary role in previous seasons, Colin’s internal struggles and confusion regarding his feelings for Penelope are well-acted and engaging.

This season features Eloise Bridgerton and explores the aftermath of the fight with Penelope. It shows that she is still sympathetic towards Penelope and cannot fully suppress her desire to help Penelope especially when she is ostracized by society. Newcomer Hannah Dodd steps in as Francesca Bridgerton, originally played by Ruby Stokes (role recast due to the actress’s scheduling conflict). Francesca across these four episodes is preparing for her debut before Queen Charlotte, played by Golda Rosheuvel, and her family wants her to be a diamond just like her sister Daphne, played by Phoebe Dynevor, from season 1. Francesca though is more intrigued by the melodies of her pianoforte than the societal pressures of finding love. Her storyline in these initial episodes suggests a potential future arc where she takes center stage.

But the real question now dear reader, is how does this first half of the season hold up? And was it worth watching? Now I am only speaking as someone who has not read the books and is an avid fan of the show. This season got me hooked after the first episode and is an excellent start. I find Penelope and Colin both likable and would like to see them end up together, I also want to see Penelope and Elosie be friends again. I do love their friendship and hopefully, they can work things out in later episodes.

There are a lot of side characters this season and I am curious to see how they play a part in the rest of the story. I feel that this first half of the season has so much going on, with the romance between Penelope and Colin, the Lady Whistledown drama with Elosie, and the Francesca storyline. I just hope their storylines do not get lost in the mix considering this season is only 8 episodes long.

What this author knows to be true, is that this first half is sparkling, showcasing captivating performances, beautiful set design, and musical covers that feature songs like Dynamite by BTS, Cheap Thrills by SIA, and one of my favorite songs Give Me Everything Tonight by Pitbull featuring Ne-Yo, Afrojack & Nayer covered by Vitamin String Quartet & Archer Marsh, which plays behind a very spicy scene. If you read the books, you know what I may be referring to too. For fans like me, the first half will leave us wanting to see the rest of the season unfold. Unfortunately, we must wait until June 13th, when the remaining episodes are released.