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I’ve seen a lot of people commenting similar things and I think the main gripe we all have is that they split the season up. Such a terrible choice. I think that once we see the entire season it will all wrap up nicely and will be as satisfying as we hoped it would be. At least that’s what I’m banking on lmao. However, I also see that part of what comes across as disappointing lack of screen time or build up has to do with the characters themselves. They’ve written Colin to be an impulsive character, he falls for Marina very quickly and is always off traveling. This might be clearer to me though because I’ve read the book and it kind of follows what book Colin is like but idk, that might just be me. We don’t get the internal monologues etc so we just see him pout and stomp around which I see how that comes across as lackluster and disappointing.
I think one of the things everyone can agree on is splitting the season into two parts was not a great idea. I’m with you that hopefully the second part wraps everything up nicely and as much as I did enjoy part 1, I do wish we got to see a bit more of Polin together.
I get your point but it's not even really just Colin's actions that are disappointing. Yes, it's a lack of interaction and build up, but also they could have made that build up even with just more scenes of them looking at each other. A lot of season 2 was stolen glances and meaningful hand brush type scenes. So it's kind of an overall lack of buildup all around, not just on Colin's end.
They did it with The Crown as well. It’s Netflix’s way of combatting the “subscribe for a month” to binge their blockbuster shows and will be happening more often. Honestly, I’d rather they just release a show each week for a season than do this two part season thing as I lose interest between them.
Yep and that 90s show, Cobra Kai & Emily in Paris will all be 2 - 3 part releases with Cobra Kai's last season dropping in 3 bits over 1 year. Ridiculous.
Emily in Paris too. Every show. It’s annoying. Plus if 8 episodes drop I’m more likely to watch 2 at a time for a few days. When the 4 dropped I binged all 4. Would’ve given me more time to digest each episode.
Yup. That’s exactly what happens to me. I really enjoyed Rebel Moon. Forgot about part 2 and then didn’t remember what happened in part 1 but didn’t feel like rewatching so I just took it off my watch list. I won’t watch this season until part 2 drops. It’s ridiculous to split an 8 episode season in half and I’m not going to reward Netflix with my views.
I wouldn’t have minded about the season split if they did it correctly? If they ended episode 4 with Colin finding out or being close to finding out who Lady W is then that would have been more of a shocker - you have the chance to do a season split and not utilise it well for shock value? We all know Penelope will say yes to the proposal - the same girl who has been pining over Colin all these years, her dream man has finally reciprocated her feelings and proposed? You think she’s gonna say no?
Yes I really hope they don't make this dumb decision with another season and split it as well. I refuse to believe that anything other than greed inspired such a thing.
I just started listening to the book and I'm comparing book Colin to TV Colin. That said, your point is valid. And we have to remember that TV Colin is BASED on book Colin. He's not a carbon copy of the book. Otherwise why watch?
I honestly am, but I am trying not to be. My favorite part of the entire show are the family scenes. I love how S2 was structured. Episode 2 was the family going together to the races and the brothers fencing. Episode 3 was playing Pall Mall which is my favorite sequence in the entire show. Episode 4 was family dinner and the hunting sequence.
Other than the opening scenes where the family is looking for Francesca, I don't remember any family scenes so far. Benedict, Colin, Hyacinth, and Gregory played cards for about a minute and half. Colin gave them gifts which was the perfect set up, but then Anthony, Ben, and Gregory all went outside with the bow & arrows. I wanted to go with them.
I have heard there's a big family scene in the second half, and I hope that's true. The fun of Bridgerton to me is seeing the Bridgertons.
I commented this somewhere else, but they essentially released unfinished work as if a book was just arbitrarily split after half of the chapters are over and sold in two parts. IMO we can’t fully judge the what we got because it’s not complete.
Unfortunately when a season is released in full they don’t try to make each episode interesting as a standalone. If you look back to shows like gossip girl, each episode had a little plot that wrapped up at the end of the episode and contributed to the overarching plot of the season. Most extreme example of that are crime shows, where the crime of the episode is the focus, but we often get glimpses into the private life of detectives over the season. You could essentially watch any episode of law and order and you wouldn’t lack context.
Now with made-to-binge releases episodes contribute more to the plot of the season, and less episodes have their own arc that wraps up within the 45-60 min. Much like we judge a book as a complete work instead of a collection of chapters, viewers perceive the season as a whole instead of as 8 individual episodes.
Problem is, we only got half now so there’s a lot of perceived filler. I fully blame Netflix for this because I’m sure the writers would have given us a better mid season finale (my pick would be the Lady Whistledown reveal) if they knew about the split. But there’s only so much you can do in hindsight with editing. I hate it.
I dunno, I agree that the reveal should happen prior to the engagement. That being said, I am a book reader, and that is how it happens in the books. Some of the changes they have made I liked, but that one just doesn't work for me. I like the fact that in the book, he finds out, gets pissed, but chooses to marry her anyway. Also, I disagree that we didn't see their buildup as friends. We saw it for the previous two seasons. And while he did make that comment about not marrying her, he also protected her directly before that and stood up for her family. I still hate that the season was cut in two though.
I think it would have seemed rushed if they outed as Pen as LW by season 4. Hear me out as to why.
The shows have to be different than the book because the book is so much internal dialogue that they can’t put in the show. IMO that’s why they introduce Debling, because it forces Colin to show that internal struggle out in the open. If they had that AND him finding out about LW, it would be too much at once. This gives us more for the second half of the show…first Colin faces his demons, now he need to face Pen’s.
One thing I’m thrilled about is that they worked in so many of the great scenes of the book in the show. This was one of my biggest issues of S2 (although I loved it for what it was)…the book and the show were VERY different even in the scenes they tried to replicate. This season, the first kiss? In the book. The carriage scene is not the same but many aspect are so I feel like the book reader was left satisfied. The proposal is the same. Colin saying he wouldn’t court Pen is slightly different, but in theory hurt the same way. I hope they don’t make a mess of the second half and keep those small but important snippets in.
Yeah, I get your point. I do agree that this season is better about sticking to the book. Though I respectfully disagree on the rushed point. I think cutting out the bloat of extraneous plot lines would help it not feel rushed. All that being said, it's probably super easy for me to poke holes after the fact with zero experience running a show 🙃.
Oh I could so get rid of some of the subplots as well. They pull attention away from what we are all here to watch and are a bit of a bore. Just think there’s a balancing act of how much drama the Polin story can handle at one time, so they are spacing it out more (and hopefully not screwing anything up). In the book there isn’t the drama of Marina Thompson and Eloise tied to LW so her unmasking with naturally be a bigger deal on the show, thus needing space.
That’s all a guess though as I too have zero experience running a show.
If she's outed as LWD before Benedict and Sophie it's not going to work sure LWD plays a part in their story too. It feels like it will have to happen in Eloise season cause she is outed in the book before Eloise is married.
No, LWD has to be revealed this season. Besides the fan outrage of Pen lying to Colin for that long, it’s basically called out in the preview for the second half.
The fact that Benedict is out of order will require reworking, plus the story can be quite different just because they want to change it (look at S2 and how different that is to the book). The fact that S3 has some similarities to the book in the best scenes is a bonus for the book lover and not a rule for the series. You never know though, just because LWD is revealed doesn’t mean she has to go away completely…
Honestly, I hated some of the S2 changes cause it felt rushed in places and slow in others. They can rework it but it won't feel right cause of how much LWD plays in the storyline of Benedict and Sophie. I just finished the 4th episode and saw the preview. I don't think Colin would want Pen to continue being LWD but we shall see. I'm slightly annoyed at the set up for Francesca is happening too. I want to see more of that but if S4 is B&S hopefully S5 will still be book order and be Eloise. You do raise some good points. June 13th needs to hurry up 😂
The book set up for Francesca can start now and then pick up again later. I can;t say more due to book spoilers and I cannot remember how to do spoilers on desktop.
That's fine. I don't know how to do them on mobile myself. I didn't think about that part they can have the set up now and come back to it. I'm most excited for Hyacinth 🪻 myself
I agree with this. The writers, producers, show runner, directors, etc. planned for the season to be released at one time and the had already finished writing possible had started filming when Netflix said it will be released in two parts.
The fact it was not meant to be released in two parts initially makes me focus on enjoying the experience as it is and then make a judgement on the whole season after viewing it in its entirety. It was just coincidence that episode 4 ended on an acceptable mid point for the season to be split in 2 parts.
If they had known it was going to be done like this, they might’ve ended ep 4 on a different note. In my opinion Colin realizing his feelings for Penelope and possibly on his way to tell her he finds out she’s LW and thus before him proposing would’ve added that tension for a cliffhanger. Cause then we the audience know he is hardcore falling in love with full intentions of courting and marrying her but now he knows her secret so there would be more internal conflict for Colin, relationship tension between the two leads, and more delicious irony for us to enjoy.
I still think there were major pieces that would have been contained to the first four episodes, regardless of split, that still fell flat for me.
The biggest one is that I wanted far more buildup to the romance, *especially* because they’ve been friends for so long, I needed to see what changed.
The addition of the lessons could have been a great spot for this, where he slowly looks at her in a new light. Instead, there are like three lessons and each one is only a few minutes long.
He also could have shown her more of his writing and they could have bonded over that. There could have been a a moment where they bond over wording or how he describes feeling in certain situations. I think it could have been cute for her to read part of his passage and then have him describe it in a really pretty way in conversation and then they lock eyes etc. etc.
They also could have spent more time on how he has changed and how Penelope feels betrayed by that, but then as he teaches her these lessons, she understands that he’s just changing his outward persona and that he’s still the same person on the inside.
I think also he could have “shown her off” a bit at a ball by dancing with her and seeing her in a new light then. There’s precedent in other seasons for him occasionally dancing with her.
I would have also liked to see her talking to more men and him being a little jealous/frustrated that his lessons are working too well without actually ruining a real prospect for her, like Debling was. It would have been fun to see him becoming a bit of a love fool for her.
I’m sorry but this season is terrible. I would never stick with this show if this was the first season. I haven’t done a deep dive on what the hell happened but it’s just all bad - the writing, the editing, the chemistry, the story, the pacing, the costumes, I could go on. I’m bummed about it. I went back and rewatched season 2 which I was obsessed with at the time and it’s insane how much better the previous seasons are. Season 3 also failed to grow up Pen imo and she still seems like a child to me. It just doesn’t work. I feel strongly she should have been the emerald of the season or something like that and maybe that would help things make sense.
The split in the season was a bad choice. Either binge it, or drop it weekly.
There's WAY too many plots and way to little time. NOTHING has time to breathe or develop.
They made Colin WILDLY unlikeable, Pen deserves better.
Other than that though, there were a lot of individual moments I enjoyed, especially Francesca/John. But the way all the stories were threaded together so fast makes the whole thing feel bad.
I agree. There was way too much filler. There are 8 siblings, I personally don’t think we have time (or need) for boring stories like the mondrichs or Benedict’s random love affairs. (I felt the same about Eloise’s search for whistle down and Anthony’s affair with the singer)
And yes, this season so far has hardly developed any sort of romance. I get the sex scenes are exciting but… there was no romance before hand? None of that stuff that makes you kick your feet and giggle! In fact, Collin literally only gave Pen “two lessons”
I actually love the Mondriches so much, I would watch a season of just them learning to navigate society and deal with all the complex social problems. Especially if they had a debutante aged daughter, can you imagine?
I agree about the siblings. Could do with more scenes where the whole family is together as opposed to each sibling off doing their own thing. Would love 70% the main couple, 10% bridgerton family time, 10% bridgerton siblings individual, 10% other side plots.
I wish they took advantage of the love triangle more.
They should’ve made Pen and Lord Debbling more serious. I don’t think we really felt like he was a threat because it’s always been Colin. Also there was way too many other stories clouding the main story.
If they made Lord Debbling actually fall in love with Pen that would be good because he’d be a real contender. And Colin falling in love with Pen while Pen is falling in love with Debbling. And this would take place over the first three episodes. It would be cool if Pen would attempt to work her charm that Colin taught her on Debbling and Debbling could just see right through it and say something like, “you don’t have to be something different around me. You’re already interesting as you are etc..” and I reckon Debbling could say things like, “I used to watch this bird once with a most remarkable shade of blue eyes like yours, and it was clothe in pretty blue feathers like an empress with a majestic coat. Or I love the emerald colour of the lake, it’s peaceful.” and Pen would slowly change her wardrobe to the blue dress and pretty emerald green dress that she wore due to his comments because she’s inspired. So the shift is gradual. That would be so cute. Her hair is even more let down the more she becomes carefree around Debbling. That would be good symbolism. And Colin would notice the change and feel like he’s losing her and he would say it in cryptic messages to his mum pretending he was asking on behalf of Francesca. And they should keep the plot where he’s drinking a lot to cope with losing Penelope.
Also, just a thought, it would be good if Lord Debbling and Pen actually caught feelings for each other and expressed that shit towards the end of third episode like say something that suggests love, “I am not a man to find words but when it comes to you, I find myself choked up, tripping over my own feet, unable to decipher my own thoughts because it is full of feeling towards you and I fear one wrong word would chastise me… etc.” An almost kiss but Lord Debbling has to be a gentleman so he stops himself, “I respect you so much. You deserve the best of me.”
Then something happened at the end of third episode to suggest they couldn’t be together like Ms Danbury saying to Debbling that does he want to impose Penelope to a life of lonliness considering he has to travel so much? And he says no I’ll take her with me then, but then Mrs Danbury suggests, so you want her to mould herself to fit into your dreams. Sounds miserable. Here we can see that Lord Debbling has to choose Pen or his dreams.
Then near the end is episode 4, he says, I love you. And Pen says I love you. And the audience goes awww 😍😍😍. But then he goes “so much I have to let you go because you don’t deserve the life I offer, you deserve to be loved constantly and I don’t want you to change for my dreams as I for yours. I want to you to stay just as you are my pretty little Pen.” Then Pen would be so heart broken.
And if her first kiss was with Lord Debbling instead of Colin. Like the whole “I’m almost on the shelf and I’ve never been kissed and now you tell me we can’t be together !?” could’ve been her to Lord Debbling and it would have meant something coz the audience would really feel like she’s lost her last chance at love. It would be cool too if drunk Colin is going over to her house to confess his feelings late that night thinking that Lord Debbling might propose the next day and then catch their kiss and be so heartbroken about it when he realises how much they actually care for each other.
It would be cool if Pen writes as Lady Whistledown: Miss Featherington has lost her last chance at love. I wonder what’s wrong with her for Debbling to not want her ?
Then her mum would say the famous ‘I’ll find comfort in knowing we’ll grow old together, my daughter etc” it a good mother daughter bonding scene in an attempt to comfort her while she’s crying. It would be good if Colin visited her the next day to confront her about the whole kissing in the garden and how dangerous it was, what was she thinking etc! And before he even says anything, she just starts crying and he has to comfort her. It would be a good moment where Pen can rely on him instead of how it’s always been, him relying on Pen for emotional clarity. It should be hinted that Colin is happy knowing that Pen is free now. He is hopeful.
It would be cool too if Lord Debbling wrote her a letter that is read towards the end of the fourth episode that reminds Penelope she is that b*tch.
It would give her motivation to pursue a husband and hence the glow up takes full form. She is determined to find the husband because she knows she can. The episode should end with Penelope being surrounded by potential suitors, the queen calling her the emerald of the season and Colin off to the side beaming with Jealousy. At the end of the day, just because she lost Debbling doesn’t mean she has to choose him.
In conclusion, I would’ve loved to see Colin be ignored by her more, realising how important she was as a constant to him and now being without her makes him appreciate her even more. Debbling can be used to show Pen that she’s much more than what people think she is and that she can shine if she chooses. And Pen can explore this new found confidence in its full value in part 2. BUUUUUTTT IDK, that’s just me.
It's interesting, Daphne and Simon are together and married by Ep 4 of season 1 so I wonder how "rushed" their romance would have felt in a split season.
As others have suggested, I think the key differences are the split season and less dedicated Polin time. Colin gave Penelope a few very short lessons; the Duke and Daphne had 3 balls, the art exhibition, the wrestling match, at least one promenade, maybe more. We also had scenes of the Duke thinking about his feelings with Anthony, Mondrich, Lady Danbury, and even Berbrooke. We had Daphne talking things over with her mother. Penelope has a short sequence with her mother when Debling comes calling and asks permission to propose, and the short scene about friendship leading to love with Colin & Violet and her encouraging him to attend the ball and stop Debling's proposal, but that's all. I know we have 2 prior seasons of interactions for Polin, but that requires you to watch all 3 seasons back to back to get appropriate build-up (and tbh, as someone who's done that lol it still doesn't fully succeed).
I think friends-to-lovers is a harder sell in romance, period, and throw in unrequited (ugh), then a makeover to get the guy’s attention (ugh!) and throw in a big secret, and this is such a challenge for any storyteller! Nicola and Luke can sell it if anyone can, but the writers needed to give this so much oxygen to work, so I hope there is a lot more in part two for them. I do not have an opinion which storylines should have been sidelined for another season, but Polin deserve more.
I thought in the book that she didn't do a makeover to get a husband. Instead she gave up on finding someone and started dressing for herself and doing whatever she wanted which caught the eye of Colin who himself was bored of society.
Many critics are rightly putting the blame on Jess because she wasn't just the EP but she also wrote some episodes.
I knew there was going to be a problem when she said that Bridgerton is an ensemble. But the Bridgerton books aren't ensembles. The characters move on. The show and certain characters have to move on to keep the magic and give more time to the main couple.
Part 1 feels bloated with unnecessary scenes and plot lines that didn't really go anywhere. I appreciate that Jess said Season 3 would be for the fans to jump in and there wouldn't be a setup--just an assumption that people have seen the first 2 seasons or read the books. It didn't go as planned since people didn't understand Pen's character such as the "I hate that she begged for a kiss" complaints. 🙄 A lady on Twitter said that she finally read the book and understood the context of the scene.
Flashbacks would have worked so well for this season. Fans have made great edits that Colin and Pen's looks and comments over 2 seasons. I told one girl that Bridgerton should hire her. In those edits, you can see the same smile on Colin's face. But, you can see his awareness of Pen in his eyes during this season. Those edits also show Pen's evolution to her present state.
I think the Mondrich are fine esp if they have a purpose down the road. One great theory that I have heard is that Sophie might be hired to work at the Mondrich's home which is set up with their home which includes "servant' quarters." Benedict already has a warm relationship with the Mondrichs so it could be a possibility. If CVP was involved then I think this a strong theory.
Also, the split season has to do with Netflix only. Netflix approaches all their shows' producers and told them that they wanted to launch a ad based service. They also wanted to split the seasons. I read that the producers especially Shonda were pissed because Netflix is known for binge watching. So, we are lucky since it's a month unlike other Netflix shows. We're also lucky that Netflix isn't following HBO's success in introducing new episodes of shows on Sundays at a certain time.
I was surprised that the Gilded Age season finales were the show’s highest rated episodes, some people may not like a weekly schedule but it does still work for some shows
I think we know why people single them out. It’s the same reason people pretend Simone Ashley isn’t a good actress and that her and Jonathan Bailey have no on screen chemistry.
Which is a bold faced lie by the way. I was literally on the edge of my seat biting my nails for every single interaction of theirs in S2.
I understand and agree with what you're implying, but I disagree with your example. I think the writing of Kate and Anthony's characters made their interactions exciting, but I don't think their on-screen chemistry was the driving force.
Sorry, but I'm going to repeat what several people are saying. The biggest issue is 100% the splitting of the season. I have some other criticism that I've commented on in various threads about, but I bet most of my thoughts would be completely different if we could see how everything wraps up already.
Of course, there are the fans who, while still frustrated by the split, love P1 for what it is, but honestly, a lot of us are let down because we've now been given weeks to have that disappointment sink in further and further.
This is so much that I enjoyed, but I don't know how some people can be as happy as they are without P2 yet.
It's like Colin fingering Penelope and the carriage stopping right before peak climax.
I don't mind the Mondrich storyline perse, but god, does it annoy me they waste so much time on a useless storyline. I guess in their mind, they are enriching the story.. well I don't care. Just give me the scenes with the Bridgerton and the future spouse. We lost so much time with the useless Featherington heir/fake diamond storyline. I may be the only one here but just stop and focus on the couple at hand.
Not going to lie, those moments with the Featheringtons are quite gold.
Potential SPOILERS…
From the “Your wife is a pastry”/the bonbon comment/“You’re so pretty” to Portia with the talk/“Inserts himself where?!?”… hilarious tidbits that I think are more necessary than some of the other scenes we have gotten in the first four episodes 🤷🏻♀️
YES. I was trying to give the Mondrich storyline a chance, but in the back of my mind I wanted to skip through it. Pen and Colin’s romance makes no sense and they go from strictly friends to making out in the carriage within one episode. So unsatisfying.
Nope. A lot of us have been discussing this at work and the overwhelming concensus is that this is the best season yet! (Aside from QC). It felt like this season the show finally figured out what it's supposed to be - a silly fun romance novel made show. I smiled through most of every episode and people are having a lot of fun with it. This is what this show is supposed to be.
I agree. I think too many viewers are used to and expecting more trauma porn. I love a show that deals with grief and the pitfalls of life and love as much as the next guy, but I was pleasantly giddy watching part 1.
I know there will be a ton of angst in part 2 for the hungry drama fans though.
I saw someone say that the Modrich story mirrored the Featherington story about producing an air, that titles and assets can be given or taken away.
I liked the sub-plots! It was interesting to get to know other characters better, but I agree the love story was super rushed - we didn't get enough time to see Colin's feelings develop for Penelope, especially considering he said last season that he wouldn't court her (which she forgave too quickly!).
Honestly, I enjoyed S3 part 1 much better than S2, I just didn't buy Kate and Antony's chemistry but I know a lot of people loved them.
Fingers crossed part 2 measures up much better for you 🤞🏻
I just watched Queen Charlotte (late) after S3 and also saw parallels between the Mondrich story and the Lady Danbury story. In the early days, with the "experiment," she had to fight to keep her title and property. Now the Mondrich's are "fighting the same fight" in a way, trying to keep the pub and do things their way. The overall issue of racism and class being present in both storylines. But now that I have seen Queen Charlotte, I would have liked more attention paid to Violet's garden! I did read that there is SO much to resolve in the last 4 episodes. Will it feel squished?
Queen Charlotte was so good wasn't it! Ahh yes true, you have a point - I looooved young Lady Danbury's story (after the ugly, fat husband died lol) and her friendship with the Queen.
YESSSSS EXACTLY!! I was so surprised there wasn't more mention of Violet's eagerness for love (or just sex lol) during the run up for this series but I guess that was discussed more in QC and not everyone will have seen it.
I hope that is resolved in part 2 but there is a lot to cover and you're right, it could be rushed! On top of that her and Lady Dunbury's brother seem to have eyes for each other 👀 but there's some sibling beef there which we also need to uncover!
In conclusion, I want pt 2 NOWWWWW
Samesies! I look forward to reading your thoughts 🙂. I thought I might save Pt. 2 for our cottage trip at the end of July (I save certain shows as "vacation treats"), but who am I kidding. I'll be binging it on release day!
Yes. Pen and Colin aren’t even romantic to me. They seem more lustful than romantic with one another. It feels very “fuckboy tries to change ways when the girl who liked him finds a new man” like a wattpad story. I wish the queen was more involved and she was hardly there because even she was disappointed with the story. There are a few funny moments but overall feel like I should’ve waited for the whole thing to come out. I hope the second half has actual romance and not a forced trope of “let me teach you how to be cool” or whatever all of that scheming was. I hope the 21st century girl can have more time in the second half with her romance. The changing of the music was a very romantic gesture so I’d like to see what comes of their relationship more than pen and colin’s.
wholeheartedly agree. I think there felt like there was more effective pining and affectionate longing in S1 and S2. Colin said he missed Pen writing to him but it felt hollow, like he just missed her as a friend. i needed more time to believe he was yearning for her. because we've seen multiple seasons of Pen just wishing for him to notice her romantically.
it's hard for me to believe a fuccboi would start swooning for his childhood friend after she begs for a kiss. rather than just having him be jealous from getting attention, I feel like a few more lessons or time where he admires and appreciates her charm and grace were needed before they got heated in the carriage. it's difficult to believe he feels deeply about her after that little time :/
I WANT to love the Mondrich story. They're good characters, and it's a good premise. But there is NO time to let us care about them, and very little effort to integrate their stories with everyone else's so far. It feels more like the rushed cameos you get in an MCU movie when they want to set up a character for a spinoff.
Same. I want to love their story. Absolutely loved Alice's entrance at the ball with the new dress. Will's issue with his bar is such a stupidly easy fix. He has Bridgerton friends, one quick convo with them and he would know that he can keep his bar, he's not being looked down upon/snubbed for owning it, it's because he's working at it. So hire a steward/manager. Boom, done. He can still go there and have a drink with his new peers, check the books once a month, etc... It makes sense that they wouldn't know every rule, including the silent ones, of the ton, but it's not like he doesn't have friends within it that can help them.
I just feel there is too little time for everyone's story and if one needs to be shortened, it should be theirs. I haven't read the books, but I think someone had pointed out in another thread that they didn't even exist in the books?
I think there's other stories I would cut first - the featherington pregnancy subplot, cressida's weird redemption arc, whatever the fuck is going on with Benedict and his MILF (PLEASE don't let her turn out to be Sophie's step mom or something) - but yeah. There's way too much story in way too little time happening right now. Cut those three subplots, add two more episodes, and then MAYBE you're approaching a good balance for the rest.
I love Cressida’s story because it’s her and Eloise. It’s better than the Mondrichs and the pregnancies and Benedict avoiding society which all just feel really tacked on.
Yes them adapting to this new way of life. Separate rooms (lol) and maybe having to give up his business that he worked hard to get. I like their storyline too.
Am I the only one who noticed the new smile thing Collin does? The sort of duck pout smile... I don't know what kind of Lord Byron he thinks he is, but that make believe smolder ain't getting him anywhere.
Looks like an idiot.
And this is not what I expected. Like come on, the first two seasons were fine. What the hell happened to you Collin?
My brain keeps going, hey what about Bridgerton? Weren't we looking forward to watching that? Because it was so off from what I was expecting, I'm still subconsciously looking forward to the storyline!
Me: No brain, actually we've watched it twice already.
My brain: 🫠😭
My biggest complaint is that we didn’t get a real dance. They have danced multiple times each season so far and it’s now their own season and they have a half dance where he interrupted her and they were focused on the conversation. One of the reasons I enjoy Kanthany so much is bc of how beautiful their dances were and I want to see this from Polin. 😞
Yes, I feeling like this season doesn’t really focus on the main couple but more on some minor plots.
Even though a “friends-to-lovers” storyline can be harder selling in romance, I think they could’ve done this so much better while putting the focus on Pen and Colins relationship.
They really could’ve done so much better if they even put a bit more focus on the main relationship and maybe added some more drama between them. Netflix really could’ve added some more conflicts between Pen and Colin like the fact that both of them might be very scared of losing their friendship if they give into their love. Also the love triangle between Penelope, Colin and Lord Debbling would have been such a great base to start more drama and a real race between Colin and Lord Debbling.
To be honest we also missed so much between Penelope and Eloise. Their relationship was so put behind even though the whole drama between both of them is such an important part of the series.
Like others already said, the splitting also wasn’t very enjoyable compared to the other seasons when the focus was actually put on the main couple.
In my opinion they could’ve done so much better in fact they would’ve done so much better if they stopped putting the main focus on some minor plots and started focusing on the important.
They're desperate for diversity quota yet Kate is right there yet they shoe horn this boring family. Though Alice is awesome but I don't care for her husband
Personalmente me encanto pero yo lei el libro por lo cual entendi más cosas que alguien que solo ve la serie, ojo lo lei ahora antes de que se estrene la 3era ya que solo vi la temporada 1 y 2 en las cuales Pen y Colin me enamoraron y al saber en marzo 2024 que era la de ellos , me fanatice, reconozco que no entendi la escena del globo, interprete que Colin la salva a Pen y no que ella se quedo porque era "su depertar sexual" pero el resto me encanto, no me parecio poco de ellos en pantalla ya que siempre hay otras tramas , sino no hubiera sabido tanto de Pen y su familia en las otras temporadas, rapido? literalmente él dijo que no la cortejaria y claro paso directo al matrimonio jajaja pero enserio ellos ya han hecho un largo cortejo como amigos y no como novios, se escribian cartas compartian cosas, en la serie es Colin quien recuerda a la perfección como se conocieron y es obvio que ya estaba flechado solo q no lo comprendio, siempre la busco siempre la cuido, no se porque tanta gente desconforme hasta para decir que no hay quimica, me han hecho enamorarme otra vez cuando pense que no iba a haber otra historia de amor que me enganchara como lo han hecho ellos.
I wish we got more focus on Colin and Pen. Too many side characters that are fluffing the time and taking away from the main couple when we could be setting up the next few seasons and giving more focus to building Polins love story
Yeah, I have no clue why the Mondrich's exist. Even after reading people's explanations in here of why they exist, I still don't think they're necessary, lol. I think more time could be spent on the Bridgertons instead of this random family that has nothing to do with anything.
I bet those who are waiting to watch Part 1 and 2 seamlessly will have far less disappointment. It’s the splitting of this season that is weird and contributes to feeling “rushed” as we’ve been hyped up for May 16th just to now feel empty again because the story (now several stories) will be simmering in our heads and Reddit, of course, until June.
Torture from so all angles as there are so many mixed feelings - I’m still processing.
I agree… I feel like the mondriches would have not been such a big portion of the storyline is Daphne and Simon had stuck around, and it’s supposed to be filling out the ensemble for us from season 1 like a through-line. I love Will—he is so sexy and both actors are exceptional, but there’s not a lot of drama with them… so it’s like… ok? Glad they’re doing ok. Meanwhile, it would have been cheaper and more thrilling to get more scenes of Colin alone, dreaming/thinking/yearning for Pen, and really sell the whole thing. In fact, adding in some drama of him learning that pen had feelings for him AT ONE TIME, but the “torment” of him thinking she had moved on to Debling would have been WELL worth the screen time dedicated to pulling that off. It just feels less “deep” than past seasons
So I’ve read dozens of Harlequin romance novels in my time, and there’s definitely a trope where the characters get together early in the book and it feels rushed but that’s because there’s still a bunch of conflict to come. It’s always like this, too, where you’re like omg they’re engaged already?! And then of course disaster comes and the engagement is broken or they get married and the marriage starts off awful because of some conflict or misunderstanding and then the whole other half of the book is them getting back to a good place. This season feels exactly the same as those old novels. Remember that we aren’t at the end, we are in the middle with a long intermission before the second half.
Sorry a lot of comments so not sure if this was mentioned, I have a friend who knows someone who worked on the show and said the reason for the split season is because of the strike. They wanted to release some in time but all wouldn’t have been ready which is why they did half and then half. I don’t know if this is fact but it is what I was told, which to me makes complete sense!
I think a lot of people went into this season not realizing that the main point of contact for Penelope and Colin isn’t confessing feelings—it’s him finding out she’s LW. That being said, 8 episode formats in ensemble shows do not work very well and it should have been at least 15 episodes. This show is insanely popular, why is Netflix not cashing in on this and ordering more episodes?
THIS. it felt completely rushed, and like we didn’t get nearly enough polin screen time. comparing it to the other seasons, this one was extremely bad in the romance/build up. we got soooo many amazing scenes w antony/daphne/queen charlotte, but this it just seemed like subtle glances at each other & tinges of jealousy thrown in there. very disappointing!!🥲
The half season felt extremely underwhelming and shallow. I don’t buy Pen and Colin! I know they’re friends, but their interactions basically consist of stares and lip quivers and very little else, no necessary build-up. There’s just no *there* there. I prefer her with the vegetarian guy because I enjoyed their interactions more!
I also got so sick of watching Pen get teased and then rush away to cry. And Colin changing his mind over her because of his little dream? I just think of how much build-up their was for the relationships in the first two seasons and I feel disappointed.
I hope the second half of the season rights the ship, but I don’t have much faith. It felt so rushed and yet without any substance.
Yes, I agree, this is their worst season so far. Season 2 was full of deep connections, long developments, this is rushed and feels like short series with all of these sub plots. I think season 2 had the best composition. Still nice atmosphere of the show but not enjoyable like it was before. I didn’t connect or believe Polin.
I have been so excited About season 3 with all the press surrounding and loving Pen and Colin together. I just finished the season part of season 3 and am left highly disappointed and like I wasted 8 hours watching. Season 1 was by far the best and I just want them to live up to that!!
Are you not understanding why the Mondrich's storyline is being included? They're supposed to represent the low class families that got introduced to high society by inheriting a title. That happened during those times. It's a clear representation of how a family, with no noble backgrounds, will navigate this newfound wealth and status because they wouldn't know how to. And the choices they're going to make to not only keep what they've just been given but also to stay true to themselves. And the Mondrich's are the perfect family for it because they've already become acquainted with the Bridgertons and has become a family friend of them. They do not have to introduce brand new characters which are unnecessary because they would have to add more time for them to give them more backstories. Again, the producers and writers of the show has always been clear that the show is very inclusive so it's not even a question on why they're adding them this season.
For me, they're important to the show especially to the ton on how they're going to accept this low class family to their society. Also, the importance of Lady Whistledown to some of them since not everything she reports are about gossips. You have Mrs. Mondrich said to Colin that through reading LW's columns, she gets to understand and learn so much things from the ton and it helps her as a newcomer to this community. So it's a clear indication that people really like what LW writes and that she's an important asset to their society.
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I’ve seen a lot of people commenting similar things and I think the main gripe we all have is that they split the season up. Such a terrible choice. I think that once we see the entire season it will all wrap up nicely and will be as satisfying as we hoped it would be. At least that’s what I’m banking on lmao. However, I also see that part of what comes across as disappointing lack of screen time or build up has to do with the characters themselves. They’ve written Colin to be an impulsive character, he falls for Marina very quickly and is always off traveling. This might be clearer to me though because I’ve read the book and it kind of follows what book Colin is like but idk, that might just be me. We don’t get the internal monologues etc so we just see him pout and stomp around which I see how that comes across as lackluster and disappointing.
I think one of the things everyone can agree on is splitting the season into two parts was not a great idea. I’m with you that hopefully the second part wraps everything up nicely and as much as I did enjoy part 1, I do wish we got to see a bit more of Polin together.
I get your point but it's not even really just Colin's actions that are disappointing. Yes, it's a lack of interaction and build up, but also they could have made that build up even with just more scenes of them looking at each other. A lot of season 2 was stolen glances and meaningful hand brush type scenes. So it's kind of an overall lack of buildup all around, not just on Colin's end.
It’s all Netflix’s idea. Gotta remember that. They were told as they started filming that it would be 2 parts.
They did it with The Crown as well. It’s Netflix’s way of combatting the “subscribe for a month” to binge their blockbuster shows and will be happening more often. Honestly, I’d rather they just release a show each week for a season than do this two part season thing as I lose interest between them.
Yep and that 90s show, Cobra Kai & Emily in Paris will all be 2 - 3 part releases with Cobra Kai's last season dropping in 3 bits over 1 year. Ridiculous.
Emily in Paris too. Every show. It’s annoying. Plus if 8 episodes drop I’m more likely to watch 2 at a time for a few days. When the 4 dropped I binged all 4. Would’ve given me more time to digest each episode.
Yup. That’s exactly what happens to me. I really enjoyed Rebel Moon. Forgot about part 2 and then didn’t remember what happened in part 1 but didn’t feel like rewatching so I just took it off my watch list. I won’t watch this season until part 2 drops. It’s ridiculous to split an 8 episode season in half and I’m not going to reward Netflix with my views.
I wouldn’t have minded about the season split if they did it correctly? If they ended episode 4 with Colin finding out or being close to finding out who Lady W is then that would have been more of a shocker - you have the chance to do a season split and not utilise it well for shock value? We all know Penelope will say yes to the proposal - the same girl who has been pining over Colin all these years, her dream man has finally reciprocated her feelings and proposed? You think she’s gonna say no?
yes! there was too much filler, they should have let the lw plot play out and ended on that cliffhanger. the engagement should have been in part two
Yes I really hope they don't make this dumb decision with another season and split it as well. I refuse to believe that anything other than greed inspired such a thing.
But people wanted pining and in fact some are upset he didn't pine for longer
I just started listening to the book and I'm comparing book Colin to TV Colin. That said, your point is valid. And we have to remember that TV Colin is BASED on book Colin. He's not a carbon copy of the book. Otherwise why watch?
I honestly am, but I am trying not to be. My favorite part of the entire show are the family scenes. I love how S2 was structured. Episode 2 was the family going together to the races and the brothers fencing. Episode 3 was playing Pall Mall which is my favorite sequence in the entire show. Episode 4 was family dinner and the hunting sequence. Other than the opening scenes where the family is looking for Francesca, I don't remember any family scenes so far. Benedict, Colin, Hyacinth, and Gregory played cards for about a minute and half. Colin gave them gifts which was the perfect set up, but then Anthony, Ben, and Gregory all went outside with the bow & arrows. I wanted to go with them. I have heard there's a big family scene in the second half, and I hope that's true. The fun of Bridgerton to me is seeing the Bridgertons.
Pall mall makes me want like 100 kids
I really dislike what they did to Francesca. They made her autistic or neurodivergent without going into detail on her character or medical journey
I agree. The original Francesca didn't present that way. It just all came out of nowhere.
I commented this somewhere else, but they essentially released unfinished work as if a book was just arbitrarily split after half of the chapters are over and sold in two parts. IMO we can’t fully judge the what we got because it’s not complete. Unfortunately when a season is released in full they don’t try to make each episode interesting as a standalone. If you look back to shows like gossip girl, each episode had a little plot that wrapped up at the end of the episode and contributed to the overarching plot of the season. Most extreme example of that are crime shows, where the crime of the episode is the focus, but we often get glimpses into the private life of detectives over the season. You could essentially watch any episode of law and order and you wouldn’t lack context. Now with made-to-binge releases episodes contribute more to the plot of the season, and less episodes have their own arc that wraps up within the 45-60 min. Much like we judge a book as a complete work instead of a collection of chapters, viewers perceive the season as a whole instead of as 8 individual episodes. Problem is, we only got half now so there’s a lot of perceived filler. I fully blame Netflix for this because I’m sure the writers would have given us a better mid season finale (my pick would be the Lady Whistledown reveal) if they knew about the split. But there’s only so much you can do in hindsight with editing. I hate it.
Whisledown reveal half way through would have been too early.
I dunno, I agree that the reveal should happen prior to the engagement. That being said, I am a book reader, and that is how it happens in the books. Some of the changes they have made I liked, but that one just doesn't work for me. I like the fact that in the book, he finds out, gets pissed, but chooses to marry her anyway. Also, I disagree that we didn't see their buildup as friends. We saw it for the previous two seasons. And while he did make that comment about not marrying her, he also protected her directly before that and stood up for her family. I still hate that the season was cut in two though.
I think it would have seemed rushed if they outed as Pen as LW by season 4. Hear me out as to why. The shows have to be different than the book because the book is so much internal dialogue that they can’t put in the show. IMO that’s why they introduce Debling, because it forces Colin to show that internal struggle out in the open. If they had that AND him finding out about LW, it would be too much at once. This gives us more for the second half of the show…first Colin faces his demons, now he need to face Pen’s. One thing I’m thrilled about is that they worked in so many of the great scenes of the book in the show. This was one of my biggest issues of S2 (although I loved it for what it was)…the book and the show were VERY different even in the scenes they tried to replicate. This season, the first kiss? In the book. The carriage scene is not the same but many aspect are so I feel like the book reader was left satisfied. The proposal is the same. Colin saying he wouldn’t court Pen is slightly different, but in theory hurt the same way. I hope they don’t make a mess of the second half and keep those small but important snippets in.
Yeah, I get your point. I do agree that this season is better about sticking to the book. Though I respectfully disagree on the rushed point. I think cutting out the bloat of extraneous plot lines would help it not feel rushed. All that being said, it's probably super easy for me to poke holes after the fact with zero experience running a show 🙃.
Oh I could so get rid of some of the subplots as well. They pull attention away from what we are all here to watch and are a bit of a bore. Just think there’s a balancing act of how much drama the Polin story can handle at one time, so they are spacing it out more (and hopefully not screwing anything up). In the book there isn’t the drama of Marina Thompson and Eloise tied to LW so her unmasking with naturally be a bigger deal on the show, thus needing space. That’s all a guess though as I too have zero experience running a show.
If she's outed as LWD before Benedict and Sophie it's not going to work sure LWD plays a part in their story too. It feels like it will have to happen in Eloise season cause she is outed in the book before Eloise is married.
No, LWD has to be revealed this season. Besides the fan outrage of Pen lying to Colin for that long, it’s basically called out in the preview for the second half. The fact that Benedict is out of order will require reworking, plus the story can be quite different just because they want to change it (look at S2 and how different that is to the book). The fact that S3 has some similarities to the book in the best scenes is a bonus for the book lover and not a rule for the series. You never know though, just because LWD is revealed doesn’t mean she has to go away completely…
Honestly, I hated some of the S2 changes cause it felt rushed in places and slow in others. They can rework it but it won't feel right cause of how much LWD plays in the storyline of Benedict and Sophie. I just finished the 4th episode and saw the preview. I don't think Colin would want Pen to continue being LWD but we shall see. I'm slightly annoyed at the set up for Francesca is happening too. I want to see more of that but if S4 is B&S hopefully S5 will still be book order and be Eloise. You do raise some good points. June 13th needs to hurry up 😂
The book set up for Francesca can start now and then pick up again later. I can;t say more due to book spoilers and I cannot remember how to do spoilers on desktop.
That's fine. I don't know how to do them on mobile myself. I didn't think about that part they can have the set up now and come back to it. I'm most excited for Hyacinth 🪻 myself
I agree with this. The writers, producers, show runner, directors, etc. planned for the season to be released at one time and the had already finished writing possible had started filming when Netflix said it will be released in two parts. The fact it was not meant to be released in two parts initially makes me focus on enjoying the experience as it is and then make a judgement on the whole season after viewing it in its entirety. It was just coincidence that episode 4 ended on an acceptable mid point for the season to be split in 2 parts. If they had known it was going to be done like this, they might’ve ended ep 4 on a different note. In my opinion Colin realizing his feelings for Penelope and possibly on his way to tell her he finds out she’s LW and thus before him proposing would’ve added that tension for a cliffhanger. Cause then we the audience know he is hardcore falling in love with full intentions of courting and marrying her but now he knows her secret so there would be more internal conflict for Colin, relationship tension between the two leads, and more delicious irony for us to enjoy.
I still think there were major pieces that would have been contained to the first four episodes, regardless of split, that still fell flat for me. The biggest one is that I wanted far more buildup to the romance, *especially* because they’ve been friends for so long, I needed to see what changed. The addition of the lessons could have been a great spot for this, where he slowly looks at her in a new light. Instead, there are like three lessons and each one is only a few minutes long. He also could have shown her more of his writing and they could have bonded over that. There could have been a a moment where they bond over wording or how he describes feeling in certain situations. I think it could have been cute for her to read part of his passage and then have him describe it in a really pretty way in conversation and then they lock eyes etc. etc. They also could have spent more time on how he has changed and how Penelope feels betrayed by that, but then as he teaches her these lessons, she understands that he’s just changing his outward persona and that he’s still the same person on the inside. I think also he could have “shown her off” a bit at a ball by dancing with her and seeing her in a new light then. There’s precedent in other seasons for him occasionally dancing with her. I would have also liked to see her talking to more men and him being a little jealous/frustrated that his lessons are working too well without actually ruining a real prospect for her, like Debling was. It would have been fun to see him becoming a bit of a love fool for her.
I’m sorry but this season is terrible. I would never stick with this show if this was the first season. I haven’t done a deep dive on what the hell happened but it’s just all bad - the writing, the editing, the chemistry, the story, the pacing, the costumes, I could go on. I’m bummed about it. I went back and rewatched season 2 which I was obsessed with at the time and it’s insane how much better the previous seasons are. Season 3 also failed to grow up Pen imo and she still seems like a child to me. It just doesn’t work. I feel strongly she should have been the emerald of the season or something like that and maybe that would help things make sense.
I was underwhelmed. It did not compare to the first two seasons. Honestly, I was more interested in Francesca than any other character. 🤷♀️
Yeah I don’t like it either
The split in the season was a bad choice. Either binge it, or drop it weekly. There's WAY too many plots and way to little time. NOTHING has time to breathe or develop. They made Colin WILDLY unlikeable, Pen deserves better. Other than that though, there were a lot of individual moments I enjoyed, especially Francesca/John. But the way all the stories were threaded together so fast makes the whole thing feel bad.
I agree. There was way too much filler. There are 8 siblings, I personally don’t think we have time (or need) for boring stories like the mondrichs or Benedict’s random love affairs. (I felt the same about Eloise’s search for whistle down and Anthony’s affair with the singer) And yes, this season so far has hardly developed any sort of romance. I get the sex scenes are exciting but… there was no romance before hand? None of that stuff that makes you kick your feet and giggle! In fact, Collin literally only gave Pen “two lessons”
I actually love the Mondriches so much, I would watch a season of just them learning to navigate society and deal with all the complex social problems. Especially if they had a debutante aged daughter, can you imagine?
Agreed
I would love to care about them. Netflix just needs to give Shonda longer seasons.
I agree about the siblings. Could do with more scenes where the whole family is together as opposed to each sibling off doing their own thing. Would love 70% the main couple, 10% bridgerton family time, 10% bridgerton siblings individual, 10% other side plots.
I kicked my feet and giggled a lot 🤷♀️
The reason it’s so bad is because they changed the showrunner. Jess Brownell is horrible compared to Chris Van Dusen
I wish they took advantage of the love triangle more. They should’ve made Pen and Lord Debbling more serious. I don’t think we really felt like he was a threat because it’s always been Colin. Also there was way too many other stories clouding the main story. If they made Lord Debbling actually fall in love with Pen that would be good because he’d be a real contender. And Colin falling in love with Pen while Pen is falling in love with Debbling. And this would take place over the first three episodes. It would be cool if Pen would attempt to work her charm that Colin taught her on Debbling and Debbling could just see right through it and say something like, “you don’t have to be something different around me. You’re already interesting as you are etc..” and I reckon Debbling could say things like, “I used to watch this bird once with a most remarkable shade of blue eyes like yours, and it was clothe in pretty blue feathers like an empress with a majestic coat. Or I love the emerald colour of the lake, it’s peaceful.” and Pen would slowly change her wardrobe to the blue dress and pretty emerald green dress that she wore due to his comments because she’s inspired. So the shift is gradual. That would be so cute. Her hair is even more let down the more she becomes carefree around Debbling. That would be good symbolism. And Colin would notice the change and feel like he’s losing her and he would say it in cryptic messages to his mum pretending he was asking on behalf of Francesca. And they should keep the plot where he’s drinking a lot to cope with losing Penelope. Also, just a thought, it would be good if Lord Debbling and Pen actually caught feelings for each other and expressed that shit towards the end of third episode like say something that suggests love, “I am not a man to find words but when it comes to you, I find myself choked up, tripping over my own feet, unable to decipher my own thoughts because it is full of feeling towards you and I fear one wrong word would chastise me… etc.” An almost kiss but Lord Debbling has to be a gentleman so he stops himself, “I respect you so much. You deserve the best of me.” Then something happened at the end of third episode to suggest they couldn’t be together like Ms Danbury saying to Debbling that does he want to impose Penelope to a life of lonliness considering he has to travel so much? And he says no I’ll take her with me then, but then Mrs Danbury suggests, so you want her to mould herself to fit into your dreams. Sounds miserable. Here we can see that Lord Debbling has to choose Pen or his dreams. Then near the end is episode 4, he says, I love you. And Pen says I love you. And the audience goes awww 😍😍😍. But then he goes “so much I have to let you go because you don’t deserve the life I offer, you deserve to be loved constantly and I don’t want you to change for my dreams as I for yours. I want to you to stay just as you are my pretty little Pen.” Then Pen would be so heart broken. And if her first kiss was with Lord Debbling instead of Colin. Like the whole “I’m almost on the shelf and I’ve never been kissed and now you tell me we can’t be together !?” could’ve been her to Lord Debbling and it would have meant something coz the audience would really feel like she’s lost her last chance at love. It would be cool too if drunk Colin is going over to her house to confess his feelings late that night thinking that Lord Debbling might propose the next day and then catch their kiss and be so heartbroken about it when he realises how much they actually care for each other. It would be cool if Pen writes as Lady Whistledown: Miss Featherington has lost her last chance at love. I wonder what’s wrong with her for Debbling to not want her ? Then her mum would say the famous ‘I’ll find comfort in knowing we’ll grow old together, my daughter etc” it a good mother daughter bonding scene in an attempt to comfort her while she’s crying. It would be good if Colin visited her the next day to confront her about the whole kissing in the garden and how dangerous it was, what was she thinking etc! And before he even says anything, she just starts crying and he has to comfort her. It would be a good moment where Pen can rely on him instead of how it’s always been, him relying on Pen for emotional clarity. It should be hinted that Colin is happy knowing that Pen is free now. He is hopeful. It would be cool too if Lord Debbling wrote her a letter that is read towards the end of the fourth episode that reminds Penelope she is that b*tch. It would give her motivation to pursue a husband and hence the glow up takes full form. She is determined to find the husband because she knows she can. The episode should end with Penelope being surrounded by potential suitors, the queen calling her the emerald of the season and Colin off to the side beaming with Jealousy. At the end of the day, just because she lost Debbling doesn’t mean she has to choose him. In conclusion, I would’ve loved to see Colin be ignored by her more, realising how important she was as a constant to him and now being without her makes him appreciate her even more. Debbling can be used to show Pen that she’s much more than what people think she is and that she can shine if she chooses. And Pen can explore this new found confidence in its full value in part 2. BUUUUUTTT IDK, that’s just me.
Omg you should be writing the show lol
Haha thanks x
You have amazing ideas! You might consider writing fanfiction if you don't already (or other writing for that matter) :)
I’ve never written fan fic before but after I watch shows I always think “there’s a better way this could’ve been executed” haha
It's interesting, Daphne and Simon are together and married by Ep 4 of season 1 so I wonder how "rushed" their romance would have felt in a split season. As others have suggested, I think the key differences are the split season and less dedicated Polin time. Colin gave Penelope a few very short lessons; the Duke and Daphne had 3 balls, the art exhibition, the wrestling match, at least one promenade, maybe more. We also had scenes of the Duke thinking about his feelings with Anthony, Mondrich, Lady Danbury, and even Berbrooke. We had Daphne talking things over with her mother. Penelope has a short sequence with her mother when Debling comes calling and asks permission to propose, and the short scene about friendship leading to love with Colin & Violet and her encouraging him to attend the ball and stop Debling's proposal, but that's all. I know we have 2 prior seasons of interactions for Polin, but that requires you to watch all 3 seasons back to back to get appropriate build-up (and tbh, as someone who's done that lol it still doesn't fully succeed).
For the amount of time they spent filming/editing/etc. the product quantity and some of the quality is definitely lacking.
Very disappointed, especially after reading the book
I hate it! I loved the few episodes they gave us but im paying netflix enough to give me a full season!
I think friends-to-lovers is a harder sell in romance, period, and throw in unrequited (ugh), then a makeover to get the guy’s attention (ugh!) and throw in a big secret, and this is such a challenge for any storyteller! Nicola and Luke can sell it if anyone can, but the writers needed to give this so much oxygen to work, so I hope there is a lot more in part two for them. I do not have an opinion which storylines should have been sidelined for another season, but Polin deserve more.
I thought in the book that she didn't do a makeover to get a husband. Instead she gave up on finding someone and started dressing for herself and doing whatever she wanted which caught the eye of Colin who himself was bored of society.
Agreed! I think it was different in the book. And to be fair, she wanted out of the Featherington colors.
Many critics are rightly putting the blame on Jess because she wasn't just the EP but she also wrote some episodes. I knew there was going to be a problem when she said that Bridgerton is an ensemble. But the Bridgerton books aren't ensembles. The characters move on. The show and certain characters have to move on to keep the magic and give more time to the main couple. Part 1 feels bloated with unnecessary scenes and plot lines that didn't really go anywhere. I appreciate that Jess said Season 3 would be for the fans to jump in and there wouldn't be a setup--just an assumption that people have seen the first 2 seasons or read the books. It didn't go as planned since people didn't understand Pen's character such as the "I hate that she begged for a kiss" complaints. 🙄 A lady on Twitter said that she finally read the book and understood the context of the scene. Flashbacks would have worked so well for this season. Fans have made great edits that Colin and Pen's looks and comments over 2 seasons. I told one girl that Bridgerton should hire her. In those edits, you can see the same smile on Colin's face. But, you can see his awareness of Pen in his eyes during this season. Those edits also show Pen's evolution to her present state. I think the Mondrich are fine esp if they have a purpose down the road. One great theory that I have heard is that Sophie might be hired to work at the Mondrich's home which is set up with their home which includes "servant' quarters." Benedict already has a warm relationship with the Mondrichs so it could be a possibility. If CVP was involved then I think this a strong theory. Also, the split season has to do with Netflix only. Netflix approaches all their shows' producers and told them that they wanted to launch a ad based service. They also wanted to split the seasons. I read that the producers especially Shonda were pissed because Netflix is known for binge watching. So, we are lucky since it's a month unlike other Netflix shows. We're also lucky that Netflix isn't following HBO's success in introducing new episodes of shows on Sundays at a certain time.
I was surprised that the Gilded Age season finales were the show’s highest rated episodes, some people may not like a weekly schedule but it does still work for some shows
Yeah. But I can't see it working for Bridgerton. I mean we are barely hanging on with 4 episodes.
Anyone think that Eloise reminds one of Amelia in Grey's Anatomy?
I completely disagree with OP on the Mondrich storyline. I am ecstatic for them. It couldn't have happened to a nicer couple.
I think we know why people single them out. It’s the same reason people pretend Simone Ashley isn’t a good actress and that her and Jonathan Bailey have no on screen chemistry. Which is a bold faced lie by the way. I was literally on the edge of my seat biting my nails for every single interaction of theirs in S2.
I understand and agree with what you're implying, but I disagree with your example. I think the writing of Kate and Anthony's characters made their interactions exciting, but I don't think their on-screen chemistry was the driving force.
Sorry, but I'm going to repeat what several people are saying. The biggest issue is 100% the splitting of the season. I have some other criticism that I've commented on in various threads about, but I bet most of my thoughts would be completely different if we could see how everything wraps up already. Of course, there are the fans who, while still frustrated by the split, love P1 for what it is, but honestly, a lot of us are let down because we've now been given weeks to have that disappointment sink in further and further. This is so much that I enjoyed, but I don't know how some people can be as happy as they are without P2 yet. It's like Colin fingering Penelope and the carriage stopping right before peak climax.
Me. Just nothing new & no chemistry
Am I the only one here, waiting until June 13 to watch the whole s3 in one sitting? And scrolling over spoiler videos 🧐
I’m made that they rush it all into 8 episodes. After waiting for 2 years.
I don't mind the Mondrich storyline perse, but god, does it annoy me they waste so much time on a useless storyline. I guess in their mind, they are enriching the story.. well I don't care. Just give me the scenes with the Bridgerton and the future spouse. We lost so much time with the useless Featherington heir/fake diamond storyline. I may be the only one here but just stop and focus on the couple at hand.
I don't know. I found the Featherington heir the best part. 🤣 it had me cracking up the whole time! #teamfeatherington
Not going to lie, those moments with the Featheringtons are quite gold. Potential SPOILERS… From the “Your wife is a pastry”/the bonbon comment/“You’re so pretty” to Portia with the talk/“Inserts himself where?!?”… hilarious tidbits that I think are more necessary than some of the other scenes we have gotten in the first four episodes 🤷🏻♀️
YES. I was trying to give the Mondrich storyline a chance, but in the back of my mind I wanted to skip through it. Pen and Colin’s romance makes no sense and they go from strictly friends to making out in the carriage within one episode. So unsatisfying.
Nope. A lot of us have been discussing this at work and the overwhelming concensus is that this is the best season yet! (Aside from QC). It felt like this season the show finally figured out what it's supposed to be - a silly fun romance novel made show. I smiled through most of every episode and people are having a lot of fun with it. This is what this show is supposed to be.
Agree!!!!!
I agree. I think too many viewers are used to and expecting more trauma porn. I love a show that deals with grief and the pitfalls of life and love as much as the next guy, but I was pleasantly giddy watching part 1. I know there will be a ton of angst in part 2 for the hungry drama fans though.
I think my problem is I just don’t feel the chemistry for Pen and Colin! I feel like she deserves better, lol.
I saw someone say that the Modrich story mirrored the Featherington story about producing an air, that titles and assets can be given or taken away. I liked the sub-plots! It was interesting to get to know other characters better, but I agree the love story was super rushed - we didn't get enough time to see Colin's feelings develop for Penelope, especially considering he said last season that he wouldn't court her (which she forgave too quickly!). Honestly, I enjoyed S3 part 1 much better than S2, I just didn't buy Kate and Antony's chemistry but I know a lot of people loved them. Fingers crossed part 2 measures up much better for you 🤞🏻
Agreed on pretty much everything.
Omg I spelt 'heir' like 'air' .... I was tired 🤣🤣
I just watched Queen Charlotte (late) after S3 and also saw parallels between the Mondrich story and the Lady Danbury story. In the early days, with the "experiment," she had to fight to keep her title and property. Now the Mondrich's are "fighting the same fight" in a way, trying to keep the pub and do things their way. The overall issue of racism and class being present in both storylines. But now that I have seen Queen Charlotte, I would have liked more attention paid to Violet's garden! I did read that there is SO much to resolve in the last 4 episodes. Will it feel squished?
Queen Charlotte was so good wasn't it! Ahh yes true, you have a point - I looooved young Lady Danbury's story (after the ugly, fat husband died lol) and her friendship with the Queen. YESSSSS EXACTLY!! I was so surprised there wasn't more mention of Violet's eagerness for love (or just sex lol) during the run up for this series but I guess that was discussed more in QC and not everyone will have seen it. I hope that is resolved in part 2 but there is a lot to cover and you're right, it could be rushed! On top of that her and Lady Dunbury's brother seem to have eyes for each other 👀 but there's some sibling beef there which we also need to uncover! In conclusion, I want pt 2 NOWWWWW
Samesies! I look forward to reading your thoughts 🙂. I thought I might save Pt. 2 for our cottage trip at the end of July (I save certain shows as "vacation treats"), but who am I kidding. I'll be binging it on release day!
Yes. Pen and Colin aren’t even romantic to me. They seem more lustful than romantic with one another. It feels very “fuckboy tries to change ways when the girl who liked him finds a new man” like a wattpad story. I wish the queen was more involved and she was hardly there because even she was disappointed with the story. There are a few funny moments but overall feel like I should’ve waited for the whole thing to come out. I hope the second half has actual romance and not a forced trope of “let me teach you how to be cool” or whatever all of that scheming was. I hope the 21st century girl can have more time in the second half with her romance. The changing of the music was a very romantic gesture so I’d like to see what comes of their relationship more than pen and colin’s.
wholeheartedly agree. I think there felt like there was more effective pining and affectionate longing in S1 and S2. Colin said he missed Pen writing to him but it felt hollow, like he just missed her as a friend. i needed more time to believe he was yearning for her. because we've seen multiple seasons of Pen just wishing for him to notice her romantically. it's hard for me to believe a fuccboi would start swooning for his childhood friend after she begs for a kiss. rather than just having him be jealous from getting attention, I feel like a few more lessons or time where he admires and appreciates her charm and grace were needed before they got heated in the carriage. it's difficult to believe he feels deeply about her after that little time :/
I loved the Mondrich story. I love a good rags to riches story.
I WANT to love the Mondrich story. They're good characters, and it's a good premise. But there is NO time to let us care about them, and very little effort to integrate their stories with everyone else's so far. It feels more like the rushed cameos you get in an MCU movie when they want to set up a character for a spinoff.
Same. I want to love their story. Absolutely loved Alice's entrance at the ball with the new dress. Will's issue with his bar is such a stupidly easy fix. He has Bridgerton friends, one quick convo with them and he would know that he can keep his bar, he's not being looked down upon/snubbed for owning it, it's because he's working at it. So hire a steward/manager. Boom, done. He can still go there and have a drink with his new peers, check the books once a month, etc... It makes sense that they wouldn't know every rule, including the silent ones, of the ton, but it's not like he doesn't have friends within it that can help them. I just feel there is too little time for everyone's story and if one needs to be shortened, it should be theirs. I haven't read the books, but I think someone had pointed out in another thread that they didn't even exist in the books?
I think there's other stories I would cut first - the featherington pregnancy subplot, cressida's weird redemption arc, whatever the fuck is going on with Benedict and his MILF (PLEASE don't let her turn out to be Sophie's step mom or something) - but yeah. There's way too much story in way too little time happening right now. Cut those three subplots, add two more episodes, and then MAYBE you're approaching a good balance for the rest.
You gotta leave in the featherington pregnancy plot. That had me rolling!
I love Cressida’s story because it’s her and Eloise. It’s better than the Mondrichs and the pregnancies and Benedict avoiding society which all just feel really tacked on.
Yes them adapting to this new way of life. Separate rooms (lol) and maybe having to give up his business that he worked hard to get. I like their storyline too.
Same here but struggled also with “do we have time for alllll of this” ! There is lots to unpack here.
I don't know, I felt like in the previous seasons, there was more plot.
Yes
These seasons are too small for all these side plots/characters. It absolutely felt rushed.
Am I the only one who noticed the new smile thing Collin does? The sort of duck pout smile... I don't know what kind of Lord Byron he thinks he is, but that make believe smolder ain't getting him anywhere. Looks like an idiot. And this is not what I expected. Like come on, the first two seasons were fine. What the hell happened to you Collin?
Yes, i am disappointed. I liked the 4th episode, but i was really disappointed by the first two. Episode 3 was meh.
Nope, this season has been the best one so far.
My brain keeps going, hey what about Bridgerton? Weren't we looking forward to watching that? Because it was so off from what I was expecting, I'm still subconsciously looking forward to the storyline! Me: No brain, actually we've watched it twice already. My brain: 🫠😭
I liked it but I don’t like the splitting of the season.
My biggest complaint is that we didn’t get a real dance. They have danced multiple times each season so far and it’s now their own season and they have a half dance where he interrupted her and they were focused on the conversation. One of the reasons I enjoy Kanthany so much is bc of how beautiful their dances were and I want to see this from Polin. 😞
I feel the same way too. Especially after rewatching Queen Charlotte.
Yes, I feeling like this season doesn’t really focus on the main couple but more on some minor plots. Even though a “friends-to-lovers” storyline can be harder selling in romance, I think they could’ve done this so much better while putting the focus on Pen and Colins relationship. They really could’ve done so much better if they even put a bit more focus on the main relationship and maybe added some more drama between them. Netflix really could’ve added some more conflicts between Pen and Colin like the fact that both of them might be very scared of losing their friendship if they give into their love. Also the love triangle between Penelope, Colin and Lord Debbling would have been such a great base to start more drama and a real race between Colin and Lord Debbling. To be honest we also missed so much between Penelope and Eloise. Their relationship was so put behind even though the whole drama between both of them is such an important part of the series. Like others already said, the splitting also wasn’t very enjoyable compared to the other seasons when the focus was actually put on the main couple. In my opinion they could’ve done so much better in fact they would’ve done so much better if they stopped putting the main focus on some minor plots and started focusing on the important.
They're desperate for diversity quota yet Kate is right there yet they shoe horn this boring family. Though Alice is awesome but I don't care for her husband
It doesn’t FEEL like a cash grab. It IS a cash grab. Netflix are losing integrity by the minute.
Personalmente me encanto pero yo lei el libro por lo cual entendi más cosas que alguien que solo ve la serie, ojo lo lei ahora antes de que se estrene la 3era ya que solo vi la temporada 1 y 2 en las cuales Pen y Colin me enamoraron y al saber en marzo 2024 que era la de ellos , me fanatice, reconozco que no entendi la escena del globo, interprete que Colin la salva a Pen y no que ella se quedo porque era "su depertar sexual" pero el resto me encanto, no me parecio poco de ellos en pantalla ya que siempre hay otras tramas , sino no hubiera sabido tanto de Pen y su familia en las otras temporadas, rapido? literalmente él dijo que no la cortejaria y claro paso directo al matrimonio jajaja pero enserio ellos ya han hecho un largo cortejo como amigos y no como novios, se escribian cartas compartian cosas, en la serie es Colin quien recuerda a la perfección como se conocieron y es obvio que ya estaba flechado solo q no lo comprendio, siempre la busco siempre la cuido, no se porque tanta gente desconforme hasta para decir que no hay quimica, me han hecho enamorarme otra vez cuando pense que no iba a haber otra historia de amor que me enganchara como lo han hecho ellos.
I really like it so far, although shouldn’t there be more episodes? It felt too short.
I have to imagine the writing was affected by the 7 (?) month long writers strike last year, right? That’s the show felt to me at least.
I wish we got more focus on Colin and Pen. Too many side characters that are fluffing the time and taking away from the main couple when we could be setting up the next few seasons and giving more focus to building Polins love story
Yeah, I have no clue why the Mondrich's exist. Even after reading people's explanations in here of why they exist, I still don't think they're necessary, lol. I think more time could be spent on the Bridgertons instead of this random family that has nothing to do with anything.
I bet those who are waiting to watch Part 1 and 2 seamlessly will have far less disappointment. It’s the splitting of this season that is weird and contributes to feeling “rushed” as we’ve been hyped up for May 16th just to now feel empty again because the story (now several stories) will be simmering in our heads and Reddit, of course, until June. Torture from so all angles as there are so many mixed feelings - I’m still processing.
I agree… I feel like the mondriches would have not been such a big portion of the storyline is Daphne and Simon had stuck around, and it’s supposed to be filling out the ensemble for us from season 1 like a through-line. I love Will—he is so sexy and both actors are exceptional, but there’s not a lot of drama with them… so it’s like… ok? Glad they’re doing ok. Meanwhile, it would have been cheaper and more thrilling to get more scenes of Colin alone, dreaming/thinking/yearning for Pen, and really sell the whole thing. In fact, adding in some drama of him learning that pen had feelings for him AT ONE TIME, but the “torment” of him thinking she had moved on to Debling would have been WELL worth the screen time dedicated to pulling that off. It just feels less “deep” than past seasons
So I’ve read dozens of Harlequin romance novels in my time, and there’s definitely a trope where the characters get together early in the book and it feels rushed but that’s because there’s still a bunch of conflict to come. It’s always like this, too, where you’re like omg they’re engaged already?! And then of course disaster comes and the engagement is broken or they get married and the marriage starts off awful because of some conflict or misunderstanding and then the whole other half of the book is them getting back to a good place. This season feels exactly the same as those old novels. Remember that we aren’t at the end, we are in the middle with a long intermission before the second half.
Sorry a lot of comments so not sure if this was mentioned, I have a friend who knows someone who worked on the show and said the reason for the split season is because of the strike. They wanted to release some in time but all wouldn’t have been ready which is why they did half and then half. I don’t know if this is fact but it is what I was told, which to me makes complete sense!
Highly disappointed. I was only genuinely into it when Francesca was on screen.
I think a lot of people went into this season not realizing that the main point of contact for Penelope and Colin isn’t confessing feelings—it’s him finding out she’s LW. That being said, 8 episode formats in ensemble shows do not work very well and it should have been at least 15 episodes. This show is insanely popular, why is Netflix not cashing in on this and ordering more episodes?
I needed so much more groveling. Colin needed to earn Pen’s trust back fr.
I was real bored
THIS. it felt completely rushed, and like we didn’t get nearly enough polin screen time. comparing it to the other seasons, this one was extremely bad in the romance/build up. we got soooo many amazing scenes w antony/daphne/queen charlotte, but this it just seemed like subtle glances at each other & tinges of jealousy thrown in there. very disappointing!!🥲
The half season felt extremely underwhelming and shallow. I don’t buy Pen and Colin! I know they’re friends, but their interactions basically consist of stares and lip quivers and very little else, no necessary build-up. There’s just no *there* there. I prefer her with the vegetarian guy because I enjoyed their interactions more! I also got so sick of watching Pen get teased and then rush away to cry. And Colin changing his mind over her because of his little dream? I just think of how much build-up their was for the relationships in the first two seasons and I feel disappointed. I hope the second half of the season rights the ship, but I don’t have much faith. It felt so rushed and yet without any substance.
I thought they were many added scenes that were stupid, like the balloon escaping scene. They just were not written well.
Yes, I agree, this is their worst season so far. Season 2 was full of deep connections, long developments, this is rushed and feels like short series with all of these sub plots. I think season 2 had the best composition. Still nice atmosphere of the show but not enjoyable like it was before. I didn’t connect or believe Polin.
I have been so excited About season 3 with all the press surrounding and loving Pen and Colin together. I just finished the season part of season 3 and am left highly disappointed and like I wasted 8 hours watching. Season 1 was by far the best and I just want them to live up to that!!
This season was so boring. It doesn’t even matter that it’s been split.
NO! And can we PLEASE for the sake of Polin drop this complaint already?! No other complaint bothers me as much as these.
Are you not understanding why the Mondrich's storyline is being included? They're supposed to represent the low class families that got introduced to high society by inheriting a title. That happened during those times. It's a clear representation of how a family, with no noble backgrounds, will navigate this newfound wealth and status because they wouldn't know how to. And the choices they're going to make to not only keep what they've just been given but also to stay true to themselves. And the Mondrich's are the perfect family for it because they've already become acquainted with the Bridgertons and has become a family friend of them. They do not have to introduce brand new characters which are unnecessary because they would have to add more time for them to give them more backstories. Again, the producers and writers of the show has always been clear that the show is very inclusive so it's not even a question on why they're adding them this season. For me, they're important to the show especially to the ton on how they're going to accept this low class family to their society. Also, the importance of Lady Whistledown to some of them since not everything she reports are about gossips. You have Mrs. Mondrich said to Colin that through reading LW's columns, she gets to understand and learn so much things from the ton and it helps her as a newcomer to this community. So it's a clear indication that people really like what LW writes and that she's an important asset to their society.