Bridgerton is back, baby, and nothing makes me happier than to announce that the good vibes have returned, too.
After season two wandered into an unevenly paced, unevenly dramatic, and unevenly romantic arena, season three steps back into the blossom-bedecked Bridgerton light. Jess Brownell takes over showrunning duties from Chris Van Dusen, and the result is a season that captures the combination of gossip, romance, and sex appeal that made season one such an instant hit, while also expanding the narrative to fully embrace ensemble-style storytelling. Perhaps Bridgerton doesn’t need to be an ensemble beyond the already populous Bridgerton family, but season three does benefit from interconnected stories that bring central and side characters together in unexpected, fresh ways.
This season chucks book order out the window in order to tell the love story of Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton), the travelling third son of the family, and Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan), now officially a spinster in her third season out among society. Of course, Penelope is also the infamous anonymous gossip queen of the ton, Lady Whistledown, and while Penelope’s “real” life may be rather dismal, her literary life is thriving. As the ton returns to town for the social season, Lady Whistledown is in her element…except the queen does not announce a new “diamond”, the stand-out debutante to dominate the season.
The Whistledown/queen rivalry is officially tiresome, but there isn’t really a plot reason for Golda Rosheuvel to stick around as Queen Charlotte unless she’s judging debutantes, so Bridgerton dithers with this no-diamond plot point for several episodes. It feels like filler, and it IS filler. It’s easily the weakest part of the season, even though Rosheuvel remains excellent as the acid-tongued queen.
Entering the season for the first time is Francesca Bridgerton, that prolific family’s third daughter. Hannah Dodd takes over from Ruby Stokes who portrayed Francesca in seasons one and two, which is, honestly, a negligible change simply because Stokes never got to do anything as Francesca. Dodd, however, is one of the main characters this season, even though Francesca herself lacks the main character energy of her boisterous siblings. She’s quiet, shy, prefers her piano to socializing, and though she is ever so pretty, Francesca cringes from the spotlight. One of the season’s stand-out scenes is a moment in which Francesca and Penelope commiserate over being “against the wall” in a ballroom. (Bridgerton season 3 returns with “volume 1”, which includes episodes 1-4. This review includes episodes from “volume 2”, due in June.)
Francesca wants to marry quickly just to get the socializing over with, and her mother, Violet (Ruth Gemmell) tries not to push too hard after her micro-managing of second daughter Eloise in her debut season almost resulted in total social ruination. But retiring Francesca legitimately needs a push, so Violet’s worry that her prospects will be impacted by her desire to find an “easy” match aren’t misplaced. Eloise (Claudia Jessie), meanwhile, is unexpectedly becoming a society leader as she finally starts making friends other than Penelope, with whom she remains estranged.
For her part, Penelope is seized by a desire to marry and escape her overbearing mother’s house, and she embarks on a total makeover in an attempt to attract some attention in her third season. The makeover works, at least until she opens her mouth, and she is awkward and maladroit as ever. Into this atmosphere of change comes Colin Bridgerton, Penelope’s lifelong love who has been travelling since the last season (apparently the Napoleonic Wars are no longer happening?). Colin, too, has had a glow-up, looking tan and fit and dashing in his Parisian fashions.
What connects the disparate storylines of season three is the idea of what a person can and cannot change about themselves. Penelope can don new frocks, she cannot change her social awkwardness, nor completely hide her sly wit. Eloise can try to fit in with her peers, but she can’t make herself like sewing or clothes more than she does reading. Francesca recoils from attention, no amount social adulation or motherly encouragement can make her less reticent. Even Cressida Cowper (Jessica Madsen, truly outstanding this season) can try to be a kinder, gentler person, but she cannot escape the circumstances that make her a cutthroat social rival.
In its third season, Bridgerton ponders how much a person can really change, and what motivates a person to want to change in the first place. For Penelope and Cressida, it’s a desperate desire for some kind of independence, even if it means trading parental control for husbandly oversight. At least as married women they will be the heads of their own households, a desirous freedom from their current respective homelives. Eloise, meanwhile, comes out of her brush with political radicalism and social ruin truly humbled, though much like Penelope, she can’t mask her intelligence, or her impatience. Bridgerton seems to posit that change is possible, but it takes great effort and there are elements of who we are we cannot change, however much we may wish to, or others might wish us to.
Oh, and there’s plenty of romance and intrigue, as the queen bids to discover Lady Whistledown once and for all, and Penelope is confronted with how her secret career has affected the Bridgertons over the years. And Violet has a new maybe-suitor in the form of Lady Danbury’s mysterious brother, and then there is oddball Lord Debling—a vegetarian! The horror!—looking for a sensible wife. It’s fun to watch Colin deal with the realization that his best friend has been hot all along; Benedict (Luke Thompson) is still skirting the edges of society and having affairs; and the Bridgerton siblings are a chaotic delight every time they share the screen. And while the Featherington sisters are utilized to a greater degree but with diminishing returns, Polly Walker has some great moments as Lady Featherington must contend with her youngest daughter’s contempt.
In all, Bridgerton season three brings back the froth without sacrificing romance, drama, or sex appeal, and there is a central narrative cohesiveness that ties together the widened ensemble as we watch various families navigate the ton. It’s also paced very well, no aspect feels rushed and each reveal and turn is earned. The joy of Bridgerton is back, and though it will always make me sad that it was Kate and Anthony’s love story that went awry, watching Penelope come into her own and Nicola Coughlan’s triumphant performance is delightful. And Bridgerton is still one of the best-looking shows on television, its confectioner’s palette equally matched by a gossipy, dramatic, romantic friends-to-lovers tale that will sweep you off your feet once again.
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Bridgerton season 3, volume 1, is now streaming exclusively on Netflix. Volume 2 will begin streaming on June 13, 2024.