Bridgerton Season 3 Switches Things Up, Will Make The Penelope-Colin Romance The Focus
After two seasons of false hopes and emotional turmoil, here's finally some good news for Polin shippers. Season 3 of "Bridgerton" will exclusively focus on Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin's (Luke Newton) love story — this has been confirmed by Coughlan herself at Netflix's recent FYSEE panel (via TVLine):
"Like Lady Whistledown, I have been keeping a secret for quite some time, and I can confirm to you all that Season 3 is Colin and Penelope's love story. I have kept that secret since two weeks into season 2. This is the first time I am saying it here."
However, this is not all, as the streaming platform shared a letter penned by none other than Lady Whistledown to further confirm and celebrate this new change in pace in the upcoming season of "Bridgerton:"
It’s #Polin’s time to shine!
Nicola Coughlan revealed at Bridgerton’s FYSEE event that after showcasing #Kathony’s enemies-to-lovers story, Season 3 will reveal how (or if...) Penelope and Colin go from friends to lovers! pic.twitter.com/dhEJgitWFA
— Netflix (@netflix) May 16, 2022
While it does seem that Penelope's days of being called a "wallflower" are coming to an end, one can hope that her love for Colin will not be actualized at the cost of her personal agency, which is an integral aspect of who she is as a character.
Warning: Heavy spoilers ahead for "Bridgerton."
What's next for Colin and Penelope?
"Bridgerton" season 2 revolved around the enemies-to-lovers trope concerning Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) and Kate (Simone Ashley), who were finally able to utter their desire for each other by the end of the season. Apart from this hot-and-heavy slow-burn romance, the show had a lot going on — the key being Penelope undergoing intense transformations in the way in which she navigates her identity as Lady Whistledown and the many sacrifices (and schemes) she had to carry out to protect herself and others around her.
Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie) is now aware of Penelope's secret, and is understandably angry with her for keeping such an important part of her identity hidden from her. Furthermore, Penelope as Whistledown was forced to print a rather scandalous piece about Eloise in order to stop the Queen from ruining the latter's life, although that obviously carried massive social repercussions. The end of season 2 saw an emotionally torn Penelope wounded by the loss of this friendship, along with the carelessly cruel words Colin speaks about her in front of his friends.
Now, with season 3 of "Bridgerton" focusing on Colin and Penelope, it is impossible for the show (or Penelope) to avoid Eloise — not just for the sake of the would-be romance, but for the sake of their deep, genuine friendship. Although a certain sense of trust has been broken between the two, Eloise and Penelope are like two peas in a pod: always there for the other, even when undergoing turmoil of their own. While Penelope has retired from the mantle of Lady Whistledown for now, she is still a woman who exercises her agency in ways most people in the 'ton cannot, and it remains to be seen how this particular aspect of her narrative plays out.
The decision to focus on Polin right after Kanthony marks a break from the pattern of Julia Quinn's "Bridgerton" novels, as the third novel focused on Benedict (Luke Thompson) finding love. One can also expect to see more of Francesca Bridgerton in the upcoming season, who is now being played by Hannah Dodd.
Netflix has yet to reveal a release date for "Bridgerton" season 3.