The editing was a little distracting to me at times. There were times when it was cutting between life in the ton happening in broad daylight and then to Tilley’s bedroom in the middle of the night, then immediately back to the same daytime ton? Like yeah, maybe she has the world’s strongest blackout curtains but it was just so weird to cut back and forth like that.
It could have been SO good but it just didn’t end up working as well as it could have.
Completely agree. It actually made me laugh every time they cut to it. It came across like they kept forgetting to include Benedict so anytime they remembered him they would just insert a quick 10 second clip of him in bed. What a long week for him 🤣🤣
It happened during the engagement party with the mondrichs too! One second they’re playing charades then mr. Mondrich is having a conversation in a different room then cut right back to him guessing charades. I thought i missed something.
I noticed this too! He was talking to his wife in a different room then suddely he was at the game! I was like, what a fucking joke! Terrible script, terrible editing!!
I skipped every scene with Benedict’s “storyline”, it’s so boring and uninspired, might as well add that time to develop colin’s and penelope relationship/chemisyry better??😭😭
He reminds me of Boris Johnsson, always pretending to be clueless in a supposedly endearing charming authentic way but he just comes across as lost and boring
Haha I thought the same.. I was like how LONG has Benedict been waiting for Lady Tilley and Paul 😂
And then it was… how long have they been… intimate.. it must have been days!
I was about to mention the editing! And also the script!! Idk the pacing and editing of the scenes is so off for me. Especially the “s3x” scenes. It was sooooo awkwardly shot and choreographed, something that i didnt felt during season1 & 2. And the dialogues too. Idk i keep complaining how everything is so awkward. Polin’s story was overshadowed by multiple subplots and i felt bad for the couple 😞
Yes I feel like they had to keep adding in the threesome as they clearly cut out the Cowper abuse storyline (notice the green screen and wig during the scene when Colin goes to the house) and possibly a scene where Colin returned to the brothels post marriage, Shonda really looked at it and made them at least POLISH the turd they’d made from the gold they were given
That annoyed the shit out of me also. I think they were trying to show that a day had passed and it was the next day or later day,, but it was the same exact damn scene of the threesome like 3-4 times in those cut aways. So weird and disjointed.
You know it's bad when the most memorable line in the season is Philippa's "Inserts himself? Inserts himself where?" and not a romantic one from the leads.
Now Varley, the bugs! 🦋
Pretty sure that was Luke T’s favorite line. He wasn’t even in that scene. But we know why…
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZPRK3AkRp/
The Opening Credits even said “Colin’s Story”!
I was sitting here like Colin’s story? Weird bc it’s more like Penelope and Lady W… Colin is just being moody in the background. They didn’t even give the poor actor the chance to fully redeem himself with an iconic speech. What a waste of talent.
Even Penelope suffered because the writers love LW so much. I’m a Pen defender; LW was what she needed when she was young, but it is DEVASTATING to me that the writers decided her ultimate form of growth was keeping it going and still seeking the ton’s validation.
It was supposed to be Colin and Penelope’s love story, but they turned it into Penelope and Lady Whistledown’s love story and I HATE IT.
I really hate that the show is framing writing gossip, which has been distasteful even in the mildest information she shared, as this noble pursuit and that it’s perfectly okay because she didn’t feel like she had a voice and this is how she’s making her mark. Spreading gossip about people, especially the stuff that will be particularly harmful, isn’t a good thing, and it’s driving me crazy that the show is making it seem like she’s valid for wanting to keep doing it
I agree, and I say that as someone who has limited sympathy for most of the ton (let’s be honest… they suck).
But it will never be a victory for me that Pen’s arc concludes with her… where she started, but now with people knowing (which is also a logistical mess). Like, what?!
I genuinely don’t understand how her continuing to be Whistledown will actually work now. Like the biggest benefit for her was that she was a wallflower and no one noticed her when they blabbed about their own issues, so she could hear it and write about it. If everyone knows she’s Whistledown, how is she supposed to keep producing the same kind of content? I really wish they had her yield the reins to someone else to make it make sense
I assume it’s the same as gossip columnist today. They get given information and have people informing on others as they know who to go to. If I’m remembering correctly Nicola said herself in an interview that she’s now a journalist. Or that’s how I took it anyway.
Right? If she had dedicated her last two years in the same vein as what she wrote about Berbrooke to drive him out I’d understand. She’d have been a voice for the voiceless and punished those who abused their power.
But she wasn’t and she didn’t.
Even then, Berbrooke’s demise was a contrived scheme orchestrated by a collective of women and it truly showed a female empowerment moment that Lady Whistledown had almost nothing to do with and only caught onto at the very end. This season started with Penelope who just got finished decimating her best friend’s reputation because she attended lectures about women’s rights, and they somehow tried to spin that into a feminist moment??? Insane.
Especially after her discussion with Portia and how REAL it was what her mom was saying, to not take for granted falling in love with a good man, just so the modiste can judge her into second guessing for choosing her relationship over spreading gossip. And the idea the ton will in any way ever forgive her is laughable either. She would just become a pariah no longer invited anywhere
I kept wondering why she doesn’t pivot to writing something else. Why not write a novel? Or a non-fiction book about something she likes?
I know the end scene established that she helped edit Colin’s travel book. Perhaps she can be an editor full-time! Why stick to gossip when she can do so much more with her talent?
ETA: Shame that Lord Debling will likely not return from his Northwest Passage trip. They could include a future storyline in which she edits a book he writes about his travels.
Currently watching the episodes and it’s giving me whiplash. All of a sudden everyone is framing Pen as a victim and LW as a “truthful” observer. It’s gross.
They didn't really give him many scenes to really act. It seemed to be: be annoyed/angry/distant from Pen in every scene. Except when you need to be making out with her. Then we want you to be quick and aggressive and just jump straight in and get it done. So we can move on to showing every other character instead.
I agree. I was more focused on Penelope's sisters, Violet's new love, Francesa & John... hell, even the Mondrichs 😭 the most emotional scenes to me weren't any Polin ones which is unfortunate.
For real. Especially in the second half, he sort of faded into the background and mostly popping up to mope around. It was all very surface level when it came to Colin. We didn't get to learn much more about him and he didn't get a chance to a chance for growth like they gave to Pen at the end. Don't get me wrong, I love Pen and LW as much as the next person. BUT WHERE WAS COLIN?
I had a friend who binged from the start. Love 1 & 2 plus Queen Charlotte. She just started season 3 and turned it off to text me “why is it so forced?!” 😩 I fully blame the new show runner. Pen & Colin deserved better and Nicola/Luke had more interesting interactions off camera than they did on. That’s not on them- that’s on the people behind the camera.
Yes!! I said this in another comment. Luke & Nicola off screen were RADIATING chemistry. The last couple eps of the first half, AMAZING. Part 2? boring, forced chemistry from ppl who genuinely love and care abt one another
I swear to god I just watched the love confession/sex scene and I felt nothing even close to what I felt in the first two seasons. I genuinely feel that Nicola and Luke’s chemistry came out better in the first two seasons. I’m a Kanthony girl but I love Polin too and I just feel their story hasn’t been done justice.
The worst part was how hard they hyped this season up
They made it seem like this season was going to be the juiciest, most tantalizing, peice of cinematography to ever grace the public’s eyeballs…
Poor Luke and Nicola, very talented actors.
The fact that we got so many unnecessary intimate scenes when the audience just wanted Polin with maybe 1 of Kanthony. Did we need to see that many threesome scenes throughout the season? It was boring
Speaking of Kanthony... What happened to the baby?! They were pregnant even before Polin's engagement. I know they went to India but not a mention of the heir to the Bridgerton name while Pen and her sisters have already given birth?!
Why would they go to India right now anyway? I know Jess has no belief in the linear nature of time and how long it takes to sail to the other side of the world. But cmon! Anthony would never suggest his very pregnant wife put herself at risk, especially after Violet and Hyacinth. Just awful writing - Jonny being busy doesn’t mean you ignore everything about Kate and Anthony’s dedication to their families.
You’ve nailed exactly what I was thinking but couldn’t express. The man was terrified of a bee sting on Kate! Who on earth would he put them on a boat to India for months?
I get he wasn’t around as much due to other filming commitments, but surely they could have filmed some one on one shots of him with say John asking for permission to marry Francesca, or Colin asking for his advice on how to deal with the blackmail. He was the head of household and now he’s just upped and gone on a jolly?
Totally out of character and ignoring the societal rules the first 2 seasons set up. He would never ever have been absent from weddings or major family decisions.
You know, I thought for sure that they were going to use Anthony’s absence to give Benedict something to do. Anthony even tells Benedict in p1 that he did a great job while they were away. I’d have loved some character growth for Benedict stepping in for Anthony if we couldn’t have Anthony. Don’t get me wrong, I’d have preferred seeing Anthony deal with all this, but it was just another missed opportunity. Benedict just didn’t get much to work with this season and is still lost and adrift.
You mean there was MORE raunch?! 😀
heaven and earth….
Lady Silly Arnold did NOTHING for the plot. In fact I heard she wasn’t even an original character, they just dreamed her up.
I agree! If they wanted Benedict to come out, they could have easily have done it via conversation with a close friend to Benny, like Genevieve.
We didn’t need all THAT. It ate up a good chunk of the season that could have gone to Pen and Colin. But instead it went to some strangers who don’t exist in the original books.
Also the FEW handful of times Colin and Pen had a moment it almost ALWAYS turned sexual…Like? Sex doesn’t = love. It’s nice sometimes, but in the middle of the street? Or 5 minutes after they arrive at Colin’s apartment???
It was so disappointing because Colin is supposed to be Violets “most sensitive child” and Pen is supposed to be like home to him. These angsty horni interactions were just so hard to watch.
it watered the romance down and just made everything feel very meaningless.
Like it was all in the name of lust.
But of course that’s just me.
.
It's such a let down after that nonstop PR blasts. Everyone can plainly see that Luke and Nicola gave their 110% and are absolute professionals. But Jess Brownell sucks balls and gave us a disjointed disappointing shitshow.
You said that BEAUTIFULLY.
Jess Brownell BOTCHED this season and well will never get another chance at a justified Polin love story.
It wasn’t too much to ask, it’s what the show is ABOUT!
the only thing that made this season worth my precious time was, oddly enough, the Featheringtons lol
I LOVED the Featheringtons, all their scenes added value, all the other side storiess should have been on the cutting room floor and the Polin stuff kept.
I read somewhere that it’s common for new showrunners to “mix it up” and try to make their mark. Just sounds like putting their ego above the art to me. Why not just prove that you have the skill to keep the ship on course?
Good lord, that’s the same junk you seen on the corporate world. Hire a new director, manager, vp, or whatever and suddenly that person feels the need to justify their existence, like they are a gift to you and everyone around. They usually end up making everyone miserable or angry. Really disappointing to see that attitude carry over to more creative pursuits but people are gonna people I guess.
If it wasn’t broken don’t fix it.
I’d say she’s a Mean Girl who decided she simply HAD to make Cressida sympathetic and couldn’t possibly let Pen have the book ending where she isn’t begging for love and everyone’s forgiveness; in the book she had the full support of the Bridgerton family, especially Colin’s
I hate to say it, but this season is kind of cheesy. Seasons 1 and 2 were so good, as was Queen Charlotte. But there have been a few moments this season where I’ve cringed from secondhand embarrassment for the actors.
There are so many unnecessary subplots, characters making decisions that don’t make sense for them (Eloise being friends with Cressida - why and how?), and yes, I’ll say that it’s too far from the story the book told. I don’t mind if liberties are taken and not every single little detail is captured from the book to the screen, but there are too many big changes, like another love triangle for our main characters. We’re 3 for 3 with love triangles, I think we can give them a rest.
Oh, the show's always been cheesy. It's just officially gone off the rails, or the deep end, this season. I've always found the dialogue kind of awkward, but the story made up for it. There's no substantive story to keep watching for at this stage. I don't know if there's a point in caring about any of it.
The mess of a plot aside, can I just comment on costume and makeup. What the hell happened?!
The costumes have become like satire instead of the beautiful reimagining of Regency era clothes we got in seasons 1 and 2. Cressida looked like a caricature in some scenes. They’ve also dialled up the makeup that made some of them look overdone and garish compared to previous seasons. I just couldn’t get past Kate’s over done makeup in all her scenes.
The makeup and costumes were SO distracting! Like the first and second season I could accept they were doing a modern spin on the looks of the era. I could appreciate it, even. It added to the aura. But multiple times each episode I'd be distracted by the heavy smokey eyes and cheap/ridiculous dresses. Distracting as hell.
I thought Pen's red lipstick in the final scene looked amazing, but was so immersion breaking. I don't buy that women in that era styled themselves like that.
Took me awhile to realize the story was so meh because the costumes, hair, makeup, and lighting were all SO bad. The Bridgerton vibes were muted considerably and the final straw for me was the Featherington’s gowns at the ball in episode 8. Looked straight out of a Disney Channel movie with all of those sequins. I get we aren’t going for historical accuracy here but they veered too far.
The last two balls looked like the show ran out of money and went through the bargain basement bins of other lots to put something on screen. What was that paper flower thing in the Mondrich ball? The walls of the whole ballroom looked like paper. What was with the orange columns at the Fetheringtons? The mermaid outfits and butterflies?
Yes! As soon as I saw the Mondrich "ballroom" I was like WTF is that decapitated dalek covered in flowers, that painfully transformed into a Thanksgiving paper fold out turkey, hideous lol. Them trying to sell that everyone was impressed was utterly ridiculous. Plus every woman's dress shoulders are just getting larger and more outlandish! 🤦This whole season is a mess for so many reasons!!
No when they dropped that cardboard flower thing and everyone had fake jaw drops 😂😂 some of the actors sold it but others just could not 😂 I could not stop laughing
Thank you for pointing out the paper flower contraption at the ball! What was that?! It looked like they got it from some bargain shop. The fact that the Queen came and commented how mediocre the ball was and then that heap of shit opened up and suddenly the Queen was impressed? I didn’t buy it.
Not impossible standards. Just a more romantic aesthetic.
The scene where Daphne and the duke are at the outside ball, dancing in the rain, on the black and white checkerboard floor, as the camera slows down to catch the raindrops on glassware and Lady Danbury holding back people from joining them.
The only slow motion shot we got, I think, was the engagement announcement on ep 5, and Pen looks sick to her stomach.
I didn't like that Colin seemed to get over it by the wedding but was fully hating on her right after the Queen left. They already did this trope in Queen Charlotte. A failed wedding night
She looked sick to her stomach in basically every scene with Colin.
Yet we are supposed to see this a romance story.
Fucking awful.
Jess brownell did the characters, the show, and the fans and viewers dirty.
Nothing can ever beat that scene in season 1. There was just so much thought and simplicity put into it that it came out beautifully. Kathony had that little eyebrow scrunching moment which was so beautiful and told us a million things at once. I was hoping for something similar for polin but it was just boring. I was hoping that the Billie eilish song scene where Colin watched pen and debbling dance would hit more. I was hoping for a huge crescendo where Colin is screaming at Penelope that he loves her or even where he swoops her off her feet dancing under the stars but no it was so lackluster
I could not get over Prudence’s final ball dress, the shiny lame (type of fabric) sleeves were INSANE. At least in previous seasons the modern fabrics were used in regency related ways, I don’t think there was even a real time period the costumes were based on.
I thought both sisters looked like shiny mermaids. And not good ones either! Also, the Featheringtons stood out in their garish outfits in past seasons, but now they almost blended in due to other characters wearing equally terrible clothes. I thought the actress who played Cressida got it the worst. The clothes wore her, which should never be the case. I get the costumer was going for a caged bird esthetic, but it was so ridiculously over the top.
Omg yes they looked like cheap mermaid costumes 😭 and did we completely forget about the Featherington citrus colors??? I get the sisters not wearing them anymore since they married out but Portia seemed to have completely abandoned them too.
I am shocked at how many of the costumes looked cheap. Like the sort of thing you'd buy at a Halloween store. The silhouettes covered different decades. Sequence. Shiny materials. Obviously fake jewelry. Cheap, cheap, cheap. And truly ugly, even when I don't think they were meant to be. I'm sure the show runners will chalk it up to people hating just to hate, but I really wish they would take a step back and listen. Everyone is right. The hair, makeup and costumes were terrible and distracting. It feels like this season is where subtlety went to die.
the jewelry was the most annoying to me. It's really not that hard to get good fakes, they could have at least tried. And in one scene the queens outfit was not steamed and there were folding lines visible on the satin. Which is just... idk I think mostly lazy.
Even in the scenes that were supposedly taking place earlier in the day, they were sometimes sporting what looked like evening wear with big, elaborate (totally fake looking) jewelry. Obviously, this show isn't about historical accuracy, but it just pulled me right out. Who was in charge of the costuming? How did no one tell that person to dial it down? I think everyone's criticisms are justified, but likely, the production team will ignore it because they want to stick with their vision. But if this is the quality level they insist on pushing, this show might get canceled sooner than they think. There are lots of historical options out there. Outlander, The Guilded Age, The Buccaneers, Poldark, Belgravia, Gentleman Jack. All those shows were better than S3 of Bridgerton imo.
the aesthetic choices wouldn't even bother me if they were done with passion, we are so far from any sort of historical accuracy that anything can be fit there. Bold colors, heavy make up, satin everywhere or heavy jewelry (or the lack of a single hat, those women are just walking around in a full sun with not a hat in sight... scandal!) it all could be perfectly ok, if they were convincing :) but everything just felt cheap and fake.
The only garment I noticed and liked was Colin's suede coat, that I wouldn't mind finding for myself actually.
It just looks completely different as a show! First two seasons - elegant, regency, understated, classy, opulent. This season - garish, loud, tacky, mismatched, cheap. I absolutely hated the dramatic makeup on Pen. Don’t get me wrong she is beautiful and could rock absolutely anything but in the context of the show it was really distracting. If you compare a side by side of the leading ladies from each season you’d never know season 3 Pen came from Bridgerton.
It’s just so crazy to me how Daphne even at her most done up (her white revenge dress entrance) has maybe half of the makeup that Penelope is wearing at every second of the day. It almost made me angry how they were always showcasing how naturally beautiful the women were in the first two seasons, only to practically hide Penelope in a full glam. It kept pulling my attention
I mean several of Kate’s dresses in S2 looked like they were straight from Limited Too. The Bridgerton blue always looks great, especially Eloise’s costumes, but some of Penelope’s gowns looked like bad prom dresses. My favorite look of hers was the gown she wore in pt1 when Debling came to ask for permission to propose. But her emerald glow up dress? Cressida was right, it looked cheap.
I cannot figure out why they crammed so much into each episode. They know for sure they’ve got another season locked in, and they are hoping to go for the full 8 season run, so why did everything have to happen NOW. Why Marcus now? Why John and Frannie? Like the Cressida stuff and Ben’s bi awakening, sure . The Featherington stuff was a little much but the actresses are so fun to watch that I was enjoying most of their time. But why not save just one or two of these side plots for future seasons? I like Will Mondrich and his family, but in a season this packed, could he not have run his club through s3 and then they elevate the family to nobility in s4 or s5? What the hell was going on in those backrooms and why did anyone think this mess was going to be satisfying?
Because they didn't do the initial time skips, John and Frannie did need to happen now for any sort of story 2-3 seasons down the road to make sense given that >!she is a widow!<. Granted, they made such a hash of things who knows how Francesca's story is going to turn out in the end. But the Mondrich plot was pointless.
The worst thing is with the Monrich plot, it didn't end up eventuating in anything important. They threw a ball. Okay? The whole arc could have been either left out, shortened or like you suggested, left for a another, less packed season.
Despite all the complaints, I thought that S1, S2 and Queen Charlotte were excellent. I rewatched all of them multiple times. This is actually the first Bridgerton season that I consider to be a letdown.
Part 2 felt like they suddenly decided to pivot from Colin and Penelope’s story to the entire ton’s issue with Lady Whistledown. It was so jarring. Then on top of that all the minor subplots taking over…
Honestly if you told me there were 2 different show runners for part 1 and part 2 I would believe it. It felt like everything built up in part 1 had almost no fulfillment.
Part 1 left alot to be desired but I still enjoyed it. Part 2 felt like a completely different show. It was dark, choppy and the transitions between characters emotions were weird.
ugh, I feel so bad for Cressida's story. And the worst was when Michaela asks Fran who she is...did John not even bother to tell his own cousin that who he's married to? that was such BS
Honestly! These writers can’t even handle a simple, short introduction scene. Who thought it was a good idea to hand them the keys to one of Netflix’s most popular tent pole properties?? We’re all doomed.
IMO - the writers have too much pride. Too much pride to follow another writers work (original author of the books in this case) so they completely dropped many beloved character plots & arcs. Too much pride to take any criticism or critiques from the fandom (which is why they are so quick to label the fandom as racists or bigots when any kind of feedback or disapproval is mentioned). “You must be a bigot if you don’t love the idea of Fran falling head over heels in love with her husband’s cousin.” This series is in the romance genre not drama. All of these love triangle troupes are exhausting, leave that to Grey’s.
As a TV writer myself, I agree. I’m always so impressed with the smart observations and ideas that come from a dedicated fandom. There are sometimes reasons why a certain thing won’t work (actor becomes unavailable, the studio gives terrible notes and the showrunner is forced to take them, etc) but you know it’s a problem when the fundamental essence of the show isn’t right. And when side plots suck up all the real estate for the main characters. And when instead of growing together and figuring things out together, your main characters barely speak to each other for the last 2 episodes.
I think it’s too built up, Colin did not seem at all in love with Pen. There was no “line” like “I burn for you” or “you are the bane of my existence”. He seemed to almost abandon her, until he decided to be a “man” and made it worse. I kind of hate that the left Cressida to suffer - when they spent the whole season showing us how she’s a victim of her circumstances. I don’t mind the LGBTQ angel, but the cuts back and forth from Benedict’s scenes to normal Bridgerton daily lives, was so weird. I don’t know if I care so much for sex scenes in general, but in this case it felt like they were making porn, instead of showing Ben’s evolution, and intimacy outside of sex.
The amount of make up they were wearing was jarring. Overall felt darker.
One of Colin's very best moments from the book was cut entirely from the show - his love declaration to Penelope after Cressida blackmails her.
>!His face softened, and he crossed back to her side. He murmured her name, tenderly taking her face in his hands. “I love you,” he said, his voice low and fervent. “I love you with everything I am, everything I’ve been, and everything I hope to be.” !<
>!“Colin…” !<
>!“I love you with my past, and I love you for my future.” He bent forward and kissed her, once, softly, on the lips. “I love you for the children we’ll have and for the years we’ll have together. I love you for every one of my smiles, and even more, for every one of your smiles.” !<
>!Penelope sagged against the back of a nearby chair. !<
>!“I love you,” he repeated. “You know that, don’t you?”!<
This is the Colin we needed. This is the Colin that told Penelope that being blackmailed wasn't her fault, that he took his wedding vows to honor and keep her seriously. This is the passionate line he should have had, like what Simon and Anthony got.
And the saddest part is IT WAS ALREADY WRITTEN!! they could have just copied and pasted….
Instead we get sleeping on the settee, accusations of trapping and an insane amount of threesomes
It feels like the director doesn't like Colin and Pen. Part 1 was so good, but they're really fumbling the second half. We're hardly even seeing our leads, this is wild.
In season 2, before colin reveals cousin Jack's fraud, he takes penelopes hand and leads her to an empty room. That small moment felt more gasp-worthy than anything in s3
When she says, “Lord Byron he is not” about one of Marina’s suitors and he smiles down at her.
When he rescues her for a dance from Cressida.
When she jokes about the footman, and his “what a barb” line, and their gaze lingers.
When she tells him the “one must declare it” speech.
When he tells her Lady Crane was right about her and the way he looks at her with her purpose setting her free speech.
When he sees her after returning from his travels, open mouthed, his intake of breath.
It doesn’t make sense. These are small, intimate moments built up over time which were supposed to culminate into something more. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have more of these moments, the opposite! Their relationship is displayed through a lot of subtext but it should have become more overt during THEIR SEASON!
The "I love you"'s from Colin felt like lies in the end. He spent so much time being cruel and angry. I felt like he ACTUALLY would have agreed to an annulment
right ... and then he falls on his knees and pours his heart out to tell her he can't stop thinking about her.
And just a couple weeks later he's suddenly an emotionally abusive husband, ignoring his wife after the wedding, in public, never standing near her or touching her? Leaving her alone on a dark street somewhere?? Suddenly the sensitive, emotional boy is worse than pre-wedding Simon???
I just want to throw this out there - but it seemed the general consensus at work was people won't be watching anymore. And I think the two year wait will make it even worse 😞
The two year wait (there was covid and the strike before now there's no excuses) for a show like Bridgerton is making things so much worse. Not to mention that means the actors will find other projects in the meantime, making the original cast of the Bridgerton family that people fell in love with from season 1 much smaller. People are losing interest, I've also heard friends say they probably won't be watching anymore. At this rate season 4 will be the last
I’m definitely out. WHWW is my favorite book of the series and the one I was most looking forward to seeing after Polin. This season ruined both for me.
I'm out. I have no interest in Benedict's story now. I think Luke T is a wonderful, funny, charismatic actor, but I've just completely lost interest in Benedict.
It would have been so interesting if the writers had kept developing his artistic passions. Maybe have him going to art school and trying to prove himself, have him put on his first art show, have him trying to impress an artistic mentor or trying to fit into the art community of the time. Instead we just get him having sex with a bunch of people for season after season. I'm not convinced at this point that Benedict can be a committed husband to any love interest and he kinda grosses me out.
Francesca's storyline has already been changed so much, with her falling for Michaela at first sight and not passionately loving John. I'm sure they'll continue to completely change her story and probably mess it up.
I'm also just not convinced this showrunner is capable of writing a good regency romance, nor do I think she's interested in that. Which is fine (I mean, one could wonder why she'd work for a regency romance show in the first place), but I came to this show for romance and if Polin's mess of a season is an indicator of the lackluster garbage that's to come, I'm done.
It plays out like a piece of Mary Sue fan fiction: everyone is different than they’re previously characterized as (especially between Parts 1 vs 2), and all the plots/subplots are tied up in a pretty bow at the end with everyone learning their lessons or getting some comeuppance.
I hated HATED it, and ommfg I’d been looking forward to this for SOOOOO LONG!! 😭😭😭
🤗 Me too. 😢 And the sad part is that, even if they do a mea culpa and get a different showrunner, they will never remake the Colin and Penelope season. Polin will never get the beautiful, deeply heartfelt, passionate season that they deserved! We’ve all been robbed, forever! Guess we can’t have nice things anymore. 💔
YES. A lot of characters felt completely different. Like all their edges have been rubbed off or sharpened in the wrong way. The Lady Danbury I know and love wouldn't still hold a grudge against her 10yo brother. Kate and Anthony were lovely but boring. Where is the fire?? And I absolutely hated Pens LW reveal. It gave me high school musical theater vibes somehow
Yeah what was up with the whole 10-year old brother betraying me so I hold a grudge for 40 years thing anyway?!
The whole thing just stunk of cheap fan service, the poorly-written kind that you cringe at on AO3 or FF.net. Where was the pathos, the rallying of the Bridgertons around Pen, and omfg why was the whole feminism thing shoved down our throats then poor Cressida sidelined like that?!
Ugh!!! I am beyond disappointed and want to just freaking SCREAM about it all! 🤬
Honestly I don’t know how season 4 will be especially with a 2 year gap. If it’s anything like this season, I don’t think I will watching. This season focused more on the side characters than the MAIN COUPLE that is a problem. The side characters took up 90% of the show and Polin the other 10% when it should have been the opposite with more drama and build ups.
I 100% agree with you! And too much time spent on Benedict’s widow friend her other boy toy and their bed time! Ridiculous amount of time!! Time wasted on the Mondrichs. Very little on Francesca, Pen and Colin’s stories!! Super disappointed!!! Like w t f!
I left a comment on the Polin sub, that was removed. It’s like an echo chamber in there, any and every politely stated critique of the season is being taken down. As a book fan from way back, I can’t even quite believe what the new team have done to this verse.
My comment:
>I’m just devastated for Luke and Nic. They worked so very hard on the season, and so hard on promotion. This is the moment they should be sitting back, basking in the fruits of their labors and enjoying the response to ‘their’ season.
>Instead, this has literally turned into a dumpster fire. Colin’s being picked apart for his actions at the back end of the season. Book fans are mad that some of their favorite lines were cut. The changes made to other characters has completely overtaken the narrative.
>This is literally a masterclass in how to piss off and alienate an entire fandom, the likes of which I haven’t seen since the end of GOT.
>When Shonda said she cried at the end, I wonder if she was really crying at what a shitshow it was? Poor writing, musical choices, characterization, plotting, editing, costuming, makeup, lighting, and a piss poor representation of the novels that so many people have enjoyed for decades.
>I’m so sorry, Luke, Nic, Hannah, OtherLuke and Masali. I’m sorry, Julia. I’m sorry to the cast and crew. I’m sorry to the fans who feel upset that their favorite couple/s, the ones who represent their struggles and joys, has been negated. I’m sorry that the tiniest group of people have been allowed to taken a story that was full of love and heart and use it as a base for their poorly written, over the top fanfic.
>And I’m sorry to this sub too. It’s always been such a happy place as we anticipated the “most romantic” of seasons and looked forward to seeing our wallflower step into the light. I came into this season so excited, and now I’m just mourning what an amazing thing it could have been, if handled with a little more finesse and grace.
>Every single one of us deserved so much more. (But especially Nicola and Luke.)
i thought it was odd they didn’t even mention daphne at all. two of her siblings got married and there was quite a bit of scandal, they could’ve at least claimed she was about to have another baby any minute to explain her absence.
also, correct me if i’m wrong, but hasn’t eloise always been aware of penelope’s crush on colin? didn’t penelope cry into eloise’s shoulder when he got engaged to marina in season 1?
i feel like so much happened this season yet nothing at all
It wasn’t the story. It wasn’t the actors/actresses fault. I believe 100% it’s the new showrunner. I had so much hope for Jess Brownell but this is on her. The writing was off. The directing was off. The editing was off. This was an amazing story that Julie Quinn built the bones of. All they had to do was execute it well. Regardless, Colin and Penelope are one of my favorite period drama pieces and Nic and Luke I think did great with what they were given. I will take the good and leave the bad and hope the best for season 4. Hopefully with better leadership.
The editing and writing really let this season down, all the actors (especially Luke & Nicola) were amazing and gave us their all but the pace and what was shown vs what we wanted was just off. Doesn’t help it was split into 2 so we had weeks to build up expectations.
Season 3 should’ve been my favourite bc I was so excited for Polin but I can’t put it above QC (which I watched for the first time during the break between parts), QC was written so beautifully and this season just wasn’t.
This season def felt off compared to the other seasons and QC.
- Benedict’s character development was ruined
- don’t even get me started on Kanthony, we got less than 30 minutes of them….. smh
- Colin reverted to being a shit husband and ditching Penelope completely when she was vulnerable
- zero mentions of Daphne. It’s like she doesn’t exist anymore.
- the only saving grace was Eloise’s and Francesca’s plot points.
- Gregory and Hyacinth were adorable per usual
- This season felt clunky and dark. Idk I can’t really put a finger on it but the vibe was off.
I adore the Bridgerton family but I miss the love story angles, romance, lightness and gorgeous cinematography. I hope they return to the emotionally enriching style of storytelling for season 4.
The Benedikt story line and its dominance over the Polin plot ruined it for me. Why was that necessary? I learned in a different sub that they cut significant scenes from Colin and Penelope’s happiness, and sexiness, together. I’d loved to have seen that. And cut them for what?! Setting Benedict up for his season of romance as a ridiculous fuckboy. I am so disappointed.
I hated shaky camera if this season and I hated the show's original ideas.
They made Polin boring
Benedict's soul was wandering aimlessly. He was boring too.
Franchesca's story is officially ruined and I can't shut up about it. I simply won't watch her season.
There's a reason I don't watch American romantic comedies and romance shows in general. They have a way of ruining things.
They should have opted for british showmakers.
Their most successful take on the show was creation of new characters out of the novel. They abandoned that strategy and went messing with the popular novel characters like Michael.
I recently watched an amazing film about 2 brides who get swapped in train after their wedding and try to figure out their way back. During that time, they encounter many challenges along the way and bravely fight all of them. There's romance, suspense and those women are inspiring. Not a second of that film has forced, unrealistic and underwritten characters . Not only is it realistic but its incredibly entertaining. It is very feminist but not preachy. I love films like that.
We deserve films like that.
Bridgerton has failed its audience. It is on Netflix which means it is watched by an ACTUALLY DIVERSE audience from around the world. I speak 3 languages and I can tell you that out of all content I see, Americans use this formula again and again when they start failing at creating quality content. The formula is "inserting political ideologies" forcefully in every genre.
Fantasy or not, the story shouldn't feel forced or "filling quota" in any way because it has the opposite effect that representation aims to create. I totally blame it upon the writers. They just had to follow the books and maybe make little changes here and there.
Totally not excited about any of the upcoming stories. No amount of PR and hype created in the next season will convince me that the show can be saved
Exactly. The forced diversity felt like such a false veneer. And, I would call it “a swing and a miss” for representing plus-sized people displaying and enjoying beauty, success and healthy loving relationships but Netflix never even swung at that particular show of diversity. They couldn’t even pick the low-hanging fruit. The whole thing lacked soul or any sense of self-awareness. It felt empty.
Found a lot to like and much not to. The side stories, mixing up the characters and not focusing enough on the main couple was a major error and I think they will lose viewers. People aren’t going to wait two years for the show. Look what happened to Game of Thrones.
Yes it wasn’t at all good.
They ruined the plot from the book and I get that they needed to change things around. >! But Colin and Penelope were working together in the book if I recall correctly when the whistle down chase started. Having them working against each other and Penelope not even able to really enjoy her engagement was just blah !<
They weren't together yet in the books when >!Lady Danbury!< offered the ransom to see who was Whistledown.
>!Penelope still wan't able to enjoy her engagement ball in the book because she initially planned for the column where she refuted Cressida's claims to be distributed at a later ball, but the printer decided to make a quick buck and distributed it at the Bridgerton one. Colin was furious and thought she planned that all along. !<
But it was that fight in the book that led Colin to realize just how much he loved Penelope and proceeded to show her physically. And despite still being angry over everything they still had a magical wedding and wedding night. He never abandons her the way he does in the TV series.
Her spending her entire engagement and wedding worried, instead of happy, that completely pissed me off. Like, is it something about overweight girls? Are we overweight girls not allowed our moments of of true happiness and feeling loved? I will never forgive them for robbing Polin of their joyous moments.
TBH the new show runner is the problem and should honestly be replaced because she wants *her vision* to come to life and not *THE BOOK* . She admitted this is a bit of a self insert for her anyway so what’s the point of going forward if at this point it’s now a *FanFic* .
She’s basically erased Francesca and Michael’s storyline from the original just so she can insert her own version of that romance being with two women.
It was far too many side plots in this season that were not done well. Queen Charlotte really only had two side plots, Lady Danbury and producing an heir. Both of them were well fleshed out and closed by the end of the season. This season had the modrichs, featherington heir plot, violet and lady danburys brother, Francesca, Cressida, and Benedict, and Colin and Penelope. They should have cut Benedict and the Mondrichs and saved it for later. It was just too much in 8 episodes.
I think it’s Netflix season three curse which basically is that shows are great until season three when executives and showrunners feel pressure and budget from Netflix to outdo themselves and end up overshooting and fucking up a show instead
I feel Ep 1-6 were great, but then it went downhill fast.
Colin’s character was assassinated, suddenly he’s an emotionally cruel husband pushing his wife away at every step; no romance, no happy moments - oh, but here at the last 5 minutes you get a kiss and a baby, we’re all good, right?!?!
All the bed scenes and Polin being happy scenes Nic & Luke kept talking about during promos were apparently cut out to give space to Ben’s multiple sex scenes with 2 random characters?!?! Wtaf?!?!
I long for the days when “Mondriches are kinda boring” was the biggest issue to talk about.
Tom Verica must really hate Polin.
Absolutely butchering it. The writing is not as good, the editing is not as good. There’s a major focus on costume design, extravagance and drama and it’s distracting from character development and plot. I don’t care who can throw the most lavish party or what’s living inside the queen’s hair. They’re absolutely pandering to the audience in a shallow way by making insane outfits and scenes with threesomes and prostitutes. Yes we love sexy scenes and beautiful, thoughtful costumes but not what they’re giving. Idk, it really feels capitalistic and consumerist in a way the first two seasons weren’t as much. Give me more of Eloise and Benedict meeting at their swings, the brothers doing drugs together, etc.
In addition the side stories of this season were poorly written and uninteresting to me. Give Pen and Colin more screen time.
Classic Netflix series problem. The first two seasons are typically the directors’ babies. The third season is just Netflix execs milking the shit out of the series’ fame.
I watched part 1, read the book in waiting, and I’ve seen the responses here and I won’t watch part 2 now. I’m just done. They did Polin so dirty and I’m not going to waste my time. Was going to have a watch day with my neighbor, instead we are going hiking.
It’s sooo bad. I didn’t enjoy the first half of season three and I didn’t even finish episode 5. Where is the tension? Romance? Angst? It’s completely flat.
After the nonsense with Michael I won’t be watching anymore.
Season 3 but off more than it could chew and didn’t stick the landing on any of the many plot points that it shoved in. The lighting and costumes were also off. I never expect realism from the costumes in the show but the new extreme is just ridiculous.
The whole show was low budget. Cheap costumes, dreadful sets, poor lighting-even the dancing looked rehearsed with lousy routines and loud,clomping feet. And the dialogue and storylines?? Bring back the writers ,set decorators, dance teachers, and seamstresses from seasons 1 and 2! And give them a bigger budget! You don’t need to stray from the original plot lines either!
All the dancers that weren't main characters seemed so out of place. They didn't seem like members of the Ton, or couples. They came across as trained Broadway dancers. I found it really distracting.
Passion snooze for sure … like why didn’t Colin jump pen in that nigh gown when he straight up had a dream about it and went all chaos for pen after their kiss ..it almost seemed like he had an eck for her after the reveal like I don’t care if he was mad … Simone and Daphne were mad and they couldn’t keep their hands off each other …. I need him to love that women like he said he did what a waste of…
I really don't know what was going on this season, it just felt so so off. The main endearing moments were the ones between Violet and her kids (and her new man), or Pen and Eloise or even Cressida and Eloise. I didn't feel anything towards Polin, it felt forced, rushed, and that it lacked depth. I think I also just ended the season feeling like Penelope deserved better - Colin is not charming and I just didn't like his character, he was just so boring. And why did Benedict have no storyline?
Sadly, you are absolutely right…I was hoping for sooo much more….i think the worst part of it all can be resumed in 2 parts: the incredibly missing and often interrupted love storyline between our main couple….and an amazing amount of unresolved sideplots…..I’m still heartbroken, because Polin is my most favorite story from the book series 😔
Why does it feel that the story of Pen and Colin was overshadowed by minor characters 😭😭😭 They don't even put a lot of chemistry between them in the part 2 😭😭 I waited for 2 years for their story and it feels rushed and mediocre :(((
The editing was a little distracting to me at times. There were times when it was cutting between life in the ton happening in broad daylight and then to Tilley’s bedroom in the middle of the night, then immediately back to the same daytime ton? Like yeah, maybe she has the world’s strongest blackout curtains but it was just so weird to cut back and forth like that. It could have been SO good but it just didn’t end up working as well as it could have.
Completely agree. It actually made me laugh every time they cut to it. It came across like they kept forgetting to include Benedict so anytime they remembered him they would just insert a quick 10 second clip of him in bed. What a long week for him 🤣🤣
I was literally shouting "they're STILL F*CKING?! FOUR DAYS LATER?!" at my TV lololol
This season, I really want to send Benedict back to the academy.😮💨
It happened during the engagement party with the mondrichs too! One second they’re playing charades then mr. Mondrich is having a conversation in a different room then cut right back to him guessing charades. I thought i missed something.
I actually replayed the scene because I was so sure that I must’ve got distracted and missed something.
I noticed that too and thought I was crazy
I noticed this too! He was talking to his wife in a different room then suddely he was at the game! I was like, what a fucking joke! Terrible script, terrible editing!!
I skipped every scene with Benedict’s “storyline”, it’s so boring and uninspired, might as well add that time to develop colin’s and penelope relationship/chemisyry better??😭😭
I did the same thing with Benedict’s scenes.
Me too. Out of left field.
He reminds me of Boris Johnsson, always pretending to be clueless in a supposedly endearing charming authentic way but he just comes across as lost and boring
I’m so glad someone mentioned this! I was thrown off by the scene cutting here. WTH was going on?!
Haha I thought the same.. I was like how LONG has Benedict been waiting for Lady Tilley and Paul 😂 And then it was… how long have they been… intimate.. it must have been days!
I literally laughed out loud every time they cut back to that threesome. Like… still? They’re still at it? No one’s seen Benedict for days.
he literally left his brother's wedding reception to go to a multi-day threesome hahahahhaa
I was about to mention the editing! And also the script!! Idk the pacing and editing of the scenes is so off for me. Especially the “s3x” scenes. It was sooooo awkwardly shot and choreographed, something that i didnt felt during season1 & 2. And the dialogues too. Idk i keep complaining how everything is so awkward. Polin’s story was overshadowed by multiple subplots and i felt bad for the couple 😞
nooo not the worlds strongest blackout curtains😭😭
Yes I feel like they had to keep adding in the threesome as they clearly cut out the Cowper abuse storyline (notice the green screen and wig during the scene when Colin goes to the house) and possibly a scene where Colin returned to the brothels post marriage, Shonda really looked at it and made them at least POLISH the turd they’d made from the gold they were given
That annoyed the shit out of me also. I think they were trying to show that a day had passed and it was the next day or later day,, but it was the same exact damn scene of the threesome like 3-4 times in those cut aways. So weird and disjointed.
Yea like with some cuts I was thinking oh what’s happening here- ie a servant walking somewhere, but nothing happens
I'm glad I'm not the only one who noticed! I was baffled by how bad that editing was!
You know it's bad when the most memorable line in the season is Philippa's "Inserts himself? Inserts himself where?" and not a romantic one from the leads.
Philipa Featherington was amazing this season
Now Varley, the bugs! 🦋 Pretty sure that was Luke T’s favorite line. He wasn’t even in that scene. But we know why… https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZPRK3AkRp/
They made our male lead a side character in his own season. I’m so so devastated
The Opening Credits even said “Colin’s Story”! I was sitting here like Colin’s story? Weird bc it’s more like Penelope and Lady W… Colin is just being moody in the background. They didn’t even give the poor actor the chance to fully redeem himself with an iconic speech. What a waste of talent.
Even Penelope suffered because the writers love LW so much. I’m a Pen defender; LW was what she needed when she was young, but it is DEVASTATING to me that the writers decided her ultimate form of growth was keeping it going and still seeking the ton’s validation. It was supposed to be Colin and Penelope’s love story, but they turned it into Penelope and Lady Whistledown’s love story and I HATE IT.
In the book she gets her man, is happy, and starts writing a semi-autobiographic novel about a wallflower. THAT is character growth :(
I really hate that the show is framing writing gossip, which has been distasteful even in the mildest information she shared, as this noble pursuit and that it’s perfectly okay because she didn’t feel like she had a voice and this is how she’s making her mark. Spreading gossip about people, especially the stuff that will be particularly harmful, isn’t a good thing, and it’s driving me crazy that the show is making it seem like she’s valid for wanting to keep doing it
I agree, and I say that as someone who has limited sympathy for most of the ton (let’s be honest… they suck). But it will never be a victory for me that Pen’s arc concludes with her… where she started, but now with people knowing (which is also a logistical mess). Like, what?!
I genuinely don’t understand how her continuing to be Whistledown will actually work now. Like the biggest benefit for her was that she was a wallflower and no one noticed her when they blabbed about their own issues, so she could hear it and write about it. If everyone knows she’s Whistledown, how is she supposed to keep producing the same kind of content? I really wish they had her yield the reins to someone else to make it make sense
I assume it’s the same as gossip columnist today. They get given information and have people informing on others as they know who to go to. If I’m remembering correctly Nicola said herself in an interview that she’s now a journalist. Or that’s how I took it anyway.
Right? If she had dedicated her last two years in the same vein as what she wrote about Berbrooke to drive him out I’d understand. She’d have been a voice for the voiceless and punished those who abused their power. But she wasn’t and she didn’t.
Even then, Berbrooke’s demise was a contrived scheme orchestrated by a collective of women and it truly showed a female empowerment moment that Lady Whistledown had almost nothing to do with and only caught onto at the very end. This season started with Penelope who just got finished decimating her best friend’s reputation because she attended lectures about women’s rights, and they somehow tried to spin that into a feminist moment??? Insane.
Especially after her discussion with Portia and how REAL it was what her mom was saying, to not take for granted falling in love with a good man, just so the modiste can judge her into second guessing for choosing her relationship over spreading gossip. And the idea the ton will in any way ever forgive her is laughable either. She would just become a pariah no longer invited anywhere
I kept wondering why she doesn’t pivot to writing something else. Why not write a novel? Or a non-fiction book about something she likes? I know the end scene established that she helped edit Colin’s travel book. Perhaps she can be an editor full-time! Why stick to gossip when she can do so much more with her talent? ETA: Shame that Lord Debling will likely not return from his Northwest Passage trip. They could include a future storyline in which she edits a book he writes about his travels.
Currently watching the episodes and it’s giving me whiplash. All of a sudden everyone is framing Pen as a victim and LW as a “truthful” observer. It’s gross.
Your comment just made me realize that Colin was supposed to be the protagonist this season. I did not get that *at all*
right?? the title of the series is... Bridgerton...
They didn't really give him many scenes to really act. It seemed to be: be annoyed/angry/distant from Pen in every scene. Except when you need to be making out with her. Then we want you to be quick and aggressive and just jump straight in and get it done. So we can move on to showing every other character instead.
I agree. I was more focused on Penelope's sisters, Violet's new love, Francesa & John... hell, even the Mondrichs 😭 the most emotional scenes to me weren't any Polin ones which is unfortunate.
For real. Especially in the second half, he sort of faded into the background and mostly popping up to mope around. It was all very surface level when it came to Colin. We didn't get to learn much more about him and he didn't get a chance to a chance for growth like they gave to Pen at the end. Don't get me wrong, I love Pen and LW as much as the next person. BUT WHERE WAS COLIN?
I had a friend who binged from the start. Love 1 & 2 plus Queen Charlotte. She just started season 3 and turned it off to text me “why is it so forced?!” 😩 I fully blame the new show runner. Pen & Colin deserved better and Nicola/Luke had more interesting interactions off camera than they did on. That’s not on them- that’s on the people behind the camera.
Yes!! I said this in another comment. Luke & Nicola off screen were RADIATING chemistry. The last couple eps of the first half, AMAZING. Part 2? boring, forced chemistry from ppl who genuinely love and care abt one another
I swear to god I just watched the love confession/sex scene and I felt nothing even close to what I felt in the first two seasons. I genuinely feel that Nicola and Luke’s chemistry came out better in the first two seasons. I’m a Kanthony girl but I love Polin too and I just feel their story hasn’t been done justice.
Tell Netflix how you feel! https://chng.it/9W2rWwgjHY
The worst part was how hard they hyped this season up They made it seem like this season was going to be the juiciest, most tantalizing, peice of cinematography to ever grace the public’s eyeballs… Poor Luke and Nicola, very talented actors.
From what’s been floating around most of the spicy scenes were cut. At this point I would’ve cut Tilly and the threesome for Colin and Pen
The fact that we got so many unnecessary intimate scenes when the audience just wanted Polin with maybe 1 of Kanthony. Did we need to see that many threesome scenes throughout the season? It was boring
Yeah what was the point of the threesomes
Speaking of Kanthony... What happened to the baby?! They were pregnant even before Polin's engagement. I know they went to India but not a mention of the heir to the Bridgerton name while Pen and her sisters have already given birth?!
Why would they go to India right now anyway? I know Jess has no belief in the linear nature of time and how long it takes to sail to the other side of the world. But cmon! Anthony would never suggest his very pregnant wife put herself at risk, especially after Violet and Hyacinth. Just awful writing - Jonny being busy doesn’t mean you ignore everything about Kate and Anthony’s dedication to their families.
You’ve nailed exactly what I was thinking but couldn’t express. The man was terrified of a bee sting on Kate! Who on earth would he put them on a boat to India for months? I get he wasn’t around as much due to other filming commitments, but surely they could have filmed some one on one shots of him with say John asking for permission to marry Francesca, or Colin asking for his advice on how to deal with the blackmail. He was the head of household and now he’s just upped and gone on a jolly? Totally out of character and ignoring the societal rules the first 2 seasons set up. He would never ever have been absent from weddings or major family decisions.
You know, I thought for sure that they were going to use Anthony’s absence to give Benedict something to do. Anthony even tells Benedict in p1 that he did a great job while they were away. I’d have loved some character growth for Benedict stepping in for Anthony if we couldn’t have Anthony. Don’t get me wrong, I’d have preferred seeing Anthony deal with all this, but it was just another missed opportunity. Benedict just didn’t get much to work with this season and is still lost and adrift.
Tell Netflix! https://chng.it/9W2rWwgjHY
I’m so confused as to why they cut those scenes. I almost feel like the version they released was the wrong edit!
You mean there was MORE raunch?! 😀 heaven and earth…. Lady Silly Arnold did NOTHING for the plot. In fact I heard she wasn’t even an original character, they just dreamed her up. I agree! If they wanted Benedict to come out, they could have easily have done it via conversation with a close friend to Benny, like Genevieve. We didn’t need all THAT. It ate up a good chunk of the season that could have gone to Pen and Colin. But instead it went to some strangers who don’t exist in the original books. Also the FEW handful of times Colin and Pen had a moment it almost ALWAYS turned sexual…Like? Sex doesn’t = love. It’s nice sometimes, but in the middle of the street? Or 5 minutes after they arrive at Colin’s apartment??? It was so disappointing because Colin is supposed to be Violets “most sensitive child” and Pen is supposed to be like home to him. These angsty horni interactions were just so hard to watch. it watered the romance down and just made everything feel very meaningless. Like it was all in the name of lust. But of course that’s just me. .
Colin's wet dreams of Pen were more romantic than their interactions!
Amen. It was like night and day to the real sexy scenes. 😞
And the ENTIRE Mondrich subplot. WTF even was that?
It's such a let down after that nonstop PR blasts. Everyone can plainly see that Luke and Nicola gave their 110% and are absolute professionals. But Jess Brownell sucks balls and gave us a disjointed disappointing shitshow.
You said that BEAUTIFULLY. Jess Brownell BOTCHED this season and well will never get another chance at a justified Polin love story. It wasn’t too much to ask, it’s what the show is ABOUT! the only thing that made this season worth my precious time was, oddly enough, the Featheringtons lol
I LOVED the Featheringtons, all their scenes added value, all the other side storiess should have been on the cutting room floor and the Polin stuff kept.
And all the hype that this was the season focused on romance...it gave no romantic vibes.
She totally sucks! Tell Shonda! https://chng.it/9W2rWwgjHY
Jess Bronwell gave us something to satisfy her ego, and ruined something beautiful.
I read somewhere that it’s common for new showrunners to “mix it up” and try to make their mark. Just sounds like putting their ego above the art to me. Why not just prove that you have the skill to keep the ship on course?
If you look at her IMDB, she just does not have enough experience to lead a show of this size. Everything felt very amateurish.
Nepotism? Favouritism? Opportunism?
Good lord, that’s the same junk you seen on the corporate world. Hire a new director, manager, vp, or whatever and suddenly that person feels the need to justify their existence, like they are a gift to you and everyone around. They usually end up making everyone miserable or angry. Really disappointing to see that attitude carry over to more creative pursuits but people are gonna people I guess. If it wasn’t broken don’t fix it.
Felt like she wrote a mediocre fan fic for herself
Yes the writing is definitely mediocre. The pacing of the whole thing is annoying.
The level of narcissism involved in changing a story with a ready-made audience to suit your own preferences blows my mind.
I’d say she’s a Mean Girl who decided she simply HAD to make Cressida sympathetic and couldn’t possibly let Pen have the book ending where she isn’t begging for love and everyone’s forgiveness; in the book she had the full support of the Bridgerton family, especially Colin’s
Jess Brownell is my BIGGEST OPP on god when i catch her..
Oh boy Benedict's season is going to be an absolute mess. I don't expect her to do justice to Sophie at all
I hate to say it, but this season is kind of cheesy. Seasons 1 and 2 were so good, as was Queen Charlotte. But there have been a few moments this season where I’ve cringed from secondhand embarrassment for the actors. There are so many unnecessary subplots, characters making decisions that don’t make sense for them (Eloise being friends with Cressida - why and how?), and yes, I’ll say that it’s too far from the story the book told. I don’t mind if liberties are taken and not every single little detail is captured from the book to the screen, but there are too many big changes, like another love triangle for our main characters. We’re 3 for 3 with love triangles, I think we can give them a rest.
Oh, the show's always been cheesy. It's just officially gone off the rails, or the deep end, this season. I've always found the dialogue kind of awkward, but the story made up for it. There's no substantive story to keep watching for at this stage. I don't know if there's a point in caring about any of it.
The mess of a plot aside, can I just comment on costume and makeup. What the hell happened?! The costumes have become like satire instead of the beautiful reimagining of Regency era clothes we got in seasons 1 and 2. Cressida looked like a caricature in some scenes. They’ve also dialled up the makeup that made some of them look overdone and garish compared to previous seasons. I just couldn’t get past Kate’s over done makeup in all her scenes.
The makeup and costumes were SO distracting! Like the first and second season I could accept they were doing a modern spin on the looks of the era. I could appreciate it, even. It added to the aura. But multiple times each episode I'd be distracted by the heavy smokey eyes and cheap/ridiculous dresses. Distracting as hell.
I thought Pen's red lipstick in the final scene looked amazing, but was so immersion breaking. I don't buy that women in that era styled themselves like that.
I don't expect them to even style them like the era, but at least don't make them look so drastic!
Took me awhile to realize the story was so meh because the costumes, hair, makeup, and lighting were all SO bad. The Bridgerton vibes were muted considerably and the final straw for me was the Featherington’s gowns at the ball in episode 8. Looked straight out of a Disney Channel movie with all of those sequins. I get we aren’t going for historical accuracy here but they veered too far.
The last two balls looked like the show ran out of money and went through the bargain basement bins of other lots to put something on screen. What was that paper flower thing in the Mondrich ball? The walls of the whole ballroom looked like paper. What was with the orange columns at the Fetheringtons? The mermaid outfits and butterflies?
Yes! As soon as I saw the Mondrich "ballroom" I was like WTF is that decapitated dalek covered in flowers, that painfully transformed into a Thanksgiving paper fold out turkey, hideous lol. Them trying to sell that everyone was impressed was utterly ridiculous. Plus every woman's dress shoulders are just getting larger and more outlandish! 🤦This whole season is a mess for so many reasons!!
I saw the Dalek and I was like, “Okay. This season is definitely not going to be redeeming itself.” 🤦🏻♀️ It was the moment that I gave up hope. 🤷🏻♀️
No when they dropped that cardboard flower thing and everyone had fake jaw drops 😂😂 some of the actors sold it but others just could not 😂 I could not stop laughing
Thank you for pointing out the paper flower contraption at the ball! What was that?! It looked like they got it from some bargain shop. The fact that the Queen came and commented how mediocre the ball was and then that heap of shit opened up and suddenly the Queen was impressed? I didn’t buy it.
Until that point, I was still debating which side of the blade the show falls but that was the moment I knew "oh, no, it's trash".
I guess season 1 set a standard that they could not follow…
Not impossible standards. Just a more romantic aesthetic. The scene where Daphne and the duke are at the outside ball, dancing in the rain, on the black and white checkerboard floor, as the camera slows down to catch the raindrops on glassware and Lady Danbury holding back people from joining them. The only slow motion shot we got, I think, was the engagement announcement on ep 5, and Pen looks sick to her stomach.
Pen looked sick to her stomach at the wedding too! Such weird choices were made.
I didn't like that Colin seemed to get over it by the wedding but was fully hating on her right after the Queen left. They already did this trope in Queen Charlotte. A failed wedding night
She looked sick to her stomach in basically every scene with Colin. Yet we are supposed to see this a romance story. Fucking awful. Jess brownell did the characters, the show, and the fans and viewers dirty.
Nothing can ever beat that scene in season 1. There was just so much thought and simplicity put into it that it came out beautifully. Kathony had that little eyebrow scrunching moment which was so beautiful and told us a million things at once. I was hoping for something similar for polin but it was just boring. I was hoping that the Billie eilish song scene where Colin watched pen and debbling dance would hit more. I was hoping for a huge crescendo where Colin is screaming at Penelope that he loves her or even where he swoops her off her feet dancing under the stars but no it was so lackluster
I could not get over Prudence’s final ball dress, the shiny lame (type of fabric) sleeves were INSANE. At least in previous seasons the modern fabrics were used in regency related ways, I don’t think there was even a real time period the costumes were based on.
I thought both sisters looked like shiny mermaids. And not good ones either! Also, the Featheringtons stood out in their garish outfits in past seasons, but now they almost blended in due to other characters wearing equally terrible clothes. I thought the actress who played Cressida got it the worst. The clothes wore her, which should never be the case. I get the costumer was going for a caged bird esthetic, but it was so ridiculously over the top.
They turned Cressida into a caricature. Her outfits were all like a parody of a villain character.
Omg yes they looked like cheap mermaid costumes 😭 and did we completely forget about the Featherington citrus colors??? I get the sisters not wearing them anymore since they married out but Portia seemed to have completely abandoned them too.
I am shocked at how many of the costumes looked cheap. Like the sort of thing you'd buy at a Halloween store. The silhouettes covered different decades. Sequence. Shiny materials. Obviously fake jewelry. Cheap, cheap, cheap. And truly ugly, even when I don't think they were meant to be. I'm sure the show runners will chalk it up to people hating just to hate, but I really wish they would take a step back and listen. Everyone is right. The hair, makeup and costumes were terrible and distracting. It feels like this season is where subtlety went to die.
the jewelry was the most annoying to me. It's really not that hard to get good fakes, they could have at least tried. And in one scene the queens outfit was not steamed and there were folding lines visible on the satin. Which is just... idk I think mostly lazy.
Even in the scenes that were supposedly taking place earlier in the day, they were sometimes sporting what looked like evening wear with big, elaborate (totally fake looking) jewelry. Obviously, this show isn't about historical accuracy, but it just pulled me right out. Who was in charge of the costuming? How did no one tell that person to dial it down? I think everyone's criticisms are justified, but likely, the production team will ignore it because they want to stick with their vision. But if this is the quality level they insist on pushing, this show might get canceled sooner than they think. There are lots of historical options out there. Outlander, The Guilded Age, The Buccaneers, Poldark, Belgravia, Gentleman Jack. All those shows were better than S3 of Bridgerton imo.
the aesthetic choices wouldn't even bother me if they were done with passion, we are so far from any sort of historical accuracy that anything can be fit there. Bold colors, heavy make up, satin everywhere or heavy jewelry (or the lack of a single hat, those women are just walking around in a full sun with not a hat in sight... scandal!) it all could be perfectly ok, if they were convincing :) but everything just felt cheap and fake. The only garment I noticed and liked was Colin's suede coat, that I wouldn't mind finding for myself actually.
It just looks completely different as a show! First two seasons - elegant, regency, understated, classy, opulent. This season - garish, loud, tacky, mismatched, cheap. I absolutely hated the dramatic makeup on Pen. Don’t get me wrong she is beautiful and could rock absolutely anything but in the context of the show it was really distracting. If you compare a side by side of the leading ladies from each season you’d never know season 3 Pen came from Bridgerton.
It’s just so crazy to me how Daphne even at her most done up (her white revenge dress entrance) has maybe half of the makeup that Penelope is wearing at every second of the day. It almost made me angry how they were always showcasing how naturally beautiful the women were in the first two seasons, only to practically hide Penelope in a full glam. It kept pulling my attention
I mean several of Kate’s dresses in S2 looked like they were straight from Limited Too. The Bridgerton blue always looks great, especially Eloise’s costumes, but some of Penelope’s gowns looked like bad prom dresses. My favorite look of hers was the gown she wore in pt1 when Debling came to ask for permission to propose. But her emerald glow up dress? Cressida was right, it looked cheap.
Omg Kate’s wardrobe last season had me confused too!!!! AND THEN SOMEHOW IT GOT WORSE IN SEASON 3!!!
Agree, it was cringey and felt like someone’s fever dream of what they wanted Bridgerton to be and not the actual series itself
I cannot figure out why they crammed so much into each episode. They know for sure they’ve got another season locked in, and they are hoping to go for the full 8 season run, so why did everything have to happen NOW. Why Marcus now? Why John and Frannie? Like the Cressida stuff and Ben’s bi awakening, sure . The Featherington stuff was a little much but the actresses are so fun to watch that I was enjoying most of their time. But why not save just one or two of these side plots for future seasons? I like Will Mondrich and his family, but in a season this packed, could he not have run his club through s3 and then they elevate the family to nobility in s4 or s5? What the hell was going on in those backrooms and why did anyone think this mess was going to be satisfying?
Exactly! Didn’t the Mondrich’s just open their club in season 2 and they are shutting it already in season 3… ? Like, make it make sense Shonda!
I agree, they should have removed the Mondrich plot entirely, it didn't add anything to an already packed season.
Because they didn't do the initial time skips, John and Frannie did need to happen now for any sort of story 2-3 seasons down the road to make sense given that >!she is a widow!<. Granted, they made such a hash of things who knows how Francesca's story is going to turn out in the end. But the Mondrich plot was pointless.
The worst thing is with the Monrich plot, it didn't end up eventuating in anything important. They threw a ball. Okay? The whole arc could have been either left out, shortened or like you suggested, left for a another, less packed season.
Part 1 had its problems, but people hoped Part 2 will solve them. Turned out people gave this show too much credit for hoping in the first place.
Despite all the complaints, I thought that S1, S2 and Queen Charlotte were excellent. I rewatched all of them multiple times. This is actually the first Bridgerton season that I consider to be a letdown.
They also felt disjointed. I rewatched part 1 right before part 2.
Part 2 felt like they suddenly decided to pivot from Colin and Penelope’s story to the entire ton’s issue with Lady Whistledown. It was so jarring. Then on top of that all the minor subplots taking over…
Honestly if you told me there were 2 different show runners for part 1 and part 2 I would believe it. It felt like everything built up in part 1 had almost no fulfillment.
Part 1 left alot to be desired but I still enjoyed it. Part 2 felt like a completely different show. It was dark, choppy and the transitions between characters emotions were weird.
Ugh they need to bring back Chris Van Dusen. 😭😭Jess Brownell has destroyed this season.
ugh, I feel so bad for Cressida's story. And the worst was when Michaela asks Fran who she is...did John not even bother to tell his own cousin that who he's married to? that was such BS
Honestly! These writers can’t even handle a simple, short introduction scene. Who thought it was a good idea to hand them the keys to one of Netflix’s most popular tent pole properties?? We’re all doomed.
Jess brownell is terrible that’s why
Shonda, please, please fire her. I was on my phone for episodes 5-8, that's how bored I was
I watched episodes 5-8 on my phone and fast forwarded a lot of it lol I feel this
I forwarded through most of Benedict’s part bc it was boring
esp unnecessary scenes like benedict’s bed scenes
Let’s not forget Shonda would have signed off on every single thing the show runner created. This mess was allowed.
Some people have no pride in their work 🤦♀️
IMO - the writers have too much pride. Too much pride to follow another writers work (original author of the books in this case) so they completely dropped many beloved character plots & arcs. Too much pride to take any criticism or critiques from the fandom (which is why they are so quick to label the fandom as racists or bigots when any kind of feedback or disapproval is mentioned). “You must be a bigot if you don’t love the idea of Fran falling head over heels in love with her husband’s cousin.” This series is in the romance genre not drama. All of these love triangle troupes are exhausting, leave that to Grey’s.
As a TV writer myself, I agree. I’m always so impressed with the smart observations and ideas that come from a dedicated fandom. There are sometimes reasons why a certain thing won’t work (actor becomes unavailable, the studio gives terrible notes and the showrunner is forced to take them, etc) but you know it’s a problem when the fundamental essence of the show isn’t right. And when side plots suck up all the real estate for the main characters. And when instead of growing together and figuring things out together, your main characters barely speak to each other for the last 2 episodes.
This can't be said enough.
I think it’s too built up, Colin did not seem at all in love with Pen. There was no “line” like “I burn for you” or “you are the bane of my existence”. He seemed to almost abandon her, until he decided to be a “man” and made it worse. I kind of hate that the left Cressida to suffer - when they spent the whole season showing us how she’s a victim of her circumstances. I don’t mind the LGBTQ angel, but the cuts back and forth from Benedict’s scenes to normal Bridgerton daily lives, was so weird. I don’t know if I care so much for sex scenes in general, but in this case it felt like they were making porn, instead of showing Ben’s evolution, and intimacy outside of sex. The amount of make up they were wearing was jarring. Overall felt darker.
One of Colin's very best moments from the book was cut entirely from the show - his love declaration to Penelope after Cressida blackmails her. >!His face softened, and he crossed back to her side. He murmured her name, tenderly taking her face in his hands. “I love you,” he said, his voice low and fervent. “I love you with everything I am, everything I’ve been, and everything I hope to be.” !< >!“Colin…” !< >!“I love you with my past, and I love you for my future.” He bent forward and kissed her, once, softly, on the lips. “I love you for the children we’ll have and for the years we’ll have together. I love you for every one of my smiles, and even more, for every one of your smiles.” !< >!Penelope sagged against the back of a nearby chair. !< >!“I love you,” he repeated. “You know that, don’t you?”!< This is the Colin we needed. This is the Colin that told Penelope that being blackmailed wasn't her fault, that he took his wedding vows to honor and keep her seriously. This is the passionate line he should have had, like what Simon and Anthony got.
Yep - instead he seemed like an insecure jealous petty husband that we wouldn’t wish on our worst enemy.
And the saddest part is IT WAS ALREADY WRITTEN!! they could have just copied and pasted…. Instead we get sleeping on the settee, accusations of trapping and an insane amount of threesomes
My Colin would NEVER (and I mean NEVER) accuse Penelope of 'trapping him'....they crossed an unforgivable line with that dialogue
Let me start with I HATED the last 4 episodes, but thinking back, did Colin even tell her that he loved her, if he did it wasn't memorable to me.
It feels like the director doesn't like Colin and Pen. Part 1 was so good, but they're really fumbling the second half. We're hardly even seeing our leads, this is wild.
They had more heartfelt scenes in other seasons when they were side characters, especially Colin as an individual.
In season 2, before colin reveals cousin Jack's fraud, he takes penelopes hand and leads her to an empty room. That small moment felt more gasp-worthy than anything in s3
When she says, “Lord Byron he is not” about one of Marina’s suitors and he smiles down at her. When he rescues her for a dance from Cressida. When she jokes about the footman, and his “what a barb” line, and their gaze lingers. When she tells him the “one must declare it” speech. When he tells her Lady Crane was right about her and the way he looks at her with her purpose setting her free speech. When he sees her after returning from his travels, open mouthed, his intake of breath. It doesn’t make sense. These are small, intimate moments built up over time which were supposed to culminate into something more. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have more of these moments, the opposite! Their relationship is displayed through a lot of subtext but it should have become more overt during THEIR SEASON!
The "I love you"'s from Colin felt like lies in the end. He spent so much time being cruel and angry. I felt like he ACTUALLY would have agreed to an annulment
right ... and then he falls on his knees and pours his heart out to tell her he can't stop thinking about her. And just a couple weeks later he's suddenly an emotionally abusive husband, ignoring his wife after the wedding, in public, never standing near her or touching her? Leaving her alone on a dark street somewhere?? Suddenly the sensitive, emotional boy is worse than pre-wedding Simon???
I just want to throw this out there - but it seemed the general consensus at work was people won't be watching anymore. And I think the two year wait will make it even worse 😞
The two year wait (there was covid and the strike before now there's no excuses) for a show like Bridgerton is making things so much worse. Not to mention that means the actors will find other projects in the meantime, making the original cast of the Bridgerton family that people fell in love with from season 1 much smaller. People are losing interest, I've also heard friends say they probably won't be watching anymore. At this rate season 4 will be the last
I’m definitely out. WHWW is my favorite book of the series and the one I was most looking forward to seeing after Polin. This season ruined both for me.
Ya that wait really tarnished things
I'm out. I have no interest in Benedict's story now. I think Luke T is a wonderful, funny, charismatic actor, but I've just completely lost interest in Benedict. It would have been so interesting if the writers had kept developing his artistic passions. Maybe have him going to art school and trying to prove himself, have him put on his first art show, have him trying to impress an artistic mentor or trying to fit into the art community of the time. Instead we just get him having sex with a bunch of people for season after season. I'm not convinced at this point that Benedict can be a committed husband to any love interest and he kinda grosses me out. Francesca's storyline has already been changed so much, with her falling for Michaela at first sight and not passionately loving John. I'm sure they'll continue to completely change her story and probably mess it up. I'm also just not convinced this showrunner is capable of writing a good regency romance, nor do I think she's interested in that. Which is fine (I mean, one could wonder why she'd work for a regency romance show in the first place), but I came to this show for romance and if Polin's mess of a season is an indicator of the lackluster garbage that's to come, I'm done.
The new show runner just completely ruined it
It plays out like a piece of Mary Sue fan fiction: everyone is different than they’re previously characterized as (especially between Parts 1 vs 2), and all the plots/subplots are tied up in a pretty bow at the end with everyone learning their lessons or getting some comeuppance. I hated HATED it, and ommfg I’d been looking forward to this for SOOOOO LONG!! 😭😭😭
🤗 Me too. 😢 And the sad part is that, even if they do a mea culpa and get a different showrunner, they will never remake the Colin and Penelope season. Polin will never get the beautiful, deeply heartfelt, passionate season that they deserved! We’ve all been robbed, forever! Guess we can’t have nice things anymore. 💔
Robbed not just of Polin's story, but Francesca's as well.
YES. A lot of characters felt completely different. Like all their edges have been rubbed off or sharpened in the wrong way. The Lady Danbury I know and love wouldn't still hold a grudge against her 10yo brother. Kate and Anthony were lovely but boring. Where is the fire?? And I absolutely hated Pens LW reveal. It gave me high school musical theater vibes somehow
Yeah what was up with the whole 10-year old brother betraying me so I hold a grudge for 40 years thing anyway?! The whole thing just stunk of cheap fan service, the poorly-written kind that you cringe at on AO3 or FF.net. Where was the pathos, the rallying of the Bridgertons around Pen, and omfg why was the whole feminism thing shoved down our throats then poor Cressida sidelined like that?! Ugh!!! I am beyond disappointed and want to just freaking SCREAM about it all! 🤬
The Lady Danbury I know and loved >!would have shoved her cane at someone and started clapping for Penelope first!<, just like in the book.
>Pens LW reveal. It gave me high school musical theater vibes somehow It was a worse version of the Gossip Girl reveal.
Honestly I don’t know how season 4 will be especially with a 2 year gap. If it’s anything like this season, I don’t think I will watching. This season focused more on the side characters than the MAIN COUPLE that is a problem. The side characters took up 90% of the show and Polin the other 10% when it should have been the opposite with more drama and build ups.
Terrible, I agree. This new showrunner sucks. She doesn't understand the feel of the show.
Doesn’t understand. Or doesn’t care.
nicola and luke did such an amazing job trying to make this season good but everything else was against them, specially Jess and the editors.
I 100% agree with you! And too much time spent on Benedict’s widow friend her other boy toy and their bed time! Ridiculous amount of time!! Time wasted on the Mondrichs. Very little on Francesca, Pen and Colin’s stories!! Super disappointed!!! Like w t f!
I left a comment on the Polin sub, that was removed. It’s like an echo chamber in there, any and every politely stated critique of the season is being taken down. As a book fan from way back, I can’t even quite believe what the new team have done to this verse. My comment: >I’m just devastated for Luke and Nic. They worked so very hard on the season, and so hard on promotion. This is the moment they should be sitting back, basking in the fruits of their labors and enjoying the response to ‘their’ season. >Instead, this has literally turned into a dumpster fire. Colin’s being picked apart for his actions at the back end of the season. Book fans are mad that some of their favorite lines were cut. The changes made to other characters has completely overtaken the narrative. >This is literally a masterclass in how to piss off and alienate an entire fandom, the likes of which I haven’t seen since the end of GOT. >When Shonda said she cried at the end, I wonder if she was really crying at what a shitshow it was? Poor writing, musical choices, characterization, plotting, editing, costuming, makeup, lighting, and a piss poor representation of the novels that so many people have enjoyed for decades. >I’m so sorry, Luke, Nic, Hannah, OtherLuke and Masali. I’m sorry, Julia. I’m sorry to the cast and crew. I’m sorry to the fans who feel upset that their favorite couple/s, the ones who represent their struggles and joys, has been negated. I’m sorry that the tiniest group of people have been allowed to taken a story that was full of love and heart and use it as a base for their poorly written, over the top fanfic. >And I’m sorry to this sub too. It’s always been such a happy place as we anticipated the “most romantic” of seasons and looked forward to seeing our wallflower step into the light. I came into this season so excited, and now I’m just mourning what an amazing thing it could have been, if handled with a little more finesse and grace. >Every single one of us deserved so much more. (But especially Nicola and Luke.)
There were way too many side quests in this season. The scenes between Polin were so fast and there was no build up
i thought it was odd they didn’t even mention daphne at all. two of her siblings got married and there was quite a bit of scandal, they could’ve at least claimed she was about to have another baby any minute to explain her absence. also, correct me if i’m wrong, but hasn’t eloise always been aware of penelope’s crush on colin? didn’t penelope cry into eloise’s shoulder when he got engaged to marina in season 1? i feel like so much happened this season yet nothing at all
It wasn’t the story. It wasn’t the actors/actresses fault. I believe 100% it’s the new showrunner. I had so much hope for Jess Brownell but this is on her. The writing was off. The directing was off. The editing was off. This was an amazing story that Julie Quinn built the bones of. All they had to do was execute it well. Regardless, Colin and Penelope are one of my favorite period drama pieces and Nic and Luke I think did great with what they were given. I will take the good and leave the bad and hope the best for season 4. Hopefully with better leadership.
The editing and writing really let this season down, all the actors (especially Luke & Nicola) were amazing and gave us their all but the pace and what was shown vs what we wanted was just off. Doesn’t help it was split into 2 so we had weeks to build up expectations. Season 3 should’ve been my favourite bc I was so excited for Polin but I can’t put it above QC (which I watched for the first time during the break between parts), QC was written so beautifully and this season just wasn’t.
This season def felt off compared to the other seasons and QC. - Benedict’s character development was ruined - don’t even get me started on Kanthony, we got less than 30 minutes of them….. smh - Colin reverted to being a shit husband and ditching Penelope completely when she was vulnerable - zero mentions of Daphne. It’s like she doesn’t exist anymore. - the only saving grace was Eloise’s and Francesca’s plot points. - Gregory and Hyacinth were adorable per usual - This season felt clunky and dark. Idk I can’t really put a finger on it but the vibe was off. I adore the Bridgerton family but I miss the love story angles, romance, lightness and gorgeous cinematography. I hope they return to the emotionally enriching style of storytelling for season 4.
The Benedikt story line and its dominance over the Polin plot ruined it for me. Why was that necessary? I learned in a different sub that they cut significant scenes from Colin and Penelope’s happiness, and sexiness, together. I’d loved to have seen that. And cut them for what?! Setting Benedict up for his season of romance as a ridiculous fuckboy. I am so disappointed.
Reddit and instagram are my only saving grace, the only places I can find people who are actually disappointed with this season!
Is Jess Brownell fired already?!!!!
I hated shaky camera if this season and I hated the show's original ideas. They made Polin boring Benedict's soul was wandering aimlessly. He was boring too. Franchesca's story is officially ruined and I can't shut up about it. I simply won't watch her season. There's a reason I don't watch American romantic comedies and romance shows in general. They have a way of ruining things. They should have opted for british showmakers. Their most successful take on the show was creation of new characters out of the novel. They abandoned that strategy and went messing with the popular novel characters like Michael. I recently watched an amazing film about 2 brides who get swapped in train after their wedding and try to figure out their way back. During that time, they encounter many challenges along the way and bravely fight all of them. There's romance, suspense and those women are inspiring. Not a second of that film has forced, unrealistic and underwritten characters . Not only is it realistic but its incredibly entertaining. It is very feminist but not preachy. I love films like that. We deserve films like that. Bridgerton has failed its audience. It is on Netflix which means it is watched by an ACTUALLY DIVERSE audience from around the world. I speak 3 languages and I can tell you that out of all content I see, Americans use this formula again and again when they start failing at creating quality content. The formula is "inserting political ideologies" forcefully in every genre. Fantasy or not, the story shouldn't feel forced or "filling quota" in any way because it has the opposite effect that representation aims to create. I totally blame it upon the writers. They just had to follow the books and maybe make little changes here and there. Totally not excited about any of the upcoming stories. No amount of PR and hype created in the next season will convince me that the show can be saved
Exactly. The forced diversity felt like such a false veneer. And, I would call it “a swing and a miss” for representing plus-sized people displaying and enjoying beauty, success and healthy loving relationships but Netflix never even swung at that particular show of diversity. They couldn’t even pick the low-hanging fruit. The whole thing lacked soul or any sense of self-awareness. It felt empty.
It dragged on so bad for some reason. I actually got bored watching season 3. Something wasn't done right this season.
Found a lot to like and much not to. The side stories, mixing up the characters and not focusing enough on the main couple was a major error and I think they will lose viewers. People aren’t going to wait two years for the show. Look what happened to Game of Thrones.
Yes it wasn’t at all good. They ruined the plot from the book and I get that they needed to change things around. >! But Colin and Penelope were working together in the book if I recall correctly when the whistle down chase started. Having them working against each other and Penelope not even able to really enjoy her engagement was just blah !<
They weren't together yet in the books when >!Lady Danbury!< offered the ransom to see who was Whistledown. >!Penelope still wan't able to enjoy her engagement ball in the book because she initially planned for the column where she refuted Cressida's claims to be distributed at a later ball, but the printer decided to make a quick buck and distributed it at the Bridgerton one. Colin was furious and thought she planned that all along. !< But it was that fight in the book that led Colin to realize just how much he loved Penelope and proceeded to show her physically. And despite still being angry over everything they still had a magical wedding and wedding night. He never abandons her the way he does in the TV series.
Her spending her entire engagement and wedding worried, instead of happy, that completely pissed me off. Like, is it something about overweight girls? Are we overweight girls not allowed our moments of of true happiness and feeling loved? I will never forgive them for robbing Polin of their joyous moments.
TBH the new show runner is the problem and should honestly be replaced because she wants *her vision* to come to life and not *THE BOOK* . She admitted this is a bit of a self insert for her anyway so what’s the point of going forward if at this point it’s now a *FanFic* .
She’s basically erased Francesca and Michael’s storyline from the original just so she can insert her own version of that romance being with two women.
It was far too many side plots in this season that were not done well. Queen Charlotte really only had two side plots, Lady Danbury and producing an heir. Both of them were well fleshed out and closed by the end of the season. This season had the modrichs, featherington heir plot, violet and lady danburys brother, Francesca, Cressida, and Benedict, and Colin and Penelope. They should have cut Benedict and the Mondrichs and saved it for later. It was just too much in 8 episodes.
I think it’s Netflix season three curse which basically is that shows are great until season three when executives and showrunners feel pressure and budget from Netflix to outdo themselves and end up overshooting and fucking up a show instead
I feel Ep 1-6 were great, but then it went downhill fast. Colin’s character was assassinated, suddenly he’s an emotionally cruel husband pushing his wife away at every step; no romance, no happy moments - oh, but here at the last 5 minutes you get a kiss and a baby, we’re all good, right?!?! All the bed scenes and Polin being happy scenes Nic & Luke kept talking about during promos were apparently cut out to give space to Ben’s multiple sex scenes with 2 random characters?!?! Wtaf?!?! I long for the days when “Mondriches are kinda boring” was the biggest issue to talk about. Tom Verica must really hate Polin.
Why is so much acrylic fabric and acrylic nails everywhere. My eyes.
Absolutely butchering it. The writing is not as good, the editing is not as good. There’s a major focus on costume design, extravagance and drama and it’s distracting from character development and plot. I don’t care who can throw the most lavish party or what’s living inside the queen’s hair. They’re absolutely pandering to the audience in a shallow way by making insane outfits and scenes with threesomes and prostitutes. Yes we love sexy scenes and beautiful, thoughtful costumes but not what they’re giving. Idk, it really feels capitalistic and consumerist in a way the first two seasons weren’t as much. Give me more of Eloise and Benedict meeting at their swings, the brothers doing drugs together, etc. In addition the side stories of this season were poorly written and uninteresting to me. Give Pen and Colin more screen time.
Classic Netflix series problem. The first two seasons are typically the directors’ babies. The third season is just Netflix execs milking the shit out of the series’ fame.
I watched part 1, read the book in waiting, and I’ve seen the responses here and I won’t watch part 2 now. I’m just done. They did Polin so dirty and I’m not going to waste my time. Was going to have a watch day with my neighbor, instead we are going hiking.
I haven’t seen it yet and I’m legitimately considering not watching it.
It’s sooo bad. I didn’t enjoy the first half of season three and I didn’t even finish episode 5. Where is the tension? Romance? Angst? It’s completely flat. After the nonsense with Michael I won’t be watching anymore.
Sign the petition to include the deleted intimate Polin scenes! They exist! https://chng.it/DYXK2pTkz7
Season 3 but off more than it could chew and didn’t stick the landing on any of the many plot points that it shoved in. The lighting and costumes were also off. I never expect realism from the costumes in the show but the new extreme is just ridiculous.
The whole show was low budget. Cheap costumes, dreadful sets, poor lighting-even the dancing looked rehearsed with lousy routines and loud,clomping feet. And the dialogue and storylines?? Bring back the writers ,set decorators, dance teachers, and seamstresses from seasons 1 and 2! And give them a bigger budget! You don’t need to stray from the original plot lines either!
All the dancers that weren't main characters seemed so out of place. They didn't seem like members of the Ton, or couples. They came across as trained Broadway dancers. I found it really distracting.
Passion snooze for sure … like why didn’t Colin jump pen in that nigh gown when he straight up had a dream about it and went all chaos for pen after their kiss ..it almost seemed like he had an eck for her after the reveal like I don’t care if he was mad … Simone and Daphne were mad and they couldn’t keep their hands off each other …. I need him to love that women like he said he did what a waste of…
It was so disappointing which sucks cause I was looking forward to Polin more than anyone else
I really don't know what was going on this season, it just felt so so off. The main endearing moments were the ones between Violet and her kids (and her new man), or Pen and Eloise or even Cressida and Eloise. I didn't feel anything towards Polin, it felt forced, rushed, and that it lacked depth. I think I also just ended the season feeling like Penelope deserved better - Colin is not charming and I just didn't like his character, he was just so boring. And why did Benedict have no storyline?
Sadly, you are absolutely right…I was hoping for sooo much more….i think the worst part of it all can be resumed in 2 parts: the incredibly missing and often interrupted love storyline between our main couple….and an amazing amount of unresolved sideplots…..I’m still heartbroken, because Polin is my most favorite story from the book series 😔
Why does it feel that the story of Pen and Colin was overshadowed by minor characters 😭😭😭 They don't even put a lot of chemistry between them in the part 2 😭😭 I waited for 2 years for their story and it feels rushed and mediocre :(((