Bridgerton: ‘This author cannot tolerate a lie’ - well, here’s the truth about season 3

I’ve been waiting for the premiere of Bridgerton season three since it was announced that the third instalment of the franchise would centre around the romance between Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) and Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) more than two years ago.

Finally, the friends-to-lovers story which has been simmering away throughout the previous seasons would have its moment.

But I must admit, having binged part one back in May and devoured part two over the weekend I am left feeling rather disappointed in this season’s regency romance.

Between the drip-fed stills, trailers and Newton and Coughlan’s six-month press tour, fans were led to believe that Colin and Penelope were going to be at the heart of this story.

Ireland’s abandoned past captured in incredible photos

Sponsored: Circus Extreme - the world famous show comes to Belfast

However, it was a very full cast this series with the return of practically every character. This includes Will and Alice Mondrich, Kate and Anthony Bridgerton, Cressida Cowper, Genevieve Delacroix and Penelope’s newlywed sisters Prudence Huxley and Philippa Finch.

There’s even some new additions including Lady Danbury’s brother Marcus, Lord Debling, Lord Kilmartin and Tilley Arnold.

Although these characters, new and old, are well developed, the problem lies in the fact there are just too many of them. Season three consisted of a lot, and I do mean a lot, of subplots running alongside the main story of Penelope and Colin falling in love which was simply too much to cram into eight episodes and it made the series feel rushed.

Bridgerton has always had subplots going on the background but in this season it felt like the showrunners were trying to sow the seeds of subsequent series’ but did so at the expense of this current season.

The awkward pacing also makes you question why Netflix decided to chop season three into two underwhelming segments rather than simply letting the series play out, especially as the gap appears to have highlighted the show’s weaknesses.

Coughlan is mesmerising in her leading role, but Newton’s performance was less captivating. It feels like Colin spends half the season pining for Penelope and the other half huffing with her because of her Lady Whistledown revelation - tedious to say the least.

From the book we know Colin struggles with feelings of jealousy and envy towards Penelope because of her writing and although this is touched on it’s not particularly well done.

I’ve loved watching Colin’s character development over the previous two seasons but this time round he just feels like a bit of a walking red flag. From sleeping on the sofa on their wedding night to straight up ignoring Penelope’s wishes when he finds out she’s being blackmailed by Cressida Cowper – which surprise, surprise makes things worse…

In the book his behaviour isn’t much better but it’s far easier to forgive him because in the end (apologies for those who haven’t read it) it is Colin who shares Penelope’s identity with the world in a grand romantic gesture.

In Julia Quinn’s original novel, he says: “’You might say that my wife has two maiden names. Of course, you all knew her as Penelope Featherington, as did I.

“‘But what you didn’t know and what even I was not clever enough to figure out until she told me herself…' He paused, waiting for silence to fall over the room. ‘…is that she is also the brilliant, the witty, the breathtakingly magnificent – Oh, you all know who I am talking about,’ he said, his arm sweeping out toward the crowd. ‘I give you my wife!’ he said, his love and pride flowing across the room. ‘Lady Whistledown!’”

Did anyone else get chills reading that...?

I understand why in the end the Bridgerton screenwriters reinvented the scene and put the power back in Penelope’s hands as she reveals herself to Queen Charlotte and the rest of the ‘Ton in a grand speech but it didn’t have the same impact. It made what should have been a defining moment in the series anti-climatic.

That being said, it still does the things Bridgerton is known for doing, very well – the steamy scenes are shot in a tasteful and delicate way with the series managing to capture body positivity at its finest.

Showrunner Jess Brownell’s decision to keep Penelope’s body the same when it came to her leading lady transformation and claiming that her confidence should be the biggest glow-up is something to be respected. Penelope’s size is never subject to any conversation, change or discrimination; it was normal. Colin was attracted to her and that was it - as it should be.

Season three should have been about Colin and Penelope, but it really belonged to the Featheringtons, particularly Polly Walker’s Lady Featherington, who stole every scene she was in, juggling cruelty, pragmatism, fondness, exasperation, sadness and love, whilst also managing to be infallibly funny. Watching her and the two other Featherington sisters were the highlight of this season.

Despite my evident gripes with the series, Bridgerton remains a fun and easy watch. The ever-growing fan base of the franchise proves there is appetite for dramatic historical romance but I think its popularity is part of the reason this series lacked something - it felt lazy and uninspired even though it had spades of potential.

Fans waited two years for this story to be brought to life on screen and they’re expected to wait another two for the next instalment so it’s worth asking, was/is Bridgerton worth the wait? Not really, no. And maybe it never was.

And if you think this review has been harsh just remember that Lady Whistledown herself said “this author cannot tolerate a lie”; I can do no other but offer anything other than my honest opinion...