Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington have a sweeping friends-to-lovers romance in Bridgerton season 3 — similar to they do within the book.
This post has spoilers for Bridgerton season 3, section 1.
Colin and Penelope’s onscreen journey was adapted from Julia Quinn’s Romancing Mister Bridgerton, the fourth book in her Regency romance sequence in regards to the eight Bridgerton siblings. (The duo have been affectionately nicknamed Polin through lovers.)
“Penelope Featherington has secretly adored her very best friend’s brother for … neatly, it seems like eternally,” a book abstract reads. “After part a lifetime of watching Colin Bridgerton from afar, she thinks she knows the whole lot about him until she stumbles across his deepest secret … and fears she doesn’t know him in any respect.”
The abstract provides, “Colin Bridgerton is uninterested in being concept not anything but an empty-headed charmer, tired of the neverending sameness of his lifestyles, and, most of all, uninterested in everybody’s preoccupation with the infamous gossip columnist Lady Whistledown, who can’t appear to post an version with out citing him in the first paragraph. But when Colin returns to London from a shuttle in a foreign country, he discovers nothing in his existence is fairly the similar — especially Penelope Featherington! The girl who used to be all the time merely … there may be unexpectedly the woman haunting his dreams.”
Bridgerton season 3 premiered Thursday, May 16, on Netflix — with a number of similarities and variations to Quinn’s novel.
“I do believe there are numerous in reality particular moments for the hardcore fans. I am hoping they really feel noticed and happy,” Nicola Coughlan, who plays Penelope, instructed Town & Country earlier this month, noting it was once a “tough balancing act” to characteristic most of the book’s iconic moments with new additions befitting the characters.
Keep scrolling for a complete breakdown of how Bridgerton season 3 compares to its literary inspiration:
The Time Frame
First off, Romancing Mister Bridgerton takes place 10 years after Benedict’s book, An Offer From a Gentleman. In book canon, Benedict falls in love with eventual spouse Sophie Beckett shortly after siblings Daphne and Anthony’s respective marriages to Simon Basset and Kate Sheffield (Sharma on the display). When Romancing Mister Bridgerton alternatives up, both Colin and Penelope are a decade older. Penelope, nonetheless secretly authoring Lady Whistledown columns, has also come to terms with the theory of being a spinster.
The show takes place in a while after season 2, meaning Penelope isn’t rather at the age of spinsterhood after just 3 seasons on the marriage mart. Additionally, she is actively looking for a husband in season 3, which proves that this Pen is not OK with being a lifelong bachelorette.
Meet the [Extended] Featheringtons
With Penelope taking the lead this season, that implies we get to see extra of her family. Just just like the book, the show has showed that her sisters Phillipa (Harriet Cains) and Prudence (Bessie Carter) are both married but nonetheless return house for widespread circle of relatives meetings. One Featherington sister, then again, is notably absent: Felicity. As discussed within the book, Felicity is the youngest of the bunch and is meant to be round the same age as Hyacinth Bridgerton. She has not, and nonetheless does now not, appear within the show in any respect.
All Eyes Are on Cressida
Cressida Cowper (Jessica Madsen) has a extra central position in season 3 as she becomes buddy-buddy with Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie), additionally a new building. Amid her friendship with Eloise, Cressida takes issue with Penelope. The bullying is consistent around the book and show, however the backstory for it is new.
In Romancing Mister Bridgerton, the heightened contention is essentially over Lady Whistledown. On the display, it is over new suitor Lord Debling (Sam Phillips), as each Pen and Cressida are husband-hunting some of the ton. In the book, Cressida isn't single and is instead married to Lord Twombley.
Penelope’s Glow-Up
(*3*)This is so correct! Pen decided to shed the fairway and yellow frocks for materials of her own opting for, which is how Romancing Mister Bridgerton described her in the early chapters. Penelope particularly picking blue tones could also be right on the money.
A Love Triangle
The concept of Penelope having a suitor (hi and welcome to the ton, Lord Debling) is solely new to the display. In Romancing Mister Bridgerton, Colin didn’t have to compete for Pen’s consideration, nor did she have to for Debling’s in opposition to the opposite unmarried ladies in London. Plus, within the book, Colin (Luke Newton) didn't tutor Penelope in allure to help her land a husband, basically because she wasn’t in search of one.
Colin’s Time to Shine
Much of Colin’s adventure in Romancing Mister Bridgerton — from his rakish conduct to his writing ambitions and first kiss with Penelope — is spot-on in season 3.
Let’s Talk About Benedict
For all the Benophie stans out there, no, there’s no sweeping love story just yet onscreen. In fact, Benedict (Luke Thompson) point-blank says that he’s now not in a position to court docket a lady in the new episodes. Of course, through Romancing Mister Bridgerton, Benedict is already a a success artist and lives within the countryside with spouse Sophie to raise their sons. None of that has come to cross in season 3.
We Have an Earl
With season 3 serving because the society debut for Francesca (Hannah Dodd), that means we get to meet her eventual first husband, John Stirling (Victor Alli). John remains to be the Earl of Kilmartin as he's in her book, When He Was Wicked. However, he doesn’t have a Scottish accessory, which is perplexing to Us since Kilmartin is in Scotland. After the marriage, in step with When He Was Wicked, Francesca will are living with him in his ancestral house.
It’s Getting Steamy in the Ton
Most of Colin and Penelope’s intimate scenes are ripped from the web page, however their carriage makeout comes amidst a reasonably other circumstance. In the book, they are in Colin’s vehicle after he unearths out that she is Lady Whistledown. Onscreen, it is in the Featheringtons’ carriage on the means house from a ball when he’s nonetheless in the dark about her writing pursuits. The integrity (and explicit actions) of the scene remains, so don’t fret, gentle readers.
After the carriage scene, Colin still proposes. In the book, their engagement comes after the Whistledown reveal — no longer earlier than it.
A Happy Polin Engagement
In the 5th episode, Colin and Penelope right away go from the carriage into Bridgerton House. In Romancing Mister Bridgerton, the vehicle dropped them off on the Featherington property leading to a hilarious alternate where Colin tells Penelope’s mom of his betrothel. Colin handiest refers Pen as “your daughter,” leading Lady Portia Featherington to mistakenly think he wants to marry Felicity in entrance of all the family. As discussed above, there is not any Felicity in the show.
For a touch of similarity, Colin does proclaim his intentions in entrance of Portia but at a later date.
Bring on the Romance
For devoted book readers, Colin and Penelope’s mirror scene is just about identical at the display screen. Then, by the point they achieve the chaise front room to take issues further, Pen’s “tell me what to do” discussion could also be somewhat correct.
Taking Down Whistledown
Yes, the book also options characters looking to take down the gossip maven. While it’s the queen in season 3, the crusade is led by way of Lady Danbury in Romancing Mister Bridgerton. Cressida’s section in it all (pretending to take credit) is similar.
While the Bridgertons (Colin within the book, Eloise at the show) still try to persuade Pen to retire her nom de plume, she’s now not in a position. It is also the same when Penelope broadcasts it would damage her heart for Cressida to take the credit for her lifestyles’s paintings.
Colin also reveals out about Whistledown when he follows Penelope to the printer in both the book and the display.
A Change in Timing
While Colin discovers Pen’s secret outdoor the printing shop, it takes position sooner than they get engaged within the book. The wonder divulge on the page in reality occurs sooner than Colin and Penelope hop into the carriage. Thus, Penelope being concerned whether or not Colin will name off the marriage is obsolete since he proposed after he already knew the truth.
A New Arrival
The season 3 finale introduces Michaela Stirling (Masali Baduza), who is the cousin of John. While there is no Michaela in Quinn’s sixth book, When He Was Wicked, John does have a cousin named Michael. The 2d Earl of Kilmartin is Francesca’s book love pastime. (John died two years after marrying Francesca from an aneurysm.)
“I caution you. Every sordid detail John has spoken about me is a lie. The reality is some distance worse,” Michaela informed Francesca, who subsequently appeared flustered.
Bringing in ‘An Offer From a Gentleman’
At the end of season 3, Eloise published her plans to leave London for the Scottish Highlands, joining Francesca and John. As Eloise informed Benedict of her travel intentions, she discussed she wouldn’t be gone for good.
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“Do you think Mama would ever let me leave out her masquerade ball?” Eloise informed Benedict.
In An Offer From a Gentleman, Julia Quinn’s third novel in her Bridgerton series, Benedict first meets his eventual wife, Sophie Beckett, at the masquerade party. While Benedict doesn’t get Sophie’s identify or see what she looks as if underneath the masks, he spends many of the book trying to find her once more.
Bridgerton season 3 is currently streaming on Netflix.
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