*Beware: Spoilers below*
With the release of “Bridgerton” Season 3 June 13, a historical romance follows a friends-to-lovers story between Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton), leaving many fans smitten by the dramatic plot full of secrets, lies and love.
The main storyline of season 3 focuses on Penelope taking matters into her own hands with the coming of the new social season. Still sour about Colin’s rejection to court her in season 2, Penelope experiences a dramatic change in her appearance in an effort to attract potential suitors.
The young Featherington stops dressing in citrus-themed colors and instead appears in subdued shades of greens, purples or blues. This helps with foreshadowing Penelope’s future marriage into the cool-toned Bridgerton family. This detail was executed in a subtle manner, as the producers created a trend of previously-accepted Bridgerton women all commonly seen in shades of blue throughout the entirety of the show. “Penelope’s outfit change is not just about aesthetics; it represents her newfound agency and power move in high society,” writer Megan Hemenway said in an article on Screen Rant.
While Penelope starts her ascent into society, her alter ego, the unidentified Lady Whistledown, still prevails over the public with her attention-grabbing writing and juicy gossip. However, her writing style takes a turn with her newly found happiness with the long-awaited proposal from Colin Bridgerton. Whistledown’s true identity becomes compromised when the queen, having noticed this shift in her voice, offers 5,000 pounds to the person who would unmask Whistledown.
A minor character who is brought into the light this season, Cressida Cowper, would take credit for Whistledown’s column in an attempt to avoid an arranged marriage. In doing so, she produces her own issue filled with lies about the Bridgerton family.
This moment in the show seemed to have some resonance with the modern world as a reminder to be wary of disinformation. Penelope stood her ground and revealed herself as Lady Whistledown at the end of the show, winning Colin’s heart once again.
Though, this isn’t the only storyline the viewers saw. Simultaneously, Bridgerton’s plot branched out into the mending of friendships, familial worries, new high-class responsibilities and quiet, blooming romance.
Viewers have highlighted how this season explores minor characters introduced in previous seasons the most as actors have returned to the show across multiple seasons. “Practically every character, with some obvious exceptions of Daphne and Simon Basset, has returned for season 3,” Show Snob writer Jennifer Renson said.
Not only did Bridgerton expand on these developing story lines, but they also introduced viewers to various new characters, including Lady Danbury’s brother Marcus, Lord Debling, Lord Kilmartin and Tilley Arnold. In doing so, the show illustrated many different perspectives coming together in this season.
Some critics, however, have pointed out that the season appears too rushed, additionally pointing out that there is an absence of a middle or lower class.
“Just as there are no seasons besides spring in the Bridgerton-verse, there are no real poor, working-class, or middle-class characters in this show. Even the servants don’t have lives. Everything exists to move the pretty people around the ballroom floor,” said Rebecca Onion, writer for Slate.
All in all, however, the season proved to be a success with an 84% fresh rating from Rotten Tomatoes critics, proving to be something enjoyable for the public to watch. With its classical take on pop music and innovative costume design, the season continues to push the limits of imagination and expectation.
Queen Charlotte’s wigs in Bridgerton Season 3 are certainly one of the most eye-catching aspects about her character design. “[Erika] Ökvist, who won an Emmy for hairstyling for Bridgerton season 2, came up with the idea to have one of the queen’s wigs be motorized, but it took time to get the wig signed off on because there were “health and safety concerns,” writer Christy Piña said in The Hollywood Reporter. Nevertheless, the fabulous music-box wig with moving swans made an appearance in a scene where the queen enjoys a ballet performance. (Graphic/Alina Sukhovskaya)
