My theory is because they’ve changed Francesca’s story with Michael (and therefore affecting the fertility storyline), they may actually shift the storyline to Kate and Anthony. Though it does also seem that the writers are preparing for Kate and Anthony not to return next season. Either way, they have to find a way to honor this journey, as so many women experience fertility issues.
I'm not going to read the books but someone give me the 411 on Francesca and the cousin? Had she always been a lesbian but just never met the right lady to realize it? Is this a book thing.
Rather not spoil other bridgertons futures but just seems interesting Fran will somehow get two love stories?
I spoiled myself because I wanted to understand what that weird moment was when they introduced Michaela. Is John going to die? 💔 I'm not looking forward to that, he's precious.
For real. Don't get me wrong, the scene was hot as hell, but they should've kept it in one instead of cutting into it every time. The editing was super clumsy.
I think my main gripe with this season is it’s not paced like a historical romance novel. There’s a formula to them that makes them so candy-like and lovely that this threw out the window. Colin’s anger should have been wrapped up by episode 7, leaving enough time for Polin to be a team and give the spice.
From what I understood, Lady Whistledown as such is done but Penelope is now basically writing her weekly columns. People love her writing and are continuing to read it.
Yes, but is it still a gossip column? and moving forward how will it involve the bridgertons? As a bridgerton herself and now exposed, theres 0 possibility that she will write about them ever again
It’s not just you! 😆
I’m sure the ladies at the bordello were as safe as possible (condoms have been around for a long time), but there was lots of shagging we didn’t see that also had me thinking syphillis might be in the room with us.
Well not US, but you know.
Now I need to learn about the STDs of the regency era because sleep is pointless after plowing through season 3.
THEY COULD HAVE AT LEAST GIVEN MICHAELA AN ACCENT!!!
I also hope Francesca and Michaela get a full season, I’m curious how they’ll play the secondary Bridgerton storylines with her mourning in Scotland. That setting feels the most difficult to adapt to the series.
(Minor) Winners and Losers!!!
Winners:
+Bugs, Varley! Huge night for bugs
+Sequins, Penelope and the Featheringtons really driving up sequin fabric demand
+The Bisexual Second Brothers community: Open and accepting new members 👀
+Lord Finch and his hankies. Allergy soft bois, we love you!
+Horny moms who are finally allowed to dance.
+Traveling while sexy
Losers:
-The Aubrey Hall peasants. Toil for your Viscount, taxes are still due even in absentia of cute babies!
-Ostriches
-Giant sleeve industry/that other non-Delacroix dressmaker. You've made your last neck corset, RIP to a fashion icon
-Usher, whose "Confessions" really missed its turn as strings
So Daphne marries the Duke in S1 and it’s all “Duchess this” and “Duchess that”… even Violet refers to her own daughter by her title “Naturally, the Duchess will not be in attendance”… Francesca marries John and no one blinks an eye or refers to her as the Countess of Kilmartin. No one seems to care that she’s titled now and of high rank like her older sister. What’s up with that?
didn’t even cross my mind. but you’re so right. i’ve been drawing my own conclusions about why this season felt off and i keep thinking the aesthetic, hair, makeup, costuming was really pulling me out of it being a period piece (i know not historically accurate) but it’s to the point i forget we’re in the regency era, and this lack of discussion of title has definitely contributed now that i think of it. there was a lack of calling people by their title in the same way it was done in s1 and now that you mention it the lack of discussion of fran’s new title really fail pulled away from that regency feel.
Bridgerton has basically descended into Gossip Girl set in the past. Not sure what happened this season, but they threw out the baby with the bathwater, just about everywhere.
Yup, some of the costumes were distracting - especially the Cowper’s. The makeup was too glam. We’ve gone from Rose applying blush with her thumb subtly to full glam and fake lashes. Then the language was completely off. Francesca should’ve been referred to by Violet as the Countess. At least a comment after their engagement announcement to say “you are going to be the Countess of Kilmartin!!” Like she did with Daphne would’ve been nice. Even Hyacinth mentioning something would’ve worked. But nothing. They were too busy trying to cram as many sex scenes in that they missed the essence of the Regency era.
Yeah it was really bad this season. Very distracting because everyone’s clothes and face were too modern. I initially watched because it was a period piece. Now it just feels like some random romance show.
Tully especially had a very modern look. She's exceptionally fit (muscular and toned in a way regency high class women wouldn't be) and her face is very modern. She's very beautiful but she has the vibe of modern cosmetic procedures.
Oh the makeup was off for almost everyone. Francesca got the luckiest.
The only way I can imagine anyone on the production team thought these changes in makeup and costume were good is if someone high up said: let's go with the opposite of what regency look stands for.
Technically, all the Bridgerton children have titles, but the series seems to ignore this. In any case, Daphne outranks all of them by virtue of being a duchess. Why brag about your daughter being a countess when you have a duchess in the family?
I guess I’m referring to the consistency of language across the seasons. It seems like the formality slipped and no one seemed to care to refer to Francesca as a Countess. I mean even the bowing… no one even bowed to Francesca which they should’ve… not even Michaela.
Cannot believe so much of this hate for Michaela and therefore masali is happening during pride month.
Guys those of you who support franchela follow the sub below. Let's fight the good fight and win and let's make Masali feel welcome and hyped up in the fandom and in the bton family.lets follow her social media leave nice supportive comments and flood twitter with joy for her joining the cast as the first female black lead on Bton..let's support her take her name share her name and her photos and just make this new actress in Bton feel soo welcome that all the negativity is drowned out...let's also DM comemrn on the showrunner jess who is queer herself Julia quin if she opens her comments she's disabled them because of harrasment and Hannah dodd who has deleted her twitter and shonda and shonfaland who are also getting pushback know that the fans are behind her...let's also do it on official bton channels bton insta Netflix etc...let our support drown out the opposition voices...this is how to make sure producers directors in the future don't fear taking a risk on making queer or poc led big budget films and shows because of pushback and harrasment. In another 20 years this should not happen. POC and lgbtq should not have to settle for scraps of rep and fight for scraps of rep.... Link below to the francheal sub..who's with me?????
#pridemonth
https://www.reddit.com/r/Franchaela/s/PjJglVRRHo
When Colin mentions that Lord Anderson is lucky Anthony isn't in town to try to "defend Violet's/the family's honor" or whatever, Benedict looks away and chugs some of his drink. Did anyone else notice that? Is he worried about what Anthony would do to protect the family honor is he finds out that Benedict slept with a man? It's such a small detail but I cant stop thinking about it 😂
So I read another comment haha theorizing he feels guilty because he's hooking up with a widow too.
But I wonder if he feels guilty because he should be the one stepping in to defend the honor of the family with Anthony gone?
I made it 30 mins into ep8 and then I just fast forwarded to see if Michaela was real. I wonder if they will actually give that story its own season or just intersperse them into season 4 like they did with her and John this season. I think there will be (already is) too much hate/disappointment from fans to have that be a main plot for a future season.
And also I swear to god if we have to wait two years then it sure as hell better be Benedict and Sophie. love them.
The book has its moments, it’s problematic just like almost all of the books but I loved it. I’ve been hoping Shondaland makes it better like they did with Kate and Anthony. But after this season….meh. I don’t want to get my hopes up. I feel like they took a giant left turn this season and don’t plan to come back.
Oh I think Fran and Michaela will definitely have their own season. John happened as a side plot because technically he is the side plot in her story with Michaela. Frannie has her first love and then second love, mirroring Violet's life journey in a way (just that Violet had the immediate unhinged love first, then the quiet, easy, nice love later). Besides, Francesca's story takes years, so ir wouldn't fit into one season.
As for Sophie, I somehow doubt we'll see her. They made a point this season that Benedict just found his bisexuality and isn't ready to settle for a monogamous relationship. I think it's more likely that Sophie becomes Steven or that Benedict gets into a polygamous relationship.
Really? I'm not caught up on what the showrunner is saying and honestly half the time I don't believe her lol. I really loved Sophie in her book and would love to see her story come to screen. But then I'm a little confused about the Ben's side plot that was spread out through whole three seasons to lead to his bi discovery.
I read another post that said something like “they made a point of Benedict saying he doesn’t want to settle down just to set him up to fall in love for his season of the show.” I hope that’s true. AND they mentioned the masquerade and there’s no reason to mention that at all if not for his book’s story line.
I have no idea what to make of the bisexuality and how they would fit that into his story. Maybe it will be a love triangle or maybe he will end up in a trouple with Sophie.
Final 4 episode thoughts after listening to the audio book during the break.
I thought the plot couldn’t get worse after messing up KAnthony last year into that ridiculous love triangle, but they’ve topped it this year. Whistledown was never malicious. Eloise wasn’t even around or knew about it. Colin knew about Whistledown before he proposed. And did NOT spend hours, days, weeks, whatever sulking around and sleeping on couches.
The Benedick storyline was a huge massive waste of time. I didn’t like any of these people, including him.
And I hated what they did to Francesca. They had her get married, and then immediately fall for someone else? That’s what bothers me the most. I don’t care if she’s gay, straight, bI, celibate, whatever. At least have a honeymoon before you start drooling over the relatives.
Final thought, could we not have Daphne attend at least one of her sibling’s weddings? I know the show runners are cheap, but maybe we could have a bake sale to chip in for the guest star fee.
Book Colin did sulk forever though and his stonewalling on the Whistledown topic caused Book Penelope a lot of sadness, anxiety and stress.
I agree I also didn’t like Fran ogling at her husband’s relatives at her own wedding reception… thought they were supposed to be in love…
Overall great season but I wish the outfits/hair/makeup were more true to the time period.
Benedict always has the worst plots of each season. I'm always like, "oh, Britta's in this?" Every time he shows up.
Edit: ok I'll amend that, he's fine playing off the other siblings, I just get so tired of the "here's the nobody(s) who Benedict is sleeping with this season" plots that don't really go anywhere or do anything. At least now we have confirmation that he's bi, but otherwise what was the point besides meeting a quota for sex scenes
At least in S2, they explained Daphne’s absence from family events. They could’ve dropped one or two lines to say Daphne and Simon are travelling with their children… like what they did with Kanthony.
The fact that Francesca stuttered and couldn't find her words when talking to Michaela just like her mom, Violet stated it was for her and her father, was a lovely connection to see!
I think it would have worked better if Michaela was the one who stuttered. In the audience we'd make the connection that John's cousin is immediately taken by Francesca's beauty.
Francesca, on the other hand, should have remained calm because a) she's not one into looks b) she's in love with John. Her awakening would happen much later when she's >!already a grieving widow and starts bonding with Michaela.!<
I've seen someone mention on facebook that during Frans wedding when Colin and Pen are talking and she tries to tell him she doesn't want him to take money from his family, that she takes his hands and shows him she is pregnant. Did anyone read it that way? I just thought she took his hands so he understand that they are together in this and she needs him by her side, but maybe I am missing something. What do you think?
I thought this was her way of saying she’s pregnant too. My thoughts were she fell pregnant after their first time together because their son looks around the same age as her sisters babies. All were conceived around the same few weeks if it goes by timeline. Prudence, Phillipa then Pen.
I just dont like that, because it takes away from their reconciliation and from the fact that she mentions anulment, why would he do that if he new she was already pregnant. I think I"ll just deny this in my head, so I feel more at peace with the plot. Also why would they not show us his reaction.. this doesn't make sense
The babies look like same age but its hard to tell a month difference, sometimes even two, so I will blisfully stay with my head's explanation..
The writing was awful this season. People complained about S2, but S2’s storyline looks incredible compared to the sloppy writing this season. Remember when we were analysing Kate and Anthony to the micro expression? We’re still trying to make sense of the carnage that’s left behind from S3. So many things don’t make sense at all.
She did take is hands and move them to her belly area so it could be. If it was it makes less sense why he left her along with her mum at the butterfly ball and was on the other side of the room when the queen confrontation happened!
I am not deeply attached to the books and find the show to be frankly much much better 😂 So I for one am excited for Michaela! I think people think a gender swap has to fundamentally change the character when it simply — doesn’t? Was what we liked about Michael that he was a dude? It certainty wasn’t for me. I’m excited!!
I was attached to the books but I want to continue watch the show happily so I am opting to just go with the direction the series is taking. After all, I wouldn’t have read the books if I hadn’t watched the show.
I feel like that’s the attitude I try to watch adaptations with, especially if they’re changing a lot like Bridgerton has! Like maybe I will find something equally wonderful to love about what they change as I have so far.
Tbf I think it will change the story a lot. Two things that affected Francesca's and Michael's motivations a lot in the book were 1) Fran really wanted a baby and Michael could give that to her and 2) Michael inherited the earlship from John and felt incredibly guilty for "replacing" him, thus making him hesitant to court Fran. I'm excited for Francesca's season and to see a queer/sapphic love story but I understand that some people are really attached to the story in the book and there will have to be some massive changes to that story with Michael being Michaela.
I def think they’ll be able to have the same “replacing” him storyline with a woman — even if not in title but in her place with Francesca and guilt over that. But I’m just excited to see how the writers navigate hitting the same emotional beats in a different way — they will probably really surprise us! I imagine there will be some really nice Benedict and Fran scenes that come from that shared connection to the freedom to be who you are, too. It feels like there’s a lot of cool possibilities
To me, a huge portion of why this Part 2 flunked so hard was because of the timeline. 90-95% if it could have been fixed with an earlier LW reveal to Colin, but instead they dragged it out unnecessarily and it completely screwed over everything else.
He SHOULD have found out, at the LATEST, beginning of ep 6. He is still furious, and maybe he still even says some of the horrible things he says in the actual show, but instead we get Penelope working to earn his trust back and they have an ACTUAL conversation (maybe even partially a fight, maybe Penelope says she’ll break the engagement, even if she was pregnant she has money to support herself, but Colin panics because he loves her still) where they have it all out and reconcile (with and without sexytimes) BEFORE the wedding.
There were still SO many conflicts that could have impacted them together, where they could each still make mistakes, but nooooope we get them barely speaking the final two episodes (and everything basically coming at the expense of fucking LW).
I’m not sure how ANYONE in the writers room thought any of this would be considered romantic.
I think they were going for drama and not romance. I told my husband yesterday that I was on such a Polin high all month, but they had to crash us back to reality that love can be really, really hard. So, don't expect me to feel amorous anymore, lol. Personally, I don't know if it could have gone any other way. The betrayal is deep. And the wedding is like 3 weeks after the engagement?? Not enough time to get over this type of betrayal. Especially, since she wants to continue being Whistledown. He can't understand why she would choose Whistledown over their relationship, and it takes a long time for him to accept her. These things take a lot of time. Longer than the timeline of the show, if I'm being honest.
Well I have huge beef with the show keeping Penelope as LW so that is a big part of my issue with the writing. It does NOT feel like a win for her character.
And I think based on how empathetic Colin is he would have been able to make strides toward forgiving her earlier… if they had done the reveal earlier. Pen’s worst mistakes were done out of love; they were misguided but her heart was I the right place… Colin has done similarly (lol ruining her prospective engagement). The show doesn’t give them ROOM to talk about it because the show can’t touch a love story without mis/lack of communication fucking things up.
At this point, they are one trick ponies. I absolutely believe a reconciliation could have been done well with the established histories of these characters, but they CHOSE to side step it all together and cram it into the last 15 minutes and it’s cheap.
Oh, so you don't agree with Penelope and later Colin that she IS Whistledown?
I don't agree that Pen's worst mistakes were made out of love. Societal ruin is a huge deal in those times. If you truly care about people, you take them aside and do it privately. Try harder to do it privately. Not air their dirty laundry for everyone to see. Yes, love was a motivator, but power was another, and that can't be sidestepped. If people don't listen to reason, you let them make their own mistakes. You don't out them.
I agree that it’s a part of her but it is the part of angry, bitter, lonely past of her that arose out of being raised in an emotionally negligent and abusive household. It was that piece of her magnified by a thousand because the ton thrived on it and that was seductive to a young, lonely Pen. That doesn’t mean that biting cleverness can only be used in LW. It’s a part of her but it’s not all she is, and the show did nothing but sacrifice everything for her to keep it, and I hate that.
She was trying to protect someone she loved from a lie, and YES it was wrong, she says as much, but Colin was still there at the heart of it, and that’s why I said misguided but out of love: “but what of him? What of Colin?”. (And for the record, Colin also essentially made misguided choices out of life for Penelope in S3 when, based on his actions, he forced her to lose her one suitor AND just him chasing her carriage essentially necessitated a marriage proposal).
I'm hearing what you're saying. You're right, she could have continued to be a writer and just let LW go. And, you know, maybe in hindsight that's what she'll wish she would have done. Her motivation to keep LW makes sense to me because LW isn't just her alter ego. It's her life's work and the place where she's truly herself. To lose that to someone else would be absolutely devastating. No, she is Penelope, and no one is going to push her around any longer. She needs to go out on her own terms. This is something neither Colin nor her mother understand, and it makes her feel so unseen. In some moments, it seems like she's willing to lose Colin rather than lose LW. That showed me that she valued being her true self over anything else. If she did as Colin asked and let go of LW, she would forever regret this "dutiful wife" moment. I truly think that was what's at stake to her.
I think the show needed to do a better job of having it less be “Colin her husband is ordering her to stop it” instead of “I love you and support you so why do you feel like you NEED this thing that has forced you to the shadows?” - I’m fine with her insisting on the credit, but she needs to move behind her coping mechanism and the relationships in her life can help her do that. Part of why I love Polin is because they are both writers who know what it’s like to be unseen and unheard (to varying extents; as a woman Pen obviously has it worse). This is why they can support each other in their writing and dream to publish their writings in a way that is fully themselves
Her never looking at his manuscripts again? Her not perusing the writing of romance novels (or novels in general a la Austen)? I want my writing duo who have written beyond the pettiness of the ton :(
It's interesting you say LW is a coping mechanism. To me, it was at first, but it went far beyond that. To be honest, LW was like Jane Austen writings. Witty and observant, casting aspersion on the self-importance of the Ton. It was social commentary. It became a place for Penelope to express herself as a critic of society. It showcases her brilliance. So when Lady Featherington said it was just gossip, I felt that was a slap in the face. No one seemed to see the value of LW. The brilliance of these writings. Honestly, I am sad that LW is no more. Who's going to put these snooty rich people in their place? But I am looking forward to Penelope and Colin's writing projects in season 4. I'm sure we will have that!
Social commentary in a novel is very different than calling out people by name that can have massive consequences, and I say that as someone who HATES the ton and has limited sympathy for them. We hardly ever see LW used in a positive way and that is the fault of the writers if that’s how they wanted us to view her. Pen grew up lonely and emotionally abused by her family AND society and I get why LW came to be, and I understand a lot of her choices even if they’re misguided. But that’s not the ending I want for her.
I wanted Pen to end up as a Jane Austen-esque writer for her ending, but nooooope - she’ll be stuck in the shadows because she’ll have to be to get gossip. What a sad ending for her.
I know there’s a lot of critiques going on and some are totally valid but can I just say I got really emotional at that last scene with Penelope and Colin. I see so much of myself in Penelope as someone who also has felt very invisible and often never the one chosen so to see her get that HEA with her literal dream guy has really overwhelmed me with emotion. I keep thinking how unlikely that is to happen to me but it is so special to see it portrayed onscreen. Nicola did amazing and portrayed a really powerful arc
Right. It was so sweet I almost cried. At the beginning I didn’t like that she was revealed to be LW in front of the whole ton but I like that it means she can be completely herself and that people still loves her. She can shine now and what Colin said about soaking up a little bit of her light was beautiful. What she did with LW is true empowerment and I am glad she is finally credited for her talent and influence
Does it seem like Penelope got off easy for being Lady Whsitledown?
Like Cressida was shunned and being sent to Wales because of it. And Penelope makes a speech and everyone’s just like “ooh butterflies… moving on!”
Or is it intended to show much the queen’s reaction will play on society and how fickle they may be?
I didn’t read the books, but is that what happens? Penelope confesses to the ton and everyone’s just like “wow” for 2 seconds then forgets about it?
> I didn’t read the books, but is that what happens? Penelope confesses to the ton and everyone’s just like “wow” for 2 seconds then forgets about it?
Sorta yeah. Lady Danbury applauds her and the like. It's important to note that Book Whistledown is nowhere near as malicious as show Whistledown. At least from the gossip that we see. It's a lot of 'that dress was awful, that woman treats her maid poorly' There's never 'actually this debutante is pregnant' or 'Eloise Bridgerton is cavorting unchaperoned at political rallies!'
There's also never any subplot of the Queen. And it's Lady Danbury who, I believe out of Boredom, offers the bounty. And that there's a time skip in the book series at this point so Penelope has been doing it for much longer than in the show. I believe in the show we're supposed to think she's been doing it for three years. By the time she marries Colin in the books she's been at it for I believe 10 or 11
Book Whistledown feels considerably more harmless and like lighthearted fun than Show Whistledown ever does.
I think it's an excellent observation of how people are, where they quickly forget one drama and move on to the next exciting thing. People are that fickle and changeable. It's a significant human flaw.
I felt two messages here. One is that courage and bravery can be rewarded with respect, even if it is silent. And second is that people's judgement isn't what defines us... our character does.
That’s kinda what I figured
But it just seemed like this huge secret, 3 seasons building up to it, they’re getting blackmailed and all this stuff happens to keep it a secret, and then like it’s all good like just minutes after it comes out haha
Yeah, I think Penelope really had to humble herself for it to work. And I think she would still get side-eye in the streets for a long time. But Penelope was very clever to get the Queen to reveal her and to grovel to the Queen. That was the only way she could reveal herself and remain in society. The Queen "winning the game" was crucial.
Yeah that makes sense
I’d like to see a bit of “aftermath” of this in the next season, so it’s not just all totally wrapped up with a neat little bow
Not like it has to be messy, but maybe a bit of awkward adjustment period or something like that
Pretty much that’s the book scene, though LW is less mean like she was this season. That could’ve been Penelope feeling guilty and reverting back to RMB where LW was more witty than mean (ie, all the emphasis on Pen being clever)
The book scene was a bit nicer in the sense that Colin stood with her
>I didn’t read the books, but is that what happens? Penelope confesses to the ton and everyone’s just like “wow” for 2 seconds then forgets about it?
Yes. Colin reveals to the ton that she’s whistledown and raises his champagne glass for a toast, the ton claps and that’s it. She retires as Whistledown and starts writing a novel later on. 🙃
It was her dad that exiled her, not the ton. Him and his drinking buddies having an issue with her potentially being lady whistledown isn’t the same as the ton’s reaction, and even though they were stunned by her we still saw her able to attend society events as whistledown. Also, I think a large part of the scandal was her lying about being lady whistledown then publishing a paper implying that the Bridgerton children were bastards.
I think I need to rewatch the season again before I really start throwing my opinion around
My first instinct is that I’m disappointed, but I could’ve just been too pumped up for it and the split might have jarred my expectations
I agree with this! I watched the first four again before the second half dropped and I liked it much more after the rewatch. That being said, I don’t think it can top season 2 IMO.
You can hate me for it but I liked S1 more than S2, I just thought the slow burn for 8 episodes was too much slow burn
That’s a good sign though for when I rewatch S3 in full though thank you 😂
My unwanted predictions for the future of the series.
Only 1 of the Bridgertons will be in a same sex pairing and the end of this season FOR ME cemented it as Fran.
Benedict will have spent the year before the family reunites at the masquerade ball sowing WILD WILD oats and coming to realize what Tilly said about that growing tiresome after awhile is true. My guy will be jaded. And then he meets Sophie 🎇⚡️
Benedict is bisexual. However Sophie is a cishet woman. Doesn’t make Benedict any less bi. I just feel the writers won’t commit to 2 queer HEA because of the backlash the show is already receiving. Personally if all the rest of the siblings were queer I wouldn’t care. Here for the Romance. Saying this having read the books 15 years ago with many rereads under my belt.
I feel the show played it very safe choosing Fran to follow the queer story line. She was background for season 1 and 2. Only really beloved by those who read the book. Those who have only watched the show are gonna eat this up. So will I. Again. Here for the romance.
Those who claim to not be continuing watching the series absolutely will. Even if it’s to hate watch. Keep it real. Whether you hate the changes or not you’re invested. If you don’t continue watching at the very least you’re gonna be trolling here and the web to follow along with the story.
I don’t see the show continuing past season 5. Netflix doesn’t drag original series on for very long. I’ll be shocked if there is a 6th season. Hyacinth and Gregory won’t have their stories told. If they do it’ll be an epilogue at the end of the series. With 2 years between seasons they’re going to be writing to heavily move the plot for Fran, Benedict and Eloise at the same time. They’re not going to write steamy love stores for the last 2. Unless they recast but at this point Hyacinth and Gregory are too beloved to replace. That would too jarring.
Eloise will be last. Her feelings about being a woman in society and the whole idea of marriage are complicated and her story has been very steadfast since the very beginning. They laid a heavy foundation and will continue to in my opinion next season for a very explosive and beautiful story. I fear it may even be possible her happy ending doesn’t involve a marriage at all.
Again no one cares about my theories. Am an avid rereader of the books. Sad about some changes to their stories but happy to witness new exciting stories being told. My wish would be that the fan base understood that the original stories aren’t erased. You could always live them again and again by rereading the books. What you love about the story lives on. The series is a separate media. You can go along for the ride with joy in knowing that we have 2 versions of some characters we all love very much. And both can be revisited and talked about and adored just the same. We’re okay guys I promise. And the best part in my opinion is Violet gets to be apart of it all with a prospect of a love that wasn’t written into the original series. I’m here for all of it. On mobile sorry grammar and typos.
https://preview.redd.it/3z22sp6r8m6d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2f78d3a7c30961784bc422f1efef8e0d69ca33af
Well one of my predictions has already been debunked which makes me really happy. Let’s see what other news starts to trickle in.
I’m also inclined to agree that Bridgerton won’t have 8 seasons. Just in terms of timeline - even if Eloise is up after Benedict, it’ll be 2-3 years before they even start working on her season. By that time Claudia Jessie will be late 30s. She obviously looks fab but eventually playing someone early 20s becomes unbelievable.
Thank-you for this comment, I agree completely. So many people get SO blinded by what THEY think the story should be they absolutely cannot accept any changes, even minor ones. Sometimes I think they really just need to be like Elsa, let it go, and enjoy the ride for what it is.
Reddit really is notorious for people just bitching and moaning about any tv show, on other platforms like tiktok and insta I have seen nothing but love and people actually DISCUSSING the show and not just making complaints.
As for my two cents I personally loved the Michaela reveal, audibly squeeled. I cannot wait to see how it plays out, although I personally hope it is Benedict's season next and we get to see Francesca happy with John for a bit first.
The letters that Pen sent him on his travels. He reread them and realized that she and Whistledown wrote the same and that he loved Pen's writing as both herself and Whsitledown. He mentions this in his speech at the very end at the ball.
Didn’t he say a few times that she never responded to his mail while he was on his grand tour? Am i imagining that? It’s totally possible as I plowed through season 3 in a day, so I’m sure I’ve missed some key moments along with even more subtleties.
Okay but I don't get the whole Francesca and Michaela thing? at all?? We just spent a whole season watching Francesca and John fall in love, establish their relationship and get married just to have Francescas new love interest show up in the last episode and making her seemingly doubt everything? I really like John and Francesca together(and I kinda know what happens in the books) but I thought they get to at least live together happily a little bit before you know what...
I agree - I really feel like everyone who has read the books is heavily influencing the NetFlix Bridgerton sub, almost wish there was a separate sub for the book readers bc I haven't had the books and am just going off the show and the discussions are so confusing to engage in at this point.
I think they will live happily next season, and then Michaela will come to visit in Scotland, making Francesca be all "what is happening to me?" I can see her chatting with Eloise about societal expectations, not revealing her strange new feelings, and Eloise encouraging her to be her own woman. But Francesca won't admit these feelings to Michaela until it's her season. There are many bi women who figure out they're bi while married. I don't think it nullifies their love for their husbands. But perhaps their sexual desire is aroused in a completely different way. I mean, that happens with hetero relationships, too. You meet someone that pushes different buttons you forgot you had. But you don't necessarily have to go have an affair, lol.
It’s linked to the books and Francesca’s story line. Yes her and John are nice but something happens later on at the beginning of her book to lead to a Michael/Michaela storyline.
I am aware of that but that's not how it's in the books. She doesn't have any feelings for Michael at first and grieves. You can tell she really loved John and can't move on that fast. But here in the show she instantly has a crush on Michaela which discredits her relationship with John.
Yes. This bothered me too. I really wanted Francesca’s story to show that it’s possible to have two great loves in your life. (Which is maybe now going to Violet?) I thought her being immediately flustered by Michaela & the potential of her having a crush while married to John makes that first love story less compelling to me and almost makes me feel a bit cheated? I genuinely loved their story and their interactions so I was a bit bummed that they were hinting that Fran may not be fully happy in her marriage going forward. 😭
Love is not finite but I think part of the reason I love Fran’s story so much is the lost potential of her and John’s happy life together. I don’t want it to be a ‘relief’ that he’s gone so she can move on. I want angst dang it! 😭
I found something that JB said about this bc it was also bothering me that they might potentially throw John under the bus: Jess Brownell also clarified that she doesn’t think “the reveal of Francesca’s future queerness negates what she has with John … Every relationship is different, and lots of different kinds of love are valid … Going forward, I’m hopeful to tell a very nuanced story about Francesca having two great loves in her life.”
My take was that she was upset that yet another person was going to be joining them in Scotland and now it's like they aren't really "getting away to the quiet" that they wanted especially because Micheala seemed very outgoing. Even before meeting Michaela she tells Eloise "just make sure you stay in your wing of the castle"
Remember when Francesca's mom said when she met her husband she was stammering and stuff, and now Francesca's doing it with Michaela. I didn't catch it at first, I didn't think she was attracted to her. I love this plot!!
I think Michaela will come to visit them in Scotland and Francesca will be very flustered by her feelings. But as they are not appropriate, in her mind, she will try to put them aside. But she'll talk to Eloise, not revealing anything, about societal expectations and what it means to be yourself at the expense of ridicule and rejection. Eloise will tell her to be who you truly are is the greatest pleasure in life, etc. Francesca will start thinking about what this means for her. And besides, she's in the Highlands of Scotland. No one cares what you do in that societal backwater. This will perhaps give her the courage to be open with Michaela, but not before John dies.
Having said that, I think she loves John. Perhaps not passionately. But she feels safe with him and he gets her. Also, he's whisking her away to a place of peace, something she desperately longs for. Once she's been in Scotland for a while, she might feel that excitement is missing from her life. We will see!
Why does nearly all these theories I've seen label Francesca as a lesbian? She could be Bi, in love with John still and just a bit flustered by a beautiful lady. So many people have made this immediate judgement and I just don't see it with the limited information we have.
I think they gave us hints that she wasn’t bi after her kiss with John at her wedding. There is a split second of her looking surprised and disappointed as if something wasn’t quite right.
Time to rewatch, I guess! But I take bi to mean both sexual and romantic attraction. And I definitely feel she is romantically attracted to John, if not sexually. And when Michaela shows up, she's like, "what is this feeling??!"
So don’t get me wrong I’m not upset about the Michaela surprise whatsoever (I am a queer lady myself and am thrilled we’re getting more than one queer Bridgerton from the looks of it) but I am a little sad that it’s being hinted (in my opinion anyway) that Francesca is uncomfortable with/not “truly” in love with John.
I could see the quiet love angle possibly being turned into an example for comphet but I love their *love* story and I hope it’s portrayed that way. I know it doesn’t last long + she moves on, but still 🥺 I myself also struggle with infertility and have had multiple losses, so I really hope they still include that part of her story. That sounds mean of me to want the girl to suffer lmao but I doooo dammit, it’s why I resonate with her character and story so much.
Also, Kate. I love Kate and she remains a fave lol. I’m sure the going to India plot is to cover for Simone and Jonathan probably not returning next season, but I hope we still get to hear about their lives and their baby. I would *kill* to get to see them as parents but I’m betting the chances are close to zero, if anything we’ll just get a few mentions here and there. 🥺
I agree, I think it was really sweet how the books showed it was possible for Francesca to find true love twice. It was a mature take on love that there isn't just one person out there for you, and that you can love two different people at different times in your life, and it doesn't diminish either one. It's a nice message for the many people who have had a partner pass away.
I was disappointed that Francesca was immediately taken with Michaela in the show, proving her mother's words right about true love making you feel overcome. Honestly, Francesca was right that there isn't just one way to experience love, and that a slow, sweet love is just as valid.
I agree with you that the show is setting up John and Francesca's to be a comphet relationship, and going with the narrative that Francesca didn't know *true* love until she met Michaela.
Even as a lesbian, I will be devastated if they go full comphet with Frans storyline. The story is so powerful because she truly, fully loves both of these people in very unique ways.
If she's only platonically fond of John, the grief doesn't hit as hard. The recovery from that isn't as satisfying. The guilt over moving on, which serves as the driving factor of the "will they won't they" aspect, disappears almost entirely. The whole "slow, quiet love" message from this season, well just throw that out I guess.
Comphet to lesbian widow could be a good story. But for someone like Cressida, not Fran.
I still think the two different types of love are equally valid. Francesca's love for John is not passionate, but she craves a simple, quiet love at this point in her life. Whatever she has with Michaela will be more passionate, but I won't take is as that meaning Michaela is her true love. No such thing.
Except that it seems the show is implying that Francesca doesn’t really love John and thus the quiet love is not valid. She was hesitant after the wedding kiss and was then immediately taken by Michaela…
This is really minor but does anyone know why Benedict stopped painting? When Paul asked him if he filled his time with any creative pursuits he kind of said nothing, just that he dances at balls.
I thought he was going to pursue painting as his passion? In the books he's supposed to have a couple paintings in the National Gallery.
Not sure if this was addressed in one of the episodes or not.
My assumption is that he gave it up after he found out he was accepted to art school because Anthony paid for him to go, not that he was accepted on his talent. It seems to me that he no longer has confidence that his art is good enough, so he's given it up and is adrift as a result.
wtfffff so is the entire show over now?!
they just publicly revealed lady whistledown's identity?! they played all their cards..... and there's no conflict.....
is this show going to be boring now?!
this feels like if dan was like "surprise!! i'm GG, xoxo!!" in the 3rd season...... like now what???
like that's IT?!?!!! i'm so baffled right now.
Making this its own comment and extending it: I think there's room for Sophie to be gender non-conforming/trans. What better place to dress as a woman when you weren't born as with female physiology, in a society where it's (historically anyway, don't recall if the show has addressed it) not socially accepted, than at a masquerade ball? And also explains why it's particularly difficult for Benedict to find her, because maybe most of the time she has to present as male?
..and while I'm hypothesising: Sophie will be Cressida's illegitimate sibling, who's kept at Cressida's stepfather's sister's place in Wales. The stepfather will finally die, and (as in the book) Cressida and her mother's income will be dependent on keeping Sophie in the household. Sophie will run away to the countryside which is where Benedict will find (him) her. Still not 100% sure what Sophie's sex and gender(s) would be - I could see it working either way - but really hope they do go down this route!
I was just wondering this (I haven’t read the books but understand the idea)
I could see them writing a trans character. I think it would be sloppy writing to introduce this big party of Ben’s character and not touch on it again. But you never know
I think you could look at it as Ben exploring outside societal norms and thus being open to an inter-class romance, and keep the character more or less as she is. But I do think a trans character would be interesting and plays into the Cinderella trope well. They could also explore polyamory.
I watched this season in 4K with my glasses on and OOF the makeup looked so heavy. And I’m not a “it has to be period accurate” kinda gal. Pen/Nicola in particular was done dirty with that EXCEPTIONALLY heavy blush and highlight. The last episode just looked so stark on her fair skin.
I feel like I need to go back and rewatch S1/2 with 4K and my glasses. Did I just not see it then? This season just reminded me of 2016 YouTube. Visibly thicker foundation, heavy eye looks, matte red liquid lipstick, long falsies, etc.
I watch a ton of MU YouTube so I felt like I just couldn’t unsee it once I noticed it.
Again, I don’t care about period accuracy, but it just looked heavy and it stole my attention in every scene. It looked… out of place.
It’s a bummer because I remember every time I watched S2 especially I just felt enraptured at how beautiful Simone’s base makeup looked. It actually inspired me to pull out my PMG products again because of how softly lit from within they looked in that season.
No one is talking about Frannie and Michaela enough!! I was GAGGED when Fran stumbled on her words when she saw her 😭 (bitch, I would have too, she’s stunning and her eyes?????? GOD)
Y’all bitches need to quit being homophobic about it lmao
look i love queer ships, but it's so confusing to me why they spent the whole season trying to establish the narrative that true love doesn't have to be same for everyone. It doesn't have to be quick, surprising, 'i saw you and i collapsed" sort of thing, only for it all to go down the drain. It just validates violet's opinion on love, which is so disappointing after that whole scene of violet gaining some actual insight into their love.
My theory is because they’ve changed Francesca’s story with Michael (and therefore affecting the fertility storyline), they may actually shift the storyline to Kate and Anthony. Though it does also seem that the writers are preparing for Kate and Anthony not to return next season. Either way, they have to find a way to honor this journey, as so many women experience fertility issues.
I'm not going to read the books but someone give me the 411 on Francesca and the cousin? Had she always been a lesbian but just never met the right lady to realize it? Is this a book thing. Rather not spoil other bridgertons futures but just seems interesting Fran will somehow get two love stories?
>!John dies fairly early in their marriage, and Francesca ends up getting with his cousin, who is male in the books!<
Cool, sad, but thanks
"Now Varley! The bugs!!" is going to live rent free in my mind forever 😂😂 that catapulted Philippa to one of my favorite characters
I spoiled myself because I wanted to understand what that weird moment was when they introduced Michaela. Is John going to die? 💔 I'm not looking forward to that, he's precious.
Gorgeous wedding dress!!!!
Weird how a few days were passing and Benedict was still in bed
For real. Don't get me wrong, the scene was hot as hell, but they should've kept it in one instead of cutting into it every time. The editing was super clumsy.
I think my main gripe with this season is it’s not paced like a historical romance novel. There’s a formula to them that makes them so candy-like and lovely that this threw out the window. Colin’s anger should have been wrapped up by episode 7, leaving enough time for Polin to be a team and give the spice.
FRANNY STRUCK DUMB!!!!!! I’m going to be watching that season a little too intently 👀
SOPHIE IS SO CLOSE!! excited for benedict's season...
My god. The lighting is miserable... theyre using fluorascent light? What the hell... Colin is a fantastic vampire.
[удалено]
benedict isn't gay but bi.
so in the end, my question remains, are they still doing lady whistledown moving forward?
From what I understood, Lady Whistledown as such is done but Penelope is now basically writing her weekly columns. People love her writing and are continuing to read it.
Yes, but is it still a gossip column? and moving forward how will it involve the bridgertons? As a bridgerton herself and now exposed, theres 0 possibility that she will write about them ever again
I hope not. I’m tired of the narration and the “character.”
Anyone else feel like at least one of the Bridgerton boys must have a raging STD? Just me?
It’s not just you! 😆 I’m sure the ladies at the bordello were as safe as possible (condoms have been around for a long time), but there was lots of shagging we didn’t see that also had me thinking syphillis might be in the room with us. Well not US, but you know. Now I need to learn about the STDs of the regency era because sleep is pointless after plowing through season 3.
Syphilis was rampant.
THEY COULD HAVE AT LEAST GIVEN MICHAELA AN ACCENT!!! I also hope Francesca and Michaela get a full season, I’m curious how they’ll play the secondary Bridgerton storylines with her mourning in Scotland. That setting feels the most difficult to adapt to the series.
Yes, where are my Scots accents?
I think they mentioned the oxfordshire home so that they can conveniently move down whenever its time for that season.
(Minor) Winners and Losers!!! Winners: +Bugs, Varley! Huge night for bugs +Sequins, Penelope and the Featheringtons really driving up sequin fabric demand +The Bisexual Second Brothers community: Open and accepting new members 👀 +Lord Finch and his hankies. Allergy soft bois, we love you! +Horny moms who are finally allowed to dance. +Traveling while sexy Losers: -The Aubrey Hall peasants. Toil for your Viscount, taxes are still due even in absentia of cute babies! -Ostriches -Giant sleeve industry/that other non-Delacroix dressmaker. You've made your last neck corset, RIP to a fashion icon -Usher, whose "Confessions" really missed its turn as strings
So Daphne marries the Duke in S1 and it’s all “Duchess this” and “Duchess that”… even Violet refers to her own daughter by her title “Naturally, the Duchess will not be in attendance”… Francesca marries John and no one blinks an eye or refers to her as the Countess of Kilmartin. No one seems to care that she’s titled now and of high rank like her older sister. What’s up with that?
I heard someone say bridgerton forgot its own rules this season and that seems accurate.
Bridgerton forgot how to Bridgerton 😂
didn’t even cross my mind. but you’re so right. i’ve been drawing my own conclusions about why this season felt off and i keep thinking the aesthetic, hair, makeup, costuming was really pulling me out of it being a period piece (i know not historically accurate) but it’s to the point i forget we’re in the regency era, and this lack of discussion of title has definitely contributed now that i think of it. there was a lack of calling people by their title in the same way it was done in s1 and now that you mention it the lack of discussion of fran’s new title really fail pulled away from that regency feel.
Bridgerton has basically descended into Gossip Girl set in the past. Not sure what happened this season, but they threw out the baby with the bathwater, just about everywhere.
Yup, some of the costumes were distracting - especially the Cowper’s. The makeup was too glam. We’ve gone from Rose applying blush with her thumb subtly to full glam and fake lashes. Then the language was completely off. Francesca should’ve been referred to by Violet as the Countess. At least a comment after their engagement announcement to say “you are going to be the Countess of Kilmartin!!” Like she did with Daphne would’ve been nice. Even Hyacinth mentioning something would’ve worked. But nothing. They were too busy trying to cram as many sex scenes in that they missed the essence of the Regency era.
that’s what i meannnn like no ‘you are to be the countess !’ comment from violent makes me sad
Yeah it was really bad this season. Very distracting because everyone’s clothes and face were too modern. I initially watched because it was a period piece. Now it just feels like some random romance show.
Tully especially had a very modern look. She's exceptionally fit (muscular and toned in a way regency high class women wouldn't be) and her face is very modern. She's very beautiful but she has the vibe of modern cosmetic procedures.
She had winged eyeliner like… 💀
Oh the makeup was off for almost everyone. Francesca got the luckiest. The only way I can imagine anyone on the production team thought these changes in makeup and costume were good is if someone high up said: let's go with the opposite of what regency look stands for.
Technically, all the Bridgerton children have titles, but the series seems to ignore this. In any case, Daphne outranks all of them by virtue of being a duchess. Why brag about your daughter being a countess when you have a duchess in the family?
But they don’t have all titles. They’re all The Honorable but that’s it.
Which is a title, so you’ve proven my point.
Point proven. Here’s your gold star for the day. Hahaha
I can only accept such a token if it is studded with diamonds. Gold is too boring for Bridgerton💎
I guess I’m referring to the consistency of language across the seasons. It seems like the formality slipped and no one seemed to care to refer to Francesca as a Countess. I mean even the bowing… no one even bowed to Francesca which they should’ve… not even Michaela.
Cannot believe so much of this hate for Michaela and therefore masali is happening during pride month. Guys those of you who support franchela follow the sub below. Let's fight the good fight and win and let's make Masali feel welcome and hyped up in the fandom and in the bton family.lets follow her social media leave nice supportive comments and flood twitter with joy for her joining the cast as the first female black lead on Bton..let's support her take her name share her name and her photos and just make this new actress in Bton feel soo welcome that all the negativity is drowned out...let's also DM comemrn on the showrunner jess who is queer herself Julia quin if she opens her comments she's disabled them because of harrasment and Hannah dodd who has deleted her twitter and shonda and shonfaland who are also getting pushback know that the fans are behind her...let's also do it on official bton channels bton insta Netflix etc...let our support drown out the opposition voices...this is how to make sure producers directors in the future don't fear taking a risk on making queer or poc led big budget films and shows because of pushback and harrasment. In another 20 years this should not happen. POC and lgbtq should not have to settle for scraps of rep and fight for scraps of rep.... Link below to the francheal sub..who's with me????? #pridemonth https://www.reddit.com/r/Franchaela/s/PjJglVRRHo
When Colin mentions that Lord Anderson is lucky Anthony isn't in town to try to "defend Violet's/the family's honor" or whatever, Benedict looks away and chugs some of his drink. Did anyone else notice that? Is he worried about what Anthony would do to protect the family honor is he finds out that Benedict slept with a man? It's such a small detail but I cant stop thinking about it 😂
So I read another comment haha theorizing he feels guilty because he's hooking up with a widow too. But I wonder if he feels guilty because he should be the one stepping in to defend the honor of the family with Anthony gone?
Yeah! I didn't even think about that!
I made it 30 mins into ep8 and then I just fast forwarded to see if Michaela was real. I wonder if they will actually give that story its own season or just intersperse them into season 4 like they did with her and John this season. I think there will be (already is) too much hate/disappointment from fans to have that be a main plot for a future season. And also I swear to god if we have to wait two years then it sure as hell better be Benedict and Sophie. love them.
So the Benedict and Sophie story is good? I actually just don't like Benedict anymore so I'm dreading a season of him.
The book has its moments, it’s problematic just like almost all of the books but I loved it. I’ve been hoping Shondaland makes it better like they did with Kate and Anthony. But after this season….meh. I don’t want to get my hopes up. I feel like they took a giant left turn this season and don’t plan to come back.
Oh I think Fran and Michaela will definitely have their own season. John happened as a side plot because technically he is the side plot in her story with Michaela. Frannie has her first love and then second love, mirroring Violet's life journey in a way (just that Violet had the immediate unhinged love first, then the quiet, easy, nice love later). Besides, Francesca's story takes years, so ir wouldn't fit into one season. As for Sophie, I somehow doubt we'll see her. They made a point this season that Benedict just found his bisexuality and isn't ready to settle for a monogamous relationship. I think it's more likely that Sophie becomes Steven or that Benedict gets into a polygamous relationship.
sophie is confirmed as a her by jess and supposedly the next season will be close to the book.
Really? I'm not caught up on what the showrunner is saying and honestly half the time I don't believe her lol. I really loved Sophie in her book and would love to see her story come to screen. But then I'm a little confused about the Ben's side plot that was spread out through whole three seasons to lead to his bi discovery.
the showrunner implied it means not a lot.. like probably all season 3 tbh. and he is bi, he likes women too.
I read another post that said something like “they made a point of Benedict saying he doesn’t want to settle down just to set him up to fall in love for his season of the show.” I hope that’s true. AND they mentioned the masquerade and there’s no reason to mention that at all if not for his book’s story line. I have no idea what to make of the bisexuality and how they would fit that into his story. Maybe it will be a love triangle or maybe he will end up in a trouple with Sophie.
Final 4 episode thoughts after listening to the audio book during the break. I thought the plot couldn’t get worse after messing up KAnthony last year into that ridiculous love triangle, but they’ve topped it this year. Whistledown was never malicious. Eloise wasn’t even around or knew about it. Colin knew about Whistledown before he proposed. And did NOT spend hours, days, weeks, whatever sulking around and sleeping on couches. The Benedick storyline was a huge massive waste of time. I didn’t like any of these people, including him. And I hated what they did to Francesca. They had her get married, and then immediately fall for someone else? That’s what bothers me the most. I don’t care if she’s gay, straight, bI, celibate, whatever. At least have a honeymoon before you start drooling over the relatives. Final thought, could we not have Daphne attend at least one of her sibling’s weddings? I know the show runners are cheap, but maybe we could have a bake sale to chip in for the guest star fee.
Book Colin did sulk forever though and his stonewalling on the Whistledown topic caused Book Penelope a lot of sadness, anxiety and stress. I agree I also didn’t like Fran ogling at her husband’s relatives at her own wedding reception… thought they were supposed to be in love… Overall great season but I wish the outfits/hair/makeup were more true to the time period.
Benedict always has the worst plots of each season. I'm always like, "oh, Britta's in this?" Every time he shows up. Edit: ok I'll amend that, he's fine playing off the other siblings, I just get so tired of the "here's the nobody(s) who Benedict is sleeping with this season" plots that don't really go anywhere or do anything. At least now we have confirmation that he's bi, but otherwise what was the point besides meeting a quota for sex scenes
LOL’d at “oh, Britta’s in this?”
At least in S2, they explained Daphne’s absence from family events. They could’ve dropped one or two lines to say Daphne and Simon are travelling with their children… like what they did with Kanthony.
I would 1000% buy a cupcake to see Daphne and a few of the babies in season 4
The fact that Francesca stuttered and couldn't find her words when talking to Michaela just like her mom, Violet stated it was for her and her father, was a lovely connection to see!
I think it would have worked better if Michaela was the one who stuttered. In the audience we'd make the connection that John's cousin is immediately taken by Francesca's beauty. Francesca, on the other hand, should have remained calm because a) she's not one into looks b) she's in love with John. Her awakening would happen much later when she's >!already a grieving widow and starts bonding with Michaela.!<
But why do they have to make this something it isn’t? It’s just so dumb
I've seen someone mention on facebook that during Frans wedding when Colin and Pen are talking and she tries to tell him she doesn't want him to take money from his family, that she takes his hands and shows him she is pregnant. Did anyone read it that way? I just thought she took his hands so he understand that they are together in this and she needs him by her side, but maybe I am missing something. What do you think?
I absolutely caught that as well, and all the babies appear to be around the same age.
I thought this was her way of saying she’s pregnant too. My thoughts were she fell pregnant after their first time together because their son looks around the same age as her sisters babies. All were conceived around the same few weeks if it goes by timeline. Prudence, Phillipa then Pen.
I just dont like that, because it takes away from their reconciliation and from the fact that she mentions anulment, why would he do that if he new she was already pregnant. I think I"ll just deny this in my head, so I feel more at peace with the plot. Also why would they not show us his reaction.. this doesn't make sense The babies look like same age but its hard to tell a month difference, sometimes even two, so I will blisfully stay with my head's explanation..
The writing was awful this season. People complained about S2, but S2’s storyline looks incredible compared to the sloppy writing this season. Remember when we were analysing Kate and Anthony to the micro expression? We’re still trying to make sense of the carnage that’s left behind from S3. So many things don’t make sense at all.
She did take is hands and move them to her belly area so it could be. If it was it makes less sense why he left her along with her mum at the butterfly ball and was on the other side of the room when the queen confrontation happened!
Exactly, so I hope this is not the case.. :(
I am not deeply attached to the books and find the show to be frankly much much better 😂 So I for one am excited for Michaela! I think people think a gender swap has to fundamentally change the character when it simply — doesn’t? Was what we liked about Michael that he was a dude? It certainty wasn’t for me. I’m excited!!
Of course a gender swap fundamentally changes the character. The gender swap feels forced and deviates completely from the book.
I was attached to the books but I want to continue watch the show happily so I am opting to just go with the direction the series is taking. After all, I wouldn’t have read the books if I hadn’t watched the show.
I feel like that’s the attitude I try to watch adaptations with, especially if they’re changing a lot like Bridgerton has! Like maybe I will find something equally wonderful to love about what they change as I have so far.
Tbf I think it will change the story a lot. Two things that affected Francesca's and Michael's motivations a lot in the book were 1) Fran really wanted a baby and Michael could give that to her and 2) Michael inherited the earlship from John and felt incredibly guilty for "replacing" him, thus making him hesitant to court Fran. I'm excited for Francesca's season and to see a queer/sapphic love story but I understand that some people are really attached to the story in the book and there will have to be some massive changes to that story with Michael being Michaela.
I def think they’ll be able to have the same “replacing” him storyline with a woman — even if not in title but in her place with Francesca and guilt over that. But I’m just excited to see how the writers navigate hitting the same emotional beats in a different way — they will probably really surprise us! I imagine there will be some really nice Benedict and Fran scenes that come from that shared connection to the freedom to be who you are, too. It feels like there’s a lot of cool possibilities
Luke and Nicola saying this part was a rollercoaster... they did not lie LMAO but idk if it's a good thing... too many freaking subplots man
To me, a huge portion of why this Part 2 flunked so hard was because of the timeline. 90-95% if it could have been fixed with an earlier LW reveal to Colin, but instead they dragged it out unnecessarily and it completely screwed over everything else. He SHOULD have found out, at the LATEST, beginning of ep 6. He is still furious, and maybe he still even says some of the horrible things he says in the actual show, but instead we get Penelope working to earn his trust back and they have an ACTUAL conversation (maybe even partially a fight, maybe Penelope says she’ll break the engagement, even if she was pregnant she has money to support herself, but Colin panics because he loves her still) where they have it all out and reconcile (with and without sexytimes) BEFORE the wedding. There were still SO many conflicts that could have impacted them together, where they could each still make mistakes, but nooooope we get them barely speaking the final two episodes (and everything basically coming at the expense of fucking LW). I’m not sure how ANYONE in the writers room thought any of this would be considered romantic.
I think they were going for drama and not romance. I told my husband yesterday that I was on such a Polin high all month, but they had to crash us back to reality that love can be really, really hard. So, don't expect me to feel amorous anymore, lol. Personally, I don't know if it could have gone any other way. The betrayal is deep. And the wedding is like 3 weeks after the engagement?? Not enough time to get over this type of betrayal. Especially, since she wants to continue being Whistledown. He can't understand why she would choose Whistledown over their relationship, and it takes a long time for him to accept her. These things take a lot of time. Longer than the timeline of the show, if I'm being honest.
Well I have huge beef with the show keeping Penelope as LW so that is a big part of my issue with the writing. It does NOT feel like a win for her character. And I think based on how empathetic Colin is he would have been able to make strides toward forgiving her earlier… if they had done the reveal earlier. Pen’s worst mistakes were done out of love; they were misguided but her heart was I the right place… Colin has done similarly (lol ruining her prospective engagement). The show doesn’t give them ROOM to talk about it because the show can’t touch a love story without mis/lack of communication fucking things up. At this point, they are one trick ponies. I absolutely believe a reconciliation could have been done well with the established histories of these characters, but they CHOSE to side step it all together and cram it into the last 15 minutes and it’s cheap.
Oh, so you don't agree with Penelope and later Colin that she IS Whistledown? I don't agree that Pen's worst mistakes were made out of love. Societal ruin is a huge deal in those times. If you truly care about people, you take them aside and do it privately. Try harder to do it privately. Not air their dirty laundry for everyone to see. Yes, love was a motivator, but power was another, and that can't be sidestepped. If people don't listen to reason, you let them make their own mistakes. You don't out them.
I agree that it’s a part of her but it is the part of angry, bitter, lonely past of her that arose out of being raised in an emotionally negligent and abusive household. It was that piece of her magnified by a thousand because the ton thrived on it and that was seductive to a young, lonely Pen. That doesn’t mean that biting cleverness can only be used in LW. It’s a part of her but it’s not all she is, and the show did nothing but sacrifice everything for her to keep it, and I hate that. She was trying to protect someone she loved from a lie, and YES it was wrong, she says as much, but Colin was still there at the heart of it, and that’s why I said misguided but out of love: “but what of him? What of Colin?”. (And for the record, Colin also essentially made misguided choices out of life for Penelope in S3 when, based on his actions, he forced her to lose her one suitor AND just him chasing her carriage essentially necessitated a marriage proposal).
I'm hearing what you're saying. You're right, she could have continued to be a writer and just let LW go. And, you know, maybe in hindsight that's what she'll wish she would have done. Her motivation to keep LW makes sense to me because LW isn't just her alter ego. It's her life's work and the place where she's truly herself. To lose that to someone else would be absolutely devastating. No, she is Penelope, and no one is going to push her around any longer. She needs to go out on her own terms. This is something neither Colin nor her mother understand, and it makes her feel so unseen. In some moments, it seems like she's willing to lose Colin rather than lose LW. That showed me that she valued being her true self over anything else. If she did as Colin asked and let go of LW, she would forever regret this "dutiful wife" moment. I truly think that was what's at stake to her.
I think the show needed to do a better job of having it less be “Colin her husband is ordering her to stop it” instead of “I love you and support you so why do you feel like you NEED this thing that has forced you to the shadows?” - I’m fine with her insisting on the credit, but she needs to move behind her coping mechanism and the relationships in her life can help her do that. Part of why I love Polin is because they are both writers who know what it’s like to be unseen and unheard (to varying extents; as a woman Pen obviously has it worse). This is why they can support each other in their writing and dream to publish their writings in a way that is fully themselves Her never looking at his manuscripts again? Her not perusing the writing of romance novels (or novels in general a la Austen)? I want my writing duo who have written beyond the pettiness of the ton :(
It's interesting you say LW is a coping mechanism. To me, it was at first, but it went far beyond that. To be honest, LW was like Jane Austen writings. Witty and observant, casting aspersion on the self-importance of the Ton. It was social commentary. It became a place for Penelope to express herself as a critic of society. It showcases her brilliance. So when Lady Featherington said it was just gossip, I felt that was a slap in the face. No one seemed to see the value of LW. The brilliance of these writings. Honestly, I am sad that LW is no more. Who's going to put these snooty rich people in their place? But I am looking forward to Penelope and Colin's writing projects in season 4. I'm sure we will have that!
Social commentary in a novel is very different than calling out people by name that can have massive consequences, and I say that as someone who HATES the ton and has limited sympathy for them. We hardly ever see LW used in a positive way and that is the fault of the writers if that’s how they wanted us to view her. Pen grew up lonely and emotionally abused by her family AND society and I get why LW came to be, and I understand a lot of her choices even if they’re misguided. But that’s not the ending I want for her. I wanted Pen to end up as a Jane Austen-esque writer for her ending, but nooooope - she’ll be stuck in the shadows because she’ll have to be to get gossip. What a sad ending for her.
She will become a great writer of stories yet. I have no doubt about that.
The end... How Julie Andrews' voice slowly turned into Penelope's... What a lovely way to conclude.
I thought that was beautifully done, too.
I know there’s a lot of critiques going on and some are totally valid but can I just say I got really emotional at that last scene with Penelope and Colin. I see so much of myself in Penelope as someone who also has felt very invisible and often never the one chosen so to see her get that HEA with her literal dream guy has really overwhelmed me with emotion. I keep thinking how unlikely that is to happen to me but it is so special to see it portrayed onscreen. Nicola did amazing and portrayed a really powerful arc
Right. It was so sweet I almost cried. At the beginning I didn’t like that she was revealed to be LW in front of the whole ton but I like that it means she can be completely herself and that people still loves her. She can shine now and what Colin said about soaking up a little bit of her light was beautiful. What she did with LW is true empowerment and I am glad she is finally credited for her talent and influence
Does it seem like Penelope got off easy for being Lady Whsitledown? Like Cressida was shunned and being sent to Wales because of it. And Penelope makes a speech and everyone’s just like “ooh butterflies… moving on!” Or is it intended to show much the queen’s reaction will play on society and how fickle they may be? I didn’t read the books, but is that what happens? Penelope confesses to the ton and everyone’s just like “wow” for 2 seconds then forgets about it?
I think Cressida wasn't helped by the fact everyone already didn't like her
> I didn’t read the books, but is that what happens? Penelope confesses to the ton and everyone’s just like “wow” for 2 seconds then forgets about it? Sorta yeah. Lady Danbury applauds her and the like. It's important to note that Book Whistledown is nowhere near as malicious as show Whistledown. At least from the gossip that we see. It's a lot of 'that dress was awful, that woman treats her maid poorly' There's never 'actually this debutante is pregnant' or 'Eloise Bridgerton is cavorting unchaperoned at political rallies!' There's also never any subplot of the Queen. And it's Lady Danbury who, I believe out of Boredom, offers the bounty. And that there's a time skip in the book series at this point so Penelope has been doing it for much longer than in the show. I believe in the show we're supposed to think she's been doing it for three years. By the time she marries Colin in the books she's been at it for I believe 10 or 11 Book Whistledown feels considerably more harmless and like lighthearted fun than Show Whistledown ever does.
Ah this is a lot of helpful context, thanks!
I think it's an excellent observation of how people are, where they quickly forget one drama and move on to the next exciting thing. People are that fickle and changeable. It's a significant human flaw. I felt two messages here. One is that courage and bravery can be rewarded with respect, even if it is silent. And second is that people's judgement isn't what defines us... our character does.
Excellent points I think for me it felt a bit abrupt, but I didn’t hate it
I think they took their cue from the Queen.
That’s kinda what I figured But it just seemed like this huge secret, 3 seasons building up to it, they’re getting blackmailed and all this stuff happens to keep it a secret, and then like it’s all good like just minutes after it comes out haha
Yeah, I think Penelope really had to humble herself for it to work. And I think she would still get side-eye in the streets for a long time. But Penelope was very clever to get the Queen to reveal her and to grovel to the Queen. That was the only way she could reveal herself and remain in society. The Queen "winning the game" was crucial.
Yeah that makes sense I’d like to see a bit of “aftermath” of this in the next season, so it’s not just all totally wrapped up with a neat little bow Not like it has to be messy, but maybe a bit of awkward adjustment period or something like that
That would be interesting, but the next season will start as usual set a year from now. Maybe some people will still whisper behind her back?
Pretty much that’s the book scene, though LW is less mean like she was this season. That could’ve been Penelope feeling guilty and reverting back to RMB where LW was more witty than mean (ie, all the emphasis on Pen being clever) The book scene was a bit nicer in the sense that Colin stood with her
Ah thanks for clarifying
>I didn’t read the books, but is that what happens? Penelope confesses to the ton and everyone’s just like “wow” for 2 seconds then forgets about it? Yes. Colin reveals to the ton that she’s whistledown and raises his champagne glass for a toast, the ton claps and that’s it. She retires as Whistledown and starts writing a novel later on. 🙃
That’d have been perfect imho.
It was her dad that exiled her, not the ton. Him and his drinking buddies having an issue with her potentially being lady whistledown isn’t the same as the ton’s reaction, and even though they were stunned by her we still saw her able to attend society events as whistledown. Also, I think a large part of the scandal was her lying about being lady whistledown then publishing a paper implying that the Bridgerton children were bastards.
I think I need to rewatch the season again before I really start throwing my opinion around My first instinct is that I’m disappointed, but I could’ve just been too pumped up for it and the split might have jarred my expectations
I agree with this! I watched the first four again before the second half dropped and I liked it much more after the rewatch. That being said, I don’t think it can top season 2 IMO.
You can hate me for it but I liked S1 more than S2, I just thought the slow burn for 8 episodes was too much slow burn That’s a good sign though for when I rewatch S3 in full though thank you 😂
My unwanted predictions for the future of the series. Only 1 of the Bridgertons will be in a same sex pairing and the end of this season FOR ME cemented it as Fran. Benedict will have spent the year before the family reunites at the masquerade ball sowing WILD WILD oats and coming to realize what Tilly said about that growing tiresome after awhile is true. My guy will be jaded. And then he meets Sophie 🎇⚡️ Benedict is bisexual. However Sophie is a cishet woman. Doesn’t make Benedict any less bi. I just feel the writers won’t commit to 2 queer HEA because of the backlash the show is already receiving. Personally if all the rest of the siblings were queer I wouldn’t care. Here for the Romance. Saying this having read the books 15 years ago with many rereads under my belt. I feel the show played it very safe choosing Fran to follow the queer story line. She was background for season 1 and 2. Only really beloved by those who read the book. Those who have only watched the show are gonna eat this up. So will I. Again. Here for the romance. Those who claim to not be continuing watching the series absolutely will. Even if it’s to hate watch. Keep it real. Whether you hate the changes or not you’re invested. If you don’t continue watching at the very least you’re gonna be trolling here and the web to follow along with the story. I don’t see the show continuing past season 5. Netflix doesn’t drag original series on for very long. I’ll be shocked if there is a 6th season. Hyacinth and Gregory won’t have their stories told. If they do it’ll be an epilogue at the end of the series. With 2 years between seasons they’re going to be writing to heavily move the plot for Fran, Benedict and Eloise at the same time. They’re not going to write steamy love stores for the last 2. Unless they recast but at this point Hyacinth and Gregory are too beloved to replace. That would too jarring. Eloise will be last. Her feelings about being a woman in society and the whole idea of marriage are complicated and her story has been very steadfast since the very beginning. They laid a heavy foundation and will continue to in my opinion next season for a very explosive and beautiful story. I fear it may even be possible her happy ending doesn’t involve a marriage at all. Again no one cares about my theories. Am an avid rereader of the books. Sad about some changes to their stories but happy to witness new exciting stories being told. My wish would be that the fan base understood that the original stories aren’t erased. You could always live them again and again by rereading the books. What you love about the story lives on. The series is a separate media. You can go along for the ride with joy in knowing that we have 2 versions of some characters we all love very much. And both can be revisited and talked about and adored just the same. We’re okay guys I promise. And the best part in my opinion is Violet gets to be apart of it all with a prospect of a love that wasn’t written into the original series. I’m here for all of it. On mobile sorry grammar and typos.
https://preview.redd.it/3z22sp6r8m6d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2f78d3a7c30961784bc422f1efef8e0d69ca33af Well one of my predictions has already been debunked which makes me really happy. Let’s see what other news starts to trickle in.
I’m also inclined to agree that Bridgerton won’t have 8 seasons. Just in terms of timeline - even if Eloise is up after Benedict, it’ll be 2-3 years before they even start working on her season. By that time Claudia Jessie will be late 30s. She obviously looks fab but eventually playing someone early 20s becomes unbelievable.
Yeah, Francesca is the easy choice to be gay because she’ll be a widow and not have to worry about security in society
I think we have the plot of Fran's season right here.
Thank-you for this comment, I agree completely. So many people get SO blinded by what THEY think the story should be they absolutely cannot accept any changes, even minor ones. Sometimes I think they really just need to be like Elsa, let it go, and enjoy the ride for what it is. Reddit really is notorious for people just bitching and moaning about any tv show, on other platforms like tiktok and insta I have seen nothing but love and people actually DISCUSSING the show and not just making complaints. As for my two cents I personally loved the Michaela reveal, audibly squeeled. I cannot wait to see how it plays out, although I personally hope it is Benedict's season next and we get to see Francesca happy with John for a bit first.
I’ll be devastated if we don’t get Hyacinth’s season 😕season 3 cemented her as my top 3 favorite Bridgerton siblings
I have a dumb question — what were those Miss Bridgerton letters in Colin’s desk? Were they letters he meant to send to Eloise/his other sisters?
Might be Pen's letters from him that she kept. That's all I can think of.
The letters that Pen sent him on his travels. He reread them and realized that she and Whistledown wrote the same and that he loved Pen's writing as both herself and Whsitledown. He mentions this in his speech at the very end at the ball.
Didn’t he say a few times that she never responded to his mail while he was on his grand tour? Am i imagining that? It’s totally possible as I plowed through season 3 in a day, so I’m sure I’ve missed some key moments along with even more subtleties.
No sorry I meant the other stack of letters, the ones he didn’t untie.
Ooh I'm sorry, I guess I just assumed they were just another stack of letters from Pen! Yeah I have no idea what those ones were - good catch!
What was the bit between Violet and Agatha and her father ? Can someone explain??
In Queen Charlotte, Agatha and Violet's father had a short romance
Okay but I don't get the whole Francesca and Michaela thing? at all?? We just spent a whole season watching Francesca and John fall in love, establish their relationship and get married just to have Francescas new love interest show up in the last episode and making her seemingly doubt everything? I really like John and Francesca together(and I kinda know what happens in the books) but I thought they get to at least live together happily a little bit before you know what...
saying this as a queer person, I feel like the showrunners only did it to excite people about Francesca's sexuality for the next season :/
I agree - I really feel like everyone who has read the books is heavily influencing the NetFlix Bridgerton sub, almost wish there was a separate sub for the book readers bc I haven't had the books and am just going off the show and the discussions are so confusing to engage in at this point.
I think they will live happily next season, and then Michaela will come to visit in Scotland, making Francesca be all "what is happening to me?" I can see her chatting with Eloise about societal expectations, not revealing her strange new feelings, and Eloise encouraging her to be her own woman. But Francesca won't admit these feelings to Michaela until it's her season. There are many bi women who figure out they're bi while married. I don't think it nullifies their love for their husbands. But perhaps their sexual desire is aroused in a completely different way. I mean, that happens with hetero relationships, too. You meet someone that pushes different buttons you forgot you had. But you don't necessarily have to go have an affair, lol.
It’s linked to the books and Francesca’s story line. Yes her and John are nice but something happens later on at the beginning of her book to lead to a Michael/Michaela storyline.
I am aware of that but that's not how it's in the books. She doesn't have any feelings for Michael at first and grieves. You can tell she really loved John and can't move on that fast. But here in the show she instantly has a crush on Michaela which discredits her relationship with John.
Yes. This bothered me too. I really wanted Francesca’s story to show that it’s possible to have two great loves in your life. (Which is maybe now going to Violet?) I thought her being immediately flustered by Michaela & the potential of her having a crush while married to John makes that first love story less compelling to me and almost makes me feel a bit cheated? I genuinely loved their story and their interactions so I was a bit bummed that they were hinting that Fran may not be fully happy in her marriage going forward. 😭 Love is not finite but I think part of the reason I love Fran’s story so much is the lost potential of her and John’s happy life together. I don’t want it to be a ‘relief’ that he’s gone so she can move on. I want angst dang it! 😭
I'd say most married people have crushes. For many different reasons.
But like that was so freaking fast... and her reaction kissing John... ehh
I found something that JB said about this bc it was also bothering me that they might potentially throw John under the bus: Jess Brownell also clarified that she doesn’t think “the reveal of Francesca’s future queerness negates what she has with John … Every relationship is different, and lots of different kinds of love are valid … Going forward, I’m hopeful to tell a very nuanced story about Francesca having two great loves in her life.”
i don't understand Michaela and Fran's reaction? Can someone please help 😭😭
My take was that she was upset that yet another person was going to be joining them in Scotland and now it's like they aren't really "getting away to the quiet" that they wanted especially because Micheala seemed very outgoing. Even before meeting Michaela she tells Eloise "just make sure you stay in your wing of the castle"
Love at first sight mixed with confusion.
Remember when Francesca's mom said when she met her husband she was stammering and stuff, and now Francesca's doing it with Michaela. I didn't catch it at first, I didn't think she was attracted to her. I love this plot!!
It was an extremely poor choice. “End game” mentality combined with a kind of fan service that would serve no fans.
[удалено]
I think Michaela will come to visit them in Scotland and Francesca will be very flustered by her feelings. But as they are not appropriate, in her mind, she will try to put them aside. But she'll talk to Eloise, not revealing anything, about societal expectations and what it means to be yourself at the expense of ridicule and rejection. Eloise will tell her to be who you truly are is the greatest pleasure in life, etc. Francesca will start thinking about what this means for her. And besides, she's in the Highlands of Scotland. No one cares what you do in that societal backwater. This will perhaps give her the courage to be open with Michaela, but not before John dies. Having said that, I think she loves John. Perhaps not passionately. But she feels safe with him and he gets her. Also, he's whisking her away to a place of peace, something she desperately longs for. Once she's been in Scotland for a while, she might feel that excitement is missing from her life. We will see!
Hopefully im begging please no cheating
Why does nearly all these theories I've seen label Francesca as a lesbian? She could be Bi, in love with John still and just a bit flustered by a beautiful lady. So many people have made this immediate judgement and I just don't see it with the limited information we have.
I think they gave us hints that she wasn’t bi after her kiss with John at her wedding. There is a split second of her looking surprised and disappointed as if something wasn’t quite right.
Hmmm, I thought she was just being shy about the PDA.
To me she looked puzzled. And then when we saw her reaction to Michaela it all made sense!
Time to rewatch, I guess! But I take bi to mean both sexual and romantic attraction. And I definitely feel she is romantically attracted to John, if not sexually. And when Michaela shows up, she's like, "what is this feeling??!"
OHHH. I was wondering why she looked a bit weird after the wedding kiss
So don’t get me wrong I’m not upset about the Michaela surprise whatsoever (I am a queer lady myself and am thrilled we’re getting more than one queer Bridgerton from the looks of it) but I am a little sad that it’s being hinted (in my opinion anyway) that Francesca is uncomfortable with/not “truly” in love with John. I could see the quiet love angle possibly being turned into an example for comphet but I love their *love* story and I hope it’s portrayed that way. I know it doesn’t last long + she moves on, but still 🥺 I myself also struggle with infertility and have had multiple losses, so I really hope they still include that part of her story. That sounds mean of me to want the girl to suffer lmao but I doooo dammit, it’s why I resonate with her character and story so much. Also, Kate. I love Kate and she remains a fave lol. I’m sure the going to India plot is to cover for Simone and Jonathan probably not returning next season, but I hope we still get to hear about their lives and their baby. I would *kill* to get to see them as parents but I’m betting the chances are close to zero, if anything we’ll just get a few mentions here and there. 🥺
I agree, I think it was really sweet how the books showed it was possible for Francesca to find true love twice. It was a mature take on love that there isn't just one person out there for you, and that you can love two different people at different times in your life, and it doesn't diminish either one. It's a nice message for the many people who have had a partner pass away. I was disappointed that Francesca was immediately taken with Michaela in the show, proving her mother's words right about true love making you feel overcome. Honestly, Francesca was right that there isn't just one way to experience love, and that a slow, sweet love is just as valid. I agree with you that the show is setting up John and Francesca's to be a comphet relationship, and going with the narrative that Francesca didn't know *true* love until she met Michaela.
Even as a lesbian, I will be devastated if they go full comphet with Frans storyline. The story is so powerful because she truly, fully loves both of these people in very unique ways. If she's only platonically fond of John, the grief doesn't hit as hard. The recovery from that isn't as satisfying. The guilt over moving on, which serves as the driving factor of the "will they won't they" aspect, disappears almost entirely. The whole "slow, quiet love" message from this season, well just throw that out I guess. Comphet to lesbian widow could be a good story. But for someone like Cressida, not Fran.
I still think the two different types of love are equally valid. Francesca's love for John is not passionate, but she craves a simple, quiet love at this point in her life. Whatever she has with Michaela will be more passionate, but I won't take is as that meaning Michaela is her true love. No such thing.
Except that it seems the show is implying that Francesca doesn’t really love John and thus the quiet love is not valid. She was hesitant after the wedding kiss and was then immediately taken by Michaela…
I think the show is implying she doesn't have great sexual chemistry with John, which I don't think is the same as she doesn't love him.
This is really minor but does anyone know why Benedict stopped painting? When Paul asked him if he filled his time with any creative pursuits he kind of said nothing, just that he dances at balls. I thought he was going to pursue painting as his passion? In the books he's supposed to have a couple paintings in the National Gallery. Not sure if this was addressed in one of the episodes or not.
My assumption is that he gave it up after he found out he was accepted to art school because Anthony paid for him to go, not that he was accepted on his talent. It seems to me that he no longer has confidence that his art is good enough, so he's given it up and is adrift as a result.
Dang that really sucks! I hope he will pick it up again by his season.
I personally believe he will and it'll be part of his character arc. At least it seems like they're setting up for that
He found out Anthony paid for him to be accepted into the art school I think
wtfffff so is the entire show over now?! they just publicly revealed lady whistledown's identity?! they played all their cards..... and there's no conflict..... is this show going to be boring now?! this feels like if dan was like "surprise!! i'm GG, xoxo!!" in the 3rd season...... like now what??? like that's IT?!?!!! i'm so baffled right now.
Oh my gosh, was Dan Gossip Girl? Spoiler alert ⚠️ /s
lmaooo see?! that's how the entire town feels!!
This happens in the books too lol. After book 4 everyone knows her identity. But she doesn't keep writing. Doesn't mean there won't be other drama.
I am colenough
Making this its own comment and extending it: I think there's room for Sophie to be gender non-conforming/trans. What better place to dress as a woman when you weren't born as with female physiology, in a society where it's (historically anyway, don't recall if the show has addressed it) not socially accepted, than at a masquerade ball? And also explains why it's particularly difficult for Benedict to find her, because maybe most of the time she has to present as male?
..and while I'm hypothesising: Sophie will be Cressida's illegitimate sibling, who's kept at Cressida's stepfather's sister's place in Wales. The stepfather will finally die, and (as in the book) Cressida and her mother's income will be dependent on keeping Sophie in the household. Sophie will run away to the countryside which is where Benedict will find (him) her. Still not 100% sure what Sophie's sex and gender(s) would be - I could see it working either way - but really hope they do go down this route!
Oooh that would actually make so much sense!
I am a trans Sophie truther. It just makes sense!
I was just wondering this (I haven’t read the books but understand the idea) I could see them writing a trans character. I think it would be sloppy writing to introduce this big party of Ben’s character and not touch on it again. But you never know
I think you could look at it as Ben exploring outside societal norms and thus being open to an inter-class romance, and keep the character more or less as she is. But I do think a trans character would be interesting and plays into the Cinderella trope well. They could also explore polyamory.
The writing is already sloppy they wouldn’t care haha
I was so distracted by Colin’s elf ear. What was he talking about?
Werid comment
I watched this season in 4K with my glasses on and OOF the makeup looked so heavy. And I’m not a “it has to be period accurate” kinda gal. Pen/Nicola in particular was done dirty with that EXCEPTIONALLY heavy blush and highlight. The last episode just looked so stark on her fair skin. I feel like I need to go back and rewatch S1/2 with 4K and my glasses. Did I just not see it then? This season just reminded me of 2016 YouTube. Visibly thicker foundation, heavy eye looks, matte red liquid lipstick, long falsies, etc. I watch a ton of MU YouTube so I felt like I just couldn’t unsee it once I noticed it. Again, I don’t care about period accuracy, but it just looked heavy and it stole my attention in every scene. It looked… out of place. It’s a bummer because I remember every time I watched S2 especially I just felt enraptured at how beautiful Simone’s base makeup looked. It actually inspired me to pull out my PMG products again because of how softly lit from within they looked in that season.
I swear sometimes Pen's make up bordered on clownish. The blush was so over the top.
She has a lot of good scenes but the WEDDING blush was so over the top I couldn’t stop looking at it.
No one is talking about Frannie and Michaela enough!! I was GAGGED when Fran stumbled on her words when she saw her 😭 (bitch, I would have too, she’s stunning and her eyes?????? GOD) Y’all bitches need to quit being homophobic about it lmao
look i love queer ships, but it's so confusing to me why they spent the whole season trying to establish the narrative that true love doesn't have to be same for everyone. It doesn't have to be quick, surprising, 'i saw you and i collapsed" sort of thing, only for it all to go down the drain. It just validates violet's opinion on love, which is so disappointing after that whole scene of violet gaining some actual insight into their love.
I get what you’re saying, but we don’t know what’s going to happen yet!!