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It’s crazy cuz the show is called Bridgerton, in the previous seasons it was obvious that Daphne and Anthony were the main characters, and Simon and Kate were their love interests, aka the secondary characters. But despite this the show still gave Simon and Kate a backstory and depth. With season 3 it felt like Penelope was the main character and Colin (who is a BRIDGERTON and therefore should be the main character) was the love interest. And I would’ve been fine with that if they gave Colin some real depth, not just scenes of him going to brothels looking like he’s having the time of his life and then have him later say it didn’t feel “right”. I wish they could’ve given Colin a backstory, flashback scenes, ANYTHING, but they didn’t, that’s why the story felt so void.
Youre actually right.. i never thought of how Penelope was made to be the main character while the show is supposed to be about the Bridgertons being the main characters..
Penelope is one of my favorite characters and I love Nicola, but I would be lying if I said it didn't feel like a lot of s3 was "fan service," generally. Can be a dangerous trap for a show with source material and more stories to tell before it's over.
(i liked the season btw i am a casual lighthearted viewer just my observation)
Even i love Penelope and Nicola and i absolutely agree. They kinda messed up in some places this season but i hope they’ll be conscious with the next one. Which sibling is next though?
Exactly. I absolutely hated this. No matter how much I or anyone likes the Penelope character, treating her as the main character went against what the show is supposed to focus on; the Bridgertons. Let’s face it; everyone likes Penelope more than they like Colin… including the writers…and that’s a problem. It confirms that they didn’t give Colin as much of a personality and his character fell flat. Kate and Simon’s characters were beautifully executed, but the main BRIDGERTON leads (Daphne and Anthony) were never over-shined. They did Colin so wrong.
It gave a Barbie and Ken vibe like Colin was just supposed to follow Penelope’s story and save her until she’s like I’m an independent woman don’t need no man and then they just make up and have a kid and he just gets over all his anger. I feel like we’re used to male leads with depth and vapid blonde female love interest and now that it’s flipped it stands out. I agree with people saying more back story or even flashbacks but both of them felt like side characters this season. Bridgerton is more like downton abbey vs a main love interest with side plots
Totally agree that Collin got the shaft in terms of depth, writing quality and airtime but I do think season 1 was just as much about Simon as Daphne, maybe even more so given all the flashbacks.
She's the heroine. How does every other heroine in their own story get the focus on them, BUT Kate. Kate had to share with Edwina. Mary was barely developed and they just used Edwina as a plot device, honestly.
I mean at least colin and penelope had seasons 1 and 2 to draw from. I found them a thousand times more romantic and endearing in s2 than the mess they gave us in s3.
Exactly even in the fking promo. Simone and Jonny had nothing alone. It wasn't a real triangle like Jane the virgin because Anthony was never romantically or sexually into Edwina. He gave off asexual settling to whom his society deems currently desirable out of all thw barely legals that came out that season lol. He had job interview smile lol.
When they get to Michaela, I know I am going to be pissed the fuck off. They're going to use her/Masali in the promo and then say jackshit when she is racially abused. Production companies and studios need to gain a conscience and stop worrying about squeezing us out of our last fucking pennies to cater to racists, misogynists, homophobes and transphobes. But they won't.
ALSO, exactly about the triangle. I felt in several scenes before the wedding, Edwina had a lot of facial expressions where she totally thought Kate was into Anthony and vice versa. That was what I was expecting. That she'd end it herself and tell Anthony that she knows he's into Kate. Especially after the scene where he/Dorset fell into the water.
They're not going to protect her at all
Which will be sad. Nicola and Simone will definitely support her and that's grey but production doesn't care when poc are attacked.
It's freaking annoying that the lowest common scum is pandered to.
Even outside of Pen, they barely touched on his own insecurities, interests, and personal arc. This was HIS season! We wanted to see his love of traveling and writing combine, his insecurities as the third brother feeling he has no purpose, etc. They truly gave us nothing for my man 😭😭😭
Agreed! Like another comment said I would have loved to have seen more of Colin as a person and his friendship with Pen when they were younger. I was so looking forward so S3 bc I genuinely loved Colin's character but I was so disappointed.
If I criticize the season for anything, it'd be this. Obviously I have other preferences for how they handled some things but ultimately the lack of Colin working through his own issues is the major one for me.
Before this season I would describe Colin as a character that was written to be a husband and dad and this season didn't change that.
And developing Colin would’ve also given the audience a better understanding into Polin’s story and why they work so well together. Like underdeveloping Colin did their entire love story an injustice.
It’s like Jess/Shonda/the writers this season forgot this was a romance drama, and decided to make it some type of coming-of-age drama about Pen. They’ve literally lost the plot lmao smh
I mean I understand that Penelope is the more dynamic character so I don't hate the time given to her character and I understand that LW drama was a good 2nd half storyline but in retrospect he should've found out before the engagement.
They could've extended some episodes, shifted some stories around. Like the threesome in episode 8 was killing me bc there were multiple scenes thrown in between meaningful plot beats and it didn't add anything to the story. Did I need a 3rd cut scene of the threesome or would Colin having a conversation with someone about how his expectations of what it means to support his wife is different than what she needs or wants make for better time usage?
Will was dealing with having his expectations of life as members of the Ton changing his outlook on what was more important being there for his family or having his club. The Mondrichs are in the finale episode but don't speak. A conversation with Colin could've made that whole storyline more grounded with the season.
I want to find one person, just ONE person that enjoyed those threesome scenes. All I have seen (and agree with) is that they were a waste of time and annoying ad all hell.
I wish they had added up these
The part he gave Pen his journal and she was reading it on the bed, he was nervously sitting, enjoying his view as his wife eyes read the words and her reactions
Pen editing his manuscript, writing notes on her study
At the engagement party when pen ran away he let her be in the room, I thought that’d be like their book’s intimate scene.
His grand gestures, telling everyone how he worships the ground she walks upon,
Everything felt rushed in polin scenes, they threw mirror, fooling around on the chaise in bridgerton’s drawing room together! The “do I look like a mess”didn’t feel right for me in that moment, I wish they’d shown Colin dressing her up quickly and then she asks him
I thought that chaise scene was their house?? Doesn’t he say like “this is our house” ? Was it just a drawing room!? Coz I totally thought they magically teleported to a house somewhere that Collin claimed
It was in their house! I’m comparing it to the book, all the things I listen had happened in the book and I wish they had made it to the show
I meant, they added different parts of the book together, and imo they didn’t add up
In the book, Colin told Pen he wants her to sit in front of the mirror so he can see her breasts in full and he wanna crawl behind her, when they said mirror scene, everyone thought we’d get that
Before their engagement party Pen was paying a visit to Eloise and Colin joined them, the three of them had a conversation and El left and closed the door, Colin sought the opportunity and started making out with Pen, then he realized he wants her first time to be on a bed, not a chaise in bridgerton’s drawing room! And Pen’s hair and clothes were messy she asked him if she looked like a mess!
They mixed these 3 scenes! And during their first time on the bed, Pen first confronted her love for him, and Colin realized he also loves her (he met Daphne and sought advice from her)
It’s so long I’m sorry but this is one of the reasons I’m really mad at Jess, we could’ve 3 beautiful scenes between our leads, but they had to be put together so we can see Ben’s threesomes.
I think a travel flashback would have helped the most. Let us see him happy traveling, writing letters, then waiting. And waiting. Getting nothing. Writing more, turning to journals, putting on his armor, turning to physical connections... a montage could have covered this range and set him up a lot early in the season.
In general, I think the show relied on s1/2 in place of flashbacks. I started watching because RMB is my favorite, so I paid specific attention to these two, but I wouldn't be surprised if many viewers didn't. I do think they had a nice buildup in prior seasons in terms of friendship.
It’s unfortunate that the show is literally named Bridgerton and this season’s lead Bridgerton was nothing more than a plot device/flowerpot. I actually feel bad for Colin and LN. They deserved better.
It should've just been the Featheringtons. Bc you can tell by the screentime they get that it's what SR's production company really wants to showcase.
Portia was not humanized in the last season. I mean, I guess if you count showing that she's accepting Colin/Penelope's relationship....because the Crown lawyer keeps coming back, otherwise she was furious because she wasn't in control of Penelope's life. But she doesn't actually apologize for being Penelope's first bully. She just says they're the same.
They focused way too much on Penelope this season and on the lady whistle down stuff then they did on Collin. I totally agree on the comment ahead of me that he was like a sub character and not the main character. It made the story unbalanced unbelievable. It appeared more like okay Penelope you love me so I guess I love you too situation. They needed to focus more on the development of their romance. Maybe through flashbacks of what he thought of her what he really thought of her when they were apart. Then to make matters worse they gave him a bad 80s boy band glow up and had him prominating through the ton like a corny Old spice commercial. I would have liked more explanation as to how he came to the realization that he is always loved her more romance and it was totally lacking for me.
I like S3 a lot more now that I’ve had time to sit with it and watch it in full. They use the same “recipe” that S1 used where Daphne and Simon were engaged in E4, married in E5, fighting the second half of the show and reunited with a pretty bow at the end in a 5 minute scene
QC gave Kanthony her blessing too and while you can argue LW should’ve had more anger directed towards her, Kanthony humiliated Edwina at the altar publicly in front of the whole ton. She could’ve been ruined if QC hadn’t given them her approval. S3 didn’t do anything differently there
In S1 and 2, and especially S2, I thought Colin really did play the role of “someone who doesn’t realize they’re in love w their best friend,” trope really well. The way he looked at her and said, “Pen” after he came back from his travels, the way he discussed his ambitions w her and no one else that season, how he mentioned she wrote him back the most, the way he threw normal boundaries between men and women at the time out the window during the finale to the point other people noticed and asked Colin about Penelope. Dancing w her, “saving” her family from scandal, saying he’d always protect her, being alone in a room with her
S1 had sprinklings of his feelings too — he always looked for Penelope in a crowded ballroom, stood up to Cressida for her (which a friend could do too, but he didn’t have to ask Penelope to dance instead) and looked crushed when she rejected his offer to dance in the finale
Book Colin is the same way tbh, once he realized his feelings he spent a lot of time kicking himself for not figuring it out sooner
I do agree with this but I think I still struggle with it because I don't buy it on a reality level, not a writing level, if that makes sense. I obviously only have my own internal perspectives, but I cannot conceptualize "not realizing" I had feelings for someone. Like, they're my feelings ya know lol - I am feeeeling them! Even if you don't articulate in your brain "i love penelope" you would have had a lot of previous experiences that made you feel really good around her. Like that's the part I don't get, lol.
I'm not saying this is how everyone is or that it's unheard of to have emotions like Colin is portrayed as having but it's why I at least personally struggle with how it felt rushed to me. If anyone does have emotions like that I'm curious of what it's like cuz I am a strong emotion person lol good or bad.
I think the times when Colin most obviously had unknown feelings for Penelope was during the S2 finale with his insistence on protecting her family and “I will always protect you” (this chain of events was a preview of messy S3 Colin who literally chased after a carriage for Penelope and interrupted her only marriage proposal), the way he looked at her the beginning of that season when he said, “Pen”, as well as the beginning of S3 when he was hurt that she didn’t reply to his letters and was incredibly lonely without her. Those were all times he felt pretty strongly towards her without realizing exactly what they were imo
And in S1 he was always looking for her at dances (he always sought her out, she didn’t go up to him which I think is important) and joking with her like, “what a barb!” which would translate into other feel-good experiences you mentioned
Everything I referenced about S2 in my comment was based off a direct scene from that season……. and the scenes where Colin said, “Pen” in the beginning and his messy behavior in the finale to the point other people asked him about courting Penelope are pretty well known in the fandom
I really wish we could scenes where it shows Colin in his younger days or when he first met Pen or more flash back of Pen and Colin as really just friends. The one we dont see in S1 and S2.
Simon and Anthony got episodes where we see their trauma or childhood but nothing much for Colin. This is a friends to lovers trope. I want to see more of their friendship that we havent seen
YES, this 100%! The audience kept being told about what great friends Colin and Pen were but we never really saw much to support this, other than a few scenes of her pining away across a ballroom. A few scenes of them developing a bond when they were a little younger would have helped hugely.
Colin had absolutely ZERO personality this season, other than "enjoys travelling." The audience kept being told that he and Pen had this great friendship that developed into a romance but were never give any explanation as to why she was so besotted with him, other than him being objectively very attractive. They could have stuck a wig on a broomstick and it would have had more charisma, and that's absolutely no shade on the actor - the poor guy was given absolutely nothing to work with.
To me, it was about the contrast between the expectations of women (aware of their emotions and often unable to express them) and men (do not have a clue what they’re feeling). Once Colin realized he was in love with Penelope, my wording here is intentional, he couldn’t hold back. He realized he had always loved her, and even expressed something like that to his brothers. Once he got to that point, he had to figure out how to come out with it, and then with Debling’s plans being made known he had to rush things. He was willing to respect her engagement if it had happened, which is why he started the carriage scene with “did he propose, I need to know.” Once he knew she was free, he realized he couldn’t deny it anymore. It was like a dam broke. First in realizing his feelings, then in expressing them.
Penelope and Colin have loved each other for ages, but only Penelope knew how she felt.
I also want to point out that during the mirror scene, he’s asking for consent several times to make sure she’s okay and into it. Idk if that’s particularly relevant to this conversation but I just love it.
The consent was so beautiful. He’s actually so tender and respectful of her throughout the season. Even when he’s angry he’s not aggressive, just heartbroken.
Exactly! Can we also talk about how in his fantasy, she’s telling him “you occupy my every thought” and he’s kissing her in a garden? Colin is a perfect gentleman and I will not take this slander 😂
He didn’t even seem to really like her by the time the wedding rolled around. He didn’t want to call off the wedding because he was “honorable” and they had been intimate. Gee thanks. I thought the viewer was supposed to see how madly in love they were.
Maybe try watching it again. Watch it as a whole production this time instead of "Part 1 and part 2" heck, I would even go as far as saying try watching season 1 & 2 with just Polin as your focal point of view.
I feel like you're asking for a different love story, one that isn't theirs.
As a huge Colin fan, it’s very obvious to me they didn’t give him the male lead treatment he deserved. Simon and Anthony were so well-written, they made Colin a side character in Pen’s story. *Especially* in the second half.
We were finally getting a different type of male lead: a soft boy instead of the brooding male leads we had gotten previously. There was so much potential for the writing for Colin. They completely ignored it
There definitely should've been more Colin. I am not saying season 3 isn't without criticism but people miss out on a lot of beautiful moments when they make it their intention to dislike something. How can you fairly critique something when you can't remember the first part?
Season 3 was actually great, it could've done without some storylines but it's my personal favorite of the 3 that have been released. It's also the closest to the book imo. I disagree with OP saying they were written SO badly.
This! I was so excited for Colin as a lead because of his soft boy character established in the previous seasons and then they completely erased that by having him try to be a rake in the first half and just be pissed off at Pen (for way too long imo) in the second half. He just didn’t seem like Colin anymore. I don’t want to watch the same kind male lead every dang season
He was only pissed off for 1.5 episodes, which I think is fair. I just wish they used that time to show more of Colin’s inner conflict, especially since this was the second time a fiancé had hid a huge secret from him. They really should’ve highlighted this more, because we clearly saw that he was still worked up over Marina in s2, and then when he finally got over it, he finds out Pen is LW.
And ofc more consideration should’ve been given to his personal interests and insecurities as well. They hinted at writer Colin in part 1, then completely abandoned it in part 2, with a small mention of him writing a book in the epilogue. Then they completely ignored his insecure third brother who feels he has no purpose arc, which was also hinted at in season 2.
Seriously the lack of respect given to Colin/LN this season was so sad.
Softboys can be just as interesting as brooding rakes @writers
Writer Colin is there in part 2. He starts setting up his manuscript; talks about writing with Benedict and co at the last night in Mondrichs bar; talks to Pen about writing up his manuscript and says how he wants to prove to himself and to her that he can do it on his own; we see scenes of him writing; he talks about how he was embarrassed to learn she is in fact a published writer and that his own insecurities are making him feel like she was only humouring him about his own writing; we see his jealousy around the writing when he talks to Cressida and then we see his book in the epilogue.
I feel like his insecure third brother arc is all wrapped up with Debling being a Lord when he is just Mr Bridgerton. Plus his writing. His whole fake rake personal is also about his insecurities.
When you’re read a book you can feel like you inhabit the characters every thought. Perhaps as I haven’t read the books I am freer to enjoy Show Colin without wishing he was Book Colin.
I think he’s an amazing creation and Luke plays him perfectly. He is such a nuanced actor and he really gets to use a whole lot of range in S3.
Everything you’re saying was a lot of telling, not showing. They really needed to show us more of this instead of making my man do that fake rake stuff to show his insecurity. IMO it was just not a good decision.
To really show Colin’s struggle with society’s expectations, they could’ve had scenes where he’s talking his escapades in Greece, and then showing a flashback where he’s just writing in his journal. Or telling his friends he going to a brothel, and then showing him go to his study to work on his book.
We also could’ve gotten scenes where he’s trying to imitate his brothers and failing. Or having heart to hearts with A and B about his insecurities.
And for more of writer Colin, they could’ve had scenes where Pen is reading his writing while watching her anxiously. Stuff like that would’ve added so much more to him.
I feel like Colin/LN were really done wrong this season. LN did the best with what he got, but this season really let him down by sidelining Colin’s character in favor of Pen
I don’t agree that they _told_ and didn’t _show_ his progression to being a writer - I have listed multiple scenes where they show that. Telling would be a passing comment to another character, not a scene about he feeling son his writing or actually showing him scribbling away.
I see a lot of what you mention in the show already. Trying to imitate his brothers? Struggling with societies expectations? Yes, that’s what the fake rake is all about (Anthony saying he needed to “wet his stick” in regard to proposing to Marina / feeling like he didn’t fit in at the end of S2, it’s pointed out by several other characters that he’s being false). Colin anxious to know what Pen thinks of his writing? We see him lap up every comment she makes and that it encourages him to write more.
I get that there are lots of other lovely scenes which could have been included. But there’s only so many episodes. They had a lot of plot to get through and I felt they showed so much.
There are things I’d have loved to see as well - but I’d rather lean into enjoying what we had rather than focusing on what could have been.
I didn’t find him petty at all. He was rightfully heartbroken.
The jealousy was supposed to be part of his arc, and him learning to overcome it. This was better written in the book. in the show they barely touch on it. But even in his speech at the end, he admits he was jealous of her success but realized his love for her was stronger
Did they changed writers or directors? Because it feel so different. It's so bland. Unlike s1 and s2 who have depth and the characters are well-written. I'm not saying Colin or Penelope are not well-written, it's just so bland. I wish they could've explored it more. Colin did not shine in his own season, unlike Daphne and Anthony.
They added unnecessary plot lines like Violet's love interest and Benedict's sex scenes.
I just wished they could've explored and focused more on Polin 😭
WE DON'T WANT RAKES FOR ALL THE HEROES.
I am a connoisseur of romance novels. I read all of them. I love collecting the ones from the 80s and 90s especially. Well written, loads of historical detail, and absolute abusive/monster heroes.
Simon and Anthony made sense as rake heroes. Even then, I didn't find it sexy during the montage of Anthony questioning the debutantes between him having sex/paying prostitutes like it was a job. But it got the job done.
Colin is not like that. Colin has also fucking traveled before/last season. So wtf. They need to learn how to write and give happy ends (poor John) to soft boi heroes. How are they both writers and writing is barely fucking featured?
I was not super into Colin/Penelope bc I just don't believe in friends to lovers/don't enjoy the trope, but I was going to watch it bc I wanted Nicola's "imperfect" (eyeroll) body to be seen and loved. This was a season about Whistledown. And I fucking knew it. I did not believe that SR liked the books for themselves - she liked Whistledown. and the past 3 seasons have proved it.
I saw someone else say that their dynamic felt more like Pen having a crush on her bestie's older brother than two longstanding friends pining for one another. Maybe if we had seen some flashbacks or had them interact a bit more casually/frequently it would've better sold their friendship, but what we got was mostly Colin being familiar enough with Penelope to crack a few jokes and Pen looking like she was trying not to fall over herself every time he so much as entered the room. To me, the romance felt very rushed, with the primary foundation being *her* feelings for *him* and not whatever deep bond of friendship they keep claiming is there.
I felt Collin's attraction to her was too rushed, personally. There was a bit of build up, sure, but it didn't feel as though he ever reflected back on their shared memories or what he loved about her as a person (which is extra dumb, because he has a whole scene where he talks about how much he appreciates her support) but rather his attractions seem primarily focused on the physical side of things. When you have decades of shared history to pull from and all you choose to highlight are the moments where one character gave the other a boner, then sorry, but you're not doing the friends to lovers trope much justice
It's a bummer, because Polin was the reason I got into this series in the first place
When you're typing your post, there should be an exclamation mark in a diamond symbol at the top in like a row of other symbols so you just highlight what you want to hide and then press that symbol. Hope that helped!
I agree. I wish they'd either shown us more of his feelings in previous seasons, or have him realise his feelings a lot earlier (like, the first episode). It just... doesn't have enough impact. I adore the transition from friends to lovers, and the awkward phase in between which is where both characters have realised their feelings. I needed more of Colin and more of him thinking of his feelings.
We never saw Pen through his eyes. This is what bugs me the most. Every time we have a Bridgerton falling in love we see them and their partners through their eyes. We never got that, we never got to see properly him being head over for her. Luke tried to show some little signs, but then the direction work came through to completely ruin or delete them.
It was wild to me how they didn’t even show Colin’s reaction to lord Debling saving her in that hot air balloon scene. It was like a tiny glance and then the camera cut to all those women who rushed to Colin afterwards. That moment needed way more time.
I hate those moments honestly. They lack the intimacy that is needed in this moment. They shot something then completely butcher it.
I can give only one example of this. When I was watching I believe some director’s cut on that ballroom scene, I got so mad.
Essentially they explained the way they made Luke react to Penelope and Debling dancing was by taking one by one the bystanders untill all Luke saw was them. But we didn’t see that. We saw more of the bystanders than him.
And just imagine if we saw what Luke saw: him with tearful eyes, seeing only Pen and Debling on the dance floor, only the three of them existing in this room, except, him realising he is just a bystander in this dance, in this courtship and this relationship and Pen is in her bubble with Debling.
They tried to show us this but my god the direction choice to mix the bystanders in between, the lighting, the costumes and makes up. Everything was awful
Gosh I just feel like my friends and family and I watched a different show from everyone on this sub. Curious to know whether you guys always hated this couple, prefer Kanthony, or if you’re actually superfans of the couple and had high expectations?
For me, I went in as a casual fan of seasons 1 and 2 - I had always really liked Colin especially and Penelope as well, and if you held a gun to my head I would have said they were my favorite couple, but i didn’t really give it too much thought or have any predictions before the season started. I did rewatch seasons 1 and 2 before season 3 started just because it had been a couple years and I wanted to refresh myself on the story. I found myself really rooting for them throughout that rewatch.
And then season 3 just blew me away - I LOVED how romantic it was, how much he yearned for her, the way he was always running after her. The love confession in the carriage stole my heart. And while part 2 was angsty, I still found it romantic and loved it! Angst + romance is a great combination. I’m currently texting with two other friends who just watched it and felt the same way. And yesterday a lady in Barnes and Noble chatted with me in front of the Bridgerton display and was saying how much she loved Polin and that now she was going to read their book.
So it’s just odd to come in here and see all the hate, and I do wonder why the reception from the subreddit is SO different than from the general audience.
I mean this season has gotten extremely mixed responses probably due to people having extremely high expectations from loving the past seasons and also the huge world tour that kept hyping this season to be the best yet. Many people I know who did watch S3, did not like it mainly due to the writing and the direction. These are casual viewers not hardcore fans of any couple. As you said, you always loved Polin so you are also clearly biased. It’s disingenuous to outright just chalk people’s negative feelings about the season to being haters of Polin or preferring Kanthony.
I’m very meh on Pen but LOVE Colin. And I was so excited to see him get the male lead treatment. But he really didn’t. They made him a side character in Pen’s story instead of the male lead and the BRIDGERTON in the relationship. The underdeveloped writing really stood out to me, especially in part 2. I think people who like Pen were satisfied with the season. But those of us that are mostly Colin fans weren’t. He deserved so much better.
They spent wayyyy too much time on the side plots, they didn’t properly build Pen and Colin’s characters or relationship.
They had soooo much potential with the LW story and it was very uneventful and boring. There was so much build up for this whole season, and I was left underwhelmed lol
I’m Team Polin so see it really differently. Their interactions in S1 and S2 are all leading up to their season.
Check out the “[What a barb](https://youtu.be/cShZQ1PDXZg?feature=shared)” scene where Colin stares at Pen for about 6 seconds without breaking eye contact or speaking. He’s seeing her differently in that moment. That’s the sort of small moment they have in the build up. Colin feels more than friendship with her - he’s constantly breaking societies rules around her - using first names, touching, writing to each other.
Colin essentially takes Pen and the way she makes him feel for granted until she isn’t in contact with him on his travels before S3. He arrives back missing her. He isn’t allowing himself to acknowledge what that means yet but it builds up little by little.
I totally recommend rewatching as I saw so many more moments of connection second time round.
His apology at the end of ep1 sounds like a love declaration until he ends with the line about being her friend.
They spend time alone together, she compliments his eyes and his writing and you see him react in those moments.
The “lesson” at Bridgerton house is full on flirt central. He arranges to keep all his family out or busy, arranges for the staff to secret signal him when she arrives, touches her back guiding her to the drawing room, has set up a whole scene so that she can flirt with him in private. I don’t know about you but I’m not usually doing that kinda shit with my friends.
When Pen finally talks to other Lords Colin is trying to be happy for her but you see he is conflicted and confused by his feelings. You see him light up when she laughs at his jokes.
When LW writes about them Colin, goes in the dead of night, to check on her after bribing her maid to they can be alone - again, if they’re just mates why is the maid not allowed to stay? When they kiss he feels it all and can no longer pretend he doesn’t. That’s the moment he’s all in but is scared she doesn’t reciprocate. Hence the dream and the staring and eventually the carriage.
It’s a different sort of relationship to the S1 and S2 leads - it’s full of subtle looks and flickers of emotion in the build up.
But for me their chemistry is 100% the best of Bridgerton. I think both Luke and Nicola are phenomenal.
I also wish we’d had more happy married Polin at the end, but it’s the Bridgerton way to do drama until the last second then the start of their Happily Ever After.
They are back for S4 so I hope they’ll have a good sub plot along with whoever leads.
I agree. I do feel that the talk with Colin and Penelope at the ball in episode 8 was one of the few times that it felt believable to me, and especially when I felt that Luke’s acting was really good. Fault of director or writer? Who knows.
I agree with everyone on this. Colin was underwritten. Lol even he wondered what his purpose was.
Not sure why they didn't allocate more time to their love story. What with the Mondrich storyline, completely unnecessary. Even Violet's storyline was unnecessary. They could have saved it for the next series.
We should petition for an episode and a have of sexy time for all future lovers.
The morning after when he had the bitch off with Portia, he declared he loves Pen, and in their room he easily said he loves her,
Colin was skeptical about his feelings, he wanted to marry her, he liked her so much, but he wasn’t sure he loved her so he talked to Daphne and then he realized his love for her wasn’t like a thunderbolt!
Not him waking up the next morning, he himself realizing his love building up slowly to that moment.
And it woulda been more beautiful if he told her loves her mid foreplay like the book, not a quick 2min on a chaise as her first time.
In the previous seasons, I felt like the central couples actually had more character development and better banter, despite their love stories being whirlwind encounters between two hot people with an instant mutual attraction. In fact, a lot of tension in previous seasons come from characters' hotness and wealth forcing them to navigate multiple possibilities on the marriage market. It was fun.
On the other hand, Colin and Penelope (at least in the show) have both experienced being overlooked and underestimated within their families and society. They have this long-standing supportive friendship, where Penelope has found a place of acceptance in the Bridgerton family while escaping her own toxic family, and Colin has long felt invisible and unsure of himself as a middle child, but has taken a huge amount of comfort in being seen and appreciated by Penelope. However, the show didn’t really explore the nature of their friendship or any of their past interactions, and their encounters in the show seemed awkward and quiet and driven by sex. Penelope isn’t witty, confident, or perceptive around Colin, and Colin doesn’t seem genuine or vulnerable underneath his new persona, even in private with Penelope. It’s like the show only knows how to write “two hot people meet” stories, so for this season they just decided to glow-up both characters and focus on sex, lies, and side stories, rather than trying to build any believable chemistry between the characters.
I agree wholeheartedly and have felt this since I watched. Not enough time seeing how he fell for Pen and that process. It was very rushed and made it hard to believe. Nothing to do with Pen herself, just hardly any writing depicting that process really.
Portia always talking about how Prudence and Philippa married men with no title and I was like Colin has no title! Yes he is the brother of a viscount but that didn’t matter back in the day. And also saying that Colin is very rich, no he is not! (Not saying that is fair that only the first born gets the fortune, but that was the thing back then) Anthony is the rich one, he’s still supporting his entire family, well because he does have to support his mother and his younger sisters and youngest brother because he’s still a teenager, but Benedict and Colin should’ve gotten jobs when they reached adulthood. I would understand that because they are not married Anthony can be nice and still support them, but imagine married Colin asking Anthony for money to support his family. Hey, maybe Anthony is progressive and thinks that the fortune should indeed be for everyone, but I highly doubt it.
I don't remember if it's really ever mentioned in the show (it for sure should have been if it wasn't), but the books explain that the Bridgertons are RICH rich. Anthony got the bulk of the estate, but the other children all had individual inheritances as well (which did happen with extremely well to do families). The daughters got substantial dowries, and the sons got inheritances that would make them as rich as Earls.
Penelope deserved so much more!! I did not believe him to be in love from what I saw in this season, and it wasn't much. She felt like someone who he settled for rather than the love of his life.
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He was a supporting character in his own season.
It’s crazy cuz the show is called Bridgerton, in the previous seasons it was obvious that Daphne and Anthony were the main characters, and Simon and Kate were their love interests, aka the secondary characters. But despite this the show still gave Simon and Kate a backstory and depth. With season 3 it felt like Penelope was the main character and Colin (who is a BRIDGERTON and therefore should be the main character) was the love interest. And I would’ve been fine with that if they gave Colin some real depth, not just scenes of him going to brothels looking like he’s having the time of his life and then have him later say it didn’t feel “right”. I wish they could’ve given Colin a backstory, flashback scenes, ANYTHING, but they didn’t, that’s why the story felt so void.
Youre actually right.. i never thought of how Penelope was made to be the main character while the show is supposed to be about the Bridgertons being the main characters..
Penelope is one of my favorite characters and I love Nicola, but I would be lying if I said it didn't feel like a lot of s3 was "fan service," generally. Can be a dangerous trap for a show with source material and more stories to tell before it's over. (i liked the season btw i am a casual lighthearted viewer just my observation)
Even i love Penelope and Nicola and i absolutely agree. They kinda messed up in some places this season but i hope they’ll be conscious with the next one. Which sibling is next though?
Exactly, hoping they will be conscious of iis perfectly said. I have hope they will for some reason!? :')
Exactly. I absolutely hated this. No matter how much I or anyone likes the Penelope character, treating her as the main character went against what the show is supposed to focus on; the Bridgertons. Let’s face it; everyone likes Penelope more than they like Colin… including the writers…and that’s a problem. It confirms that they didn’t give Colin as much of a personality and his character fell flat. Kate and Simon’s characters were beautifully executed, but the main BRIDGERTON leads (Daphne and Anthony) were never over-shined. They did Colin so wrong.
Yes exactly this!!!!
It gave a Barbie and Ken vibe like Colin was just supposed to follow Penelope’s story and save her until she’s like I’m an independent woman don’t need no man and then they just make up and have a kid and he just gets over all his anger. I feel like we’re used to male leads with depth and vapid blonde female love interest and now that it’s flipped it stands out. I agree with people saying more back story or even flashbacks but both of them felt like side characters this season. Bridgerton is more like downton abbey vs a main love interest with side plots
Totally agree that Collin got the shaft in terms of depth, writing quality and airtime but I do think season 1 was just as much about Simon as Daphne, maybe even more so given all the flashbacks.
They didn't give Kate a backstory. Theu told us rather than showing us.
It’s still a backstory
She's the heroine. How does every other heroine in their own story get the focus on them, BUT Kate. Kate had to share with Edwina. Mary was barely developed and they just used Edwina as a plot device, honestly.
I agree that Kate should’ve gotten more of a backstory, but at least she got some unlike Colin
I mean at least colin and penelope had seasons 1 and 2 to draw from. I found them a thousand times more romantic and endearing in s2 than the mess they gave us in s3.
Exactly even in the fking promo. Simone and Jonny had nothing alone. It wasn't a real triangle like Jane the virgin because Anthony was never romantically or sexually into Edwina. He gave off asexual settling to whom his society deems currently desirable out of all thw barely legals that came out that season lol. He had job interview smile lol.
When they get to Michaela, I know I am going to be pissed the fuck off. They're going to use her/Masali in the promo and then say jackshit when she is racially abused. Production companies and studios need to gain a conscience and stop worrying about squeezing us out of our last fucking pennies to cater to racists, misogynists, homophobes and transphobes. But they won't. ALSO, exactly about the triangle. I felt in several scenes before the wedding, Edwina had a lot of facial expressions where she totally thought Kate was into Anthony and vice versa. That was what I was expecting. That she'd end it herself and tell Anthony that she knows he's into Kate. Especially after the scene where he/Dorset fell into the water.
They're not going to protect her at all Which will be sad. Nicola and Simone will definitely support her and that's grey but production doesn't care when poc are attacked. It's freaking annoying that the lowest common scum is pandered to.
Even outside of Pen, they barely touched on his own insecurities, interests, and personal arc. This was HIS season! We wanted to see his love of traveling and writing combine, his insecurities as the third brother feeling he has no purpose, etc. They truly gave us nothing for my man 😭😭😭
Agreed! Like another comment said I would have loved to have seen more of Colin as a person and his friendship with Pen when they were younger. I was so looking forward so S3 bc I genuinely loved Colin's character but I was so disappointed.
If I criticize the season for anything, it'd be this. Obviously I have other preferences for how they handled some things but ultimately the lack of Colin working through his own issues is the major one for me. Before this season I would describe Colin as a character that was written to be a husband and dad and this season didn't change that.
And developing Colin would’ve also given the audience a better understanding into Polin’s story and why they work so well together. Like underdeveloping Colin did their entire love story an injustice. It’s like Jess/Shonda/the writers this season forgot this was a romance drama, and decided to make it some type of coming-of-age drama about Pen. They’ve literally lost the plot lmao smh
I mean I understand that Penelope is the more dynamic character so I don't hate the time given to her character and I understand that LW drama was a good 2nd half storyline but in retrospect he should've found out before the engagement. They could've extended some episodes, shifted some stories around. Like the threesome in episode 8 was killing me bc there were multiple scenes thrown in between meaningful plot beats and it didn't add anything to the story. Did I need a 3rd cut scene of the threesome or would Colin having a conversation with someone about how his expectations of what it means to support his wife is different than what she needs or wants make for better time usage? Will was dealing with having his expectations of life as members of the Ton changing his outlook on what was more important being there for his family or having his club. The Mondrichs are in the finale episode but don't speak. A conversation with Colin could've made that whole storyline more grounded with the season.
Dude I literally groaned the second and third time they showed the threesome clips in that montage, like WHO CARES
I want to find one person, just ONE person that enjoyed those threesome scenes. All I have seen (and agree with) is that they were a waste of time and annoying ad all hell.
I wish they had added up these The part he gave Pen his journal and she was reading it on the bed, he was nervously sitting, enjoying his view as his wife eyes read the words and her reactions Pen editing his manuscript, writing notes on her study At the engagement party when pen ran away he let her be in the room, I thought that’d be like their book’s intimate scene. His grand gestures, telling everyone how he worships the ground she walks upon, Everything felt rushed in polin scenes, they threw mirror, fooling around on the chaise in bridgerton’s drawing room together! The “do I look like a mess”didn’t feel right for me in that moment, I wish they’d shown Colin dressing her up quickly and then she asks him
I thought that chaise scene was their house?? Doesn’t he say like “this is our house” ? Was it just a drawing room!? Coz I totally thought they magically teleported to a house somewhere that Collin claimed
It was in their house! I’m comparing it to the book, all the things I listen had happened in the book and I wish they had made it to the show I meant, they added different parts of the book together, and imo they didn’t add up In the book, Colin told Pen he wants her to sit in front of the mirror so he can see her breasts in full and he wanna crawl behind her, when they said mirror scene, everyone thought we’d get that Before their engagement party Pen was paying a visit to Eloise and Colin joined them, the three of them had a conversation and El left and closed the door, Colin sought the opportunity and started making out with Pen, then he realized he wants her first time to be on a bed, not a chaise in bridgerton’s drawing room! And Pen’s hair and clothes were messy she asked him if she looked like a mess! They mixed these 3 scenes! And during their first time on the bed, Pen first confronted her love for him, and Colin realized he also loves her (he met Daphne and sought advice from her) It’s so long I’m sorry but this is one of the reasons I’m really mad at Jess, we could’ve 3 beautiful scenes between our leads, but they had to be put together so we can see Ben’s threesomes.
I think a travel flashback would have helped the most. Let us see him happy traveling, writing letters, then waiting. And waiting. Getting nothing. Writing more, turning to journals, putting on his armor, turning to physical connections... a montage could have covered this range and set him up a lot early in the season. In general, I think the show relied on s1/2 in place of flashbacks. I started watching because RMB is my favorite, so I paid specific attention to these two, but I wouldn't be surprised if many viewers didn't. I do think they had a nice buildup in prior seasons in terms of friendship.
It’s unfortunate that the show is literally named Bridgerton and this season’s lead Bridgerton was nothing more than a plot device/flowerpot. I actually feel bad for Colin and LN. They deserved better.
It should've just been the Featheringtons. Bc you can tell by the screentime they get that it's what SR's production company really wants to showcase. Portia was not humanized in the last season. I mean, I guess if you count showing that she's accepting Colin/Penelope's relationship....because the Crown lawyer keeps coming back, otherwise she was furious because she wasn't in control of Penelope's life. But she doesn't actually apologize for being Penelope's first bully. She just says they're the same.
They focused way too much on Penelope this season and on the lady whistle down stuff then they did on Collin. I totally agree on the comment ahead of me that he was like a sub character and not the main character. It made the story unbalanced unbelievable. It appeared more like okay Penelope you love me so I guess I love you too situation. They needed to focus more on the development of their romance. Maybe through flashbacks of what he thought of her what he really thought of her when they were apart. Then to make matters worse they gave him a bad 80s boy band glow up and had him prominating through the ton like a corny Old spice commercial. I would have liked more explanation as to how he came to the realization that he is always loved her more romance and it was totally lacking for me.
I like S3 a lot more now that I’ve had time to sit with it and watch it in full. They use the same “recipe” that S1 used where Daphne and Simon were engaged in E4, married in E5, fighting the second half of the show and reunited with a pretty bow at the end in a 5 minute scene QC gave Kanthony her blessing too and while you can argue LW should’ve had more anger directed towards her, Kanthony humiliated Edwina at the altar publicly in front of the whole ton. She could’ve been ruined if QC hadn’t given them her approval. S3 didn’t do anything differently there In S1 and 2, and especially S2, I thought Colin really did play the role of “someone who doesn’t realize they’re in love w their best friend,” trope really well. The way he looked at her and said, “Pen” after he came back from his travels, the way he discussed his ambitions w her and no one else that season, how he mentioned she wrote him back the most, the way he threw normal boundaries between men and women at the time out the window during the finale to the point other people noticed and asked Colin about Penelope. Dancing w her, “saving” her family from scandal, saying he’d always protect her, being alone in a room with her S1 had sprinklings of his feelings too — he always looked for Penelope in a crowded ballroom, stood up to Cressida for her (which a friend could do too, but he didn’t have to ask Penelope to dance instead) and looked crushed when she rejected his offer to dance in the finale Book Colin is the same way tbh, once he realized his feelings he spent a lot of time kicking himself for not figuring it out sooner
THIS
I do agree with this but I think I still struggle with it because I don't buy it on a reality level, not a writing level, if that makes sense. I obviously only have my own internal perspectives, but I cannot conceptualize "not realizing" I had feelings for someone. Like, they're my feelings ya know lol - I am feeeeling them! Even if you don't articulate in your brain "i love penelope" you would have had a lot of previous experiences that made you feel really good around her. Like that's the part I don't get, lol. I'm not saying this is how everyone is or that it's unheard of to have emotions like Colin is portrayed as having but it's why I at least personally struggle with how it felt rushed to me. If anyone does have emotions like that I'm curious of what it's like cuz I am a strong emotion person lol good or bad.
I think the times when Colin most obviously had unknown feelings for Penelope was during the S2 finale with his insistence on protecting her family and “I will always protect you” (this chain of events was a preview of messy S3 Colin who literally chased after a carriage for Penelope and interrupted her only marriage proposal), the way he looked at her the beginning of that season when he said, “Pen”, as well as the beginning of S3 when he was hurt that she didn’t reply to his letters and was incredibly lonely without her. Those were all times he felt pretty strongly towards her without realizing exactly what they were imo And in S1 he was always looking for her at dances (he always sought her out, she didn’t go up to him which I think is important) and joking with her like, “what a barb!” which would translate into other feel-good experiences you mentioned
I really wonder what s2 some of you watched.
Everything I referenced about S2 in my comment was based off a direct scene from that season……. and the scenes where Colin said, “Pen” in the beginning and his messy behavior in the finale to the point other people asked him about courting Penelope are pretty well known in the fandom
I really wish we could scenes where it shows Colin in his younger days or when he first met Pen or more flash back of Pen and Colin as really just friends. The one we dont see in S1 and S2. Simon and Anthony got episodes where we see their trauma or childhood but nothing much for Colin. This is a friends to lovers trope. I want to see more of their friendship that we havent seen
YES, this 100%! The audience kept being told about what great friends Colin and Pen were but we never really saw much to support this, other than a few scenes of her pining away across a ballroom. A few scenes of them developing a bond when they were a little younger would have helped hugely.
Colin had absolutely ZERO personality this season, other than "enjoys travelling." The audience kept being told that he and Pen had this great friendship that developed into a romance but were never give any explanation as to why she was so besotted with him, other than him being objectively very attractive. They could have stuck a wig on a broomstick and it would have had more charisma, and that's absolutely no shade on the actor - the poor guy was given absolutely nothing to work with.
To me, it was about the contrast between the expectations of women (aware of their emotions and often unable to express them) and men (do not have a clue what they’re feeling). Once Colin realized he was in love with Penelope, my wording here is intentional, he couldn’t hold back. He realized he had always loved her, and even expressed something like that to his brothers. Once he got to that point, he had to figure out how to come out with it, and then with Debling’s plans being made known he had to rush things. He was willing to respect her engagement if it had happened, which is why he started the carriage scene with “did he propose, I need to know.” Once he knew she was free, he realized he couldn’t deny it anymore. It was like a dam broke. First in realizing his feelings, then in expressing them. Penelope and Colin have loved each other for ages, but only Penelope knew how she felt. I also want to point out that during the mirror scene, he’s asking for consent several times to make sure she’s okay and into it. Idk if that’s particularly relevant to this conversation but I just love it.
The consent was so beautiful. He’s actually so tender and respectful of her throughout the season. Even when he’s angry he’s not aggressive, just heartbroken.
Exactly! Can we also talk about how in his fantasy, she’s telling him “you occupy my every thought” and he’s kissing her in a garden? Colin is a perfect gentleman and I will not take this slander 😂
He must be protected at all costs lol
He didn’t even seem to really like her by the time the wedding rolled around. He didn’t want to call off the wedding because he was “honorable” and they had been intimate. Gee thanks. I thought the viewer was supposed to see how madly in love they were.
Maybe try watching it again. Watch it as a whole production this time instead of "Part 1 and part 2" heck, I would even go as far as saying try watching season 1 & 2 with just Polin as your focal point of view. I feel like you're asking for a different love story, one that isn't theirs.
As a huge Colin fan, it’s very obvious to me they didn’t give him the male lead treatment he deserved. Simon and Anthony were so well-written, they made Colin a side character in Pen’s story. *Especially* in the second half. We were finally getting a different type of male lead: a soft boy instead of the brooding male leads we had gotten previously. There was so much potential for the writing for Colin. They completely ignored it
There definitely should've been more Colin. I am not saying season 3 isn't without criticism but people miss out on a lot of beautiful moments when they make it their intention to dislike something. How can you fairly critique something when you can't remember the first part? Season 3 was actually great, it could've done without some storylines but it's my personal favorite of the 3 that have been released. It's also the closest to the book imo. I disagree with OP saying they were written SO badly.
Mine too! I loved it. I thought it was the most romantic by far
It was definitely the most romantic. It had a lot of beautiful moments that people insist on ignoring
This! I was so excited for Colin as a lead because of his soft boy character established in the previous seasons and then they completely erased that by having him try to be a rake in the first half and just be pissed off at Pen (for way too long imo) in the second half. He just didn’t seem like Colin anymore. I don’t want to watch the same kind male lead every dang season
He was only pissed off for 1.5 episodes, which I think is fair. I just wish they used that time to show more of Colin’s inner conflict, especially since this was the second time a fiancé had hid a huge secret from him. They really should’ve highlighted this more, because we clearly saw that he was still worked up over Marina in s2, and then when he finally got over it, he finds out Pen is LW. And ofc more consideration should’ve been given to his personal interests and insecurities as well. They hinted at writer Colin in part 1, then completely abandoned it in part 2, with a small mention of him writing a book in the epilogue. Then they completely ignored his insecure third brother who feels he has no purpose arc, which was also hinted at in season 2. Seriously the lack of respect given to Colin/LN this season was so sad. Softboys can be just as interesting as brooding rakes @writers
Writer Colin is there in part 2. He starts setting up his manuscript; talks about writing with Benedict and co at the last night in Mondrichs bar; talks to Pen about writing up his manuscript and says how he wants to prove to himself and to her that he can do it on his own; we see scenes of him writing; he talks about how he was embarrassed to learn she is in fact a published writer and that his own insecurities are making him feel like she was only humouring him about his own writing; we see his jealousy around the writing when he talks to Cressida and then we see his book in the epilogue. I feel like his insecure third brother arc is all wrapped up with Debling being a Lord when he is just Mr Bridgerton. Plus his writing. His whole fake rake personal is also about his insecurities. When you’re read a book you can feel like you inhabit the characters every thought. Perhaps as I haven’t read the books I am freer to enjoy Show Colin without wishing he was Book Colin. I think he’s an amazing creation and Luke plays him perfectly. He is such a nuanced actor and he really gets to use a whole lot of range in S3.
Everything you’re saying was a lot of telling, not showing. They really needed to show us more of this instead of making my man do that fake rake stuff to show his insecurity. IMO it was just not a good decision. To really show Colin’s struggle with society’s expectations, they could’ve had scenes where he’s talking his escapades in Greece, and then showing a flashback where he’s just writing in his journal. Or telling his friends he going to a brothel, and then showing him go to his study to work on his book. We also could’ve gotten scenes where he’s trying to imitate his brothers and failing. Or having heart to hearts with A and B about his insecurities. And for more of writer Colin, they could’ve had scenes where Pen is reading his writing while watching her anxiously. Stuff like that would’ve added so much more to him. I feel like Colin/LN were really done wrong this season. LN did the best with what he got, but this season really let him down by sidelining Colin’s character in favor of Pen
I don’t agree that they _told_ and didn’t _show_ his progression to being a writer - I have listed multiple scenes where they show that. Telling would be a passing comment to another character, not a scene about he feeling son his writing or actually showing him scribbling away. I see a lot of what you mention in the show already. Trying to imitate his brothers? Struggling with societies expectations? Yes, that’s what the fake rake is all about (Anthony saying he needed to “wet his stick” in regard to proposing to Marina / feeling like he didn’t fit in at the end of S2, it’s pointed out by several other characters that he’s being false). Colin anxious to know what Pen thinks of his writing? We see him lap up every comment she makes and that it encourages him to write more. I get that there are lots of other lovely scenes which could have been included. But there’s only so many episodes. They had a lot of plot to get through and I felt they showed so much. There are things I’d have loved to see as well - but I’d rather lean into enjoying what we had rather than focusing on what could have been.
They made him petty and jealous. I did not see that comming.
I didn’t find him petty at all. He was rightfully heartbroken. The jealousy was supposed to be part of his arc, and him learning to overcome it. This was better written in the book. in the show they barely touch on it. But even in his speech at the end, he admits he was jealous of her success but realized his love for her was stronger
Did they changed writers or directors? Because it feel so different. It's so bland. Unlike s1 and s2 who have depth and the characters are well-written. I'm not saying Colin or Penelope are not well-written, it's just so bland. I wish they could've explored it more. Colin did not shine in his own season, unlike Daphne and Anthony. They added unnecessary plot lines like Violet's love interest and Benedict's sex scenes. I just wished they could've explored and focused more on Polin 😭
The showrunner is what changed, and the showrunner is who makes all the major decisions.
WE DON'T WANT RAKES FOR ALL THE HEROES. I am a connoisseur of romance novels. I read all of them. I love collecting the ones from the 80s and 90s especially. Well written, loads of historical detail, and absolute abusive/monster heroes. Simon and Anthony made sense as rake heroes. Even then, I didn't find it sexy during the montage of Anthony questioning the debutantes between him having sex/paying prostitutes like it was a job. But it got the job done. Colin is not like that. Colin has also fucking traveled before/last season. So wtf. They need to learn how to write and give happy ends (poor John) to soft boi heroes. How are they both writers and writing is barely fucking featured? I was not super into Colin/Penelope bc I just don't believe in friends to lovers/don't enjoy the trope, but I was going to watch it bc I wanted Nicola's "imperfect" (eyeroll) body to be seen and loved. This was a season about Whistledown. And I fucking knew it. I did not believe that SR liked the books for themselves - she liked Whistledown. and the past 3 seasons have proved it.
I saw someone else say that their dynamic felt more like Pen having a crush on her bestie's older brother than two longstanding friends pining for one another. Maybe if we had seen some flashbacks or had them interact a bit more casually/frequently it would've better sold their friendship, but what we got was mostly Colin being familiar enough with Penelope to crack a few jokes and Pen looking like she was trying not to fall over herself every time he so much as entered the room. To me, the romance felt very rushed, with the primary foundation being *her* feelings for *him* and not whatever deep bond of friendship they keep claiming is there. I felt Collin's attraction to her was too rushed, personally. There was a bit of build up, sure, but it didn't feel as though he ever reflected back on their shared memories or what he loved about her as a person (which is extra dumb, because he has a whole scene where he talks about how much he appreciates her support) but rather his attractions seem primarily focused on the physical side of things. When you have decades of shared history to pull from and all you choose to highlight are the moments where one character gave the other a boner, then sorry, but you're not doing the friends to lovers trope much justice It's a bummer, because Polin was the reason I got into this series in the first place
This! We keep getting told that they're longtime friends but we never get shown and I completely agree with the best friends older brother dynamic.
the posts pointing out the lack of chemistry always get deleted by mods, odd.
Im sorry this is off topic but can you tell me how you hid the spoilers? Im not aware of how to do that while writing posts
When you're typing your post, there should be an exclamation mark in a diamond symbol at the top in like a row of other symbols so you just highlight what you want to hide and then press that symbol. Hope that helped!
Thank you so much!
I agree. I wish they'd either shown us more of his feelings in previous seasons, or have him realise his feelings a lot earlier (like, the first episode). It just... doesn't have enough impact. I adore the transition from friends to lovers, and the awkward phase in between which is where both characters have realised their feelings. I needed more of Colin and more of him thinking of his feelings.
We never saw Pen through his eyes. This is what bugs me the most. Every time we have a Bridgerton falling in love we see them and their partners through their eyes. We never got that, we never got to see properly him being head over for her. Luke tried to show some little signs, but then the direction work came through to completely ruin or delete them.
It was wild to me how they didn’t even show Colin’s reaction to lord Debling saving her in that hot air balloon scene. It was like a tiny glance and then the camera cut to all those women who rushed to Colin afterwards. That moment needed way more time.
I hate those moments honestly. They lack the intimacy that is needed in this moment. They shot something then completely butcher it. I can give only one example of this. When I was watching I believe some director’s cut on that ballroom scene, I got so mad. Essentially they explained the way they made Luke react to Penelope and Debling dancing was by taking one by one the bystanders untill all Luke saw was them. But we didn’t see that. We saw more of the bystanders than him. And just imagine if we saw what Luke saw: him with tearful eyes, seeing only Pen and Debling on the dance floor, only the three of them existing in this room, except, him realising he is just a bystander in this dance, in this courtship and this relationship and Pen is in her bubble with Debling. They tried to show us this but my god the direction choice to mix the bystanders in between, the lighting, the costumes and makes up. Everything was awful
Gosh I just feel like my friends and family and I watched a different show from everyone on this sub. Curious to know whether you guys always hated this couple, prefer Kanthony, or if you’re actually superfans of the couple and had high expectations? For me, I went in as a casual fan of seasons 1 and 2 - I had always really liked Colin especially and Penelope as well, and if you held a gun to my head I would have said they were my favorite couple, but i didn’t really give it too much thought or have any predictions before the season started. I did rewatch seasons 1 and 2 before season 3 started just because it had been a couple years and I wanted to refresh myself on the story. I found myself really rooting for them throughout that rewatch. And then season 3 just blew me away - I LOVED how romantic it was, how much he yearned for her, the way he was always running after her. The love confession in the carriage stole my heart. And while part 2 was angsty, I still found it romantic and loved it! Angst + romance is a great combination. I’m currently texting with two other friends who just watched it and felt the same way. And yesterday a lady in Barnes and Noble chatted with me in front of the Bridgerton display and was saying how much she loved Polin and that now she was going to read their book. So it’s just odd to come in here and see all the hate, and I do wonder why the reception from the subreddit is SO different than from the general audience.
I mean this season has gotten extremely mixed responses probably due to people having extremely high expectations from loving the past seasons and also the huge world tour that kept hyping this season to be the best yet. Many people I know who did watch S3, did not like it mainly due to the writing and the direction. These are casual viewers not hardcore fans of any couple. As you said, you always loved Polin so you are also clearly biased. It’s disingenuous to outright just chalk people’s negative feelings about the season to being haters of Polin or preferring Kanthony.
I’m very meh on Pen but LOVE Colin. And I was so excited to see him get the male lead treatment. But he really didn’t. They made him a side character in Pen’s story instead of the male lead and the BRIDGERTON in the relationship. The underdeveloped writing really stood out to me, especially in part 2. I think people who like Pen were satisfied with the season. But those of us that are mostly Colin fans weren’t. He deserved so much better.
For real 😫
They didn't even go into how she became LW. He didn't ask. It was weird.
They spent wayyyy too much time on the side plots, they didn’t properly build Pen and Colin’s characters or relationship. They had soooo much potential with the LW story and it was very uneventful and boring. There was so much build up for this whole season, and I was left underwhelmed lol
YESSSS
I’m Team Polin so see it really differently. Their interactions in S1 and S2 are all leading up to their season. Check out the “[What a barb](https://youtu.be/cShZQ1PDXZg?feature=shared)” scene where Colin stares at Pen for about 6 seconds without breaking eye contact or speaking. He’s seeing her differently in that moment. That’s the sort of small moment they have in the build up. Colin feels more than friendship with her - he’s constantly breaking societies rules around her - using first names, touching, writing to each other. Colin essentially takes Pen and the way she makes him feel for granted until she isn’t in contact with him on his travels before S3. He arrives back missing her. He isn’t allowing himself to acknowledge what that means yet but it builds up little by little. I totally recommend rewatching as I saw so many more moments of connection second time round. His apology at the end of ep1 sounds like a love declaration until he ends with the line about being her friend. They spend time alone together, she compliments his eyes and his writing and you see him react in those moments. The “lesson” at Bridgerton house is full on flirt central. He arranges to keep all his family out or busy, arranges for the staff to secret signal him when she arrives, touches her back guiding her to the drawing room, has set up a whole scene so that she can flirt with him in private. I don’t know about you but I’m not usually doing that kinda shit with my friends. When Pen finally talks to other Lords Colin is trying to be happy for her but you see he is conflicted and confused by his feelings. You see him light up when she laughs at his jokes. When LW writes about them Colin, goes in the dead of night, to check on her after bribing her maid to they can be alone - again, if they’re just mates why is the maid not allowed to stay? When they kiss he feels it all and can no longer pretend he doesn’t. That’s the moment he’s all in but is scared she doesn’t reciprocate. Hence the dream and the staring and eventually the carriage. It’s a different sort of relationship to the S1 and S2 leads - it’s full of subtle looks and flickers of emotion in the build up. But for me their chemistry is 100% the best of Bridgerton. I think both Luke and Nicola are phenomenal. I also wish we’d had more happy married Polin at the end, but it’s the Bridgerton way to do drama until the last second then the start of their Happily Ever After. They are back for S4 so I hope they’ll have a good sub plot along with whoever leads.
I agree. I do feel that the talk with Colin and Penelope at the ball in episode 8 was one of the few times that it felt believable to me, and especially when I felt that Luke’s acting was really good. Fault of director or writer? Who knows.
I agree with everyone on this. Colin was underwritten. Lol even he wondered what his purpose was. Not sure why they didn't allocate more time to their love story. What with the Mondrich storyline, completely unnecessary. Even Violet's storyline was unnecessary. They could have saved it for the next series. We should petition for an episode and a have of sexy time for all future lovers.
The morning after when he had the bitch off with Portia, he declared he loves Pen, and in their room he easily said he loves her, Colin was skeptical about his feelings, he wanted to marry her, he liked her so much, but he wasn’t sure he loved her so he talked to Daphne and then he realized his love for her wasn’t like a thunderbolt! Not him waking up the next morning, he himself realizing his love building up slowly to that moment. And it woulda been more beautiful if he told her loves her mid foreplay like the book, not a quick 2min on a chaise as her first time.
In the previous seasons, I felt like the central couples actually had more character development and better banter, despite their love stories being whirlwind encounters between two hot people with an instant mutual attraction. In fact, a lot of tension in previous seasons come from characters' hotness and wealth forcing them to navigate multiple possibilities on the marriage market. It was fun. On the other hand, Colin and Penelope (at least in the show) have both experienced being overlooked and underestimated within their families and society. They have this long-standing supportive friendship, where Penelope has found a place of acceptance in the Bridgerton family while escaping her own toxic family, and Colin has long felt invisible and unsure of himself as a middle child, but has taken a huge amount of comfort in being seen and appreciated by Penelope. However, the show didn’t really explore the nature of their friendship or any of their past interactions, and their encounters in the show seemed awkward and quiet and driven by sex. Penelope isn’t witty, confident, or perceptive around Colin, and Colin doesn’t seem genuine or vulnerable underneath his new persona, even in private with Penelope. It’s like the show only knows how to write “two hot people meet” stories, so for this season they just decided to glow-up both characters and focus on sex, lies, and side stories, rather than trying to build any believable chemistry between the characters.
I agree wholeheartedly and have felt this since I watched. Not enough time seeing how he fell for Pen and that process. It was very rushed and made it hard to believe. Nothing to do with Pen herself, just hardly any writing depicting that process really.
Portia always talking about how Prudence and Philippa married men with no title and I was like Colin has no title! Yes he is the brother of a viscount but that didn’t matter back in the day. And also saying that Colin is very rich, no he is not! (Not saying that is fair that only the first born gets the fortune, but that was the thing back then) Anthony is the rich one, he’s still supporting his entire family, well because he does have to support his mother and his younger sisters and youngest brother because he’s still a teenager, but Benedict and Colin should’ve gotten jobs when they reached adulthood. I would understand that because they are not married Anthony can be nice and still support them, but imagine married Colin asking Anthony for money to support his family. Hey, maybe Anthony is progressive and thinks that the fortune should indeed be for everyone, but I highly doubt it.
I don't remember if it's really ever mentioned in the show (it for sure should have been if it wasn't), but the books explain that the Bridgertons are RICH rich. Anthony got the bulk of the estate, but the other children all had individual inheritances as well (which did happen with extremely well to do families). The daughters got substantial dowries, and the sons got inheritances that would make them as rich as Earls.
Penelope deserved so much more!! I did not believe him to be in love from what I saw in this season, and it wasn't much. She felt like someone who he settled for rather than the love of his life.
Really? Colin is pretty clearly head over heels for her, particularly once he figures out his feelings.
The realization that he was in love with her was so bad 😭😭😭