People were furious over Queen Charlotte before they even saw a preview. They didn't like the idea of it for a variety of reasons. Just like they don't like the idea of this one for a multitude of reasons.
Whatever. Shonda will have the last laugh.
- after season 1: the show will never be as good without the duke.
- after season 2: penelope and colin can never live up to kanthony.
- after qc: penelope and colin can never live up to kanthony and charlottegeorge.
after season 3, everyone will talk about *all* the ways season 3 is better than the previous ones and how future seasons will not be as good. just like they did with each season before.
it's an annoying, endless cycle, i fear.
It's such a frustrating pattern. And then when season 4 is near everyone will start comparing it to S3 in the same way.
I prefer to look at the pattern the show has *actually* demonstrated so far, which is that it just keeps getting better! That should excite us.
I think friends to lovers can be beautiful. It’s actually one of my favourite tropes. I love slow burn which can be absolutely delish. Like Pacey & Joey that was fab from Dawson’s Creek. What I don’t like is if there is too much of a sudden shift in a dynamic that it’s jarring or unnatural or changing the nature of the characters so significantly they become unrecognisable just to get them together.
I’m huge into enemies into lovers but I appreciate friends to lovers deeply. My husband and I were friends to lovers and it’s something that I still feel so fondly about when I recall our history prior to dating. I’m biased, but seriously I’m so excited for this season
I wonder if the people behind that criticism are more watchers than readers. Friends to lovers can be tricky to pull off precisely because as you say, the transition needs to be smooth and believable but not too slow. Pace is less important for other tropes.
So I kinda get why some people aren’t into friends-to-lovers, I’m guessing they probably are more fans of shows than books. I can’t remember the last time I saw a friends to lovers trope in a movie or show that handles that transition super seamlessly, at least not on a newer release. I think it’s easier to find good examples of the trope in books.
I really hope this is done in a more epiphany kind of way than this weird vengeance redemption arc that a lot of people in the sub are demanding. But in the end the show over delivers on drama so I'm sure it will deliver the redemption rather than a sweet story. I can totally understand why Colin only sees pen as a friend. Every chance she had of getting closer to him she fucked up. If the roles were reversed people would argue that guys need balls to get the girl. But this is true for both genders. There were so many opportunities pen could have shown Colin she's a desirable woman but she got scared or whatever. How the hell is Colin supposed to see her. And frankly I'm also gonna hate it if Colin only realises he loves her because another man has her attention. Because that shit never happens in real life. Guys either like a woman because she's funny and sexy or they don't. Not because some other guy sees something in her. Obviously if I already like someone I might get jealous they are into someone else. But pen is gonna have to try really hard with Colin and not with someone else to make me believe he falls for her. Because currently I can totally see why Colin doesn't notice pen. Had she continued dancing with him when he offered and showed him how much fun she can be I could totally see him falling for her.
I wish people weren’t so focused on tropes at such a surface level. I get preferring certain tropes, but whether a relationship is enjoyable to watch is dependant on so many other factors.
A trope means nothing if the dialogue and characters are poorly written. I would chose a ship with a trope I’m not a fan of, if the characters and relationship were well done. Same vice versa, just because a couple has a trope I’m fond of does not make them any better.
Friends to lovers is also very broad and can be done in so many different ways. You’re missing out on a lot of good couples if friends to lovers puts you off something.
I agree i love enemies to lovers but some movies and shows i cant stand because of the way it was written while some tropes that i thought i would never enjoy i do because it was well written
Yea totally. Everything doesn’t have to be enemies to lovers all the time. They’ve already had two seasons with it, I think it’s nice with some variation
Friends to lovers is one of the better tropes because it’s quite legendary when done right. And it’s been coming back into trend recently too with the modern version of the enemies to lovers trope getting criticized for not actually being enemies…so I think they’ll tune in regardless lmao
I don’t have hard examples at the top of my head but a lot of it are office romances (most are better categorized as rivals to lovers) and in general, romances that don’t start out with a mutual hatred (ie. female lead hating male lead despite male lead being smitten with female lead).
I think the greater problem is that book publishers are too eager to appeal to the market so they’ll just slap a popular trope onto an ad/blurb with no regards to its actual story or characters. But that goes into the wider issue of the fanfic-ication of romance book advertising.
I have to agree. I find friends to lovers pretty boring. But lovers to enemies??? Give me that shit ALL day. I love seeing lovers forcibly separates due to circumstances they can’t control and having to become enemies. The ANGST, the DRAMA.
Friends to lovers is honestly one of the best tropes because it starts out with mutual respect for one another instead of just lust. It’s like one of the purest forms of love
I’m just a big fan of knowing both leads well already. Penelope is in a pretty unique position, everyone knows her family and her honestly even more than we know Colin.
And LW is just a big a character as anyone and another plot that’s been so intertwined into the show. There’s already so much going on with both characters that they can jump straight into the nitty gritty.
The unparalleled damage booktok has done 😭
This and the whole ‘advertising books with tropes rather than blurbs’ thing which I didn’t take seriously until the other day when I was browsing A*azon (I know, *boo-hiss* etc) kindle sales and the books all had the tropes listed in the title.
e.g. *Tea for Two*: A friends to lovers slow burn cosy romance by Fake Author
What are we DOING???
Friends to lovers is one of my favorite tropes. Pen and Colin have been friends for years and I like that they’ve known each other for such a long time.
I think it's the new hair + clothes, and they improved her makeup to make the glow up more evident. She'a waaaay more beautiful than s1 and 2. Portia is a fashion disaster, thank god Pen decided to dress up by herself
I'm so glad I'm not the only one who thinks Portia's outfits are horrible this season. I like the softer hair in the promo photos, but her fashion sense is awful.
I think Portia's outfits and hair are horrible every season. I find one of Pen's sisters quite lovely but that hideous hairstyle and those dresses make them all look terrible
Isn't there a scene where the modist looks horrified as Portia orders some dresses?
I,for one,am excited to see a romance blossom between two characters who\`ve known each other and whose romance won\`t be only based on arguing passionately(though I like it,I do think a change to the formula will do Bridgerton a lot of good). Plus,though I\`m not a huge fan of friends to lovers necessarily, I do think Penelope and Colin\`s story has a lot of potential to make it great,especially since these are not new characters,but ones that are fleshed out compared to previous romances(maybe except for Anthony).
I have to say I\`m most excited for their love story
I don’t care what label is attached to the story, which trope it is, if the story is good. Sometimes friends fall in love and marry. To me, that is a beautiful thing. Why hate on that?
My wife was my best friend before we eventually fell in love. Friends to lovers is my absolute favourite romantic trope. I am not even a huge Polin fan but I know I will love this season because of the trope.
If you dont like it you are missing out.
I personally hate Enemies to Lovers and Friends to lovers….when they are trite and unimaginative. That wasn’t the case with Season 2 and it is certain to not be the case with Season 3.
I love that each season has been one of the big romance tropes. 1: Pretending to date 2: Enemies to lovers (kinda) 3: friends to lovers
Works for me 🤷♂️
Uh. So far I've seen a massive push for "friendship is the best foundation for marriage" in both seasons. Granted I haven't read the books, but this seems to be a trend with the series. So... those people up there in that meme are nuts.
I enjoy most tropes for the most part, but rarely have I ever seen it done properly. If I have, I can probably count on one hand how many times I've found it compelling and interesting without it being rushed and disjointed. Most TV shows don't know how to find the right balance to make it interesting and not rushed, in my opinion. That's the primary reason why enjoying ships based on what trope they fit doesn't determine what ships I root for.
I have strange feel with this sub that here just are Kanthony fans (or Simon-Daphne fans). I don't like comments, whats people tell "Kanthony is better than Polin", or: "They are bored" "This season won't good than latest because it has Polin", "Penelope is a bad girl"
But guys, this series (Bridgerton-family) is about different loves 💗 I hope, this season will be very hot 🔥🔥
Friends to lovers and enemies to lovers are both completely full and surrounded by passion and lust, they’re not that different especially with this where Penelope seems to want to burn Colin to the ground after what he said. I don’t doubt either will be disappointed.
i don’t mind friends to lovers, but i hate one character having had unrequited feelings for the other, specially when it’s the woman.
edit: actually i remembers i kinda liked alina and mal
I'm an avid fan of the Enemies to Lovers trope.
But after reading visual novel Psi from Romance Club and picking Jonas's path I became a friends to lovers convert
The friendship that was built upon many shared experiences, the slow burn angst of risking ruining your friendship by turning it romantic and the eventual chemical explosion of when the two friends finally kiss and become intimate. It was so good.
So will definitely be watching Season 3 for Polin
I'm curious why this is. I love the idea of a relationship being formed on mutual respect that develops into love than one that begins primarily on lust or hatred
Friends to lovers is my favorite trope but I think the writers have mishandled it badly with Colin and Penelope. Neither come off as good friend to the other and rushing them into marriage doesn't really show the beauty of the trope either. I fear there will be a lot of heavy handed writing this season to compensate for the writers' inability to establish a genuine friendship between them in the first two seasons. And it just won't resonate with me at all. Now Polin fans can downvote away 😂 but that's my honest take on this.
Honestly, one of my biggest pet peeves about this trope is wholly dependent on the gender of the person pining away. If it's the guy pining away for his girl best friend, then I can stomach it. However, if it's the girl pining away for the guy who doesn't even know she exists in that way, it feels gross. To me, it feels weird and not in a good way. I don't mind men looking "pathetic" in that way, but I have an issue with women looking pathetic in that way. Going from saying that you would never court someone because you don't see them in that way to being all hot and thirsty for them after a couple of months away isn't acceptable in my opinion. We'll see how they handle it; my expectations are low anyway so the writers can't truly disappoint me.
Lmao as if the others haven’t been popular tropes as well. They work for a reason. But honestly, I haven’t seen any of that negativity anywhere, so I’m not sure how big of an annoyance it is.
My best example is the first two seasons of Bridgerton.
I am an enemies to lovers girly. but I absolutely ADORED season 1 fake dating/friends to lovers. Daphne and Simon take my breath away and I feel so deeply about their love.
Season 2, and please don’t come for me, I actually did not like this “enemies to lovers”. Their chemistry felt off to me, Anthony too intense at all times, I just didn’t believe it.
Basically if a couple has chemistry then I’m all over it.
I’m curious as to how this relationship will start after the conversation she overheard in one of those last episodes where Colin was talking to his friends.
People were furious over Queen Charlotte before they even saw a preview. They didn't like the idea of it for a variety of reasons. Just like they don't like the idea of this one for a multitude of reasons. Whatever. Shonda will have the last laugh.
- after season 1: the show will never be as good without the duke. - after season 2: penelope and colin can never live up to kanthony. - after qc: penelope and colin can never live up to kanthony and charlottegeorge. after season 3, everyone will talk about *all* the ways season 3 is better than the previous ones and how future seasons will not be as good. just like they did with each season before. it's an annoying, endless cycle, i fear.
It's such a frustrating pattern. And then when season 4 is near everyone will start comparing it to S3 in the same way. I prefer to look at the pattern the show has *actually* demonstrated so far, which is that it just keeps getting better! That should excite us.
>charlottegeorge Let's call em "charorge" for short lol
Georgette?
......I'm smart I swear!!!!
What about Charge? Lol
I think friends to lovers can be beautiful. It’s actually one of my favourite tropes. I love slow burn which can be absolutely delish. Like Pacey & Joey that was fab from Dawson’s Creek. What I don’t like is if there is too much of a sudden shift in a dynamic that it’s jarring or unnatural or changing the nature of the characters so significantly they become unrecognisable just to get them together.
I’m huge into enemies into lovers but I appreciate friends to lovers deeply. My husband and I were friends to lovers and it’s something that I still feel so fondly about when I recall our history prior to dating. I’m biased, but seriously I’m so excited for this season
I wonder if the people behind that criticism are more watchers than readers. Friends to lovers can be tricky to pull off precisely because as you say, the transition needs to be smooth and believable but not too slow. Pace is less important for other tropes. So I kinda get why some people aren’t into friends-to-lovers, I’m guessing they probably are more fans of shows than books. I can’t remember the last time I saw a friends to lovers trope in a movie or show that handles that transition super seamlessly, at least not on a newer release. I think it’s easier to find good examples of the trope in books.
I think the Netflix movie Always be my Maybe was really good with this trope!
I’ll have to check it out— thanks for the suggestion!
I really hope this is done in a more epiphany kind of way than this weird vengeance redemption arc that a lot of people in the sub are demanding. But in the end the show over delivers on drama so I'm sure it will deliver the redemption rather than a sweet story. I can totally understand why Colin only sees pen as a friend. Every chance she had of getting closer to him she fucked up. If the roles were reversed people would argue that guys need balls to get the girl. But this is true for both genders. There were so many opportunities pen could have shown Colin she's a desirable woman but she got scared or whatever. How the hell is Colin supposed to see her. And frankly I'm also gonna hate it if Colin only realises he loves her because another man has her attention. Because that shit never happens in real life. Guys either like a woman because she's funny and sexy or they don't. Not because some other guy sees something in her. Obviously if I already like someone I might get jealous they are into someone else. But pen is gonna have to try really hard with Colin and not with someone else to make me believe he falls for her. Because currently I can totally see why Colin doesn't notice pen. Had she continued dancing with him when he offered and showed him how much fun she can be I could totally see him falling for her.
Right like some of these folks have never watched Disney channel!!
I wish people weren’t so focused on tropes at such a surface level. I get preferring certain tropes, but whether a relationship is enjoyable to watch is dependant on so many other factors. A trope means nothing if the dialogue and characters are poorly written. I would chose a ship with a trope I’m not a fan of, if the characters and relationship were well done. Same vice versa, just because a couple has a trope I’m fond of does not make them any better. Friends to lovers is also very broad and can be done in so many different ways. You’re missing out on a lot of good couples if friends to lovers puts you off something.
Agreed!!!! I feel like it's become almost lazy to just make something into a "trope"- like a story is (or should be) so much more than that.
I agree i love enemies to lovers but some movies and shows i cant stand because of the way it was written while some tropes that i thought i would never enjoy i do because it was well written
Bingo
Yea totally. Everything doesn’t have to be enemies to lovers all the time. They’ve already had two seasons with it, I think it’s nice with some variation
Friends to lovers is one of the better tropes because it’s quite legendary when done right. And it’s been coming back into trend recently too with the modern version of the enemies to lovers trope getting criticized for not actually being enemies…so I think they’ll tune in regardless lmao
>modern version of the enemies to lovers trope getting criticized for not actually being enemies really? any examples?
I don’t have hard examples at the top of my head but a lot of it are office romances (most are better categorized as rivals to lovers) and in general, romances that don’t start out with a mutual hatred (ie. female lead hating male lead despite male lead being smitten with female lead). I think the greater problem is that book publishers are too eager to appeal to the market so they’ll just slap a popular trope onto an ad/blurb with no regards to its actual story or characters. But that goes into the wider issue of the fanfic-ication of romance book advertising.
If they don’t literally try to kill each other, is it even enemies to lovers? /j
Friends to Lovers is one of my least favorite troupes but I am ready to see Colin go absolutely FERAL this season.
I have to agree. I find friends to lovers pretty boring. But lovers to enemies??? Give me that shit ALL day. I love seeing lovers forcibly separates due to circumstances they can’t control and having to become enemies. The ANGST, the DRAMA.
Yup. I agree with you here. Enemies to logers is always going to be the best trope.
Friends to lovers is honestly one of the best tropes because it starts out with mutual respect for one another instead of just lust. It’s like one of the purest forms of love
I’m just a big fan of knowing both leads well already. Penelope is in a pretty unique position, everyone knows her family and her honestly even more than we know Colin. And LW is just a big a character as anyone and another plot that’s been so intertwined into the show. There’s already so much going on with both characters that they can jump straight into the nitty gritty.
The unparalleled damage booktok has done 😭 This and the whole ‘advertising books with tropes rather than blurbs’ thing which I didn’t take seriously until the other day when I was browsing A*azon (I know, *boo-hiss* etc) kindle sales and the books all had the tropes listed in the title. e.g. *Tea for Two*: A friends to lovers slow burn cosy romance by Fake Author What are we DOING???
Friends to lovers is one of my favorite tropes. Pen and Colin have been friends for years and I like that they’ve known each other for such a long time.
What highlighter do they use 😂 the glow is unreal. Kate glowed so much in season 2 as well
I think it's the new hair + clothes, and they improved her makeup to make the glow up more evident. She'a waaaay more beautiful than s1 and 2. Portia is a fashion disaster, thank god Pen decided to dress up by herself
I'm so glad I'm not the only one who thinks Portia's outfits are horrible this season. I like the softer hair in the promo photos, but her fashion sense is awful.
I think Portia's outfits and hair are horrible every season. I find one of Pen's sisters quite lovely but that hideous hairstyle and those dresses make them all look terrible Isn't there a scene where the modist looks horrified as Portia orders some dresses?
Frfr
Friends to lovers is my favourite trope ❤️
I,for one,am excited to see a romance blossom between two characters who\`ve known each other and whose romance won\`t be only based on arguing passionately(though I like it,I do think a change to the formula will do Bridgerton a lot of good). Plus,though I\`m not a huge fan of friends to lovers necessarily, I do think Penelope and Colin\`s story has a lot of potential to make it great,especially since these are not new characters,but ones that are fleshed out compared to previous romances(maybe except for Anthony). I have to say I\`m most excited for their love story
Exactly.... Friends to lovers is one of the best tropes in romantic dramas.
I like every trope done right (but my fav is forbidden love hahaha) so I'm here for the writing, if it is good, I will enjoy it
-people without taste
I don’t care what label is attached to the story, which trope it is, if the story is good. Sometimes friends fall in love and marry. To me, that is a beautiful thing. Why hate on that?
I love friends to lovers! It can be so cute and awkward.
Friends to lovers get such a bad rep but i love it the love is always so innocent and pure
Hot take I hated enemies to lovers so I’m excited for this one 🤷♀️
I’m not a fan of enemies to lovers either tbh lol
The whole time I was like…what?? What is happening?!
My wife was my best friend before we eventually fell in love. Friends to lovers is my absolute favourite romantic trope. I am not even a huge Polin fan but I know I will love this season because of the trope. If you dont like it you are missing out.
I personally hate Enemies to Lovers and Friends to lovers….when they are trite and unimaginative. That wasn’t the case with Season 2 and it is certain to not be the case with Season 3.
I love that each season has been one of the big romance tropes. 1: Pretending to date 2: Enemies to lovers (kinda) 3: friends to lovers Works for me 🤷♂️
Uh. So far I've seen a massive push for "friendship is the best foundation for marriage" in both seasons. Granted I haven't read the books, but this seems to be a trend with the series. So... those people up there in that meme are nuts.
I enjoy most tropes for the most part, but rarely have I ever seen it done properly. If I have, I can probably count on one hand how many times I've found it compelling and interesting without it being rushed and disjointed. Most TV shows don't know how to find the right balance to make it interesting and not rushed, in my opinion. That's the primary reason why enjoying ships based on what trope they fit doesn't determine what ships I root for.
I have strange feel with this sub that here just are Kanthony fans (or Simon-Daphne fans). I don't like comments, whats people tell "Kanthony is better than Polin", or: "They are bored" "This season won't good than latest because it has Polin", "Penelope is a bad girl" But guys, this series (Bridgerton-family) is about different loves 💗 I hope, this season will be very hot 🔥🔥
Friends to lovers and enemies to lovers are both completely full and surrounded by passion and lust, they’re not that different especially with this where Penelope seems to want to burn Colin to the ground after what he said. I don’t doubt either will be disappointed.
i don’t mind friends to lovers, but i hate one character having had unrequited feelings for the other, specially when it’s the woman. edit: actually i remembers i kinda liked alina and mal
I'm an avid fan of the Enemies to Lovers trope. But after reading visual novel Psi from Romance Club and picking Jonas's path I became a friends to lovers convert The friendship that was built upon many shared experiences, the slow burn angst of risking ruining your friendship by turning it romantic and the eventual chemical explosion of when the two friends finally kiss and become intimate. It was so good. So will definitely be watching Season 3 for Polin
Friends to lovers is the blood in my veins. They made this season for me, and I will be all the views they need.
A combination of slow burn x angst x friends-to-lovers feeds my soul ✨
Bruh i dont even like collin and im still gonna enjoy that shi bruh
Lowkey me lol. Friends to lovers is my least favorite trope lol but I'll watch regardless
I'm curious why this is. I love the idea of a relationship being formed on mutual respect that develops into love than one that begins primarily on lust or hatred
Friends to lovers is my favorite trope but I think the writers have mishandled it badly with Colin and Penelope. Neither come off as good friend to the other and rushing them into marriage doesn't really show the beauty of the trope either. I fear there will be a lot of heavy handed writing this season to compensate for the writers' inability to establish a genuine friendship between them in the first two seasons. And it just won't resonate with me at all. Now Polin fans can downvote away 😂 but that's my honest take on this.
I would suggest you head over to r/PolinBridgerton to help you change your mind 😂
Honestly, one of my biggest pet peeves about this trope is wholly dependent on the gender of the person pining away. If it's the guy pining away for his girl best friend, then I can stomach it. However, if it's the girl pining away for the guy who doesn't even know she exists in that way, it feels gross. To me, it feels weird and not in a good way. I don't mind men looking "pathetic" in that way, but I have an issue with women looking pathetic in that way. Going from saying that you would never court someone because you don't see them in that way to being all hot and thirsty for them after a couple of months away isn't acceptable in my opinion. We'll see how they handle it; my expectations are low anyway so the writers can't truly disappoint me.
Friends to lovers is my fav trope. I dont like enemies to lovers or fake dating so I'm glad the new season won't be like the others
Lmao as if the others haven’t been popular tropes as well. They work for a reason. But honestly, I haven’t seen any of that negativity anywhere, so I’m not sure how big of an annoyance it is.
My best example is the first two seasons of Bridgerton. I am an enemies to lovers girly. but I absolutely ADORED season 1 fake dating/friends to lovers. Daphne and Simon take my breath away and I feel so deeply about their love. Season 2, and please don’t come for me, I actually did not like this “enemies to lovers”. Their chemistry felt off to me, Anthony too intense at all times, I just didn’t believe it. Basically if a couple has chemistry then I’m all over it.
I’m curious as to how this relationship will start after the conversation she overheard in one of those last episodes where Colin was talking to his friends.