Bridgerton Season 3 Thoughts

Bridgerton Season 4 Thoughts

My initial impressions are that I really liked the first half of the season and the ending. I found myself really enjoying a lot of the side plots. I loved Francesca’s story with John and Violet’s storyline. I also loved how the love between Penelope and Eloise felt tangible even though they were at odds.

I originally felt like Francesca's story was going to distract from the storylines I did want to see this season, but it is a credit to Hannah Dodd that I absolutely adored Francesca this season. She is such a sweet character, and I found myself kicking my feet in the air for her and John rather than Penelope and Colin.

I love Polin (Penelope and Colin), and I felt they were really sweet in the first half of the season, but a lot of the Whistledown coming between them plot felt excessive. It also felt like it was going to be resolved eventually. If there was more time to emphasize a fundamental change in their relationship, their reconciliation might have felt sweeter.

One thing I was particularly worried about for this season was Penelope’s guilt over her actions as Lady Whistledown. I was worried that it would seem like Penelope was trying to play the victim instead of acknowledging the people she hurt. I felt Nicola Couglan played it perfectly. I could feel the regret she had for hurting Eloise.

I thought that Penelope and Colin were really sweet, and I loved watching him realize he was falling for her. My issue with them during the second half was that I felt like their rift solely due to miscommunication and that if they chose to have a frank conversation, they might resolve their differences.

It felt ridiculous that she might be worried he would reject her when he too expressed interest in becoming a writer. It was painfully obvious that he was going to find out rather than have her properly tell him first. I also want to mention that I found it odd that they would sleep together before marriage. It always seemed as though affection and a deep connection were driving their relationship rather than lust. I loved the carriage scene because it still felt very sweet, but the mirror scene felt a little odd to me, and I did not like the camerawork in the scene.

My main issue with Benedict’s story was I felt that Lady Tilly was unnecessary. If the writers wanted to explore Benedict’s complete questioning of everything about himself, including his sexuality, I would have wanted that conversation to have included his art. If that other man was someone he had confided with about his feelings of inadequacy and then that led to attraction between them, it would have felt much more organic than a dalliance with a widow and her other lover that seemed pretty temporary from the beginning.

Overall I think this season would have benefitted from more episodes and more time to flesh things out. Eloise fully turning on Cressida didn’t sit right with me. And the quick attempt at angst between Penelope and Colin felt like an attempt at creating the magnetism that Kathony (Kate and Anthony) had, when what makes Polin sweet is their companionship. More time might have made these storylines more believable or at least grounded.