This season had no flashbacks which made no sense. We’ve seen these two characters since season one, and we aren’t gonna visit their history? I wish they hired younger actors to show when they first meet. There wasn’t a single scene about Colin’s travels, I wanted to see if he was a different person during his travels. They had 2 seasons where they could’ve copied and pasted scenes or show deleted scenes.
100% The flashbacks added so much characterization is seasons 1 and 2, especially for simon and anthony. I feel like flashbacks could have helped with establishing the friendship between colin and pen more
@@isa12raethis like when his mom kept saying colin was always more of the sensitive one of the boys but I felt we haven't really even seen that side of him😭
I understand this is a friends to lovers trope so there was no need to build the intensity of the relationship between Colin and Penelope, but I wish we would’ve seen more background of how they became friends, when the crushing started, etc.
Why do we need background when we spend time with them since season one ? Also I understand we need more about Colin and pen but show call Bridgerton. There are 9 Bridgerton. And the ton to focus on. If it was only 2 of them on screen I’d be bored. Bridgerton always have so many people and plots. Last season they drag the show at end there is time for wedding. Every season is different every romance is different. This romance was my favorite
Agree!! This season was so underwhelming for me...The 15 other side plots were not necessary, and took up hella screen time for Colin and Penelope's storyline...
Same. I was so disappointed, especially after listening to the 'What A Barb' podcast and hearing their thoughts on how Polin's story would turn out. Shonda said she cried during most of her rewatches of season 3 but I'm like, what was she crying about? The season wasn't that great.
I actually agree. For me, season three consisted of too many storylines and not enough time developing the main two characters- esp. Colin. Colin was never three dimensional enough for me to see why Penelope sat by her windowsill every day, and I actually really dislike the fact that she gave away her identity as lady whistledown to the ton. I think it would’ve been interesting and fun for just the queen and the Bridgerton‘s to know who she was while the rest of the ton still remained oblivious. PS I also didnt like how the writers chose the easy route and made Cressida a villain again by the end of the season. It was like when she stopped serving the function of being Eloise’s best friend she was written off.
I agree with everything you said! They really need to cut out a couple of the side plots and truly focus on Polin so we can fall in love with that couple 😪 we need Shonda to lend her pen again bc this last season was not as good as it could’ve been
please feel free to express your thoughts unapologetically Chu❤. personally i felt there were teww many side plots that shifted the focus from Penelope and Collin . Additionally i did not understand why Collin actually likes Penelope(in fact he pissed me off tbh). I feel like if we had a flashback when they met as kids perhaps we could've understood some sort of context of their love. Lastly, I'm tayyyaaad of Benedict being a rake... hopefully s4 is his season.
What didn't help for me I think is that I rewatched S2 and watched Queen Charlotte just before season 3 and these were so good, I probably had my hopes up coming into season 3.
The main love story sucked and it wasn’t even their fault. The writers really sabotaged this season. So much time wasted on the mondrichs bar, cressidas sob story and cuts to Benedict having sex 💀 only thing worth watching was kanthony and pen and els friendship
First, I love your reactions and this breakdown was very interesting as well, so don't shy away from it, we know it's just an opinion and we love you! I do see your point that it was too fast because the friends to lovers trope is a very long one and not for the weak 😅. Had they focused more on the friend part and maybe given us a flashback it would have hit more for me. I will keep saying this they did a lot of telling not showing. But like you said, they needed more time to make it really interesting. I do disagree on Colin. I loved Colin's quiet yearning it was so soft and very on brand for his character. It's more of a quiet, steady love.
YES eloise is always talking about herself and never listened to penelope. i hope they give her a redeeming arc later on because I am not rooting for this girl.
I absolutely love your reactions and going back to review them. Don't let anyone give you grief for YOUR opinion. We can agree to disagree as long as we keep the conversation open for the two year wait 😢. I'm of the unpopular opinion that this was a good season, because I married my life long best friend and understand the pacing of this season when it comes to the main couple. The "will I ruin the dynamic" or "what if I'm the only one with these feelings"; it's hard to jump two feet in. In regards to all of the side stories, I think this is a way to tidy up some stories while setting up for others. Not done optimally, but can see that it was to retain a variety of viewers presenting some characters with weak stories, with less focus on the main characters. I started the Bridgerton Rollercoaster like everyone else; the regency thrill of drama and romance. Not every story is meant to be built on a lie, feral or toxic to be exciting. But those are the things people enjoyed about the other three seasons. It doesn't lessen the beauty of the stories, but if I have to stick to a romantic trope, I'm sticking to the one that has lasted me 28 years so far and 3 kids later.
Hey Chu!! so I think what a lot of the fans were mad at with the whole Francesca and John situation was in the books John and Francesca have this beautiful relationship and they go through infertility and all this stuff and I think people are kind of mad that it seems like they are sidestepping that kinda in line with what you said. And the whole Michaela thing in the book apparently he’s not supposed to come until way later and Michael was in love with Francesca so them doing it the other way around with Francesca being all smitten may be why they were pissed off. But I agree with you I didn’t like how they told John and Francesca stories I was bummed 🙁. And yes Polin was side characters in their own stories 😅😅. I love this Chu! Keep them coming ❤
Bi and pan are pretty much the same unless the person thinks a specific term fits them better. (This according to long threads I've read on Tumblr.) Neither tern existed in the Regency anyway.
I liked S2 but loved season 3. I get that the chase is where rhr butterflies are but I just loved Colin & Pen growing into themselves & setting up their lives together. Best season yet for me.
tbh i was never gonna watch season three because no force on this earth is going to make me give a single fuck about colin, and after seeing everyone’s reactions to the season, i’m glad i skipped it.
It is too bad everyone is complaining about what we didnt get instead of celebrating what we did. Everything we wanted from the book happened. The love scenes were so beautiful. Love declaration after love declaration from both characters. I LOVED season 3!! The more I watch it the more I love it
I’m so confused on learning that whistle down literally gets exposed publicly ?? What were they thinking. And how would she even get new material to write if everyone knows it’s her
They should make the Mondruichs friends with collin and penelope. With the diamond drama from season 2 it makes sense for the husband's to be close. Plus collin needs friends, his family love him but mock him the enter time, we need to see him outside his family.
Right?! If I remember correctly, Colin was the first person to go to Mondruich’s club and get others to support him, so like why wouldn’t they become friends off of that?!
You were so on point about Benedict's storyline. It was so repetitive and boring to me, they were basically just relying on Luke Thompson's charisma and talent, but it was not enough, especially since I get the sense that he was being set up as being the next lead. They did a really good job with setting up Anthony as the next lead in season 1
For me is the opposite 😂 I never rewatched previous season as much I did S3 but I do agree that this season was a mess and polin was unfortunately just a side story
I rewatched it and noticed new things I didn’t notice between Pen and Colin. I do love their love story. I just wish we could have gotten more of them. And I really like Portia’s and Pen’s development. But I agree with you both there was unnecessary sub plots and it felt a little unorganized.
There's a new showrunner for this season and I think the change has been the reason for alot of the issues. I preferred Chris Van Dusen. I wish he would have stayed on. The costumes this season were ugly except for Penelope's and we didn't get any great romantic lines like "you are the bane of my existence". I still liked it but you can definitely feel the change of the new showrunner.
Yep it felt like the person who took over is someone who's used to working on a show with too much going on at the same time. The point of these seasons is to focus on one couple at a time, that's what allows for the push and pull, the intensity. It ain't a show like lost or game of thrones where there are multiple things happening at once. Now this showrunner had also the younger sister's wedding in the same season, that's sad that they robbed her and the other actor of having their own season. We barely knew her. They overcrowded the main couple's season.
For me season 2 was the best, I think a lot of people got introduced to the show with that season and expected season 3 to be the same. I agree it felt like benedict was on standby, but if his season is next I get why, he'll probably get back into painting. He felt like a loser when the guy was asking him what he was doing with his life, he'll get out of his hoe phase like Anthony and Colin. Eloise treated Cressida like trash and only used her as a sounding board and to make Pen jealous. I don't think it was a good idea to reveal Pen, Danbury told the queen the game would be over and she'd be bored and the queen still exposed her.
Kanthony are my favourites too! Season 2 was the best and set the bar soooo high! Nothing has topped Anthony and Kate's compatibility and chemistry!😍😍😍 YES! It made no sense that NO ONE (not even the queen) cared about the Lady W reveal! S3 was the worst in my opinion too, like you said not re-watchable like S2 was.
Thank you!!! That killed me about the reveal. She just gets off scott free after everything that happened and she wrote. One of the first things she says is an insult to the king. Not cool. Also, Qween Charlotte was the best!!!
Lmaooo that was so cringe. In season 2 it looked like the Queen was going to throw Eloise in a dungeon and in general everyone was talking about what they'd do when they find out who Whistledown is. When Pen exposes it, everyone is super forgiving and understanding like "it's okay cus you were just fat and lonely😢"
i feel like Jess (new writer) lost all the beauty behind bridgerton and it proves with how she dealt with this season. There were way too many unnecessary subplots and some characters where not even fleshed out like Benedict , some of the changes she’s made completely deviate from the Bridgerton essence. I’m mainly upset with Benedict, like yes explore his sexuality but there is more to his character. They should’ve taken all the modrich plot or the entire cressida and eloise relationship to focus on Benedict as a characters. I really don’t like how Jess handled this season. I was so upset that Colin and Penelope didn’t get the screen time they deserved. We barely got them together like wth was Jess thinking this is supposed to be Polin’s season ugh
Agreed. I skipped most of Benedict's scenes because I thought they were boring and repetitive. I wish we saw Benedict talking to other artists about art or trying to find inspiration in other ways, maybe trying to hang with people of a different social class or something. We barely saw the main couple, zero flashbacks. Maybe the Mondrich needed less screen time or none if they won't be important in future seasons, but why did Cressida get so much when she's just a tool for the plot? She got a redeeming arc just to turn around and be herself again.
Also it pisses me off lmao because Luke is a great actor but the first part they gave him nothing to work with like wtf and the second part ep 7 was the most he had to work with acting wise and the beautiful speech at the end like Colin is such a complex character but they put him on the back burner for what!
I totally agree about wanting to throw hands as soon as the public knew who Whistledown was 😅😂 Very good points made please continue these criticisms please !! ❤
I think the side plot of the Featheringtons was very important to the Polin story. They provide the background of the world Penelope is coming from. That environment helped the emergence of Lady Whistledown
My take on it has been this: It’s true I didn’t like season 3 as much as season 2 but that was the same as when I felt very meh about season 1. I thought maybe the magic was just kinda gone bc (please don’t stone me but…) I just don’t like Simon/Daphne or Colin/Penelope even half as much as I like Kate and Anthony. So that’s why for me, the magic kinda disappears and I don’t watch the every couples season with rose colored glasses to ignore any potential flaws. Bc when I think about it, season 3’s weak spots are the same as the ones they had in season 2 with too many side plots that needed stronger writing (and more screen time than just 8 episodes) to tie them in neatly to the main love story. The difference is that in season 2 I was so obsessed with Kate and Anthony that I would legit skip scenes that didn’t have them and on rewatches I do the same thing, only caring about my favorite Kanthony moments so even though I know there was other side plots happening in their season I was laser focused on Kate and Anthony which makes me forget all the flaws of the production/writing of season 2. I can’t say the same for season 1 or 3 because I was actually as excited to see the side plots and characters the same amount as I was about the main couple since I didn’t actually care that much for Simon/Daphne or Colin/Penelope in season 1 and 3. It was actually quite a shock to me when other people online were also saying they didn’t care for season 3 since I thought it was just a me thing based on my preference. But I don’t dislike season 3 at all, it’s super funny and well acted but I agree that having so many side plots is a major hindrance especially when the work is not being done to make sure the side plots are RELEVANT to add to the main couples story.
I agree with all these pints honestly and throughout watching the season I didn’t feel the huge spark between Penelope and Colin. Yes they had some exciting scenes but for me it was hard to believe that Colin truly had feelings for Penelope and maybe it’s because of the lack of scenes they had
your bisexual vs pansexual bit was making me laugh. "don't cancel me!" lmao. for clarity, the venn diagram between pan and bi is almost a circle, it just comes down to how people personally identify. the definitions vary depending on who you're talking to - for a while people assumed bisexual didn't include trans or nonbinary people, but that was just biphobia and couldn't be further from the truth. there's a bit of a joke in the community that you just pick based on which flag you like better, hah. so, you're good, they share practically the same definition, an attraction to multiple genders. also, i truly think that simply making the season ten or even twelve episodes rather than eight would have solved most of the issues in it, especially since they wanted to cover so many storylines. we just needed some more polin! and possibly for them to be filmed with a bit more love like the other couples. we only got three moments where a longing look was really focused in on (the sweets tent, the innovators ball, and the wedding night, though even that one was over way too fast!) if they'd leaned into that a little more, and had the stories have a bit more room to breathe, this could have been a perfect season. and on the kiss note - he absolutely had feelings for her before that. but the fact that so many people, including you, didn't pick up on it, speaks to the way it was filmed. my guy was VERY jealous, flustered, etc. far before the kiss. i wish they'd made it clearer for more casual viewers. before the kiss, "jealous" plays in the background when he sees pen talk to other guys. but most people missed that detail! they really needed to linger on those moments a bit more. and as for rewatching, i do recommend watching season three again from the start, keeping in mind the info we learn in part two. he starts the season completely besotted by her, but it's like the editors wanted to hide that, rather than lean into it. it's frustrating because i loved the season, but i think they could have made it perfect if they'd gone just that bit further. luke and nicola's acting wasn't the issue, it was the editing and the rushed storylines that made this season fall a little short.
Eloise getting surprised and super mad Penelope like her brother 🤦🏾♀️🥴🙄 If you two are best friends, always hanging out, would you really be shocked that something happened your bestie and your brother 🙄💁🏽♀️ For me, I'd be surprised, I would give my advice etc but 💁🏽♀️🤷🏾♀️
it’s actually a bit of a myth that the leads had less time on screen together this season! julia cudney made a video (bridgerton math) where she calculated every character and couple’s screen time over all 3 seasons (yes, even footman john 😂) and polin and kanthony actually had the same amount of screen time in their respective seasons!
Its funny how everyone says Eloise is a bad friend an she should of known she was lady whitsdown but her "friend" been talking shit about her an her family like why would i think my best friend is lady whitsldown why would i think my friend is talking shit about me an my family the family she so desperately want to be in no Penelope is a bad friend
Relax bro, bi and pan are pretty much interchangeable. Be wary of people who draw hard boundaries between the two definitions, because they are usually furthering biphobic stereotypes (as in, bisexual is "not inclusive").
I feel bad bc I love Nicola but the writers just ruined this season. I felt more feelings for Pen and Elouise making up then I did about Polin. I used to srsly dislike Anthony and they made him the most likeable man on earth in S2. Whereas I didn’t mind Colin before and now I like him even less 💀
Francesca is the only book I haven't read in the saga because I heard it was sad. What I understand is that fans are pissed with the gender swap because Francesca has a trying time with Michael Sterling because she lost a baby and faced infertily difficulties. Her book focuses on this issue. For the fans of the books, it is one of the reason why they love Francesca story the best. Plus it was nice to have a real introvert character on the show. The gender swap cancel that trait of character from Francesca because now it feels like she felt out of place because of her sexuality and they won't explore her relationship with Michael
She doesn't have to be straight for her to be infertile, she could easily face fertility issues with Kilmartin before getting with his cousin. The gender swap doesn't have anything to do with that.
@@AnimeAngel115 what fans appreciate in my understanding is that Francesca and Michael shared that experience and went through it together. The fact that Michael is no more changes that. The show may explore her fertility problem in the future but it will not be with Michael and her story line with him therethore just vanished. But again, that's just my understanding from the reviews I watched as I didn't read Francesca's book
I feel like fans are not thinking very long before they complain about this because Francesca loses babies with BOTH John and Michael in the book. So Michaela not being a man does NOT mean she won’t still struggle with infertility in her story. Not to mention the fact that stories of infertility are NOT validated by the woman having a successful birth in the end, so even if after struggling to have a baby with John then Francesca gets with Michaela, they don’t have to have kids to get a happily ever after. Or their kids don’t need to be biological, people have theorized that instead of a Rake, Michaela will be a widow to still give her a similar personality and lifestyle despite being a woman so she could have children from a previous marriage. Or they could do a lavender marriage where Francesca or Michaela remarry a man in name only as an arrangement and have a kid with him that Michaela and Frannie raise together as a wlw couple. There’s lots of ways for this to still work and yet people are screaming and rampaging all over the internet just to be horrible.
@@joyfulsunshine3564I think this still isn’t a reason to complain bc in the book, when Francesca miscarries the first time, John is already dead and Michael is the one there with her and trying to help her. So whether or not the baby was Michael’s or John’s when she miscarried, it’s still Michael who was there to be with her and go through it with her.
I still enjoyed it but I wish they didn’t introduce Fran and the Michael story. I would have liked more intimate moments with Colin and pen but I lived for Anthony and Kate!! I agree with you-remove the will, Alicia and their storyline. And we could have done without Danbury’s brother.
Overall, I enjoyed this season. Last season has issues as well. My main issues were with the camera shots not lingering on the main couple during their moments and robbing us of the final couple dance. They were supposed to dance after the reveal! Colin and Pen are the best couple to me. They needed more screen time.
Exactly I have to watch it at a slower speed. It's blink and you miss it. The camera didn't show certain characters reaction just the back of their head. It was an editing and directing mess.
We deserved more naked Nicola! And we should've gotten more Colin kicking himself for not seeing Pen sooner, grovelling for her forgiveness for that stupid comment he made about her, and to watch him realise how blind to what was always in front of him the whole time. That's the whole point of friends to lovers, especially if one didn't have romantic feelings until more recently. You kinda wanna see that moment where it really *clicks* but you also wanna see the lead up to that. Where they're falling but don't realise until they're already too far gone in it, y'know. And we definitely didn't get enough time with them just being together and hanging out. We never see their inside jokes, or the way they gossip with each other in a corner somewhere, them having banter & just seeing why these people would make sense together. We never got to see them being *friends* and we barely got to see them being lovers, imo. Disappointing, really. 😯😯😯 I *also* thought they were giving us Michaela for Eloise! I know that Michael is meant for Francesca when it's her main story, but I thought maybe they'd just give us queer Eloise in the meantime since we know Francesca's season is still quite a while away, and I'm pretty sure Eloise will come after Benedict. The books make it so that Francesca and John were happily married until he (book spoiler!) d!es and she catches feelings for Michael (but the 3 of them were all besties when John was alive and Fran was fully in love with John the whole time). Like, maybe not even a proper rship between Eloise & Michaela, but definitely just for us to see that she is queer.
I enjoyed Cressida in the first half with Eloise. I think people kind of buy into this idea that Eloise never listened to Penelope when what I have seen is Eloise asking Penelope questions about herself and Penelope changing the topic and getting Eloise to talk about something else. Then Eloise gets blamed by the audience for not listening to Penelope! None of the Bridgertons except Violet (and that seemed more her wish than knowledge) seemed to know how Penelope felt about Colin. Penelope actively hid that. I don't mind that a friend has feelings for her friend's brother. If they get together, they become sisters(-in-law) and part of the family, which they can be happy about. I think Eloise wondered whether Penelope had used her to get to Colin, and I think she had a valid concern there. It's funny that until Francesca showed back up, I used to see takes that Eloise was neurodivergent, but since then it's been crickets. She might or might not be queer. Maybe she'll move in with Theo and Cressida. She could be ace. But I don't like when people assume someone must be queer or must be het, because I think you can be all kinds of ways and be anything. Like people would assume Francesca was het, but apparently not. So it would be kind of interesting for them both to not be what people expect. I understand a lot of people would like Eloise to be queer, though, and she may be. I was down for her with Cressida and genuinely disappointed when the show threw it away. I think Michaela is all right, although I had seen rumors that the actress was going to be Benedict's love interest, so it was a bit of a surprise. I didn't like that Francesca seemed so taken by Michaela immediately and wasn't that pleased by the wedding kiss, but I hope they carry off the story in spite of that. I was thinking they should have made the Mondriches' son the Featherington baron instead of the Baron of Kent. Then that could set up a conflict with the Featheringtons and combine the stories. They could even let Portia stay on at the house as Jack did (possibly). Prudence and Philippa presumably have their own households.
Beauty of the diversity of opinions! I personally hated season 2 (in fact, I only finished season 1 because my friends promised me that s2 was amazing so I forced myself to continue). Season 3 was the first season I rewatched (now rewatching Queen Charlotte, which personally ranks no 1 atm for me). I do agree there was far too many subplots - some of them could definitely have stayed but did not require that much screen time. I do think there was an issue of "tell, don't show" this season, which could have easily been resolved with; (a) longer run time episodes, (b) making it a 10-episode season. The only thing I really did not like was Penelope's LW monologue, as it felt a little too "girl boss" and I really do hope we do see a bit of pushback from the Ton in s4, just because everyone moving on from it felt a little too Disney. Yes, they all eat up the gossip and never miss an issue, but everyone in the Ton is a massive hypercrite and I definitely think they would have some superiority complex over her - even if they're all the sheep following her in reality. But other than that, I really loved this season, especially Polin's development. They've had the luxury of 2 prior seasons build up and Luke especially brings a lot of nuance and subtleties to Colin's feelings that become more obvious with each re-watch.
