anamika

Finally watched this and what a mess. It's become stale and boring compared to season one being novel and exciting. The bad: As I expected, no consequences at all for Penelope. What a waste of a character arc. Eloise faced more consequences simply on the suspicion of being LW than Penelope did. Hell, there were more consequences for Cressida when she fake announced she was LW - with everyone shunning her and her mother - than for Penelope. Even worse, the show decided to make writing a regency tabloid gossip rag tearing other women down as some kind of empowering feminist moment with Penelope giving a girl boss speech to Colin about how it was important for her. What? I was scratching my head at that point. For that matter I ended up having more sympathy and more interested in Cressida's fate than Penelope's and maybe that has more to do with the writing and acting and actually attempting something of a redemption arc for the character. The show keeps pitting these female characters, trapped by the patriarchy into getting married/raped by old men, against Penelope and every time I keep siding with them and have more sympathy for their circumstances than for Penelope's. When characters like Marina and Cressida do something bad - like not tell Colin the truth or fake announce they are LW - we can sense their desperation to escape rape, destitution (in Marina's case) and misery. However, I had no sympathy AT ALL for Penelope keeping secrets from Colin and not stop writing her tabloid rag. Also the hypocrisy of Penelope (and the fandom) attacking Marina for wanting to marry Colin while keeping secrets when Penelope does pretty much the same - she was just lucky she had a good friend in Eloise who kept her secret unlike her being a backstabbing 'friend' leaking Marina's pregnancy to the ton. Eloise' entire characterization for two seasons thrown under the bus to prop up Penelope. All her women's rights activism is shown to be false the way she abandoned someone she called a friend to the misery of being married against her will to an old man. She was not even interested in simply listening to Cressida's problem and being there for her or offering solutions and then when Cressida fake announces LW, she is not interested in why Cressida did what she did. What a terrible friend. Had a lot of sympathy for Eloise when she lost Theo/her secret activism meetings because of LW but no longer. She deserves it. Benedict? What a waste. He was such a perfect supporting character with his own subplot last season, funny and charming. I don't even remember what he did this season other than the never ending threesomes Kanthony? This season was so bad, that even they were boring. Was expecting something more for Kate as viscountess considering how much the character got shafted in her own season, but nothing. The Mondrichs? Really added nothing to the plot. They were the cousin Jack plotline of last season, this entire subplot separated from the main story that was not all that interesting. Queen Charlotte and Violet were boring as well. Danbury was Danbury. The central romance? The worst of the series. Where was the friendship part of 'friends to lovers'? I need to see them being actual friends first - like Eloise and Penelope - before they can move onto the lovers part. Penelope's one sided pining over Colin is not 'friends to lovers'. These characters had 3 SEASONS - unlike the other pairings - and they still couldn't write them a proper friendship arc. The whole thing was rushed and the chemistry was lacking. Nicola Coughlan is a fantastic comedy actress (Derry Girls!) and they could have leaned into season 3 being a romcom or insert more funny moments into this. It's telling that the 'enemies to lovers' couple of last season was more funny and had more humor interspersed with all the intensity of their interactions at least in the first half. The 'lessons' part ended in 5 minutes and then Penelope spend the rest of the series acting like she has an anxiety disorder, with all the heavy breathing and heaving bossom that was going on in EVERY SCENE. I do however agree with NC that she does have a cracking pair of boobs! The less said about Colin, the better. The writers failed him in contrast to the other leading men. The good: Loved the quiet romance of John and Francesca. New characters and a new type of romance was a breathe of fresh air in a season that was coming across as rather stale. Victor Ali as John is charismatic and did a great job with what little was written for him. Polly Walker and the other Featherington sisters. Brought the much needed levity and Portia is always an interesting morally grey character to explore. The unintentional hilariousness of the hot air balloon scene - thoroughly enjoyed that one. Best scene of the series! All in all I don't think I will be back for season 4. These characters are starting to bore me and that's not a good thing. Will watch if next season gets rave reviews but for now this is my last season for this show.

Just heard the news. There's a plot synopsis/summary here and details on new cast members. https://www.shondaland.com/inspire/shondaland-bridgerton-behind-the-scenes/a46095958/bridgerton-season-3-premiere-date/ The plot being so similar to season one means Luke Newton's character will be following in Rege-Jean Page's Simon's footsteps on the show. I am hoping this goes more in the direction of a romcom than season one, less drama more comedy in terms of finding Penelope a partner - Nicola does comedy so well.

I feel like the show wants us to root for Nan and Guy because they get together in the unfinished novel and the '95 miniseries. But Theo comes across as a nice fellow and didn't Guy want to marry her for her money in the first place? Is it a love triangle? Seadon is such a repulsive worm and the actor plays him perfectly. I find the stories of Lizzy/Jinny, Conchita and Mabel/Honoria more interesting than Nan's tbh.

So I enjoyed this and maybe it's because Shonda Rhimes wrote this herself, the characters were better fleshed out, three dimensional and complex compared to the Bridgerton verse. The show was better served from the tight focus on it's central characters instead of the bazillion side plots of Bridgerton. Charlotte and George had enjoyable, fun chemistry and Lady Danbury is a stand out for me. She deserved better. The costumes, the dances, the love story- yeah, there's a reason this show is popular. I just wish they went with colour blind casting instead of this 'Great Experiment' and some middling racism that whitewashes a period of slavery and genocide against black and brown folks. Why is the racism necessary when it does not contribute much to this story? I think tackling George's mental health issues gives us enough story as is without Augusta being take aback by Charlotte' skin colour. Unlike the fictional duke and viscount of Bridgerton, this king ruled over colonies where horrors where inflicted on the indigenous people. When these characters talk about their line living on, I am reminded of how the monarchy is a racist institution that build it's wealth on the blood and destruction of the former colonies. Watching this was frustrating in that respect, that Charlotte and George were actual people, no matter the fictional white washing of the evils of the monarchy.

Looks like promotion has started.

Journalists when Phoebe Dynevor is like 50 and holding an Oscar: " Do you think the Duke will be back on Bridgerton?" 🤦‍♀️ Also this show is poorly planned. It's called Bridgerton and yet 50% is about the Featheringtons and Lady Whistledown. It's written more like an Anthology for each couple which then makes it weird for the missing siblings in future siblings' love stories. Considering it's been renewed for 4 seasons, I wonder if they will simply start combining characters and couples for season 4 and 5 and be done with it. I honestly can't see many of these actors being back in the seasons for the two youngest siblings.

I don't there is going to be much of Kate or Anthony either. It's already going to be crowded with Colin/Pen, Francesca's story of possibly meeting and marrying her husband and set up for either Benedict (meeting Sophie) or Eloise. So yeah, no Daphne to be expected. And without Simon and no recasting, her popping up without her hubby and Anthony's good friend is not going to look good either.

Very likely Daphne is not around in season 3

some Deets. https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a41402503/queen-charlotte-bridgerton-release-date-cast-plot/ First episode listed on imdb: Queen to be

New Still! ngl, I am more excited for this than Bridgerton season 3. The cast is starting to do some promo so hopefully we get a trailer or premier date soon.

A little Bridgerton season 3 snippet on one of the UK morning shows

First look at the young Lady Danbury

First Look released for Tudum!

Just learned that Bailey has been cast in Wicked which has apparently started filming? He's also in Fellow Travelers which is filming till December. I am guessing he is just doing cameos in Bridgerton at this point. I wonder if this is still happening...