Bridgerton In Media: Bodice Ripped From the Headlines

[shapeshifter]

30 minutes ago, Kirsty said:

Maureen Lee Lenker in Entertainment Weekly asks:

When will Hollywood stop ignoring the financial power of romance novels?

On these boards a lot of comparisons have been made between Bridgerton and Sanditon, not surprisingly since both of their second seasons premiered at the same time.
But the source books are very different genres. 
The article does not even mention Sanditon, which is as it should be, IMO, even though season 1 of Sanditon was more Romance Novel-esque than Jane Austen ever wrote.
A quintessential Romance novel pose: 

The video at the top of the article was fun.
I floved Eloise's dress:

 

[Door County Cherry]

FYI, I moved posts about which romance novels you'd like to see adapted into a TV series into the Small Talk thread mainly because that's where previous discussion on that topic took place.  For continuity's sake, it made sense to put it all together there. 

[GaT]

On 4/8/2022 at 1:33 PM, Kirsty said:

Maureen Lee Lenker in Entertainment Weekly asks:

When will Hollywood stop ignoring the financial power of romance novels?

The original success of e-readers has been attributed to women (and probably some men) reading romance novels. They were finally able to read them in public without being embarrassed by everyone knowing what kind of book they were reading. You would think Hollywood would have caught on to that.

EDITED: Since the original post is still in this thread, I assumed it was OK to answer it here, even though it's about romance novels. If not, I apologize.

Edited April 10, 2022 by GaT

[SonofaBiscuit]

Some more ratings news from Deadline:

Quote

After just 17 days on Netflix, Season 2 of Bridgerton cracked the streamer’s Top 10 of most watched English-language TV seasons in their first 28 days of release, jumping straight to No. 3 with 560.5 million hours viewed. Of them, 115.75M hours were consumed this past week (April 4-10) for a third consecutive No. 1 weekly finish on the streamer.

The Regency drama, which in its first full week of release set a record for the most viewed title in a week on the English TV list (251.74M hours), is on track to top the all-time list for English-language series by the end of the 28-day post-premiere window, edging Season 1 of Bridgerton, which is currently No. 1 with 625.5M hours. Shondaland is assured to have three of the Top 3 entries with the two seasons of Bridgerton and Inventing Anna at No. 5 — at least until Stranger Things returns.

 

[bijoux]

On a scale of 1 to Newton, how cute is this?

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CcTlr8uLbUt/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

 

 

[PatsyandEddie]

https://apple.news/AGaPmtuQMTo2AmbUS-vyYuQ

 

Dance routine by cast

Edited April 14, 2022 by PatsyandEddie

[SonofaBiscuit]

Some Netflix original audio clips on Instagram:

Scene in the library where Anthony tells Kate he will walk away if she tells him she feels nothing for him.

And the 'bane of my existence/do you know all the ways a lady can be seduced' scene. 

[bijoux]

 

 

 

[shapeshifter]

46 minutes ago, bijoux said:

https://twitter.com/netflix/status/1514664787858255900?s=20&t=0_OIJCHctKB_5pfbP1fJ-g

LOL:

• ". . .
  Lady Whistledown gets butterflies 
  When Colin is around her,
  But he put her in the friend zone, 
  Now she's Lady Whistledowner. . . ."

[bijoux]

'Bridgerton' star Jonathan Bailey wowed everyone on set with how smoothly he could take his shirt off, intimacy coordinator says

In the spirit of it being Easter and this being a clear example of people doing the Lord's work, this footage should obviously be released today.

Quote

Talbot recalled one scene from season two in which Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley) is dreaming about Anthony Bridgerton (Bailey's character) removing his clothes.

"Jonny had to take off his shirt and throw it, and he did it in one take in one very smooth movement," Talbot said. "The whole crew erupted!" 

Bailey's moves were so smooth that the director of photography started blasting a special song in his honor. 

"The DP played 'I'm Too Sexy For My Shirt' at that exact moment, which was very much appreciated by everyone," she added.

In the spirit of it being Easter and this being a clear example of people doing the Lord's work, this footage should obviously be released today.

Edited April 17, 2022 by bijoux

[eleanorofaquitaine]

This is a good article that highlights how Bridgerton deals with the subject of an "emerging adult" (as they call it) losing a parent. 

[anamika]

‘Bridgerton’ Season 2 Overtakes Season 1 in Netflix’s All-Time TV Rankings
 

Quote

 

All hail the viscount. The second season of “Bridgerton” has knocked the show’s first season out of the No. 1 slot on Netflix’s rankings of its most popular English-language TV series of all time.

On Tuesday, Netflix revealed via its weekly Top 10 that, as of April 17 “Bridgerton” Season 2 had reached 627.11 million hours viewed since its March 25 launch.

“After four weeks atop the English TV list, Lady Whistledown is most pleased to reveal that ‘Bridgerton’ Season 2 has ascended to the #1 spot on the Most Popular list with 627.11M hours viewed, ahead of ‘Bridgerton’ Season 1 in second place,” Netflix said. “This marks the first-ever series to hold both the first and second place on a Most Popular list. This week, Season 2 clocked 66.61M hours viewed and appeared in the Top 10 in 88 countries.”

 

 

[SonofaBiscuit]

Interesting Teen Vogue interview with creator and showrunner Chris Van Dusen (warning: some of the photos in the linked interview are spoilery):

Quote

TV: Now, where did “Kathani” come from?

CVD: It was obviously a nod to Kate, Katherine, in the books. But we fell in love with that name and what the literal translation means. Dr. Atwal was really helpful in coming up with how the Sharma family's lives looked back in India. In our story, Kate and Edwina’s father worked as a respected secretary for a royal court back in Bombay. And so Kate and Edwina grew up in this courtly environment amongst royals who, in our minds, were a bit more progressive. We actually used a figure named Baiza Bai as our model. She was a ruler at the time, she was this queen who was this adept horse rider, she sat astride like the men did, never side saddle, she was this masterful swordswoman and also someone who could handle a firearm. We thought about what a figure like that would mean to a young girl growing up alongside her and with the help of Dr. Atwal, we started to build Kate Sharma’s backstory from there, as a way to understand her affinity for horse riding or the fact that she can shoot just as well as Anthony when she comes to London. All of that was really instrumental in the early stages of building the character that we eventually come to meet as Kate Sharma, Kathani Sharma.

Quote

TV: Given the buildup and the incredible chemistry between Simone and Jonny — I know there have been some fans requesting or asking if there are any deleted scenes that would ever be released?

CVD: So, I see this campaign to “release the cut/deleted scenes.” I can be completely honest with you, as far as the intimate scenes, the sex scenes — no intimate or sex scenes were cut from this show. This season, every intimate scene that was scripted made it into the final edit of the show. And you can watch those scenes across the eight episodes of the season. It's always a balance. Like I said before, the editing room is the final rewrite of the show. And what works on the page sometimes needs adjusting and sometimes needs a little reworking. But yeah, there are no big “Bridgerton cuts.”

Quote

TV: You said there are no major scenes [cut] or anything. So these little things that are circulating from cast interviews, etc, are they just very small parts that got cut out in the editing room, and that’s all it is?

CVD: Yeah. Any scenes, there are definitely tweaks, whether certain lines, certain words had to be cut for time or just from a storytelling perspective…We wanted to tell the clearest story that we could. And so that's where some of those decisions come from.

 🤔 Hmm...I don't believe you, Chris! (For example, the scene talked about above, where Kate is dreaming about Anthony removing his clothes...)

Edited April 26, 2022 by SonofaBiscuit

[SonofaBiscuit]

Very cute behind the scenes video of the cast and crew just being generally silly. Even has some Austin the corgi (who plays Newton) interaction with Simone.

Edited April 26, 2022 by SonofaBiscuit

[Enero]

8 hours ago, SonofaBiscuit said:

Interesting Teen Vogue interview with creator and showrunner Chris Van Dusen (warning: some of the photos in the linked interview are spoilery):

 🤔 Hmm...I don't believe you, Chris! (For example, the scene talked about above, where Kate is dreaming about Anthony removing his clothes...)

Really interesting stuff about how they came up with Kate’s backstory. Though it was never outright stated during the season I always got the impression that life was more progressive in India. Hence Kate seeming to be more worldly and independent than most women, especially those who were single, during that time. 

Also, it was obvious Kate’s access to the royal family whom her father worked for played a part in prepping Edwina (and even herself) on how to navigate the upper echelons of British society. Mary likely help some too.

[SonofaBiscuit]

😱 Oh my gosh, from Jonathan Bailey in an interview with Hot Press (contains spoilery photos if you haven't watched the entire season yet):

Quote

Did any embarrassing wardrobe malfunctions have to be edited out?

“Yes! The fencing sequence between Anthony, Colin and Benedict,” Jonathan laughs. “The costumes are incredible, and as men, we’re not going to complain about restrictive clothing when women are in corsets. That being said, the fencing outfits were quite tight in embarrassing places. Going in for my final lunge with Benedict my crotch ripped, and it was all on camera. It’s in those moments where you suddenly realise we’re being filmed by four different cameras. I just wanted to scream. There are lots of complications along the way, it’s never quite as slick as you think. It is amazing what you can do in a basement in the edit. Thanks, Chris!”

 

[iwantcookies]

I assume he wasn’t wearing underwear 🤪🤣

13 minutes ago, SonofaBiscuit said:

😱 Oh my gosh, from Jonathan Bailey in an interview with Hot Press (contains spoilery photos if you haven't watched the entire season yet):

 

 

[SonofaBiscuit]

Harper's Bazaar interview with Jonathan Bailey earlier this month (contains spoilers):

Quote

Bridgerton is subversive in the way that the intimate scenes are often shot from the female gaze. What have you learned from the intimacy coordinators about the importance of consent and communication?

I think there’s something incredibly sexy about consent generally. It wasn’t scripted, [the line where] Anthony is saying to her, “I will stop, I will stop.” And that’s something that we put in the sex scene, because I think it’s really important that he is respectful and is understanding of the female, and there’s never going to be a moment where that isn’t the most important narrative point. He is obsessed with her all the way through the series, so it makes sense that it’s all about Kate’s pleasure, and it always has been, really. He sort of wants to devour her.

To be really, really honest, there was a lot more that we explored, and I think, initially, the first edit was a lot longer, and obviously there was more intimate stuff in Episode 8. But I think it’s perfect the way that it’s earned. [Bridgerton] is sex positive—it’s got incredible characters that are groundbreaking and empowering—and to be able to be a part of a sex scene that is highly erotic, but also completely consented to and balanced, is what it’s all about.

Quote

What do you remember from your chemistry read with Simone?

Simone is phenomenal and this working relationship is so unique. It was evident straight away. As soon as they said, “When you’re ready…” [in the chemistry read], we just locked in. We were doing it with [casting director] Kelly Hendry in the room, and all of Shondaland on Zoom. We sat facing each other on a wiped clean sofa, and it was all a bit sort of sterile in a really big room in the middle of a pandemic, and yet it immediately felt like we were at home. And I think that’s so true for Kate and Anthony—they feel at home together, and that’s why he’s so obsessed and curious about what he feels when he’s around her.

I remember in the car, on the way home, I spoke to Chris Van Dusen, and he was like, “What do you think?” And I just said, “Yeah, that’s it. That’s Kate.” But I think they all well and truly knew that anyway, because there were no other actresses that I read with. Their search was long and extensive, but I just think they always knew that Simone was gonna be the one and they just needed to wrestle her out of her contract, which I’m sure is the first of many times that’s gonna happen in her career.

Quote

I would be remiss if I didn’t ask you about your Pride and Prejudice moment in Episode 5, when you fell in the lake like Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy in the BBC miniseries. What was it like to shoot that sequence, and more importantly, how do you make it look sexy and not look like a wet dog?

[Snip] And then the jacket was incredibly heavy, which hadn’t been factored in, but what had been factored in was the transparency of the shirt. I remember in the fitting, there were a couple of shirts that I tried on, and they had one of those sort of house plant spritzers to spritz me down to see how much chest hair you can see through it.

 

[Door County Cherry]

4 hours ago, iwantcookies said:

I assume he wasn’t wearing underwear 🤪🤣

 

Probably not if the pants were tight.  Don't want any panty lines. 

[SonofaBiscuit]

The lovely Simone Ashley is ELLE'S May cover star, and here they feature her in a video discussing three of her favorite scenes from the second season (the video includes show and book spoilers).  

[SonofaBiscuit]

From Vanity Fair: How Love Loosened Up Bridgerton’s Kate Sharma (spoilery if you haven't watched the entire season yet).

Quote

As the season goes on, Kate transforms, both emotionally and physically, and her look changes in subtle ways. Canale [costume designer Sophie Canale] dressed Kate in jewel tones throughout the season, but started her out in heavier fabrics; as she opens up to her romance with Anthony, she adopts lighter fabrics. Bridgerton’s lead makeup designer Erika Ökvist says she also took inspiration from Kate’s Indian background by putting her hair in a braid, and often using what looked like more understated makeup than many of the other characters. “She might not be the person who will feel that she’s got the patience to sit down to do all the curls in the hair and add on some extra cream on the cheeks,” says Ökvist, who adds that although it may look understated, it wasn’t always easy to pull off. “Simple usually is the most difficult style to achieve, to make it look flawless.”

As she begins to fall in love, Kate’s hair begins to also loosen up. “This kind of earthquake of feelings that’s going on inside of her—maybe she forgets that this wisp of hair has become untucked,” says Ökvist of Kate’s mindset. And her dresses become ever-so-slightly more revealing. “There’s tiny elements in the cut of her costumes that you can see change, so we can see her become sexier in a way,” says Canale.

 

[bijoux]

Hello! Who's got two thumbs and is rather famously besotted with his wife?

 

 

 

[ouinason]

that's adorable

[andromeda331]

Very cute.

[Door County Cherry]

Francesca has been recast.  

Deadline Article

I wonder if it means we'll start her story next season or if they just want us to get used to her.  I believe filming starts on June 6th (according to Jonathan Bailey) and I would anticipate we'd get more casting announcements that will give us a better sense of where their focus will be. 

[SonofaBiscuit]

The actress looks lovely, but meh, I was hoping Francesca would essentially disappear. I would rather use the valuable screen time on characters I'm actually invested in.

There seems to be an entire series of clips featuring Kate and Anthony in their beautiful teal ensembles. I don't know where the one below originally came from, but it reminded of the scene that prompted Edwina's "was I truly that blind" remark:

[bijoux]

They're been putting these out periodically since the premiere.

Here's the compilation someone's put together.

 

 

 

[Enero]

That teal dress is one of my favorites from Kate’s wardrobe. I also liked the purple dress she wore when she and Edwina visited the Queen, which is similar to this one. 

[bijoux]

It took me a bit to realize that you were talking about their first vidit to the Queen because I was here thinking, but this is the dress she wore to meet with the Queen. During the engagement, to discuss the wedding.

[bijoux]

Francesca, the second youngest sibling,

Okay, who did they forget, Gregory or Hyacinth?

Given the lack of Ruby Stokes' availability, this was a logical step.

[Cetacean]

I couldn't pick Hyacinth out of a line up so I doubt I would have even noticed she was played by another actor.

[ouinason]

the reason we have seen so little of Francesca is that the actress was unavailable for filming in both seasons.  I figure they better recast if they ever want her to have any story, or to be recognizable as a character.

[kittykat]

On 5/12/2022 at 7:48 AM, Door County Cherry said:

Francesca has been recast.  

Deadline Article

I wonder if it means we'll start her story next season or if they just want us to get used to her.  I believe filming starts on June 6th (according to Jonathan Bailey) and I would anticipate we'd get more casting announcements that will give us a better sense of where their focus will be. 

Francesca's story does run the the course of a couple of years so it makes sense that they start laying the groundwork during one of the other characters seasons but to do that they need an actress with a more flexible schedule so the recasting makes sense.

[anamika]

Looks like Colin/Penelope is next.

‘Bridgerton’ Season 3 Will Focus on Penelope and Colin’s Love Story, Stray From Book Order

Stop the Press: ‘Bridgerton’ Season 3 Will Spotlight Penelope and Colin

Quote

Coughlan learned she would be Bridgerton’s next heroine during what she assumed was a routine phone call last year with Season 3 showrunner Jess Brownell. With a few months to adjust to the surprise, the Irish actress now thinks a bumped-up Polin season makes sense. “I feel like if you see Penelope fawning over this boy for another season, you’ll be like, ‘Get it together! Come on, move on and get over it,’” Coughlan told Tudum before the FYC event. “Jess has talked to Luke and I through the season, and I think people are going to be really obsessed. I think book fans are going to be happy.” 

It makes all kind of sense for it to be Colin and Penelope next.

They can work with the cast they already have instead of having a new cast member (Sophie) who has to then stick around and be contracted for the rest of the seasons.

With Colin/Penelope done, the rest of the Featheringtons can leave. They must be running out of plot and writing in order to give an actress of Polly Walker’s calibre something to do. The Featheringtons do provide the humor, however I am not sure how much plot they can get considering the cast and side characters are getting bigger.

They can then focus on Eloise/Philip and introduce Sophie next season ahead of  Benedict’s story in season 5.

Edited May 16, 2022 by anamika

[katha]

I'm not surprised. Not sure how it will work since they made Penelope a morally grey character and I'm not sure they will convincingly deal with the fallout of that. And so far, Colin has been a total nonentity. The danger of Pen totally overwhelming him with her presence is pretty great tbh.

OTOH they can't drag it out even more without annoying the audience to death with her pining and his cluelessness. Hopefully it will cut down on the tiresome Featherington subplots that always had to be shoved in to keep Pen prominent. And I guess they will really move to an ensemble structure proper with setting up Francesca's first marriage and perhaps introducing Sophie for Benedict. Kate and Anthony can settle into married life while Eloise deals with her break ups from Pen and Theo.

[Cetacean]

I haven't read the books and apparently marrying off each and every Bridgerton is the focus (not sure what they will do with the youngest two) but I'd rather explore how Pen and Eloise work our or don't work out their rift.  They have been lifelong friends - can this friendship be saved?  If so, how?  The words and actions cannot be undone. 

And what about the young printer's apprentice?  I would enjoy Eloise bucking the tradition and settling down with him.  I guess her story has to stand in line behind Colin and Benedict but won't she be considered a spinster by then?  

I've had my fill of the other two silly Featherington sisters;  I don't see what they can add to anything in the future.  When Lady F runs out of money again, I suppose they will need to come up with some plot for her to refill the coffers but the most obvious would be for her to remarry money.  Not a compelling B plot.

[bijoux]

This is hardly surprising, but I'm still not sold on Colin and Penelope being able to carry the season. On the one hand, I think their characters would profit from a time jump, but not really sure I'd like how that would affect the rest. I don't want to miss out on the early days od Kate and Anthony's marriage.

[Kirsty]

Well,  I like Coughlan, and Penelope's double life is interesting. But I'm not sure the show is aware of how far along the hero-to-villain spectrum she has moved. She's definitely morally grey. The thing is that when she's not Lady Whistledown, she's dull. She's a wallflower. She says "Yes, Mama" and "No, Mama". And when she is Lady Whistledown, she's liable to throw nice people to the wolves in her gossip pages. But I can see that you could craft a good story out of how Penelope comes into her own, gains more confidence, and brings some of her Lady Whistledown sparkle into her everyday life. Portia loves her right now, but it would be lovely to see Portia respecting her too.

Colin is not interesting and the actor has been perfectly adequate in his role so far. No one can tell if he's leading man material until he's given a shot. But, as far as the character goes, the most striking thing about Colin last season was that he was that guy who came back from his gap year and couldn't shut up about it. That is a less promising starting point because it's two seasons in and he has yet to develop a personality. Neither Simon nor Anthony were bland.

But I love this show so I'll hope for the best and try to keep an open mind. I'm very curious to see how they will be styled next season.

Edited May 16, 2022 by Kirsty

[janie jones]

12 hours ago, anamika said:

Looks like Colin/Penelope is next.

Good. Get it over with.

3 hours ago, bijoux said:

This is hardly surprising, but I'm still not sold on Colin and Penelope being able to carry the season. On the one hand, I think their characters would profit from a time jump, but not really sure I'd like how that would affect the rest. I don't want to miss out on the early days od Kate and Anthony's marriage.

I'm more interested in this show for the subplots than the main love story anyway, so I'm not concerned with them carrying the season. I just hope they don't show a lot of sex, because Derry Girls has me thinking of Nicola Coughlan as a teenager, and the guy who plays Colin has quite a baby face, so thanks but no thanks.

[Harvey]

3 hours ago, bijoux said:

On the one hand, I think their characters would profit from a time jump,

It was confirmed during the press interview that season 3 happens 1 year after the events of season 2. So there is a small time jump

[truthaboutluv]

On 5/16/2022 at 9:28 AM, bijoux said:

This is hardly surprising, but I'm still not sold on Colin and Penelope being able to carry the season.

That seems to be the consensus, based on many reactions I've read around online, in the wake of the announcement. There is some backlash to the grumbling, as some are accusing the ones hating on Penelope/Colin as having to do with not wanting to see the "fat girl" in a love story. I will say I did read some very offensive, fat/body shaming comments. 

That said, speaking for myself, my struggle with Penelope and Colin is that after two seasons of watching them, I find they come across as young and immature. Ironic since that's sort of the shade Marina threw at both in different conversations. But what I especially mean is that they don't give "grown sexy" vibes (can't remember where I first heard that expression but it's definitely the appropriate expression). 

Certainly not in the way Simon/Daphne and Anthony/Kate did. While Daphne did come across young and naïve, as she was supposed to, Simon brought the adult masculinity, which helped for their passionate sex scenes. And Anthony and Kate both gave off a very adult vibe. There was nothing youngish about them. 

That's not the case with Penelope and Colin and that more than anything is what's causing my hesitation. Because we know that Bridgerton is not shy about its sex scenes and I'm just not sure I want to see that from Penelope and Colin. I guess they could just minimize the passionate sex this season. After all, even though we did get some bit of it with Anthony and Kate, it wasn't nearly on the level of Season 1. So maybe Season 3 will be the first chaste love story. 

Edited May 17, 2022 by truthaboutluv

[Enero]

40 minutes ago, truthaboutluv said:

That seems to be the consensus, based on many reactions I've read around online, in the wake of the announcement. 

This is pretty much what I've seen as well. That many are not looking forward to next season with the focus being on Colin/Penelope. I'm not either. Penelope has some spark, but the Lady Whistledown stuff puts me off her character. And Colin is just so dull. Though they threw in a couple of scenes during this season that telegraphed their coming pairing i.e. the look they shared upon seeing each other for the first time after his travels, him telling her that she was the only one who has consistently stood by him and then their dance, I see no spark between them whatsoever. Perhaps they will surprise us and next season will showcase the best romance on the show yet, but right now I can't see it. 

Quote

I guess they could just minimize the passionate sex this season.

Well everyone is assuming that Colin/Penelope have sex scenes every couple of episodes, but the writers may keep their love scenes PG/tamed and ramp up the sex by focusing on Kate/Anthony, and with Rege supposedly returning for S3, Daphne/Simon. 

Quote

The Featheringtons do provide the humor, however I am not sure how much plot they can get considering the cast and side characters are getting bigger.

This. And really how many seasons can they be on the brink of bankruptcy and thus ruin? It's been two seasons of this and now it's gotten old.  Honestly, I think story for the the Featheringtons has nearly run it's course. Once they do Penelope's story, I imagine they will fade to obscurity. The show is barely able to pack everything in now with just 8 episodes (unless they decide to expand the seasons). So I suspect, some of the side characters will start to fall off, especially if the plan is to tell the "love" stories for all the Bridgerton children, and thus more spouses are added to the Bridgerton clan. 

Edited May 16, 2022 by Enero

[Scarlett45]

On 5/11/2022 at 2:53 PM, bijoux said:

Hello! Who's got two thumbs and is rather famously besotted with his wife?

 

 

 

that dress! Damn she looks GORGEOUS! Can I have one?? (not that I would look half so gorgeous but I can pretend)

[DkNNy79]

Include me in the group not sold on Colin and Penelope as a couple.  They just don't give off romance vibes/chemistry to me.  I saw that announcement and my heart kinda sank...I was hoping they would hold off for another season.  

So, I'm hoping that to supplement their non-chemistry, there is either lots of Kanthony interaction or they double up with another couple.  There are so many Bridgerton siblings they need to start doubling up.

[SonofaBiscuit]

I hope Regé is not returning - only because I would like Daphne to disappear, LOL.

I'm not looking forward to Colin and Penelope, meh. After the first season, maybe, but I lost all interest during season two. If I pretend she is not also Lady Whistledown, then Penelope is kind and sweet and cute. But the Whistledown stuff is off putting, and Colin is a big ball of blah. Just does absolutely nothing for me. I would have happily watched Eloise or Benedict's story next season - not pleased that I am instead given my least favorite of the remaining (older) siblings.

Nicola Coughlan (Penelope) appears to have little interest in doing anything too sexy, so I guess we might not get much beyond kissing?? Frankly, I am totally OK with this, especially if it means they ramp up the Kate & Anthony sexiness.  (see here for one of multiple interviews (this one from RTÉ in Ireland) Nicola has given regarding her upcoming romance --- includes minor spoilers):

Quote

Speaking to RTÉ Entertainment, the Galway star said, "I honestly am going to ask Shondaland for a special family friendly cut because it’s embarrassing enough watching the racy scenes I’m not in so I’m going to put a special request in in my contract for a PG version.

"There's a scene in a carriage and Penelope and Colin are sort of arguing but then it gets very romantic. It would be such a great scene in the show but the thought of filming it terrifies me.

"A little kiss and we’re good," she added. "I’ve read the books and I know that scene gets very racy. I was in a show prior to this called Harlots and I played a harlot, and my mother has never seen that show, not one scene!"

 

[Enero]

59 minutes ago, DkNNy79 said:

There are so many Bridgerton siblings they need to start doubling up.

Agreed. As I was telling someone earlier, I can't see this show lasting beyond 5 seasons. I think non-book fans may start to lose interest once the older Bridgertons have their seasons. The only way I can see the show going much longer is if the writers put a lot into making the younger siblings stand out and engage the audience enough to draw interest for their stories, which would come much later in the series. Otherwise, I think it may be best to start doing more than one coupling per season as the show may not last long enough to showcase them all. 

[iwantcookies]

So I’m thinking season 3 will air in 2023 at the earliest. I wasn’t too thrilled with S 2. 
 

Derry girls is a great show. Wish Netflix had season 3 on already. Nicola is very youthful looking and Claire is perfect!

[Kirsty]

1 hour ago, SonofaBiscuit said:

I would have happily watched Eloise or Benedict's story next season - not pleased that I am instead given my least favorite of the remaining (older) siblings.

Same. That's what it comes down to. I enjoy Benedict and Eloise. The same can't be said for Colin. And he has had two seasons to win me over.

[Scarlett45]

Wait, Rege is coming back???

Penelope and Colin could be okay, if written well. Friends to lovers can be intriguing, AND there's nothing wrong with depicting young love, unsure, unsteady, clumsy yet eager- if the actors brought it, it could be good, yet very different than "grown and sexy" (which of course we enjoy with Bridgerton). 

6 hours ago, SonofaBiscuit said:

Nicola Coughlan (Penelope) appears to have little interest in doing anything too sexy, so I guess we might not get much beyond kissing??

Things can be steamy without being too explicit, I don't doubt Nicola can bring it, Luke Newton (Colin) may have to convince me. Its not that he looks young (we were all young once, and he is young!), his acting is a touch one note so far. But I could see when he finally finals for Penelope, Colin being like "OMG how have I been so blind."

And yes I would be down for seeing Kate and Anthony being a happily married couple in Season 3, we didnt get enough of that last season.

[anamika]

It’s weird that Colin gets so much criticism for not seeing Penelope as a romantic prospect.

Something I noticed after the announcement of their season is so many posts talking about how Colin treats Penelope like shit or how Colin needs to eat his words and they can only like him if he apologizes to Pen etc.

I mean, the guy is allowed to just see her as his friend!! It’s not some great crime that he is not as attracted to her as she is to him. If the tables were turned and it was the guy pining after the girl would we criticize her for not reciprocating?

Colin is boring and lacks charisma, however I think it’s unfair to hate him for only seeing Penelope as a friend.

Meanwhile Penelope pretty much ruined Marina (someone Colin loved even last season), dragged Eloise down and even gave Daphne a hard time in season one. Penelope made a decision to deliberately write gossip about his sisters and hurt them.

If there’s anyone in the wrong here it’s Penelope, not Colin. It’s baffling he’s getting shat on about being a terrible guy who has to earn Penelope’s love  😆

Nicola mentioned yesterday that the important lesson Penelope needs to learn is to value herself and put herself first.
 

Quote

 

The actress, 35, spoke to E! News exclusively about season three of Bridgerton, sharing that she's excited for Penelope and Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) to fall in love but going into filming, she thinks "it's gonna be such an important thing for her to put value in herself."

"She has Colin on such a pedestal and she thinks he's perfect," Nicola reflected. "He's not. He's just a human being. So she needs to stop thinking he's perfect and appreciate herself more."

She added, "It's like that old adage, 'If you don't love yourself, how are you gonna love anybody else?'"

It's especially important to Nicola that this message is conveyed in the Netflix series, as she understands many viewers relate to the shy Penelope: "We've all been that girl."

 

Which is all well and good and I agree. However what's also important is that she acknowledges the harm she did to good friends with her gossip rag and I don't see that being mentioned anywhere.

I sincerely hope they don't brush that aside or justify her actions next season. Whether I find the character likeable and root for Colin/Pen to get together depends on how they write her next season.

Anthony was not a nice guy in season one with his treatment of Daphne (the arranged marriage to Berbrooke) and Sienna. However, they more than made up for that with how much Kate dragged him and humbled him and beat him at everything while he fell in love. Plus Jonathan Bailey is a talented actor able to inject the nuance and vulnerability into the character despite what can be shoddy writing and make the audience like him.

Nicola Coughlan needs to do the same. The writing for this show is not always great and I think both Nicola and Luke Newton need to bring their A game next season. I think it can be done. It should be done.