First posted on Tumblr 10 April 2023
After Season 2 aired, and that Pall Mall game, fans began to speculate what - if any - easter eggs may have been hiding. When it was announced that Season 3 was Colin and Penelope many fans felt vindicated saying that the Pall Mall game showed the order of the siblings stories as Colin got his ball through the third hoop not the fourth, something that was confirmed by the production, at least in relation to setting up Colin and Penelope. But since then a number of misremembered moments from the show have popped up and many point to it as evidence that Benedict will be Season 4. So let's look at each hoop one by one and see if this will tell us anything about Season 4.
Hoop 1: We don't see it, but we hear Daphne gets her ball through the first hoop. This correlates with Season 1 being Daphne and Simon's story. So far the theory holds.
Hoop 2: Despite some fans online claiming we see Anthony get his ball through hoop 2, it is actually Kate that we see put her ball through hoop 2 not Anthony (who actually hits the hoop and puts his ball off course slightly). This correlates with Season 2 being Kate and Anthony.
Hoop 3: We see Colin getting his ball through hoop 3. Again correlating with the order of the siblings stories in the show.
Hoop 4: This is where the theory wobbles slightly. Despite some fans claiming we see Benedict getting his ball through Hoop 4, it is Kate (again) that gets her ball through hoop 4. When this is pointed out, and that it doesn't actually provide evidence that Benedict will be S4, the theory suddenly shifts from being about the season order to this showing how many children Kate and Anthony have, a little convenient for some, but I don't think that is the reason it is Kate we see here. I will get to my theory on this later.
Hoop 5: This is where Eloise gets her ball through the hoop, this tracks with Eloise's book being number 5, and could indicate that Eloise is Season 5.
Now, what do I think it means. I do think that it is an indication of which stories are being told each season, as I don't think the show would start off showing this (for 1-3) and then abandon the symbolism, Bridgerton in Season 1 and Season 2 was all about laying the foundations for the future of the show. In each season's love story we have had the main character and then the 'love interest', the character who doesn't get as much told about their background and motivations. My theory is as follows:
Hoop 1: Daphne and Simon. Daphne was the 'love interest' for Simon. It was Simon's background that we saw more of and developed, we saw his relationship with his father, he had the flashbacks, and it was centred around his motivations. Essentially Daphne was the love interest.
Hoop 2: Kate and Anthony. As with Daphne and Simon's story, it is the man that has the main focus again, with us seeing more of Anthony's background, Anthony's motivations, and it is Anthony whom we see flashbacks for. Kate was the love interest.
Hoop 3: This is where my theory kicks in to tell us more about the season. It is Colin that gets his ball through the hoop. I believe Colin will be the love interest, it will be Penelope that we see unfolding more as a character, it will be her background, her motivations, and her story that will be focussed on, and I believe it will be her story that gets flashbacks not Colin's, we have already had a hint of this with a flashback for Lady Whistledown in season 2.
Hoop 4: The reason I believe that Kate was the one we saw get her ball through the hoop is because she was the 'holding' character. I believe that this does show that Season 4 will be Benedict, but not for the reason many suggest. I think that Kate was the one used for this hoop for two reasons. 1. Sophie will be the love interest, and she had yet to be cast, so they used Kate to represent her, and 2. There will be a connection between Kate and Sophie, whether Sophie comes in as Kate's maid, or it symbolises a close friendship between the two of them.
Hoop 5: I believe that this indicates more than one thing. As well as showing that Eloise will be Season 5, and that the story will most likely focus more on Philip's story, it shows the intent of how long Bridgerton will go for. I think that this is the last hoop we see indicates that at the time this was filmed the production knew the show would be renewed for at least one more season, it may also be an indication that we will only get five seasons of Bridgerton.
In summary, I think the Pall Mall theory is certainly a good theory, but that it is the love interest in each story that we see getting their ball through the hoop (with the exception of Sophie). What I believe this tells us is that, with the exception of Season 3, the stories will be primarily focused on the male half of the pairings, not the female half, but also that we will be getting Benedict's story in Season 4.
Of course I could be completely wrong, but what do you all think? Do you think the Pall Mall theory is valid, or do you think fans are just reaching?
Update: Since writing this I have seen someone make an interesting point about Hoop 3 and a reasoning for it, which actually fits in with what I think will happen in season 3. We initially see Benedict hit and miss Hoop 3, some have suggested that this indicates it was meant to be Benedict's season based on the book order, but was changed for the show to Colin, however, I agree with the alternate reasoning I have seen. Benedict hits and misses because he will meet his love interest in season 3, but won't actually know her until season 4, this correlates with a theory I have that Benedict and Sophie meet early in season 3 and this forms Benedict's arc for season 3.
