I am going to round off the look at the first stills from Bridgerton season 3 with a look at the Polin stills that have been released. The first two Polin stills were released just after the Tudum event in June 2023, both are from the second episode. The first of the images appears to be from a scene in a market, whilst the second image appears to be a night scene outside, most likely outside the Featherington House, I will look at these two stills first.
Image Credit: Liam Daniel/Netflix
Market Scene:
Looks:
Penelope:
This scene is set post 'glow up' (or makeover) of Penelope. What we see with Penelope is an overall look that is youthful and fresh, a very pretty look for her, which in part is her dress, but mostly I think down to her hairstyle.
Whilst Penelope's hair style in this picture is not as anachronistic as the one in the solo picture I discussed previously, it still doesn't feel Regency, or even fantasy Regency, further I do feel that this hairstyle is designed to infantilise her a bit as it has more the feel of a young child than a woman in her third season. However, in saying that I do like it more than other hairstyles I have seen on her. Another thing to note, and it is hard to know if it is actuality or a case of the lighting, but the colour of this wig does feel to be a different shade of red to the previous season 3 image I looked at with Penelope. The colour here appears to be brighter and redder. The final thing to note with her hair is that it looks like it could be considerably shorter than in the other image. This inconsistency in the colour/length of the wigs feels like there hasn't been a lot of thought put into continuity, though of course it may play out differently in the show, as this is a snapshot in time with no context. Please note that this criticism is not of Penelope (or even Nicola), but of the styling choices around her hairstyles.
Moving on to Penelope's dress in this picture, I like it. The dress itself appears to be a simple design, in a light green with very short sheer sleeves, this is paired with a greyish green Spencer jacket with sheer puff sleeves. The jacket is embellished with a floral design in shades of green. On the shoulder is a green decoration that matches the adornment in her hair. Overall I hope to see them stay with the softer greens for Penelope through this season and beyond, they certainly suit her much better than the yellows and bright greens of seasons past.
Colin:
With Colin, we see him wearing what appears to be the same brown jacket he was wearing in the first image of him released, which is believed to be his return from travelling.
The jacket is paired with a white shirt, a fawn/coffee coloured cravat and a waistcoat that has the base colour of Bridgerton Blue, but with brown buttons and pattern. The pattern on his waistcoat appears to be floral in design, my first thought was it could be dandelions, but I think it possibly isn't that.
Pose:
In this still we see Penelope and Colin standing side by side, possibly at a market stall, but it is hard to say, they both have their heads turned towards the other with Colin looking down to Penelope and Penelope looking up to Colin. Penelope has a smile, and a sense of excitement in her expression, perhaps happy and excited to see Colin. Colin has a half smile, and potentially looks a little unsure, though at what it is hard to know.
Possible Scene:
The way they are looking at each other, and the fact that this is the early part of the season, makes for an interesting time speculating what this scene could be about. Is it the first time they have seen each other since Colin's return? Possible, but I am not sure, as this is in episode 2, I can't imagine that they went the whole of episode 1 without seeing each other, especially as it seems that Colin returns at the beginning of episode 1. There is another possibility, and that is Penelope is gossiping a little with Colin - we have seen her do this previously, and maybe he is beginning to suspect her as either Lady Whistledown or as a source for Lady Whistledown, perhaps after something that Eloise has said.
Image Credit: Liam Daniel/Netflix
Night Scene:
Looks:
Penelope:
Penelope looks to be in the same dress as in the solo still I looked at earlier. In this still we get a closer look at her dress, and I note that on a closer look her dress is a green and silver with the sheer overlay. The colouring on her bodice has an almost a pearl look to it in the shades of green and silver, and brings to mind (for me) a New Zealand Paua (Abalone) shell, if without the deeper colours.
New Zealand Paua Shell
The sheer overlay appears to be coloured more in the sleeves than over the bodice, and still appears to be a bronze, or gold, colour.
Again, we see her hair down in a style that could be from the 1940s, and is certainly not in a style a young lady in the Regency period would wear her hair, especially not alone with a man who was not her husband.
Colin:
We don't get a good look at Colin, only seeing him from behind, but he appears to be wearing the same brown jacket in the other image, and when he arrived back from his travels. It is hard to know what he is wearing otherwise, however, it is safe to assume he is not dressed in evening wear with the brown jacket on.
Pose:
In this image we see Colin leaning into Penelope, though from what is discernible from his expression it is most likely not a romantic scene. Colin looks serious, and perhaps a little concerned.
We have a better look at Penelope, and she looks a little upset, and it looks as though she has been crying - or at least is about to, as it appears there are tears forming in her eyes.
The closeness of their bodies indicates that if there was any distance from Penelope after Colin's words in season 2 it is resolved quickly and they are growing closer by episode 2.
Possible Scene:
This leads to the inevitable question, what could be happening in this scene?
Without knowing much about where this still fits in with the other episode 2 stills it is hard to speculate, however, there are a couple of possibilities, one of which would indicate a much faster moving storyline than in the previous two seasons.
The first possibility is that this could be connected to Lady Whistledown, more specifically if Colin has suspicions or has somehow discovered Penelope's secret. This ties in with the still we see of Colin with what appears to be a Lady Whistledown newsletter. If it is this, then the Lady Whistledown storyline could move very quickly and be tied up at a much earlier stage in the season, rather than it being dragged out for the whole 8 episodes.
The second possibility is from the books, and it could be related to Penelope having been reading something from Colin (if they stick to the writer Colin storyline). This would tie into the other Polin still that has been released (which I will be looking at more in a few days), where we see Colin with a bandage. However, if this is the case where would it happen? If Penelope and Eloise are still on the outs what reason would Penelope have to be at Bridgerton House? Something to ponder.
The third possibility is that it is related to Penelope's failure with attracting a suitor. Penelope's dress could be a ball gown of sorts, so could be after a ball, however, Colin does not appear to be dressed for a ball, but also why would Penelope have her hair down for a ball? It is possible that something else occurred, or Colin overheard something at his club, which is related to Penelope attempting to find a suitor.
There are two other possibilities, and that is this scene is somehow centred around Eloise, with Colin and Penelope discussing the situation between the two former friends. Alternatively (though from some of what has been said unlikely), this is connected to Marina, perhaps Penelope has discovered Marina's fate, and is telling Colin.
What do you think this scene is about? Do you think that Colin will find out about Lady Whistledown by episode 2?
