NOTE: This may contain spoilers from the books and for upcoming seasons
We are almost 2 months away from Bridgerton Season 3 and speculation on what will happen is high. Below are 10 storylines I think could be in Bridgerton Season 3.
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1. Lady Whistledown Reveal:
The overarching theme of this season is about stepping out of the shadows and into the light, a theme that is reinforced with the titles of the bookend episodes (episode 1 and episode 8) called Out of the Shadows and Into the Light respectively. I believe that one of the biggest aspects of Penelope's arc of stepping into the light will be her reveal as Lady Whistledown to the Ton. Whilst it is not a popular opinion with some, I strongly believe that the Lady Whistledown reveal will likely happen in season 3 as it will wrap up Penelope's ongoing arc nicely and give her a happy ever after with no potential drama for her in future seasons. As we are told Kate and Anthony have their happy ever after with no drama in season 3, Penelope and Colin will have their happy ever after, with no drama, going into season 4. I think this is something we will see in the final episode as the title lends itself well to Penelope finally stepping from the shadows of her anonymous newsletter into the light of being herself.
2. Colin taking over Will's club:
At the Valentine's Day event we learned that Will Mondrich is to gain a title, (I believe it could be Richmond as I wrote about here). I think that it is possible that Will decides to focus his energy on the estate, making an effort to fit into the Ton, leading to Will deciding not to continue with his club leading to Colin eventually taking it over, either as a manager or buying it. Colin is lost and has no real purpose in his life, living off his brother and not really contributing to society, setting it up for Colin to become a business man and running (or owning) the club will give Colin a purpose and a future income for him and the family he builds with Penelope.
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3. Benedict season set up:
I think that Benedict's season will be set up in season 3, and his story beginning. At the Valentine's Day event Luke Thompson indicated that Benedict would be taking on some of Anthony's responsibilities, it is hard to know whether he meant familial or business, but I can see Anthony delegating some things to Benedict now he is married so that he no longer works all night like we have seen in the previous seasons, but also as a way for Benedict to feel useful and relevant after hitting rock bottom in season 2, prompting him to give up his art. This will be one way to set up for Benedict's season where it is Sophie that becomes his muse and brings him back to art. Another aspect of Benedict's set up for his season I believe that we will see him purchase My Cottage (or he could have already bought it). The final part of Benedict's season set up is the introduction of Benedict's love interest, Sophie, in the second part of the season. If they keep the ball introduction this could double as the setting for the Lady Whistledown reveal that occurred at the Hastings Ball in the book.
4. Francesca's first Marriage and the Michael introduction:
With Francesca entering into society in this upcoming season it is likely that we will see Francesca meet and marry her first husband John, we also could meet Michael in this season as well. In the books Francesca marries in her first season, and it is a very good bet that the show will continue with that arc for Francesca. Further, filming leaks suggest that John will be in the show, and possibly Michael, based on what some fans have seen during the season's filming. I don't foresee Francesca's storyline being one of drama, if anything I think it will most likely be a straightforward courtship, engagement and marriage.
5. Eloise remaining political:
I think that we will see the show continue with Eloise's politicisation in season 3, however, instead of Eloise just running off doing her own thing I think we will see Kate potentially steer Eloise towards a more socially acceptable way to get involved in politics. Further, it is possible that Eloise will be influenced by a new friend, or a new character. I don't see the writers and showrunner abandoning Eloise's political activism, but also I don't see that Eloise will be as reckless as she was in season 2, which is why I think there will be some guidance from an older woman. Perhaps Lady Danbury takes Eloise under her wing and guides her political activism in a less scandalous direction - we did see in Queen Charlotte that Lady Danbury is political and has the knack for making change without causing too much scandal.
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6. Kate Pregnant:
This is a storyline that makes sense for a number of reasons. In the books Edmund is born in 1815 and if they are keeping closer to the books for this season then it makes sense that they will include Edmund into the storyline. Also, I believe the season is taking place later in the year than usual (read my reasonings here), so if the social season is taking place after summer, and a few months after the season 2 epilogue, it makes sense that Kate will be pregnant as season 3 begins. This is a storyline that could play into the arcs for three of the main characters, first Anthony becoming a father and continuing the Bridgerton legacy, for Eloise it could play into her fear of childbirth and marriage (see below), and finally for Kate it will be a very good way for her backstory to be explored, in particular around her biological mother and father.
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7. Eloise's fear of childbirth:
In season 1 we saw Eloise talking about the night Hyacinth was born, this is something that was brief and the scene in question was focused on Daphne's desire to be a mother, but nothing is accidental or coincidental in Bridgerton, and this scene also sets up Eloise and her story arc. With Kate and Anthony married, and living at Bridgerton House with the family, Eloise will be exposed daily to a loving - and equal - marriage, and I can see this being something to influence her views as she comes to understand that with the right person a woman does not need to lose herself in marriage. Further to this a pregnancy storyline for Kate can peripherally impact Eloise and put her on the path of reconciling her strident views with a differing reality to what she has understood, and tie into her overall arc as she moves closer to her season and becoming a step mother and mother.
8. Marina's Fate:
With the news that Ruby Barker won't be returning to Bridgerton it is likely that season 3 could see Marina's fate playing out, with news of Marina's death reaching London and those in Grosvenor Square. The death of Marina plays into two of the storylines and character arcs that will be prominent in season 3. Indirectly Marina's fate will help with pushing along Eloise's story arc, but more directly it will impact on Colin and Penelope's story as well. We have heard that Colin is going to have one of the worst reactions in the Ton to the news that Penelope is Lady Whistledown, implying that he will be angry with her, and it makes sense that it could be tied to Marina.
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9. Featherington Heir:
One of the storylines that I think will be wrapped up from season 2 is the issue of the next Featherington heir with the fraud committed by Portia, the reason that I believe this will be wrapped up in Season 3 is because I can see this being the final season for the Featherington family to appear as a main family in the Bridgerton world. Despite some views, I don't think we will see Penelope giving birth to the Featherington heir as I don't believe this will be part of her story arc, in fact I would like to see Philippa have a pregnancy storyline in Season 3, ending with her having a boy in the season and completing the storyline of the Featherington heir from Season 2.
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10. Marcus Anderson as the half brother of Violet Bridgerton
Whilst there has been some speculation that Marcus Anderson could be a love interest for Violet, I have a belief that the storyline with Marcus will have him as a half brother to Violet - the child of Lady Danbury and Lord Ledger. We have been told by Shonda that some of the storylines from Queen Charlotte will spill into Bridgerton Season 3, and the love affair between Lady Danbury and Lord Ledger is one of the most obvious storylines to continue in the main series. I don't think that the show will go so far as to hint at a potential incest storyline, so Marcus won't be a love interest for Violet.
