At the Valentine's Day event this year the season 3 episode titles were revealed. In past seasons the episode titles have been more thematic and in some cases could relate to more than one storyline, and do not always relate directly to the main couple, with the exception of the episode named after the book. This post will provide my thoughts on what each of the episode titles in part 1 could be about, not this is pure speculation.
Out of the Shadows
This is the episode that will set the theme and the tone for the season, I think the title itself relates to an overall theme for multiple storylines. In this episode we will see a number of characters metaphorically stepping out of the shadows as they forge a new path and direction in their lives.
- Penelope is the most obvious of these characters as it is her season. This will be the episode she has her 'make over' where she moves away from the yellows and bright citrus colours her mother favoured towards a palette that is more suited to her, as she embarks on her third season determined to find a husband and move out of her family home.
- Francesca is the second character that I believe this theme will relate to. We will see her stepping out of the shadow of her older siblings and entering society, potentially taking centre stage as a debutante. As the quietest and most introverted of the Bridgertons, this will mark a big change for Francesca, with episode 1 marking the first part of her journey.
- For Kate it won't be so much stepping out of the shadows, as it will be stepping up into a more prominent role in society as the new Viscountess and becoming confident in her new position in society.
Whilst I think this episode (and indeed much of the season's overriding themes) will predominantly follow the growth of these three women, I think this episode is also symbolic for other characters.
- Eloise stepping up to take part more fully in society and, perhaps, finally stepping out of the shadow of Daphne that she felt she lived under in season 2.
- Will and Alice Mondrich will be literally stepping out of the shadows in their club and into society marking a big change in their life and fortunes with the inheritance of a title.
Image Credit: Liam Daniel/Netflix
How Bright the Moon
I will admit that this episode, at first, was a bit trickier for me to decipher, until I did some reading for another post I plan to put up next week. I believe the main focus of this episode, again, relates to the women, specifically the three young women who potentially will be going through the biggest change this season - Penelope, Kate and Francesca - though I do believe this will mark an important episode for Kate specifically. For reasons that I will outline in my upcoming post, I believe that this will be the episode that we find out that Kate is pregnant.
The symbolism of the moon in connection to women is strong, and this is why I believe it will be the women who take centre stage in this episode again. As mentioned above, I do think that this will be the episode we find out about Kate's pregnancy, but also I see this as an episode where something fundamental happens that moves Penelope towards growth. We see in the image of Penelope and Colin at the ball, a floral art display of a waxing moon crescent (the phase from new moon to full moon), which symbolises growth, intention and hope. Finally this episode, I believe, will be a significant episode for Francesca, as I believe it is possible that it will be at the Moon Ball that Francesca meets John. We have seen an image of the Bridgerton's arrival at this ball showing Francesca in lilac, the colour of first love, and the ball's theme is tending towards lilac as well.
Image Credit: Liam Daniel/Netflix
Forces of Nature
This is an episode title that has no specific symbolism that I can find, but it is a saying in relation to describing someone with a strong personality, however, it also refers quite literally to the forces of nature, specifically a mighty natural force that is beyond human control. This could indicate that this is an episode when things are beginning to get out of control for Penelope, and especially in relation to Lady Whistledown. We have heard in interviews that Penelope will find it more and more challenging to continue with Lady Whistledown this season, and this episode could be where her difficulties with Lady Whistledown begins as events are set in motion that are beyond Penelope's control.
Image Credit: Liam Daniel/Netflix
Old Friends
This episode title is open to a wide range of theories, but one of the things that first came to mind for me was about the past, looking back. If this season is about stepping out of the shadows and into the light, then in order for that to happen to include growth within the characters there needs to be a look into the past. For both season 1 and season 2 we got a look into the past of Simon and Anthony respectively through flashbacks, and for this season I believe we will get a look into the past of Penelope via flashbacks. I think this is the most likely episode to include flashbacks, and I believe these flashbacks will be centred on her friendship with Eloise, with a bit of Colin. This could be an episode that has Colin taking a back seat in favour of advancing the story of Eloise and Penelope.
This episode title also lends itself to being thematic for other stories within the season. The first possibility within the secondary stories for the season is for Lady Danbury, and the possibility that this episode could be where consequences of Lady Danbury's affair with Lord Ledger are explored, specifically in relation to how it impacts her friendship with Violet after Violet worked it out in Queen Charlotte.
A second possible storyline this episode title could relate to is that of Kate. We could see some exploration of Kate's past, and through this memories of her childhood are revived. With these memories could Kate turn back to an 'old friend' for comfort, though I do not mean another person, but rather something comforting such as an object or activity from her past.
