After the second episode of season 3, I am still feeling that there is some aspects of it that feel very different to the previous seasons, and in my opinion if feels like Bridgerton has lost some of its magic and sparkle. Speaking of sparkle, The Queen still has yet to choose a diamond of the season, feeling that she needs to see more of the young debutantes. Lady Danbury visits the Bridgerton House and passes on to Violet and Francesca that the Queen has not yet given up on naming a Diamond, but that she has decided it can be anyone - though clarifying that it could be anyone that has debuted after Hyacinth's eyes lit up at the thought of being the Diamond.
Image Credit: Liam Daniel/Netflix
We see Will and Alice Mondrich settling into their new home - or rather their son's new home, and trying to learn and understand the new rules of the society they are now a part of. At their first ball we see Benedict providing some advice to Will, saying that he is married as such the rules are not as strict for him and Alice as they are for unmarried young ladies.
The Featheringtons provide the comedic moment of the episode during a talk by Portia to Philippa and Prudence about needing to get an heir. It is in this scene that we learn Philippa - despite having been married for about a year (or more?) - is most likely a virgin still, something that surprised me as I was sure Portia would provide a good pre-wedding talk to her daughters. But after this we see that Philippa has learned the joy of martial relations, and in the same montage we learn that perhaps Prudence is not so keen. Who would have thought the sex montage of season 3 part 1 would be the Featherington girls? Not me that is for sure!
Image Credit: Liam Daniel/Netflix
So what of our protagonists? The lessons that Colin offers to Penelope begin, with the first one being at the park, where Colin has Penelope attempt to flirt with two gentlemen. Whilst I get that this scene was meant to be played for comedic value, perhaps as part of the Rom Com vibe Jess Brownell was going for, I just feel that this was the opposite of this. For me this scene was just awkward and gave second hand embarrassment, which is disappointing as I do think Nicola Coughlan is a good comedic actress (perhaps better than a dramatic actress), and this should have been playing to her strengths. The second lesson is at Bridgerton House, and with the untimely arrival home of Eloise and Francesca we see our couple head into a study (not Anthony's so how many do they have?). It is here that we get the infamous 'cut hand' scene, as Penelope bandages his hand after he cut it. This is a well used trope in romance fiction - the injured person being bandaged up by their love interest - it is designed to build sexual tension and move the relationship forward towards love and lust. Unfortunately I didn't feel the level of sexual tension in this scene as perhaps we were supposed to, and it was yet another scene where I felt they were trying too hard, whether it was the director, the cinematographer or the actors I don't know, but I do think there have been better scenes using this trope in historical romances, Outlander is one as is Daphne and Simon in season 1 of Bridgerton.
Towards the end of the episode, at a ball no less, news of Colin and Penelope's secret lessons gets out inadvertently via Eloise, and the gossip of the ball turns on Penelope. I realise that we as viewers are supposed to feel sympathy for Penelope in this moment, however, it is hard to feel sympathy for Penelope at this point when we have seen no self reflection from her around her own harmful gossiping. This is where I feel the writing is letting the actors down, they appear to be writing Penelope here as a character we are meant to have enormous sympathy for, but they haven't put the work into Penelope to make her likeable, it is almost as if the writers think the viewers should automatically like Penelope because she is the protagonist. While many viewers do like Penelope, and more so as she is the protagonist, many others are still struggling with finding anything likeable or engaging about her.
The episode ends with Penelope and Colin's first kiss, two episodes earlier than Daphne and Simon's first kiss, and four episodes earlier than Kate and Anthony's first kiss, something that has prompted some people on social media to suggest the romance is moving too fast. I sort of agree that they are moving the story too fast, but perhaps not within their season, my issue is that I believe that Colin and Penelope could have benefitted from another season of set up before getting them to the point of being lovers. I just feel that in the overall scheme of how this works that the two season build up for a supposed slow burn friends to lovers was not long enough.
Overall I did not find this episode overly engaging, and there were too many scenes giving off second hand embarrassment, however, there were some moments that did stand out.
Highs:
- Hyacinth's excitement when Lady Danbury said that the Diamond could be anyone, and then her dejection when it was stated anyone who had debuted
- Hyacinth fleecing her older brothers at cards, a highlight to see two grown men and a teenage boy losing at cards to a pre-teen girl
- Colin talking to Penelope about how they met. I am not a huge fan of either Colin or Penelope, but this was one of the rare scenes that felt natural between them, I didn't feel that this was contrived, but rather it was a conversation between two characters with a shared history. I would have liked more of this and less of the forced chemistry present in other scenes.
- Philippa saying to Portia "inserts himself? inserts himself where?". I will be surprised if this is not one of the lines to be remembered well after this season has finished
Lows:
- Some of the camera work felt like we were on board a ship, and to be honest it was beginning to make me feel queasy just a little.
- The Costumes, with a few exceptions in this episode the season of terrible costuming continues, and please, what was the monstrosity Francesca was wearing at tea?
- Taking yet another aspect of Kate and Anthony's relationship from the books and putting it on to another character, this time some random Lord and Lady we know nothing about. When Benedict points to two random characters and tells Will how they dance together more than is polite, Kanthony fans all over were no doubt yelling at their TVs (or computers or tablets) that THIS is Kanthony. It was yet another thing Kanthony fans were hoping to see that the production removed and gave to someone else.
- Speaking of Kanthony, the absence of Kate and Anthony was noticeable, and if this is the trend that Jess Brownell wants to take the show then by the end there will barely be any Bridgertons left in the show.
- Speaking of Bridgertons, there just was not enough Bridgerton family interaction, something that is not only down to poor writing, but perhaps also showing us that it is Kate and Anthony that become the heart of the family, and in their absence the family relationships are just off - or ma
