‘Bridgerton’ Season 3: Fans Aren’t Convinced Penelope and Colin Have Any Chemistry in the Netflix Series
A hot debate is currently raging about Bridgerton season 3 and the series’ future lovebirds, Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton. Fans of the series are currently occupying their downtime between seasons filling blogs like Reddit with doubts about the couple’s chemistry. Here’s why some fans of the book series are saying, “just wait.”
Netflix’s ‘Bridgerton’ is breaking the order of Julia Quinn’s best-selling book series
Netflix’s Bridgerton sent shockwaves rippling through Streamertown recently when the show announced they would break from Quinn’s original book order to tell Penelope and Colin’s story in Bridgerton season 3. Originally filling the pages of book four in the series, Penelope and Colin’s romance unfolds in Quinn’s Romancing Mister Bridgerton—after Benedict Bridgerton’s story in book three.
However, Jess Brownell, who has stepped in to replace Chris Van Dusen as Bridgerton’s showrunner for season 3, told Variety, “I really feel like it’s Colin and Penelope’s time.” Brownell went on to discuss how both characters have been on the show since season 1 and how the tension has been steadily growing between them now for two full seasons.
“Instead of treading water on that dynamic,” Brownell says, “we wanted to push it into their season. It really felt like the perfect moment to tee it up.”
Penelope and Colin’s story from Julia Quinn’s ‘Bridgerton’ books
Readers of Quinn’s book series know that many changes are ahead for the characters, and some have taken to Reddit to battle the bloggers casting doubt on Penelope and Colin’s romance.
In the teaser for her fourth book, Romancing Mister Bridgerton, Quinn writes that Penelope “stumbles across [Colin’s] deepest secret … and fears she doesn’t know him at all.” Likewise, Colin is stunned to discover Penelope is Lady Whistledown — the gossip columnist he despises.
The point is that the two childhood friends who thought they knew everything about one another begin to realize they don’t. Their relationship changes, so viewers expecting to see more of Penelope and Colin as they know them from Bridgerton thus far, maybe surprised too.
Several fans on Reddit jumped in to say that they weren’t really interested in Penelope and Colin’s romance, but fans of the books urged Netflix series fans to wait for their romance to unfold. Other fans jumped in to note they didn’t think the actors behind Penelope and Colin had great chemistry.
However, some fans pointed out many viewers had their doubts about Anthony as a lead and were pleasantly surprised.
Viewers underestimated Anthony and Kate in ‘Bridgerton’ season 2 as well.
Reddit users are also quick to point out that many viewers underestimated Anthony and Kate in Bridgerton season 2. Before the season debuted in March of this year, many seemed either disinterested or completely against the idea that Anthony’s character could turn things around for Bridgerton season 2 and doubted that actor Jonathon Bailey could carry a season in a leading role.
Similar doubts were cast about Sex Education actor Simone Ashley in the role of Kate. Now, many of the same users claim Bridgerton season 2 to be their favorite of the series so far. Speaking of the changes coming in Bridgerton season 3, Brownell also points out that Penelope and Colin are very different characters than both season 1’s Daphne and Simon and season 2’s Anthony and Kate.
Brownell tells Variety, “I think of Colin and Pen as being characters who bring a lot of comedy to the show. So I think we’re gonna get to play a lot of that this season.” However, Brownell also promises “quite a bit of sexiness and romance” and claims that season 3 will stay true to the roots of both the Netflix series and Quinn’s books, in that, Bridgerton is a romance series.
This may mean that Bridgerton season 3 opens the door to new fans who favor a lighter, more comedic romance while fans of Bridgerton’s previous seasons may find themselves pleasantly surprised … again.
