Warning: Spoilers ahead about Bridgerton Season 1-2 and Romancing Mister Bridgerton. Proceed with caution.
Filming on Bridgerton Season 3 is currently underway. We also know that Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) will be the main focus of this season. Fans of the Bridgerton books knew that it was just a matter of time before these friends to eventual lovers got their storyline. It came a little earlier than expected, because Colin and Penelope’s storyline doesn’t play out until the fourth book in the series, Romancing Mister Bridgerton.
It’s no secret that Netflix’s Bridgerton hasn’t been following the books exactly. This allows fans to enjoy both the books and TV show as separate entities. However, Bridgerton takes some inspiration from the books. This means I couldn’t help but wonder what parts of Romancing Mister Bridgerton could find their way into Bridgerton Season 3, especially the most crucial Colin and Penelope moments.
The new season may stray from the book a lot, but I hope there is some version of certain scenes and storylines from the book that play out in the upcoming season.
Dear Reader, let me share...
Lady Danbury And Penelope’s Bond
Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh) is known both in the TV series and the books as someone with a sharp tongue and boldness, who is a good judge of character. In Romancing Mister Bridgerton, Lady Danbury takes a liking to Penelope. She also declares that she will help Pen find herself a husband, despite the appearance of the odds not being in her favor as a 28-year-old spinster.
Lady Danbury and Penelope (along with Colin) have many moments in the book as they bond over similar views of high society. Lady Danbury also respects Pen for speaking her mind and being brighter than her family.
We haven’t seen too many Lady Danbury and Penelope moments in the first two seasons, but I hope that shifts in Bridgerton Season 3. We know that Pen may have several suitors in the upcoming season, which she doesn’t have in Romancing Mister Bridgerton, so I hope there could be a storyline where Lady Danbury makes it her mission to find her a husband. The two are fun together in the book, so it would be equally as entertaining to see them work together in the TV show.
The Featherington Family Meeting
Colin decides to marry Penelope, but must get her mother’s permission. Of course, Portia (Polly Walker) can’t fathom the possibility that Colin would want to marry her. She thinks he’s come to ask for Penelope’s youngest sister, Felicity’s, hand in marriage. Portia and Penelope’s older sisters repeatedly try to get Pen to leave the room so Colin can propose to Felicity. It’s probably the book’s funniest scene. Colin’s frustration and the Featherington family, once again, showing their dim nature make it such a silly but funny scene.
Obviously, Felicity doesn’t exist in the Bridgerton TV show, at least as far as we know, so this scene can’t play out exactly like in the book. However, I hope we get an equally amusing scene with the Featherington family if Colin proposes to Penelope in Bridgerton Season 3. We need the confusion, frustration, and, ultimately, shock when Portia realizes that Penelope is going to marry a Bridgerton.
Colin Discovers Penelope Is Lady Whistledown
One of the major questions we had after Bridgerton Season 2 ended was what will Eloise (Claudia Jessie) do now that she knows Penelope is Lady Whistledown. In Romancing Mister Bridgerton, the first one to discover that Pen is Lady Whistledown is Colin. The TV show has clearly departed from that detail, but I still hope there is a scene where he discovers on his own that she is the mysterious gossip.
The scene leads to some passionate arguing, then some kissing, and then a proposal. Colin finding out the secret helps them bond more and makes him more protective over her. It also leads to him giving a big speech talking about her greatness before revealing her identity to everyone.
I think Colin discovering Penelope is Whistledown will create a new dynamic between them on the TV show and help strengthen their love story.
Penelope Reads Colin’s Travel Journals
Book Colin and show Colin are united in their quest for finding their passion. TV show Colin seems to find it in the business world, but book Colin finds it in writing about his travels. Penelope, being a bit nosey, reads his travel journals without his permission.
He’s angry at first, but later becomes vulnerable with her about them. This allows them to bond over their love of writing. This also endears her to him because he sees that she truly loves his writing. I'm not sure if Bridgerton Season 3 will make Colin a writer, but I hope there is some artistic passion that Colin and Penelope can share in the upcoming season to bond them. It adds a little more depth to their relationship and connection.
Eloise’s Talk Of Spinster Life Without Penelope
After Penelope and Colin’s engagement is announced, Eloise tells Penelope that the romance shocked her. She never saw it coming, and would have meddled if she knew. She also reveals that she always imagined that she and Pen would be spinsters together forever. Eloise also makes it clear that spinster life was her choice, but she thought she would always have her best friend by her side.
Unless Bridgerton Season 3 has a major time jump, Penelope and Eloise won’t be spinster age when the season airs. However, both seem to be heading down that path, so there is still a way to add a scene where Eloise tells Pen something similar about imagining that they would both stay single forever.
Currently, on Bridgerton, the best friends are at odds, but we hope they reconcile by the time Season 3 ends. We hope they can share a tender moment where Eloise can express sadness about knowing that her platonic soulmate has found a romantic soulmate. The scene also helps set up Eloise’s romance, which happens in the following book and could play out in the following season.
All The Sexy Bits
Bridgerton takes its sexy scenes very seriously. It knows their importance to some viewers, so it hasn’t been shy with them in the past. Personally, I preferred less sex scenes in Bridgerton Season 2, because it allowed for richer storytelling and made the ones that were in the show more special.
However, I hope Penelope and Colin have plenty of sexy scenes in Bridgerton Season 3. As a plus-size character, it would almost be revolutionary to see Penelope being treated with the same level of desire and passion as the other female leads. I haven’t read the other Bridgerton books (yet), so I am not sure how the Romancing Mister Bridgerton sex scenes compare to the other books.
However, this Julia Quinn book doesn’t go extreme with them. They are not in every other scene, but sprinkled enough throughout the novel to showcase that Penelope and Colin’s passion for one another is strong on every level, including a sexual one.
Penelope And Colin’s First Meeting
When the Bridgerton TV show starts, Penelope and Colin have been friends for a while. Therefore, we don’t see their initial meeting. In Romancing Mister Bridgerton, the prologue tells the story of their first encounter. It’s love at first sight for Penelope.
The scene isn’t romantic, but shows how much Pen is immediately drawn to him. Bridgerton has been setting up the Penelope and Colin romance since the series premiere, so this seems like one of the show’s most important romances.
It would emphasize their love for one another even more if viewers got to see what initially drew Pen to Colin.
Since Bridgerton Season 3 is still filming, it may be a while before we see it on the TV premiere schedule. Whenever it does eventually debut, we can’t wait to see Penelope and Colin’s love story play out on screen.
Stream Bridgerton Season 1 and 2 on Netflix.
Buy Romancing Mister Bridgerton on Amazon.
