Is Penelope Featherington a Heroine or Villain?
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ก.ค. 2024
- In this video, I discuss why Penelope Featherington is a divisive character on the show Bridgerton.
Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
00:24 - Background
01:20 - Why Pen is Problematic
05:46 - Why Pen is Liked
11:25 - Penelope's Potential
13:47 - Conclusion - บันเทิง
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Eloise is the type of person that thinks her refuse to conform with society makes her more inteligent than everyone, in a same way that a teenager that thinks is special because it "doesn't party" and "reads philosofy books", despising all the other teenagers, for feeling better than them. She's basically a regency pick me girl, even tho she doesn't notice it. She's not a bad person, and means well, but is blind to her own flaws. Penelope on the other hand has wit, and is the more sensible and grounded person in her entire family, so even if she loves Eloise, she would know better than to say anything about being Lady Wistledown. Eloise is quite immature and careless, and would possibly ruin Penelope reputation.
Real
Eloise is a “not like other girls” girl, not a “pick me” but yes to everything. She’s annoying because she’s incredibly immature and reckless and only speaks about being different but never truly takes the steps to become that which she so desires to be.
Comparing her to today norms is just cruel, remember that women didn’t have much of a choice in this era, they’re forced to many acts to make her worth
It’s not a case of “not like the other girls”, she’s basically aware that her society is not supportive to women or their minds
I can’t stand the show Eloise and you described her perfectly, I’m yet to read the books and I hope I’ll like her character better because it seems her love story is supposed to be one of the best ones 🙈
@@adrianacernochova gurl her love story is...intresting not what you'd prob expect at all. But i hope u enjoy!!! :)
Penelope as a flawed character simply shows how human she is. Especially in her own era where a woman speaking her mind in the way Pen does would have her locked up or even, transported. It’s a dangerous business and she’s had to make some really tough decisions to survive. As you said in the video, her consciousness punishes her enough after the Marina and Eloise situations. I am very much looking forward to seeing how it plays out in the show when Colin finds out in season 3, and how it may differ from his reaction in the book (especially considering Marina, but also his own blossoming feelings for Pen)
Same, I hope they address the complexities of her situation and also delve into the Eloise-Penelope relationship a lot more.
@@angoktac2411 yeah I lost respect for him he was totally wrong to do that
I also love her mom she is not the best person in the show but you know she will do anything for her family.
Nobody listens to pen that why she is whistle down, if she told Colin he wouldn’t believe her, when she wrote about marina, she wrote her family’s reputation including hers so she didn’t get out of it Scot free. Also Eloise didn’t have a problem when whistledown was ruining or writing about other peoples reputations she was lapping it up. Eloise put herself in the queens way, pen was only protecting her. Eloise realised pen was whistle down because she happened to actually listening to pen for once.
Eloise is so annoying, she thinks the other ladies have the same privileges she has
@@iammclovin9807no , it’s quite the opposite, she’s so entitled, she doesn’t realize the other girls don’t have it as easy as her .
Yes! This it exactly!
Exactly why I can’t fully agree w people saying ‘well, pen could’ve wrote an anonymous letter or told the bridgerton’s privately of her identity as whistledown or about the Marina pregnancy drama.’
It just wouldn’t work at all. Pen is actually looking at the whole picture here. She’s not as impulsive as people think. If she told just the bridgertons it would not prevent the public scandal of a failed engagement and them discovering eventually that Marina had children. I don’t know the timeline of lord crane eventually taking her in, but the ton would assume Colin took liberties and impregnated Marina and now has secret illegitimate children.
That kind of scandal isn’t middling drama that is forgotten in a week. That would chase anyone out of town. Being a crook, disparaging the queen or being a irresponsible/distant dad to kids out of wedlock is like the top no-nos.
I think people are entitled to their secrets. I hate the moral uproar of pen not telling Eloise or anyone about her identity.
It’s not pen’s fault Eloise is reckless and yaps too much. Maybe Eloise should learn to keep secrets if she doesn’t want to get herself in dangerous situations. It’s not like pen pushed her into the queen’s suspicions. She did that to herself.
I think the situation is intentionally, and rather cleverly, written in a way that makes us watchers debate it.
It's brilliant, and I love Penelope for this reason. She's complex 😊
This is my favorite character in the show.
What i like about Penelope is that she is independent. She earns her money by writing and i never see her complaining eventhough she, by their society standard, is not beautiful. She is also wallflower, no one cares about her not even her family, what worse is that her family is closer to be poor. Meanwhile Elois is priviledge but keeps whining and whining. When Penelope has skills in writing, i can't see Eloise has a skill in anything that makes her stand out eventhough she always whining that she can't go to university. Eloise is born with beauty that fits the society standard, born in a rich family that is so respected and so full of love. Yet her character is so out of touch and does not see those as blessings, she just keeps whinning while doing nothing remarkable
Reminds me a bit of a certain Rory Gilmore tbh. And Eloise was also a bad friend many times, she kept assuming that whatever she feels and believes, Pen feels the same. Like about marriage and children.
Pen has the gift of humiliating and embarrassing ppl to the public for ridicule behind a penname bc she doesn't have the courage to use her own. Pen will smile in your face and then go expose all your business while acting none-the-wiser. At least Eloise can stand up for herself. At least she's direct. At least she isn't fake and hiding a monumental secret from the ppl she loves. The ppl who defend Penelope are hella blind.
I disagree because pen didn’t have what Eloise had! Eloise is able to behave bold because her family support her. Unlike pen, who is ridiculed by her own sister and dismissed by her own mother. Pen has insecurities and although I agree that it was wrong to use her talent to gossip but in sorts, she did help her best friend family. If she had not written about Daphne, she and the duke would have not form an alliance to act as a couple.
@@Mirianz27 Pen is playing puppeteer with ppls lives.
@@animec-dramaskpop6362 Lots of people are doing that amongst the ton, Penelope just has more puppets.
I actually think the book interpretation of Penelope is my favorite (when compared to the show). Pen, at the opening of her book, is a Spinster. She’s aged out of the Ton- she went through several seasons and quietly had to accept that no one approached her or offered a proposal. She was literally invisible, the laughing stock. She also was bullied by some of the other ladies. Her Pen is literally her sword. Her recourse to the way she is treated. Also in the book, she genuinely tries to move on and accept Colin doesn’t love her. I want to see some of that in S3!
I feel that Pen has always been overlooked, mistreated. Eloise is a great friend but she can never be in pen's shoes. She is from a famous family, sterotypically beautiful, her family loves her and it is her choice to not be with any guy. But pen on the other hand is lonely, she is discarded and ignored by the society, whatever she tries she is always in the corner looking at the world as an outsider which includes eloise too. Being lady whistledown shows she is a great businesswoman, writer and even if she sometimes only writes superficially, that is her only power. I get sometimes it is wrong, in fact her hurting bridgertons waswrong considering they always treated her nicely as a part of family but i guess she decided to choose herself. It is a very controversial thing but i get her. Also, no one believes her but everyone believes Lady Whistledown. I love Pen regardless her flaws
BUT SHE DID TRY TO HANDLE IT PRIVATELY!!!!! The only thing is Collin wouldn’t listen to her! He didn’t want hear her out on her even being in love with someone else let alone being pregnant. She knew that if didn’t believe that he wouldn’t believe anything else
Thank you! I was about to write this. It's not her fault that neither he nor Marina would listen to her. She even confronted Marina about this and told her it wasn't the right thing to do. Marina was also selfish and acting on her own interests.
The show literally shows you why Pen had no other choice but to tell the world about Marina as LW, the whole point of Pen trying to tell Colin that Marina was in love with someone else is that nobbody takes Pen seriously, thats why LW exists in the first place. She is Colins BEST friend, he has known her all his life, and he kniows she has first hand information about Marina because she is her cousin, and even HE doesnt believe her. Scenes in media are always there for a reason.
We jnow from the books that at some point Pen uses her money to pass it down as if it were an inheritance from a deceased Aunt to help her family without anyone knowing, and that cant happen untill said aunt dies...
She also told Colin in the books that she gave a lot of her whistledown money to charity and I’m wondering if they’re gonna show that in the next season maybe she’s supporting an orphanage with a Whistledown funds
@@sarickacampbell2642I really hope so that would be so sweet
She doesn't tell him that she's pregnant tho, only that she was in love with someone else, something less serious
@@The-Busy-Beeeeeseriously, imagine telling someone you love that the person he loves had been lying to him.
See if that person could ever love you later on.
It's brilliant. No, she obviously could not be the one to tell him Marina had a situation. Also, Marina knows that Pen loves Colin, she would have told Colin Pen was lying, and that she loves him...
No, it had to be LW.
It was a choice between her and Marina, in terms of being the one who "hurts" Colin, it's funny because that's ultimately the love triangle (lol), and she chose herself.
If you rewatch that episode, it's when she shows up at night when Eloise was on the swing, and she just collapses...
She couldn't tell Eloise what that was about, and we, the viewers, thought it was because Colin and Marina were eloping.
Nah, she just handed over that transcript. It was the last resort.
IMO she ruined Marina's life. She should have kept her mouth shut. I can't stand people who think they need to police the universe.
I think the reason why Penelope is so popular is because she is so human, with talents and strengths and weaknesses and character flaws. What makes us feel boredom when we see a Mary Sue is what makes characters like Penelope so interesting. She doesn’t simply react - she acts, and she fails a lot yet in other matters she finds success, sometimes she hurts others by accident and sometimes on purpose, but she also tries to help in other situations.
Pen isn’t a villain - she's a rich character who happens to be in opposition to the heroes of the show now and then, not with the express goal to oppose them usually, but simply because she follows her own desires and has her own set of ethics.
Those who don't understand Pen's actions don't really get what it's like to be her. It's a visceral feeling, wanting to be special and independent in your own way but not being allowed to because of the circumstances in your life. Eloise calling her an insipid wallflower was such a blow, i felt it myself. It's even worse knowing that she did what she did for the sake of the Bridgeton family, not even her own family is that important to her. I think the reason why she didn't feel like she had options was because she couldn't bring other people in her ambitions or simply because she didn't know she had options in the first place. I dearly hope she and Eloise make up. I'll be absolutely devastated if they don't acknowledge them missing each other and making up, at least by Eloise's season.
I love Penelope but she went about it the wrong way. she had plenty of opportunities to tell Eloise the truth and didn't. Especially before she wrote about her in the sheet. She should've come clean, told Eloise the truth and ask Eloise what she wanted written about her to throw the queen off her scent. Eloise would've huffed for a minute and then come to her senses instead she went behind her back and dropped a nuclear bomb on Eloise's reputation who already had a very public fight with her mother about being seen as a disappointment to the family. Penelope wanted to have her cake(protect eloise from the queen) and eat it too (without telling her the truth) and thats why it blew up in her face. She prioritized her secret over Eloise's feelings.
@@Shenanakins great point but honestly pretty moot. Pen did try to figure out ways to get Eloise out of it. She was the one who suggested to go the Queen together first so they could both clear it up, but rmr Eloise was like oh the queen will never believe me, she'll just think you're my friend trying to help me out. Pen also was thinking about coming clean and stop writing all together, but that also wouldn't work out because once the Queen made up her mind about something, it's very difficult to change her mind. She tried, dare I say even more than Eloise, to figure out a way to get her friend out of trouble even risking putting her own head on the chopping block. I also want to point out that nowhere did Pen mention Eloise's stint with Theo Sharpe, just that Eloise was a radical, which honestly is a softer blow considering otherwise Eloise would've been heavily compromised and ruined her chances and her sisters if Pen really did want to harm her reputation thoroughly. We have to remember what preceded Pen's decision to out Eloise. Eloise was making up a half assed plan to pose as the true Lady Whistledown. which is incredibly dumb because not only is she and her family already in hot water, posing Lady Whistledown to the Queen will NEVER end will because in no world will the Queen let all the things Lady Whistledown printed previously slide. I won't talk about the insult that comes with watching your own work plagiarized and taken credit for by someone else who likes you and then hates you on and off again and again, but it's worth noting the emotional turmoil from that. Bottom line is Pen tried and tried but Eloise didn't want to listen. Look, most of us understand what it means to be a forward thinking woman during a time when that wasn't encouraged, but it still doesn't downplay how much Eloise's initial plan would've done harm not just to herself, but every person around her at that time. I also wanted to point out that even if Pen confessed to Eloise, that would've done absolutely nothing because Eloise's reaction to Lady Whistledown is unpredictable at best. Was Pen selfish? Yeah sure. She should've done better and been more loyal. But was Eloise also doing the right thing? NO, absolutely not. I love Eloise to death but that girl needed something like this to happen to her to remind her that the family she loves so much is affected by what she does or doesn't do. Not to blabber on, but one last thing I want to point out is that Pen is a constant bastion for the Bridgerton family without them even knowing. She always watches out for them and makes sure to never print anything to harm them previously, which is one of the reasons whyyy Eloise was suspected in the first place. What kind of person digs at their own family? Pen loves the Bridgertons even more than her own family and would never do anything willingly to hurt them, which only highlights how cornered she felt with the whole debacle. I sincerely hope the next season focuses on mending their friendship, I love and understand them both so much, they really are good friends and deserve to be that again.
Yess!! When Eloise called her an insipid wallflower it literally triggered me lol! Like she was supposed to be the last person to see Pen that way! I really hope she gets to understand where Pen comes from in season 3
@@navarice270 All of this, plus I hate to say it Eloise would have ruined Whistledown if she had been in on it early days. She would have either let it slip somehow or tried to Bogart it to fit her own vision instead of Pen’s. I like Eloise, but she’s got a tendency to take over conversations and make things about herself. She also lost interest in LW’s criticism of society via gossip and wanted to go political, I don’t think she saw how much of Whistledown was allowed to exist because of the nature of its content and how big a deal it was to go after the monarchy. If there was a publication just about how women should be equal and that the Queen’s season was a joke the publication probably wouldn’t make it to print or no one would read it if it did. Not to mention the overwhelming danger due to sedition. The circular had power because no one thought it to be all that important and everyone was addicted to the scandal.
@@kaylahensley1581 yesss and in regency times, the whole point of a scandal sheet was to keep the ton updated and in a way where censorship was either avoided or mitigated. LW has a further reach than radicalism because it feeds to the ton what they want the most, and in doing so it does a marginally better job of bringing issues to attention than underground movements. not that they weren't important (they are VERY important for a revolution to occur), but they were a secret for a reason yk.
This was analyizes of Penelope is the best one I've seen, especially her role as Lady Whistledown. Excellent job!
Thank you so much! I am still in the process of learning to organize my thoughts, but I am very hopeful that it will get better. I appreciate the support!
❤❤ I love Penelope! She is beautiful in every way. She cares about people. She is flawed like everyone. But that is what makes me love her even more. That's why Colin loves her too! I'm 39 and Penelope inspires me to be the best and be happy during all experiences and journeys we have in this life. Nicola Coughlan is beautiful and brilliant in everything she does. I love Derry Girls!
Agreed, I think she is wonderful. I also think that Nicola Coughlan is stunning. In an odd way, I relate to her because I started this channel as a way to share my thoughts unencumbered by other people's opinions (I didn't mention my channel to people in the beginning). I wish I waited before making a video on her because I think this character deserves better, but I might revisit her at the end of the series. I have been thinking of checking out Derry Girls because I like the actress so much.
@@PensiveWhiskers Please do watch Derry Girls she is brilliant. You will love it!
Love this analysis!! One thing that is also super important about penelope at least imo s how perceptive and analytical she is. She not only has a talent for writing, she has a particular skillset of being attentive, observing, analytical. So i think it makes total sense that penelope decides to make a gossip paper, rather than writing something else. It also kinda reveals that she has thoughts about society that she apparently doesn't dare to share with anyone directly. I think there was also a bit of a need for her to become lady whistledown in that sense, to be able to speak freely what she thinks
I also think she is very perceptive, which is what allows her to write the column. She gets a sense of freedom from writing that she doesn't have access to in real life.
I really don't like idea that Penelope 'deserves' or 'earned' Colin. I would have preferred she get over him and meet someone else.
I agree, I don't think that Penelope "deserves" Colin or that she earned him. She is a really cool character that I think could be with anyone, or no one if she chooses to. I do want her to get together with Colin because that is what she wants, but I totally see why people would want her to be with someone else.
She is his stalker everything she does is just to get closer to him and nothing can stop her not even his sister her best friend
@82nesse she doesn't stalk colin. They are just neighbors and she just so happens to be friends with his sister. Her motivations aren't solely for him either, only the marina thing. Everything else she does is for her own ambition, frustration, and or goals.
@@welpshiexxxactly
Yes, like I really hate the fact that her storyline with Colin what’s a one-sided. She had all the feelings and the next thing you know, as we watch the third season he finally has feeling for her
I know it’s basically an ensemble cast and no one’s really a main character. But Penelope is very much the main character in this world, at least to me. She’s just the most fascinating, is the beating heart and the actress playing her is too charismatic. I love interpreting this show like a show that always has the main character always there, but overlooked and in the background.
She feels like the main character to me too, but I might be biased. I love how Nicola portrays her.
@@PensiveWhiskers yesss, no shame in being biased! I’ll be honest, many of the books/show characters didn’t appeal to me that much and were kind of boring and arrogant. Without her character stirring up the plot and being so nuanced, complicated and sympathetic I would skip 🫢 plus she’s gorg. I’m a sucker for Greek myth and anything referential to it and her basically being the Penelope to Colin’s Odysseus is too good. Especially with the upcoming season going in on the psyche and Eros myth.
Nicola is a parasocial love of mine, I fear lol. It helps she’s one of the strongest actors in the line up and has amazing comedic timing, I hope to see more humour with her in the new season.
The moment I saw people be polarized about her character and her being in this grey area, I was like ‘Ouu finally someone interesting!’
Yes yes yes! You are my people. 😄 I love the fact that she is complicated and in this grey area. It makes me like her more. The story wouldn't be the same without her, someone has to stir the pot. Nicola is so talented and absolutely gorgeous.
@@PensiveWhiskers lol, yes we see each other 🤗 whenever I see discourse of people saying they hate Penelope I’m just like ‘and? 💅 and she’d do it again what about it?’ I love an underdog that has people split down the middle. my dead heart actually looking forward to new season of something is monumental. I’m dying to see the new season! They want me to suffer splitting it in two parts.
This is cinemaaa~
I love Pen, she’s a fantastic complex character, can’t wait for season 3
Loved the last part about Penelope vs her mother vs society and women's biggest power being the power of words. I also love flawed characters especially as protagonist and that's what has made Penelope one of my most favourite characters, especially considering that she is a woman and is supposed to get her happy ending wich can sometimes lead to writers trying to excuse or justify heroines actions, but with Penelope they chose not to do it.
Also her actress did a great job portraying her as both vulnerable and insecure and also cunning and capable of being cruel/impulsive when she feels threatened.
I can't believe you made it all the way to the end of the video! Thank you so much for watching. This was my first attempt at doing a real video so it is a little bit all over the place. I really like Penelope as a character because she is so complex. I also like what you said about how sometimes writers try to excuse a heroine's actions. I think a good character can be flawed but likeable.
Yeah perfect characters are boring and unrelatable.
The character of Pen looks different in the show vs the books. In the books she’s had her column for 11 years and gave her family a large lump sum in secret. Eloise was never upset with her. It’s crazy how the little facts change it so deeply.
I haven't read the books but I've heard about the differences between the books and the show. Pen sounds very different in the books. I guess they wanted to keep the audience surprised as to what will happen. I wonder if they are setting Pen to financially rescue her family later on.
this is an INCREDIBLE analysis!!!!!!!!
THANK YOU!!! 😃I think she's a complex character that probably warrants more than 14 minutes but I am very happy that other people enjoy character analysis as much as I do, even though it's somewhat brief.
I just wish Penelope would use her intelligence for good. Eloise and Penelope could work together and change things for the better but instead she uses it undermine other women. She’s so smart and I understand her but I can’t justify the things she does like a lot of people do. People want Colin to gravel on his knees for her but he shouldn’t, she has actively tried to ruin his family. When he finds out who she is, he shouldn’t so easily forgive but I know the toxic polin stans would be up in arms about that.
I think I know how you feel. I am getting the impression that a lot of people are very polarized on Penelope; they either hate everything that she does and feel that she is the worst human being or justify every single one of her actions and say that she is in the right for all of them. I personally really like Penelope but I can't justify all of her actions. I don't think she has always made the best chose. I don't hate her because of it, I understand where she is coming from and why she did them while at the same time I see the other paths she could have taken.
Penelope is one of the smartest characters in the whole series, I won't say she is an angel because she isn't, she made a mistake with Eloise and could've definitely handled that situation better. However it just further proves her point that nobody notices her, even her best friend who is also very smart didn't notice because thy don't give her enough credit, to everyone including Eloise she is just a normal woman with no further capabilities, it also somehow proves the point of the sexist scenery that is presented. She is so misunderstood and neglected by everyone incluiding her friends and family, that I believe she uses Lady Whistledown to express literally everything she is not allowed to say because of "societal rules". I love her she is human and made mistakes, but in the end she is just a girl that uses that neglect to her own advantage, and honestly that is what I love most about her.
Penelope is just 19.. she’s young and of course she doesn’t know any better. Yes she could’ve handled the scandals in a better way, but she protected colin & eloise in the way she knows best. All her life, people would ignore and neglect her. It was only through LW where people actually listened to her. It was the only power that she knew, and she used it to protect two of the most important people in her life. Technically she also took the hit for the both of them. She knows that she’s gonna hurt both of them but she was willing to take the blame in the end just to save them. But putting aside all the negative side of her gossip column, penelope single-handedly managed her business during the regency era and she actually had the BALLS to strike the ton (and the monarchy) in the most witty way. She was way ahead for her time. Penelope was the only brave one enough to write about what everyone else already “knows”. Penelope was not making up gossip, she was just simply reporting about it. If it was a gentleman that accomplished that, maybe there would never be an issue in the first place. Let’s face it, she is actually brilliant. I just wish they’d show in Part 2 of Season 3 that someone would just side with her for once and defend her.
Also, please don’t forget how LW saved Daphne from ruin from Nigel Berbrooke in S1. Yeah right she saved 3/8 siblings!!!
Please. If Pen didn't want Colin for HERSELF, she wouldn't have exposed Marina.
I don't really have a problem with Penelope as a character as she is a complex and interesting one. My problem would be more with how people react to finding out she's Lady Whistledown. The girl has spent years spying on her friends and family and using their stories without consent to make money. I would have a lot of negative feelings about that if I were Colin, for example. How is he to trust her with any information? I liked that she had that conflict with Eloise because it showed me that they wouldn't treat the Whistledown reveal as flippantly as they do in the book. In the book, LW is Penelope's greatest achievement and life's work and the only reason Colin has issues with it is because he's jealous of her.
The problem is LW isn't Pen's life's work. She is a mask under which a frustrated and bullied young woman is hiding in order to get back at a society that has rejected her. LW is Pen's solution to not being allowed in the popular kids' club she wants so desperately to be a part of. And she becomes her biggest crutch that she always reverts to when she feels mistreated. Eloise rejects her? Back to writing the latest LW rag. She's upset with Colin because he friend-zoned her? She uses LW to make fun and bilittle him. And these are the 2 people she supposedly loves more than anyone else in the world.
Pen represes so many negative feelings in her real life that LW becomes the perfect outlet to exercise her manipulative and vengeful impulses whenever she feels like it. She enjoys the amount of power she has over people without them knowing. Except that LW can't bring her fullfilment in the long term. As long as she's attached to this mask she will continue to be the lonely and frustrated outcast, writing her gossip rag in her bedroom. Just like Eloise tells her.
Narratively, at the end of season 3, having gone through her physical and mental transformation, and having found fullfilment with Colin and having mended her friendship with Eloise, Penelope should give up LW and start writing something else under her own name. That would signal her coming into her own and no longer needing to hide. But given the format of the show with LW as narator, that's unlikely to happen.
I feel she is an anti-hero.
Her business is fantastic considering how many love to gossip. At first, the things she writes is not a big deal.
The problem is when she wrote about Marina. Marina needed to marry Colin due to her pregnancy and Penelope’s mom forced her to marry the first man that wants her. Marina was in a tough position. Penelope should not have exploited that. However, when it comes to Colin, she told him this before the pamphlet was written (at least I thought she did and forgot she did not mention the pregnancy)
I also think she was wrong to out Eloise.
But I don’t think she is a awful person. Just flawed like everyone else on this show.
I am not going to be mad at someone trying to make money with her talent and to separate herself from her family. She also wants to escape it since her mother and sisters are so mean.
I am hoping season 3 will prevent Penelope from destroying more of her relationships.
Ok. Let’s start with the Queen👸🏽🦚.YES, it does seem to indicate that Penelope sees the Queen🦚 as the antagonist. A woman who pins women against each other for the amusement of Men. A woman fully indoctrinated into holding women prisoner. To the male established social structure. Not to mention the 2 times Penelope was presented in front of the Queen👸🏽the distain by the Queen👸🏽 is quite evident.
No wonder she can’t find anything nice to say about her.
Personally, I would probably struggle too. It’s like asking me to say something nice about (Donald Trump). What’s nice to say?🤷🏽♀️
Ps. I am not comparing queen Charlotte🦚to (Donald Trump). I’m just saying in Penelope‘s eyes it’s probably the same.
The queens open distain gives everybody else permission to treat Penelope like she’s lesser than. Like she’s just some fat ugly invalid. That isn’t even worth consideration.
The Queen is actually the woman who created the Season so no other 17 year-old has to be sold sight unseen into a marriage from which you cannot get a divorce. That is what happened to Queen Charlotte and Lady Danbury and they abolished that practice and created a situation where young women have some choice in the matter. She is the hero.
Penelope is just a petulant brat who has such an easy life that she can complain about things like the color of a dress and doesn't even know where babies come from. She doesn't even realize how desperately her mother is struggling to make ends meet and selfishly hordes her ill-gotten riches.
@@AnaisKarim everybody’s is a hero in their own story. And everybody in the series has a level of tone deaf and unchecked, privilege some more than others. It doesn’t change the fact that whatever Penelope feels towards the queen is valid. Because that’s how she feels. That’s how she sees society and that’s how she sees the actions of those who are in charge.
And if the queen wasn’t pinning women against each other why does she have them dress up and present to her while she chooses the fairest out of them?
And disregard the rest. She didn’t exactly change anything she just created a different toxic cycle. Divorce is still not really an option. Once marriage is done, it can’t easily be undone.
Penelope, see is the queen’s actions are as ego centric and mostly self-serving.
And if I didn’t have a 360 view of everything, I would probably see it that way too because she didn’t save Edwina and the Bridgerton because she cared about them. She save them to protect her own interests. They know about her secret about her husband and his illness.
And also that she wouldn’t look 👀 inept in the eyes of her people as a inadequate matchmaker.
Long story short, she protected Anthony and Kate to protect her own reputation
She needs her whole system to succeed. So her reign has value. So she’s seen as needed an important.
Edwina was her Pawn ♟️ she only chose Edwina as 💎 bait to draw out Whistledown.
She dismissed & disregarded Daphne as soon as she didn’t live up to validating her entire toxic social structure.
I’m not saying that she’s a bad person I’m saying she has her fault’s and she doesn’t like the fact that whistledown calls her on it. And that’s a problem for anyone in a position of power you need to be able to be called on your shit.
Sometimes you start a practice to do greater good. But then as that practice goes on there will be again some loopholes that are meant to be addressed with time. After all diamonds are not the only gems that sparkle...
You can criticise/support book penelope or series penelope but not both, they are entirely two different characters. The introduction of Marina in the series reveals an ugly side of Penelope. She becomes the equivalent of baby reindeer, stalking colin, watching and waiting as he romances marina, then destroying marina to ensure there is no hope of him marrying her or his family accepting her.
It's certainly more complicated than that.
But that's what I like 😄
We are living in the modern age where it is not black vs white anymore. sometimes there is gray.
People wants authenticity and relatability and there is no such thing as goody protagonist in real life.
In real life, we are living in our own books as our own protagonist and all others are villain if they dont conform to our benefits. But to someone else life, we are their villain who makes their life hell even we didn't mean to just because we choose our own self.
In real life, we dont always get the sorry we deserve nor ever apologize for choosing our own selves before all others (with the exception if what we did is so unforgivable that it is punishable by law)
I want to state that Penelope is my favorite character in both the books and show, so of course I will be defensive of her. however I tend to jumble up events and sub context so correction is very much loved.
I feel the need to get on my soap box and preach that the show has not quite done justice to Penelope and her intellect. Pen not only, negatively writes about her sisters and mother but herself as well. She did this to draw suspicion away from herself and family. Why would Lady Whistledown write negatively about her or her family. Colin is the first to find out Penelope’s non de plume, which is by accident. Colin happens to see Penelope enter a hired coach and follows her. I feel that the show does an abysmal job of portraying the relationship between the two women.
I do however want to argue in defense of pen in the show. I will not argue that pen wrote and published Marina’s gossip out of jealousy cause she did. I do want to push against the notion that Penelope did not try and resolve this issue privately. After a dinner party between the two families Penelope catches Colin alone and before she could talk, Marina enters the hall. This interaction is after Marina learns of Pen’s feeling towards this situation. Colin was also not the only decent man after Marina. It is also apparent that Colin would not have listened to his mother or siblings when it came to him marrying Marina. Now on to Eloise. It would have been I’ll advised for Penelope to reveal her secret to Eloise, for there is no indication that Eloise would keep Pens secret. Eloise last name gives her privilege whereas Pens does not. The only point in the show, so far, where the gossip truly effect Eloise and her family is after Anthony’s failed courtship and Eloise’s scandal.
She is a villain and a hero, but more so a villain I think but one that you feel sorry for and whose evil act isn’t entirely malicious either. But still is the end. Yet she I still very loving and it’s not her fault to be in her circumstances. And she is intelligent and wants to empower herself. Complicated for sure
I will defend Penelope's controversial decisions with one word: TIME.
Marina convinced Colin to go to Gretna Green to basically have "their Las Vegas wedding". If Pen did not reveal Marina's secret that night, Colin and Marina would be married the next day, and in short period of time, Marina would be outed as a schemer regardless due to the stage of her pregnancy. It is said so in the show. I suppose that they might travel around for some time to fool society, but Colin will know that she lied to him from the start and their marriage turns sour immediately.
Pen tried multiple times to convince Marina to change her mind, convince her mother using many powerful arguments, and convince Colin without revealing the part about the pregnancy. She was still determined to cover Marina, despite everything, because she believed she still had some time.
But after she realized that she only has few hours to intervene, she panics. We see her later go to Bridgertons to cry on Eloise's shoulder, but would she be able to enter the building and talk to Violet? Talk to Colin? She cannot be certain they will welcome her that late at night or even believe her.
So she goes for the sure card and basically throws the bomb, hurts Marina, Colin, and also hurts her family and herself.
In Eloise's case, she arguably had more options and more time. The problem was Eloise. Pen knows very well that Eloise can make very rush decisions. She did not have to write a letter overnight, but could not wait much longer. Any good scheme to save Eloise and protect the Queen would take more preparation.
First option, tell Eloise the truth and make her choose instead. Probably the wisest choice, which must have crossed her mind. So why did not she do it? My answer is this: Pen feared the outcome which occured later; she feared she will lose her best-friend. She feared that proud Eloise will not forgive her for lying to her for months. Yes, the irony.
Second option, reveal her identity to the Queen. Many fans said that it is easy choice. I disagree. The Queen might not believe her. If she does, she still has a leverage over Pen as she knows that Pen will do anyhing to protect rash Eloise. She either becomes the Queen's puppet, or her reputation is tarnished, as well as her family's and likely Eloise's.
Third option, let Eloise do what she planned to; play Lady Whistledown. Very bad idea. Even if Pen stopped writing, how long can a person like Eloise play Lady Whistledown convincingly? The Queen would be furious for being fooled. And Eloise might find out Pen's identity in the process and Pen risks their friendship again.
Pen viewed her final choice as the least risky regarding her friendship (yes, the irony is strong). Pen knows that her own family recovered, and Bridgerton name is much more respected. She reveals Eloise's "radicalism", because servants likely know, and she knows that "Theo" is too personal and might only bring attention to the printshop. As Lady Whistledown stops writing, the Queen eventually stops her hunt. Eloise would be safe and Pen as well. Pen will lose her hobby, disgusted with herself and determined not to put Eloise in such of a postion ever again, but she will have Eloise.
It, of course, blows right into her own face. She was blind to the schemes of her cousin, and was saved by Colin. And right after she lets herself believe she might have a chance, she loses Eloise. She was willing to sacrifice her column for their friendship, but now column is all that is left. She loses her hope to have Colin the same night she dared to think he cares about her well-being.
Can't wait for season 3. Let's have some fun.
First, I just have to say: THANK YOU so much for writing such a detailed response! I really appreciate it. I haven't considered timing as a potential issue for Pen's decision. That is a good point and I think I need to rewatch the episodes to see how it played out. You may be right that the timing was very short in that decision. I felt that telling Colin directly was the best decision out of fairness to Colin but if Penelope had no time, that would add another challenge for Penelope.
I agree with your analysis on Pen's decision to write about Eloise. Pen revealing her identity to the Queen would have been supremely stupid. The Queen could have put both Pen and Eloise on the chopping block. I think Pen didn't tell Eloise because she didn't want to jeopardize her friendship. In the interest of honesty, I still feel that would have been the best decision; to come clean to Eloise and try to repair the friendship afterwards. But I don't hate Pen for not making that choice, because I think she was afraid of losing Eloise. She did have a short timeline to make that decision and it was a high stakes situation. I feel that Eloise is the type of character that would have kept Pen's secret, but it would have definitely damaged the relationship. So, I totally understand why Penelope was afraid.
I feel that with this video, I wasn't able to fully convey my feelings on Penelope. She's my favorite character on the show. I'm very new to making video essays so I get too much in my head when I speak and I end up cutting out a lot of stuff, including a lot of nuances. The original essay was 30 minutes. Penelope is an incredibly dynamic character and what I wanted to create with this video was an unbiased analysis of her character. I don't think I nailed that goal.
I almost feel like I should redo this one once I get better (and I would be able to incorporate Season 3 content). Again, thank you for taking the time to write this.
Beautifully said- love the analysis of her motives, which I agree with. I have always loved Penelope - she's the closest character to a modern women (in fact both her and Colin are writers are both like a modern love story), whereas Eloise is someone who only talks about what she wants to do or how to change the world instead of actually doing it (as Penelope said). I was team Pen in the fight. I will say that I liked what the writers did as we did not get to see Eloise's reaction in the book, as by this time she's runned off to meet Sir Phillip. I also think this change will help bring forward Colin's feelings for Pen as he'll stop seeing her as his sister's best friend and realise how much he misses his friendship with her and also notice that she has turned into a splendid, intelligent and beautiful woman (in addition to the other plots they have already revealed i.e. him helping her find a suitor and learning the art of courting etc, yet clearly being jealous about how well it works)
This is absolutely brilliant. I don't know why people are against Penelope. Even though Eloise was her best friend she never truly listens to Penelope. If she ever, she would know her best friend's feelings towards her brother. She always makes things about herself. Eloise chose to not be in the marriage mart but no one even asked for a dance to Penelope. Lady Whistledown only mentioned whether Eloise is a "radical". Not a word about Theo or any other things that would ruin entire bridgerton family. In the case of Marina, she was very selfish even when she knew about Penelope' s feelings towards Colin but she never cared about it. During the first seasons, Penelope was very kind towards Marina and helped her every way she could. Penelope is such a strong character and truly cared for everyone around her. In the book itself mentioned that Lady Whistledown only ruin the ones who deserves it.
Penelope is not a hero or a villain. The LW is not meant to be a selfless act, LW is personal.
Penelope uses Lady Whistledown as a creative outlet to express her frustration with how society treats her like an outcast. It's the loser but creative main character trope. Btw I'm impressed with the filmmakers' decision to let Pen talk in an Irish accent when she talks to the publishers to add to her maid look.
I think she is the real main character of the show. If ther do this right they can cobtinue lady whisteldown untill the final season and have her reveal to the world happen then. In the books it happend in book 4 wich is season 3 that way the show doesnt lose this edge i think.
A choice between Marina & Colin. Even with out Penelope’s Romantic 💝 feelings for Colin,he is her friend.I sure hope a friend would do everything in their power to help me in a situation like that .{Friend don't let friend get used and manipulated} Even more it would have been different if Colin was marrying Marina knowing everything. He didn't He was being tricked by someone he was infatuated😍with.
Penelope🦢repeatedly begged Marina🐚not to deceive Colin. To not use him as a convenient alibi. It's irritating the simplification of Colin and Penelope life long relationship. Is summed up to jealousy on Penelope part and unrequited feeling.
"She cares for his happiness she cares for his soul".
Penelope’s motivations are not as selfish as some people would like to suggest. She didn’t save Colin so that he would turn around and be with her. She knew that wasn’t going to happen. She is focused on his feelings the whole time. “What of Colin?” she asks Marina when trying to talk her out of tricking him. After the news breaks, Penelope asks Eloise how Colin is doing. It was about saving him. Even later, when Colin admits feeling like a fool and Penelope begins to declare her feelings for him, she seems to do it out of empathy and not any sort of expectation that he will reciprocate.
By exposing Marina, Penelope put her entire family’s reputation at risk. Marina has been living in their household, so they are tainted by association. But that was a risk Penelope was willing to take. Thankfully, Colin’s sister Daphne has enough social power to redeem the Featherington name now that she is a Duchess. But Penelope took that chance for Colin’s happiness, not her own.
There are multiple factors to Penelope decision-making, and thought 💭 process
Penelope was forced to use Lady Whistledown to reveal the secret pregnancy. YES🧐, Marina was in a sympathetic situation because she believed the baby’s father abandoned her, but her actions were still wrong. Colin is a good person who doesn’t deserve to be manipulated, and divorce was not a practical option then.
Once marriage is done It can’t easily be undone. A quick Google search will tell you what 18 century divorces were like. Marina would’ve been paraded through the streets and publicly shamed while people threw stuff and spit at her called her horrible names.If Colin grew tired of her dutiful coexistence in their Shame of a marriage⛪️
Various attempts by Penelope to stop things another ways were unsuccessful. Then Marina convinced Colin to run away to Gretna Green🏴,Penelope did not want to have to. Choose between her, family, and the Bridgerton’s but she was left. No choice Penelope only exposed Marina as a last resort when time⌛️ran out.
Marina broke Penelope’s trust she has proven herself to be quite manipulative and did not bother to reciprocate the kindness Penelope extended to her in the beginning. Marina, proved that she can’t be trusted. When she belittled. and invalidated. Penelope‘s feelings and her relationship. to justify the immoral’s of her actions.
Penelope only do things that hurt people (against her will) when she is between a rock🪨and a hard place.
Whistledown allows her pin money. Today we would call it allowance. The money young ladies were given for things like ribbons and lace to trim bonnets or clothes, for shoes, handkerchiefs, fichous, bonnets, reticules [purses] or underwear such as stays, chemise, or combinations, also makeup or Toiletries and perfume.
In Penelope's case she seems to spend her actual pin money on quills, ink, parchment or paper and the printing of her fliers.
In some ways, Pen’s critiques of the crown make her more of a political radical than Eloise.
I agree, I also think that Pen's writings make her more of a political radical.
I just skip everything and read the fourth book series but they changed a lot bridgerton series.
She wouldn't have exposed and humiliated Marina if it had been any other man but the one she wanted.
exactly lol.
So this shows.
Penelope is not nice at all
That was the point though. Her romantic feelings aside, Colin was still a precious friend. A few months of budding friendship with Marina wasn’t going to weigh much against years of friendship Pen had with Colin, especially when she got a front row sit at the said friend hurtling towards being baby trapped by a woman who doesn’t love him and her own inconsiderate mother helping in said baby trapping. Both as a woman with unrequited love, a precious friend of Colin and Eloise you won’t stand it. She could have talked to them? She did and they both dismissed her.
I think Penelope is a case study in an unpopular mean girl. Yeah, her body type isn’t traditional but her behavior proves she’s every bit as vindictive and cruel as those around her, she’s just upset the system doesn’t work for her. So many issues could’ve been resolved by talking and she always chose to be a messy as possible.
Thank God somebody understood it. She is even worse than cressida. She had a relatively good household bit she only envied the bridgerton ultra privileged household. Even in season 3 despite what she did to eloise marina etc , she again exposed Colin's insecurities. Even though eloise kept her secret. She tricked him into marriage
She is pure evil. Even worse than cressida as she is openly evil while pen takes the high ground and uses people's insecurities to publicly humiliate them and earn fortune.and all this is justified for people because she is not the traditional body type. Wtf. She is a compelt4 evil bully. And her claims for writing the truth, why didnot she write abiu5 her own mother's vicious estate plan . Had it been others she would have exposed them and she again kept this huge fraud from colin who in season 2 we saw was so against this scheme and protected her family apparently from jack
.but no , this means she uses thay column for h34 own selfish interest..nothing else
Well,, let’s see it this way,, are we considered journalists as villains,, or heroes? Or maybe,, antiheroes??
Nope. You use pen saying " whistledown is all i have in life and i gave it up for you" as if its a good thing, but more mature people understand that Pen is manipulating Eloise here. She may be genuinely crying, but saying you gave something up for someone so therefore they should forgive you/ put up with yout behavior is extremely toxic and manipulative.
He’s not the villain in Bridgerton there’s only one villain which I seen in the series and that would be in book number three is the wicked stepmother
Oh, yeah, book 3 aka Spicy Cinderella
I thought your voice was AI
What made you realize it was real?
@PensiveWhiskers after a while I just noticed some human emotion behind the words 🤣
You’re not the first person to make that comment. I need to work on my delivery. Even if I’m not reading, I sound kind of monotone.
Definitely the most complex and deep character on the show, just fantastic, and NC is carrying her to the finish line like a champ 🏆
This season ultimately isn't about her marrying Colin, it's about her marrying her two personalities, Penelope and her alter ego, Lady Whistledown.
Penelope is a slytherin dressed in hufflepuff clothes
I didn't like what she did to marina because it not only effected Mariana but also her own family I get that her sister's and mother treat her badly that's still no excuse
Then Penelope is not as NICE as she appears to be
Gossip can hurt people and cause ALOT of damage to people
Which is mean...
Not cool...
Is there any other real person here? xD
I think I’m real. 🙂
its wild that Pen is considered a villian when she's really only getting her lick back. Eloise deserved it. Marina deserved it. Pen always told people before she had her hand in doing what she felt needed to be done. Marina's situation was tricky but she was trying to do Colin dirty. I would hope someone wouldn't just let that shit slide. Pen tried to get through to Her but she not only said no but threw Pen's feelings in her face.
She didn't have to give up being LW for EB. EB was told several times to stop looking for her. Best friends or no that does not entitle EB to know who LW is. WE know she talks to much for that. EB would also try to influence her to write what EB wanted. Like Pen said Eloise just talks about being different but doen't really do anything. Pen's actions are justified if you understand that Pen didn't owe anyone but was kind until they either crossed her or the people she cared about. Whether you get that is up to if you can manage to truly empathize with Pen and not just rooting for everyone else.
Heroine or Villain, she sure is annoying as hell.
She saved Colin from being played! After she gave M a chance to leave him alone! I don’t see her as a villain! And E was always playing detective!!
We all give M crap but let's not forget that she actually was hoping for a George to comeback and Lady Featherington forged a letter to make Marina give up on her love.
If she didn't get any replies, she may have sought out what happened to him, and then found out about Philip. She would have explained the situation and that would have ended it.
But Lady F being a "realist" and all expected that George had just gotten what he wanted and abandoned Marina since that's what douchy guys do.
If it weren't for Whistledown then Philip wouldn't have found Marina...
And then played hum in season 3 by keeping her own identity secret from him and marrying him. Engaging with him before telling him her secret. Especially when she is aware how much he hates lw
Its pathetic how Penelope's mom and sisters pick on her, and its shows their own insecurities.
After the fucking stunt she pulled with Eloise you tell me
that was her best friend and she took a knife and shoved it right in her face.
Not in her back she made sure Eloise saw that shit coming 🐙
She removed the Sword hanging over Eloise's Head.
I don't like Penelope what she did to Marina for me was unforgivable. She destroys reputations without a care in the world of the harm she causes. She says she feels bad about her actions but ultimately continues to write and harm others whenever she feels hurt or wronged It's like people who bully others remorselessly online but you know that they would never say what they post online to your face. That's Penelope Eloise is right she's a simpering wallflower indeed.
Yeah that's how I feel about Penelope she reminds me a bit of Perez Hilton
Marina destroyed her own reputation by getting pregnant with a man even before receiving his proposal or promise, not Penelope. And she did it not to harm one person - Marina but to save another - Colin, right before Marina intended to harm Colin (do you need me to point out what that is?). And "she says she feels bad about her actions" about Eloise's event and she immediately stopped writing after that event - NOT "continues to write and harm others whenever she feels hurt or wronged".
Your unforgiveness should be reserved for someone else right on this show - Marina is the type of woman who has never said sorry to Colin after everything, and even bluntly said she did not need Colin's forgiveness in season 2. In the entire story, the only times she appears to be gentle with Colin is when she wants to trap him. Except that, no more. Her situation would have made me more sympathetic if she behaved more kindly. She bluntly declared that she would take away the love of the only person who had been good to her and always tried to help her in the Featheringtons. Marina is the type of person who always talks like she's more mature and thoughtful than everyone, but then all she does is take advantage of them and be rude to them to solve her problem. Even Sir Philip was the one who saved both her and her children, she never showed any gratitude or gentleness towards him.
She would've destroyed Reputations only if She printed untruths. The Ton deserves it ; they shamelessly gossiped around even before Lady Whistledown came into existence. It is good to see them kept in check by Lady Whistledown. Someone needs to hold the mirror to the Ton and LW did it ; all the qualification it takes to do that, is to be a living, breathing member of the Ton.
Penelope was ignored by the Ton just because She doesn't fit the beauty standards, and her financial status isn't sound. Had it been whiny little Eloise in her place, She would never have had even as much confidence as Penelope has. Penelope is Not the one who remorselessly bullies others online ; She is the one who shamelessly answers the bullies back in their own nasty language.
Marina destroyed Her own reputation. She did not even have the gall to say sorry to Colin in Season 2.
Penelope is the Villain that the Ton created themselves ; you speak so idiotically, as if She forced the Ton to read Her Column. They bought the Paper themselves, read it and circulated it. They all deserved what came to them.
Penelope doesnt reveal Marina's pregnancy to "save Colin or to save the Bridgertons" she does it for jelous, for her own good as she has a crush on Colin. If we want to be fair, Colin could have been happy with Marina and the children (He even say that he would not care about the pregnancy if Marina would tell him)
Regardless, it was still the right thing to do. Marina was the one that wasn't being honest with Colin. That's on Marina.
Actually no. Collin said that because he believe Marina had genuine feelings and love for him. But he would not be happy stuck raising kids that weren’t his if he knew she didn’t actually love him.
Nope. LOL Jealous ... what is there to get jealous about a Woman who's having a Pregnancy out of wedlock in the Regency Era ??? Absolutely Nothing.
She's using her power to hurt people who get in her way. That's a textbook definition of a villain. She doesn't deserve a happy ending without making amends first!
I believe textbook definition of villain is century old formula.
We are living in the modern age where it is not black vs white anymore. sometimes there is gray.
People wants authenticity and relatability and there is no such thing as goody protagonist in real life.
In real life, we are living in our own books as our own protagonist and all others are villain if they dont conform to our benefits. But to someone else life, we are their villain who makes their life hell even we didn't mean to just because we choose our own self.
Saying Pen uses her power to hurt people is subjective. Please consider her age, her gender, her family status and the era they were in before making a judgement call.
She did at times hurt those she loves with the good intention in an unethical way and she did has to make amends but not everthing is her fault. Pen need not be a perfect goody protoganist to deserve a happy ending.
Let the person who did no wrong be the first person to shame her. Because in real life, we dont always get the sorry we deserve nor ever apologize for choosing our own selves before all others and yet we always crave for a happy ending.
Incorrect. She did Not print Untruths. She also did Not Force the Ton to read the Papers, they did it themselves.
@@shilpavijay7490 is it fine to write about people's insecurities even if true and publish it so thay others read it and ridicule them? Wow
For anyone who has taken a literature class, Penelope is the villain. Her actions create the obstacles that the protagonists have to overcome to be together. It's not any more complicated than that. The rest is people projecting their emotions because they identify with the villain and want her to win.
No, she’s not what protagonist way was she standing in? Who was she stopping from being together? Simon and Daphne? Kate and Anthony? Because unless we’re not watching the same show, they were the cause of them not being together.
She is literally the protagonist. Without her, Colin would have been trapped in a marriage and forced to take care of children hw would know werent his. Withouth her, Eloise would have been charged with treasonn, Anthony's title and property would have been taken away and the Bridgerton would have been ruined. The only thing that saved Eloise from the Queen is Pen writing that column
@@Fan_Girl-xd8wy You did not get an A in English Lit. Daphne and Simon are the protagonists of Season 1. Anthony and Kate are the protagonists of Season 2.
@@AnaisKarimnot everything is about highschool grades 🤦 I guessing you're young. There are stories that have kind of hidden protagonists. If you look at the small pictures, each book/season is about the couples. If you look at the big picture, Penelope's adventures as Lady Whistledown, the way her actions affect others, and the tension about keeping her identity secret is a story that weaves through and spans all of the other stories. She doesn't have a conclusion to any of her storylines, but she's still a protagonist. She makes mistakes, and bends her morals but this is really a coming of age story, which traditionally shows faults like this before the story shapes the character for the good.
An obstacle for a protagonist is not always the villain it is the antagonist. And the antagonist is not always a villain. Those two terms don't always coincide with one another
Let's see she constantly writes about people's secret their life withouth their approval does not care who she hurt she betrays her best and only friend stalks basicaly her best friend brother does everything in her power to get that men even though she humiliated his sister but it's ok she is a women in love let's change the gender if a men would do something like this he would be in jail or that
Yes exactly if a man was doing this he would be locked up 🚔