"critical yet defensive" is exactly how i felt about this season. many people are upset about things but never (imo) the things they should actually be upset about.
Dude literally! I wanted to see what people were saying online bc not many irl friends watch bridgerton and I just gave up bc instead of like critical plot analysis it was mostly thinly veiled racism and homophobia everywhere. Like it did not feel safe to try and have a normal discussion about the show
when i got halfway through this script, i told my dad the word-count, and he was like "is there really that much to say about bridgerton?" and i was like...
I'm not sure whether to be grateful or frustrated that Michaela has overshadowed any discussion of how neurodivergence was added into Francesca's storyline. For what it's worth, I tend to interpret Francesca's stressed out glances at John as "I don't know where to look while people are talking to me, but it's always safe to look at John".
Dude as a late diagnosed ND lady I see so much of myself in Fran! But I remember when part one came out and other ND folks pointed out how seen they felt people got angry about it for some reason? Like god forbid we feel excited to see people like us on screen. But the Michaela discourse has sort of shut that discourse down and it doesn’t feel great as a queer person as well to know both of these identities is largely hated by the fandom at large
@@roguecodes This exactly. I'm a queer neurodivergent woman and I was delighted by the reveal because I think promising me some WLW was the only way to soothe my impending devastation about John. And then everyone in the fandom somehow managed to shit on every aspect of that all at once. It's just. Exhausting.
I get people can be queer and neurodivergent, but ai can understand how some feel that the way it was written and edited that Francesca feels different in her family because oh, she is queer now, but not because she is neurodivergent. But am glad Francesca is nice representation for neurodivergent people.
I suspect part of the reason Marcus and Violet’s love story had to happen *now now now* was the writers trying to give the main show a more tangible connection to Queen Charlotte. Violet was left hanging and maybe they didn’t want to risk viewers forgetting that.
I wouldn't have minded a little foreplay-maybe since Francesca was so like, CERTAIN of what she wanted and Colin and Penelope were so cagey since Violet didn't find out until the final episodes what the real conflict was, maybe have Danbury and her go on a bit of a widow hunt or something. It does feel a little main-casty that the first guy she tripped on did turn out to be The One For the Long Haul. Not being the actual central romance of any season could have afforded her a little time where it could've been teased out, but I'm a little apprehensive that conflict one is over for them and now there's still, ideally, four seasons where there needs to be something going on with them.
If there is a QC season 2, they should have added that as the present day storyline in that one. That would make more sense. I liked it, but felt it was rushed and had a couple of repetitive scenes.
Colin's most attractive quality was being kinder and less rakish than his brothers. His fuckboi-ification in the beginning couple of episodes did nothing to make him more appealing and everything to make me wonder whether poor Penelope was gonna catch something other than a baby on that chaise.
I mean, IMO especially after a rewatch, he was talking hot air. It wasn't fuckboi-ification but it was him attempting to be something he wasn't which is why Violet rightfully called him a people pleaser (even Pen called him out on it in LW). The most obscene thing he did was at the brothel but if you compare the "rake" shot to previous seasons, the fact that he isn't fully shown nude is basically him not wanting to do it but trying to (and let's not overlook he said he was late and was in fact, early to meeting Penelope). The characterization of him as a "rake" was meant to make you feel not-appealed because it was literally him not being him.
My main mixed feeling about the Michaela reveal was that I had LOVED the ongoing conflict between her and Violet about how love doesn't always knock you off your feet and leave you tongue-tied, sometimes love is calmer and more comfortable right from the outset and it was WONDERFUL to see that represented and to have Violet acknowledge that that was just as valid as what she'd initially thought love looked like... and then less than half an hour later we see Francesca react exactly like Violet expected when she meets the woman WE ALL KNOW is going to be her OTP, and it seemed to me like they were implying that Violet had been right all along and that the way she's going to love Michaela is not just different but more valid, and that makes me really sad. But Michaela, what little we've seen of her, the actress they cast and the chemistry those actresses have, is absolutely wonderful and I will not stand for any criticisms of that change. I just wish they'd written their first interaction in a way that didn't feel like the writers were gloating at Francesca's expense.
My only issue with the Francesa/Michaela romance introduction was her seemingly love at first reaction when they met mirroring the story of violet and edmund. It was unsatisfying because Francesca fianling got Violet to let go of her reservations and agree that love and falling in love is different for each person and are equally valid. Only for that scene is to prove violet right all along.
I get that frustration, and I think it’s impossible to tell at this point if the writers were trying to invalidate Francesca’s love for John. A huge part of WHWW is the contrast between Francesca’s two loves being different but equally meaningful, which I believe is what they were trying to set up with her conversations with Violet.
@@tinymxnticore I hope that's what it ends up being! I hope it turns out they weren't undercutting her love story with John. Excited for the Michaela storyline but invested in John too.
@@natatatt Yes John is great and so adorable with Francesca! I personally don’t care about book accuracy too much when it comes to Bridgerton, but it would be a shame if they’re really going for “Violet was right to doubt her and she never had real love for John” rather than “Violet was right to apologize and there are different ways to experience and share love.”
I personally didn't find her relationship with john devalued by her intrigue upon meeting michaela, and I think intrigue (followed quickly by confusion and guilt) was what they were going for rather than love at first meeting. With that said, that goes back to Julia's point that that would have been true whether michael had been gender bent or not. Francesca can either have an inkling of attraction to michael/michaela while john is still alive or she can fully switch up after he dies which feels just as likely to come off as invalidating. Maybe seeing her have a moment of curiosity and then turn back to have another happy moment with john afterwards would have planted the seed without implying any regret.
I know a lesbian couple who struggle with infertility and it seems really aggrivating as a lesbian myself that our desire for children is seen as lesser than straight people. "You chose this" i didn't actually, qnd even then you can have infertility independent from sexuality. Was talking to my friends recently about how we never talk about how when youre queer people around you mourn the person they thought you were, and you had to kill the part of yourself that conformed to societal expectations around love and gender. My parents straight up deny i could want kids because of my sexuality. Idk if i want kids. I kinda want to foster.
I think the Michaela change could totally work with an infertility story! Instead of Francesca becoming fertile out of nowhere, something that may never happen for people, she can have children by Michaela! Like how beautiful would that be!
I was so confused when people were saying 'But Francesca's infertility subplot!' because lesbians can have infertility issues?? I think Francesca having to grapple with the reality of not being able to have children if she follows her heart vs forcing herself to find a new husband for the sake of having children would be pretty compelling
i do really agree that The Look of this season did nothing for me - the lighting too felt really flat and i didn't really notice until i binged the first two seasons and then saw the first half of season 3. a lot of the magic and beauty of the first seasons got kinda lost when the frame looks bland, washed out and contrastless imo
I am SO GLAD you mentioned how the side plots were better intertwined in season 1, and that's what people are longing for. And I agree that the way they used worker chatter to get information to be published by Lady Whistledown is sorely missed. I loved the creativity of that and I wish it was more present.
Having Francesca try all season to get her mom to understand that she experiences life and love differently than her but that doesn't make it lesser than only to then have a love at first sight moment at the end was frustrating. Her arc this season was about trying to show that even though she doesn't want the same kind of life as her siblings and mom that doesn't mean she's unhappy, and her courtship and marriage were really cute. I knew going in that it wasn't going to be her end game, but when Stirling showed up with a rewritten music piece for her? Beautiful moment! I liked their relationship, I liked that her mom finally accepted her point of view on relationships, and I hated the rug pull of "never mind, love at first sight is always the right choice, Violet was right the whole time". And with all of that said. I rewarched Michaela's introduction six times. I had chills. I wanted to cry. I wasn't sure how I would ever be okay with the death of John Stirling when I found him so endearing. And then she said who she was and I was also in love at first sight. The show might have fumbled how she was brought up but I wanted to scream I was so excited that this dumb period drama was going to have an entire season dedicated to a wlw couple. As an autistic lesbian I was thrilled to see both sides of Francesca, I just wish they could've been blended together a little smoother. On a related note this season was bad because Penelope only got to show off her boobs once and they deserved better.
I agree 1000%. As much as I love that we're getting a lesbian romance on the show, and as much as I'm excited to get to know Michaela, I am bitterly disappointed that John and Francesca's relationship, which I found beautiful and very romantic in it's own quiet, gentle way, is completely undermined by the insta-love that's established with Michaela. And I would feel exactly the same if Michaela was Michael. It's not about the gender of the character, it's about the character existing at all and what that implies about the validity of the kind of relationship John and Francesca represent.
I really wish that instead of going with the beat you over the head love at first sight shtick, they had introduced Michaela as intriguing to Fran. Like there's an automatic interest and attraction to this person, but it's not as straightforward as her feelings for John. So we can have these scenes of tension until their season comes of Fran really trying to figure this person and feeling out without having to watch her fall out of love with John, if that makes sense.
@@cr1s1savertedfornowalso a big thing in the books and I’m not even a book purist but the fact that she had no interest in Micheal until the death and even then she had to go through grief makes it better imo, like in the face of tragedy she can learn to love again
Two things really bugged me in partiuclar about some of the discourse around this season. One: the homophobia (and misogynoir) with Micheala's character, especially with them trying to couch it in actually being concerned about Francesca's storyline. Like, her story can very much still be in part about her struggling with fertility. In fact, her having feelings for a woman could be one of the ways that idea is explored! In s1, Daphne choosing to be with Simon even when she thought it meant they could never have children was something she was okay living with because of her love for him. Francesca could face a similar but more in-depth dilemma. Realizing that if she chooses to be with Michaela, she is never going to have children the way she always thought she would, but that doesn't mean she can't still have a fulfilling life. And, they could still find ways for them to raise a family! Maybe they take in some kids who have nowhere else to go, who knows. The point is, it's not like that choice automatically erases the possibilities in that storyline! Secondly, the way some fans have zeroed in on Jess Brownell as the focus of all their ire, as if she was the only one in charge of any of these choices. The way people talk about her is honestly really weird, and feels very steeped in misogyny as well. As you said, there's plenty to criticize about this show, and there always has been! But the way some people talk about it is wild and really reveals some dark underbellies within the fandom (in ways that perhaps aren't surprising, but are still very disappointing all the same).
I love these videos because I watch Bridgerton with my brain completely off and you organize your feelings in such an eloquent and satisying way that it really brings the season together for me. I legit dont consider a season fully watched until you post you review.
I think my biggest gripe this season is the pacing of Eloise and Cressida's fallout, the writing around it just felt awkward? I am glad Peneloise reconciled but I felt that it shouldn't be at the cost of Cressida and Eloise's friendship. I know the Cressida pretending to be Whistledown and blackmailing Penelope plot was lifted from the book but I don't know, it came off to me that Creloise's friendship was made AND broken JUST to reaffirm and validate Penelope. Like god forbid all three women resolve their issues with one another. It just added to my frustration about Penelope getting off easy but Cressida doesn't. Why are there realistic consequences for one character, but not the others? I don't have anything against Penelope, but the writers do not seem to know how to handle female relationships.
again, i think i chalked it all up to the fact that i don’t think her story is over. in the interim, i agree, but i want to give it time to wait and see idk
@@juliacudney oh I agree with your sentiments in the video completely! I hope she and Eloise hash it out in season 4, they were the highlight of season 3 for me (esp part 1)
I agree. It was especially frustrating that the big Eloise and Cressida fallout was Eloise being mad at Cressida for something she knew she was lying about. Eloise knows she's not Whistledown, knows she never wrote anything bad about Eloise, but that's why they stop being friends. I can see Eloise maybe being overwhelmed by the secrets and everything, but I don't get why Cressida was the villain in that situation especially after she spent a lot of time trying to outright tell Eloise what was wrong. Cressida got that big moment to tell Eloise that maybe she isn't as thoughtful and smart as she likes to think, but by the end of the season she's telling her mom that she was "wrong to discard Eloise" and that didn't even happen! The sequencing was confusing and didn't serve the conflict.
@@Maarttii I don't think Eloise was ever mad at Cressida for lying about being Whistledown, maybe slightly annoyed (because Cressida doubled down on Eloise's anxiety that night) but she did have to stop being friends with her because to the eyes of everyone else, especially her family, Whistledown wrote bad stuff about Eloise so it would've been suspicious if she continued being friends with her. Eloise even says she's sorry. It's not until Cressida takes this ("I cannot be your friend any longer") as a slight, that she insults Eloise, unconsciously echoing Penelope's words ("All you ever do is talk"). That is what Eloise is mad about. My gripe is that on first or second watch, you don't really catch this. You have to repeatedly watch their scenes in order to make sense of it. It was very rushed.
@@athena9181 ah, evidently !! I totally missed it I was like I don't understand why Eloise is mad at Cressida at ALL; I think most people would expect her to ask her friend why she was telling an obvious lie, but that never materialized 😅
you are so right about the chemistry and the editing esp the hot air balloon scene and the sneak of the dance rehearsal scene. i could watch luke newton beside that column forever. makes me sad these opportunities were missed but oh well #polin forever
“critical yet defensive” is also how i’ve been feeling. friends to lovers is probably my favorite trope so i was real excited for this season and there truly wasn’t enough pining for my liking. part of me wonders if this show would benefit for just even 2 more episodes per season, but maybe the pacing will adjust better now that the first big arc (the whistledown stuff) is wrapped up, they aren’t having to build so many other plots up at the same time? ill be interested to see how much time francesca and john get next season, or how they’re gonna set up eloise since presumably she’ll keep her spot as s5 lead
Unfortunately, I think next season is going to still have too many side plots. They're prob going to try to build up on Francesca/John/Michaela (which I hope won't take away time from Ben's romance plot). They'll work on Violet with Marcus and might even start setting up Eloise's plot. I'm assuming the boxer guys family is going to be involved somehow. Kate, Anthony, and Penelope are prob going to have appearances, too, since they had kids.
I am not surprised that the TH-camr who's always correct about Bridgerton continues to be CORRECT ABOUT BRIDGERTON! thank you!!! and thank you especially for pointing out the homophobia in people's reaction to Michaela, and doing so in a nuanced way, oh my god it was driving me insane to see the fandom's reaction to Michaela
Thank you for bringing up the issue with the connection between the main story and subplots being a bigger issue rather than screen time. A part of why I think people didn’t take issue with the s1 subplots was thaw fact there was a clear connection between each subplot and the fact they all linked together with the main plot at the end of the season. I ultimately think people need to move on from the arguement of fairness of screen time distribution and focus more on the quality of screen time than the quantity.
@@kickflipindi Whenever I questioned their main criticisms (mainly that Francesca wants to be a mom and John's inheritance) and gave solutions and options that would still fit the themes I was met with "why do they always change straight to gay but never the opposite?" whining, so I assume it's just homophobia because they wanted *another* male rake to lust over.
@@aprilthecatit’s fucking ridiculous, the Francesca book was not good, none of them are masterpieces, the amount of whining, homophobia/biphobia is ridiculous.
i'm sorry that you've experienced that, i'm glad that there are some people like julia that foster nuance and listening, as somebody who is bisexual myself and was actually really excited at the idea of an eventual genderswapped love interest, if you haven't already i recommend princess weekes video on bridgerton season 3 (all her others as well) as it provides some much needed nuance about francesa and a valuable perspective on how black characters are written on bridgerton, overall I immediately loved both john and michaela and think francesas two great loves arc will be beautiful to see, to me, and Weekes expresses it better, it feels a bit like it undermines some really love moments and the arc this season between violet and francesa where violet only seems to validate the fiery passionate at first sight love, and francesa advocates and convinces her that love can be gentle and calm and still valid which I and many others appreciated as an sensory avoidant austistic person i hope they do right by all the characters and john and michaela's actors get well-written arcs, I am still rather excited especially to see more people of colour and queer people esp I hope they are able to embrace both queer and neurodivergent elements that make francesa such an interesting character
I agree with literally all of these points. Somehow this video is simultaneously chill, unhinged, what we needed, and what season 3 deserved. Brava maestra!
I also would have allocated more time to the pining portion of Polin's relationship, and a lot less to the sulking portion in the back-half of the season. Like, yeah, okay, dramatically speaking, they definitely wanted to go out on a finger bang instant engagement for the season break in the middle. But why did that had to happen in the first place. What was gained from that. Were the other episodes not done but those couple of weeks made all the difference? Bizarre and baffling.
As someone who hasn't actually read the books my biggest gripe with Michaela was the way they introduced her on the show. I really really enjoyed Frans romance this season and I liked the point they were making about how love can look different, but her having the like classic first impression attraction to michaela as was referenced by Violet I think just took away from that message for me. It was only a couple seconds though so I'm willing to see where it goes, I really hope they show her love for John and don't take the story in a she never really had true love with John and feels attraction to Michaela the whole time she's married. Would have preferred they stick to the books with Michaela being the one to feel that pull at first meeting
I loved this season, it's actually refreshing to see someone discuss it with a level-head and a lot of sensibility like you did, Julia. Your videos are the only place where I feel I can engage in this fandom without going insane.
The way they used the Romancing Mr Bridgerton episode referring to Benedict getting wooed by his (positive, beautiful, absolutely insanely edited) polycule instead of Penelope and Colin was rude asf 😂
I do feel Polin was rushed, but I felt like it was rushed in individual scenes rather than as a whole. The camera didn't linger over those important moments. I keep thinking of Simon and Daphne looking at paintings, the way their fingers stretched towards one another. The show didn't allow breathing room on those moments this season. In the same vein, I agree, the editing impacted their chemistry. They had TONS of chemistry in seasons 1 and 2, it was electric. That moment when they stare at each other across the Bridgerton drawing room, man.
This is the MOST comprehensive review of the season I have seen and honestly, every thought well articulated. Overall, the season was not perfect but honestly the season definitely gets more flack than necessary. Personally my favorite season, and one thing I think I realized overall about the show is I do feel it is one of the rare shows out there made with rewatch in mind. It is produced on a platform that encourages rewatch, and that is why I find all the excessive flack it gets absurd...like rewatch the show because it is produced with that in mind...because overall it was so good flaws and all (and yes FRANCHAELA FTW)
6:40 Yeah, the editing was SO silly with the Benedict threesome! He does say in a later scene something about "all their time together" so I choose to interpret it as him staying the whole 36hrs+, but it's so obviously only one scene they shot😂
I have to say this is probably one of my favorite bridgerton reviews I've seen thus far, and not only bc you were critical instead of being crass or cruel. I liked that you divided it into sections, and made some great points about the side plots for ensemble characters, namely Benedict, Violet, and the Mondrichs. As for Polin, I do agree that they way certain scenes were shot and/or written kind of interfered with the audience's reaction towards their romance. I think they have great chemistry (the interviews they did are proof enough) but unfortunately, I don't think it was always shown very well. Still, I enjoyed the season for what it was; an escape from my reality 😂😂❤ P.S. I did not read the books, but the outrage from Michael now being Michaela is *undoubtedly* driven in homophobia. But honestly, even if they kept Michael, they'd still would have a problem with the casting bc he wouldn’t be white. (Someone reminded me of the backlash RJP got after he was announced as Simon & #notmyduke was trending on twitter)
Tbh I was almost hoping that LW just…wouldnt be revealed to the public. Like that it’d be enough for those closest to her to find out and accept who she was, especially bc they had Penelope use LW to manipulate plot elements and make it more scandalous than the books. Just because I LOVED her as a plot mechanic - but also I’ve always been a bit salty they revealed LW so early on in both the show and the books, so ‘twas doomed.
Damn I literally just got on the train for a long train ride. This couldn't have come at a better time!! I'm so ready for 48 minutes of completely correct takes
I really enjoyed this season, but i also had complaints. strangely, when i saw others takes online, they were completely different ones that i disagreed with though. lol. i had two main complaints, and you mentioned one of them. i agree that some scenes tended to feel too short, in terms of camera not holding enough to convey what it was meant to, like with the hot air balloon. although in other areas it was done to near perfection, like the carriage scene. my other complaint i haven't seen many verbalize is that i think that i felt there were too many things left unsaid. like the whistledown thing, pen and colin had many short conversations about it, but as an audience member i wanted a big scene where pen got to fully explain herself, and colin got to say what he needed to as well. where the audience knows, "okay, colin knows everything" and isn't wondering what he's thinking pen's intentions were so much. i get it might be more realistic for things to be unsaid in this manner, but as a viewing experience i would have preferred it all hashed out between them, and between eloise and pen as well. interestingly, i think the best scenes in hashing things out were between portia and pen. also, it might be bc i just started to sir phillip with love, but i am aghast at none of the family seemingly writing to colin, and he doesn't confront any of them about it. book eloise could not fathom that lol.
I just typed your second point in my own comment and deleted it because I had been going on too long but 100%. You never really feel like they clear the air or see eye to eye. It’s Pen whimpering and begging, then kind of standing up for herself but with no justification for her specific actions. Colin is a dick and in some ways has a right to be but he takes it way too far and never really has to eat crow for it. I would have loved to see them really have it out and also have angry sex instead of him SLEEPING ON THE COUCH and giving SILENT TREATMENT!! I think it would have wrapped everything up way better for them.
Loved your analysis as usual! It’s interesting because I was happy about/interested in Michaela’s character. However I was sad she was introduced so early and that Francesca’s reaction to her made it seem like she wasn’t really in love with John. I loved Fran and John together and I think that looking into a widow’s relationship after having loved her late husband would be so much more compelling than if she just didn’t really love John and his death just allowed her to be with Michaela (which I am worried that they might be setting up).
6:01 ok, but this is so true, I was talking with a friend about a week before seasons 3 came out, and she mentioned she hoped they followed up on a particular plot point, and I had absolutely no clue what she was talking about. I rewatched the entire series, and I think I remembered the characters names, who ends up with who…. And that’s about it. Like, I’m glad i rewatched it or I would have been so lost. Anyways, love the video.
I love the chapter titles! 😂😂😂 Loved the whole section on Colin, because I just don't care about him as a character, and your "if you told him he's boring, he'd agree" actually made him make more sense to me! I *wanted* to like him, but they never quite got me there, they never made him interesting to me, or really lingered in who he is, and I wish they had. The chemistry part is also very interesting, bc in interviews the actors seem to have chemistry, and Eloise and Penelope have fantastic chem on screen, so a failure on the part of filming/editing makes a lot of sense. (I think it's also bc in comparison, Luke Thompson and Johnathan Bailey are SO charismatic, that poor Luke N falls short. Sorry buddy)
I think sometimes people forget how much Bridgerton functions as a fantastical, speculative genre. They’ve never been serious about anything resembling historical accuracy-a boundary established from S1, however problematic with regards to solving racism et cetera-so Queen Charlotte pulling a deus ex machina whenever a problem is too big for the writers to properly plot their way out of makes perfect sense for their world.
totally agree about editing being one of the main reasons the build-up of their relationship felt off. the director of photography changed this season too -- the previous seasons had the same DP as Dirty Dancing, Jeffrey Jur, who is just so so good at building tension and creating intimacy
I'm fine with Michaela. I don't like Francesca's love story with John being put on the second shelf, so to speak. I don't care whether that's the case in the book, and if they'd done it with a Michael, I still wouldn't have liked it. I'm hoping it won't be that, because I loved the story that every love isn't melodramatic and that Francesca could have two great loves. Maybe they can backtrack and get to that in season 4.
I feel like Francessa had to convince the audience and her mother that her non-dramatic and subtle and quiet falling in love is just as valid as the other pairing only to give her a love at first reaction with someone else basically undermine.
@@carmenudoye6949I hated it! Francesca’s storyline was the best one this season and then they butchered it with “love at first sight” within a few minutes.
Part 2: Why the side plots did not bother me as much in season 1 and 2 is because they were cohesive to the main story line aside from Jack and Portia’s scheme. That one needed to be condensed. I do agree with fans that Kate and the Sharmas needed their back stories and development and the time used on the scheme could have easily been used for Kate and her family. But Eloise’s dynamic with Theo tied in with the LW search and starting the arc of Penelope and Eloise’s friendship falling apart and how are they going to fix it? The queen picking Edwina as the diamond kept the continuity of the world building. And they only stuck with a few sideplots in the previous seasons. There were too many in season 3.
I see what you're saying about Colin standing up for Penn, at times, and generally being a good older brother, but as someone who didn't rewatch either S1 or S2 before S3 dropped, my lasting impression of Colin was of him insulting Penn in order to look cool infront of his friends. Then, with the premier of S3, we see him being a rake, hooking up with everyone in a skirt, and general f*ckboi energy. So to have his mother say he's such a kind and selfless child felt disingenuine. This season really suffered from the lack of flashbacks, it would've been so much more satisfying to actually see Colin and Penn's first encounter along with other interactions between them so we, the viewer, could appreciate why she fell in love with him.
yeah just watched the dance scene bts and im astonished how much a difference it makes. More than getting to see Colin at the pillar, I liked the steady cam so much more than the handheld they went with. Yes it's visually beautiful and dynamic, but it takes away from the incredible work the actors are already doing to portray that turbulence and tension. Would have worked maybe for characters that were less expressive, but colin and pen, even here when they're arguing and keeping secrets, have a comfort existing fully around each other that comes through so much more fully without the constant motion. Really out of touch choice. IDK how some shows pull off successful balance and communication between concurrent crafts it's like magic to me, but it's still sad to see it miss the mark.
They’re just really bad at overlapping the storylines. I keep saying that one change that would’ve really helped the pacing of season 2 was involving Edwina in the whistledown storyline like they actually set up. It also could’ve been used to strengthen her character arc. Given the short length of seasons, they have to do more to meld these storylines together
The unintentionally hilarious thing about the people aggrieved over "lost" infertility representation is that infertility is not a focus in the book at all. Its inclusion in the storyline outside of Fran's miscarriage (which still can happen) is entirely in the second epilogue tacked on years after the book was written. Even outside of the many ways they can portray infertility in a queer relationship, it's pretty obvious fake outrage fueled by homophobia.
That's YOUR take. As for those of us who have experienced a miscarriage (or more than one),it IS a big deal. It's not homophobic. Francesca wanted a big family and a quiet life with John. Shondaland's VISION (and Julie Pottinger/Julia Quinn allows it because she's already been paid off) is to see how far they can push it. I've read fan fiction that is better than their Polin storyline. It's beyond sad that those of us who read the books and liked the stories are being told that we are homophobic because we don't like what is being done. Too bad Shondaland wasn't talented enough to just create a completely new story and make it her own rather than reduce Bridgerton to the mess it's becoming. I'm sure there where fan fiction out there with gay people she could have brought to Netflix. I guess it's more fun to upset the fans of a series that's been out starting in 2000.
The infertility/miscarriage story is important to those of us who experienced it. Obviously, you'd rather call us homophobic. Eloise would have made more sense to become a lesbian. Her interest in the women's movement could have brought her out of the closet but instead they had her meet a boy. But of COURSE! That wouldn't be as shocking and upsetting as changing Francesca's story.
@@renaerolley5670 The outrage over an infertility story (before it has even been written) that is not cisgender/heterosexual is, yes, homophobic. Julia Quinn, who wrote the story, signed off on the change herself.
@sammiem-b4371 Julie has gotten her money between the books and series rights. Why should she care? Considering that the LGBT+ community is a small part (under 10% of the population) it seems like every writer who is in it makes lt seem like it's 50% and the other 50% of the population is homophobic. It will remain to be seen if they can get all eight season done with people getting tired of the books they loved being ridiculously rewritten.
i was so wondering why I didn't feel the chemistry between pen and colin when I did in the first 2, thanks for finding a practical explanation! I had the same problem with season 2 but I am audibly in the minority there. I'll have to ponder why kanthony didn't do it for me. Great video as always!
I think audiences generally have a hard time actually noticing editing. I've seen so many shows be criticized for bad acting/writing/visuals/directing when really what they gave is bad editing and pacing.
I have never watched Bridgerton, but I continue to enjoy Julia’s videos about it because I like when people talk passionately about media and all the main couples are hot together
It’s always such a relief to see your Bridgerton videos and finally get a sane, nuanced take. I will not get in to personally rebutting all the hot takes online because it’s not worth it, so it is so satisfying to me to watch this. I agree the pacing was crazy and the leads had plenty of chemistry but weren’t given room for it to shine. On top of your points I feel like Colin and Penelope lost some of their charm in the glow up. They both seemed stiff, especially Penelope in her longline corsets and plastered on Hollywood waves. Even the sex scene seemed self conscious about sucking in stomachs and only shooting flattering angles. Both actors in press seem so confident and alluring that I really blame set direction and editing for that too. Like the direction was so concerned about proving their “non conventional” leads were sexy they took all of the sex appeal away. I think the show really failed to convey A LOT of what they intended. The bits that work are so good, it’s disappointing that it work cohesively.
I think Threads surprisingly is the best place to discuss Bridgerton season 3, at least that's what I've found. Everyone is relatively normal about it in that I can share my opinion (good or bad) and there's no heated pushback from either side (people who loved it and people who hate it). Just peoole laying out their points in a normal way. Just the other day I posted about not liking the cinematography of this season, and there were people who both disagreed and agreed with me, but no one felt the need to yell in my face (figuratively speaking) about how wrong I was for feeling however I felt about the cinematography. There's no fighting about which ship is the best ship, there's no fighting about which season is the best season, it's just people saying e.g. they still like season 2 the most and stating why, and people politely disagreeing or agreeing. In fact, because of the Bridgerton community there, I've kinda warmed up more to season 3 than on my initial watch.
julia you’re great but not even you reciting the entire english vocabulary could make me un-mad that eloise was doomed into heterosexuality to make space for a sibling that spawned this season like a wild pokemon
i’m really high and got majority of the way through the video before i realized that you were editing on the smiley emoji onto people whose profile photos you were censoring, and it isn’t just all the same person 😅
This season was a strange one to me. It’s definitely the season that has the most noticeable amount of flaws, yet at the same time, I also found it the most emotionally fulfilling. I think, because Penelope and Colin are both such nuanced and complicated characters without the very dry cut easy-to-slot-in archetypes of the other 4 leads, it gave them the ability to make this season a bit more deep and muddy with their conflicts. Pen and her mom being a great example. At present each season has had a lead with a complicated parental relationship (this is a trend that will definitely continue), but they were much more easily definable. Simon was good, his dad was bad. Anthony and Violet are both noble and they wanted to maintain that, so they didn’t allow the story to paint either of them in a genuinely poor light. But it’s different with Pen and Portia. Both characters have done some genuinely morally reprehensible things, and yet still maintain an air of likability. Therefore they could make their conflict more complicated without having to worry about the repercussions of painting one of them in a bad light. This was a trend I felt throughout the whole season, and I think it made the conclusion to most conflicts infinitely more fulfilling than with prior seasons. Anyway, happy Julia-Bridgerton day for those who celebrate 🎉 Your first Bridgerton video was the first video of yours id ever seen, and you kept me hooked ever since!
35:30 Even Nicola said that that line doesn’t make sense, Colin’s only personality trait is using his family’s money to travel; when did he ever put others above him? 😭
I don’t think nic ever said that she just said she found the meme funny not that she disagreed with the assessment of Colin. Also Julia provided examples for the scene again it’s about people PLEASING. Which by nature is putting others above yourself (emotionally)
Part 1: I think why I was disappointed with the side plots this season is because of how disjointed they were from the main storyline. I love Francesca and John because their book was around the same time as Polin’s, so that makes sense. The theories about the Modriches made me realize if they did not give up on the parallels of keeping their buisness while Penelope keeps her writing, I would love it more. My problems is when the show runner and editing team stopped keeping repetitive scenes the stories did not need to be there, there would be more time to keep conversations and events from Polin’s book.
ur the only youtuber i trust to not chalk it up to ragebait in their criticisms of the show! i swear the internet has a lot of shit to talk about the most watched show of the summer lol (kanthonys im looking at u)
Just wanted to say that I absolutely love your content!! You are for sure my favourite bridgerton commentary girlie, your content is always a joy to watch and the way you can present the ways you disagree with some decisions while also being respectful it's always great. Also I'm super glad you adressed the fandom's attitude, because, although I super understand being super intense about shows you love, the amount of negativity about this season was just insane. Being "critical and yet defensive" is exactly how I felt about it.
My only real gripe with the portrayal of the Polin romance was the lack of their initial meeting. I know they got a budget for flashbacks, so when you have the friends to lovers trope and you don't show any of Penelope's initial pining or them at least spending some time to reminisce on their past relationship ... it feels more like the show is telling me they are friends and had these moments without actually showing me.
I honestly can’t get behind the intention of the Mondriches KNOWING Shonda’s record of how she is currently treating her POC leads. It feels like she’s trying to force herself to care about black love, than actually caring about it.
In this case I think Shonda gets a little too much credit and blame for the show’s choices, but I agree that the writers are using the Mondriches as a shield rather than confronting the racism and colorism on their show.
@@tinymxnticore I agree because I know that Shonda is not showrunner. But it’s also about the image she projects. She doesn’t write as much as she produces, but her works have similar couplings to the point where it feels like a pattern. This felt more about changing her image in the eyes of people accusing her of race bating to me
People misunderstand 3 things about Bridgerton EVERY season: 1. There are going to be changes to the novels. They are never going to directly copy the books one to one because they are mills and boon level romance. Season one deviated pretty heavily but somehow book fans want a copy paste. 2. This show is labelled as an ensemble cast, but people constantly complain about it being one. I think they fundamentally don’t know what an ensemble cast is. 3. JULIA QUINN NEVER SIGNED A CONTRACT SAYING THAT THE LOVE INTERESTS WOULD BE THE SAME AS THE BOOKS. People craved a gay plotline with Benedict or Eloise, but raged when it was their favourite book.
My biggest gripes with season 3 are: 1. The 14 layers of makeup they put on Penelope do not make look any prettier than the actress already is, they make her look like a painter hooker. 2. I haven't read Francheska's book, but the way it was told me - Michael was secretly in love with her while she was married to his cousin. So I was not happy with Francheska falling in love with Michaela at first site right after her wedding. Kind of invalidated whatever feeling Frncheska has for her husband while he is still alive. 3. The whole Colin helping Penelope find a husband subplot was so unbelievably cringe, I expected it to end in "this was all a dream" revelation.
We know why we needed Tilley to reintroduce homosexuality and non monogamy to Benedict. Because the show didn’t trust the audience to understand that Benedict is bi/pan without having him be with a woman too. He had to have a threesome because they thought the only way to show that he isn’t gay but instead is bi is to have him have sex with multiple genders at once. Revealing your character is bi through a threesome already annoys me (a bisexual) but it annoys me even more because it’s obvious they did it because they didn’t want the audience to think Benedict is gay because they thought that would put people (women) off from investing in him as a male lead and might suggest that his love interest won’t be a woman. They wanted to have their cake and eat it to, have Benedict be bi so all of us that have wanted bi Benedict since seaosn one are happy and have people (homophobes) who would not be invested in an mlm romance or be apparently unable to wish fulfilment themselves into an mlm relationship be assured that next season won’t be gay. It’s annoying because they didn’t! have to do it like that. They make it a threesome/throuple to also suggest implicitly that it is less serious than another relationship. It’s the narrative of “you can have as much fun as you want and then you’ll settle down” which isn’t that what the lads basically say when they’re drinking in the club. I see the argument that “if we introduced a male love interest now then it would serious and be hard to cast them off so Benedict can have his season” but that’s a problem in and of itself. There are endless ways to write a fling or situationship ending and a monogamous relationship is not more serious than a polyamorous one. I wouldn’t have said this a few months ago because I was trying to be grateful about two bi+ characters in a show but with the fandom biphobia I’m done playing as nice.
I think the subplots MAY have felt like they took up more space, simply because they weren’t as dynamic or interesting as they were in the past so made them stand out in a bad way
Where I got mad is I felt the show runner and many feel the same, is that they focused on the favorite characters instead of the main couple. Colin barely got character development, were wishy washy with why Penelope wrote as LW in the first place, and we did not get enough conversations with them in the first place. Also, it feels weird that the mirror scene in the show combined the statement in the book, their first time, and the drawing room scene in one scene. It should have been separate scenes so we can see the ups and downs of their relationship in the book. Shoehorning in their intimate scenes in one scene makes fans feel that they don’t care enough about this couple. It was like “you got what you wanted”, now we’re focusing on what we want to focus on. It just made me mad. Yes, adaptations don’t need every little thing from the book, but I felt they didn’t even try to use it. I still felt the spirit of books 1 and 2 in their seasons. I didn’t fully see that spirit of Polin’s book in their season. Rants done. On the other topics, she said everything I felt about them.
My favorite section is “come and get this polin” - Sabrina carpenter. I was obsessed with Espresso over the summer because I was convinced that it was a Polin song. ☕️ I’ve heard that shooting for S4 is beginning this month and I’m super excited to see what content they release to promo the synopsis of the season and to signify the beginning of filming. Although I have to admit, I am not looking forward to the two year wait 😢.
I agree with almost every opinion you shared but I just still don't understand the defense of the Mondrich's. It's the same issue as with Lady B's garden or Benedict's pansexuality. Why is this in this season if it does not relate to the plot at all and their main reason for existing (commentary about class structure) isn't a thing anymore either. I can see the defense of them being the only black romance in the show, but that doesn't make the writing better?
You are so right julia (as always). I especially love what you said about Cressida's possible role in season 4, bc I think she is going to be the meddlesome sibling with a lot of screen time, & I'm so excited to see her in that role. I'm hoping her relationship with Sophie will be something like Cinderella and Anastasia in the 2nd and 3rd Disney Cinderella movies. That way she can eventually be an ally to Sophie and Benedict and get her own redemption as well. On another note I kinda hope that the writers continue this idea of Benedict being a bit unconventional in his relationship to Sophia. I want to see them be a happy unconventional couple.
I agree with almost everything you said here, but I do feel the need to comment on the Francesca/Michaela situation. I was disappointed to see her...because I was hoping they'd do away with the character altogether. I knew they wouldn't actually do it, but I hoped. I hoped desperately because from the moment he appeared on screen I looked at John Stirling and I said "That's my baby boy. I would die for him." I absolutely adore his and Francesca's relationship, and I found it really refreshing as a comparison to all the passionate, dramatic love that is depicted in the show. They liked each other in such a gentle, quiet, genuine way. And they were also (at least it seemed to me) so clearly autistic and asexually coded. Them finding each other, finding someone that truly understood them and allowed them to be themselves...that was the most romantic thing I think this show has ever done. And the dissatisfaction Francesca felt at their first kiss just felt like a confirmation of her asexuality to me. In hindsight, yes it does work as foreshadowing as her being a lesbian. And I'm happy that we're going to have one of the Bridgertons in a queer endgame relationship (although I maintain that genderbending Sophie would have made more sense), but it does make me sad to know that John will have to die to facilitate it, and that that quiet, gentle love they had wasn't just as good as the passionate love that is what we always see. I know it's not intended, but it still feels like a slap in the face to viewers who identify more with John and Francesca than Anthony and Kate, or Daphne and Simon, or even Penelope and Colin. (apologies for the very long comment, I just have a lot of feelings)
I can understand that Polin weren't given more or less then what the other couples had, but my problem is the editing of it (I just realised this ha ha), like the sex scene of Ben was placed right at when Polin were having problems, I can't have a show showing me 2 emotions at once without letting me breathe and process it, we needed the show to give us time to transport us, and even though I know the show wasn't structured like that, I wanted to see them YEARN more, love more and have more sex scenes.I think that's why the 1st season was better at this, they placed the couple doing the thing a lot because they were in love, never mind Simon's rape scene that they should've been treated differently or cut it out completely, and I felt that was lacking. 19:32 the mondriches was actually a side plot I wished I saw more of, I wanted to explore more of this "no nobleman should have a bar" thing, it was interesting and I wished to see more of an expantion of the class commentary this had in the universe. 44:05 yes, thank you!
"critical yet defensive" is exactly how i felt about this season. many people are upset about things but never (imo) the things they should actually be upset about.
Dude literally! I wanted to see what people were saying online bc not many irl friends watch bridgerton and I just gave up bc instead of like critical plot analysis it was mostly thinly veiled racism and homophobia everywhere. Like it did not feel safe to try and have a normal discussion about the show
@@roguecodes wow identical experience
Yes! I'm upset about several things and was shockeddd that nobody else was talking about them because some characters aren't straight
lol, my people think you're wrong about the thing you are upset, and should be upset about other things
Thank you for making me realise that the editing this season was actually holding the story back
The orgy cut aways while everyone else was panicking and struggling.... Sigh.
bridgerton: exists
julia cudney: so anyways, I started uploading...
when i got halfway through this script, i told my dad the word-count, and he was like "is there really that much to say about bridgerton?" and i was like...
@@juliacudney tell your dad, "the girls that get it get it"
I'm not sure whether to be grateful or frustrated that Michaela has overshadowed any discussion of how neurodivergence was added into Francesca's storyline. For what it's worth, I tend to interpret Francesca's stressed out glances at John as "I don't know where to look while people are talking to me, but it's always safe to look at John".
I really loved Fran and Johns storyline for the neurodivergence elements. It felt aspirational to me.
Dude as a late diagnosed ND lady I see so much of myself in Fran! But I remember when part one came out and other ND folks pointed out how seen they felt people got angry about it for some reason? Like god forbid we feel excited to see people like us on screen. But the Michaela discourse has sort of shut that discourse down and it doesn’t feel great as a queer person as well to know both of these identities is largely hated by the fandom at large
@@roguecodes This exactly. I'm a queer neurodivergent woman and I was delighted by the reveal because I think promising me some WLW was the only way to soothe my impending devastation about John. And then everyone in the fandom somehow managed to shit on every aspect of that all at once. It's just. Exhausting.
Yes, this. Also, I really enjoyed the quiet, less "Bridgerton" romance they shared, it's more like what I am actively seeking in a relationship
I get people can be queer and neurodivergent, but ai can understand how some feel that the way it was written and edited that Francesca feels different in her family because oh, she is queer now, but not because she is neurodivergent.
But am glad Francesca is nice representation for neurodivergent people.
I suspect part of the reason Marcus and Violet’s love story had to happen *now now now* was the writers trying to give the main show a more tangible connection to Queen Charlotte. Violet was left hanging and maybe they didn’t want to risk viewers forgetting that.
I wouldn't have minded a little foreplay-maybe since Francesca was so like, CERTAIN of what she wanted and Colin and Penelope were so cagey since Violet didn't find out until the final episodes what the real conflict was, maybe have Danbury and her go on a bit of a widow hunt or something. It does feel a little main-casty that the first guy she tripped on did turn out to be The One For the Long Haul. Not being the actual central romance of any season could have afforded her a little time where it could've been teased out, but I'm a little apprehensive that conflict one is over for them and now there's still, ideally, four seasons where there needs to be something going on with them.
If there is a QC season 2, they should have added that as the present day storyline in that one. That would make more sense.
I liked it, but felt it was rushed and had a couple of repetitive scenes.
Colin's most attractive quality was being kinder and less rakish than his brothers. His fuckboi-ification in the beginning couple of episodes did nothing to make him more appealing and everything to make me wonder whether poor Penelope was gonna catch something other than a baby on that chaise.
I mean, IMO especially after a rewatch, he was talking hot air. It wasn't fuckboi-ification but it was him attempting to be something he wasn't which is why Violet rightfully called him a people pleaser (even Pen called him out on it in LW). The most obscene thing he did was at the brothel but if you compare the "rake" shot to previous seasons, the fact that he isn't fully shown nude is basically him not wanting to do it but trying to (and let's not overlook he said he was late and was in fact, early to meeting Penelope). The characterization of him as a "rake" was meant to make you feel not-appealed because it was literally him not being him.
My main mixed feeling about the Michaela reveal was that I had LOVED the ongoing conflict between her and Violet about how love doesn't always knock you off your feet and leave you tongue-tied, sometimes love is calmer and more comfortable right from the outset and it was WONDERFUL to see that represented and to have Violet acknowledge that that was just as valid as what she'd initially thought love looked like... and then less than half an hour later we see Francesca react exactly like Violet expected when she meets the woman WE ALL KNOW is going to be her OTP, and it seemed to me like they were implying that Violet had been right all along and that the way she's going to love Michaela is not just different but more valid, and that makes me really sad.
But Michaela, what little we've seen of her, the actress they cast and the chemistry those actresses have, is absolutely wonderful and I will not stand for any criticisms of that change. I just wish they'd written their first interaction in a way that didn't feel like the writers were gloating at Francesca's expense.
the only corner of the bridgerton fandom i'm willing to wade in. you've BEEN chill, even when you weren't being normal. if there even is such a thing.
My only issue with the Francesa/Michaela romance introduction was her seemingly love at first reaction when they met mirroring the story of violet and edmund. It was unsatisfying because Francesca fianling got Violet to let go of her reservations and agree that love and falling in love is different for each person and are equally valid. Only for that scene is to prove violet right all along.
I get that frustration, and I think it’s impossible to tell at this point if the writers were trying to invalidate Francesca’s love for John. A huge part of WHWW is the contrast between Francesca’s two loves being different but equally meaningful, which I believe is what they were trying to set up with her conversations with Violet.
@@tinymxnticore I hope that's what it ends up being! I hope it turns out they weren't undercutting her love story with John. Excited for the Michaela storyline but invested in John too.
@@natatatt Yes John is great and so adorable with Francesca! I personally don’t care about book accuracy too much when it comes to Bridgerton, but it would be a shame if they’re really going for “Violet was right to doubt her and she never had real love for John” rather than “Violet was right to apologize and there are different ways to experience and share love.”
Yes, this completely. It kind of invalidates this whole arc?
I personally didn't find her relationship with john devalued by her intrigue upon meeting michaela, and I think intrigue (followed quickly by confusion and guilt) was what they were going for rather than love at first meeting. With that said, that goes back to Julia's point that that would have been true whether michael had been gender bent or not. Francesca can either have an inkling of attraction to michael/michaela while john is still alive or she can fully switch up after he dies which feels just as likely to come off as invalidating. Maybe seeing her have a moment of curiosity and then turn back to have another happy moment with john afterwards would have planted the seed without implying any regret.
I know a lesbian couple who struggle with infertility and it seems really aggrivating as a lesbian myself that our desire for children is seen as lesser than straight people. "You chose this" i didn't actually, qnd even then you can have infertility independent from sexuality.
Was talking to my friends recently about how we never talk about how when youre queer people around you mourn the person they thought you were, and you had to kill the part of yourself that conformed to societal expectations around love and gender.
My parents straight up deny i could want kids because of my sexuality. Idk if i want kids. I kinda want to foster.
I think the Michaela change could totally work with an infertility story! Instead of Francesca becoming fertile out of nowhere, something that may never happen for people, she can have children by Michaela! Like how beautiful would that be!
I was so confused when people were saying 'But Francesca's infertility subplot!' because lesbians can have infertility issues?? I think Francesca having to grapple with the reality of not being able to have children if she follows her heart vs forcing herself to find a new husband for the sake of having children would be pretty compelling
@@elle8786 THIS. Exactly. This is the angle that I hope they're choosing to explore on purpose.
i do really agree that The Look of this season did nothing for me - the lighting too felt really flat and i didn't really notice until i binged the first two seasons and then saw the first half of season 3. a lot of the magic and beauty of the first seasons got kinda lost when the frame looks bland, washed out and contrastless imo
the makeup department is the real criminal
I am SO GLAD you mentioned how the side plots were better intertwined in season 1, and that's what people are longing for. And I agree that the way they used worker chatter to get information to be published by Lady Whistledown is sorely missed. I loved the creativity of that and I wish it was more present.
the only person who's bridgerton takes I always trust
Having Francesca try all season to get her mom to understand that she experiences life and love differently than her but that doesn't make it lesser than only to then have a love at first sight moment at the end was frustrating. Her arc this season was about trying to show that even though she doesn't want the same kind of life as her siblings and mom that doesn't mean she's unhappy, and her courtship and marriage were really cute. I knew going in that it wasn't going to be her end game, but when Stirling showed up with a rewritten music piece for her? Beautiful moment! I liked their relationship, I liked that her mom finally accepted her point of view on relationships, and I hated the rug pull of "never mind, love at first sight is always the right choice, Violet was right the whole time".
And with all of that said. I rewarched Michaela's introduction six times. I had chills. I wanted to cry. I wasn't sure how I would ever be okay with the death of John Stirling when I found him so endearing. And then she said who she was and I was also in love at first sight. The show might have fumbled how she was brought up but I wanted to scream I was so excited that this dumb period drama was going to have an entire season dedicated to a wlw couple. As an autistic lesbian I was thrilled to see both sides of Francesca, I just wish they could've been blended together a little smoother.
On a related note this season was bad because Penelope only got to show off her boobs once and they deserved better.
I agree 1000%. As much as I love that we're getting a lesbian romance on the show, and as much as I'm excited to get to know Michaela, I am bitterly disappointed that John and Francesca's relationship, which I found beautiful and very romantic in it's own quiet, gentle way, is completely undermined by the insta-love that's established with Michaela. And I would feel exactly the same if Michaela was Michael. It's not about the gender of the character, it's about the character existing at all and what that implies about the validity of the kind of relationship John and Francesca represent.
I really wish that instead of going with the beat you over the head love at first sight shtick, they had introduced Michaela as intriguing to Fran. Like there's an automatic interest and attraction to this person, but it's not as straightforward as her feelings for John. So we can have these scenes of tension until their season comes of Fran really trying to figure this person and feeling out without having to watch her fall out of love with John, if that makes sense.
@@cr1s1savertedfornowalso a big thing in the books and I’m not even a book purist but the fact that she had no interest in Micheal until the death and even then she had to go through grief makes it better imo, like in the face of tragedy she can learn to love again
100% correct this has no issues
Two things really bugged me in partiuclar about some of the discourse around this season. One: the homophobia (and misogynoir) with Micheala's character, especially with them trying to couch it in actually being concerned about Francesca's storyline. Like, her story can very much still be in part about her struggling with fertility. In fact, her having feelings for a woman could be one of the ways that idea is explored! In s1, Daphne choosing to be with Simon even when she thought it meant they could never have children was something she was okay living with because of her love for him. Francesca could face a similar but more in-depth dilemma. Realizing that if she chooses to be with Michaela, she is never going to have children the way she always thought she would, but that doesn't mean she can't still have a fulfilling life. And, they could still find ways for them to raise a family! Maybe they take in some kids who have nowhere else to go, who knows. The point is, it's not like that choice automatically erases the possibilities in that storyline!
Secondly, the way some fans have zeroed in on Jess Brownell as the focus of all their ire, as if she was the only one in charge of any of these choices. The way people talk about her is honestly really weird, and feels very steeped in misogyny as well. As you said, there's plenty to criticize about this show, and there always has been! But the way some people talk about it is wild and really reveals some dark underbellies within the fandom (in ways that perhaps aren't surprising, but are still very disappointing all the same).
I love these videos because I watch Bridgerton with my brain completely off and you organize your feelings in such an eloquent and satisying way that it really brings the season together for me. I legit dont consider a season fully watched until you post you review.
I think my biggest gripe this season is the pacing of Eloise and Cressida's fallout, the writing around it just felt awkward? I am glad Peneloise reconciled but I felt that it shouldn't be at the cost of Cressida and Eloise's friendship. I know the Cressida pretending to be Whistledown and blackmailing Penelope plot was lifted from the book but I don't know, it came off to me that Creloise's friendship was made AND broken JUST to reaffirm and validate Penelope. Like god forbid all three women resolve their issues with one another. It just added to my frustration about Penelope getting off easy but Cressida doesn't. Why are there realistic consequences for one character, but not the others? I don't have anything against Penelope, but the writers do not seem to know how to handle female relationships.
again, i think i chalked it all up to the fact that i don’t think her story is over. in the interim, i agree, but i want to give it time to wait and see idk
@@juliacudney oh I agree with your sentiments in the video completely! I hope she and Eloise hash it out in season 4, they were the highlight of season 3 for me (esp part 1)
I agree. It was especially frustrating that the big Eloise and Cressida fallout was Eloise being mad at Cressida for something she knew she was lying about. Eloise knows she's not Whistledown, knows she never wrote anything bad about Eloise, but that's why they stop being friends. I can see Eloise maybe being overwhelmed by the secrets and everything, but I don't get why Cressida was the villain in that situation especially after she spent a lot of time trying to outright tell Eloise what was wrong. Cressida got that big moment to tell Eloise that maybe she isn't as thoughtful and smart as she likes to think, but by the end of the season she's telling her mom that she was "wrong to discard Eloise" and that didn't even happen! The sequencing was confusing and didn't serve the conflict.
@@Maarttii I don't think Eloise was ever mad at Cressida for lying about being Whistledown, maybe slightly annoyed (because Cressida doubled down on Eloise's anxiety that night) but she did have to stop being friends with her because to the eyes of everyone else, especially her family, Whistledown wrote bad stuff about Eloise so it would've been suspicious if she continued being friends with her. Eloise even says she's sorry. It's not until Cressida takes this ("I cannot be your friend any longer") as a slight, that she insults Eloise, unconsciously echoing Penelope's words ("All you ever do is talk"). That is what Eloise is mad about. My gripe is that on first or second watch, you don't really catch this. You have to repeatedly watch their scenes in order to make sense of it. It was very rushed.
@@athena9181 ah, evidently !! I totally missed it I was like I don't understand why Eloise is mad at Cressida at ALL; I think most people would expect her to ask her friend why she was telling an obvious lie, but that never materialized 😅
you are so right about the chemistry and the editing esp the hot air balloon scene and the sneak of the dance rehearsal scene. i could watch luke newton beside that column forever. makes me sad these opportunities were missed but oh well #polin forever
Just want to shout out "Rags to Mondriches" - really funny, 10/10.
I love Julia Cudney being inside-voiced and right about Bridgerton
"Inside-voiced and right" is both a perfect description & something I wish more content creators of the Media Hot Take variety could manage...
Friends to lovers trope works only when you can actually see their friendship.
“critical yet defensive” is also how i’ve been feeling. friends to lovers is probably my favorite trope so i was real excited for this season and there truly wasn’t enough pining for my liking. part of me wonders if this show would benefit for just even 2 more episodes per season, but maybe the pacing will adjust better now that the first big arc (the whistledown stuff) is wrapped up, they aren’t having to build so many other plots up at the same time? ill be interested to see how much time francesca and john get next season, or how they’re gonna set up eloise since presumably she’ll keep her spot as s5 lead
Unfortunately, I think next season is going to still have too many side plots. They're prob going to try to build up on Francesca/John/Michaela (which I hope won't take away time from Ben's romance plot). They'll work on Violet with Marcus and might even start setting up Eloise's plot. I'm assuming the boxer guys family is going to be involved somehow. Kate, Anthony, and Penelope are prob going to have appearances, too, since they had kids.
I am not surprised that the TH-camr who's always correct about Bridgerton continues to be CORRECT ABOUT BRIDGERTON! thank you!!! and thank you especially for pointing out the homophobia in people's reaction to Michaela, and doing so in a nuanced way, oh my god it was driving me insane to see the fandom's reaction to Michaela
Thank you for bringing up the issue with the connection between the main story and subplots being a bigger issue rather than screen time. A part of why I think people didn’t take issue with the s1 subplots was thaw fact there was a clear connection between each subplot and the fact they all linked together with the main plot at the end of the season.
I ultimately think people need to move on from the arguement of fairness of screen time distribution and focus more on the quality of screen time than the quantity.
Queen of being on time to things
proud to post the very first review of bridgerton season 3
julia checking in to inform us that she’s in fact still alive :p
still kicking!
"rags to mondriches" is very good
Thank you for this I was getting so gaslit about the whole Michael/a thing that I thought I was being malicious for pointing out a lot of the biphobia
Got downvoted so much on reddit for saying I saw the potential and didn't understand the hate
it's crazy because the immediate reaction I saw was excitement, but now it's been drowned out by all this weird opposition. like what's the problem?
@@kickflipindi Whenever I questioned their main criticisms (mainly that Francesca wants to be a mom and John's inheritance) and gave solutions and options that would still fit the themes I was met with "why do they always change straight to gay but never the opposite?" whining, so I assume it's just homophobia because they wanted *another* male rake to lust over.
@@aprilthecatit’s fucking ridiculous, the Francesca book was not good, none of them are masterpieces, the amount of whining, homophobia/biphobia is ridiculous.
i'm sorry that you've experienced that, i'm glad that there are some people like julia that foster nuance and listening,
as somebody who is bisexual myself and was actually really excited at the idea of an eventual genderswapped love interest, if you haven't already i recommend princess weekes video on bridgerton season 3 (all her others as well) as it provides some much needed nuance about francesa and a valuable perspective on how black characters are written on bridgerton,
overall I immediately loved both john and michaela and think francesas two great loves arc will be beautiful to see, to me, and Weekes expresses it better, it feels a bit like it undermines some really love moments and the arc this season between violet and francesa where violet only seems to validate the fiery passionate at first sight love, and francesa advocates and convinces her that love can be gentle and calm and still valid which I and many others appreciated as an sensory avoidant austistic person i hope they do right by all the characters and john and michaela's actors get well-written arcs, I am still rather excited especially to see more people of colour and queer people esp I hope they are able to embrace both queer and neurodivergent elements that make francesa such an interesting character
I agree with literally all of these points. Somehow this video is simultaneously chill, unhinged, what we needed, and what season 3 deserved. Brava maestra!
I also would have allocated more time to the pining portion of Polin's relationship, and a lot less to the sulking portion in the back-half of the season. Like, yeah, okay, dramatically speaking, they definitely wanted to go out on a finger bang instant engagement for the season break in the middle. But why did that had to happen in the first place. What was gained from that. Were the other episodes not done but those couple of weeks made all the difference? Bizarre and baffling.
Another video by Julia? Watched and liked immediately.
culture has returned
As someone who hasn't actually read the books my biggest gripe with Michaela was the way they introduced her on the show. I really really enjoyed Frans romance this season and I liked the point they were making about how love can look different, but her having the like classic first impression attraction to michaela as was referenced by Violet I think just took away from that message for me. It was only a couple seconds though so I'm willing to see where it goes, I really hope they show her love for John and don't take the story in a she never really had true love with John and feels attraction to Michaela the whole time she's married. Would have preferred they stick to the books with Michaela being the one to feel that pull at first meeting
I loved this season, it's actually refreshing to see someone discuss it with a level-head and a lot of sensibility like you did, Julia. Your videos are the only place where I feel I can engage in this fandom without going insane.
The way they used the Romancing Mr Bridgerton episode referring to Benedict getting wooed by his (positive, beautiful, absolutely insanely edited) polycule instead of Penelope and Colin was rude asf 😂
I do feel Polin was rushed, but I felt like it was rushed in individual scenes rather than as a whole. The camera didn't linger over those important moments. I keep thinking of Simon and Daphne looking at paintings, the way their fingers stretched towards one another. The show didn't allow breathing room on those moments this season. In the same vein, I agree, the editing impacted their chemistry. They had TONS of chemistry in seasons 1 and 2, it was electric. That moment when they stare at each other across the Bridgerton drawing room, man.
This is the MOST comprehensive review of the season I have seen and honestly, every thought well articulated. Overall, the season was not perfect but honestly the season definitely gets more flack than necessary. Personally my favorite season, and one thing I think I realized overall about the show is I do feel it is one of the rare shows out there made with rewatch in mind. It is produced on a platform that encourages rewatch, and that is why I find all the excessive flack it gets absurd...like rewatch the show because it is produced with that in mind...because overall it was so good flaws and all (and yes FRANCHAELA FTW)
Oh, the idea of Benedict reconnecting with Sir Henry because of his art disappointments and blooming queerness would have been magical!!!
julia cudney bridgerton review.. this is a national holiday to me!
6:40 Yeah, the editing was SO silly with the Benedict threesome!
He does say in a later scene something about "all their time together" so I choose to interpret it as him staying the whole 36hrs+, but it's so obviously only one scene they shot😂
I have to say this is probably one of my favorite bridgerton reviews I've seen thus far, and not only bc you were critical instead of being crass or cruel. I liked that you divided it into sections, and made some great points about the side plots for ensemble characters, namely Benedict, Violet, and the Mondrichs.
As for Polin, I do agree that they way certain scenes were shot and/or written kind of interfered with the audience's reaction towards their romance. I think they have great chemistry (the interviews they did are proof enough) but unfortunately, I don't think it was always shown very well. Still, I enjoyed the season for what it was; an escape from my reality 😂😂❤
P.S. I did not read the books, but the outrage from Michael now being Michaela is *undoubtedly* driven in homophobia. But honestly, even if they kept Michael, they'd still would have a problem with the casting bc he wouldn’t be white. (Someone reminded me of the backlash RJP got after he was announced as Simon & #notmyduke was trending on twitter)
People also freaked out about john and were saying things like "i imagined him being light skinned" so... yes youre on the money lol
Tbh I was almost hoping that LW just…wouldnt be revealed to the public. Like that it’d be enough for those closest to her to find out and accept who she was, especially bc they had Penelope use LW to manipulate plot elements and make it more scandalous than the books. Just because I LOVED her as a plot mechanic - but also I’ve always been a bit salty they revealed LW so early on in both the show and the books, so ‘twas doomed.
Damn I literally just got on the train for a long train ride. This couldn't have come at a better time!! I'm so ready for 48 minutes of completely correct takes
I really enjoyed this season, but i also had complaints. strangely, when i saw others takes online, they were completely different ones that i disagreed with though. lol. i had two main complaints, and you mentioned one of them. i agree that some scenes tended to feel too short, in terms of camera not holding enough to convey what it was meant to, like with the hot air balloon. although in other areas it was done to near perfection, like the carriage scene.
my other complaint i haven't seen many verbalize is that i think that i felt there were too many things left unsaid. like the whistledown thing, pen and colin had many short conversations about it, but as an audience member i wanted a big scene where pen got to fully explain herself, and colin got to say what he needed to as well. where the audience knows, "okay, colin knows everything" and isn't wondering what he's thinking pen's intentions were so much. i get it might be more realistic for things to be unsaid in this manner, but as a viewing experience i would have preferred it all hashed out between them, and between eloise and pen as well. interestingly, i think the best scenes in hashing things out were between portia and pen.
also, it might be bc i just started to sir phillip with love, but i am aghast at none of the family seemingly writing to colin, and he doesn't confront any of them about it. book eloise could not fathom that lol.
I just typed your second point in my own comment and deleted it because I had been going on too long but 100%. You never really feel like they clear the air or see eye to eye. It’s Pen whimpering and begging, then kind of standing up for herself but with no justification for her specific actions. Colin is a dick and in some ways has a right to be but he takes it way too far and never really has to eat crow for it. I would have loved to see them really have it out and also have angry sex instead of him SLEEPING ON THE COUCH and giving SILENT TREATMENT!! I think it would have wrapped everything up way better for them.
Loved your analysis as usual! It’s interesting because I was happy about/interested in Michaela’s character. However I was sad she was introduced so early and that Francesca’s reaction to her made it seem like she wasn’t really in love with John.
I loved Fran and John together and I think that looking into a widow’s relationship after having loved her late husband would be so much more compelling than if she just didn’t really love John and his death just allowed her to be with Michaela (which I am worried that they might be setting up).
6:01 ok, but this is so true, I was talking with a friend about a week before seasons 3 came out, and she mentioned she hoped they followed up on a particular plot point, and I had absolutely no clue what she was talking about. I rewatched the entire series, and I think I remembered the characters names, who ends up with who…. And that’s about it. Like, I’m glad i rewatched it or I would have been so lost. Anyways, love the video.
I love the mondrich family! I hope they get their own spinoff as well. I want more of them
I love the chapter titles! 😂😂😂
Loved the whole section on Colin, because I just don't care about him as a character, and your "if you told him he's boring, he'd agree" actually made him make more sense to me! I *wanted* to like him, but they never quite got me there, they never made him interesting to me, or really lingered in who he is, and I wish they had.
The chemistry part is also very interesting, bc in interviews the actors seem to have chemistry, and Eloise and Penelope have fantastic chem on screen, so a failure on the part of filming/editing makes a lot of sense. (I think it's also bc in comparison, Luke Thompson and Johnathan Bailey are SO charismatic, that poor Luke N falls short. Sorry buddy)
"I watch Bridgerton to watch people kiss" same girl
I think sometimes people forget how much Bridgerton functions as a fantastical, speculative genre. They’ve never been serious about anything resembling historical accuracy-a boundary established from S1, however problematic with regards to solving racism et cetera-so Queen Charlotte pulling a deus ex machina whenever a problem is too big for the writers to properly plot their way out of makes perfect sense for their world.
feeling so zen rn
i literally cannot consider a season of bridgerton finished without one of your videos talking about it
love your bridgerton takes in general, looking forward to the future
totally agree about editing being one of the main reasons the build-up of their relationship felt off. the director of photography changed this season too -- the previous seasons had the same DP as Dirty Dancing, Jeffrey Jur, who is just so so good at building tension and creating intimacy
I agree with your take on Polin’s chemistry
Nicola and Luke have so much chemistry together
The way the show was shot failed to capture all of that
This upload is wonderful timing! I adore putting you on the big TV while I work on my laptop! Thank you so much! ❤
"while we may miss out on class commentary, would that commentary have been any good? 🤔 *doubtful* " JULIA OUT FOR BLOOD 💀💀💀
I'm fine with Michaela. I don't like Francesca's love story with John being put on the second shelf, so to speak. I don't care whether that's the case in the book, and if they'd done it with a Michael, I still wouldn't have liked it. I'm hoping it won't be that, because I loved the story that every love isn't melodramatic and that Francesca could have two great loves. Maybe they can backtrack and get to that in season 4.
I feel like Francessa had to convince the audience and her mother that her non-dramatic and subtle and quiet falling in love is just as valid as the other pairing only to give her a love at first reaction with someone else basically undermine.
@@carmenudoye6949 That makes me so sad.
@@carmenudoye6949I hated it! Francesca’s storyline was the best one this season and then they butchered it with “love at first sight” within a few minutes.
Part 2:
Why the side plots did not bother me as much in season 1 and 2 is because they were cohesive to the main story line aside from Jack and Portia’s scheme. That one needed to be condensed.
I do agree with fans that Kate and the Sharmas needed their back stories and development and the time used on the scheme could have easily been used for Kate and her family.
But Eloise’s dynamic with Theo tied in with the LW search and starting the arc of Penelope and Eloise’s friendship falling apart and how are they going to fix it?
The queen picking Edwina as the diamond kept the continuity of the world building.
And they only stuck with a few sideplots in the previous seasons. There were too many in season 3.
I have been *waiting* for this one!! Thank you!!
Yesss!!! Its finally here! The ONLY Bridgerton review I watch!!
I see what you're saying about Colin standing up for Penn, at times, and generally being a good older brother, but as someone who didn't rewatch either S1 or S2 before S3 dropped, my lasting impression of Colin was of him insulting Penn in order to look cool infront of his friends. Then, with the premier of S3, we see him being a rake, hooking up with everyone in a skirt, and general f*ckboi energy. So to have his mother say he's such a kind and selfless child felt disingenuine. This season really suffered from the lack of flashbacks, it would've been so much more satisfying to actually see Colin and Penn's first encounter along with other interactions between them so we, the viewer, could appreciate why she fell in love with him.
yeah just watched the dance scene bts and im astonished how much a difference it makes. More than getting to see Colin at the pillar, I liked the steady cam so much more than the handheld they went with. Yes it's visually beautiful and dynamic, but it takes away from the incredible work the actors are already doing to portray that turbulence and tension. Would have worked maybe for characters that were less expressive, but colin and pen, even here when they're arguing and keeping secrets, have a comfort existing fully around each other that comes through so much more fully without the constant motion. Really out of touch choice. IDK how some shows pull off successful balance and communication between concurrent crafts it's like magic to me, but it's still sad to see it miss the mark.
They’re just really bad at overlapping the storylines. I keep saying that one change that would’ve really helped the pacing of season 2 was involving Edwina in the whistledown storyline like they actually set up. It also could’ve been used to strengthen her character arc.
Given the short length of seasons, they have to do more to meld these storylines together
The unintentionally hilarious thing about the people aggrieved over "lost" infertility representation is that infertility is not a focus in the book at all. Its inclusion in the storyline outside of Fran's miscarriage (which still can happen) is entirely in the second epilogue tacked on years after the book was written. Even outside of the many ways they can portray infertility in a queer relationship, it's pretty obvious fake outrage fueled by homophobia.
That's YOUR take. As for those of us who have experienced a miscarriage (or more than one),it IS a big deal. It's not homophobic. Francesca wanted a big family and a quiet life with John. Shondaland's VISION (and Julie Pottinger/Julia Quinn allows it because she's already been paid off) is to see how far they can push it.
I've read fan fiction that is better than their Polin storyline. It's beyond sad that those of us who read the books and liked the stories are being told that we are homophobic because we don't like what is being done.
Too bad Shondaland wasn't talented enough to just create a completely new story and make it her own rather than reduce Bridgerton to the mess it's becoming. I'm sure there where fan fiction out there with gay people she could have brought to Netflix. I guess it's more fun to upset the fans of a series that's been out starting in 2000.
The infertility/miscarriage story is important to those of us who experienced it. Obviously, you'd rather call us homophobic.
Eloise would have made more sense to become a lesbian. Her interest in the women's movement could have brought her out of the closet but instead they had her meet a boy. But of COURSE! That wouldn't be as shocking and upsetting as changing Francesca's story.
@@renaerolley5670 The outrage over an infertility story (before it has even been written) that is not cisgender/heterosexual is, yes, homophobic. Julia Quinn, who wrote the story, signed off on the change herself.
@sammiem-b4371 Julie has gotten her money between the books and series rights. Why should she care?
Considering that the LGBT+ community is a small part (under 10% of the population) it seems like every writer who is in it makes lt seem like it's 50% and the other 50% of the population is homophobic. It will remain to be seen if they can get all eight season done with people getting tired of the books they loved being ridiculously rewritten.
so happy to see this uploaded and thoroughly enjoyed this in-depth analysis and the takes included
i was so wondering why I didn't feel the chemistry between pen and colin when I did in the first 2, thanks for finding a practical explanation! I had the same problem with season 2 but I am audibly in the minority there. I'll have to ponder why kanthony didn't do it for me. Great video as always!
Omg I thought I was Alone!!
I think audiences generally have a hard time actually noticing editing. I've seen so many shows be criticized for bad acting/writing/visuals/directing when really what they gave is bad editing and pacing.
I've been waiting for this one!!!!!!
I have never watched Bridgerton, but I continue to enjoy Julia’s videos about it because I like when people talk passionately about media and all the main couples are hot together
It’s always such a relief to see your Bridgerton videos and finally get a sane, nuanced take. I will not get in to personally rebutting all the hot takes online because it’s not worth it, so it is so satisfying to me to watch this. I agree the pacing was crazy and the leads had plenty of chemistry but weren’t given room for it to shine.
On top of your points I feel like Colin and Penelope lost some of their charm in the glow up. They both seemed stiff, especially Penelope in her longline corsets and plastered on Hollywood waves. Even the sex scene seemed self conscious about sucking in stomachs and only shooting flattering angles. Both actors in press seem so confident and alluring that I really blame set direction and editing for that too. Like the direction was so concerned about proving their “non conventional” leads were sexy they took all of the sex appeal away.
I think the show really failed to convey A LOT of what they intended. The bits that work are so good, it’s disappointing that it work cohesively.
the editing this season was bad😭 they cut randomly and didn’t let us take in certain scenes I feel like they done them dirty
I think Threads surprisingly is the best place to discuss Bridgerton season 3, at least that's what I've found. Everyone is relatively normal about it in that I can share my opinion (good or bad) and there's no heated pushback from either side (people who loved it and people who hate it). Just peoole laying out their points in a normal way. Just the other day I posted about not liking the cinematography of this season, and there were people who both disagreed and agreed with me, but no one felt the need to yell in my face (figuratively speaking) about how wrong I was for feeling however I felt about the cinematography. There's no fighting about which ship is the best ship, there's no fighting about which season is the best season, it's just people saying e.g. they still like season 2 the most and stating why, and people politely disagreeing or agreeing. In fact, because of the Bridgerton community there, I've kinda warmed up more to season 3 than on my initial watch.
People realizing that Phillipa Featherington is great is the highlight of the season for me as someone who loved Phillipa since the beginning
julia you’re great but not even you reciting the entire english vocabulary could make me un-mad that eloise was doomed into heterosexuality to make space for a sibling that spawned this season like a wild pokemon
i’m really high and got majority of the way through the video before i realized that you were editing on the smiley emoji onto people whose profile photos you were censoring, and it isn’t just all the same person 😅
This season was a strange one to me. It’s definitely the season that has the most noticeable amount of flaws, yet at the same time, I also found it the most emotionally fulfilling. I think, because Penelope and Colin are both such nuanced and complicated characters without the very dry cut easy-to-slot-in archetypes of the other 4 leads, it gave them the ability to make this season a bit more deep and muddy with their conflicts. Pen and her mom being a great example. At present each season has had a lead with a complicated parental relationship (this is a trend that will definitely continue), but they were much more easily definable. Simon was good, his dad was bad. Anthony and Violet are both noble and they wanted to maintain that, so they didn’t allow the story to paint either of them in a genuinely poor light. But it’s different with Pen and Portia. Both characters have done some genuinely morally reprehensible things, and yet still maintain an air of likability. Therefore they could make their conflict more complicated without having to worry about the repercussions of painting one of them in a bad light. This was a trend I felt throughout the whole season, and I think it made the conclusion to most conflicts infinitely more fulfilling than with prior seasons.
Anyway, happy Julia-Bridgerton day for those who celebrate 🎉
Your first Bridgerton video was the first video of yours id ever seen, and you kept me hooked ever since!
35:30 Even Nicola said that that line doesn’t make sense, Colin’s only personality trait is using his family’s money to travel; when did he ever put others above him? 😭
I don’t think nic ever said that she just said she found the meme funny not that she disagreed with the assessment of Colin. Also Julia provided examples for the scene again it’s about people PLEASING. Which by nature is putting others above yourself (emotionally)
Part 1:
I think why I was disappointed with the side plots this season is because of how disjointed they were from the main storyline.
I love Francesca and John because their book was around the same time as Polin’s, so that makes sense.
The theories about the Modriches made me realize if they did not give up on the parallels of keeping their buisness while Penelope keeps her writing, I would love it more.
My problems is when the show runner and editing team stopped keeping repetitive scenes the stories did not need to be there, there would be more time to keep conversations and events from Polin’s book.
ur the only youtuber i trust to not chalk it up to ragebait in their criticisms of the show! i swear the internet has a lot of shit to talk about the most watched show of the summer lol (kanthonys im looking at u)
Just wanted to say that I absolutely love your content!! You are for sure my favourite bridgerton commentary girlie, your content is always a joy to watch and the way you can present the ways you disagree with some decisions while also being respectful it's always great. Also I'm super glad you adressed the fandom's attitude, because, although I super understand being super intense about shows you love, the amount of negativity about this season was just insane. Being "critical and yet defensive" is exactly how I felt about it.
I've been holding my breath for two months waiting for this! Also slay thumbnail
My only real gripe with the portrayal of the Polin romance was the lack of their initial meeting. I know they got a budget for flashbacks, so when you have the friends to lovers trope and you don't show any of Penelope's initial pining or them at least spending some time to reminisce on their past relationship ... it feels more like the show is telling me they are friends and had these moments without actually showing me.
You talking about Bridgerton for 48 minutes is like christmas x 8
I honestly can’t get behind the intention of the Mondriches KNOWING Shonda’s record of how she is currently treating her POC leads. It feels like she’s trying to force herself to care about black love, than actually caring about it.
In this case I think Shonda gets a little too much credit and blame for the show’s choices, but I agree that the writers are using the Mondriches as a shield rather than confronting the racism and colorism on their show.
@@tinymxnticore I agree because I know that Shonda is not showrunner. But it’s also about the image she projects. She doesn’t write as much as she produces, but her works have similar couplings to the point where it feels like a pattern. This felt more about changing her image in the eyes of people accusing her of race bating to me
People misunderstand 3 things about Bridgerton EVERY season:
1. There are going to be changes to the novels. They are never going to directly copy the books one to one because they are mills and boon level romance. Season one deviated pretty heavily but somehow book fans want a copy paste.
2. This show is labelled as an ensemble cast, but people constantly complain about it being one. I think they fundamentally don’t know what an ensemble cast is.
3. JULIA QUINN NEVER SIGNED A CONTRACT SAYING THAT THE LOVE INTERESTS WOULD BE THE SAME AS THE BOOKS. People craved a gay plotline with Benedict or Eloise, but raged when it was their favourite book.
My biggest gripes with season 3 are:
1. The 14 layers of makeup they put on Penelope do not make look any prettier than the actress already is, they make her look like a painter hooker.
2. I haven't read Francheska's book, but the way it was told me - Michael was secretly in love with her while she was married to his cousin. So I was not happy with Francheska falling in love with Michaela at first site right after her wedding. Kind of invalidated whatever feeling Frncheska has for her husband while he is still alive.
3. The whole Colin helping Penelope find a husband subplot was so unbelievably cringe, I expected it to end in "this was all a dream" revelation.
I love you, Julia. Thank you for this video. You made me wanna go back and rewatch the whole series.
We know why we needed Tilley to reintroduce homosexuality and non monogamy to Benedict. Because the show didn’t trust the audience to understand that Benedict is bi/pan without having him be with a woman too. He had to have a threesome because they thought the only way to show that he isn’t gay but instead is bi is to have him have sex with multiple genders at once. Revealing your character is bi through a threesome already annoys me (a bisexual) but it annoys me even more because it’s obvious they did it because they didn’t want the audience to think Benedict is gay because they thought that would put people (women) off from investing in him as a male lead and might suggest that his love interest won’t be a woman. They wanted to have their cake and eat it to, have Benedict be bi so all of us that have wanted bi Benedict since seaosn one are happy and have people (homophobes) who would not be invested in an mlm romance or be apparently unable to wish fulfilment themselves into an mlm relationship be assured that next season won’t be gay.
It’s annoying because they didn’t! have to do it like that. They make it a threesome/throuple to also suggest implicitly that it is less serious than another relationship. It’s the narrative of “you can have as much fun as you want and then you’ll settle down” which isn’t that what the lads basically say when they’re drinking in the club. I see the argument that “if we introduced a male love interest now then it would serious and be hard to cast them off so Benedict can have his season” but that’s a problem in and of itself. There are endless ways to write a fling or situationship ending and a monogamous relationship is not more serious than a polyamorous one.
I wouldn’t have said this a few months ago because I was trying to be grateful about two bi+ characters in a show but with the fandom biphobia I’m done playing as nice.
I think the subplots MAY have felt like they took up more space, simply because they weren’t as dynamic or interesting as they were in the past so made them stand out in a bad way
Where I got mad is I felt the show runner and many feel the same, is that they focused on the favorite characters instead of the main couple.
Colin barely got character development, were wishy washy with why Penelope wrote as LW in the first place, and we did not get enough conversations with them in the first place.
Also, it feels weird that the mirror scene in the show combined the statement in the book, their first time, and the drawing room scene in one scene. It should have been separate scenes so we can see the ups and downs of their relationship in the book.
Shoehorning in their intimate scenes in one scene makes fans feel that they don’t care enough about this couple. It was like “you got what you wanted”, now we’re focusing on what we want to focus on.
It just made me mad. Yes, adaptations don’t need every little thing from the book, but I felt they didn’t even try to use it.
I still felt the spirit of books 1 and 2 in their seasons. I didn’t fully see that spirit of Polin’s book in their season.
Rants done.
On the other topics, she said everything I felt about them.
My favorite section is “come and get this polin” - Sabrina carpenter. I was obsessed with Espresso over the summer because I was convinced that it was a Polin song. ☕️ I’ve heard that shooting for S4 is beginning this month and I’m super excited to see what content they release to promo the synopsis of the season and to signify the beginning of filming. Although I have to admit, I am not looking forward to the two year wait 😢.
"god forbid women have hobbies" THESE SUBJECT TITLES ARE SO FUNNY
I agree with almost every opinion you shared but I just still don't understand the defense of the Mondrich's. It's the same issue as with Lady B's garden or Benedict's pansexuality. Why is this in this season if it does not relate to the plot at all and their main reason for existing (commentary about class structure) isn't a thing anymore either. I can see the defense of them being the only black romance in the show, but that doesn't make the writing better?
You are so right julia (as always). I especially love what you said about Cressida's possible role in season 4, bc I think she is going to be the meddlesome sibling with a lot of screen time, & I'm so excited to see her in that role. I'm hoping her relationship with Sophie will be something like Cinderella and Anastasia in the 2nd and 3rd Disney Cinderella movies. That way she can eventually be an ally to Sophie and Benedict and get her own redemption as well.
On another note I kinda hope that the writers continue this idea of Benedict being a bit unconventional in his relationship to Sophia. I want to see them be a happy unconventional couple.
I agree with almost everything you said here, but I do feel the need to comment on the Francesca/Michaela situation. I was disappointed to see her...because I was hoping they'd do away with the character altogether. I knew they wouldn't actually do it, but I hoped. I hoped desperately because from the moment he appeared on screen I looked at John Stirling and I said "That's my baby boy. I would die for him." I absolutely adore his and Francesca's relationship, and I found it really refreshing as a comparison to all the passionate, dramatic love that is depicted in the show. They liked each other in such a gentle, quiet, genuine way. And they were also (at least it seemed to me) so clearly autistic and asexually coded. Them finding each other, finding someone that truly understood them and allowed them to be themselves...that was the most romantic thing I think this show has ever done.
And the dissatisfaction Francesca felt at their first kiss just felt like a confirmation of her asexuality to me. In hindsight, yes it does work as foreshadowing as her being a lesbian. And I'm happy that we're going to have one of the Bridgertons in a queer endgame relationship (although I maintain that genderbending Sophie would have made more sense), but it does make me sad to know that John will have to die to facilitate it, and that that quiet, gentle love they had wasn't just as good as the passionate love that is what we always see. I know it's not intended, but it still feels like a slap in the face to viewers who identify more with John and Francesca than Anthony and Kate, or Daphne and Simon, or even Penelope and Colin.
(apologies for the very long comment, I just have a lot of feelings)
Creloise fr!! Appreciate your takes, they are balanced and appropriately chill.
I can understand that Polin weren't given more or less then what the other couples had, but my problem is the editing of it (I just realised this ha ha), like the sex scene of Ben was placed right at when Polin were having problems, I can't have a show showing me 2 emotions at once without letting me breathe and process it, we needed the show to give us time to transport us, and even though I know the show wasn't structured like that, I wanted to see them YEARN more, love more and have more sex scenes.I think that's why the 1st season was better at this, they placed the couple doing the thing a lot because they were in love, never mind Simon's rape scene that they should've been treated differently or cut it out completely, and I felt that was lacking.
19:32 the mondriches was actually a side plot I wished I saw more of, I wanted to explore more of this "no nobleman should have a bar" thing, it was interesting and I wished to see more of an expantion of the class commentary this had in the universe.
44:05 yes, thank you!
shonda shows typically have that one friendship that is the most prevalent in the show and it's definitely pen/eloise. they're THE soulmates
devils trianle