Hey Marshall! I just started watching your videos. You got a new subscriber! Marshall, I can be off here but I have a feeling that we had this Mondrich plot line because Sophie is going to be one of their maids next season. I can't for the life of me see any other explanation for dragging them along this season. Great video! You made me laugh several times. Keep up the awesome work you do. ❤😊🎉
it was definitely upsetting to see that all the buildup they had for Francesca's and John romance being something different and more quiet was quickly tossed out. The writers were like SIKE!! that's not REAL love. love needs to have you bumbling like an idiot, not feel peaceful. it was such a beautiful sweet romance with the message at the end being that's not real romance.
that's fking crazy....i act JUST caught on to the michaela thing omg 😭 it was so unconvincing i thought they were setting up a jealousy/managing plotline with michaela.
The visual language was completely demolished this season. Also, why is everyone now dressed like a Featherington?? The costume director did an interview where he said "we throw different fabric together to see what happens" I'm like yeah.... WE KNOW... Everyone looks awful. Truly.
Yes! I get so annoyed whenever anyone criticizes the costuming and people immediately come back with, " It's not supposed to be historically accurate!" Yeah, we know it's not historically accurate, but this season the costumes were so wild that it didn't seem like the characters were even inhabiting the same time period or society. Previous Bridgerton costumes (mostly the dresses) were never period accurate, but they at least matched enough to give the sense of the world these characters inhabited. (And the exceptions to the rule, like Cressida's wild embellishments or the queen's devotion to outdated silhouettes were consistent character details with purpose.) This season more than ever, the fabrics seemed cheap and the styles too disparate from each other. It was just another detail that takes the viewer away from being fully immersed in the world.
@@jessicasaccone7608 They went from a delicate Regency ballgown inspired riff (with some Spencer jackets thrown into the mix) to looking like Macy's clearance prom dresses, which now REDUCES the visual impact of Cressida's wardrobe (dressing for desperation) and the Featheringtons' (dressing to demand attention due to their position). I swear costume-wise late season 1/season 2 was the peak of this show.
@@jessicasaccone7608 They always say that you can’t criticize it because ”it’s just fantasy”. I critize it because I am a fantasy fan. Costuming is an art form and part of the worldbuilding, it doesn’t have to be historically accurate but it should be consistent within the world.
It’s surprising that polin was the only couple to have 2 season of build up before their season and still the show managed to mess up their love story. Like why was Kate and Anthony’s 3 minute bedroom scene in ep 5 more beautiful than pen and Colin’s entire story this season?😭 It’s so annoying cause I was so excited for Penelope’s story
Same!! I was looking forward to their love story. There just was so many subplots that were not necessary. Not enough Polin scenes to build their characters. They could have included flashbacks that would have helped. Honestly..I think it would have been better if they would have followed along with the book. It could have been so much better.
somehow kate and anthony were present for three out of eight episodes and still stole the show for me. there are these glimpses of nicola and luke having chemistry e.g. the carriage scene (not the sex, the conversation) but then it just disappears. idk i feel like the director and writers did penelope and colin (especially colin, who has no personality) so dirty.
Because Kate and Anthony had a different showrunner who wrote their season. And even though he changed a lot of the book story, he still kept the integrity of the characters. The characterization for every single character in season three was horrendous. Colin was by far the worse. But there was no good characterization. Francesca character got the least amount of damage.
Idk if its anxiety lol but I had a gut feeling s3 was gna be a total flop n my sentiment basically immortalised when It took me 4 or 5 sittings to watch ep 1 haha
but they had the same director, maybe being friends got in the way regardless of the stories they were so eager to share on their press tours, they were over compensating which built expectations because we believed what they sold :)
Benedict scenes were so boring I actually skipped them. His love interests have no depth and his story arc is entirely a pointless pursuit. Worse than the Modrichs storyline.
We could have had a funny side plot where we see Benedict trying to run the Bridgerton household while Anthony was away. He was so lost when S2 ended and this season was an opportunity to show some growth and maturity for his character and weave him into the story in preparation for his season but they chose to give us an irrelevant trio instead. Disappointing.
Yes, Benedict the entirety of S3 was just sadly very boring. And I was intrigued by his artist storyline earlier because there was clearly some tension there between them (even though Benedict denies it in S3?) and then he got swept up in the wild parties and all the art and it felt very believable. It felt like Benedict was able to be himself and feel freedom to pursue who he is outside the family network in a variety of ways, including a hobby/potential future job that wasn’t very male Bridgerton, romance and passions that weren’t traditionally male Bridgerton, etc. This S3 trio felt so contrived and plotless in comparison.
I also just skipped through most of his scenes. The man and woman were both so unappealing. They seemed like sketchy cartoon villains. (Loved his scenes with the family, though. He’s a great character.)
@@joanna0988I didn't feel like Simon and Daphne had a lot of chemistry and there were a lot of unnecessary sx scenes that looked very technical and boring. It was a predictable "good girl meets a bad boy and she fixes him" story. And I hated Anthony and Benedict's characters in the first season. It was all around very basic, pretentious and forgettable for me.
I am thoroughly disappointed in part 1. More attention to Colin's unnecessary threesomes than building a lover's connection between Colin and Penelope. It should have been easy considering their genuine friendship. Instead it was non-existent. The second half has much better storytelling.
How is it possible that Luke and Nicola have more chemistry with each other on every single press appearance than Polin? And also: I don't understand how Luke is this really handsome and kind-looking man, but in the show, they film him in some of the least flattering angles I've ever seen. Literally how??
yes very true.. I blame the storyline and scenes though. Throughout the season they were really anxious and feeling upleasant plus there weren't many scenes focusing on the character's connection with each other. But then again, they didnt even feel like the same characters from before
Luke looked beautiful in that scene where he had just woken up on the couch on the day of Francesca's wedding. The back-brushed hairstyle made him look weird.
Worst season, and I blame it on the new showrunner. Lack of consistency. No sense of proportion. Terrible pacing. Awkward scenes and dialogues. As if the conductor (showrunner) couldn't keep all the elements together and instead of a beautiful, romantic symphony we heard only a cacophony. The most romantic season as they promoted? Certainly not. Hardly any romance between the supposed main love interests, just drama and angst. I couldn't believe their love story. Colin didn't have any charisma, Penelope was overshadowed by the plot about the identity of Lady Whistledown. I enjoyed some parts and storylines, but in the end it was a disappointment after all the hype. I'm not convinced that with this showrunner the next season will be better.
I believe they'll cancel after the 4th series, unless they change their minds about even filming it. There will be many who won't bother watching because of the current changes.
They also promoted that there is bodypositivity in the show. But in my opinion it wasn't enough. Penelope was gorgeous, but Colin didn't really cherish her body. There wasn't enough intimacy between the two and for me their sex scene was awkward. Colin didn't help her enough to overcome her insecurities.
@@udesivalihegexactly! Imagine the same scene with an actor like and directed same as Jonathan Bailey. Worlds apart! It’s like they were afraid to have Collin touch her (in a way that could be seen), instead of just the explicitly penetrative stuff. He went on about how much he had dreamed about her breasts, for example. But then? It didn’t feel as genuine, but mainly from his part. I think Nicola Coughlin did the best she could, and Luke could’ve used more direction and choreographing if that was needed.
@@marabanara I agree, they could have shown Colin playing with her breasts (the scene shouldn't have been very explicit, there are many ways, plans, angles, editing etc. not to show everything), touching and kissing her everywhere, whispering in her ears how he loves every part of her body etc. I missed the sensuality of their scene. They couldn't show that even a plus size woman can be the object of all desires.
Having said all of that, the "Insert himself? Insert himself where?" scene was actually the funniest scene I've seen in ages. That one was worth watching the rest of the drivel.
@tata-yo9id Likely because it was sliced between other scenes that took across multiple days, making the timeline confusing. Like, is it bad editing or is Benefict on a multi-day threesome? 🤨
it’s interesting that previous seasons of Bridgerton were focused, well, on a Bridgerton sibling. this season felt like Penelope and her adventures while Colin was an annoying subplot
You wouldn't even know Colin was THE bridgerton focus of the season if you watched just this season. Why were we seeing Cressida so much? She wasn't even a love interest like Edwina was
to be fair, Colin's book was Penelope's book. As in, the book itself centered around her. He is boring as hell in the books too. But maybe just a tad better than the show version, idk. His character is insufferable in the book because he's always moping about his writing. Book version of Colin IS jealous of Pen's writing. But show Colin never had the writer's arc so his epiphany/ confession/ declaration came out of left field entirely
So maybe an unpopular opinion but idk that lady whisledown needed to be revealed to everyone this season. Colin needed to find out but I think they could’ve done a twist where pen told the queen and she made a deal to protect her since she is present for more of the books. All in all I felt like things seemed very rushed this season and too much crammed into 8 eps.
Right like I was on the fence of revealing her at the end of S1 - thinking they could ride the mystery for a few seas- op, well everyone knows 2 seasons later 💀 It makes me think there aren't going to be many seasons left tbh... Especially if they're going through 2 siblings per season now
I agree, I haven’t read the books and was kinda hoping that is what would happen bc I thought revealing Whistledown’s identity to the Ton was too quick and premature. It would have been nice if Whistledown’s identity was a little secret only a few select people knew. It was nice they could use her money to save the Featheringtons from fraud at the end though, that’s the only saving grace.
She’s actually only present for another book which is benedict’s. If they keep her around and reveal her later they can keep julie andrews but have time to expand the resolution for how the ton will perceive LW without this messy writing 😭😭
Totally agree - there's no central tension to the story anymore without that secret. The idea that the Queen doesn't care is absurd. Queen Charlotte and Lady Danbury are so watered down this year, really disappointing! I doubt anyone will care by the time season 4 comes out since this season was so bad. Unless they change the showrunner, I'm out.
Yes!!!! I thought it was going to be a private meeting between Pen and the Queen, laying the groundwork for all sorts of intrigue and friction in the future. LW being public and now Pen is an open, famous writer just felt so boring.
Don't you just love it when the female lead is acting her heart out during romantic scenes only to have all those emotions ricochet off the empty-headed love interest. It's like she was romancing a piece of cardboard.
FINALLY SOMEONE SAID IT !! Luke N is not a bad looking guy and miss nicola was really doing all the heavy lifting. He also received no help from the writing or the costuming sadly
We are to believe NO ONE had a problem with Pen being LW, not even the Queen who threaten Eloise in S2. They went out of their way to trash Francesca & John. Francesca looked so homely and Pen looked so much artificially better it looked inconsistent. Wrong Early 19th regency culture- premarital sex!, no chaperone for a single woman (still remember Kate's chaperone during Season 2 hunt scene) and Colin didn't even ask for Pen's mother's permission to marry!?! Even if Lady Featherington is a bad person she deserved respect.
And did I miss where John asked for permission to propose to Francesca? Also, I've read elsewhere that she is now a Countess. Daphne has been referred to as a Duchess and Kate a Vicountess...seems like an oversight. Speaking of Daphne...did I miss a throwaway line about her? Did someone mention her and I missed it?
@@ceriseanne1 I believe it was acceptable to ask or announce as a couple, because of John's "shyness". Colin announcing to the Bridgerton's first is Not the right behavior during the regency era. Hate to trash S3, but didn't John have a mother or family members in the Ton. Violet knew a little bit about them. John mentioned his mother did not prefer to host an event. Where were the Kilmartin family at the wedding? S3 seemed to have been rewritten several times that's why it appeared to be chopped up storylines.
I agree that Colin should have asked Lady Featherington's permission to marry Pen. I didn't actually think Pen would let her mum find out through Whistledown! They could have literally walked across the street and announced the engagement to Pen's family.
He just whisked her off without a chaperone after telling her mother off, to some love nest and put a baby in her. Lord Debling at least came to ask her mother for permission to propose.
This reminds me of Debling again with that scene where he implicitly asked Penn's hand for marriage in a subtle way by asking her how she would write it, if it were a book. "Then he needs to ask her mother", it was so beautiful. But ofc he got cast aside after his job is done by the series
When you realize it took Arcane League of Legends to establish Ekkos and Jinx childhood friendship in 2 minutes and even after a whole season we still don't believe Polin were even friends as children
Yeah, it's clearly possible to establish traits of a character/a relationship within a short amount of time. the previous season they had changed Anthony's character from S1 but they did that with an effective montage so you weren't confused throughout S2 why he was the way he was. they could've done that with Polin or start each EP with a flashback to their friendship, even if it was just 1 min
They shouldn't have made him a rake. They should have focused on his journal writing and his self-doubt over that. Then tie that much earlier and much more deeper to Pen and Whistledown. That was a good connection that didn't get explored well. Also, why weren't there any childhood flashbacks for them? For the romance between childhood friends!
Yep they should not have made him into a rake. They should have bonded over writing and books instead of him helping her find a husband. He could’ve also had some conflict within his family where he also struggles to be taken seriously and he and pen can bond over that.
@@celiner7400 Exactly. Maybe Colin finds out that Penelope knows a lot of gossip and can't understand why. Put her discovering his journals much earlier and have her convince him to open up about them gradually. There's just so much that they could have done.
@@TacticusPrime Yep and about Colin's sexcapades, why does he have to be a rake in order to have a sex life? He could've just mentioned that he gained experience from Paris and that's it. No need for brothel scenes. He can also manage to get a copy of kama sutra from his travels. I mean he was able to score some drugs from Greece in season 2. A little more imagination from the writers would've been nice.
I was really confused when watching interviews of Nicola and Luke... their chemistry off screen was so beautiful and comfortable, it was very perplexing to see that not translate AT ALL in the show. I didn't believe thier love for eachother, it almost felt like Colin didn't actually love pen and that was something he was hiding/uncomfortable with the entire series. There was almost no pining. Pen should have slapped him in the face.
A slap could've only helped the chemistry progress! I hate to say this, but I would've taken a slightly more angry, unhinged, or even toxic Colin just to see that he cared more, rather than this stiff and sedate Colin. Which is a sad thought cause Penelope deserves a non toxic guy! Then again, I didn't even find Penelope likeable with her confused Marina 2.0 actions
She definitely should've yelled at him at least. I was really annoyed at how they wrote him to not even let her speak or defend herself. That's not how you treat a person you love.
@ShaddaiSpencer they di ld a throw away line from that scene in the book in the church. It wouldn't or couldn't have worked there bc 1. It was so unnoticeable. They just randomly decided to dance in the middle of the hallway and she says "were you ever beaten as a child." 2. She would no longer be curious about this yk....cause there getting married. Also this scene was supposed to establish how privileged she thought he was versus how lost he was actually feeling. And they grow together bc of that. U can't just throw it in the first sentence of an important scene, cut away and then say it was a book reference as if it had no meaning or substance. They did the same with the glass cutting scene where pen reads his book. I wanted praise kink Colin so bad who had sm respect for his best friend he knew that he compliments and words meant something and sigh. I'm just very disappointed
I sometimes wonder how beautiful it would have been if in the last scene they show us flashback of the exact moment where small Penelope fell in love with small Colin . The full circle moment we needed!
Its funny because Lady whistledown wasnt some journalist out for truth, writing harmless stuff, she actively ruined people's lives. Portia finding out Penelope wrote shit about her family when she was actively trying to save them was actually sad, but that confrontation should've been so much more powerful than it was. The ton should absolutely hate Penelope for how many lives she's ruined at this point, but they get distracted by butterflies after such a huge revelation. Also Colin's actor was either directed poorly or hes just not a good actor because the interviews with Nicola and Luke are so much better.
This! Penelope should be a walking target with the way she pretty much destroyed a lot of people's lives and reputations. To say that her writing was harmless during a time where reputation was everything to a member of the gentry is silly. Bridgerton seems to have forgotten the timeline they're in and what values people held back then, which is why a lot of people felt attracted to it in the first place. There are stuff that imo (in terms of accuracy) can be ignored, but the magic of regency is the intricacies of their dynamics, how something we nowadays see as normal could have doomed them back then, and how they navigate such world while also trying to be happy.
You just made me think of something: It would've been more believable for people to be angry with Pen. However, they also could've somehow shown all of the people LW helped; like when she saved Daphne from marrying Lord Berbrooke by revealing his true nature & his treatment of the maid he impregnated. Or how she put that lord on blast about how he was treating his new wife; or that she temporarily ruined Eloise so she could save her & her family from the Queen. That would've been great to show!
@@earlonaweary9155 that wouldn't matter to the ton though. To the viewers? Yeah, but that's because we care about the Bridgertons. What I get from your suggestion though is that it would have been great if we were shown how she did more good than just those few actions (like defend those in a vulnerable position). However, that wouldn't have made her less of a target, but it could have ensued a "civil war" of sorts inside the ton, dividing them by those who want to protect her and those who want to harm her.
I really wanted this to be a great season but this was honestly a waste of time- Frans ending is confusing and came out of nowhere with her stuttering over Micheala as if she didn't just get married to Jon like 2 days before. Ant and Kate kept disappearing. Mama Bridgerton's garden is in bloom so I h0pe Marcus waters it. Polin was a disappointment. I skipped past every Benedict scene expect for the ones with the siblings. Lady D and the Queen are always interesting to watch. ATP I won't be watching anything else from Bridgerton
Totally agree!! As a side plot, Francesca and John's love story was so interesting and beautiful. They did John and the viewers dirty 😤 don't even get me started on the fact that we didn't understand why colin went from friendzone to lust?! There was no build up, no longing! 😭 I think this season, Lady Featherington stole the show. Penelope sister's were fun too and Hyacinth, what a cutie!
It may not have been an explicit representation of a Neurodivergent relationship, but it was nice to see a love Story (Fran and John), that was calm, peaceful and gentle.
same here, I skipped every Benedict and Mondrich. I hope Fran's story gets salvaged, in the books, she did love John and only fell for his cousin after he died. Bridgerton's portrayal is a travesty. I wonder how Julia Quinn feels about how Polin's plot was trashed. Will John's mother thank Michaela for letting him love Fran first?
@@ambberhill1090 I also hope Frans story gets salvaged I hope they say Micheala has a twin Brother named Micheal anything but what we were given. I feel so bad for authors whenever they books don't get properly adapted/changed it feels like a slap in the face.
Me too...I skipped all the Benedict scenes. They weren't worth a watch. And they did a very poor job with Colin and Pen. It was a very disappointing season and if this is the future of the show, they just lost me. don't want to see another season like this. It wasn't worth the wait. We so wanted to see a lovely story of Colin and Pen's relationship and something clever where Whistledown was concerned because Whistledown is clever. It just didn't measure up. And even Pen's relationship with Eloise ...their reconciliation was rushed and poorly constructed. Bridgerton's may have needed a longer season. And whatever they do, I hope they don't bring our beloved Benedict back like this ...yuck!
Another thing that bugs me about this season is that we barely see Penelope and Colin's romance flourish, compared to Daphne and Simon and Anthony and Kate in the previous seasons. They were side characters in their own story. All the time wasted on the Mondrichs could have been used to build up Pen and Colin more. Literally, the writers could have cut the Mondrich family and no one would have even noticed because they were that irrelevant to the plot and did nothing to advance the story.
THIS - remove the mondrichs! Or if you must include them, a scene or two. More ROMANCE please - that is what we are tuning in for. It didn't feel like a romance, it felt like a soap opera
I can only think the showrunners did not believe Penelope and Colin interesting or believable enough as a couple that they felt they needed to butcher the season by adding such irrelevant and boring characters and story lines.
Finally, someone said it. And we didn't notice it before because it looks like he worked out for the main role and it accentuated his expressions. Also, no offense to Luke N, but Luke T and Johnny B have better body language and facial expressions, because they have been in theatre for a long time, and I think that makes Luke N's "flaws" if you will, stand out more.
@@RealTalkWithSSG. He was doing it in previous seasons as well (yes, I went back to see it, because it bothered me too), but we don't actually see/goes unnoticed because many of the times he is the background and you're most likely to be looking at the person who is in front of him or the editing cuts short, so you're left thinking he is about to close it and you just didn't see it, or it's "hidden" by the camera angles. I think some of the best episodes that help with this are: s1x4 when he is talking to Pen about the baby (he open his mouth, but the camera is shooting from the side and you're most likely to pay attention to her in here) and 2x3 at pall mall, when he tells Kate and Anthony to fetch for their balls (the editing helps hide). It's an acting choice of his for the most over the top scenes (the ones he knows are important for plot), but in s3 mostly all his scenes are important for plot and you can't really edit out your male lead, so it becomes more visible, more obvious and he does it more often as well.
The first part was so slow that it was crazy to me just how much the writers managed to cram into the second part. Just with Penelope and Colin, we got the engagement, their first time, Colin finding out, the fallout, the wedding, Cressida's blackmail, the reconciliation, the reveal to the ton and their happy ending. All of that is already a lot for 4 episodes but then add on all of the side plots? It's just too much and not enough substance.
(srry for how late this reply is) rlly?? i thought the first part was well paced, and everything flowed well. i think the problem is there were too many side plots where the polin scenes were too dispersed, but i think all the main plot points they hit were done well (first kiss ep 2, colin’s epiphany and full-on realisation throughout ep 3, carriage ep 4) but i definitely wish that he finds out about LW at the end of the part in the same way he finds out at that point in the book. but yeah, everything they fit into part 2 was SO rushed and maybe it would feel unresolved but certain storylines definitely could have moved into the next season e.g introducing michaela
i am actually a bit disapointed at the fact that francesca gave a whole speech how love doesnt need to be big and grand and how she likes the quiet and safe love she found… just for her to have the stutter-when-i-first-met-them moment with michaela at the end! why couldnt she just have a quiet love first? it felt like the writers were siding with voilet at the end, which felt weird…. they had a chance of showing a different type of love, but they went (again) with the live altering, all consuming kind of love… and it cheapens all the scenes between Francesca and John
this! quiet, gentle love is valid! ... I really don't understand why Francesca could not be bisexual who was first in quite love with John and then after his death she would discover that there is not just one true love and she would fall in love with Michaela.
I hated, HATED, that they made Francesca a lesbian and not at least bisexual. Because we just saw that these writers are incompetent, and I know that they are going to treat poor John as an obstacle, try to justify Francesca cheating with Michaela and expectating the viewers to cheer (again! Because we were through this with Edwina before) I also hate that they throw the idea of a quiet love out of the window, and everything have to instant love/lust, with fireworks and shit. All they had to do was make Michaela the one star struck by an oblivious Francesca, make Fran have a very happy marriage with John, and then when he dies, she and Francesca get close. Bam! You have your Sapphic romance with great representation
The did such a good job with John only to sideline him at the last moment. The Francesca storyline was the only thing I found acceptable and somehow they ruined that too! Even debling, a far better love interest than bland Colin, was dropped off the bridgerton world once the writers couldn’t use him as a love interest anymore
It's such a shame bc Francesca ans John's relationship and chemistry feel the most natural to me. They're also relatable bc i got closer to my now bf thanks to sharing mutual interests in art
They really shouldn’t have swapped out show-runners. I think Chris would have done a better job at this. It’s clear that everything has declined since Jess took the helm-quality, writing, costumes, character development, cinematography, and even music.
You forgot to talk about Penelope’s sisters suddenly going from being jealous of her then in the end liking her. It was done so poorly. It was done subtly with weird glances but it was sudden and not properly explained !
Yes! I actually thought Prudence was going to figure out that Penelope was LW and out her from a place of jealousy. There was a scene where she was looking at her mom and Penelope with an annoyed and slightly conniving look. She's the smarter of the two other sisters and I just figured she would accidentally stumble on it since she is in the same house. I was disappointed when they just went all happy family without much of a fight.
I was honestly mad Pen paid for their ball. Prudence said she looked like a beautiful bride or whatever the line was and honestly? It came across as sarcastic to me but I guess it was meant to be sincere? And that’s literally it. One nice comment on HER WEDDING DAY. Wooooow what progress. NOT. Like come on. She has what 18, 19 years of torture from them and after a few months of not being evil (although they had moments of being terrible during this season??) and a single nice comment was enough for her to give a MASSIVE sum to them?? I’m sorry. No!! It’s okay for her to hate her sisters. Trust me. It’s okay. Plenty of people hate their siblings or parents for very valid reasons. Or even just being ambivalent towards them. That’s fine too! Idk I just hated it
I said this elsewhere but I really dislike Penelope's character development. To me, it seems as though the show never gave her a genuine personality other than being involved with the Bridgeton's and being whistledown. I didn't get 'girl boss' energy from her. It more so came across as " I exposed everyone because it made me feel less like a wallflower." (Reminds me of bullying) She also said how being lady Whistledown was power, yet she used that power countless times to talk negatively about a family she "loves". When she was justifying her actions, I think she just came across as bratty. I also didn't feel the chemistry with Colin and Penelope. I also wasn't a fan of their acting this season. He had to put in no work to be with her. I couldn't see why they loved each other, other than one day they just decided to. I think this whole season was an absolute mess. However, I was let down by Penelope. I think they should have done a movie or spin off of "Unmasking Lady Whistledown" and then Colin and Penelope find each other after that.I think part of the reason for the strange angles might be because of the actors height difference. I noticed the strange angles the majority of the time when it was Colin and Penelope. Also, there was about 10 scenes of Penelope writing, we get it, she's Lady Whistledown.
Totally agree!! He didn’t do much to prove he deserved Penelope’s admiration or affection, he’s riding on her decades long infatuation to do most of the work for him. Would have been way more interesting if she rejected him and distanced herself from him a bit longer so he actually had to do something to prove himself and his feelings towards her to be genuine not desperate because he needs her validation of telling him how amazing he is.
Very true, I envisioned Penelope to be vicious as Lady Whistledown, but as herself, to be able to clearly explain why she did the things that she did (she does need the money, she likes the power, and made mistakes but will avoid mistakes of the past). Instead whenever confronted, she just says "I'm sorry, please forgive me" tearfully, and does the same things again. Add that with her agreeing to an engagement with no intention to come clean to Colin. Yes, Colin was unlikeable here, but Pen, when agreeing to marry him, didn't even think she had to tell him the truth until Eloise! She came across as bitter, selfish, and unlikeable, rather than the sweet and witty person from previous seasons.
Yep in the book she verbally put Cressida in her place using her gift with words which is what lead to Cressida to realize that she was LW. Instead they just showed that she and Eloise were both good at riddles?? I think that the bragging rights of a 10 yo falls short for Penelope coming into her own in the real world. Really the whole book was about her taking more agency in her life outside of LW and giving peaks into how she managed to girl boss through the logistics of LW. Which helps the reader see her in a different light while she is further coming into her own in her interactions with the Ton. I also dislike the fact that her glow up involves always hiding a part of her face. I’m glad that she didn’t have to lose weight to be seen but I wished that there was more time spent idealizing her in a delicate way like the other leading ladies got. And more time spent showing them enjoying themselves. They didn’t even get a post marriage bedroom scene which is weird.
She should take a page out of Ryan Condal's book on how to do faithful adaptations because season three wasn't it. Shows tend to go down hill when showrunners believe they can make it better and 99% of the time they make it worst.
I just can’t forgive them for Michaela. I was waiting for so long for our fan-fav Michael. I know that a show is never going to be completely book faithful, but I think that the core LIs should be kept. Gender swapping is a huge change, it was obviously a self-insert from our “amazing” showrunner. ✌️ I’m going to drop Bridgerton honestly, because in most aspects, it lacked SOOO much! Bridgerton S1 was beautiful, but this season felt like a random show, not a Netflix series worth millions of dollars. The money had to go to the costuming, because it’s just insane. It immersed me out of the show, pretty much only Eloise has decent styling. I still can’t believe they gave Hyacinth a dress that didn’t cover her torso/chest area, since those were reserved for women in season, it just didn’t make sense. There were obvious plot-holes and things that didn’t line up with past seasons. They just abandoned Cressida and kept the Mondrichs (They add nothing to the show atp). It’s so bad in quality, it’s insane. I’m just waiting for Benedict and Eloise’s season so they can butcher it. Sorry for the long comment, but I’m pretty over the hype of the show at this point. Let’s pray they change Jess. 🙏
@@sumysim3245 I got spoiled on twitter when I was just finished watching the first ep of the part 2, and when I discovered that Michael will never be, I didn't watch the others ep. I think I will watch the others seasons only for the story of Benedict and Eloise. I feel you, I am so disappointed.
I really hate it that Francesca and John didnt have their great love story. In the books she is grieving him and feels bad for falling for his brother. They hat a happy marriage but in the Show she just sees Michaela and falls for her.
I never read the books thanks for letting me know what was supposed to happen. Yea, I think her falling for his cousin (which honestly escaped me when I was watching) undermines everything they established about quiet love.
That and changing Michael’s gender. Fran’s story was heartbreaking, and it focused a lot on a woman who struggled with the possibility of infertility. She marries Michael because she wants children. Can’t do that with ‘Michaela’
@@Bree5threeit COMPLETELY went over my head! I thought Micheala was going to be rude or something. And during the wedding, I just thought Fran felt awkward kissing in front of her family! Not only is this subplot unnecessary, but badly done
During the press tours, Luke T often looked exhausted..almost breakdown level...Nicola did most of the talking (as usual😊 and Luke would say Yeah, yeah yeah. I hope he takes a holiday at home or abroad with His girlfriend.❤
All of the characters seemed out of place for a historical setting like the show has just completely given up any semblance of being the regency era and just want them to be modern. This goes for the costumes, hair, makeup and language used. Atleast S1 tried to a certain extent.
I agree with practically everything you said!! 👍👍 I would say I was very very disappointed with the way they twisted Francesca’s arc, and I do not give a damn about Michael/a. Book spoilers ahead… Her arc is about overcoming her terrible grief and falling in love a second time. And in one swift stroke they made a joke about what was the very real love she and John shared. Say goodbye to the cute, original, lovely shy lover’s story I thought they were going for, they just cheapened it for the sake of shock effect. She was struck by a bolt and fell in love ON HER WEDDING WAY, and now she’s stuck in a marriage that won’t make any of them happy.
I didn't read the books, but really loved Hannah's portrayal of Francesca, I probably relate most to this character. What a serious letdown, the only thing I did like just evaporated with her mooning over Michaela. When drama is prioritized over solid characters
Here they went through this whole long arc trying to show Violet that love can come in different forms and look differently than just the lightening bolt infatuation, that in all honesty will fade and isn’t what is needed to make a real marriage work long term, only to come in at the last minute and say nope! Yeah Francesca didn’t know what she wanted and now she is stuck. Haha! I didn’t like it especially since they set up these two with so much care at the beginning of the season. Just let them have their time and then introduce Michaela later not on their wedding day!
Can’t agree more!!! And all of the costumes were pulling unnecessary attention and honestly ridiculous About the interviews being “YOU MUST NOT WATCH IT WITH YOUR MOM” and then there is a tiny portion of advertised spice. This is just a parody of first 2 seasons which is honestly so sad
After watching some seasons of Game of Thrones with my mother I kept waiting to see what in the world of Bridgerton was so spicey that I couldn't watch with my mother. I discovered nothing which makes me believe those scenes were cut drastically.
After watching it with my Mom I can confidently say there was not a single moment where I was uncomfortable in any way... aside from those times when we were both baffled by the writing choices😆 Well, at least this script's numerous shortcomings provide plenty of material for fruitful discussions. After all, like the members of the ton, we do enjoy tea.☕
Seasons 1, 2 and Charlotte spinoff had so many beautiful scenes and iconic dialogues that live rent-free in my brain. It's a shame this season is forgettable overall. I can't even recall one dialogue that really stood out to me. Sorrows, sorrows, prayers. nothing has matched the scale of Charlotte saying she'll stand with George between heaven and earth or Anthony saying Kate is the bane of his existence and his honour is hanging by a thread. India is not far enough.
It also helps if you have good actors and, let's be honest, neither Luke nor Nicola are main character material, although I will concede that she is a bit better than him. Luke's delivery as Colin has always been flat and forced and, as for Penelope, this season it seemed she could only express two emotions: astonishment and over reaction.
I dislike how they girl-bossified both pen being LW and her mother stealing from the rest of the ton…LW is not a girl boss empire or a voice for the voiceless. It was gossip, which isn’t necessarily the worst thing in the world but it does make Pen an active contributor towards the downfall of many people’s lives. (Though I don’t understand why one of the reasons Colin is mad at Pen is because she ‘ruined’ marina…like boy. She literally tried to trap you?) so basically Pen isn’t a girl boss but a mean girl with a superiority complex. And she brushes off her mom having stolen from the bridgertons, Pen’s new family. And mom justifying stealing because they “needed it” and the others didn’t. As if keeping up with the joneses to stay rich like the rest of high society is a good thing. Na. You’re not Robin Hood. You’re just a rich woman stealing from other rich people to stay up with the trends and not have to rewear dresses…neither are the underdog story the writers think they have.
In the book, Colin already knows Pen is Whistledown by the time he proposes and there's none of this "entrapment" nonsense. He's conflicted but is also very protective of Pen and doesn't want her to be outcasted from society. He is also willing to use the Bridgerton name to protect her. He actually gives a speech praising her to the ton and lets everyone know she is Whistledown at the end. I like that in the show, Pen is the one divulging her identity but we didn't get a protective Colin. :(
@@diannehall3504 maybe... in the sense that it would have given Colin something to DO. But i think they gave that to Penelope to let her have her agency. That was the final arc of her coming into her own. Her accepting and owning both sides of her identity. And because of that, the show had Colin go off to face Cressida to try and dissuade her
I know the show wanted to have Penelope "save herself" rather than having Colin do it for her. But I felt like that scene after she give her speech about being Whistledown, the queen says whatever bs she said and leaves, and Pen is just standing on the platform as people start to whisper about her, that's when Colin should have come up to join her, publicly showing that he supports her (and by extension the Bridgerton family supports her as well). Don't get me wrong, I loved Philipa shouting to release the "bugs", but they could have still had that with Pen and Colin on the platform together.
@@jessicasaccone7608yes! I was waiting for him to stand by his wife and… nothing. It not only makes for a bad romance but for a bad marriage. That scene was weird.
Pens outcome seems to be more of luck that the queen and nobody cared to be unpleasant, rather than her actually doing something smart to get herself and her family out of trouble.. theQueens generosity worked in seasons 1 and 2 because she’s partial to love stories. Now she’s pardoning everything under the sun. I can’t imagine she would let Whistledown off without some consequences. The ton would want to tear into her honestly
Them not having Colin know shes whistledown before the engagement and sex scene bothered me so so much. Took all my ability to enjoy those moments away because he hates a core part of her identity and has no idea. And them still fighting during the wedding? Awful! And why would they not have Cressida marry Lord Debling??? Seems like an obvious solution
made me feel rather icky too as you'd question had he known would he have had sex with her? to me it was a consent issue and i really felt for colin as i'd feel so deceived considering the damage LW's done.
On my first watch I was willing to give those scenes the benefit of the doubt. My thinking was that if they’re saving the reveal for later, surely that means his reaction isn’t too bad… oh how wrong I was. After finishing the season I can’t enjoy those moments anymore, not with knowing how astonishingly awful Colin takes it. Most romantic season? Is the romance in the room with us now??? I feel so robbed.
It has now become clear that Chris Van Dusen is a GENIUS showrunner - he was a true artistic talent that should have NEVER been allowed to walk away. I heard Netflix wasn't offering him enough money to stay on, so he walked, and took his brilliant team with him! Well - Shonda and Netflix went with the discount, low budget showrunner Jess Brownell and an inexperienced production team - and THIS IS THE RESULT. Sometimes you have to pay for quality Netflix should have paid whatever Chris Van Dusen was asking. Whatever that man wanted, he was worth every penny. Sure, they saved money hiring Brownell - but the RESULT speaks for itself. I'm reposting my (crazy long, slightly edited) comment from the other video below - but first I want to say - I was a #1 Bridgerton fan - loved all the past seasons, told everyone I knew to watch. So I say this as a stan, not a hater: For Season 3 Part 2 - The costumes, the makeup - terrible. I actually felt sick to my stomach watching. Lady Arnold was dressed as a character from the 1950s or 1960s - THEY DESTROYED KATE - Kate was dressed so perfectly season 2, every gown was perfection -what happened?
Cressida looked beyond shocking - Eloise looked strange too. This costume designer should be fired and NEVER work again, on any production, in any capacity - should be banned from Hollywood . I'm not a period drama expert, but I feel I could have done a better job dressing the actors. Compare the costumes sense and sensibility (Ang lee) or pride and prejudice to this - yes Bridgeton is whimsical fantasy but this season the COSTUMES went WAY OFF THE RAILS. The previous 2 seasons, especially queen charlotte, were beautiful, elegant and struck the right balance between fantasy and authenticity.
Season 3 costumes felt like . . I was watching a children's show? A really trashy one.
Like, I literally couldn't focus on the scenes - I had to cover my eyes, they were so bad. The hair was all wrong, the makeup was terrible - why eye shadow? Why so much blush on everyone? - esp on Francesca - a beautiful woman who doesn't need to be painted up like a prostitute? Why acyclic nails? Again, some liberties are fine - but this was too, too, much. I actually couldn't enjoy the actor's work, the way they were dressed was so distracting and anachronistic. HORRIBLE cinematography - strange camera angles - some of the scenes were lit so poorly - what more can I say? Set design poor this 2nd half - the Fetherington sister ball in particular looked strange. The dancing scenes looked . . . odd? They were great in all the other seasons, not sure what happened here. Why are they changing all these things that worked in previous seasons? The things everyone loved? I can't believe that in the end, there was NO point to the Mondrich plot line - they're nice people, but they could have been completely 100% cut out, and that times used for Polin. Far too much Cressida plotline - esp in her terrible costumes. Sex scene was awkward and strange. Strange writing - awkward plotting and so many things that didn't make sense - why were the mondrich couple at Francesca’s small family wedding? But not her own sister - Daphne? Again - why were the Mondrichs in this season at all? Since the previous actors have left the show, they should have cut the Francesca wedding scene, or made her elope. We didn't need to see it. No romance or chemistry between Colin and Pen - but I thought this was a romance series? Much more chemistry with the wonderful Lord Debling It's starting to look like a soap opera in stead of a regency romance - with weird sci-fi/Hunger games inspired costumes. They should have kept three sidelots - benedict throuple, the funny fetherington pregnancy thing, and introduce Francesca, who is a great neurodivergent character - and REMOVED everything else. Ideally, you should be able to watch each season as a STAND ALONE - just like the books. You shouldn't have to go back and watch old seasons to enjoy the main couple. Maybe 2-3 side plots, not 12 different side plots! Every thing I loved about QC and season 2 - a season devoted to a main couple with intense chemistry - has been utterly destroyed. Who was the main couple of the season? Francesca and John? I'm not quite sure.
This season was a huge misfire, a disaster of epic proportions, not just 'the worst season' like people are saying. I like Shonda, like all the actors, like the inclusion and diversity, LOVED the past seasons - but we need to be honest about the disaster that is Season 3.
@@mahekk1556 I thought Kate looked objectively great, the makeup and clothes suited the actress really well. BUT it did absolutely nothing for the setting and storyline! In fact every time I saw anybody's costumes, I felt like I time traveled to another time period.
I agree so much. There was so much sparkly shit on dresses and makeup caked on eyelids. It was so distracting, no harmony with backgrounds, I felt allergic after a few episodes. Cressida was a monstrosity of course, but even Violet's costumes were giving me whiplash. Season 1and 2 were masterfully done, Daphne's makeup was limited but so so effective. Think I'm gonna have to go back and watch a Jane Austen movie from the 2000s to recuperate.
I think they really changed Kate's wardrobe to camouflage her within the family, during the S3 trailer, I did not recognise Kate was there in first glance.
I just don't understand why they had to cram all these storylines into only 8 episodes. The show is one of the most successful ones on Netflix, it doesn't make sense that they would sell it short like that. I also agree with previous posters that the weird af costuming didn't help.
Yes, this is what I have been saying! Like we could have, had a spinoff the time between Kanthony's and Polin's season where we could have shown Eloise and Cressida getting closer, the Mondrich family becoming members of the ton, etc
I loved Eloise’s outfits, especially her green jacket. Fran and the other Bridgertons were okay as well, But everyone else seemed to be inspired by the Featheringtons
You nailed it with the clunky technical aspects. The first two seasons, even though obviously not fully true to the Regency era as it's a loose adaptation, it still felt like a period drama. The third season felt like a costume party, with so much sequin, and shiny dresses! Bold red lips, eyeliner, and cheek highlighter? Seriously? Everyone dressed like a Featherington woman!! And also, the lighting. It didn't feel like people were using candles or oil lamps in their homes and streets, it looked like 2024 electrical lighting in 1814.
I get that this isn't meant to be a historically accurate show, and that's fine. But I think they went way too far with the costumes and makeup this season. All of a sudden all the women have obvious fake lashes, colourful eyeshadow, lipstick, and ACRYLIC NAILS?! It kind of made it hard for me to believe the characters, they all looked like regular 21st century people dressing up for a costume party... Shame because I was so excited for this season :(
I agree with the camera angles and edits being awkward in the back half of season 3. it felt like I was on a visual rollercoaster half the time. It feels like show runners forget how well-shot and edited scenes can further immerse a viewer into the world and make it visually appealing. You can get away with some mistakes if you have moments and scenes that can make up for them. Great analysis!
Daphne’s absence during her siblings weddings wasn’t mentioned once while Edwina’s marital bliss was mentioned twice. HECK, even Cressida’s Aunt Joanna was mentioned more than the oldest and most influential daughter of the family who plays an instrumental role in the book. Anthony and Kate are here as guest appearances which I’m not mad abt but they could’ve given them more screen-time rather than focusing on Benedict’s threesome. The theme of this season had “friendship” written all over it and the makers fumbled so hard. Polin’s friendship isn’t given importance, Eloise and Pen’s friendship is hanging by a tread, Violet and Lady D are in an awkward situation and have to reevaluate their friendship. Even the Featherington’s learning how to befriend each other could’ve been used so much more. The entire season lacked the Bridgeton effect. That tension, that build up, the pacing. In the first season they had all the brother’s fencing and drinking together. This season the family bonding that we love so much is missing. I wanted to see more of Violet the mother. Violet’s scenes with both Daphne and Anthony could give Colin a run for his money. This season we barely see Violet present in her kids lives or even Violet having a heartfelt conversation about her role in society as a widowed dowager falling for someone after all these years. Colin feels bland. Benedict’s plot is lost. Eloise is just there. Francesca is speechless and apparently smitten after seeing her two day old husbands cousin, Daphne is not mentioned, Anthony is not to be seen even-tough he is the main financier of the family, Gregory and Hyacinth don’t have many scenes. The Family of Bridgeton’s don’t feel like a family anymore they feel so scattered, lost, out of touch which is just so sad. Penelope and Colin was supposed to be the most loved couple of all and sadly didn’t live up to the mark because we barely got Colin and Penelope as kids or teens. This season had so much potential and they fumbled BIG TIME. Here’s hoping the team takes the criticism seriously and works out the loop holes for the next season.
THIS THIS THIS, agreed with every word you said, whewww this was my exact thoughts, the potential to be the most loved with the theme of ‘ friends’ and they couldn’t pull through
There is SO MUCH to complain about with this season that’s valid and YET people just want to talk about how Eloise is a Bad Character (I love her) or that apparently gender swapping is the worst thing to ever happen (even though we have no idea what the story is gonna be). Season 2 of Bridgerton was so amazing, I thought it would be the standard but, apparently, it’s the exception. edit: I think people are wildly missing my point. Being wary about the changes is fine, I’m simply saying there’s more wrong with this season than just a gender swap. I’d rather critique the poor writing and pacing of Polin than speculate how season 4 will be terrible.
I don't know how Francesca's story will evolve with Michaela. Not towards the original story for sure. People who love the book are pissed off because with this turn they won't get the story they love and expected to see in the show. The show already changed a key element from the original story: it is Michael(a) who is completely besotted with Fran from their first encounter and for Fran nothing else exists but John. Why couldn't they keep this in the show? This turn cancels all what we saw in the show before and what Francesca stood for (even in front of the Queen), the quiet and simple love without sparkles and fuss. Fran can't remember her name when she meets Michaela (by the way why she appears from nowhere at the ball? why John doesn't introduce his wife to his cousin? why Michaela doesn't know that Fran is the wife of his cousin?) and this reflects what Violet sad to her what happened when she met Edmund. As if the show wanted to prove that Fran was wrong and only the passionate love matters. You can flush down the toilet the sweet love story we witnessed earlier. She will suffer in her marriage because she has feelings for Michaela? She will cheat John with Michaela? In the book it is also a key element that Fran discovers through Michael the passionate love AFTER her quiet and happy marriage to John. For her, all two men are true love, but in a different way. According to the book, you can have more than one true love, and you can have a second chance in life. According to the show, her marriage to John is a mistake from the beginning.
@@sunlightempressI can see why it makes people frustrated! I’m not saying it’s an invalid opinion, just that there’s more wrong with the season than just the gender swap. I’m personally annoyed that it’s one of the only things people are criticizing. I’m also of the opinion that an adaptation doesn’t owe its audience perfect replication of the source material. Books and movies have different advantages in their storytelling. Therefore, I’m not bothered by changes like this IF they serve a larger purpose to the narrative. To each their own 🤷♀️We’ll just have to wait and see what’s next.
@@udesivalihegPersonally, I didn’t interpret Francescas feelings in the same way. That’s the interesting thing about media, we all have our opinions. I have no idea how they will handle this in the show and truly we will have to wait and see what happens. My comment is more talking about how there are larger problems in S3 than just the gender swap that deserve discussion and critique.
@@madeleinejohnson9408 I think that the backlash about the gender swap is due to the fact that many people consider that Francesca's book is the best of the series (including myself). As I read in the comments, many women feel connected to the book's main themes (loss, grief, miscarriage, infertility, second chance in life, wanting and having children at the end). And we won't get the same story in the show.
This season was so off. The magic that the first 2 seasons had was lost. The main love story for this season didn’t get the time it needed to build up the ‘swooning’ between the two. It was so rushed and it didn’t give their love story the depth it deserved. You’re right about the camera angles as well. The scene where Eloise and Colin are at the staircase discussing their feeling about Pen being Whistledown should have been extremely emotional. The actors did a good job in the scene but having to watch the interaction between the railings of the staircase made me lose the emotional build up in that discussion as I couldn’t focus on the emotional impact it had on the actors properly. I don’t even know much about directing or filming but the angle stood out to me 😐 It’s so sad that they fumbled the season for pen and Colin 😪
The pacing was terrible. The costumes.filters, language and angles took us out of world emersion. There was way too many plots in the first place, then they tried to introduce whole story lines for those plots intstead of letting us dipping our toes in for next season. Collin is a horrifically written charachter and its not what he deserves. He became Pens shadow when it should have been a equal season. There is so much conflict but the conflict resolution happens before you can blink. Why do we need multiple queer story lines all of a sudden? Are we collecting them like pokemon. Why not just do one, properly Benedict being the best one for it. Also correct me if im wrong...........WAS THIS NOT A POLLIN SEASON? Do the writers hate them? All of their scenes were rough and strange when they needed to be the most genuine and powerful. So much hollow yapping from Collin, I did actually like Pen this season she was the only redeemly factor. What happened with Eloise? She is a horrible friend to both Pen and Cressida, and what became of Theo? The Queen was having imposter syndrome, she was such a weird version of herself. All in all there was alot left to be desired the only reason I watched this season is because some of the actors are indeed good actors and carried alot of this bad writing.
I like what you said about language…..They used words that were not in their vocabulary! For all the reasons we loved the show it’s gone! Nonexistent. They were so busy trying to make a point that they lost the whole story and the characters..
@@anikaschneider2611 season 1 and 2 convinced me that they could be great together. I feel the glow up versus growing up got all confused. Too much about appearances and makeup and not a decent discussion between the two
25:5010:11 it’s not just rushed with Francesca. They threw her entire book in the trash for the sake of representation. Her story was supposed to have her genuinely love John, and Michael - YES MICHAEL- being in love with her from afar. Her story dives into infertility and grief because she wants kids but suffers miscarriages while with John, and when John dies, she only returns to the marriage field so she could have another chance at a family. From what I know, Michael also has to work through a form of imposter syndrome because he takes over for John after he dies, and loved John like a brother. The show made us fall for John, and even him becoming a part of the family. The fact they show horned in things that aren’t meant to be there, ruined one of the fandoms favourite books.
I'm just so mad and sad for Nicola and Luke who deserved WAAY more screen time for their season. Especially Nicola who is also a Huge representation for plus size girls that wanted to see themselves as the Main love interest that also deserves Romance. She deserved MORE intimate scenes that show that big girls are sexy and CAN be loved and adored and worshipped. I hated that JESS BROWNWELL made Penelope a sideline character in her own season just because she wanted to insert herself into the story.
Okay, sorry in advance for the unbelievably long comment (but I have way too many thoughts and feelings 😅) My God this season was a mess. I really appreciate you talking about the technical elements, because it really does influence how an audience perceives the show, whether people realize it or not. From the way it was shot and edited all the way down to the costumes, which were all over the place this season, the visual language was abandoned, none of it was cohesive. The first two seasons struck a balance between the regency aesthetic and modern sensibilities. Even as the period drama snob that I am, I could appreciate and praise the show for addressing that it wasn't trying to be historically accurate and preferred to create their own in-universe logic. But this season all logic has been thrown out the window. Where's all the respect and care put into the first two seasons and QC?? Jess Brownell has to be taken out of this writers room immediately. Please, Lord, bring back Chris Van Dusen. - Kate and Anthony were the light of this season, Jonathan and Simone are a blessing. I love seeing Anthony so unhinged and chaotically in love and Kate living her best life being so loved and supported by him and at ease within the Bridgertons. But even their exits weren't safe from sloppy writing. You have two of the best characters in the show, who're fan favorites, played by two actors (one of them arguably one of the best actors of his generation, rising to superstardom) with amazing chemistry who've both been very vocal about wanting to come back to continue their characters' story and you just keep sending them away?? - Benedict is basically just a piece of meat to the writers at this point. For a show that prides itself on not being 'exploitative' & 'gratuitous' with it's sex scenes, his scenes felt pretty fuckin' gratuitous. Its a shame Luke Thompson's talents are not being utilized to their potential. - The conclusion to Francesca's storyline is a slap in the face to book readers (and I say this as someone hasn't read them) Not just the gender swap, which is a disservice to the source material, but the mere fact that Francesca shows interest in someone other than John literally TWO DAYS after getting married only adds insult to injury. They managed to get us invested in this sweet, quiet, love story only to throw it away, when the main theme in Fran's book is about having two great (different) loves and how one doesn't diminish the other. - Wtf was that Mondrich storyline? Literally no purpose whatsoever. - I actually appreciated Eloise's character development this season and the fact that her & Pen's relationship was treated with the importance it deserves. - As for Polin, I tend to feel the same as you. They felt like an afterthought in their own season. I will admit that they started to win me back a little during this second half (I enjoyed Colin defending Pen against her family), but thats mostly on Luke and Nicola more so than the writing itself and by the end I didn't really know what to think. Pen had some great character moments, specially with Portia, but with Colin its literally like "What even is Colin?". Whereas the previous male leads have been incredibly complex characters he's got the personality of cardboard and even though the plotline of him wanting to be a writer came from the book, in the show it was just thrown in there. - And lastly, the resolution to Whistledown was so underwhelming, considering that this plot has been a throughline since the first season. While I do agree that the Queen definitely enjoyed her rivalry with Whistledown, are we really expected to believe that she would be that chill about it after being challenged so many times? After her stellar spinoff, her arc this season felt like a disservice to her character. Also that the ton would just be ok with Pen after all the damage she has inflicted upon them? Was the conclusion to a 3 season long storyline really "gossip is what bonds us all together"? This season was such a misfire, and its insane to realize how much a single person (showrunner) can change things. It's really sad to see a season of television with so much potential be thrown away. Obviously one would hope it gets better but, it is not looking good.
They did set up Cressida being put in an arranged marriage in part 1, her father threatened to set her up with one of his buddies if she didn’t find a husband this season and he made good on that threat. What would have been interesting is if they did keep Lord Debling around and show Cressida attempting to woo him but a) it goes well, but Lord Debling wants someone with a “more complete life” so she goes through with the Lady Whistledown ruse to prove to him she has hobbies and passions, but it blows up in her face or b) failing to seduce Debling fast enough so she is still met with an arranged marriage, so she goes through with the Lady Whistledown scheme. I also found it bizarre that Lord Debling was just cast aside in part 2. We couldn’t even have one tense stare down at a ball between Polin and Lord Debling? He just leaves society after that? It’s such a waste of a good character
I like those ideas. Cressida was done so dirty. There's a lot of potential in how Eloise treated her, how society let her down and the complexities of doing something out of self-preservation.
The lack of Polin screen time due to 50 different subplots running at the same time makes this season the messiest in my opinion. They’ve used quite a bit of their source material this season but again, it all got overshadowed with so many unnecessary subplots. As a book reader, I was so confused when they were trying to give Cressida a redemption arc because she’s just a bully. She does try to claim the reward money and then blackmail Penelope in the book as well. So I’m confused by the setup of her character when this is exactly what she was supposed to do. However, the forced marriage plot in the show does explain her actions and adds some dimension to her. Michael is also a huge favourite among book readers so this switch will most certainly change her entire storyline and get rid of some really beautiful and powerful parts.
The writing was abysmal this season. The scene where Colin find Penelope, the night before their wedding after she visited Madame De La Croix, and they are fighting, I don't even remember what it was about, but in the middle of the argument Penelope starts to basically shout at him that she loves him. I was like, who wrote this? This doesn't resolve anything. Like, Penelope girl, we know you love him, we've known since season 1. The whole time I was like but this is not how you write your two leads arguing or resolving it at all. It was sooo cringe. Colin's entire arc was also super cringe. The only time where his character felt like himself was when he was talking to Pen after she came forward as LW at the ball. That is literally 7 + hrs of a character where you don't even get the semblance of how he actually is, not even in his most intimate moments (which there weren't very many). He was just all over the place.
I honestly was so excited that they were gonna really get nitty gritty. But when she just blurted out “I love you”, it completely was such a waste! Completely ruin the whole scene for me.
@@am0108 yess!! Like Pen we know you love this man, love is not the problem. It took him so long to come around and be himself again for a reason that is clearly part of his arc in the books but not at all established on the show. Part of the charm of Polin is that they love to write, they write to each other as Colin travels and Pen of course has LW. But on the show Colin is upset about Pen not writing to him and they resolve that, then she reads his diary and is impressed by it and now all of the sudden he wants to become a writer and he is jealous of her??!!!?? I didn't buy any of it. I watched a whole season of them and I don't believe that Colin loves Pen. He is clearly attracted to her but I don't believe that he burns for her like Simon does for Daphne or Anthony for Kate.
Amongst all the things that bothered me in this season (and believe me, there are... A lot!), I was really confused with the choice of make up, especially blush/rouge, being used on the actors. Francesca had so much orange blush, it took me completely out.
From my perspective Lady Featherington is simply a realist and any mama of that era would think the same if they were put through the same conditions their family was put through also given that penelope was a wallflower and often disappears from the event it is no wonder she thinks that penelope would never have a husband.
Yea, I never found her to be cruel. It's clear she was operating out of survival, a 'by any means necessary' kind of woman. That doesn't make for a good mother, but she does ultimately care for her and her kids.
The whole reason why Cressida was going after Debling was so her parents wouldn’t marry her off to an old man. She even tried talking to Eloise about it in the first half but Eloise is so self centered she wouldn’t hear it. It’s ironic that Eloise was reading Emma at the beginning of the season considering Emma too is self centered, privileged, know it all who doesn’t really listen to people.
I think a reason why Collin X Pen aren't really working is because this is a romance show, where the target market is mainly for women and women fantasies. The season felt as though Pen had to constantly pander to Collin's ego and make sacrifices purely for Collin's sake and to keep Collin comfortable. It is a stark contrast with season 2 where Antony was OBSESSED with Kate, to the point it went beyond his own ego and reason and that's why women love it. Women want to feel wanted and adored and be the cause for a man to sacrifice all sense of rationality or social standing or ... something (again this is romance genre where the risks could outweigh the reward) But this season, it's literally just Pen going on about how great Collin is and how great his writing is and how she is willing to edit his works and blah blah. She is good for his ego and that's it.
Yea, I don’t know who thought we wanted to watch Penelope beg for Colin’s love for the last 2 hours of the season. Penelope, whose entire character is that she felt invisible and ignored and unworthy of love!! Watching her beg and beg for Colin to love her and hold her while simultaneously praising him for “giving her confidence” was nauseating. Both of them deserved so much better.
Yesssss exactly! I also noticed that all of the thirst shots are on Penelope's body, to the point where Colin seemingly forgives her after glancing at her breasts? Nothing even CLOSE to the male thirst scenes of The Duke or Anthony!
They should've shown flashbacks of Colin and Penelope meeting as children while Penelope was walking down the Isle and Colin reminiscing on that moment. Shows that despite her being LW, she was sweet friend and now soon to be wife. Also I feel like they spent too much time on angry Colin. If they were going to do that we could have seen angry Colin but still having a longing for Penelope. They almost did that in the street scene at night but it should have been expounded upon further. Needed more passion.
like they just and said and didn't show anything, like how are we supposed to believe they were close friends because in the previous seasons it just seems like pen is just eloise's best friend to him, not his friend like there's a difference between my friend and my sister's friend who i know-
Same. Granted, I've had a great time with the Bridgerton-era cultural zeitgeist (attended a themed ball, went to some fashion exhibitions, teas, etc), but I think my time w/ the show is done. S3 was a slog for me, watching felt obligatory and I haven't been inclined to rewatch despite having S1 and 2 on in the past as beautiful background noise / visuals. I honestly think the popularity will wane w/a 2 year wait just to get to S4. Don't mean to be unkind to the actors, creative teams, writers, etc but I just don't see us getting through all 8 siblings/books. I kind of feel like the ball is over and it's time for me to move on.
This season did NOTHING right, and for that, I will no longer waste time on coming seasons. I only watched part 2 with a waning hope it would redeem itself, instead I wanted to claw my eyes out and get back the time I spent (even skimming the episodes)
@@naveenakoneru9211 I felt the same. Despite fast forwarding half of it as the storylines didn't reflect the book, I still resented the four hours wasted.
A year ago I read that season 3 had been delayed over 'dark' storyline changes: "Filming has been delayed due to the screenwriter not being happy with the direction of it. There are some elements that Shonda is just not happy with so wants to change them. Some of it got very dark." I still wonder what the original storyline was.
Yes - this! The scene was not the problem - it was the editing. I wonder what they were going for? Was there a purpose I'm missing to keep going back to the scene as time passed and the other story lines were unfolding? Not saying there was no purpose - just that whatever it was, I missed it.
They should have put the Modrich's in Ben season- Left Micheal as a male- gave more screentime to Polin- kept the showrunner from the other seasons- let Cressida have her redemption arc or just never give her one at all (it reminds me of Chole from Miraculous Ladybug)
The dialogue as well is so lacking. It has absolutely no regency dialogue and is pretty much modern dialogue with posh english accents. In the first two seasons there at least was an effort to use regency slang and to delve a bit into the intricate and disctinctive style of regency dialogue, but they just completely dropped the ball this time and not only is it frustrating, but also incredibly distracting.
I have read several interviews with the show runner, Jess Brownell, and basically she doesn't give two sh**s what fans and viewers think about the backlash and the terrible mess she has made of season 3. She has her own agenda and what she wants to do and in her words season 4 "is some of my best work". So sad, I really enjoyed the first 2 seasons and was hopeful that we would get a good season for Colin and Penelope, but that did not happen and I don't expect season 4 and any additional seasons will be worth watching.
Starting to see this with narcissistic showrunners. Especially those with an agenda. But it’s never them at fault, it’s always the fans and then they throw in insults to stop more people from talking out. Netflix should have paid Chris.
Exactly the whole season was about pushing out an agenda and you will think these people will learn from Disney’s downfall but apparently not. Why not stick to the books, people will watch a good show over being represented they forced so many other storylines that they lost the leads this season.
It’s funny to me that Polin was one of the least interesting relationships this season, despite it being “their” season. I was way more invested in the dynamics between Francesa/Lord K, Penelope/Eloise, Eloise/Cressida, Violet/Lady Danbury/her brother, Penelope/Portia, and of course Kate/Anthony (the GOATS). Seeing the changes and dynamics of each of these relationships was sooo much more engaging than whatever they wrote for Polin
That's because, in truth, Luke and Nicola have no chemistry between them on screen. The show spent no time laying the foundation to explain why we even have to care for them as a couple. All we see is pining from her for two seasons, then disregard, and him going from liking her as one would like a little child to full on being obsessed. There was no nuance, no build up, nothing.
Get into the weeds! I love your technical comments, the character developments, the plots, ALL of it. I agree with almost all of your comments too, so I could listen to you for days. Bridgerton needs to do better, and I’m here for all of the ways you think they could do or should have done it better.
Colin is such an empty character. Very awkward. I don’t like Penelope at all. She’s not irredeemable, the show just needed to spend more time acknowledging the actual harm she’s done.
They completely skipped the point of the book of having Colin be the one who reveals her as LW, showing he has accepted and forgiven her past mistakes and damage to the ton all so she could do a cringeworthy, girl boss speech that made no sense. At this point the queen has been fervently pursuing her for two seasons and you will have us believe a few words and butterflies will suddenly make her forgive her biggest rival? Incroyable.
Definitely a drop in quality both in writing and editing. It feels forced by pushing dramatic plot points instead of characters connecting naturally. People seem to enjoy it based on favorite character/couples so it's easy to overlook the blatant disservice they are serving which makes the future of this series shaky at best. Two year wait for this, now another two years for 'best work yet' is something I am not buying.
While I loved Pen's big moment about LW - it was so rushed and swept under the rug just like the Polin love story in part 2. The Michaela reveal (which I don't mind) undercut John and Francesca's overall story and was just another piece that was shoved in that took more away from Polin's married bliss. Benedict's threesome was okay even though we saw hints from s1, but was a missed opportunity then and now. Plus it played out over 2 episodes over days of scandal so editing issues were glaring. As a show called Bridgerton - we needed more family scenes, so it made it even more jarring when Kanthony just left unceremoniously for the 2nd time this season. Anthony is head of the house, would never endanger his wife and baby for months or miss Fran's wedding - and we didn't even get a word about the 'heir' while we got 3 Featherington babies. Last season we saw Daphne in most episodes, now she is barely mentioned so it's painting a bad trend now for all couples and the future of this show.
I actually skipped through all of the Benedict sex scenes because they felt so randomly thrown in to the actual plot that it was distracting me from the story.
I don't know why a group of producers and writers hate the source books this much. This has almost nothing to do with the books and its about to get worse. Franchesca's is largely the best book and has the greatest fanbase and the writers of the show are seemingly throwing it all out for a stunt storyline.
I wrote a whole essay but essentially this season feels like they gave up. So half-hearted, so unearned. The bad writing was UNDOING the good writing of the last two seasons! I can’t believe we’re stuck with Jess Brownell for another season.
I agree with all points. Honestly have no idea why this is an 8 episode per season production. I knew part 2 would be a nightmare before it even started. The lady whistledown reveal sort of gives nothing to look forward to, but, the books do start to branch off to different cities.
I hated what they did to Francesca. She had the best storyline in the season, we got the first representation of a quiet and comfortable love, all to be thrown away in the last episode. In the books, Francesca and John are described to be the perfect couple and after he dies, she spends like 6 years mourning. She was so in love with John and only years after his passing she gets involved with Michael. Another thing is why change to a woman? Am I the only one bothered that we won't get the character from the books? I don't mind storyline like Benedict's, but changing the source material to this degree is so annoying. Make a new story instead of changing the original one man
I think one other thing about the Benedict subplot that felt rushed and forced was Lady Tilley Arnold inviting him into this menage e tois and then after a few days or whatever that timeline was, deciding she actually liked him more deeply and romantically than she thought she would and suddenly didn't want to share him... and then Benedict basically being like "too little, too late" and it ending. I don't think this was a bad plot but because of how rushed it was, I just didn't believe it fully.
The one moment that drove me the most crazy is when Colin cuses Penelope of trying to entrap him. I'm sorry who's the one who pursued who? Who's the one who ruined her chances with Lord Danbury? Penelope had completely written him off as a possible love interest. Sorry, it just pissed me off that he said that and she didn't call him on it.
I'm just going to say it: I really think Luke is not a good actor. He didn't sell Colin with his performance AT ALL. All off his expressions are some variation of blank stare and in the sex scene I think that he was the one that made it that bad, my gods he trully annoyed me this season
I agree, but it's also the producers. You can clearly see that there is a lot more chemistry between Luke and Nikola in Interviews than there is on the show. Also Colin was better in season 1 and 2. I am sure that you are right that the other actors are better, but i think it's a mix of reasons why season 3 turned out so bad. It's also about camera angles I think
@@anikaschneider2611 but that's the thing, if they have chemistry in interviews, it shows that they did not have the hability pass that to the screen. And I think that's more ok Luke's side cos Nicola did a great job all season
Fully agree. I’ve been skewered for this take but I simply don’t think he’s a good actor. Everyone says it’s the writing but it’s not solely the writing. The point of actors is to lift the words off the page and give them life. Luke ain’t there yet
True cause look at John. The actor has 5 lines and a dream but he makes the character extremely compelling. They should have gave Luke the loverboy Colin not whatever this was
I was yelling at the screen when we had to watch Eloise and Colin's conversation through the bannister. Whyyyy??? That usually means someone is eavesdropping! No one else was there. Why are we doing this?
I'm glad that I wasn't the only one being left with a ''meh'' feeling at the end of Part1 and 2... like what was that? I remember having so many different (positive) feelings watching Season1 and 2. And Queen Charlotte making me cry ugly bittersweet tears at the end. I was so hyped for the new season of Bridgerton and.. this is what we got? There wasnt one time where I was glued to the TV in excitement and big feelings like the other times. 😭
I hate how they made Penelope seem like this down in the dirt desperate little girl. They failed on making her, an intelligent, plus sized, socially awkward outcast, desirable. Which is such a terrible shame bc the influence that could have had on viewers, would’ve been monumental. They showed her partially nude and thought they made strides for the body positivity community. Playing “You Belong with Me” at their wedding gave me a headache like no other. Out of all the love songs they could’ve chosen, it had to be a song about an insecure pick-me chasing after a man. These are aspects we as the viewers take note of. Compared to the other female love interests in Bridgerton (this season included), Penelope had to do a lot of the chasing, forgiving, and apologizing towards her love interest and other relationships. Everyone literally treated her like shit, Colin included, and somehow she’s bending over backwards for these ppl and doing the apologizing ?????? To me it showed her as a people pleaser desperate to stay in the good graces of those around her. I hate how her least flattering dress this season was the one she wore while confessing she was Whistledown to the ton. I just felt like this whole season was portraying her as this DUFF that never truly deserved her flowers even while being the most beautiful, intriguing, and complexed character of the entire show.
The "we miss working and not being rich, money makes us lose who we are :(((((((" arc is so silly and tasteless rn in this economy. I was just thinking shuuuuuut up.
I haven’t read any of the books but there’s been so much discourse on the Michael to Michaela switch. Through the discourse people were talking about how Francesca equally loved John as much as Michael in the books, and it’s very much “second love” where Michael also falls first. I’m for the gender switch but the creator said she’d stay true to the story. Michaela is supposed to fall first but now it appears to be switched. And it looks like Francesca is not into John at all after their wedding kiss, which is disappointing and is erasing what could have been her bisexuality. It could have been a beautiful story of her loving two people equally, but it seems like it’s gonna be some comp-het “she never really loved the man” story. It’s not “all or nothing.” Bisexuals exist and she can be just as attracted and feel just as passionate towards the man as she is the woman.
@@amirahazhar4192 then I don't understand why they included the Marina Thompson Story at all in season 1 and 2, because... (Spoiler) Marina Thompson unalives herself, Eloise writes to her husband to express her condolences, a pen friendship develops between her and Phillip (Marina's husband) and they consider getting married (a marriage of convenience), so she runs off to meet him (because she wants to know him before she agrees to marry him). As a book reader, I already really disliked the Marina Thompson plotline in season 1 and 2 (she doesn't appear in any books except the one about Eloise), so if they don't make anything of her regarding the Eloise plotline, I'll be really mad that they included her at all in season 1 and 2.
@star_baker I'm absolutely against Fran being queer. It doesn't fit into her story at all. I also don't understand why we need any queer representation in a story that isn't a queer story to begin with (just adapt already existing or write new queer stories, I'll happily watch them). That being said, in the last Bridgerton book is a queer character - why not introducing him earlier and give him an intriguing plotline? Why shoehorning queerness onto canonically straight characters?
@@awsome182 I would honestly prefer Eloise with Theo bc they were my favorite subplot of S2. And from reading excerpts from Eloise’s book, Phillip is terrible
@@awsome182 I think it’s the showrunner projecting herself onto the character 😭that’s basically what she said. i don’t feel attached to the characters but I do wish they made Francesca look happy with John. If they are changing this much about her story they might as keep some of it true
I feel like Polin should have been the very last season ... like after Hyacinth ... That way Penelope can keep her secret and Whisledown can be hella interesting till the end ... Colin can have his sensitive boy - rake - sensitive man arc ... Penelope can encourage Colin to be a writer and establish their friendship ... Why did they rush this?
As someone that read all the books years ago, this season as bad. I get some changes are needed but it was like disrespectful to the reader audience. The main couple didn’t feel like the main story, it was rushed, S1 and S2 the had better chemistry. But honestly the Francesca meeting Michaela and not Michael was when it was over for me. That is it I am done with this series, the book people would get it. It was just too much artistic license away from the original story… it is not love at first sight for Francesca but for Michael… just mad 😡 about this…
I also read the books when they were first published. I can understand that it's easier to take a fantasy angle than try to perfectly represent the Regency era. I remember one of the first things I read about Bridgerton is that the ladies were not going to be wearing their customary bonnets while outdoors because their faces would be obscured. That made sense to me, among other decisions. I love the use of string arrangements of modern songs, for instance. I appreciate their creativity in tweaking the universe to be more inclusive of people from different cultures and different races. Incorporating LGBT+ characters works for me until it completely changes an existing, well-defined character. Realizing that Michael Stirling no longer exists was a big blow. If they wanted to tell a story with a lesbian lead, maybe they could have used a less-prominent character, such as Cressida, or created a new one, like they did with the Mondrich family. Then the readers wouldn't feel the loss like so many of us are. They are trying to appeal to such a broad audience that it seems to me that they have literally "lost the plot." It's so disappointing, but this seems to be typical for how most production companies treat romance novels... they just can't stick to the story, and in their attempts to be all things to all people, they alienate their original fans: the readers. I compare them against Passionflix (production/streaming service), which I discovered back during COVID and they actually work with the author to ensure that the stories are told as intended in the book. I've become a huge fan of their original productions, because they KNOW who their audience is and they respect them. They were founded by Tosca Musk and she REALLY cares about the readers, because she's also a fan. They don't have the huge budgets but they do an excellent job with casting, dialogue, etc., and will make as many movies or episodes as necessary to tell the story as it was intended. They are now casting for a series based on JR Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood, which will require a lengthy commitment from the main leads to ensure continuity from book to book. I am SO excited to see this come to life. And JR has signed off on this because she's seen how this group respects the material, the authors, and the readers. I wish these big-budget productions would try this for once.
When you said "this is a long video" i thought "really? oh... yeah... no. Please do an in-depth-disection so i can listen to this for three hours." ;D you put words to the feelings the season gave me.
![เป็นไปได้ไหม - WanMai [Official MV]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/_6lZ6b3_7Vo/mqdefault.jpg)
Hey Marshall! I just started watching your videos. You got a new subscriber! Marshall, I can be off here but I have a feeling that we had this Mondrich plot line because Sophie is going to be one of their maids next season. I can't for the life of me see any other explanation for dragging them along this season. Great video! You made me laugh several times. Keep up the awesome work you do. ❤😊🎉
Thank you so so much! Also good pick up, I hope it goes somewhere like that too!
Ah I hadn’t thought of that
Do you mean she would become their maid instead of being Phillip Cavender's maid?
Having not read the books… who is Sophie?
@@RebeccaScritchfield Benedict's love interest
it was definitely upsetting to see that all the buildup they had for Francesca's and John romance being something different and more quiet was quickly tossed out. The writers were like SIKE!! that's not REAL love. love needs to have you bumbling like an idiot, not feel peaceful.
it was such a beautiful sweet romance with the message at the end being that's not real romance.
I noticed that too and it’s awful :( also a disservice to John
I noticed that too and it’s awful :( also a disservice to John
that's fking crazy....i act JUST caught on to the michaela thing omg 😭 it was so unconvincing i thought they were setting up a jealousy/managing plotline with michaela.
I was relating to get story the most I got mad when that happened
Yeah it's awful
The visual language was completely demolished this season. Also, why is everyone now dressed like a Featherington?? The costume director did an interview where he said "we throw different fabric together to see what happens" I'm like yeah.... WE KNOW... Everyone looks awful. Truly.
Yes! I get so annoyed whenever anyone criticizes the costuming and people immediately come back with, " It's not supposed to be historically accurate!" Yeah, we know it's not historically accurate, but this season the costumes were so wild that it didn't seem like the characters were even inhabiting the same time period or society. Previous Bridgerton costumes (mostly the dresses) were never period accurate, but they at least matched enough to give the sense of the world these characters inhabited. (And the exceptions to the rule, like Cressida's wild embellishments or the queen's devotion to outdated silhouettes were consistent character details with purpose.) This season more than ever, the fabrics seemed cheap and the styles too disparate from each other. It was just another detail that takes the viewer away from being fully immersed in the world.
@@jessicasaccone7608 They went from a delicate Regency ballgown inspired riff (with some Spencer jackets thrown into the mix) to looking like Macy's clearance prom dresses, which now REDUCES the visual impact of Cressida's wardrobe (dressing for desperation) and the Featheringtons' (dressing to demand attention due to their position).
I swear costume-wise late season 1/season 2 was the peak of this show.
I couldn't believe me agree! What the hell happened?
@@jessicasaccone7608 They always say that you can’t criticize it because ”it’s just fantasy”. I critize it because I am a fantasy fan. Costuming is an art form and part of the worldbuilding, it doesn’t have to be historically accurate but it should be consistent within the world.
The costumes were so shiny and glittery and synthetic this season, really ruined the look. And they took cressida's outfits too far, in my opinion
It’s surprising that polin was the only couple to have 2 season of build up before their season and still the show managed to mess up their love story. Like why was Kate and Anthony’s 3 minute bedroom scene in ep 5 more beautiful than pen and Colin’s entire story this season?😭 It’s so annoying cause I was so excited for Penelope’s story
Same!! I was looking forward to their love story. There just was so many subplots that were not necessary. Not enough Polin scenes to build their characters. They could have included flashbacks that would have helped. Honestly..I think it would have been better if they would have followed along with the book. It could have been so much better.
somehow kate and anthony were present for three out of eight episodes and still stole the show for me. there are these glimpses of nicola and luke having chemistry e.g. the carriage scene (not the sex, the conversation) but then it just disappears. idk i feel like the director and writers did penelope and colin (especially colin, who has no personality) so dirty.
Because Kate and Anthony had a different showrunner who wrote their season. And even though he changed a lot of the book story, he still kept the integrity of the characters. The characterization for every single character in season three was horrendous. Colin was by far the worse. But there was no good characterization. Francesca character got the least amount of damage.
Idk if its anxiety lol but I had a gut feeling s3 was gna be a total flop n my sentiment basically immortalised when It took me 4 or 5 sittings to watch ep 1 haha
but they had the same director, maybe being friends got in the way regardless of the stories they were so eager to share on their press tours, they were over compensating which built expectations because we believed what they sold :)
Benedict scenes were so boring I actually skipped them. His love interests have no depth and his story arc is entirely a pointless pursuit. Worse than the Modrichs storyline.
We could have had a funny side plot where we see Benedict trying to run the Bridgerton household while Anthony was away. He was so lost when S2 ended and this season was an opportunity to show some growth and maturity for his character and weave him into the story in preparation for his season but they chose to give us an irrelevant trio instead. Disappointing.
💯💯💯 so boring and contributed nothing to the story
Yes, Benedict the entirety of S3 was just sadly very boring. And I was intrigued by his artist storyline earlier because there was clearly some tension there between them (even though Benedict denies it in S3?) and then he got swept up in the wild parties and all the art and it felt very believable. It felt like Benedict was able to be himself and feel freedom to pursue who he is outside the family network in a variety of ways, including a hobby/potential future job that wasn’t very male Bridgerton, romance and passions that weren’t traditionally male Bridgerton, etc. This S3 trio felt so contrived and plotless in comparison.
I also just skipped through most of his scenes. The man and woman were both so unappealing. They seemed like sketchy cartoon villains. (Loved his scenes with the family, though. He’s a great character.)
Me too, after the dinner party between the 3 of them I got bored with his story- big fast forward energy
this is genuinely the worst bridgerton season till date
Soooo bad 😢
I disagree . I think the first one was the worst one, story wise.
@@iridescentraindrops Well at least it was visually stunning, had complete storylines and the chemistry of the main couple was believable.
@@joanna0988I didn't feel like Simon and Daphne had a lot of chemistry and there were a lot of unnecessary sx scenes that looked very technical and boring. It was a predictable "good girl meets a bad boy and she fixes him" story. And I hated Anthony and Benedict's characters in the first season. It was all around very basic, pretentious and forgettable for me.
I am thoroughly disappointed in part 1. More attention to Colin's unnecessary threesomes than building a lover's connection between Colin and Penelope. It should have been easy considering their genuine friendship. Instead it was non-existent.
The second half has much better storytelling.
How is it possible that Luke and Nicola have more chemistry with each other on every single press appearance than Polin? And also: I don't understand how Luke is this really handsome and kind-looking man, but in the show, they film him in some of the least flattering angles I've ever seen. Literally how??
I think he lost too much weight, at times he looked really frail and his hair looked thin.
THIS
@@adwoamk8918none of this pls
yes very true.. I blame the storyline and scenes though. Throughout the season they were really anxious and feeling upleasant plus there weren't many scenes focusing on the character's connection with each other. But then again, they didnt even feel like the same characters from before
Luke looked beautiful in that scene where he had just woken up on the couch on the day of Francesca's wedding. The back-brushed hairstyle made him look weird.
Worst season, and I blame it on the new showrunner. Lack of consistency. No sense of proportion. Terrible pacing. Awkward scenes and dialogues. As if the conductor (showrunner) couldn't keep all the elements together and instead of a beautiful, romantic symphony we heard only a cacophony. The most romantic season as they promoted? Certainly not. Hardly any romance between the supposed main love interests, just drama and angst. I couldn't believe their love story. Colin didn't have any charisma, Penelope was overshadowed by the plot about the identity of Lady Whistledown. I enjoyed some parts and storylines, but in the end it was a disappointment after all the hype. I'm not convinced that with this showrunner the next season will be better.
Your post is closest to my own opinion....
I believe they'll cancel after the 4th series, unless they change their minds about even filming it. There will be many who won't bother watching because of the current changes.
They also promoted that there is bodypositivity in the show. But in my opinion it wasn't enough. Penelope was gorgeous, but Colin didn't really cherish her body. There wasn't enough intimacy between the two and for me their sex scene was awkward. Colin didn't help her enough to overcome her insecurities.
@@udesivalihegexactly! Imagine the same scene with an actor like and directed same as Jonathan Bailey. Worlds apart! It’s like they were afraid to have Collin touch her (in a way that could be seen), instead of just the explicitly penetrative stuff. He went on about how much he had dreamed about her breasts, for example. But then? It didn’t feel as genuine, but mainly from his part. I think Nicola Coughlin did the best she could, and Luke could’ve used more direction and choreographing if that was needed.
@@marabanara I agree, they could have shown Colin playing with her breasts (the scene shouldn't have been very explicit, there are many ways, plans, angles, editing etc. not to show everything), touching and kissing her everywhere, whispering in her ears how he loves every part of her body etc. I missed the sensuality of their scene. They couldn't show that even a plus size woman can be the object of all desires.
Also this season made Kate and Anthony seemed like they were perfect star crossed lovers which made Pen and Collin seem a whole lot less of a match
real, kanthony really sold me on their love which polin paled in comparison to
Agreed!!
True
The chemistry between Kate and Anthony was insane
Having said all of that, the "Insert himself? Insert himself where?" scene was actually the funniest scene I've seen in ages. That one was worth watching the rest of the drivel.
That was a great scene, one of the very few.
her delivery on that line...priceless! 😂
The main romance was terribly developed but the featherington sisters (+ their husbands) carried the season for me
@tata-yo9id Likely because it was sliced between other scenes that took across multiple days, making the timeline confusing. Like, is it bad editing or is Benefict on a multi-day threesome? 🤨
That's cause the Featheringtons carried this whole season
it’s interesting that previous seasons of Bridgerton were focused, well, on a Bridgerton sibling. this season felt like Penelope and her adventures while Colin was an annoying subplot
hhahahahahaha
And Francesca's falling in love/marriage was also only a minor subplot....?
You wouldn't even know Colin was THE bridgerton focus of the season if you watched just this season. Why were we seeing Cressida so much? She wasn't even a love interest like Edwina was
to be fair, Colin's book was Penelope's book. As in, the book itself centered around her. He is boring as hell in the books too. But maybe just a tad better than the show version, idk. His character is insufferable in the book because he's always moping about his writing. Book version of Colin IS jealous of Pen's writing. But show Colin never had the writer's arc so his epiphany/ confession/ declaration came out of left field entirely
😭😭😭 he really is just an acessory subplot to her 😭
So maybe an unpopular opinion but idk that lady whisledown needed to be revealed to everyone this season. Colin needed to find out but I think they could’ve done a twist where pen told the queen and she made a deal to protect her since she is present for more of the books. All in all I felt like things seemed very rushed this season and too much crammed into 8 eps.
Right like I was on the fence of revealing her at the end of S1 - thinking they could ride the mystery for a few seas- op, well everyone knows 2 seasons later 💀
It makes me think there aren't going to be many seasons left tbh... Especially if they're going through 2 siblings per season now
I agree, I haven’t read the books and was kinda hoping that is what would happen bc I thought revealing Whistledown’s identity to the Ton was too quick and premature. It would have been nice if Whistledown’s identity was a little secret only a few select people knew. It was nice they could use her money to save the Featheringtons from fraud at the end though, that’s the only saving grace.
She’s actually only present for another book which is benedict’s. If they keep her around and reveal her later they can keep julie andrews but have time to expand the resolution for how the ton will perceive LW without this messy writing 😭😭
Totally agree - there's no central tension to the story anymore without that secret. The idea that the Queen doesn't care is absurd. Queen Charlotte and Lady Danbury are so watered down this year, really disappointing! I doubt anyone will care by the time season 4 comes out since this season was so bad. Unless they change the showrunner, I'm out.
Yes!!!! I thought it was going to be a private meeting between Pen and the Queen, laying the groundwork for all sorts of intrigue and friction in the future. LW being public and now Pen is an open, famous writer just felt so boring.
Don't you just love it when the female lead is acting her heart out during romantic scenes only to have all those emotions ricochet off the empty-headed love interest. It's like she was romancing a piece of cardboard.
They’re really she’s everything and he’s just ken cuz he has no chemistry he was giving nothing and she was doing all the heavy lifting 😭😭
FINALLY SOMEONE SAID IT !! Luke N is not a bad looking guy and miss nicola was really doing all the heavy lifting. He also received no help from the writing or the costuming sadly
Ikr it's so frustrating
We are to believe NO ONE had a problem with Pen being LW, not even the Queen who threaten Eloise in S2. They went out of their way to trash Francesca & John. Francesca looked so homely and Pen looked so much artificially better it looked inconsistent. Wrong Early 19th regency culture- premarital sex!, no chaperone for a single woman (still remember Kate's chaperone during Season 2 hunt scene) and Colin didn't even ask for Pen's mother's permission to marry!?! Even if Lady Featherington is a bad person she deserved respect.
And did I miss where John asked for permission to propose to Francesca? Also, I've read elsewhere that she is now a Countess. Daphne has been referred to as a Duchess and Kate a Vicountess...seems like an oversight. Speaking of Daphne...did I miss a throwaway line about her? Did someone mention her and I missed it?
@@ceriseanne1 I believe it was acceptable to ask or announce as a couple, because of John's "shyness". Colin announcing to the Bridgerton's first is Not the right behavior during the regency era. Hate to trash S3, but didn't John have a mother or family members in the Ton. Violet knew a little bit about them. John mentioned his mother did not prefer to host an event. Where were the Kilmartin family at the wedding? S3 seemed to have been rewritten several times that's why it appeared to be chopped up storylines.
I agree that Colin should have asked Lady Featherington's permission to marry Pen. I didn't actually think Pen would let her mum find out through Whistledown! They could have literally walked across the street and announced the engagement to Pen's family.
He just whisked her off without a chaperone after telling her mother off, to some love nest and put a baby in her. Lord Debling at least came to ask her mother for permission to propose.
This reminds me of Debling again with that scene where he implicitly asked Penn's hand for marriage in a subtle way by asking her how she would write it, if it were a book. "Then he needs to ask her mother", it was so beautiful. But ofc he got cast aside after his job is done by the series
When you realize it took Arcane League of Legends to establish Ekkos and Jinx childhood friendship in 2 minutes and even after a whole season we still don't believe Polin were even friends as children
Yeah, it's clearly possible to establish traits of a character/a relationship within a short amount of time. the previous season they had changed Anthony's character from S1 but they did that with an effective montage so you weren't confused throughout S2 why he was the way he was.
they could've done that with Polin or start each EP with a flashback to their friendship, even if it was just 1 min
I think even his brothers didn't believe they were friends and became in love...
@18Aleziita like when Anthony was shocked with engagement I was like.....same
arcane mentioned!!
arcane mention on a bridgerton video is insane. the quality of writing couldn’t be further apart 😂
I could forgive anything if Collin wasnt the most one dimensional charachter ever.
he was a lot more charming and funny in s1 and s2
They shouldn't have made him a rake. They should have focused on his journal writing and his self-doubt over that. Then tie that much earlier and much more deeper to Pen and Whistledown. That was a good connection that didn't get explored well. Also, why weren't there any childhood flashbacks for them? For the romance between childhood friends!
Yep they should not have made him into a rake. They should have bonded over writing and books instead of him helping her find a husband. He could’ve also had some conflict within his family where he also struggles to be taken seriously and he and pen can bond over that.
@@celiner7400 Exactly. Maybe Colin finds out that Penelope knows a lot of gossip and can't understand why. Put her discovering his journals much earlier and have her convince him to open up about them gradually. There's just so much that they could have done.
@@TacticusPrime Yep and about Colin's sexcapades, why does he have to be a rake in order to have a sex life? He could've just mentioned that he gained experience from Paris and that's it. No need for brothel scenes. He can also manage to get a copy of kama sutra from his travels. I mean he was able to score some drugs from Greece in season 2. A little more imagination from the writers would've been nice.
I was really confused when watching interviews of Nicola and Luke... their chemistry off screen was so beautiful and comfortable, it was very perplexing to see that not translate AT ALL in the show. I didn't believe thier love for eachother, it almost felt like Colin didn't actually love pen and that was something he was hiding/uncomfortable with the entire series. There was almost no pining. Pen should have slapped him in the face.
LOL perfect summary
I agree. Hate to say it but I think Luke is just not a good actor. Very clunky season and one I won’t rewatch.
@@rebeccapettiford5389 Good point. I could always buy Penelope's obsession with him but not his lust or love for her 😥
A slap could've only helped the chemistry progress! I hate to say this, but I would've taken a slightly more angry, unhinged, or even toxic Colin just to see that he cared more, rather than this stiff and sedate Colin. Which is a sad thought cause Penelope deserves a non toxic guy! Then again, I didn't even find Penelope likeable with her confused Marina 2.0 actions
She definitely should've yelled at him at least. I was really annoyed at how they wrote him to not even let her speak or defend herself. That's not how you treat a person you love.
The way they neglected Polin's long friendship with some simple flashback is just revolting.
Ummm yes hello frfr..the dance in the courtyard scene is completely cut out which was important...ugh so disappointing and everyone is out here mad
@ShaddaiSpencer they di ld a throw away line from that scene in the book in the church. It wouldn't or couldn't have worked there bc 1. It was so unnoticeable. They just randomly decided to dance in the middle of the hallway and she says "were you ever beaten as a child."
2. She would no longer be curious about this yk....cause there getting married. Also this scene was supposed to establish how privileged she thought he was versus how lost he was actually feeling. And they grow together bc of that. U can't just throw it in the first sentence of an important scene, cut away and then say it was a book reference as if it had no meaning or substance. They did the same with the glass cutting scene where pen reads his book. I wanted praise kink Colin so bad who had sm respect for his best friend he knew that he compliments and words meant something and sigh. I'm just very disappointed
I sometimes wonder how beautiful it would have been if in the last scene they show us flashback of the exact moment where small Penelope fell in love with small Colin . The full circle moment we needed!
Its funny because Lady whistledown wasnt some journalist out for truth, writing harmless stuff, she actively ruined people's lives. Portia finding out Penelope wrote shit about her family when she was actively trying to save them was actually sad, but that confrontation should've been so much more powerful than it was. The ton should absolutely hate Penelope for how many lives she's ruined at this point, but they get distracted by butterflies after such a huge revelation. Also Colin's actor was either directed poorly or hes just not a good actor because the interviews with Nicola and Luke are so much better.
This! Penelope should be a walking target with the way she pretty much destroyed a lot of people's lives and reputations. To say that her writing was harmless during a time where reputation was everything to a member of the gentry is silly. Bridgerton seems to have forgotten the timeline they're in and what values people held back then, which is why a lot of people felt attracted to it in the first place.
There are stuff that imo (in terms of accuracy) can be ignored, but the magic of regency is the intricacies of their dynamics, how something we nowadays see as normal could have doomed them back then, and how they navigate such world while also trying to be happy.
You just made me think of something: It would've been more believable for people to be angry with Pen. However, they also could've somehow shown all of the people LW helped; like when she saved Daphne from marrying Lord Berbrooke by revealing his true nature & his treatment of the maid he impregnated. Or how she put that lord on blast about how he was treating his new wife; or that she temporarily ruined Eloise so she could save her & her family from the Queen. That would've been great to show!
No mention of marina at all…
@@earlonaweary9155 that wouldn't matter to the ton though. To the viewers? Yeah, but that's because we care about the Bridgertons. What I get from your suggestion though is that it would have been great if we were shown how she did more good than just those few actions (like defend those in a vulnerable position).
However, that wouldn't have made her less of a target, but it could have ensued a "civil war" of sorts inside the ton, dividing them by those who want to protect her and those who want to harm her.
@@lDaNu 🤔 Good point!
This whole season sucked. The plot, the writing, the camera angles, the costumes....worst season by FAR.
I thought it was just me that hated the costumes
I really wanted this to be a great season but this was honestly a waste of time- Frans ending is confusing and came out of nowhere with her stuttering over Micheala as if she didn't just get married to Jon like 2 days before. Ant and Kate kept disappearing. Mama Bridgerton's garden is in bloom so I h0pe Marcus waters it. Polin was a disappointment. I skipped past every Benedict scene expect for the ones with the siblings. Lady D and the Queen are always interesting to watch. ATP I won't be watching anything else from Bridgerton
Totally agree!! As a side plot, Francesca and John's love story was so interesting and beautiful. They did John and the viewers dirty 😤 don't even get me started on the fact that we didn't understand why colin went from friendzone to lust?! There was no build up, no longing! 😭 I think this season, Lady Featherington stole the show. Penelope sister's were fun too and Hyacinth, what a cutie!
It may not have been an explicit representation of a Neurodivergent relationship, but it was nice to see a love Story (Fran and John), that was calm, peaceful and gentle.
same here, I skipped every Benedict and Mondrich. I hope Fran's story gets salvaged, in the books, she did love John and only fell for his cousin after he died. Bridgerton's portrayal is a travesty. I wonder how Julia Quinn feels about how Polin's plot was trashed. Will John's mother thank Michaela for letting him love Fran first?
@@ambberhill1090 I also hope Frans story gets salvaged I hope they say Micheala has a twin Brother named Micheal anything but what we were given. I feel so bad for authors whenever they books don't get properly adapted/changed it feels like a slap in the face.
Me too...I skipped all the Benedict scenes. They weren't worth a watch. And they did a very poor job with Colin and Pen. It was a very disappointing season and if this is the future of the show, they just lost me. don't want to see another season like this. It wasn't worth the wait. We so wanted to see a lovely story of Colin and Pen's relationship and something clever where Whistledown was concerned because Whistledown is clever. It just didn't measure up. And even Pen's relationship with Eloise ...their reconciliation was rushed and poorly constructed. Bridgerton's may have needed a longer season. And whatever they do, I hope they don't bring our beloved Benedict back like this ...yuck!
Another thing that bugs me about this season is that we barely see Penelope and Colin's romance flourish, compared to Daphne and Simon and Anthony and Kate in the previous seasons. They were side characters in their own story. All the time wasted on the Mondrichs could have been used to build up Pen and Colin more. Literally, the writers could have cut the Mondrich family and no one would have even noticed because they were that irrelevant to the plot and did nothing to advance the story.
THIS - remove the mondrichs! Or if you must include them, a scene or two. More ROMANCE please - that is what we are tuning in for.
It didn't feel like a romance, it felt like a soap opera
Or Benedict's subplot. It seems unnecessary for the season and it feels off, as if he is not in the main story at all.
I can only think the showrunners did not believe Penelope and Colin interesting or believable enough as a couple that they felt they needed to butcher the season by adding such irrelevant and boring characters and story lines.
@@pochemutitut I was skipping Benedict's scenes by the second orgy, tbh
I can't unsee the open mouthed Colin.
Finally, someone said it. And we didn't notice it before because it looks like he worked out for the main role and it accentuated his expressions. Also, no offense to Luke N, but Luke T and Johnny B have better body language and facial expressions, because they have been in theatre for a long time, and I think that makes Luke N's "flaws" if you will, stand out more.
So traumatised by it! 🤣🤣
Sloth mouth haha
@@RealTalkWithSSG. He was doing it in previous seasons as well (yes, I went back to see it, because it bothered me too), but we don't actually see/goes unnoticed because many of the times he is the background and you're most likely to be looking at the person who is in front of him or the editing cuts short, so you're left thinking he is about to close it and you just didn't see it, or it's "hidden" by the camera angles.
I think some of the best episodes that help with this are: s1x4 when he is talking to Pen about the baby (he open his mouth, but the camera is shooting from the side and you're most likely to pay attention to her in here) and 2x3 at pall mall, when he tells Kate and Anthony to fetch for their balls (the editing helps hide).
It's an acting choice of his for the most over the top scenes (the ones he knows are important for plot), but in s3 mostly all his scenes are important for plot and you can't really edit out your male lead, so it becomes more visible, more obvious and he does it more often as well.
@@Ana_Paula.Frasson The Director could easily have corrected him
The first part was so slow that it was crazy to me just how much the writers managed to cram into the second part. Just with Penelope and Colin, we got the engagement, their first time, Colin finding out, the fallout, the wedding, Cressida's blackmail, the reconciliation, the reveal to the ton and their happy ending. All of that is already a lot for 4 episodes but then add on all of the side plots? It's just too much and not enough substance.
Yess, thought the same way.
(srry for how late this reply is) rlly?? i thought the first part was well paced, and everything flowed well. i think the problem is there were too many side plots where the polin scenes were too dispersed, but i think all the main plot points they hit were done well (first kiss ep 2, colin’s epiphany and full-on realisation throughout ep 3, carriage ep 4) but i definitely wish that he finds out about LW at the end of the part in the same way he finds out at that point in the book. but yeah, everything they fit into part 2 was SO rushed and maybe it would feel unresolved but certain storylines definitely could have moved into the next season e.g introducing michaela
i am actually a bit disapointed at the fact that francesca gave a whole speech how love doesnt need to be big and grand and how she likes the quiet and safe love she found… just for her to have the stutter-when-i-first-met-them moment with michaela at the end! why couldnt she just have a quiet love first? it felt like the writers were siding with voilet at the end, which felt weird…. they had a chance of showing a different type of love, but they went (again) with the live altering, all consuming kind of love… and it cheapens all the scenes between Francesca and John
this! quiet, gentle love is valid! ... I really don't understand why Francesca could not be bisexual who was first in quite love with John and then after his death she would discover that there is not just one true love and she would fall in love with Michaela.
I hated, HATED, that they made Francesca a lesbian and not at least bisexual. Because we just saw that these writers are incompetent, and I know that they are going to treat poor John as an obstacle, try to justify Francesca cheating with Michaela and expectating the viewers to cheer (again! Because we were through this with Edwina before)
I also hate that they throw the idea of a quiet love out of the window, and everything have to instant love/lust, with fireworks and shit.
All they had to do was make Michaela the one star struck by an oblivious Francesca, make Fran have a very happy marriage with John, and then when he dies, she and Francesca get close. Bam! You have your Sapphic romance with great representation
The did such a good job with John only to sideline him at the last moment. The Francesca storyline was the only thing I found acceptable and somehow they ruined that too! Even debling, a far better love interest than bland Colin, was dropped off the bridgerton world once the writers couldn’t use him as a love interest anymore
Or like just stick to the source material ??? We don't need anyone to be Bi or whatever. My god , they ruined benedict wasn't that enough??
@@fay4967 they ruined benedict by making him bi? how so?
this. that would be much better storyline. but show-runners LOVE drama and cheating storylines so ....
It's such a shame bc Francesca ans John's relationship and chemistry feel the most natural to me. They're also relatable bc i got closer to my now bf thanks to sharing mutual interests in art
They really shouldn’t have swapped out show-runners. I think Chris would have done a better job at this. It’s clear that everything has declined since Jess took the helm-quality, writing, costumes, character development, cinematography, and even music.
You forgot to talk about Penelope’s sisters suddenly going from being jealous of her then in the end liking her. It was done so poorly. It was done subtly with weird glances but it was sudden and not properly explained !
Yes! I actually thought Prudence was going to figure out that Penelope was LW and out her from a place of jealousy. There was a scene where she was looking at her mom and Penelope with an annoyed and slightly conniving look. She's the smarter of the two other sisters and I just figured she would accidentally stumble on it since she is in the same house. I was disappointed when they just went all happy family without much of a fight.
I was honestly mad Pen paid for their ball. Prudence said she looked like a beautiful bride or whatever the line was and honestly? It came across as sarcastic to me but I guess it was meant to be sincere? And that’s literally it. One nice comment on HER WEDDING DAY. Wooooow what progress. NOT. Like come on. She has what 18, 19 years of torture from them and after a few months of not being evil (although they had moments of being terrible during this season??) and a single nice comment was enough for her to give a MASSIVE sum to them?? I’m sorry. No!!
It’s okay for her to hate her sisters. Trust me. It’s okay. Plenty of people hate their siblings or parents for very valid reasons. Or even just being ambivalent towards them. That’s fine too! Idk I just hated it
I said this elsewhere but I really dislike Penelope's character development. To me, it seems as though the show never gave her a genuine personality other than being involved with the Bridgeton's and being whistledown. I didn't get 'girl boss' energy from her. It more so came across as " I exposed everyone because it made me feel less like a wallflower." (Reminds me of bullying) She also said how being lady Whistledown was power, yet she used that power countless times to talk negatively about a family she "loves". When she was justifying her actions, I think she just came across as bratty. I also didn't feel the chemistry with Colin and Penelope. I also wasn't a fan of their acting this season. He had to put in no work to be with her. I couldn't see why they loved each other, other than one day they just decided to. I think this whole season was an absolute mess. However, I was let down by Penelope. I think they should have done a movie or spin off of "Unmasking Lady Whistledown" and then Colin and Penelope find each other after that.I think part of the reason for the strange angles might be because of the actors height difference. I noticed the strange angles the majority of the time when it was Colin and Penelope. Also, there was about 10 scenes of Penelope writing, we get it, she's Lady Whistledown.
Totally agree!! He didn’t do much to prove he deserved Penelope’s admiration or affection, he’s riding on her decades long infatuation to do most of the work for him. Would have been way more interesting if she rejected him and distanced herself from him a bit longer so he actually had to do something to prove himself and his feelings towards her to be genuine not desperate because he needs her validation of telling him how amazing he is.
Very true, I envisioned Penelope to be vicious as Lady Whistledown, but as herself, to be able to clearly explain why she did the things that she did (she does need the money, she likes the power, and made mistakes but will avoid mistakes of the past). Instead whenever confronted, she just says "I'm sorry, please forgive me" tearfully, and does the same things again. Add that with her agreeing to an engagement with no intention to come clean to Colin. Yes, Colin was unlikeable here, but Pen, when agreeing to marry him, didn't even think she had to tell him the truth until Eloise! She came across as bitter, selfish, and unlikeable, rather than the sweet and witty person from previous seasons.
Yep in the book she verbally put Cressida in her place using her gift with words which is what lead to Cressida to realize that she was LW. Instead they just showed that she and Eloise were both good at riddles?? I think that the bragging rights of a 10 yo falls short for Penelope coming into her own in the real world. Really the whole book was about her taking more agency in her life outside of LW and giving peaks into how she managed to girl boss through the logistics of LW. Which helps the reader see her in a different light while she is further coming into her own in her interactions with the Ton.
I also dislike the fact that her glow up involves always hiding a part of her face. I’m glad that she didn’t have to lose weight to be seen but I wished that there was more time spent idealizing her in a delicate way like the other leading ladies got. And more time spent showing them enjoying themselves. They didn’t even get a post marriage bedroom scene which is weird.
I 100% agree with this
She was annoying as fuck
Jessica Brownell will pay for her crimes
She should take a page out of Ryan Condal's book on how to do faithful adaptations because season three wasn't it. Shows tend to go down hill when showrunners believe they can make it better and 99% of the time they make it worst.
We can all hope.
I just can’t forgive them for Michaela. I was waiting for so long for our fan-fav Michael. I know that a show is never going to be completely book faithful, but I think that the core LIs should be kept. Gender swapping is a huge change, it was obviously a self-insert from our “amazing” showrunner. ✌️
I’m going to drop Bridgerton honestly, because in most aspects, it lacked SOOO much! Bridgerton S1 was beautiful, but this season felt like a random show, not a Netflix series worth millions of dollars.
The money had to go to the costuming, because it’s just insane. It immersed me out of the show, pretty much only Eloise has decent styling. I still can’t believe they gave Hyacinth a dress that didn’t cover her torso/chest area, since those were reserved for women in season, it just didn’t make sense.
There were obvious plot-holes and things that didn’t line up with past seasons. They just abandoned Cressida and kept the Mondrichs (They add nothing to the show atp). It’s so bad in quality, it’s insane. I’m just waiting for Benedict and Eloise’s season so they can butcher it.
Sorry for the long comment, but I’m pretty over the hype of the show at this point. Let’s pray they change Jess. 🙏
@@sumysim3245 I got spoiled on twitter when I was just finished watching the first ep of the part 2, and when I discovered that Michael will never be, I didn't watch the others ep. I think I will watch the others seasons only for the story of Benedict and Eloise.
I feel you, I am so disappointed.
@@rh9110unless they change Sophie to Sophieus
I really hate it that Francesca and John didnt have their great love story. In the books she is grieving him and feels bad for falling for his brother. They hat a happy marriage but in the Show she just sees Michaela and falls for her.
I never read the books thanks for letting me know what was supposed to happen. Yea, I think her falling for his cousin (which honestly escaped me when I was watching) undermines everything they established about quiet love.
That and changing Michael’s gender. Fran’s story was heartbreaking, and it focused a lot on a woman who struggled with the possibility of infertility. She marries Michael because she wants children. Can’t do that with ‘Michaela’
@@Bree5threeit COMPLETELY went over my head! I thought Micheala was going to be rude or something. And during the wedding, I just thought Fran felt awkward kissing in front of her family! Not only is this subplot unnecessary, but badly done
The thing that bugged me the most was Colins look, like he got too much self tanner on or something. And the movement around his mouth, so weird.
I noticed it that with his mouth it was always open and he pronounced his Ts really weird
During the press tours, Luke T often looked exhausted..almost breakdown level...Nicola did most of the talking (as usual😊 and Luke would say Yeah, yeah yeah. I hope he takes a holiday at home or abroad with His girlfriend.❤
Seemed like the were too focused on Colin's glow up and looking hot from every angle? It was awkward
All of the characters seemed out of place for a historical setting like the show has just completely given up any semblance of being the regency era and just want them to be modern. This goes for the costumes, hair, makeup and language used. Atleast S1 tried to a certain extent.
And the rasp when he speaks, like he's trying to be sexy. Ugh.
I agree with practically everything you said!! 👍👍
I would say I was very very disappointed with the way they twisted Francesca’s arc, and I do not give a damn about Michael/a. Book spoilers ahead…
Her arc is about overcoming her terrible grief and falling in love a second time. And in one swift stroke they made a joke about what was the very real love she and John shared. Say goodbye to the cute, original, lovely shy lover’s story I thought they were going for, they just cheapened it for the sake of shock effect.
She was struck by a bolt and fell in love ON HER WEDDING WAY, and now she’s stuck in a marriage that won’t make any of them happy.
Yes I feel sorry for the fans of Francesca and Michael’s book
I didn't read the books, but really loved Hannah's portrayal of Francesca, I probably relate most to this character. What a serious letdown, the only thing I did like just evaporated with her mooning over Michaela. When drama is prioritized over solid characters
Here they went through this whole long arc trying to show Violet that love can come in different forms and look differently than just the lightening bolt infatuation, that in all honesty will fade and isn’t what is needed to make a real marriage work long term, only to come in at the last minute and say nope! Yeah Francesca didn’t know what she wanted and now she is stuck. Haha! I didn’t like it especially since they set up these two with so much care at the beginning of the season. Just let them have their time and then introduce Michaela later not on their wedding day!
Can’t agree more!!!
And all of the costumes were pulling unnecessary attention and honestly ridiculous
About the interviews being “YOU MUST NOT WATCH IT WITH YOUR MOM” and then there is a tiny portion of advertised spice.
This is just a parody of first 2 seasons which is honestly so sad
And yesss to the whole season 3 review; even a retrospective into season 1 and 2 would be great!
After watching some seasons of Game of Thrones with my mother I kept waiting to see what in the world of Bridgerton was so spicey that I couldn't watch with my mother. I discovered nothing which makes me believe those scenes were cut drastically.
After watching it with my Mom I can confidently say there was not a single moment where I was uncomfortable in any way... aside from those times when we were both baffled by the writing choices😆
Well, at least this script's numerous shortcomings provide plenty of material for fruitful discussions. After all, like the members of the ton, we do enjoy tea.☕
Literally!!! They were talking about breaking furniture in the interviews and all we got was Colin ogling her breasts 😡😡😡
Seasons 1, 2 and Charlotte spinoff had so many beautiful scenes and iconic dialogues that live rent-free in my brain. It's a shame this season is forgettable overall. I can't even recall one dialogue that really stood out to me.
Sorrows, sorrows, prayers. nothing has matched the scale of Charlotte saying she'll stand with George between heaven and earth or Anthony saying Kate is the bane of his existence and his honour is hanging by a thread. India is not far enough.
It also helps if you have good actors and, let's be honest, neither Luke nor Nicola are main character material, although I will concede that she is a bit better than him. Luke's delivery as Colin has always been flat and forced and, as for Penelope, this season it seemed she could only express two emotions: astonishment and over reaction.
"Inserts himself? Inserts himself where?"
@@sandyrodz6699true. I always felt they couldn’t carry the season on their shoulders like Jonathon did
I dislike how they girl-bossified both pen being LW and her mother stealing from the rest of the ton…LW is not a girl boss empire or a voice for the voiceless. It was gossip, which isn’t necessarily the worst thing in the world but it does make Pen an active contributor towards the downfall of many people’s lives. (Though I don’t understand why one of the reasons Colin is mad at Pen is because she ‘ruined’ marina…like boy. She literally tried to trap you?) so basically Pen isn’t a girl boss but a mean girl with a superiority complex. And she brushes off her mom having stolen from the bridgertons, Pen’s new family. And mom justifying stealing because they “needed it” and the others didn’t. As if keeping up with the joneses to stay rich like the rest of high society is a good thing. Na. You’re not Robin Hood. You’re just a rich woman stealing from other rich people to stay up with the trends and not have to rewear dresses…neither are the underdog story the writers think they have.
Agreed 🙌
This season is terrible. Completely unwatchable and a cheesy hallmark movie
At least cheesy hallmark movies know what they are cheesy. This season was trying so hard to be serious, it made me cringe
@@naveenakoneru9211True, especially all those "nit like other girls" scenes of Pen.
very cheesy
In the book, Colin already knows Pen is Whistledown by the time he proposes and there's none of this "entrapment" nonsense. He's conflicted but is also very protective of Pen and doesn't want her to be outcasted from society. He is also willing to use the Bridgerton name to protect her. He actually gives a speech praising her to the ton and lets everyone know she is Whistledown at the end. I like that in the show, Pen is the one divulging her identity but we didn't get a protective Colin. :(
It would have been so much better if they had let Colin and the Bridgertons come to her rescue!
@@diannehall3504 maybe... in the sense that it would have given Colin something to DO. But i think they gave that to Penelope to let her have her agency. That was the final arc of her coming into her own. Her accepting and owning both sides of her identity.
And because of that, the show had Colin go off to face Cressida to try and dissuade her
I know the show wanted to have Penelope "save herself" rather than having Colin do it for her. But I felt like that scene after she give her speech about being Whistledown, the queen says whatever bs she said and leaves, and Pen is just standing on the platform as people start to whisper about her, that's when Colin should have come up to join her, publicly showing that he supports her (and by extension the Bridgerton family supports her as well). Don't get me wrong, I loved Philipa shouting to release the "bugs", but they could have still had that with Pen and Colin on the platform together.
@@jessicasaccone7608yes! I was waiting for him to stand by his wife and… nothing. It not only makes for a bad romance but for a bad marriage. That scene was weird.
Pens outcome seems to be more of luck that the queen and nobody cared to be unpleasant, rather than her actually doing something smart to get herself and her family out of trouble.. theQueens generosity worked in seasons 1 and 2 because she’s partial to love stories. Now she’s pardoning everything under the sun. I can’t imagine she would let Whistledown off without some consequences. The ton would want to tear into her honestly
Them not having Colin know shes whistledown before the engagement and sex scene bothered me so so much. Took all my ability to enjoy those moments away because he hates a core part of her identity and has no idea. And them still fighting during the wedding? Awful! And why would they not have Cressida marry Lord Debling??? Seems like an obvious solution
made me feel rather icky too as you'd question had he known would he have had sex with her? to me it was a consent issue and i really felt for colin as i'd feel so deceived considering the damage LW's done.
On my first watch I was willing to give those scenes the benefit of the doubt. My thinking was that if they’re saving the reveal for later, surely that means his reaction isn’t too bad… oh how wrong I was. After finishing the season I can’t enjoy those moments anymore, not with knowing how astonishingly awful Colin takes it. Most romantic season? Is the romance in the room with us now??? I feel so robbed.
It has now become clear that Chris Van Dusen is a GENIUS showrunner - he was a true artistic talent that should have NEVER been allowed to walk away.
I heard Netflix wasn't offering him enough money to stay on, so he walked, and took his brilliant team with him!
Well - Shonda and Netflix went with the discount, low budget showrunner Jess Brownell and an inexperienced production team - and THIS IS THE RESULT.
Sometimes you have to pay for quality
Netflix should have paid whatever Chris Van Dusen was asking. Whatever that man wanted, he was worth every penny. Sure, they saved money hiring Brownell - but the RESULT speaks for itself.
I'm reposting my (crazy long, slightly edited) comment from the other video below - but first I want to say - I was a #1 Bridgerton fan - loved all the past seasons, told everyone I knew to watch. So I say this as a stan, not a hater:
For Season 3 Part 2 - The costumes, the makeup - terrible. I actually felt sick to my stomach watching.
Lady Arnold was dressed as a character from the 1950s or 1960s - THEY DESTROYED KATE - Kate was dressed so perfectly season 2, every gown was perfection -what happened?
Cressida looked beyond shocking - Eloise looked strange too.
This costume designer should be fired and NEVER work again, on any production, in any capacity - should be banned from Hollywood . I'm not a period drama expert, but I feel I could have done a better job dressing the actors.
Compare the costumes sense and sensibility (Ang lee) or pride and prejudice to this - yes Bridgeton is whimsical fantasy but this season the COSTUMES went WAY OFF THE RAILS.
The previous 2 seasons, especially queen charlotte, were beautiful, elegant and struck the right balance between fantasy and authenticity.
Season 3 costumes felt like . . I was watching a children's show? A really trashy one.
Like, I literally couldn't focus on the scenes - I had to cover my eyes, they were so bad.
The hair was all wrong, the makeup was terrible - why eye shadow? Why so much blush on everyone? - esp on Francesca - a beautiful woman who doesn't need to be painted up like a prostitute? Why acyclic nails?
Again, some liberties are fine - but this was too, too, much.
I actually couldn't enjoy the actor's work, the way they were dressed was so distracting and anachronistic.
HORRIBLE cinematography - strange camera angles - some of the scenes were lit so poorly - what more can I say?
Set design poor this 2nd half - the Fetherington sister ball in particular looked strange.
The dancing scenes looked . . . odd? They were great in all the other seasons, not sure what happened here.
Why are they changing all these things that worked in previous seasons? The things everyone loved?
I can't believe that in the end, there was NO point to the Mondrich plot line - they're nice people, but they could have been completely 100% cut out, and that times used for Polin.
Far too much Cressida plotline - esp in her terrible costumes.
Sex scene was awkward and strange.
Strange writing - awkward plotting and so many things that didn't make sense - why were the mondrich couple at Francesca’s small family wedding? But not her own sister - Daphne? Again - why were the Mondrichs in this season at all? Since the previous actors have left the show, they should have cut the Francesca wedding scene, or made her elope. We didn't need to see it.
No romance or chemistry between Colin and Pen - but I thought this was a romance series? Much more chemistry with the wonderful Lord Debling
It's starting to look like a soap opera in stead of a regency romance - with weird sci-fi/Hunger games inspired costumes.
They should have kept three sidelots - benedict throuple, the funny fetherington pregnancy thing, and introduce Francesca, who is a great neurodivergent character - and REMOVED everything else.
Ideally, you should be able to watch each season as a STAND ALONE - just like the books.
You shouldn't have to go back and watch old seasons to enjoy the main couple.
Maybe 2-3 side plots, not 12 different side plots!
Every thing I loved about QC and season 2 - a season devoted to a main couple with intense chemistry - has been utterly destroyed.
Who was the main couple of the season? Francesca and John? I'm not quite sure.
This season was a huge misfire, a disaster of epic proportions, not just 'the worst season' like people are saying.
I like Shonda, like all the actors, like the inclusion and diversity, LOVED the past seasons - but we need to be honest about the disaster that is Season 3.
Well said, I blame this mess to the new showrunner. The first and second seasons were far better.
agree with everything else, but I liked Kate's outfits in S3 more than S2. Which outfit did you not like?
@@mahekk1556 I thought Kate looked objectively great, the makeup and clothes suited the actress really well. BUT it did absolutely nothing for the setting and storyline! In fact every time I saw anybody's costumes, I felt like I time traveled to another time period.
I agree so much. There was so much sparkly shit on dresses and makeup caked on eyelids. It was so distracting, no harmony with backgrounds, I felt allergic after a few episodes. Cressida was a monstrosity of course, but even Violet's costumes were giving me whiplash. Season 1and 2 were masterfully done, Daphne's makeup was limited but so so effective. Think I'm gonna have to go back and watch a Jane Austen movie from the 2000s to recuperate.
I think they really changed Kate's wardrobe to camouflage her within the family, during the S3 trailer, I did not recognise Kate was there in first glance.
I just don't understand why they had to cram all these storylines into only 8 episodes. The show is one of the most successful ones on Netflix, it doesn't make sense that they would sell it short like that.
I also agree with previous posters that the weird af costuming didn't help.
Yes, this is what I have been saying! Like we could have, had a spinoff the time between Kanthony's and Polin's season where we could have shown Eloise and Cressida getting closer, the Mondrich family becoming members of the ton, etc
I loved Eloise’s outfits, especially her green jacket. Fran and the other Bridgertons were okay as well, But everyone else seemed to be inspired by the Featheringtons
I suspect that Netflix only gave them enough $$ for 8 (comparatively low cost) episodes.
You nailed it with the clunky technical aspects. The first two seasons, even though obviously not fully true to the Regency era as it's a loose adaptation, it still felt like a period drama. The third season felt like a costume party, with so much sequin, and shiny dresses! Bold red lips, eyeliner, and cheek highlighter? Seriously? Everyone dressed like a Featherington woman!!
And also, the lighting. It didn't feel like people were using candles or oil lamps in their homes and streets, it looked like 2024 electrical lighting in 1814.
I get that this isn't meant to be a historically accurate show, and that's fine. But I think they went way too far with the costumes and makeup this season. All of a sudden all the women have obvious fake lashes, colourful eyeshadow, lipstick, and ACRYLIC NAILS?! It kind of made it hard for me to believe the characters, they all looked like regular 21st century people dressing up for a costume party... Shame because I was so excited for this season :(
The acrylics and bold red lip did it for me. Felt so jarring and out of place. I love a bit of glam and camp, but there’s gotta be a line somewhere.
And the costumes? The last episode at the ball looked plastic. 😭😂
I agree with the camera angles and edits being awkward in the back half of season 3. it felt like I was on a visual rollercoaster half the time. It feels like show runners forget how well-shot and edited scenes can further immerse a viewer into the world and make it visually appealing. You can get away with some mistakes if you have moments and scenes that can make up for them. Great analysis!
Daphne’s absence during her siblings weddings wasn’t mentioned once while Edwina’s marital bliss was mentioned twice. HECK, even Cressida’s Aunt Joanna was mentioned more than the oldest and most influential daughter of the family who plays an instrumental role in the book. Anthony and Kate are here as guest appearances which I’m not mad abt but they could’ve given them more screen-time rather than focusing on Benedict’s threesome. The theme of this season had “friendship” written all over it and the makers fumbled so hard. Polin’s friendship isn’t given importance, Eloise and Pen’s friendship is hanging by a tread, Violet and Lady D are in an awkward situation and have to reevaluate their friendship. Even the Featherington’s learning how to befriend each other could’ve been used so much more. The entire season lacked the Bridgeton effect. That tension, that build up, the pacing. In the first season they had all the brother’s fencing and drinking together. This season the family bonding that we love so much is missing. I wanted to see more of Violet the mother. Violet’s scenes with both Daphne and Anthony could give Colin a run for his money. This season we barely see Violet present in her kids lives or even Violet having a heartfelt conversation about her role in society as a widowed dowager falling for someone after all these years. Colin feels bland. Benedict’s plot is lost. Eloise is just there. Francesca is speechless and apparently smitten after seeing her two day old husbands cousin, Daphne is not mentioned, Anthony is not to be seen even-tough he is the main financier of the family, Gregory and Hyacinth don’t have many scenes. The Family of Bridgeton’s don’t feel like a family anymore they feel so scattered, lost, out of touch which is just so sad. Penelope and Colin was supposed to be the most loved couple of all and sadly didn’t live up to the mark because we barely got Colin and Penelope as kids or teens. This season had so much potential and they fumbled BIG TIME. Here’s hoping the team takes the criticism seriously and works out the loop holes for the next season.
Thank you❣
THIS THIS THIS, agreed with every word you said, whewww this was my exact thoughts, the potential to be the most loved with the theme of ‘ friends’ and they couldn’t pull through
There is SO MUCH to complain about with this season that’s valid and YET people just want to talk about how Eloise is a Bad Character (I love her) or that apparently gender swapping is the worst thing to ever happen (even though we have no idea what the story is gonna be).
Season 2 of Bridgerton was so amazing, I thought it would be the standard but, apparently, it’s the exception.
edit: I think people are wildly missing my point. Being wary about the changes is fine, I’m simply saying there’s more wrong with this season than just a gender swap. I’d rather critique the poor writing and pacing of Polin than speculate how season 4 will be terrible.
I'm mad about the gender bend because I don't know what the story is going to be, and it can't be what it was for sure.
I don't know how Francesca's story will evolve with Michaela. Not towards the original story for sure. People who love the book are pissed off because with this turn they won't get the story they love and expected to see in the show. The show already changed a key element from the original story: it is Michael(a) who is completely besotted with Fran from their first encounter and for Fran nothing else exists but John. Why couldn't they keep this in the show? This turn cancels all what we saw in the show before and what Francesca stood for (even in front of the Queen), the quiet and simple love without sparkles and fuss. Fran can't remember her name when she meets Michaela (by the way why she appears from nowhere at the ball? why John doesn't introduce his wife to his cousin? why Michaela doesn't know that Fran is the wife of his cousin?) and this reflects what Violet sad to her what happened when she met Edmund. As if the show wanted to prove that Fran was wrong and only the passionate love matters. You can flush down the toilet the sweet love story we witnessed earlier. She will suffer in her marriage because she has feelings for Michaela? She will cheat John with Michaela? In the book it is also a key element that Fran discovers through Michael the passionate love AFTER her quiet and happy marriage to John. For her, all two men are true love, but in a different way. According to the book, you can have more than one true love, and you can have a second chance in life. According to the show, her marriage to John is a mistake from the beginning.
@@sunlightempressI can see why it makes people frustrated! I’m not saying it’s an invalid opinion, just that there’s more wrong with the season than just the gender swap. I’m personally annoyed that it’s one of the only things people are criticizing.
I’m also of the opinion that an adaptation doesn’t owe its audience perfect replication of the source material. Books and movies have different advantages in their storytelling. Therefore, I’m not bothered by changes like this IF they serve a larger purpose to the narrative. To each their own 🤷♀️We’ll just have to wait and see what’s next.
@@udesivalihegPersonally, I didn’t interpret Francescas feelings in the same way. That’s the interesting thing about media, we all have our opinions. I have no idea how they will handle this in the show and truly we will have to wait and see what happens.
My comment is more talking about how there are larger problems in S3 than just the gender swap that deserve discussion and critique.
@@madeleinejohnson9408 I think that the backlash about the gender swap is due to the fact that many people consider that Francesca's book is the best of the series (including myself). As I read in the comments, many women feel connected to the book's main themes (loss, grief, miscarriage, infertility, second chance in life, wanting and having children at the end). And we won't get the same story in the show.
This season was so off. The magic that the first 2 seasons had was lost. The main love story for this season didn’t get the time it needed to build up the ‘swooning’ between the two. It was so rushed and it didn’t give their love story the depth it deserved.
You’re right about the camera angles as well. The scene where Eloise and Colin are at the staircase discussing their feeling about Pen being Whistledown should have been extremely emotional. The actors did a good job in the scene but having to watch the interaction between the railings of the staircase made me lose the emotional build up in that discussion as I couldn’t focus on the emotional impact it had on the actors properly. I don’t even know much about directing or filming but the angle stood out to me 😐
It’s so sad that they fumbled the season for pen and Colin 😪
The pacing was terrible. The costumes.filters, language and angles took us out of world emersion. There was way too many plots in the first place, then they tried to introduce whole story lines for those plots intstead of letting us dipping our toes in for next season. Collin is a horrifically written charachter and its not what he deserves. He became Pens shadow when it should have been a equal season. There is so much conflict but the conflict resolution happens before you can blink. Why do we need multiple queer story lines all of a sudden? Are we collecting them like pokemon. Why not just do one, properly Benedict being the best one for it. Also correct me if im wrong...........WAS THIS NOT A POLLIN SEASON? Do the writers hate them? All of their scenes were rough and strange when they needed to be the most genuine and powerful. So much hollow yapping from Collin, I did actually like Pen this season she was the only redeemly factor. What happened with Eloise? She is a horrible friend to both Pen and Cressida, and what became of Theo? The Queen was having imposter syndrome, she was such a weird version of herself. All in all there was alot left to be desired the only reason I watched this season is because some of the actors are indeed good actors and carried alot of this bad writing.
I like what you said about language…..They used words that were not in their vocabulary! For all the reasons we loved the show it’s gone! Nonexistent. They were so busy trying to make a point that they lost the whole story and the characters..
Ya I agree. It was so disappointing and the two lead characters had zero chemistry. Zero. I didn’t buy it.
I totally agree with you, zero chemistry between them on screen
And that's so crazy because somehow Luke and Nikola have beautiful chemistry in interviews. It's definitely on the producers not the actors
@@anikaschneider2611 season 1 and 2 convinced me that they could be great together. I feel the glow up versus growing up got all confused. Too much about appearances and makeup and not a decent discussion between the two
I felt more chemistry between John and Fran but they went ahead and also ruined that pairing aswell.
25:50 10:11 it’s not just rushed with Francesca. They threw her entire book in the trash for the sake of representation. Her story was supposed to have her genuinely love John, and Michael - YES MICHAEL- being in love with her from afar. Her story dives into infertility and grief because she wants kids but suffers miscarriages while with John, and when John dies, she only returns to the marriage field so she could have another chance at a family. From what I know, Michael also has to work through a form of imposter syndrome because he takes over for John after he dies, and loved John like a brother.
The show made us fall for John, and even him becoming a part of the family. The fact they show horned in things that aren’t meant to be there, ruined one of the fandoms favourite books.
I'm just so mad and sad for Nicola and Luke who deserved WAAY more screen time for their season. Especially Nicola who is also a Huge representation for plus size girls that wanted to see themselves as the Main love interest that also deserves Romance. She deserved MORE intimate scenes that show that big girls are sexy and CAN be loved and adored and worshipped.
I hated that JESS BROWNWELL made Penelope a sideline character in her own season just because she wanted to insert herself into the story.
Okay, sorry in advance for the unbelievably long comment (but I have way too many thoughts and feelings 😅)
My God this season was a mess. I really appreciate you talking about the technical elements, because it really does influence how an audience perceives the show, whether people realize it or not. From the way it was shot and edited all the way down to the costumes, which were all over the place this season, the visual language was abandoned, none of it was cohesive. The first two seasons struck a balance between the regency aesthetic and modern sensibilities. Even as the period drama snob that I am, I could appreciate and praise the show for addressing that it wasn't trying to be historically accurate and preferred to create their own in-universe logic. But this season all logic has been thrown out the window. Where's all the respect and care put into the first two seasons and QC?? Jess Brownell has to be taken out of this writers room immediately. Please, Lord, bring back Chris Van Dusen.
- Kate and Anthony were the light of this season, Jonathan and Simone are a blessing. I love seeing Anthony so unhinged and chaotically in love and Kate living her best life being so loved and supported by him and at ease within the Bridgertons. But even their exits weren't safe from sloppy writing. You have two of the best characters in the show, who're fan favorites, played by two actors (one of them arguably one of the best actors of his generation, rising to superstardom) with amazing chemistry who've both been very vocal about wanting to come back to continue their characters' story and you just keep sending them away??
- Benedict is basically just a piece of meat to the writers at this point. For a show that prides itself on not being 'exploitative' & 'gratuitous' with it's sex scenes, his scenes felt pretty fuckin' gratuitous. Its a shame Luke Thompson's talents are not being utilized to their potential.
- The conclusion to Francesca's storyline is a slap in the face to book readers (and I say this as someone hasn't read them) Not just the gender swap, which is a disservice to the source material, but the mere fact that Francesca shows interest in someone other than John literally TWO DAYS after getting married only adds insult to injury. They managed to get us invested in this sweet, quiet, love story only to throw it away, when the main theme in Fran's book is about having two great (different) loves and how one doesn't diminish the other.
- Wtf was that Mondrich storyline? Literally no purpose whatsoever.
- I actually appreciated Eloise's character development this season and the fact that her & Pen's relationship was treated with the importance it deserves.
- As for Polin, I tend to feel the same as you. They felt like an afterthought in their own season. I will admit that they started to win me back a little during this second half (I enjoyed Colin defending Pen against her family), but thats mostly on Luke and Nicola more so than the writing itself and by the end I didn't really know what to think. Pen had some great character moments, specially with Portia, but with Colin its literally like "What even is Colin?". Whereas the previous male leads have been incredibly complex characters he's got the personality of cardboard and even though the plotline of him wanting to be a writer came from the book, in the show it was just thrown in there.
- And lastly, the resolution to Whistledown was so underwhelming, considering that this plot has been a throughline since the first season. While I do agree that the Queen definitely enjoyed her rivalry with Whistledown, are we really expected to believe that she would be that chill about it after being challenged so many times? After her stellar spinoff, her arc this season felt like a disservice to her character. Also that the ton would just be ok with Pen after all the damage she has inflicted upon them? Was the conclusion to a 3 season long storyline really "gossip is what bonds us all together"?
This season was such a misfire, and its insane to realize how much a single person (showrunner) can change things. It's really sad to see a season of television with so much potential be thrown away. Obviously one would hope it gets better but, it is not looking good.
They did set up Cressida being put in an arranged marriage in part 1, her father threatened to set her up with one of his buddies if she didn’t find a husband this season and he made good on that threat. What would have been interesting is if they did keep Lord Debling around and show Cressida attempting to woo him but a) it goes well, but Lord Debling wants someone with a “more complete life” so she goes through with the Lady Whistledown ruse to prove to him she has hobbies and passions, but it blows up in her face or b) failing to seduce Debling fast enough so she is still met with an arranged marriage, so she goes through with the Lady Whistledown scheme.
I also found it bizarre that Lord Debling was just cast aside in part 2. We couldn’t even have one tense stare down at a ball between Polin and Lord Debling? He just leaves society after that? It’s such a waste of a good character
I like those ideas. Cressida was done so dirty. There's a lot of potential in how Eloise treated her, how society let her down and the complexities of doing something out of self-preservation.
That would have been amazing
The lack of Polin screen time due to 50 different subplots running at the same time makes this season the messiest in my opinion. They’ve used quite a bit of their source material this season but again, it all got overshadowed with so many unnecessary subplots.
As a book reader, I was so confused when they were trying to give Cressida a redemption arc because she’s just a bully. She does try to claim the reward money and then blackmail Penelope in the book as well. So I’m confused by the setup of her character when this is exactly what she was supposed to do. However, the forced marriage plot in the show does explain her actions and adds some dimension to her.
Michael is also a huge favourite among book readers so this switch will most certainly change her entire storyline and get rid of some really beautiful and powerful parts.
The writing was abysmal this season. The scene where Colin find Penelope, the night before their wedding after she visited Madame De La Croix, and they are fighting, I don't even remember what it was about, but in the middle of the argument Penelope starts to basically shout at him that she loves him. I was like, who wrote this? This doesn't resolve anything. Like, Penelope girl, we know you love him, we've known since season 1. The whole time I was like but this is not how you write your two leads arguing or resolving it at all. It was sooo cringe.
Colin's entire arc was also super cringe. The only time where his character felt like himself was when he was talking to Pen after she came forward as LW at the ball. That is literally 7 + hrs of a character where you don't even get the semblance of how he actually is, not even in his most intimate moments (which there weren't very many). He was just all over the place.
I honestly was so excited that they were gonna really get nitty gritty. But when she just blurted out “I love you”, it completely was such a waste! Completely ruin the whole scene for me.
@@am0108 yess!! Like Pen we know you love this man, love is not the problem. It took him so long to come around and be himself again for a reason that is clearly part of his arc in the books but not at all established on the show. Part of the charm of Polin is that they love to write, they write to each other as Colin travels and Pen of course has LW. But on the show Colin is upset about Pen not writing to him and they resolve that, then she reads his diary and is impressed by it and now all of the sudden he wants to become a writer and he is jealous of her??!!!?? I didn't buy any of it.
I watched a whole season of them and I don't believe that Colin loves Pen. He is clearly attracted to her but I don't believe that he burns for her like Simon does for Daphne or Anthony for Kate.
Amongst all the things that bothered me in this season (and believe me, there are... A lot!), I was really confused with the choice of make up, especially blush/rouge, being used on the actors. Francesca had so much orange blush, it took me completely out.
From my perspective Lady Featherington is simply a realist and any mama of that era would think the same if they were put through the same conditions their family was put through also given that penelope was a wallflower and often disappears from the event it is no wonder she thinks that penelope would never have a husband.
Yea, I never found her to be cruel. It's clear she was operating out of survival, a 'by any means necessary' kind of woman. That doesn't make for a good mother, but she does ultimately care for her and her kids.
The whole reason why Cressida was going after Debling was so her parents wouldn’t marry her off to an old man. She even tried talking to Eloise about it in the first half but Eloise is so self centered she wouldn’t hear it. It’s ironic that Eloise was reading Emma at the beginning of the season considering Emma too is self centered, privileged, know it all who doesn’t really listen to people.
I think a reason why Collin X Pen aren't really working is because this is a romance show, where the target market is mainly for women and women fantasies.
The season felt as though Pen had to constantly pander to Collin's ego and make sacrifices purely for Collin's sake and to keep Collin comfortable.
It is a stark contrast with season 2 where Antony was OBSESSED with Kate, to the point it went beyond his own ego and reason and that's why women love it. Women want to feel wanted and adored and be the cause for a man to sacrifice all sense of rationality or social standing or ... something (again this is romance genre where the risks could outweigh the reward)
But this season, it's literally just Pen going on about how great Collin is and how great his writing is and how she is willing to edit his works and blah blah.
She is good for his ego and that's it.
Yea, I don’t know who thought we wanted to watch Penelope beg for Colin’s love for the last 2 hours of the season. Penelope, whose entire character is that she felt invisible and ignored and unworthy of love!! Watching her beg and beg for Colin to love her and hold her while simultaneously praising him for “giving her confidence” was nauseating. Both of them deserved so much better.
Yesssss exactly! I also noticed that all of the thirst shots are on Penelope's body, to the point where Colin seemingly forgives her after glancing at her breasts? Nothing even CLOSE to the male thirst scenes of The Duke or Anthony!
They should've shown flashbacks of Colin and Penelope meeting as children while Penelope was walking down the Isle and Colin reminiscing on that moment. Shows that despite her being LW, she was sweet friend and now soon to be wife. Also I feel like they spent too much time on angry Colin. If they were going to do that we could have seen angry Colin but still having a longing for Penelope. They almost did that in the street scene at night but it should have been expounded upon further. Needed more passion.
like they just and said and didn't show anything, like how are we supposed to believe they were close friends because in the previous seasons it just seems like pen is just eloise's best friend to him, not his friend
like there's a difference between my friend and my sister's friend who i know-
It’s rubbish and so bad I probably won’t watch next season onwards 😢
Same. Granted, I've had a great time with the Bridgerton-era cultural zeitgeist (attended a themed ball, went to some fashion exhibitions, teas, etc), but I think my time w/ the show is done. S3 was a slog for me, watching felt obligatory and I haven't been inclined to rewatch despite having S1 and 2 on in the past as beautiful background noise / visuals. I honestly think the popularity will wane w/a 2 year wait just to get to S4. Don't mean to be unkind to the actors, creative teams, writers, etc but I just don't see us getting through all 8 siblings/books.
I kind of feel like the ball is over and it's time for me to move on.
@Sol-fo2zu they need to bring back Chris Van Dusen. His vision was cohesive. It's sad to say but I'm vouching for the man and need Jess to be fired.
I won't watch any more - prefer to read the books, as written.
This season did NOTHING right, and for that, I will no longer waste time on coming seasons. I only watched part 2 with a waning hope it would redeem itself, instead I wanted to claw my eyes out and get back the time I spent (even skimming the episodes)
@@naveenakoneru9211 I felt the same. Despite fast forwarding half of it as the storylines didn't reflect the book, I still resented the four hours wasted.
A year ago I read that season 3 had been delayed over 'dark' storyline changes: "Filming has been delayed due to the screenwriter not being happy with the direction of it. There are some elements that Shonda is just not happy with so wants to change them. Some of it got very dark." I still wonder what the original storyline was.
Me too I am so curious.
Ohh I'm curious now!!
Based on what was actually released, I can't believe it was anything else other than literally a remake of Society.
Yeah, and Luke N kept saying how intense some things were that he was in tears and needed to regroup after.
Oh, wow, I am super curious now as to what got rewritten.
lol I was so confused by the Benedict sex scene edit too! So glad i wasn’t alone in that
Yes - this! The scene was not the problem - it was the editing. I wonder what they were going for? Was there a purpose I'm missing to keep going back to the scene as time passed and the other story lines were unfolding? Not saying there was no purpose - just that whatever it was, I missed it.
Right, I was like they are still having sex.
They should have put the Modrich's in Ben season- Left Micheal as a male- gave more screentime to Polin- kept the showrunner from the other seasons- let Cressida have her redemption arc or just never give her one at all (it reminds me of Chole from Miraculous Ladybug)
The dialogue as well is so lacking. It has absolutely no regency dialogue and is pretty much modern dialogue with posh english accents. In the first two seasons there at least was an effort to use regency slang and to delve a bit into the intricate and disctinctive style of regency dialogue, but they just completely dropped the ball this time and not only is it frustrating, but also incredibly distracting.
I have read several interviews with the show runner, Jess Brownell, and basically she doesn't give two sh**s what fans and viewers think about the backlash and the terrible mess she has made of season 3. She has her own agenda and what she wants to do and in her words season 4 "is some of my best work". So sad, I really enjoyed the first 2 seasons and was hopeful that we would get a good season for Colin and Penelope, but that did not happen and I don't expect season 4 and any additional seasons will be worth watching.
Starting to see this with narcissistic showrunners. Especially those with an agenda. But it’s never them at fault, it’s always the fans and then they throw in insults to stop more people from talking out. Netflix should have paid Chris.
Exactly the whole season was about pushing out an agenda and you will think these people will learn from Disney’s downfall but apparently not. Why not stick to the books, people will watch a good show over being represented they forced so many other storylines that they lost the leads this season.
It’s funny to me that Polin was one of the least interesting relationships this season, despite it being “their” season. I was way more invested in the dynamics between Francesa/Lord K, Penelope/Eloise, Eloise/Cressida, Violet/Lady Danbury/her brother, Penelope/Portia, and of course Kate/Anthony (the GOATS).
Seeing the changes and dynamics of each of these relationships was sooo much more engaging than whatever they wrote for Polin
That's because, in truth, Luke and Nicola have no chemistry between them on screen. The show spent no time laying the foundation to explain why we even have to care for them as a couple. All we see is pining from her for two seasons, then disregard, and him going from liking her as one would like a little child to full on being obsessed. There was no nuance, no build up, nothing.
I think it’s because there were also so many other romances and side plots to keep up with, it definitely distracted from Polin
Your brigerton commentary has honestly been the only thing worth watching the season for😂❤
Yup, I'm actually enjoying the commentary so much more than the actual season!
Get into the weeds! I love your technical comments, the character developments, the plots, ALL of it. I agree with almost all of your comments too, so I could listen to you for days.
Bridgerton needs to do better, and I’m here for all of the ways you think they could do or should have done it better.
This new showrunner needs to get the boot, I did not enjoy it at all.
Colin is such an empty character. Very awkward. I don’t like Penelope at all. She’s not irredeemable, the show just needed to spend more time acknowledging the actual harm she’s done.
They completely skipped the point of the book of having Colin be the one who reveals her as LW, showing he has accepted and forgiven her past mistakes and damage to the ton all so she could do a cringeworthy, girl boss speech that made no sense. At this point the queen has been fervently pursuing her for two seasons and you will have us believe a few words and butterflies will suddenly make her forgive her biggest rival? Incroyable.
someone else starts talking at 10:48 and it scared me LOL. this season was the worst! i am SO disappointed.
I noticed it too! I thought another audio was playing on my computer lol.
Definitely a drop in quality both in writing and editing. It feels forced by pushing dramatic plot points instead of characters connecting naturally. People seem to enjoy it based on favorite character/couples so it's easy to overlook the blatant disservice they are serving which makes the future of this series shaky at best. Two year wait for this, now another two years for 'best work yet' is something I am not buying.
While I loved Pen's big moment about LW - it was so rushed and swept under the rug just like the Polin love story in part 2. The Michaela reveal (which I don't mind) undercut John and Francesca's overall story and was just another piece that was shoved in that took more away from Polin's married bliss. Benedict's threesome was okay even though we saw hints from s1, but was a missed opportunity then and now. Plus it played out over 2 episodes over days of scandal so editing issues were glaring. As a show called Bridgerton - we needed more family scenes, so it made it even more jarring when Kanthony just left unceremoniously for the 2nd time this season. Anthony is head of the house, would never endanger his wife and baby for months or miss Fran's wedding - and we didn't even get a word about the 'heir' while we got 3 Featherington babies. Last season we saw Daphne in most episodes, now she is barely mentioned so it's painting a bad trend now for all couples and the future of this show.
I actually skipped through all of the Benedict sex scenes because they felt so randomly thrown in to the actual plot that it was distracting me from the story.
I don't know why a group of producers and writers hate the source books this much. This has almost nothing to do with the books and its about to get worse. Franchesca's is largely the best book and has the greatest fanbase and the writers of the show are seemingly throwing it all out for a stunt storyline.
Julia Quinn is letting them do whatever they want with her work, that's a real shame.
We need to go back to the old days of 22 episodes per season. 8 just isn’t enough.
I wrote a whole essay but essentially this season feels like they gave up. So half-hearted, so unearned. The bad writing was UNDOING the good writing of the last two seasons! I can’t believe we’re stuck with Jess Brownell for another season.
I agree with all points. Honestly have no idea why this is an 8 episode per season production. I knew part 2 would be a nightmare before it even started. The lady whistledown reveal sort of gives nothing to look forward to, but, the books do start to branch off to different cities.
Thank you. I couldn't put my finger on what was so off this season until you pointed out the technical flaws. You have a good eye for those things.
I hated what they did to Francesca. She had the best storyline in the season, we got the first representation of a quiet and comfortable love, all to be thrown away in the last episode. In the books, Francesca and John are described to be the perfect couple and after he dies, she spends like 6 years mourning. She was so in love with John and only years after his passing she gets involved with Michael. Another thing is why change to a woman? Am I the only one bothered that we won't get the character from the books? I don't mind storyline like Benedict's, but changing the source material to this degree is so annoying. Make a new story instead of changing the original one man
I think one other thing about the Benedict subplot that felt rushed and forced was Lady Tilley Arnold inviting him into this menage e tois and then after a few days or whatever that timeline was, deciding she actually liked him more deeply and romantically than she thought she would and suddenly didn't want to share him...
and then Benedict basically being like "too little, too late" and it ending. I don't think this was a bad plot but because of how rushed it was, I just didn't believe it fully.
The one moment that drove me the most crazy is when Colin cuses Penelope of trying to entrap him. I'm sorry who's the one who pursued who? Who's the one who ruined her chances with Lord Danbury? Penelope had completely written him off as a possible love interest. Sorry, it just pissed me off that he said that and she didn't call him on it.
I'm just going to say it: I really think Luke is not a good actor. He didn't sell Colin with his performance AT ALL. All off his expressions are some variation of blank stare and in the sex scene I think that he was the one that made it that bad, my gods he trully annoyed me this season
I totally agree, he really doesn't have the charisma or acting chops of the men who play Anthony and Benedict
I agree, but it's also the producers. You can clearly see that there is a lot more chemistry between Luke and Nikola in Interviews than there is on the show. Also Colin was better in season 1 and 2. I am sure that you are right that the other actors are better, but i think it's a mix of reasons why season 3 turned out so bad. It's also about camera angles I think
@@anikaschneider2611 but that's the thing, if they have chemistry in interviews, it shows that they did not have the hability pass that to the screen. And I think that's more ok Luke's side cos Nicola did a great job all season
Fully agree. I’ve been skewered for this take but I simply don’t think he’s a good actor. Everyone says it’s the writing but it’s not solely the writing. The point of actors is to lift the words off the page and give them life. Luke ain’t there yet
True cause look at John. The actor has 5 lines and a dream but he makes the character extremely compelling. They should have gave Luke the loverboy Colin not whatever this was
I was yelling at the screen when we had to watch Eloise and Colin's conversation through the bannister. Whyyyy??? That usually means someone is eavesdropping! No one else was there. Why are we doing this?
Every storyline directly connected to Queen Charlotte is genuinely good and more compelling than the main storyline
Fire Jessica Brownell immediately!!!! She is destroying the show!!!
I'm glad that I wasn't the only one being left with a ''meh'' feeling at the end of Part1 and 2... like what was that? I remember having so many different (positive) feelings watching Season1 and 2. And Queen Charlotte making me cry ugly bittersweet tears at the end. I was so hyped for the new season of Bridgerton and.. this is what we got? There wasnt one time where I was glued to the TV in excitement and big feelings like the other times. 😭
You’ve really helped me understand why I was so bothered by it. I felt uncomfortable and now I know why.
I was so disappointed because I didn't buy the chemistry between pen and colin at all, which is weird because I did with previous seasons
Yes, the acrylic nails Pen was wearing were so distracting.
Omg yeah!
And the fact that Daphne isn’t even mentioned from missing 2 major weddings!! Soo strange
This review was so Spot on! Netflix should have done better, so disappointing.
I hate how they made Penelope seem like this down in the dirt desperate little girl. They failed on making her, an intelligent, plus sized, socially awkward outcast, desirable. Which is such a terrible shame bc the influence that could have had on viewers, would’ve been monumental. They showed her partially nude and thought they made strides for the body positivity community.
Playing “You Belong with Me” at their wedding gave me a headache like no other. Out of all the love songs they could’ve chosen, it had to be a song about an insecure pick-me chasing after a man. These are aspects we as the viewers take note of.
Compared to the other female love interests in Bridgerton (this season included), Penelope had to do a lot of the chasing, forgiving, and apologizing towards her love interest and other relationships. Everyone literally treated her like shit, Colin included, and somehow she’s bending over backwards for these ppl and doing the apologizing ?????? To me it showed her as a people pleaser desperate to stay in the good graces of those around her. I hate how her least flattering dress this season was the one she wore while confessing she was Whistledown to the ton. I just felt like this whole season was portraying her as this DUFF that never truly deserved her flowers even while being the most beautiful, intriguing, and complexed character of the entire show.
The "we miss working and not being rich, money makes us lose who we are :(((((((" arc is so silly and tasteless rn in this economy. I was just thinking shuuuuuut up.
Totally. Very un-WokeFlix of them
I haven’t read any of the books but there’s been so much discourse on the Michael to Michaela switch. Through the discourse people were talking about how Francesca equally loved John as much as Michael in the books, and it’s very much “second love” where Michael also falls first. I’m for the gender switch but the creator said she’d stay true to the story. Michaela is supposed to fall first but now it appears to be switched. And it looks like Francesca is not into John at all after their wedding kiss, which is disappointing and is erasing what could have been her bisexuality. It could have been a beautiful story of her loving two people equally, but it seems like it’s gonna be some comp-het “she never really loved the man” story. It’s not “all or nothing.” Bisexuals exist and she can be just as attracted and feel just as passionate towards the man as she is the woman.
should've made eloise the bi representation we deserve and got her and cressida to be spinster "roommates".
@@amirahazhar4192 then I don't understand why they included the Marina Thompson Story at all in season 1 and 2, because... (Spoiler)
Marina Thompson unalives herself, Eloise writes to her husband to express her condolences, a pen friendship develops between her and Phillip (Marina's husband) and they consider getting married (a marriage of convenience), so she runs off to meet him (because she wants to know him before she agrees to marry him).
As a book reader, I already really disliked the Marina Thompson plotline in season 1 and 2 (she doesn't appear in any books except the one about Eloise), so if they don't make anything of her regarding the Eloise plotline, I'll be really mad that they included her at all in season 1 and 2.
@star_baker I'm absolutely against Fran being queer. It doesn't fit into her story at all. I also don't understand why we need any queer representation in a story that isn't a queer story to begin with (just adapt already existing or write new queer stories, I'll happily watch them). That being said, in the last Bridgerton book is a queer character - why not introducing him earlier and give him an intriguing plotline? Why shoehorning queerness onto canonically straight characters?
@@awsome182 I would honestly prefer Eloise with Theo bc they were my favorite subplot of S2. And from reading excerpts from Eloise’s book, Phillip is terrible
@@awsome182 I think it’s the showrunner projecting herself onto the character 😭that’s basically what she said. i don’t feel attached to the characters but I do wish they made Francesca look happy with John. If they are changing this much about her story they might as keep some of it true
I feel like Polin should have been the very last season ... like after Hyacinth ... That way Penelope can keep her secret and Whisledown can be hella interesting till the end ... Colin can have his sensitive boy - rake - sensitive man arc ... Penelope can encourage Colin to be a writer and establish their friendship ... Why did they rush this?
As someone that read all the books years ago, this season as bad. I get some changes are needed but it was like disrespectful to the reader audience. The main couple didn’t feel like the main story, it was rushed, S1 and S2 the had better chemistry. But honestly the Francesca meeting Michaela and not Michael was when it was over for me. That is it I am done with this series, the book people would get it. It was just too much artistic license away from the original story… it is not love at first sight for Francesca but for Michael… just mad 😡 about this…
I also read the books when they were first published. I can understand that it's easier to take a fantasy angle than try to perfectly represent the Regency era. I remember one of the first things I read about Bridgerton is that the ladies were not going to be wearing their customary bonnets while outdoors because their faces would be obscured. That made sense to me, among other decisions. I love the use of string arrangements of modern songs, for instance. I appreciate their creativity in tweaking the universe to be more inclusive of people from different cultures and different races. Incorporating LGBT+ characters works for me until it completely changes an existing, well-defined character. Realizing that Michael Stirling no longer exists was a big blow. If they wanted to tell a story with a lesbian lead, maybe they could have used a less-prominent character, such as Cressida, or created a new one, like they did with the Mondrich family. Then the readers wouldn't feel the loss like so many of us are. They are trying to appeal to such a broad audience that it seems to me that they have literally "lost the plot." It's so disappointing, but this seems to be typical for how most production companies treat romance novels... they just can't stick to the story, and in their attempts to be all things to all people, they alienate their original fans: the readers. I compare them against Passionflix (production/streaming service), which I discovered back during COVID and they actually work with the author to ensure that the stories are told as intended in the book. I've become a huge fan of their original productions, because they KNOW who their audience is and they respect them. They were founded by Tosca Musk and she REALLY cares about the readers, because she's also a fan. They don't have the huge budgets but they do an excellent job with casting, dialogue, etc., and will make as many movies or episodes as necessary to tell the story as it was intended. They are now casting for a series based on JR Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood, which will require a lengthy commitment from the main leads to ensure continuity from book to book. I am SO excited to see this come to life. And JR has signed off on this because she's seen how this group respects the material, the authors, and the readers. I wish these big-budget productions would try this for once.
When you said "this is a long video" i thought "really? oh... yeah... no. Please do an in-depth-disection so i can listen to this for three hours." ;D you put words to the feelings the season gave me.
I was so upset and disappointed when I finished the season...just heartbroken.
I am loving your reviews!! would 100% watch a complete season 3 review :)