Some thoughts on Bridgerton, as we all await the second half of the third season with baited breath.

I had finally gotten around to watching Season Two quite recently, and so was able to jump right in to the newest episodes. Of course left wanting more, I decided to rewatch Season One as it has now been a couple years and beginning to fade from memory.

A funny thing, memory.

The lasting impression remaining in my mind, etch-a-sketch that it is, had been of feminine perfection from Daphne, finding myself reflected more accurately in her sister, Eloise. How had I managed to forget what a complete badass Daphne Bridgerton is?

Every single line from her is a punch. 

I had forgotten she actually punched someone? How incredible! I suppose it is not beyond the realm of belief that one of her older brothers would have seen fit to teach her such an unladylike skill out of sight of their mother. 

Not only can Daphne throw a punch and ride a horse, but she has her head on straight, saying such things not so different from Eloise about the options available to women at the time. She points out to her duty-obsessed brother that her only duty is to marry well, and reminds Eloise that her marriage prospects set the bar for the future of all three of her sisters. 

“You have no idea what it is to be a woman. What it might be like to have one’s entire life reduced to a single moment. This is all I have been raised for. This is all I am. I have no other value. If I am unable to find a husband I shall be worthless.”

In most of her interactions with the Duke, Daphne demonstrates an incredible command of herself, going so far as to actually give him directions, telling him to where to go and how he must court her. She reminds him it is not just a game they are playing, but a tactic on which depends the outcome of her entire life. While it is little wonder for the eldest daughter of a strong single mother, her self-assuredness is nevertheless an anomaly for her society at the time which- as the script keeps reminding us at every single turn of the plot- is run by the whims of men. 

While it might be easier to empathize with Eloise’s scoffing at Daphne’s perfection, we should all be awed instead by her confidence and grace. She exudes a quiet power, doing what is best for both herself and her family while treating her servants and subjects with kindness and respect.

Among the other things I missed the first time around were the symbolism of the bees, and this absolutely hilarious hidden gem from Violet Bridgerton, when Lady Whistledown criticizes her alphabetical naming of her children. In the most mildly defensive tone, she says their “father and I thought it quite orderly.” Something about her delivery just cracks me up and has this line living rent-free in my head, even after finishing the whole season. It’s in the first few minutes of the very first episode, if you want to see for yourself.

As for the other characters, well, I find myself a bit disappointed in Francesca in Season Three. With her makeup done to appear a more plain version of Daphne, I find it hard to root for a character whose defining feature is her lack of personality. “What of your other hobbies? What makes you tick?” are questions Eloise would be delighted to answer. Frankly, failing to answer would make a side character seem simple and shallow, rather than somehow sympathetic as we are expected to find Francesca simply because she is a Bridgerton.

Nevertheless I was amused and delighted by the scene where her gentleman caller asks for a moment of her time to simply sit in silence with her. As an Autistic introvert myself, I can certainly see the appeal of someone who just wants to enjoy one’s company, without all the carefully worded “polite society” exchanges full of double-meaning.

While I am pleased that characters from other stations in life are used to contrast and critique the high society the main characters live in, and find the Mondrich characters quite likeable, I believe this season has just one or two too many threads of story. Colin and Penelope are meant to be the romantic focus, and so I wish Benedict and his lady would wait their turn, however intriguing I may find her. With Francesca making her debut and meeting her love interest, Eloise’s falling out with Penelope and unexpected friendship with Cressida, the Featherington ladies’ continued struggles for security, I just feel that six main story threads is too many, making the episodes feel scattered and pulling focus from Penelope’s glow-up and romance.

Additionally, with Penelope as this season’s (supposed) main character, and Eloise as her best friend, I profoundly wish more energy and screentime was devoted to their relationship. That is not to say it is not clearly addressed, and I do thoroughly enjoy the conversations between Eloise and Cressida. I just truly feel that modern television would benefit from even stronger and more complex dynamics between women, and so I wish that their thoughts and feelings about Whistledown were more thoroughly explored. Eloise frequently praises the power of her pen in the first season, and makes such a sharp turn after her suffragette pursuits in Season Two. She does explain that she decided to join them for failure to beat them, but there is plenty of room for more complexities with regards to the pamphlet, rather than just feeling conflicted about the betrayal of her best friend.

Another thing I think could have been afforded more depth and screen time are Penelope and Colin’s charm lessons, which for all the scandal they caused, seemed to be fairly short, simple, and few. Again, despite the assertions of the cast members and series promotions, Season Three reads (to me) more as an ensemble endeavor than the “chance for the wallflower to shine.” It irritates me that instead of shining as the leading lady of the season, Penelope- and indeed her actress Nicola Coughlan- must share the spotlight with Benedict, Francesca, and the Mondriches.

All of this comes from the place of having not read the books- so while I understand many of the main plot developments have been fundamentally changed, I am not critiquing the streaming series for how it measures against its source material. Rather, the general impressions of Bridgerton and its capacity for storytelling in 2024 are my concerns, the characters as they appear on the screen and what seeing their stories represented does or could do for the modern audience.