SiftPop

by Alice-Ginevra Micheli, Contributing Writer 

783 days. That is how long viewers had to wait between Seasons Two and Three of Bridgerton. 783 days. With there being more content than any one person could fathom ever watching, this amount of time for a period romance drove many out of their minds with anticipation. This might seem like a good business decision — keep people waiting, keep them hungry, and then make them all the more excited for its eventual release. But then, the season had to go and split the season into two, making it more like 811 days between the two full seasons. 

That’s right, I’m starting this review with a criticism of two new yet prevalent areas of television: the extended wait between seasons, and the splitting of seasons in half. With the launch of streaming came the launch of the binge model. Every episode dropped at once, so people could become obsessed and attached to stories without having to wait. Later, some services decided to go back to a week-to-week release schedule in order to allow for anticipation between episodes and word of mouth to spread. Both of these are perfectly acceptable forms of distribution, and serve their own specific function. What does not work, however, is this new half-season drop system that Netflix has started to adopt, only resulting in heightened, and possibly impossible to reach expectations, as well as catastrophic levels of frustrations. Add to that the aforementioned two-plus year wait, and audiences were chomping at the bit in order to see this new season of regency romance. 

It’s also important to note that this season marked a freshman slate by new showrunner, Jess Brownell, who took the step from writer’s room to lead story developer on the megalith show. With that has come many evident changes — from the storytelling, to the costuming, to the way in which the show relates to its historical context. All of these elements and more are expected as someone looks to make their mark for their first time. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. But it’s hard to deny that the weight on Brownell’s shoulders would have been heavy, as she wasn’t just progressing with a popular television series, but the adaptation of a beloved book series and a new set of main characters at its center who are many people’s favorites of the entire selection.

In Season Three’s story, we finally center on the friends-to-lovers storyline that has been steadily brewing between Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) — with the couple affectionately named “Polin” by fans. With Colin determined to help Penelope find a husband this season and appease her worries, tensions rise as long-held feelings are finally stirred, and the secret of Lady Whistledown herself comes to a head.

An immediate change I noticed this season, beside the external, like the costumes and makeup, is that the story has clearly shifted from a couple-centric tale to one that more focuses on the cast ensemble. Bridgerton has always had an ensemble element of course, but it has definitely been heightened with the recent eight episodes. This is partly because of the aforementioned change in storyteller, but also because of the fact that the upcoming Bridgerton tales are ones that require a little more nuance, time, and unpacking in order to properly lay out. Not to mention that while we do finally get to lift up the Polin romance from the sidelines, there has been development in that particular story for the last two seasons, so unlike the previous two, we don’t need to start from scratch with the characters. 

We know what Penelope and Colin are like, we know their relationships, we know their general hopes and dreams, and we know that Penelope has long loved Colin in secret, unbeknownst to him. So this season is more about delving deeper into these elements, and more importantly, exploring how each character’s intricacies affect the other. 

Coughlan and Newton do a great amount of the work required here, with their undeniable charm and chemistry being impossible to ignore. Every time they’re on screen, it’s impossible to look away, and many of the story turns lead to a genuinely great viewing experience for any fan of the series. Coughlan is magnetic as she steps into the spotlight and takes the leading lady role that she so very deserves, given her talents. Newton, on the other hand, has taken well to the protagonist’s spotlight, and well interprets Colin’s boyish charm and new rugged outlook, with a little something underneath. 

In fact, they work so great together that it would have been great if the show had focused on them a little more. While I understand the desire to shift to a more ensemble piece, it can’t be denied that what people come to Bridgerton for is the romance, the tension, the — for a lack of a better word — spice, and denying this season a significant amount of time with the main couple is bound to leave people wanting for more upon its end. Especially when paired with the intensive amount of anticipation with its long hiatus and mid-season break. 

To the ensemble of it all, the other storylines are generally interesting as well, and do help round out the world of this type of different regency-era London in a way that is sure to pay off as we enter future seasons. The development of the Featherington family’s story, as well as that of Francesca (Hannah Dodd) and Violet Bridgerton’s (Ruth Gemmell), are some of the most enticing to watch, bar the main romance. However, it’s hard to deny that sometimes the number of time spent on say Benedict Bridgerton’s (Luke Thompson) promiscuous ways is more tiring than exciting, and could have been done with a replacement toward the Polin romance instead, especially considering how long fans have waited to see it played out. 

Similar thoughts can be applied to the new look the show introduces this season, throwing any semblance of historical accuracy to the wayside, and introducing modern makeup techniques and looser costumes to the foray in order to modernize and further romanticize the story. This is not something I minded so much — to a point. While it’s generally enjoyable for the world of Bridgerton to be modern in ways beyond its integrated society, it’s impossible not to be taken out of the moment when you see a main character with sequins on their eyelids or a heavy contour under their cheekbones. My recommendation for next season would be to have a subtler hand in these developments, and ensure that the period setting of it all doesn’t get so broken that you wouldn’t be surprised seeing someone pull out their phone to make a call. 

Overall, this season is certainly different from the previous two. Some would say a little less focused, others would say a little more open and inviting. I, however, land somewhere in the middle on a technicality. What I mean by this is that while I would have enjoyed for there to be more of the central romance, I still adored every moment. As a longtime Polin lover, and Bridgerton book and television series fan, I still found myself satisfied come season’s end with where we left the characters and their relationships, especially considering we’re guaranteed to get more in future seasons. 

While there could have been more of a singular through line given its genre, this season is still one worth putting up there, considering rewatchability and overall quality. The delivery of love confessions, yearning looks, and other scenes that cannot be named are still done with a loving hand, and really all I wanted was more of it. Not to mention, had we not had to wait so long between seasons or parts, it’s possible that satisfaction would have been more widely received, as there wouldn’t have been four weeks for people to build up their perfect imaginary ending, only to be let down with its reality. 

This review might have been a criticism of the Netflix release strategy and production timelines as much of it was of Bridgerton Season Three, but with how one has significantly affected the other, it’s important to view it in this context. So with that being said, this is a good season of television, maybe even great, but it’s possible that we won’t know for sure until the notoriety and anticipation of its release has calmed, and future seasons finally make their way to our streaming shores. 

Rating: Loved It

Bridgerton is currently streaming on Netflix

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You can read more from Alice-Ginevra Micheli, and follow her on Instagram and Letterboxd