In Episode 3 of Bridgerton, we learn about “The Art of the Swoon” when a new player comes to town who ranks higher than a duke – a prince.
While all of the ton has its eyes on the newcomer, Daphne and Simon slowly start to have eyes for each other. But since we are only three episodes in, the brakes are put on their growing affection for each other, of course.
Dreaming of a duke
We absolutely cannot blame Daphne for having sexy dreams about Simon. Let’s be honest, he is dream-worthy. It is clear in “The Art of the Swoon” that Daphne is starting to develop feelings for the duke. We love that she just can’t seem to find any chemistry with the suitors that are showing up now that their plan is working. We’re with Lady Danbury and Lady Bridgerton in thinking that she doesn’t have eyes for anyone but Simon. Her dances with those other gentlemen were painful to watch.
We love Violet’s advice that Daphne should marry her dearest friend. It’s clear from all the laughs and fun between the two of them that Simon is becoming just that. That scene where they predict what a suitor says to a lady and then she snorts in laughter when the prince says exactly that is probably one of our favorites of “The Art of the Swoon.”
Sexy flirting
One of the things that this series does well is build that sexual tension. When Simon and Daphne were in the gallery and their hands slipped together, we took a collective breath at the same time as she did. Who knew just a small touch could be so steamy?
Simon is not making it easy on us, because how he was eating ice cream was positively sinful. We’re right there with you Daphne.
Speaking of sexy moments, that scene where he tried to explain sex to Daphne and asked if she ever touched herself was scorching. Kudos to this series for a self-love scene. So often it is portrayed as a negative thing. And definitely not as talked about for women as for men. Just another way that this show supports the ladies.
Simon catches feels
Daphne is not the only one who is starting to grow feelings while in their arrangement. Though he would be loathe to admit it, Simon is clearly starting to fall for Daphne. When she describes that painting in the gallery that his mother loved so much, he is shook. And he blows off the opera and a possible rendezvous with Siena.
But then Lady Danbury scolds him for playing with Daphne if he’s not serious. Our boy got spooked and he cut things off with her. Our hearts broke when he said that they were never friends and she was just a convenience to him.
While we were pissed at him, we loved how Daphne served her best looks at the next gathering and got her flirt on with the prince. Simon is scared of his feelings for Daphne so he is pushing her away. She pushed back with a vengeance. We are her for it.
Sibling bonding
“The Art of the Swoon” had some great moments for the Bridgerton siblings. The late night chats between Eloise and Benedict have become some of our favorite moments of the series. We loved how Eloise called Benedict out on not using his male privilege to foster his artistic talent.
We got to see a bit more about Benedict in “The Art of the Swoon,” as we got a deeper look into his love of art. It’s nice to see on the season where some of these Bridgerton‘s aren’t the main characters, we still get little bits for their stories here and there.
Eloise and Daphne had better sister moments this time around. Though Eloise was tired of Daphne’s piano playing, she at least told her that she could play and to name her song. They’ve tried to understand each other a little bit. Hopefully, we will see more of it.
Daphne and Anthony also had a nice scene over late-night milk drinking, which was a sharp contrast to the adversarial nature of their relationship prior to this. “The Art of the Swoon” had a few softer scenes with Anthony, which is necessary if we are going to root for him in the future.
Haves versus have-nots
One scene that had us thinking Anthony was still an ass, however, was when he was trying to get some with Siena after dropping her in the “Shock and Delight.” Let a girl move on with her life, Anthony. While we aren’t always the biggest Siena fans, we loved how she stood up to him and told him to get out.
“The Art of the Swoon” shone a light on the difference between the wealthier members of society and others. Anthony and Daphne didn’t even know how to turn on the stove to warm up their milk. Siena and the modiste talk about how they enjoy the freedom of their life rather than that of a debutante.
And then there is Lady Featherington bringing Marina down to the poorer area of town, showing her what her child’s life would be like if she didn’t find a husband. That entire scene highlighted just how detached the ton is from the rest of civilization.
While we didn’t want to see the duke show up at the opera for Siena, our hearts still broke for her when she had no one waiting for her after the show. How easy it is for the upper class to get caught up in the gossip of society and the scandal that each column of Lady Whistledown brings, not realizing the real pain and suffering of those not in their social group. Hopefully, if this series continues, we can continue to see their eyes opened to this fact.
Checking the Mail
One character who does care for others in “The Art of the Swoon” is our beloved Penelope. She is on Team Marina this entire episode. We love how eager she is on her friend’s behalf to wait for the mail every day, hoping for that love letter from George. And she came to Marina’s defense in the gallery, gaining her some anger from her mother.
Lady Featherington, however is the complete opposite. She wants to take the pragmatic approach and believes that George will not come back for Marina. We can only wonder what happened to make her so jaded against the world that she would steal those letters and forge them to force Marina to move on and find a husband. And more importantly – how did someone so terrible raise someone as kind as Penelope? It boggles the mind.
Favorite Quotes
There were a lot of fun quotes in “The Art of the Swoon.” Here are a few of our favorites:
- “You’re a man and therefore you have everything, you’re able to do whatever you want, so do it.” – Eloise calling out Benedict for wasting his male privilege.
- “I felt more chemistry when being fitted at the modiste.” – Daphne about suitors that are not Simon
- “(Pride is) one of the lesser sins, but don’t worry, we must all start somewhere.” – Simon being super sexy to Daphne
- “Managing to faint with nary a petticoat out of place is a coveted talent indeed.“ – Lady Whistledown
Bridgerton is streaming now on Netflix.
