Bridgerton Episode 6, “Swish,” is probably the most controversial of the season with the consent issues between Daphne and Simon at the end of the episode.
Our lovely Lyra already covered this topic in a piece, so we won’t talk about it much again, but it’s definitely worth a read if you want to get into more discourse on the issue.
Honeymooners
“Swish” came in with a bang, if you will, when Simon and Daphne christened just about every room of the grand home with their sex marathon. They took their honeymoon very seriously. How sweet was it when he carried her to their room and insisted that they would not be sleeping separately?
While it is refreshing to see a married couple enjoy each other so much on a TV show, the passion in the first part of the episode is a sharp contrast to the division between the pair at the end.
Simon and Daphne have some major communication issues – he doesn’t want to have kids and she thinks it’s because he can’t. And instead of confronting him, Daphne forced the issue in the bedroom. Again, you can read more on this topic HERE.
The New Duchess
Daphne has some growing pains in her new role as the duchess. Her mother trained her how to run a great house, as all young ladies in society must learn, but Simon’s home is grander than she is used to. Not to mention, there is a stern housekeeper to impress.
While having sex on every surface is understandable for a newly married couple, especially one that has remained chaste until then, it doesn’t do much to endear them to the staff. Especially those who have to clean said surfaces. And not to mention how the crew made them a fancy dinner and they ate like two bites and then went off to bang again. Those poor servants. Their holiday gift from the new duke and duchess should probably be some earplugs.
Daphne makes another faux pas by not choosing a winner in the pig competitions, thus denying a vendor the right to supply meat to the grand house for the year. She corrects her mistake, but it might be the first time that simply being a Bridgerton isn’t enough for her. Daphne is going to have to make that home her own and form a new family with Simon with their own way of doing things. They start by putting an end to the formal dining situation and scooting close to one another.
Still, one can’t help but notice how quiet it is in that big house without her many brothers and sisters running around. Could Daphne be lonely?
Finally a Duke
Simon has been avoiding his home and responsibilities as the duke for years, and it shows. His tenants are hurting and he had no idea what his steward was up to in his absence. Simon dives back into the role of duke.
He is still adamant on the no children thing. However, this is the first time we see Simon bending his resolve to have nothing to do with his title. Until now, he even hated being called Hastings. Though he told Daphne it was because he was busy, the neglect of his responsibilities had a lot to do with his anger toward his father.
But seeing his people suffer has started to change how Simon feels about his responsibilities.
Innocent Colin
Oh Colin Bridgerton, our sweet summer child. While his brother’s patronizing way of telling him that he is immature was rather gross, we somewhat agree with Anthony. We don’t approve of him saying that Colin should have spent time in a brothel if he was horny. Anthony should not have reduced their relationship to being just about sex. But it’s clear Colin does have a lot of growing up to do.
Naively rushing into marriage is not a smart move, especially when you don’t have the approval of your mother and brother. Not to mention the warnings from Penelope. Doubling down on the notion that everyone else is wrong and not taking any reservations into consideration only proves immaturity.
This goes to Marina’s point that she was hoping to be accepted by the Bridgerton family when she was not accepted before, but part of this unacceptance can be laid at Colin’s feet. Instead of involving his family in the courtship and relationship, he just barrels ahead on his own. He didn’t give them time to adjust to him seriously courting someone before even an engagement was announced.
Complications
If there was Facebook back in the regency era, this whole Marina, Colin and Penelope situation could be labeled as “it’s complicated.”
We feel for Marina and the situation she is in. Between her hurt from George and her treatment by the Featheringtons, she has had a year. And that has jaded her quite a bit. While Penelope urges her to consider what she is doing is wrong, Marina has to think about the survival of her baby. She is correct in saying that when Colin finds out, he will not turn her out in the streets. Still, it doesn’t make it okay to deceive Colin.
Penelope has two main conflicts in this situation. One, she has feelings for Colin and that jealousy rages within her. You can see this in all the annoyed looks she turns on Marina and her mother throughout “Swish.” And hilariously, how much wine she drinks during the dinner with the Bridgertons.
Second, even if she didn’t have feelings for Colin, he is her best friend’s brother and a good man. It is painful for her to see him being tricked in this way. She knows that revealing the truth will bring scandal upon her family, but she also doesn’t want to see Colin trapped.
The angst in this situation is palpable throughout “Swish.” And our hearts broke for Pen when Marina was downright cruel about her attraction to Colin, comparing her to his little sister. We know that Marina was trying to be a realist, but it was exceptionally mean.
In Defense of Penelope
We’ve seen a few takes on the internet that Penelope was completely in the wrong when she outed Marina’s pregnancy to the world. We do not agree for the following reasons.
First, she tried to warn Colin without including the pregnancy. To her surprise, Colin was still all-in on the situation even though he learned Marina loved another. Second, Penelope tried several times to dissuade Marina from her plans and stress how wrong it was to trap Colin.
The whole plan to run off to Gretna Green escalated the need to take care of the situation quickly. Had she more time, Penelope would have probably handled things differently. But she did what she thought was the right thing in the situation she was in.
The episode clearly showed how broken up Penelope was about her decision, and we’re glad she ran back into Eloise’s arms. No matter what drama was between them, those two are besties for life.
Favorite Quotes
In between all the honeymoon scenes, there were some other good parts of “Swish.” Here are a few of our favorite quotes.
- “Should they have told us what it was truly like? However, would we get anything else done at all?” – Daphne on her lack of sex ed.
- “I was not prepared to let another of you fly the nest so soon.” – Violet Bridgerton to Colin
- “You know it’s peculiar, the further I get from that pianoforte, the more like a party it feels.” – Colin about the Featheringtons singing
- “I would never bring scandal on you or my family, but I cannot condone your actions.” – Penelope to Marina
Bridgerton is streaming now on Netflix.