Welp…you’ve probably heard the news by now: season 3 of Bridgerton will focus on Colin and Penelope. I have made no secret of my adoration for this couple. This ship, known as Polin, has a wonderful romance on the pages of Romancing Mr. Bridgerton, and actors Luke Newton and Nicola Coughlan bring the characters to life beautifully in the series.
However, I am one of many fans who is nervous about this news.
Chronologically, this is a huge shift from the books. The love story of Benedict Bridgerton takes place in book 3 prior to Colin and Penelope’s in book 4. There is a time jump at the beginning of book 4 that serves a significant purpose. Even if we only consider the television show, though, there are still several reasons that season three being Polin’s love story has me on edge.
“Maybe I grew up.”
Far and away, the biggest reason I’m nervous is that both Colin and Penelope were in need of more maturity as season two ended. The very foundation of their love story is the fact that Colin does not see Penelope as a possible romantic partner until he matures enough to do so. It is a stretch to believe that the man who says he would never dream of courting Penelope at the end of season 2 is close to being the one who makes a public declaration of love and pride to Penelope at the end of their book. The time jump is what makes this work in the novels. All indications so far are that the series won’t have one, so this is cause for concern. How will the writers make it convincing that Colin has matured enough to recognize what he feels?
Penelope would benefit from more time as well. So much of her character is tied up in two things: Lady Whistledown and Colin. They are both things she has not been able to publicly acknowledge. It would be wonderful to see her free herself a bit from the Colin half of that and not focus so much energy on him. For a short time, at least. She no longer sees him as perfect after overhearing his rejection of her to his buddies and his laughter about it. That needed to happen for real love to form. A little space for that adjustment would be all to the good.
“I’m proud of you.”
Other reasons I have doubts about this news are more general but no less valid. The writers have unfortunately favored drama so much that they manufactured situations where Penelope (as Lady Whistledown) had to write things that hurt the Bridgerton family in order to save one of them from something worse than scandal. Casual viewers may tend not to like her because of this, and that is a rough feeling for Penelope fans like me. It’s her turn and I want as many people as possible rooting for her and her romance!
Related to this, one of the unlikeable things Pen wrote led to the end of her friendship with Eloise in the season 2 finale. Eloise now knows Pen is Lady Whistledown, so what effect will that have on the Polin love story? Do they fix their friendship at the same time that the love story is happening or not? This brings up the issue of screen time: on this ensemble show, will there be enough to do the Colin and Penelope romance justice? After the major changes in the season 2 central romance, how many of the beloved book scenes can we expect for Polin? Can eight episodes be enough to take these two from where they were at the end of season two to a happily ever after and make it satisfying?
These are all reasonable concerns, and that’s all we Polin fans want– a satisfying season for our couple. I would personally have preferred for the show to film the love stories in book order. Since that didn’t happen, now is the time to process these worries and find hope. Hope, and maybe excitement, for a good season 3 for Polin.
Bridgerton is streaming on Netflix.
