Bridgerton season 3 kicked off the Ton with an exclusive event to celebrate that love is in the air this Valentine’s Day! Here we bring you the summary of everything new that came out. Ready?
Here we go!
Through a chat with the cast, the showrunner, and the writer of the Bridgerton series we discovered some details of the next Polin season, in addition to some new promotional photos, the titles of the episodes, and the first minute of the season.
The panel included Executive Producer, Shonda Rhimes, season three showrunner, Jess Brownell, author of the original Bridgerton novels, Julia Quinn, and cast members: Nicola Coughlan, Luke Newton, Golda Rosheuvel, Adjoa Andoh, Claudia Jessie, Luke Thompson, and Martins Imhangbe.
The panel unveiled episode titles, exclusive character photos, confirmation of book-to-episode adaptations, a surprise fan wedding announcement, and a sneak peek of the season premiere.
The panel began with a conversation between Shonda Rhimes and Jess Brownell about what fans can anticipate for season three, along with insights from author Julia Quinn on the adaptation of the source material.
They confirmed the fan-favorite moment in the novel, Romancing Mr. Bridgerton, where Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) wraps Colin Bridgerton’s (Luke Newton) hand after he accidentally cuts it, will be included and we see a photo of the moment!
“Usually we’re meeting a new person who’s falling in love with one of our regulars,” said Shonda Rhimes when asked about what excites her most this season. “But this time, we know the people who are falling in love. We’re already rooting for them because we already know them, and I’m excited for that.”
“Colin and Penelope are underdogs in many ways…we get to see these characters step into their power this year, which I think will make a lot of people who have ever had an unrequited crush or felt like an underdog before feel very seen,” said Jess Brownell.
Next, Rhimes, Brownell, and Quinn were joined by the cast to tease their characters’ arcs for the season, and introduced a strong new suitor for Coughlan’s Penelope– Lord Debling (Sam Phillips)…and we have some footage of him too!
Fans were also rewarded with exclusive photos from the forthcoming season of their favorite characters including Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie), Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson), Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel), Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh), Cressida Cowper (Jessica Madsen), Will Mondrich (Martins Imhangbe), Alice Mondrich (Emma Naomi) and the Featherington sisters Prudence Featherington (Bessie Carter) and Philipa Featherington (Harriet Cains).
The cast made it clear to us that this season we will see many scenes directly captured from the book and that we can expect several Easter eggs in each episode starting with episode 1, which makes us happy because it makes a big difference compared to season 2.
Speaking about the differences between Bridgerton season 3 and its predecessors, the showrunner made it clear that she tried to be as faithful as possible to the source material and bring to life the main ideas that Quinn captured in her book.
Also, we love the way the cast described this season for all the wallflowers in the world because we all feel that way at some point and that Bridgerton season 3 is about finding yourself, your own value and fighting for it, for what you want and for who you love.
Nicola put it beautifully by saying that she hopes that after watching Bridgerton season 3, everyone would be aware of how valuable they are and how deserving of love they are. A necessary message in these times.
Leaving aside our favorite couple AKA Polin, it seems that the rest of the characters in the Bridgerton universe are also going to have their own story to tell.
Luke mentions that Benedict has left painting for good and decided to embrace the responsibilities that were once Anthony’s, while his free spirit will struggle with those newly found and acquired responsibilities – although he couldn’t say much due to spoilers, we find this most interesting.
Claudia, for her part, mentions that she doesn’t believe that Eloise and Penelope will get back together anytime soon and that she is trying to take the position that is expected of her in society, even though it goes against her entire nature.
Furthermore, we can foresee that Eloise is going to try to protect Colin from Penelope’s secrets…and that will conflict with the feelings of pain, resentment, rage, and love that Eloise still feels for her.
On the other hand, it looks like we’ll see a pretty big female alliance between Lady Danbury, Violet, and Queen Charlotte, furthering what we saw in the prequel. In addition, William will find a new title with the expectations that it entails for the Ton and will fight to remain true to himself despite his new status.
Jess Brownell then unveiled episode titles that teased the season’s story arc.
As for the titles of the episodes, what is seen at first glance is that in the first episode, the characters are going to come out of the shadows but the end of the season is going to be their moment to come to light and for them to really be seen. We are intrigued by the sound of the clock…and the episode that is named exactly like the book.
Also, we have an episode about old friends that cuts precisely to the first half of the season, so it will be heavy on Polin, just like episode 2, will the shine of the Moon refer to Penelope? The title of episode 7 evokes a wedding…or an unbreakable union while episode 3 evokes a conflict, a fight between suitors perhaps?
In a delightful twist, Adjoa Andoh and Golda Rosheuvel revealed Netflix will be celebrating the love of fans by rewarding one super-fan couple with a Bridgerton-themed wedding, further solidifying the bond shared between the series and its’ dedicated fan base.
To conclude the event, Netflix revealed a one-minute clip from the upcoming season, giving attendees a first look at footage from the season and a taste of what’s to come.
And we love this clip! Penelope takes no prisoners and she makes it clear that she is tired of everyone walking all over her and she is not willing to take it anymore. It seems like her first dance didn’t go as she expected despite the change in appearance – that green dress is beautiful but Portia will have some things to say about that – and her words come pouring out of her.
Penelope confronts Colín about his teasing from the previous season. At first, it seemed like she wasn’t going to do it, but the fact that he had the nerve to tell her that he missed her struck a nerve in Penelope… and she threw it all in his face like the brave woman we all know she is.
Plus, she doesn’t stop there, and when Colin is more obtuse than we thought and just wants to discuss things in private – not realizing what that might mean if someone catches them – instead of worrying about Penelope’s feelings, she makes it clear to him that it’s over. She ended up with Colin Bridgerton, she ended up with the one she thought was her friend and he ended up being the cruelest of her enemies.
We love this Penelope, she’s not going to let anyone step on her again.
Bridgerton season 3 part 1 will be available on May 16, 2024, on Netflix.