I am an introvert. Social situations are uncomfortable for me, and it’s nice when that experience is represented on screen. Especially in a romance. Bridgerton Season 3 is set to give us two characters who are also introverts. Penelope Featherington has been a wallflower since the first season and audiences are very familiar with her. Francesca Bridgerton, on the other hand, is a character who has yet to get significant screen time. Bridgerton Season 3 will show these two women as flip sides of the same coin.
Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) debuted in society in the first season of this show, while Francesca (Hannah Dodd) will debut in the upcoming third season. Pen secretly loves Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) but has had no romantic experience whatsoever. Penelope and Colin’s love story is the focus of this season. Francesca, meanwhile, will likely marry this season if the show follows the general chronology of her romantic life in the books.
These two introverts may end up in the same place by the end of Bridgerton Season 3 but their experiences are complementary opposites in many ways.
“I never know what to say to people.”
Penelope Featherington is described as plain and pudgy. Of course, Hollywood isn’t going to cast anyone as a lead in a romance who isn’t actually photogenic, but the show managed to convince us that Pen got no romantic attention at all. She can relax and talk with Colin and her best friend, Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie). But the conversation does not come easily with anyone else. The “selling yourself” aspect of the Regency marriage mart is a nightmare for an introvert like Penelope.
Her family situation is not much better. In the books, Penelope has one sister, Felicity, who she can count on to be supportive. The other Featheringtons treat Penelope as an afterthought. In the show, Felicity doesn’t even exist and Pen’s mother Portia, and two other sisters are more than just dismissive. They can be outright insulting to her. No wonder she depends on her secret identity as gossip writer Lady Whistledown as an outlet. It was somewhere where she could use her voice when she felt she had no other place.
Penelope’s love for Colin has been unrequited for many years. Their romance is taking center stage in Season 3, and I hope that seeing those feelings become requited will be as satisfying as possible. Introverts are disadvantaged when it comes to romance. Meeting someone usually requires social situations that make us uncomfortable. One reason why Pen and Colin’s connection is so wonderful is that she can be herself with him. Aside from the Lady Whistledown secret, Colin is one of the few people who really knows Pen. Their happy ending after she has loved him from afar will be so rewarding for the introverts in the audience.
“She’d always felt a little different from the rest of her family.”
Francesca Bridgerton’s experience is the opposite of Penelope’s in many ways. The novels describe all the Bridgertons as attractive, to begin with. The whole family fits into society’s narrow idea of beauty. That includes Francesca. In contrast to Pen, that means Francesca will attract romantic attention. Being an introvert, though, it will be overwhelming for her. It’s a case of too much attention versus too little for Penelope. Francesca’s problem may sound like a good one to have but it’s still something she has to deal with if she wants to find love.
Francesca is in a good position to do just that because of her family. This is the most significant difference between her and Penelope. Whereas Pen does not have a reliable support system in her family, Francesca very much does. The Bridgertons are loving and they are there for each other above all else. Francesca’s emotional needs matter to her family. In fact, in a clip from Season 3 already released, she asked Anthony for a moment alone at a ball and he gave her that. And that will make all the difference. She will handle any situation that is made worse by being an introvert more easily because her family will be there for her.
In the books, Francesca’s forever love is Michael Stirling and their interaction has a tragic start. He is the cousin of her first husband, John Stirling, the Earl of Kilmartin. This time it is the introvert who is loved from afar, as Michael falls for Francesca as soon as he meets her shortly before she and John marry. Sadly, John dies after only two years of marriage. Francesca and Michael grieved far apart from each other for years after that but then Francesca decides to marry again. Eventually, Michael acts on his feelings for her and another introvert gets her happily ever after.
The fact that both Penelope and Francesca know their future husbands for years before marrying them is just one way these two introverts are two sides of the same coin. As an introvert myself, the prospect of seeing these two characters in Bridgerton Season 3 is exciting.
Bridgerton Season 3, Part 1 premieres May 16th on Netflix.