Final Thoughts on Bridgerton Season Three (Spoilers Ahead)

In Bridgerton, Lady Whistledown addresses “Dear Gentle Readers” and I’m here to address you today. If you haven’t watched the new season of Bridgerton yet, it was released in two parts. Watching the first part of season three, which was released in May, I enjoyed it. Now, with the second part of the season being released, I have mixed thoughts about season three. Even though there were good moments, this season was not perfect for various reasons, which I will talk about. Before I fully get into my review, I want to address the divisions among fans in the Bridgerton world. For example, on Tumblr, I have seen many fans arguing and harassing each other over their opinions. And there has been heated debated over a certain character being gender switched, which I will explore later. Even though this is my opinion and you don’t have to agree, please don’t be harsh, aggressive, etc. which is unwelcome here. So without further ado, here are my thoughts.

            As I mentioned before, there are some reasons as to why I have mixed thoughts about this particular season. First, I have been seeing Bridgerton fans saying that they though this season was rushed, especially part two, which I agree with. For example, since things were rushed, we didn’t get a lot of romantic and affectionate scenes between Penelope and Colin. Even though there was two steamy love scenes and the sweet wedding dance number, it wasn’t enough. We got more tension and anguish between the two as Colin discovered that Penelope was Lady Whistledown. And more fuel was added to the fire as Penelope’s secret was at risk of being exposed to society. If the Bridgerton team (Including Shonda) didn’t rush things, we could had a mix of both loving and strained scenes between the two.

            A second thing that I disliked was the fact that Elosie became friends with Cressida. I haven’t read the books, but fans have mentioned that Elosie was never friendly with Cressida in the novels. Since Elosie is witty, intelligent, fierce, etc., I was surprised that she started hanging out with Cressida, who you can label as a mean girl. I totally get why Penelope was shocked and confused when she saw Elosie with her. Even though what Penelope wrote about Elosie was wrong, I missed their friendship and was rooting for them to be friends again. The series did make me happy though when Elosie called Cressida out for her mistreatment towards Penelope and stopped being her friend in part two. I was glad to see that Penelope and Elosie mended their friendship at the end of the series, which is great.

            Now, I’m going to comment on the choice the Bridgerton team made that is causing division among fans. As I mentioned in my first review, I covered over how I liked Francessca’s blossoming love with John Stirling. In part two, we see Francessca marry John, which made me glad, but tragedy will come. (Major Spoiler) In the book, When He Was Wicked, John suddenly dies, leaving Francessca and John’s cousin, Michael devastated. The book further explores Francessca developing feelings for Michael, who has already been in love with her. Since John was introduced, everyone, including me, was excited to see who would play Michael. At the end of the series, Michael was introduced, but as Michela Stirling, as John’s female cousin. Since this has happened, there has been differing opinions about the gender switch.

            Some fans are happy to see an LGBTQ story told on the show, but other fans wish that they kept the character as a male. This has been causing division such as fans disagreeing with the choice being called homophobic. In my opinion, I wish they would had kept the character as male, but I don’t hold any ill will towards the LGBTQ community. The reason I feel this way is because since the team behind the show is changing major things, it could be a potential downfall for the show. In the history of movies and television, any time a book has been adapted for screen and there has been major changes, it turns out to be a disaster. And when this happen, the majority of the time, the adaptations are cancelled and do not continue, unless there is a reboot. I’m not saying that Bridgerton is going to be cancelled, but I just hope that these major changes play out right on screen, especially in season four. And if not, the future of Bridgerton may be in a risky position.

            Now before I end my review, which has been mixed, I do want to discuss two things that I liked about part two. In my review for part one, I had mentioned about hoping that Mrs. Featherington would connect with Penelope, which did happen. Even though there were some tense moments between the two, I was glad that Mrs. Featherington showed Penelope some attention. I also loved that she told Penelope that she was proud of her and how she wanted the best for Penelope and her sisters. It was great to see the two of them bond, which I hope will continue to be explored.

            The last thing I want to cover over is when Colin applauds Penelope for coming out as Lady Whistledown at her sister’s ball. Watching the scene, I felt awe and happy for the couple, as they were finally moving past the rough patch in their relationship. It was wonderful seeing Colin fully understand his feelings for Penelope and what he loves about her. I applaud this couple and I love them together!

            Ending my review, this season wasn’t my favorite, but I still enjoyed watching it. If you do read it, I hope you understand my opinion, but if not, it’s okay. Now, we will have to wait until 2026 for season four, which is a pain, but I understand. Hopefully, the next season will be better than this one. And I hope there won't be too many changes again as well. See you until next season dear Bridgerton fans!

            If you made it to the bottom, thanks for reading my review! I hope you subscribe to my blog and check out my other reviews as well- Brianna.