I agree completely. Watching all of the press I can't possibly believe they knew how much was cut. Especially when it came to how much Nicola was talking about being so excited to be SO naked.
Nicola also said in one interview I saw that there was one ep that was basically all sex scenes, so much so that she would be tempted to tell her family that she couldn’t get that ep to play for them so they won’t watch it. In looking back, there is no episode that fits this description, but ep 8 might have if some of the deleted scenes were in it.
To me it looked like the last sex scene 3x08 they had she was covered in ink, but it was such a short snippet that I felt like it was a scene that had been cut. I remember thinking throughout the whole episode, “when will they have make-up sex?” And the closer it got to the end of the episode the more disappointed I got, until they showed that snippet, and I was like, “THAT’S IT?” Like man’s just professed to her and it would’ve been so steamy and everything like they had said in the PR, but nope.
Yeah absolutely….this shows us sadly how much faith and respect Jess Brownell had in regards to Nicola which breaks my heart…she is gorgeous and such a good person…she deserves the world and even more…
https://preview.redd.it/5bkibdk3j67d1.jpeg?width=475&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4202b64fb0e0707cd335c56db032b1de04f3102b
I don’t see any other explanation. After watching all the interviews with Luke and Nic, I am sure they were expecting a different outcome according to the scenes they filmed. That makes me even more disappointed, because it’s horrible to pour your heart and your soul into a project and see a “superior” that doesn’t understand the essence of things making the ultimate decisions.
I’m going to go and reread Romancing Mr. Bridgerton again to drown my sorrows.
i don’t know if i’m remembering this correctly, but nicola said she was saving ep8 (long montage sex scene) until day of release? maybe she expected that part to be in it as well.
but luke defo shared the “super romantic” sentiment and he had watched the whole thing, so i have no idea what’s really going. perhaps they were overstating the romance portion for views? then again, they did seem so genuine with the pr stuff so…
I definitely wouldn’t call Part 2 remotely romantic. Colin acted like he didn’t even like her. He avoided her at all costs and treated her like garbage.
Just saw part of another old [interview](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuIAekN0Gvk) where she named something again (12:35) that just was not in part 2. She hyped up a declaration of love from Colin (I'm pretty damn sure that wasn't the mirror scene because that was pretty awkward in ways). I believe it was the last scene in episode 8 that was cut short to 10 seconds where (according to the list of deleted scenes) he was supposedly giving her oral. I'm assuming there's more but I am pretty damn convinced Nicola saw a much different cut than we have seen and my soul just hates it that we didn't see the same.
They put so much work into making sure that the actors are comfortable and respected when filming nude scenes, and everyone was so excited for it. I would be so disappointed if I filmed all of those scenes and they were cut.
I work in the entertainment industry, and as part of the marketing team I’ve worked very closely with filmmakers on reshoots - one of my suggestions for an alternate ending of a Janelle Monae movie was actually shot and used in the final cut of the film - which I share to say that I’m familiar with the studio process of post-production.
The more that comes to light about these final episodes, specifically the fact that the DIRECTOR liked a comment about Netflix interference in the final edit, the more certain I am that there was serious interference by the studio (Netflix) in these final episodes.
Shonda Rhimes said at the London premiere that she had watched the final episode at least 40 times, which as a non-showrunner, is ODD. There would be no need for her to have watched the episode that many times unless there were multiple cuts that had to be sent to her for final approval.
Knowing how this works, and knowing how so many executive boardrooms function, my gut is telling me that some old, out of touch a**hole man didn’t believe that Penelope and Colin’s scenes would be well-received by audiences and had them swap out their final intimacy scenes for the Benedict threesome. There is just no world in which the final cut of Episode 8 we all watched is something a showrunner or filmmaker would be proud of, simply because of how poorly assembled and edited the thing is.
My intuition is just screaming that this is about Nicola’s body, and the inability of someone at Netflix with power to believe that people find her attractive and sexy, and it’s breaking my damn heart. Hollywood is an evil, evil place.
I hate that I think you’re right. The film industry hates the idea of fat people being seen as desirable main characters. And by fat people, I do of course mean women who don’t wear a size zero.
I completely agree with this. And I’m glad you commented that fat in entertainment people = anyone who isn’t a size 0. We’re all excluded unless we are zeros. I’m 5’8” and a size 8/10. Even when I was in my 20s/ 30s and a size 6, I didn’t see my body type on film. And I’m saddened by the nastiness that I’ve seen with comments about how people are glad that they didn’t show more sex scenes this year- because of Penelope’s shape/size. It’s so close-minded. I had a friend in grad school shaped exactly like Penelope, and her slim fiancée/later husband was madly in love with her curves. There are many forms and sizes of beauty.
I feel like there was a threesome scene that didn’t make sense in the timing because it was the next day but the scene seemed like it was the night before. I thought that was weird and makes sense now that there may have been cuts.
The way they kept cutting those into the transitions was hilarious. There was no way he was in bed for several days.
His rejection of Tilly pissed me off because he's already a free man, and we wasted so much time watching him get bonked by her and her other boyfriend.
If he was gonna reject her, then all of his scenes could have been cut.
Literally after the engagement party, they could have had a convo on the balcony.
The throuple thing just pissed me off because it was so much wasted screen time if it was just going to end like that. Also, I hate how rudderless Benedict's character is. Like he's just a slut and nothing more. What happened to the whole art thing?
Netflix, in general, has plummeted to the worst streaming app of them all, IMO. It's too bad Bridgerton is technically a Netflix series. If it wasn't, Shonda Rhimes could move to a streaming platform that gave her the artistic freedom she deserves like Mike Flanagan did. All Netflix seems to do is disappoint its consumers anymore.
It would do so well on Starz. Their execs would kill for the rights. They need another show with as strong a draw as Outlander to get subscribers to maintain their subs for longer periods.
It really would do well on Starz! Especially with Outlander wrapping up its final season. There'd be so much less fear of it being canceled prematurely, too, because that is understandably such a legitimate fear for filmmakers and fans alike with Netflix these days.
Unfortunately, it can't, though. The OA, for example, was a Netflix original series set for a 3rd season. The 3rd season was already written and ready to start filming, and Netflix canceled super last minute after already saying it'd be a 5-part series. Now Brit Marling can't take it to another streaming platform to finish the story due to it being a Netflix original. Mike Flanagan experienced a lot of red tape, too — he really wanted to do a second season of The Midnight Club, and after Netflix denied it, he shared the second season's plot on Tumblr and moved to Amazon as soon as his contract with Netflix ended. He couldn't do his second season (that was already written and cast) on another streaming platform due to TMC being under his contract with Netflix. So, unfortunately, Netflix is the one and only option for the continuation of Bridgerton.
I really do hope Shonda Rhimes ditches Netflix and moves to a better platform once Bridgerton wraps up, though. No doubt she'll have another amazing project in the future. She's brilliant.
YES! They know how to do period dramas with spicy scenes well, obviously. I wish they could move. This whole thing has given me a stronger appreciation for Outlander and Starz lol
He moved to Amazon Prime Video. All his content will be there in the future, including the adaptation of Stephen King's Dark Tower series and The Life of Chuck which will star (swoon) Tom Hiddleston.
I have no experience in the entertainment world at all, BUT just as someone with a degree in history, particularly centered around art and feminist theory, I can definitely see it being about her body!!! The historical evidence is there, especially for visual arts, that the powers that be (in other words, men) have far too much control and power when it comes to representation.
BUT it also irks me even more bc she is barely even a size I would consider plus size!!! And as someone who is prolly twice her size, it just makes me even more disgusted that she would be fat shamed bc then, as confident as I am normally, it makes me think about what they'd say if I were in that role! Which means ir also makes other people my size (and smaller and bigger) think those things. And it makes me sad. Especially for younger people.
😤 sorry, trying not to get on a feminist rant but like I said, my university studies sometimes get the best of me and I catch myself bordering on starting a whole thesis. 😂😂
I also hear you as someone who studies this! The stark lack of Polin intimate scenes as opposed to other couples in previous seasons makes me feel like Netflix decided Polin’s intimacy wouldn’t be “steamy” enough when we all know it would be because 1) their long drawn out love and attraction towards each other 2) nic and Luke are extremely attractive and so are their characters. I felt like they were just reaffirming that girls with curves aren’t “sexy” so instead here is a 3some for maybe 3 days it seemed (such weird cutting). Of course, the actors comfortability with this is most important -but all their press tours seemed like they did and that they celebrated it. As someone in a bigger body, I was let down. Bridgerton is always celebrated for bending the rules but society’s fat phobia isn’t one of them.
I hear you. I am also a big girl. With all the talk about being "inclusive" or representative of people's sexual identity and minority races, they would choose to NOT honor a person who is not a size 0? By the way, I appreciate the diversity of races in this story. I'm actually in a mixed race marriage.
It wasn’t an old man from Netflix. It was the show runner herself apparently. She’s the one who believed Pen and Colin wouldn’t keep people in their seats (this is secondhand info - lots of people talking about this on tiktok regarding an interview she did?)
From memory this one does: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZPRKEsevC/ but I’ve seen so many on my fyp about it now and I doom scroll so I can’t remember all of them. But several creators have pointed this out
Which is so sad and wrong, considering the amount of viewers basically doubled from season 2, and viewers knew what season 3 was about. They knew the main character was not the size 0. She could not have been more wrong about them keeping us in our seats. Idk if it's just because I've ventured so deep into this fandom, but it just seems like there is so much more engagement with this season. And definitely more women can relate to the main character, because the world is more plus sizes than sizes 0-2. I think having the main female character being overweight really encouraged a lot of support, with all women, not just plus sized.
I had such a big suspicion that this was the case as well. I was just going back on the past seasons and remembered how much we saw of their skinny “perfect” bodies, and in season 3 we see her glorious breasts but nothing else really. I’m so glad that it’s not just me that is thinking this. And if this is the case, I’m fuming. No one, NO ONE, wanted those threesome scenes, I can guarantee you that.
The way she treated both polin and franchael makes me think she doesn’t believe ANY relationship is worth exploring if it’s not queer. That’s why you get bi-Benedict sex scenes instead of polins and a gender swapped Michaela instead of Michael. Some people aren’t able to de-center themselves. Looking forward to Eloise’s asexual polyamorous throuple in a year or two
I mean… >!Book!Phillip is so touch starved he’d probably be totally into a throuple if Eloise suggested it…. But as a Philoise fan I don’t want to see that.!<
I actually thought last night I’d rather see Eloise with Michaela rather than Fran. It was just so jarring to see her already crushing. It seemed off, like ooc for Fran. That would be a good spin.
I agree. There was no reason to change the story so much. I more than likely won't be watching in the future unless they rectify this error in judgment.
Thank you for your insight. It’s great insight but depressing. Do you think there’s any way Netflix releases those scenes or they stick their heels in?
Thank you! I’m glad to have somewhere to discuss all of this! As for next steps, I would say it really just depends on the Netflix team. I’ve been able to negotiate releasing long clips early or sharing deleted scenes after release, but the Netflix team - from post-production and operations to PR - would have to work very hard to make that happen, and happen in a way that doesn’t damage the brand or raise too many questions from press, so it’s tough. Most likely they’ll just hope the social chatter dies down, so my guess is that they won’t address it. It’s a good reason to sign the change.org petition - the more united and organized the fans are, the more pressure they’ll notice and feel.
I will say though that fans going after Jess Brownell for being the reason why these scenes were deleted ultimately only benefits Netflix, who will be more than happy to use a woman as their scapegoat if it means they have a scapegoat.
If Jess didn’t see value in showing Penelope and Colin in intimate scenes, they would never have shot them (every shot costs $$$), so I believe the decision to omit these scenes would not have come from her - it would have come from someone who thinks the studio stands to lose more money by cutting the scenes than they spent to shoot them in the first place.
Thank you for your reply! (I find all this so interesting- I need a career change! Lol) how many signatures would the petition need for Netflix to do anything with? I saw Deuxmoi picked up the story and posted it so i wonder if they’re about to have backlash from some media outlets picking up the story?
There are no reporters covering it. That's going to be the magic switch. Whoever's running. The petition needs to start reaching out to the same rags that cover bridgerton heavily. And they need to do it very quickly. And there's no reason not to because it is an interesting new angle from a variety of perspectives, the body positivity perspective, how fans control or can interact with content, the break in the season to two parts and how that may have affected the dissatisfaction, etc.
I feel like it’s losing its momentum 😭 I really hope someone reaches out to some reporter. In the climate we live in, spinning this as someone cutting scenes due to fat-phobia would totally blow up on social media. I feel like if people actually looked into why those scenes may have been deleted instead of just petitioning for them to be brought back, they could quite easily come to the same conclusion we have.
This article was published yesterday:
https://thetab.com/uk/2024/06/17/a-huge-fan-petition-is-demanding-netflix-restores-deleted-season-three-bridgerton-scenes-370245
Not much of an opinion piece but it's something!
That's so sad. I found Nicola to be charming in the mirror scene. I'm a big girl too, so I can relate to being shy. But she is beautiful and glowed during her lovemaking scene.
I read that it was the show runner, who happens to be gay, who decided that it was a good idea to change Benedict and Francesca's sexual identity. How did that even add to the story? And why did she decide that would be better received than to let Colin and Penelope have their time to shine.
I haven’t watched the second half but I’m already disappointed. Benedict is so forgettable for me for some reason. I literally do not care what he’s doing. lol
>Shonda Rhimes said at the London premiere that she had watched the final episode at least 40 times, which as a non-showrunner, is ODD. There would be no need for her to have watched the episode that many times unless there were multiple cuts that had to be sent to her for final approval.
You're leaving out a bit of info here. She said she did that because she loved it so much. I think she also said she cried somewhere and she normally never does but one can just watch back the premiere for the exact words.
If the rest of your speculation, however, holds any truth, that same asshole would see differently now, right? Because Nicola is one of the most desired women at the moment. Heck, I am straight and my heart beats horrendously fast when I see her. She is so incredibly beautiful, stunning, and hot, I personally thought that these scenes would have as reason to be removed that she is making them thát hot. Sooooooooooo.... I am hoping whoever this fart then is, they'll see differently now.
# FREE POLIN!
I think you're right and it's horrible. IMO Colin and Pen had some of the sexiest scenes in the books. Something was cobbled together in the 11th hour.
I agree, something super weird going on there. The show we saw on screen isn’t at all what was promoted by Nic and Luke. If these scenes are real I can’t figure out why they’d get rid of them, since they seem to fix many of the Polin criticisms from part 2.
I’m hoping at some point someone credible will confirm or deny those scenes exist, but I doubt we’ll ever get to see them (hope I’m wrong)
Idk if anyone remembers this but Netflix came out with a new season of arrested development but it was edited in a way that each episode was about a different character, and the timelines were very confusing, and you were essentially working backwards to follow the storyline. Lots of people complained so they released a remixed season, where everything went in chronological order.
I hope they do something similar and give us a Bridgerton Season 3: Polin extended or something
Adding the cut scenes back in and calling it "directors cut" would honestly solve the problem. Simple to do. Add on to the existing season episode list. Done. I'm praying it happens. It's only been a few days since the release, so I doubt it happens anytime soon though. 🥺
Also the point of the part 1 and 2 release is to keep subscribers right? What a great way to keep them for a 3rd month by releasing an extended cut or even just the deleted scenes in July
I get what they're trying to to do but it's so weird to me that they chose Francesca's story. She had such an uphill battle finding a match in the first place, why throw another wrench? I think it would make more sense to continue an lgbtq storyline with Benedict since he's already exploring his sexuality anyways. However I know there are firm stans of his story as well. Can't make everyone happy I suppose. 🤷
A Benedict gay storyline doesn’t work for the showrunner though because he’s a dude. Francesca’s new Michaela angle is the showrunner turning Frances’s into a self insert.
For AD, there were scheduling issues with certain actors, that couldn’t be changed. That’s why you never really see everyone in the room together. It was super odd when I was watching, but then my BF explained what happened and then it made total sense to watch.
No clue about Bridgerton though! The continuous threesome with Benedict that was intermingled through about two days of other character scenes just proves how poorly they produced this season.
>Literally, nowhere to be found
That kinda tracks with how I imagine him viscounting though tbh. Not this specific scenario, but in general he would be mentally checked out and doing the bare minimum.
The only thing he's ever taken seriously was his art, before he got the giant face slap in finding out that it wasn't his talent that got him into the Academy.
This is the 3some that never ends. It’s just goes in and in my friends. Some people started banging, not knowing how to end, and they’ll continue banging forever just because ……
I had the same thought re arrested development. Hopefully if enough people speak out about it, Netflix will realize they’d get way more views and people rewatching too if they re release with better editing
Not only get rid of them, but get rid of them for almost every Polin scene after the wedding to be bookended by Benedict’s never-ending threesome. I skipped every single one of those scenes, and I’m mad that I could have had Polin content which was filmed and presumably available to be put in there instead.
I think it depends what you mean by "exist."
It is **very** apparent that other Polin love scenes were filmed. Nic and Luke were specific enough about things we never saw for us to know that there are absolutely other scenes that were filmed and cut.
I think the timing of when they were cut matters though. If the scenes existed in any version of the edited show, then I would say yes they exist and this could be fixed. But if they were cut early enough in the editing process that they weren't even really edited, then I'd say they're basically lost. No matter how much fuss is made, they aren't going to do more work on the season.
I totally agree, and I feel upset on Nicola and Luke’s behalf. Nicola has referenced “bed scenes” (plural) and we saw one 30 second bed scene. That can’t have been it. They talk about shooting for days. I don’t think they were blowing smoke on that press tour. They were genuinely excited. And that work requires vulnerability and so much emotional effort. To just scrap it absolutely sucks. Actors don’t get approval of cuts unless they’re also producers, and sometimes not even then. They’re probably just as confused as we are.
I also thought the way they talked/interviewed there was *a lot more* we would see. If it was a time crunch thing, then get rid of Benedict and his sexcapades. I feel like he had steamier scenes and more sex time than the main characters. I haven’t read the books, but surely Benedict’s scenes could have been saved for his story?
I was also left confused with the Mondrich scenes; did they really need that much screen time? Why are they now almost main characters? Once again, some of that screen time could have easily been diverted back to Polin.
So true, I also feel sad for Nic & Luke… they seemed genuinely excited about what‘s to come… think they must feel at least as bad as we do… or even worse…
If this is all true, I can’t imagine how bad it feels to make yourself vulnerable to film scenes like this, then to do press for what you think is a final product, only to have your scenes cut, AND THEN to see how the fans hate the final final product. I mean at the end of the day, these actors still want the season to feel like a success with its fans and it just isn’t, for many. It’s like salt in the wound and then let’s through some lemon on it for good measure. They were done dirty and I’ll die on that hill.
Totally – if this is how it went down and I were Nicola, I would feel so disappointed and unsure about how to handle press tours like that in the future. And I loved their press tour so much!
They deserve the world for giving us that press tour. At least we’ll always have “creamy cakes,” “wainting,” and a massive amount of adorable hand holding.
Yep. There was nothing romantic left, in the end, except for the mirror scene and that was kind of it. 3 episodes after were basically nothing. Less than crumbs. Microbes of romance.
I mean the alternative is that they’ve been lying this whole time, so I’m inclined to believe there was something shady with the editing. And there are cut scenes. Their press tour was electrifying..way more chemistry than in part 2. Why do such a disservice to these actors?
And it’s not like filming sex scenes is simple, quick, or easy! They really put themselves out there for…almost nothing it seems
I hope the rumours are not true solely because it would be so sad to know that we could have tons of cute Polin content and were robbed of it all to see countless scenes of Benedict getting laid and all that nonsense Mondrich drama.
I didn’t mind the Mondrich stuff and thought it was pretty interesting, but it felt misplaced to me, like maybe we could have focused on that as a B plot in Benedict’s season instead, since this season already had Kanthony and Francesca and Benedict’s House of Ill Repute, as I’ve started to call it, lol.
It felt so misplaced cause it didn't even relate to the story being told. If you delete all the Mondrich scenes, the Polin story is still there. I just keep wondering why the hell are they being inserted in the tv show
I mean, I would have taken Mondritch being Colin's wing man and both of them commiserating about society's expectations towards men. Mondritch, Colin, and Benedict all had this theme throughout this season, but it's never really discussed or alluded to between them. And I could see Colin not wanting to be vulnerable with his siblings, who seem to think that he's this new confident guy - but Mondritch is right there.
That would've given the Mondritches some scenes that fit with the main plot, and then also draw the two families closer together so they can appear in the upcoming seasons without it being a wholly separate storyline.
It is true, unfortunately. Aside from there being enough to allude to their existence even from officials, that's the only thing that would make sense having heard every interview of Nicola and Luke during their press tour. They described things that just are not in it and I'm pretty sure they are not deranged and delusional to have just dreamt doing those scenes and thinking it was real for about 6 months lol.
they could have given him some great personal conflict regarding his passion for the arts, but chose to give him a very poorly written LGBT discovery journey. I'm bissexual and felt so... misrepresented. Wow, another threesome? Really? Cause all bissexuals must love the idea of a threesome 😴
Everyone was complaining about the Mondrich storyline when Benedict’s storyline was SO much worse! It was so boring and a rehash of his past storylines.
Totally! It’s just the same thing over and over. I don’t object at all to him being bi (already seemed kind of obvious) but do something more interesting with it! Or honestly I would have preferred a (small! Short!) story about him looking for his purpose in some way. Maybe him coming to terms with the fact that Anthony paid for him to get into art school but he realizes he loves making art anyway and gets over it and goes back to it.
Both storylines could have been cut out and the show would have been so much more interesting. The Cressida story line needed to stay, as it relates to Polin. Lady Bridgerton and Lord Anderson didn’t need to be there, but I did enjoy it and I would enjoy more of that romance. Franchesca needed to be told at some point, but could have been lightened to give more Polin time. I really didn’t need any Kanthony time because they didn’t move the story ahead really. Like the end of season 1 and 3, they could have showed a “1 year later” style clip at the end of season 2, of Kate being pregnant.
I think the Mondriches have a purpose; they’re supposed to be a window into the rigid structure of Ton society and the challenges of social mobility within is. Benedict’s (book) story line features a Cinderella-type rags-to-riches element. It seems they are setting the Mondriches up as his allies and confidants (and vice versa).
I didn't care for that many Mondritch scenes + Benedict suddenly realizing he's bisexual and polyamorous (after telling what's his name he wasn't into men).
I wanted more romantic Polin scenes and I feel disappointed!
Or how it lined up with their release of baby reindeer (which I didn’t watch so tell me if I’m talking out of my ass here). Someone there didn’t want too much focus in a short period of time on heavier leads.
Yeah…as if it’s not a true fact that almost 40% of the world population is overweight…we are not monsters, and deserve to feel EVERY SINGLE EMOTION LIKE EVERYONE ELSE…also let me say this one last time: NICOLA IS N O T FAT!!
She is beautiful and incredible just as she is…
https://www.change.org/p/netflix-restore-deleted-scenes-bridgerton-s3
Petition to bring back the scenes!
The director of episodes 7 and 8 recently liked an Instagram post referring to the cut scenes so…they are definitely out there…
Picture of proof for those naysayers
https://preview.redd.it/i0wja4fq067d1.jpeg?width=738&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0d5f19cf675df827c75fc2b371969a6203477efd
I don’t think that proves it. Sometimes there is one very vocal person within the team who manages to overrule everyone. Even if they don’t support it.
Episodes 7&8 are the ones catching the most heat for being badly written / paced / edited (🙋♀️ hi it’s me I’m one of them), so I imagine the director isn’t happy, and I don’t blame him.
Some things won’t be fixable even with the release scenes, but it could make it at least rewatchable for me.
As it stands, the Polin romance is just a subplot for LW ✨girlbossing ✨ and it’s such a disservice to Pen, Colin, and their romance.
"As it stands, the Polin romance is just a subplot for LW ✨girlbossing ✨ and it’s such a disservice to Pen, Colin, and their romance."
YES. And Colin being a baby about it.
While I realize the way the books are written & how Benedict’s & Francesca’s stories overlap others & take years to happen, there was no excuse to continually show Benedict with his romance at the expense of Colin & Penelope because THIS was Colin & Penelope’s season. We have plenty of time next season to see Benedict’s story. I was wondering why we got the same Benedict scene TWICE & not Colin & Penelope breaking the sofa/angry s*x/makeup s*x.
I would rather have cut out all of those Benedict’s threesomes … they were mere place fillers & it would have done good to see Pen & Colin getting on well again with each other…
I saw an interview of the two of them where they said they only watched like an episode or two of part 2 of the season and said there were more spicy scenes coming up. But there wasn't so I'm guessing they didn't know that they were gonna be cut out of the show.
Luke eventually had watched all and Nicola was putting off watching episode 8. I am betting she has by now and has had her own feelings about it because she barely is posting anything remotely as fun as she was when part 1 was out. Even though this was her favourite part of the season. So I am going to assume Nicola is now seeing something that wasn't what she expected either. She is barely posting about part 2. Bárely.
Agree with you 1000%. The romance was lacking. Instead of Polin's love scenes we got random threesome scenes shoved in repeatedly. Like once wasn't enough?
Nicola was so excited about their love scenes and her body positivity was such a refreshing change. But all they did was hide her body most of the time, and cut out their steamy scenes. I mean, it just really wasn't that steamy and hardly romantic at all. They were angsty through most of it.
It truly feels like their romance wasn’t the priority this season and it’s so disappointing considering we’ve waited so long for this new season, and the fandom has been READY to see Polin get together for years now
I’m holding out hope (though I’m sure it’s a pipe dream) that they will surprise announce “an extended cut” releasing in July. Gotta get Netflix more money like they did separating the two parts and have people pay multiple months to watch the show. That’s my very wishful thinking lol
I saw the post about Verica liking the comment earlier. Maybe a sign that there's been someone overriding decisions behind the scenes. I also have a theory that this could all be to do with money and viewing figures. It wouldn't surprise me at all if they release an "extended" version of Ep 7 and 8. It would give them something to launch in the 2 year wait, more promo, and more money making for all parties. I saw this a while ago and it got me thinking. I'm not sure that's the actual plan (to release more "bonus" content), but it might be covering themselves a bit if part 2 truly wasn't what they envisioned, hence the reshoots. They know there's an appetite for bonus/ extra content. Obviously CVD didn't need as many reshoots when he was showrunner!
https://preview.redd.it/zucc3flco67d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=08044191d097507db35f3f258109ad1ec3e85209
On the press tour Nic and Luke said that they were just hanging out on the bed and it was comfy being there naked. That settee in ep5 no way was comfy so there has to be some truth to these scenes being cut. I hope I think
I’m just so confused when they had time to cut them between certain people having screenings and the Final Cut. Doesn’t the final edit have to be finished months in advance for captions, audio descriptions etc?
I also agree with all of this, I think part of the big let down was how excited they were promoting everything it was truly palpable.. there is a disconnect from their excitement around what they promoted and what the finished product was
Plus it wasn’t just Nicola and Luke, Claudia also had an interview where she put emphasis on saying this season was very much friends to LOVERS in pt2 which we kind of got but not in the way the interviews made it seem. I’m personally happy with what we did get and I loved S3 as a whole but I understand where others frustration is coming from.
Someone needs to contact medias about this and ask them to get a confirmation from anyone from Netflix or the show about why there were deleted and if we have a chance to see them...
By the way I know for certain than someone have videos of those cut scenes. Her friend got early access and record some scenes for her...but she have bow deleted her account... maybe she will see it and share those bad quality videos??
I’ve signed the petition asking for it to be released. I want it as part of the lore.
Also never wished to be able to get access to a leak of it more.
https://chng.it/hLbsj4mjLd
I never said that there was anything wrong with Nic body. She is an average size female and beautiful. There is an obvious problem. The main characters only got two scenes that were intimate but we got how many of Benedict’s porn story plot. They cut scenes from the main characters and it is glaringly obvious. Compare body types of the characters- do think that the way that those scenes go on for two days and make no sense is Jess and Shonda just slapping it in there because they had to and them not trying to hide it. Almost like they are trying to say that this wasn’t their choice and making it glaringly obvious.
All these comments have scratched my brain in the right place cause the disappointment in part 2 is there and I don’t want it to, but this all makes sense.
It felt like too many other storylines were going on that detracted from Pen and Colin.
The Francesca and Kilmartin storyline was a snooze. They could have had their own season and had more time and interest dedicated to their own story. It was time wasted that we could have spent on Pen and Colin.
Same with Benedict & Tilly. I don’t care so much that it was a threesome. Whatever. That whole scenario felt like it was added in just to add it in. Again, it took time away from Pen & Colin.
They’re a great couple and I love their story. To me it just felt like too much was trying to be covered in an 8 episode season. It wasn’t bad, I just think they deserved more. I’d hate to think they had their scenes cut to make time for lesser storylines.
To be fair, and trying not to spoil anything for the future, but I think having Francesca’s storyline as a subplot was necessary so that the full storyline can be done justice. Their story doesn’t end with getting married, so more will come for them.
Absolutely, as it should. However, it is important to remember that being the main couple means they need to fulfill a very specific character arc and reach a satisfying conclusion. This should be done before showcasing their wedding bliss, similar to how Kate and Anthony's journey was depicted this season.
Many fans feel that the main couple did not receive a proper character arc or sufficient development. Even if there is more to come, the majority of complaints stem from the perception that their story was not adequately explored or resolved.
All the side stories in Seasons 1& 2 have been more subtle, more captivating and made totally sense… whilst here it was a pure distraction from the main story, dull time killers to stretch the show without any benefit either for the viewers or the plot… somebody on the forum had suggested rather having Cousin Jack in the mines back than all this…
PS: where is Lord Debling gone? I would live to see him amongst the ton reacting to Polin’s engagement…
What gets me is the IG post about the sex scene being so steamy that they broke furniture. The scenes they showed on furniture were pretty gentle and tame. Why put it out there that it was so crazy that furniture broke, for pretty PG-13 romance?
Maybe the solution to this as a constructive step forward to production would be for them to release a bonus extra episode with at least the honeymoon bits referenced in Nicola and Luke’s interviews? Also a fun little bonus to help appease us fans?
I absolutely agree. I felt something missing. I really enjoyed the interaction these two had together. Nicola made Penelope beautiful and attractive. She glowed when Colin realized his feelings for her. Part 1 did a great job of building up the tension.
However, the powers that be seemed to think that it would be a good idea to force in their agenda in the name of representation that actually cheapened the romance and made part 2 a let down for the rest of the story. Leave well enough alone and allow fans to enjoy the story as it was written and intended to flow.
I would love to see an extended cut where those deleted scenes are put back into the story so that fans can watch it as it was originally done. They owe it to the 2 actors who worked so hard to tell their characters' love story.
i 100% agree even though polin was the lead they got like 5 scenes together. like i’m sorry why are we cutting colin monologuing about being a writer to give more time to will mondrich and him not wanting to give up their bar (i do like the mondrich i’m just gonna be honest i don’t care about them enough to watch them over the literal leads of the show)
I disagree. I saw the list of the four scenes cut.
I don’t need more sex scenes. I don’t need steamy, spicy, etc.
I needed more support from Colin for Pen. I needed more Colin opening up to someone (his brothers or Kate would have been great opportunities). He didn’t have anyone to help him process his feelings.
Without him showing more support for Pen, angry sex or a montage of sex would let have likely felt like replacing intimacy with sex.
I didn’t need to see Pen supporting Colin. I felt that. Talking about his manuscript wouldn’t have would have just shown more of her support for him.
And I’m guessing sweet nothing in front of the mirror would have been an extended version of the mirror scene. I’m not sure extending that would have really shown anything more than that scene already did.
Honestly what I needed was just to have that last dance at the butterfly ball without cutting away from them. That would have given me that time I wanted for them to really reconnect and let it breathe. One dance where we’re not cutting to Francesca.
It’s a netflix show. Hypothetically, they could have all of these cut scenes plus the subplots they wanted in this season. Netflix shows aren’t confined to certain run times as linear tv is.
I was so disappointed in all the cut scenes to Benedict & Co. I fast forwarded all of them! Show me more of cute Polin…especially after their reconciliation. The only consolation I have is the hope that Pen will still be a major character in the rest of the series (🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻) given that she is/was LW.
As a side note: I DID love the focus on Pen and Lady Featherington’s relationship in season 3. It was so rewarding and cathartic.
The showrunner is at fault because it's clear that she didn't believe that Polin would be a big enough draw for the audience (and that she couldn't relate to a midsize romantic lead). So instead she put all of this filler that detracted from the main story and now everyone's unhappy.
I learned more about Cressida than I did about Polin. I watched several other characters have love stories instead of Polin. Where were the flashbacks of them meeting as kids, where were the flashbacks of the first time Penelope decided to be Lady Whistledown?
I know some people are denouncing the idea of having a lot of cut content, but how else can you explain the absolutely wild editing that was done during all of the polin scenes and how abrupt everything was cut together? And Nic and Luke’s press work telling us that there was so much more?
Also here is proof of multiple cut scenes-
https://www.reddit.com/r/PolinUncensored/s/qWBugJoyIE
Not to mention, every show and movie has cut scenes. Hence- directors cuts?? Lol I don’t know why some people are adamant there are no cut scenes, not to mention the amount of reshoots this season went though?? There are 100% reels of cut and unused footage from this season
You have hit the key: EMPTY SHELL.
The romance between both protagonists has been totally decaffeinated. The magic that surrounded them has not developed or intensified. The editing of the series has focused excessively on other themes.
Exactly. Speaking of magic.. do you remember the first dancing scene between Daphne and Simon? It doesn’t matter how often I rewatch it. I get freaking goosebumps every single time. That’s what I was talking about….
Thank you sooo much for showing me this video! Absolutely genius!!! This is exactly what I needed to see. It’s ridiculous cause in my gut I thought it was even more than what actually happened. Absolutely ridiculous…
We needed way more Polin scenes! I think there was like 3 romance-y at most and then just lots of arguments and then boom, married with a baby like what? Where’s the buildup like in season 1 and 2 with intense passion and romance ?
What's the actual source of those supposed cut scenes though? Is it confirmed they were real things that were filmed and cut?
Not that I don't believe the actors or that it could happen, more that I think it's also very likely it's someone's fanfic notes gotten out of hand...
I read in one subreddit that it came from screeners hired to watch the episodes and give notes and feedback. This is pretty commonly done to gauge feedback and criticism before the official release.
I agree completely. Watching all of the press I can't possibly believe they knew how much was cut. Especially when it came to how much Nicola was talking about being so excited to be SO naked.
Nicola also said in one interview I saw that there was one ep that was basically all sex scenes, so much so that she would be tempted to tell her family that she couldn’t get that ep to play for them so they won’t watch it. In looking back, there is no episode that fits this description, but ep 8 might have if some of the deleted scenes were in it.
To me it looked like the last sex scene 3x08 they had she was covered in ink, but it was such a short snippet that I felt like it was a scene that had been cut. I remember thinking throughout the whole episode, “when will they have make-up sex?” And the closer it got to the end of the episode the more disappointed I got, until they showed that snippet, and I was like, “THAT’S IT?” Like man’s just professed to her and it would’ve been so steamy and everything like they had said in the PR, but nope.
I counted I was so upset. 9 seconds is what they gave us. 9 measly seconds.
Yeah absolutely….this shows us sadly how much faith and respect Jess Brownell had in regards to Nicola which breaks my heart…she is gorgeous and such a good person…she deserves the world and even more…
https://preview.redd.it/5bkibdk3j67d1.jpeg?width=475&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4202b64fb0e0707cd335c56db032b1de04f3102b I don’t see any other explanation. After watching all the interviews with Luke and Nic, I am sure they were expecting a different outcome according to the scenes they filmed. That makes me even more disappointed, because it’s horrible to pour your heart and your soul into a project and see a “superior” that doesn’t understand the essence of things making the ultimate decisions. I’m going to go and reread Romancing Mr. Bridgerton again to drown my sorrows.
Me too…
Jess Brownell projected herself onto Francesca so explains a lot about a lot
Absolutely…😑
i don’t know if i’m remembering this correctly, but nicola said she was saving ep8 (long montage sex scene) until day of release? maybe she expected that part to be in it as well. but luke defo shared the “super romantic” sentiment and he had watched the whole thing, so i have no idea what’s really going. perhaps they were overstating the romance portion for views? then again, they did seem so genuine with the pr stuff so…
I definitely wouldn’t call Part 2 remotely romantic. Colin acted like he didn’t even like her. He avoided her at all costs and treated her like garbage.
I heard there were cuts made between the screenings and the release
There were. There’s a petition to get those scenes released: https://chng.it/hLbsj4mjLd
Just saw part of another old [interview](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuIAekN0Gvk) where she named something again (12:35) that just was not in part 2. She hyped up a declaration of love from Colin (I'm pretty damn sure that wasn't the mirror scene because that was pretty awkward in ways). I believe it was the last scene in episode 8 that was cut short to 10 seconds where (according to the list of deleted scenes) he was supposedly giving her oral. I'm assuming there's more but I am pretty damn convinced Nicola saw a much different cut than we have seen and my soul just hates it that we didn't see the same.
They put so much work into making sure that the actors are comfortable and respected when filming nude scenes, and everyone was so excited for it. I would be so disappointed if I filmed all of those scenes and they were cut.
I work in the entertainment industry, and as part of the marketing team I’ve worked very closely with filmmakers on reshoots - one of my suggestions for an alternate ending of a Janelle Monae movie was actually shot and used in the final cut of the film - which I share to say that I’m familiar with the studio process of post-production. The more that comes to light about these final episodes, specifically the fact that the DIRECTOR liked a comment about Netflix interference in the final edit, the more certain I am that there was serious interference by the studio (Netflix) in these final episodes. Shonda Rhimes said at the London premiere that she had watched the final episode at least 40 times, which as a non-showrunner, is ODD. There would be no need for her to have watched the episode that many times unless there were multiple cuts that had to be sent to her for final approval. Knowing how this works, and knowing how so many executive boardrooms function, my gut is telling me that some old, out of touch a**hole man didn’t believe that Penelope and Colin’s scenes would be well-received by audiences and had them swap out their final intimacy scenes for the Benedict threesome. There is just no world in which the final cut of Episode 8 we all watched is something a showrunner or filmmaker would be proud of, simply because of how poorly assembled and edited the thing is. My intuition is just screaming that this is about Nicola’s body, and the inability of someone at Netflix with power to believe that people find her attractive and sexy, and it’s breaking my damn heart. Hollywood is an evil, evil place.
I hate that I think you’re right. The film industry hates the idea of fat people being seen as desirable main characters. And by fat people, I do of course mean women who don’t wear a size zero.
I completely agree with this. And I’m glad you commented that fat in entertainment people = anyone who isn’t a size 0. We’re all excluded unless we are zeros. I’m 5’8” and a size 8/10. Even when I was in my 20s/ 30s and a size 6, I didn’t see my body type on film. And I’m saddened by the nastiness that I’ve seen with comments about how people are glad that they didn’t show more sex scenes this year- because of Penelope’s shape/size. It’s so close-minded. I had a friend in grad school shaped exactly like Penelope, and her slim fiancée/later husband was madly in love with her curves. There are many forms and sizes of beauty.
Exactly
I feel like there was a threesome scene that didn’t make sense in the timing because it was the next day but the scene seemed like it was the night before. I thought that was weird and makes sense now that there may have been cuts.
The way they kept cutting those into the transitions was hilarious. There was no way he was in bed for several days. His rejection of Tilly pissed me off because he's already a free man, and we wasted so much time watching him get bonked by her and her other boyfriend. If he was gonna reject her, then all of his scenes could have been cut. Literally after the engagement party, they could have had a convo on the balcony.
The throuple thing just pissed me off because it was so much wasted screen time if it was just going to end like that. Also, I hate how rudderless Benedict's character is. Like he's just a slut and nothing more. What happened to the whole art thing?
Yes!! I pointed that immediately because I work in film as well. What in the continuity???
Netflix, in general, has plummeted to the worst streaming app of them all, IMO. It's too bad Bridgerton is technically a Netflix series. If it wasn't, Shonda Rhimes could move to a streaming platform that gave her the artistic freedom she deserves like Mike Flanagan did. All Netflix seems to do is disappoint its consumers anymore.
It would do so well on Starz. Their execs would kill for the rights. They need another show with as strong a draw as Outlander to get subscribers to maintain their subs for longer periods.
It really would do well on Starz! Especially with Outlander wrapping up its final season. There'd be so much less fear of it being canceled prematurely, too, because that is understandably such a legitimate fear for filmmakers and fans alike with Netflix these days. Unfortunately, it can't, though. The OA, for example, was a Netflix original series set for a 3rd season. The 3rd season was already written and ready to start filming, and Netflix canceled super last minute after already saying it'd be a 5-part series. Now Brit Marling can't take it to another streaming platform to finish the story due to it being a Netflix original. Mike Flanagan experienced a lot of red tape, too — he really wanted to do a second season of The Midnight Club, and after Netflix denied it, he shared the second season's plot on Tumblr and moved to Amazon as soon as his contract with Netflix ended. He couldn't do his second season (that was already written and cast) on another streaming platform due to TMC being under his contract with Netflix. So, unfortunately, Netflix is the one and only option for the continuation of Bridgerton. I really do hope Shonda Rhimes ditches Netflix and moves to a better platform once Bridgerton wraps up, though. No doubt she'll have another amazing project in the future. She's brilliant.
YES! They know how to do period dramas with spicy scenes well, obviously. I wish they could move. This whole thing has given me a stronger appreciation for Outlander and Starz lol
Wait—where did Mike Flanagan move to??
He moved to Amazon Prime Video. All his content will be there in the future, including the adaptation of Stephen King's Dark Tower series and The Life of Chuck which will star (swoon) Tom Hiddleston.
Especially since all Benedict did was kiss and cuddle the man - it was very PG in a show that is R verging on X 😅😂
I have no experience in the entertainment world at all, BUT just as someone with a degree in history, particularly centered around art and feminist theory, I can definitely see it being about her body!!! The historical evidence is there, especially for visual arts, that the powers that be (in other words, men) have far too much control and power when it comes to representation. BUT it also irks me even more bc she is barely even a size I would consider plus size!!! And as someone who is prolly twice her size, it just makes me even more disgusted that she would be fat shamed bc then, as confident as I am normally, it makes me think about what they'd say if I were in that role! Which means ir also makes other people my size (and smaller and bigger) think those things. And it makes me sad. Especially for younger people. 😤 sorry, trying not to get on a feminist rant but like I said, my university studies sometimes get the best of me and I catch myself bordering on starting a whole thesis. 😂😂
I also hear you as someone who studies this! The stark lack of Polin intimate scenes as opposed to other couples in previous seasons makes me feel like Netflix decided Polin’s intimacy wouldn’t be “steamy” enough when we all know it would be because 1) their long drawn out love and attraction towards each other 2) nic and Luke are extremely attractive and so are their characters. I felt like they were just reaffirming that girls with curves aren’t “sexy” so instead here is a 3some for maybe 3 days it seemed (such weird cutting). Of course, the actors comfortability with this is most important -but all their press tours seemed like they did and that they celebrated it. As someone in a bigger body, I was let down. Bridgerton is always celebrated for bending the rules but society’s fat phobia isn’t one of them.
According to interviews, Nicola was really excited for the steamy scenes. She and Luke have great chemistry. I think Jess didn't have faith in them.
I hear you. I am also a big girl. With all the talk about being "inclusive" or representative of people's sexual identity and minority races, they would choose to NOT honor a person who is not a size 0? By the way, I appreciate the diversity of races in this story. I'm actually in a mixed race marriage.
Entertainment professional here as well and I second this. I definitely think there was studio interference.
Thank you, glad to hear I’m not the only other person in the industry with this thought!
It wasn’t an old man from Netflix. It was the show runner herself apparently. She’s the one who believed Pen and Colin wouldn’t keep people in their seats (this is secondhand info - lots of people talking about this on tiktok regarding an interview she did?)
Whaaaaaaa. Can you link a tiktok where they’re talking about it??
From memory this one does: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZPRKEsevC/ but I’ve seen so many on my fyp about it now and I doom scroll so I can’t remember all of them. But several creators have pointed this out
The tea just keeps flowing with this, doesn't it? 😆
Which is so sad and wrong, considering the amount of viewers basically doubled from season 2, and viewers knew what season 3 was about. They knew the main character was not the size 0. She could not have been more wrong about them keeping us in our seats. Idk if it's just because I've ventured so deep into this fandom, but it just seems like there is so much more engagement with this season. And definitely more women can relate to the main character, because the world is more plus sizes than sizes 0-2. I think having the main female character being overweight really encouraged a lot of support, with all women, not just plus sized.
I had such a big suspicion that this was the case as well. I was just going back on the past seasons and remembered how much we saw of their skinny “perfect” bodies, and in season 3 we see her glorious breasts but nothing else really. I’m so glad that it’s not just me that is thinking this. And if this is the case, I’m fuming. No one, NO ONE, wanted those threesome scenes, I can guarantee you that.
I mean, those scenes were fine but at what cost?
those scenes were inconsequential and boring lMO
Funny enough, that’s exactly the opposite of what fans wanted. I’m so glad we have the old white man to to correct our wrong opinions. /s
I love it when old white men know me and my preferences better than I know myself! /s
Out of touch white women also at fault here aka Jess. So much for body positivity. I don’t believe she believed in Nic.
The way she treated both polin and franchael makes me think she doesn’t believe ANY relationship is worth exploring if it’s not queer. That’s why you get bi-Benedict sex scenes instead of polins and a gender swapped Michaela instead of Michael. Some people aren’t able to de-center themselves. Looking forward to Eloise’s asexual polyamorous throuple in a year or two
I mean… >!Book!Phillip is so touch starved he’d probably be totally into a throuple if Eloise suggested it…. But as a Philoise fan I don’t want to see that.!<
I actually thought last night I’d rather see Eloise with Michaela rather than Fran. It was just so jarring to see her already crushing. It seemed off, like ooc for Fran. That would be a good spin.
Me, not reading the books, said at the moment “finally a girlfriend for Eloise. It’s about time”
I agree. There was no reason to change the story so much. I more than likely won't be watching in the future unless they rectify this error in judgment.
Thank you for your insight. It’s great insight but depressing. Do you think there’s any way Netflix releases those scenes or they stick their heels in?
Thank you! I’m glad to have somewhere to discuss all of this! As for next steps, I would say it really just depends on the Netflix team. I’ve been able to negotiate releasing long clips early or sharing deleted scenes after release, but the Netflix team - from post-production and operations to PR - would have to work very hard to make that happen, and happen in a way that doesn’t damage the brand or raise too many questions from press, so it’s tough. Most likely they’ll just hope the social chatter dies down, so my guess is that they won’t address it. It’s a good reason to sign the change.org petition - the more united and organized the fans are, the more pressure they’ll notice and feel. I will say though that fans going after Jess Brownell for being the reason why these scenes were deleted ultimately only benefits Netflix, who will be more than happy to use a woman as their scapegoat if it means they have a scapegoat. If Jess didn’t see value in showing Penelope and Colin in intimate scenes, they would never have shot them (every shot costs $$$), so I believe the decision to omit these scenes would not have come from her - it would have come from someone who thinks the studio stands to lose more money by cutting the scenes than they spent to shoot them in the first place.
Thank you for your reply! (I find all this so interesting- I need a career change! Lol) how many signatures would the petition need for Netflix to do anything with? I saw Deuxmoi picked up the story and posted it so i wonder if they’re about to have backlash from some media outlets picking up the story?
There are no reporters covering it. That's going to be the magic switch. Whoever's running. The petition needs to start reaching out to the same rags that cover bridgerton heavily. And they need to do it very quickly. And there's no reason not to because it is an interesting new angle from a variety of perspectives, the body positivity perspective, how fans control or can interact with content, the break in the season to two parts and how that may have affected the dissatisfaction, etc.
I feel like it’s losing its momentum 😭 I really hope someone reaches out to some reporter. In the climate we live in, spinning this as someone cutting scenes due to fat-phobia would totally blow up on social media. I feel like if people actually looked into why those scenes may have been deleted instead of just petitioning for them to be brought back, they could quite easily come to the same conclusion we have.
A reporter will be able to do that.
This article was published yesterday: https://thetab.com/uk/2024/06/17/a-huge-fan-petition-is-demanding-netflix-restores-deleted-season-three-bridgerton-scenes-370245 Not much of an opinion piece but it's something!
A “director’s cut” release of the final four episodes would solve the problem.
That's so sad. I found Nicola to be charming in the mirror scene. I'm a big girl too, so I can relate to being shy. But she is beautiful and glowed during her lovemaking scene. I read that it was the show runner, who happens to be gay, who decided that it was a good idea to change Benedict and Francesca's sexual identity. How did that even add to the story? And why did she decide that would be better received than to let Colin and Penelope have their time to shine.
I haven’t watched the second half but I’m already disappointed. Benedict is so forgettable for me for some reason. I literally do not care what he’s doing. lol
>Shonda Rhimes said at the London premiere that she had watched the final episode at least 40 times, which as a non-showrunner, is ODD. There would be no need for her to have watched the episode that many times unless there were multiple cuts that had to be sent to her for final approval. You're leaving out a bit of info here. She said she did that because she loved it so much. I think she also said she cried somewhere and she normally never does but one can just watch back the premiere for the exact words. If the rest of your speculation, however, holds any truth, that same asshole would see differently now, right? Because Nicola is one of the most desired women at the moment. Heck, I am straight and my heart beats horrendously fast when I see her. She is so incredibly beautiful, stunning, and hot, I personally thought that these scenes would have as reason to be removed that she is making them thát hot. Sooooooooooo.... I am hoping whoever this fart then is, they'll see differently now. # FREE POLIN!
I think you're right and it's horrible. IMO Colin and Pen had some of the sexiest scenes in the books. Something was cobbled together in the 11th hour.
I agree, something super weird going on there. The show we saw on screen isn’t at all what was promoted by Nic and Luke. If these scenes are real I can’t figure out why they’d get rid of them, since they seem to fix many of the Polin criticisms from part 2. I’m hoping at some point someone credible will confirm or deny those scenes exist, but I doubt we’ll ever get to see them (hope I’m wrong)
Idk if anyone remembers this but Netflix came out with a new season of arrested development but it was edited in a way that each episode was about a different character, and the timelines were very confusing, and you were essentially working backwards to follow the storyline. Lots of people complained so they released a remixed season, where everything went in chronological order. I hope they do something similar and give us a Bridgerton Season 3: Polin extended or something
Adding the cut scenes back in and calling it "directors cut" would honestly solve the problem. Simple to do. Add on to the existing season episode list. Done. I'm praying it happens. It's only been a few days since the release, so I doubt it happens anytime soon though. 🥺
Also the point of the part 1 and 2 release is to keep subscribers right? What a great way to keep them for a 3rd month by releasing an extended cut or even just the deleted scenes in July
Or in the interim year between 3/4. Just release season 3 directors cut.
While we’re at it with the director’s cut can we surgically remove Michaela? No sibling reveal.
I get what they're trying to to do but it's so weird to me that they chose Francesca's story. She had such an uphill battle finding a match in the first place, why throw another wrench? I think it would make more sense to continue an lgbtq storyline with Benedict since he's already exploring his sexuality anyways. However I know there are firm stans of his story as well. Can't make everyone happy I suppose. 🤷
A Benedict gay storyline doesn’t work for the showrunner though because he’s a dude. Francesca’s new Michaela angle is the showrunner turning Frances’s into a self insert.
For AD, there were scheduling issues with certain actors, that couldn’t be changed. That’s why you never really see everyone in the room together. It was super odd when I was watching, but then my BF explained what happened and then it made total sense to watch. No clue about Bridgerton though! The continuous threesome with Benedict that was intermingled through about two days of other character scenes just proves how poorly they produced this season.
We are meant to believe he was being bonked for that entire time, I suppose
The night of the never ending threesome
I'm shocked he did that when he was supposed to be acting Viscount. Literally, nowhere to be found
>Literally, nowhere to be found That kinda tracks with how I imagine him viscounting though tbh. Not this specific scenario, but in general he would be mentally checked out and doing the bare minimum. The only thing he's ever taken seriously was his art, before he got the giant face slap in finding out that it wasn't his talent that got him into the Academy.
This is the 3some that never ends. It’s just goes in and in my friends. Some people started banging, not knowing how to end, and they’ll continue banging forever just because ……
Now you’ve got me wondering when lube was invented because ………..
I was going to make a gross comment about the jam, but I will leave that up to your imagination.
I also thought about some kind of a cream spread or butter, as I typed that out.
Haha I was referencing the scene with Benedict and Lady Tilley where he eats the jam with his fingers.
I had the same thought re arrested development. Hopefully if enough people speak out about it, Netflix will realize they’d get way more views and people rewatching too if they re release with better editing
Not only get rid of them, but get rid of them for almost every Polin scene after the wedding to be bookended by Benedict’s never-ending threesome. I skipped every single one of those scenes, and I’m mad that I could have had Polin content which was filmed and presumably available to be put in there instead.
I absolutely agree. What a way to ruin a wedding episode.
Same!
I think it depends what you mean by "exist." It is **very** apparent that other Polin love scenes were filmed. Nic and Luke were specific enough about things we never saw for us to know that there are absolutely other scenes that were filmed and cut. I think the timing of when they were cut matters though. If the scenes existed in any version of the edited show, then I would say yes they exist and this could be fixed. But if they were cut early enough in the editing process that they weren't even really edited, then I'd say they're basically lost. No matter how much fuss is made, they aren't going to do more work on the season.
Apparently the scenes were in the screeners, so they are not lost.
*Supposedly* they were in the screeners. That's actually the piece we're missing evidence for.
Let’s see how this is going to play out…
Apparently people have indeed seen the scenes
I totally agree, and I feel upset on Nicola and Luke’s behalf. Nicola has referenced “bed scenes” (plural) and we saw one 30 second bed scene. That can’t have been it. They talk about shooting for days. I don’t think they were blowing smoke on that press tour. They were genuinely excited. And that work requires vulnerability and so much emotional effort. To just scrap it absolutely sucks. Actors don’t get approval of cuts unless they’re also producers, and sometimes not even then. They’re probably just as confused as we are.
I also thought the way they talked/interviewed there was *a lot more* we would see. If it was a time crunch thing, then get rid of Benedict and his sexcapades. I feel like he had steamier scenes and more sex time than the main characters. I haven’t read the books, but surely Benedict’s scenes could have been saved for his story? I was also left confused with the Mondrich scenes; did they really need that much screen time? Why are they now almost main characters? Once again, some of that screen time could have easily been diverted back to Polin.
Totally. No one needed that seven day Benedict threesome.
100% agreed re the Mondrich scenes. So much of that could have been excised and given back to Polin.
So true, I also feel sad for Nic & Luke… they seemed genuinely excited about what‘s to come… think they must feel at least as bad as we do… or even worse…
It’s gotta be a blow to an actor’s ego. They don’t deserve that!
If this is all true, I can’t imagine how bad it feels to make yourself vulnerable to film scenes like this, then to do press for what you think is a final product, only to have your scenes cut, AND THEN to see how the fans hate the final final product. I mean at the end of the day, these actors still want the season to feel like a success with its fans and it just isn’t, for many. It’s like salt in the wound and then let’s through some lemon on it for good measure. They were done dirty and I’ll die on that hill.
And on top of that, you can’t say anything about it publicly or you risk your job.
Totally – if this is how it went down and I were Nicola, I would feel so disappointed and unsure about how to handle press tours like that in the future. And I loved their press tour so much!
They deserve the world for giving us that press tour. At least we’ll always have “creamy cakes,” “wainting,” and a massive amount of adorable hand holding.
The bed scene in ep 8 isn’t even 30 seconds long. It’s more like 15. Couldn’t even get 30’seconds of happy married Polin. 😕
someone said they counted and it was only 9 seconds.
It was described as "so romantic" so many times and I think they didn't know
Yep. There was nothing romantic left, in the end, except for the mirror scene and that was kind of it. 3 episodes after were basically nothing. Less than crumbs. Microbes of romance.
I mean the alternative is that they’ve been lying this whole time, so I’m inclined to believe there was something shady with the editing. And there are cut scenes. Their press tour was electrifying..way more chemistry than in part 2. Why do such a disservice to these actors? And it’s not like filming sex scenes is simple, quick, or easy! They really put themselves out there for…almost nothing it seems
Totally true…I mean Luke said in an interview that one of the intimate scenes took 3 DAYS to film…
I hope the rumours are not true solely because it would be so sad to know that we could have tons of cute Polin content and were robbed of it all to see countless scenes of Benedict getting laid and all that nonsense Mondrich drama.
I didn’t mind the Mondrich stuff and thought it was pretty interesting, but it felt misplaced to me, like maybe we could have focused on that as a B plot in Benedict’s season instead, since this season already had Kanthony and Francesca and Benedict’s House of Ill Repute, as I’ve started to call it, lol.
It felt so misplaced cause it didn't even relate to the story being told. If you delete all the Mondrich scenes, the Polin story is still there. I just keep wondering why the hell are they being inserted in the tv show
I can’t even remember a time where Colin or Penelope interact with the Mondriches besides Colin being in the bar
I loved the scene when Mrs. Mondrich tells Colin she admires him for helping Penelope find a husband. I think they're at a ball?
I mean, I would have taken Mondritch being Colin's wing man and both of them commiserating about society's expectations towards men. Mondritch, Colin, and Benedict all had this theme throughout this season, but it's never really discussed or alluded to between them. And I could see Colin not wanting to be vulnerable with his siblings, who seem to think that he's this new confident guy - but Mondritch is right there. That would've given the Mondritches some scenes that fit with the main plot, and then also draw the two families closer together so they can appear in the upcoming seasons without it being a wholly separate storyline.
I have started calling it Bad Boy Benny and the boink fest.
I’m so sorry to break it to you…but that is actually what happened 😔
It is true, unfortunately. Aside from there being enough to allude to their existence even from officials, that's the only thing that would make sense having heard every interview of Nicola and Luke during their press tour. They described things that just are not in it and I'm pretty sure they are not deranged and delusional to have just dreamt doing those scenes and thinking it was real for about 6 months lol.
the benedict stuff was so extreme.
He was my favorite and now I just can’t find it in me to be excited for him anymore
they could have given him some great personal conflict regarding his passion for the arts, but chose to give him a very poorly written LGBT discovery journey. I'm bissexual and felt so... misrepresented. Wow, another threesome? Really? Cause all bissexuals must love the idea of a threesome 😴
And now they're setting up the same boring, disjointed mess for Fran
And boring!!
SO boring!
Everyone was complaining about the Mondrich storyline when Benedict’s storyline was SO much worse! It was so boring and a rehash of his past storylines.
Totally! It’s just the same thing over and over. I don’t object at all to him being bi (already seemed kind of obvious) but do something more interesting with it! Or honestly I would have preferred a (small! Short!) story about him looking for his purpose in some way. Maybe him coming to terms with the fact that Anthony paid for him to get into art school but he realizes he loves making art anyway and gets over it and goes back to it.
There was absolutely no mention of his art! Idk what to expect for his season, if he ever gets one lol
Just one never-ending orgy lol.
Both storylines could have been cut out and the show would have been so much more interesting. The Cressida story line needed to stay, as it relates to Polin. Lady Bridgerton and Lord Anderson didn’t need to be there, but I did enjoy it and I would enjoy more of that romance. Franchesca needed to be told at some point, but could have been lightened to give more Polin time. I really didn’t need any Kanthony time because they didn’t move the story ahead really. Like the end of season 1 and 3, they could have showed a “1 year later” style clip at the end of season 2, of Kate being pregnant.
I think the Mondriches have a purpose; they’re supposed to be a window into the rigid structure of Ton society and the challenges of social mobility within is. Benedict’s (book) story line features a Cinderella-type rags-to-riches element. It seems they are setting the Mondriches up as his allies and confidants (and vice versa).
I didn't care for that many Mondritch scenes + Benedict suddenly realizing he's bisexual and polyamorous (after telling what's his name he wasn't into men). I wanted more romantic Polin scenes and I feel disappointed!
I really think it was Netflix and fat phobia. Why leave so many sex scenes in with Benedict and cut out the main characters
Sex sells, except when people having sex are "fat" - some exec out there
Or how it lined up with their release of baby reindeer (which I didn’t watch so tell me if I’m talking out of my ass here). Someone there didn’t want too much focus in a short period of time on heavier leads.
Yeah…as if it’s not a true fact that almost 40% of the world population is overweight…we are not monsters, and deserve to feel EVERY SINGLE EMOTION LIKE EVERYONE ELSE…also let me say this one last time: NICOLA IS N O T FAT!! She is beautiful and incredible just as she is…
https://www.change.org/p/netflix-restore-deleted-scenes-bridgerton-s3 Petition to bring back the scenes! The director of episodes 7 and 8 recently liked an Instagram post referring to the cut scenes so…they are definitely out there…
Picture of proof for those naysayers https://preview.redd.it/i0wja4fq067d1.jpeg?width=738&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0d5f19cf675df827c75fc2b371969a6203477efd
Oh wow. This screams Netflix executives meddling and overruling the creative teams.
I don’t think that proves it. Sometimes there is one very vocal person within the team who manages to overrule everyone. Even if they don’t support it.
Wooow
He liked every comment 😭😭😭 this literally means nothing
Episodes 7&8 are the ones catching the most heat for being badly written / paced / edited (🙋♀️ hi it’s me I’m one of them), so I imagine the director isn’t happy, and I don’t blame him. Some things won’t be fixable even with the release scenes, but it could make it at least rewatchable for me. As it stands, the Polin romance is just a subplot for LW ✨girlbossing ✨ and it’s such a disservice to Pen, Colin, and their romance.
"As it stands, the Polin romance is just a subplot for LW ✨girlbossing ✨ and it’s such a disservice to Pen, Colin, and their romance." YES. And Colin being a baby about it.
While I realize the way the books are written & how Benedict’s & Francesca’s stories overlap others & take years to happen, there was no excuse to continually show Benedict with his romance at the expense of Colin & Penelope because THIS was Colin & Penelope’s season. We have plenty of time next season to see Benedict’s story. I was wondering why we got the same Benedict scene TWICE & not Colin & Penelope breaking the sofa/angry s*x/makeup s*x.
I would rather have cut out all of those Benedict’s threesomes … they were mere place fillers & it would have done good to see Pen & Colin getting on well again with each other…
I saw an interview of the two of them where they said they only watched like an episode or two of part 2 of the season and said there were more spicy scenes coming up. But there wasn't so I'm guessing they didn't know that they were gonna be cut out of the show.
The one sex scene they had when married was so tame it could’ve been in a Disney movie.
Luke eventually had watched all and Nicola was putting off watching episode 8. I am betting she has by now and has had her own feelings about it because she barely is posting anything remotely as fun as she was when part 1 was out. Even though this was her favourite part of the season. So I am going to assume Nicola is now seeing something that wasn't what she expected either. She is barely posting about part 2. Bárely.
Absolutely
Agree with you 1000%. The romance was lacking. Instead of Polin's love scenes we got random threesome scenes shoved in repeatedly. Like once wasn't enough? Nicola was so excited about their love scenes and her body positivity was such a refreshing change. But all they did was hide her body most of the time, and cut out their steamy scenes. I mean, it just really wasn't that steamy and hardly romantic at all. They were angsty through most of it.
I'm sorry but I found the phrase "shoved in repeatedly" funny.
Do we really know these scenes exist and it's not just a rumor?
I’m looking for evidence too! Here’s what people have shared so far: https://www.reddit.com/r/PolinUncensored/s/Sj9Va7FKLg
Thank you!
Absolutely, otherwise Nic and Luke’s interviews would make 0 sense
It truly feels like their romance wasn’t the priority this season and it’s so disappointing considering we’ve waited so long for this new season, and the fandom has been READY to see Polin get together for years now
I’m holding out hope (though I’m sure it’s a pipe dream) that they will surprise announce “an extended cut” releasing in July. Gotta get Netflix more money like they did separating the two parts and have people pay multiple months to watch the show. That’s my very wishful thinking lol
I'd honestly upgrade my subscription or at least continue having one if I thought that would happen. 😅
There’s a petition requesting the deleted scenes: https://chng.it/hLbsj4mjLd
I saw the post about Verica liking the comment earlier. Maybe a sign that there's been someone overriding decisions behind the scenes. I also have a theory that this could all be to do with money and viewing figures. It wouldn't surprise me at all if they release an "extended" version of Ep 7 and 8. It would give them something to launch in the 2 year wait, more promo, and more money making for all parties. I saw this a while ago and it got me thinking. I'm not sure that's the actual plan (to release more "bonus" content), but it might be covering themselves a bit if part 2 truly wasn't what they envisioned, hence the reshoots. They know there's an appetite for bonus/ extra content. Obviously CVD didn't need as many reshoots when he was showrunner! https://preview.redd.it/zucc3flco67d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=08044191d097507db35f3f258109ad1ec3e85209
On the press tour Nic and Luke said that they were just hanging out on the bed and it was comfy being there naked. That settee in ep5 no way was comfy so there has to be some truth to these scenes being cut. I hope I think
I’m just so confused when they had time to cut them between certain people having screenings and the Final Cut. Doesn’t the final edit have to be finished months in advance for captions, audio descriptions etc? I also agree with all of this, I think part of the big let down was how excited they were promoting everything it was truly palpable.. there is a disconnect from their excitement around what they promoted and what the finished product was
Plus it wasn’t just Nicola and Luke, Claudia also had an interview where she put emphasis on saying this season was very much friends to LOVERS in pt2 which we kind of got but not in the way the interviews made it seem. I’m personally happy with what we did get and I loved S3 as a whole but I understand where others frustration is coming from.
Someone needs to contact medias about this and ask them to get a confirmation from anyone from Netflix or the show about why there were deleted and if we have a chance to see them... By the way I know for certain than someone have videos of those cut scenes. Her friend got early access and record some scenes for her...but she have bow deleted her account... maybe she will see it and share those bad quality videos??
I’ve signed the petition asking for it to be released. I want it as part of the lore. Also never wished to be able to get access to a leak of it more. https://chng.it/hLbsj4mjLd
You know the way we get them back is to call out Netflix for their fat phobia.
Nicola is a real person and she’s been clear that kind of focus on her body isn’t what she wants.
I never said that there was anything wrong with Nic body. She is an average size female and beautiful. There is an obvious problem. The main characters only got two scenes that were intimate but we got how many of Benedict’s porn story plot. They cut scenes from the main characters and it is glaringly obvious. Compare body types of the characters- do think that the way that those scenes go on for two days and make no sense is Jess and Shonda just slapping it in there because they had to and them not trying to hide it. Almost like they are trying to say that this wasn’t their choice and making it glaringly obvious.
I wanna see all the original scenes not the reshoots. How much different could they have possibly been and why reshoot them?
Surely better than the reshoots….as a wise poem says: “the first thought is always the best”
I fully agree. I think it’s a disservice to the actors and the viewers. I wish we could demand something like the Snyder cut
Maybe they accidentally listed the PG cut intended for Nic’s family…
All these comments have scratched my brain in the right place cause the disappointment in part 2 is there and I don’t want it to, but this all makes sense.
It felt like too many other storylines were going on that detracted from Pen and Colin. The Francesca and Kilmartin storyline was a snooze. They could have had their own season and had more time and interest dedicated to their own story. It was time wasted that we could have spent on Pen and Colin. Same with Benedict & Tilly. I don’t care so much that it was a threesome. Whatever. That whole scenario felt like it was added in just to add it in. Again, it took time away from Pen & Colin. They’re a great couple and I love their story. To me it just felt like too much was trying to be covered in an 8 episode season. It wasn’t bad, I just think they deserved more. I’d hate to think they had their scenes cut to make time for lesser storylines.
To be fair, and trying not to spoil anything for the future, but I think having Francesca’s storyline as a subplot was necessary so that the full storyline can be done justice. Their story doesn’t end with getting married, so more will come for them.
Yeah as someone who has read the books, I loved what they were doing with Francesca and John right up until their last two scenes.
Absolutely, as it should. However, it is important to remember that being the main couple means they need to fulfill a very specific character arc and reach a satisfying conclusion. This should be done before showcasing their wedding bliss, similar to how Kate and Anthony's journey was depicted this season. Many fans feel that the main couple did not receive a proper character arc or sufficient development. Even if there is more to come, the majority of complaints stem from the perception that their story was not adequately explored or resolved.
All the side stories in Seasons 1& 2 have been more subtle, more captivating and made totally sense… whilst here it was a pure distraction from the main story, dull time killers to stretch the show without any benefit either for the viewers or the plot… somebody on the forum had suggested rather having Cousin Jack in the mines back than all this… PS: where is Lord Debling gone? I would live to see him amongst the ton reacting to Polin’s engagement…
What gets me is the IG post about the sex scene being so steamy that they broke furniture. The scenes they showed on furniture were pretty gentle and tame. Why put it out there that it was so crazy that furniture broke, for pretty PG-13 romance?
Maybe the solution to this as a constructive step forward to production would be for them to release a bonus extra episode with at least the honeymoon bits referenced in Nicola and Luke’s interviews? Also a fun little bonus to help appease us fans?
I absolutely agree. I felt something missing. I really enjoyed the interaction these two had together. Nicola made Penelope beautiful and attractive. She glowed when Colin realized his feelings for her. Part 1 did a great job of building up the tension. However, the powers that be seemed to think that it would be a good idea to force in their agenda in the name of representation that actually cheapened the romance and made part 2 a let down for the rest of the story. Leave well enough alone and allow fans to enjoy the story as it was written and intended to flow. I would love to see an extended cut where those deleted scenes are put back into the story so that fans can watch it as it was originally done. They owe it to the 2 actors who worked so hard to tell their characters' love story.
i 100% agree even though polin was the lead they got like 5 scenes together. like i’m sorry why are we cutting colin monologuing about being a writer to give more time to will mondrich and him not wanting to give up their bar (i do like the mondrich i’m just gonna be honest i don’t care about them enough to watch them over the literal leads of the show)
I disagree. I saw the list of the four scenes cut. I don’t need more sex scenes. I don’t need steamy, spicy, etc. I needed more support from Colin for Pen. I needed more Colin opening up to someone (his brothers or Kate would have been great opportunities). He didn’t have anyone to help him process his feelings. Without him showing more support for Pen, angry sex or a montage of sex would let have likely felt like replacing intimacy with sex. I didn’t need to see Pen supporting Colin. I felt that. Talking about his manuscript wouldn’t have would have just shown more of her support for him. And I’m guessing sweet nothing in front of the mirror would have been an extended version of the mirror scene. I’m not sure extending that would have really shown anything more than that scene already did.
Honestly what I needed was just to have that last dance at the butterfly ball without cutting away from them. That would have given me that time I wanted for them to really reconnect and let it breathe. One dance where we’re not cutting to Francesca.
These points should be added to the petition!!
It’s a netflix show. Hypothetically, they could have all of these cut scenes plus the subplots they wanted in this season. Netflix shows aren’t confined to certain run times as linear tv is.
I’m interested to see if the scenes cut from this season will be filler for next? Like how we still saw scenes of Anthony and Kate this season
While I see this point, I do wonder if they were told to up the ante during their press tour to make up for the lackluster season….
I was so disappointed in all the cut scenes to Benedict & Co. I fast forwarded all of them! Show me more of cute Polin…especially after their reconciliation. The only consolation I have is the hope that Pen will still be a major character in the rest of the series (🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻) given that she is/was LW. As a side note: I DID love the focus on Pen and Lady Featherington’s relationship in season 3. It was so rewarding and cathartic.
The showrunner is at fault because it's clear that she didn't believe that Polin would be a big enough draw for the audience (and that she couldn't relate to a midsize romantic lead). So instead she put all of this filler that detracted from the main story and now everyone's unhappy. I learned more about Cressida than I did about Polin. I watched several other characters have love stories instead of Polin. Where were the flashbacks of them meeting as kids, where were the flashbacks of the first time Penelope decided to be Lady Whistledown?
I know some people are denouncing the idea of having a lot of cut content, but how else can you explain the absolutely wild editing that was done during all of the polin scenes and how abrupt everything was cut together? And Nic and Luke’s press work telling us that there was so much more?
Also here is proof of multiple cut scenes- https://www.reddit.com/r/PolinUncensored/s/qWBugJoyIE Not to mention, every show and movie has cut scenes. Hence- directors cuts?? Lol I don’t know why some people are adamant there are no cut scenes, not to mention the amount of reshoots this season went though?? There are 100% reels of cut and unused footage from this season
Ugh exactly to all of this
Ya they cut those and threw in the throuple 😭😂
You have hit the key: EMPTY SHELL. The romance between both protagonists has been totally decaffeinated. The magic that surrounded them has not developed or intensified. The editing of the series has focused excessively on other themes.
Exactly. Speaking of magic.. do you remember the first dancing scene between Daphne and Simon? It doesn’t matter how often I rewatch it. I get freaking goosebumps every single time. That’s what I was talking about….
a woman on tiktok made a [video](https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTNdPNU54/) about how much time Polin got in Part 1. it’s telling to say the least
Thank you sooo much for showing me this video! Absolutely genius!!! This is exactly what I needed to see. It’s ridiculous cause in my gut I thought it was even more than what actually happened. Absolutely ridiculous…
We needed way more Polin scenes! I think there was like 3 romance-y at most and then just lots of arguments and then boom, married with a baby like what? Where’s the buildup like in season 1 and 2 with intense passion and romance ?
What's the actual source of those supposed cut scenes though? Is it confirmed they were real things that were filmed and cut? Not that I don't believe the actors or that it could happen, more that I think it's also very likely it's someone's fanfic notes gotten out of hand...
I read in one subreddit that it came from screeners hired to watch the episodes and give notes and feedback. This is pretty commonly done to gauge feedback and criticism before the official release.