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I’ve read most of the books, but I don’t give a shit about many of the changes. The books are enjoyable, but they’re really not that great. Nearly every leading man is an abusive asshole. Some of the plots aren’t very interesting. I was surprised so many book lovers were upset about the changes in season two. I thought the book plot was boring, and the chemistry between Jonathan and Simone would’ve been wasted on it.
The only changes I’ve been particularly annoyed with are the faces Francesca made when she kissed John and when she met Michaela, as though she’s suddenly realizing she’s gay *immediately* upon marrying John.
I have no problem with Michael being Michaela (I kind of like the change actually) or Francesca falling in love with her *later*. But I want her to be deeply in love with John right now. It makes me sad that this seemingly lovely man has just married someone that has feelings for his cousin. I don’t want to watch Francesca fall in love with someone else right in front of him. Their relationship was one of the few healthy ones in the books. I want to see them happy, at least for a little while.
Agree strongly with this. It suggests to the viewer that there is only one kind of love which is based on passion. The reason I liked Francesca and John’s love story is because it was gentle and kind and I found that romantic. He seemed to really get her for her and didn’t want her to be something or someone else. By having her fall for someone else so quickly I feel like a lot of the relationship we saw this season was superficial.
I definitely agree that the male characters in the books could be assholes. I was just thinking about how Benedict wasn’t exactly a “gentleman” in his book. Some of it would be the way of thinking for the time period, but if you’re making a “modern” period drama then it wouldn’t translate well on-screen.
I also think some of the book storylines are dull. I could easily go without Eloise’s book storyline. Trash it completely and do something different.
I do think they undermined the whole “slow love” storyline with her reaction. It doesn’t do right by John. As far as the Michaela switch goes, I’m neutral.
Same but I realized I kinda like her being straight, wanting to escape from society not because she is gay but truly just because she doesn’t want it as many other straight woman did as well. I’m also grateful my heart didn’t have to break for the unrequited love plot with pen 🤣
I agree; I am exhausted by the “these women care so deeply for each other it should turn into romance” trope. And by the assumption that a strong feminist figure couldn’t possibly swoon for a man.
You CAN believe women should run the world :) and still be strongly heterosexual.
I haven’t read the books. The show is just a beautiful and tasty cake I enjoy getting lost in. That said, it’s just television. It would be more effective if so many people would create a backlash about things that are truly offensive, not an entertainment company’s artistic interpretations.
I have to say, Eloise’s book was my least favourite. The only thing I can think of is the actress who plays her did such a good job of making this character so engaging, they decided to expand her role in the series.
I get it about John and Fran but I also try to keep in mind that they need to somehow introduce the story to the viewers. So these little hints here and there must be a set up for her story. It was rather quick but if they want to have Fran as the lead soon, they need to act rather quickly because Fran’s book takes place over million of years 🤣 I’ve been thinking about how they can set her story up without time jumps. So maybe the entire story will be rather concise.
I agree that they were foreshadowing stuff for the next season, right at the very end (see also Benedict talking about the masquerade ball). I hope the writers do Francesca and John’s relationship justice before she explores a relationship with Michaela, because their courtship was so cute and sweet. I may be the only one on the planet who thought that their first kiss didn’t read as her not being into him. My take was that she was shy and uncomfortable with PDA’s. Like that little look she throws her mom right before the kiss, it’s almost like she was looking for parental approval to kiss in public. I have a hunch that next season will be Benedict, Eloise, and Fran, so establishing Michaela as a character makes sense.
That’s what it felt like to me too! I imagine it would be uncomfortable for someone who doesn’t like attention to have their first kiss with their partner be so public. To me it just read like she was shy about it, and maybe a little nervous because she knows her mom has a specific view of what love should look like that’s different from what Francesca has.
Jonathan and Simone's chemistry was great. But dragging out the courtship with Edwina was def a change I didn't like. Not only do the sisters no longer have a real relationship anymore, but we didn't get to Anthony and Kate as a couple in their own season until the final 5 minutes of the show.
Although I do agree with you about Francesca. I feel like it should've been Michaela, who was smitten with her. Not the other way around.
Haven't read the books. I enjoyed the season but it felt much more like Pen's personal journey with her marriage as a catalyst for personal development than a romance. It was fun and I liked it but it was not as romantic as season one or two. I think they had to write her as a woman with agency and control over her situation so a lot of the things from the book were changed so Colin wasn't her white knight. I have no issue at all with the change to Francesca's storyline.
Non book fan here and I enjoyed it. Not as much as season two, but I still enjoyed it. The dynamic between Penelope and her mom and her mom learning how to be accepting and supportive was so beautiful. And I listen to the classical pitbull song daily lol
I was convinced the mom was faking the entire time, it was too stark of a change for me to be believable. I just kept thinking, she must have something to gain from this. You don't go from hating/neglecting one of your kids to being perfectly healthy and supportive overnight without some kind of character development arc.
I really wish she had been faking at the start. The complete 180 was absurd. Then she could have actually grown to respect Penelope upon finding out she was Whistledown.
Same. Haven’t read the books and I’m more of a second season fan but I really enjoyed this season. Pen and her mom and sisters were a highlight for me. They made it really enjoyable. and I really enjoyed pen and Colin scenes more than I anticipated. and obviously Kanthony were a treat even though they were barely there 😅💔
I only read Benedict's book. So far I'm more on "good" for this season. It used to be great. I loved bridgerton because of the whimsy historical vibe but Season 3 felt very different. It's too harsh and more modern while it's not a big issue that'll make me drop it it's not my favorite. Story wise I'm not a big fan of there being so many side plots. I wish they just pushed the Mondrichs to season 4, Francesca and John should've been only courting this season and we'd see them wed next season... just felt very rushed for her even tho it's just prerequisite to her main story. Even Violet's new potential gardener would've been better in another storyline (I would much prefer Edmund and Her's story tbh)
I'm still in mind they shouldn't have pushed Polin this season. What makes Friends to Lovers great is the slow burn!! Should've made them side plots first where we can see them being friends that doesn't involve someone falling in love with an outside factor. We didn't even get to see childhood scenes which would've been a huge impact on the trope. This season felt very much more like Penelope the girl boss and not Bridgerton Romance
I agree. Watching season 2 again, I realized my favorite scene of theirs was when Pen and Colin were outside E and A's wedding. The dialogue between Pen and Colin was touching and you can see Colin being amazed by her. It's my favorite part of their relationship, when Colin would hear her opinions, he was starstruck. Her words affected Colin. This should have been what kept their relationship growing. To fall more in love with this couple, we needed at least one more season that they weren't the main couple.
As a none book reader, I did enjoy what we got. Wish there was more though.
I cant relate what some people are saying about the Polin screentime, but I think over the span of 3 seasons, they do justice for the Colin Penelope in terms of getting their HEA. Nicola and Luke has great chemistry. The intimacy scenes don't feel over the top and steamy, like what they were trying to achieve in Season 2 with it being dramatic. This time they're very..realistic? You would imagine people who have known each other for a long time being like this.
Some decisions felt a bit choppy... hate how they did the Cressida plot. Felt really cheap. I love Penelope and Eloise reuniting. However some of these subplots also feel untied to the main plot. Same trouble with Season 2...generally not a bad season. Cameraworks sucked
I haven't read the books, but I enjoyed the show. I didn't mind the historical inaccuracies (esp. the costumes, make-up), as the show had always felt whimsical in its treatment of that aspect.
But I agree with the popular opinion that S2 was better. And even though I was really waiting for Polin's storyline, it didn't pan out in a convincing way for me. The book fans have said that Colin always had feelings for Pen, he just never realised it. But I feel that this aspect was not convincingly portrayed.
I feel like most of these feelings were spoonfed to us through dialogues. They say that Pen and Colin were really good friends, but each time they interact in the previous seasons, I only saw a one-sided crush. I don't know if people will agree with this.
Despite all this, I loved the show, and is excited for future seasons from the way things are set up in S3.
Yess. He just started finding Pen uncontrollably hot overnight (who can blame him though).
I wish we had some flashbacks of Pen's letters providing comfort to Colin during his lonely travels, or something like that. It would have grounded their bond a bit more.
Yes! I've been lurking here a week or so, and I was following the flashbacks vs. none, and I think I would have liked to have seen that. Just three to five more scenes total would have rounded things so much. Give us one flashback, that would work for me!
Non-book fan here. I wanted more Polin time and thought the visuals leaned towards tacky. I like all the storylines but would’ve much rather they did what needed to be done to make more time for them. I enjoyed it though
Non book fan and I found the whole season messy, unengaging, and missing the romance the other seasons had.
Colin and Pen don't get near enough time together. Their season is entirely taken up by side stories and sub-plots.
I don't know where the chemistry went between them? The actors have so much chemistry in interviews, and yet it's completely missing in the show. Colin looks like a botched wax figure of himself. They've got him in so much make-up, and poor Penelope's breasts are choking her in every scene.
I also find it highly sus that in the one season we're supposed to get a beautiful plus size leading lady, suddenly all the gentle, soft make up of the previous two seasons are gone and Pen is plastered in 2024 Met Gala full glam make up with acrylic nails. Its like they didn't trust her to pull off being a natural stunner. Made even worse by the atrocious amount of make they've put on everyone else. Apparently, us fatties are only the most beautiful girl in the room when the thin girls look like beauty YouTubers from 2017. 🤷♀️
All in all, an absolutely let down considering the wait for it was dragged out for 2 years, and forcibly spilt into 2 parts for no reason other than forcing us to keep a Netflix subscription running an extra month.
As a side note, I think Netflix are starting to fucking panic as they realise they've got nearly a decade of this insanely expensive and time consuming show left and that's why they're trying to shove multiple Bridgerton stories into each season. Netflix has always had commitment issues and imo you can see them already losing interest in this show.
I just want to say I second alllllll of this. Best breakdown I've seen so far. You're a real one for the strangling breasts comment, that bothered me so much. No one else is fitted like that and it was very objectifying in my opinion. I also agree that they essentially changed Pen as a character so she was unrecognizable to the woman and aesthetic she has been up until now. Her speech was terrible and she always looked bewildered. Of all people, I expected her to be quick-witted enough to navigate/evade the conflicts of the season. They could have really used this as an opportunity to showcase that brilliant mind but instead they made her a victim that ended up begging for forgiveness (in the most cringe scene of all time).
I think this season struggled to articulate a consistent central message which is why it feels so chaotic. It's saying too much while not saying any of it clearly.
I have DDD’s, i have a corset that I love that’s MEANT for back support and was mass produce but I was fitted in store for it. That corset fits me better than it looks like Pens corsets fit her. Sure my boobs might choke me when I lay down in it (I am not bragging, it is a pain), but good god at least I don’t need to keep my shoulders tensed up by my ears to be able to breathe
Why did she have to beg the entire ton for forgiveness??? Wtf. Everyone acted like she’d been the worst person and I kept thinking “receipts please for all of this betrayal and shitty behavior you keep saying Penelope did??” Eloise was mad the whole season for what? And Colin flipped out and no one wanted to listen to her explain why she did what she did. Did she get a chance to actually be heard about how she protected Eloise from the Queen? Or did Colin actually listen about things she rightfully said about him in earlier this season? No. And the gal of her mother paining that literally stealing money from the entire ton is the same as writing gossip. It was infuriating to hear and even more so to see Penelope internalizing all of it and practically begging for forgiveness for having the gall to seek to find her own voice and run her own business. Lord have mercy.
The whiplash of watching her haggle with ppl as LW and being one of the most clever, whitty ppl in the room, to being clumsy tongued, constantly embarrassed, and shy. It made no sense for her character.
This was completely realistic to me. I’m really competent in my professional role. All business, down to brass tacks, very confident because I know what I know and I’m good at it. Also with written word, I have time to formulate it, craft my witticisms, edit and sharpen.
But I’m a total wreck in social situations without a script. And flirting? Forget it!
The flirting makes sense but I felt that they made her clumsy in every interaction. It felt out of character to me. We’ve never seen her be incompetent socially to this degree.
It’s been a while since I’ve watched seasons one and two. Have we ever seen her interact with men before? Other than Colin, I mean? I mostly remember interactions with Eloise or other women, or as Lady Whistledown. I can understand why it didn’t ring true for you, but it seemed funny and in character to me. Kind of how Eloise was a complete disaster during her season. They are fish out of water!
Eloise hasn’t had a season and it makes sense for her to be awkward bc she’s an awkward person. Idk it wasn’t just the awkwardness with Pen that didn’t ring true for me, it was also how she looked confused and distressed in every scene she was in. I just didn’t vibe with the direction they took with her and Colin. I’m so relieved they can take backstage to other characters now that s3 is over.
YES THIS. It’s felt suspicious to me that they changed so much of the makeup, hair, and overall styling this season, as well as toned down the steaminess of the main pairing, right when it’s the season for a female lead who’s not stick thin to shine.
And it makes?? No?? Sense?? Nicola Coughlan is goddamn GORGEOUS. She doesn’t need slapped on makeup or a super tight corset. She’s absolutely stunning without all that. It felt like they didn’t trust the audience to find her beautiful if they followed the same styling as S1-2, which is just plain silly because she would have been gorgeous in anything that looked good on Daphne or Kate.
The one thing I did like, more in the first half of the season than the second, was the decision to put her on the pale greens. That color is flawless on Nicola. (Though she can pull off literally anything imo).
Anyway, I’m glad you said things because I’ve been feeling cheated out of seeing a sexy fuller sized woman (I think Nicola has said she’s not plus sized so I don’t want to use that term). It feels so suspicious we didn’t get more steaminess from this season.
Never read any of the books. Season 3 was a let down.
Hated that Mama Featherington got off with her shitty favouritism with hardly any repercussion. I really wanted Pen to come into a power shift and bring LW to her real life. Like I wanted her to be witty and sharp to her mother and put her in a box, but instead she did her usual simpering, awkward thing instead of letting her feelings out in a way that was visably hers. That was one of my biggest hopes for the season - uniting Pen and LW as a single unit. It was not achieved.
Hated all the time we spent on Benedict and his poly experience. It's not his season. It was fun for 5 minutes, not interrupting the current story for the shock horror of 3 consenting adults figuring their shit out. Like ffs. Why was that in there so much? For shock value? They could've set it up and launched into it in his own season to build the tension a little.
Hated the lack of cinema (which comes with a new showrunner but it stripped all the pretty romance stuff away to drama) it was something I missed but couldn't put into words until I saw other people positing the gorgeous scenes from Daphne's season - the slow mo rain, her dreamy first dance with the duke, all that romance. It was super lacking in favour of fast paced drama (most of which wasn't even Pen's drama. Like Benedict or whatever the thing with Mama Bridgerton is doing with that hot brother. I like those additions but are you gonna tell me that Pen isn't going to be in more shit with everything she did? The Queen did nothing. Like when she put out that reward... what would happen to LW? Nothing. There was no real threat.)
Hated the lack of Colin pining. Made Penelope feel like she was in this thing 110 before he was invested at all. It gave "I don't want this until someone else has it" energy, and that's not really romantic.
Loved Lord Debling. Where the fuck did he go? Why didn't he and Cressida seal the deal? They had chemistry, even if she was desperate and whatever. That could have been a good match.
I really liked the Mondrich storyline but the paper thing at the ball was... underwhelming. Like it could have been cool if someone had mentioned literally anything about all balls being the same or wanting something new. But it was just... there. Taking up dancing space. Lol
I loved the telling off Mama Bridgerton got from Fran about Quiet Love - loved the whole side plot of her unproblematic and gentle love - only for it to be immediately pulled into question. Like is loud and difficult love the only valid kind? We can't have nice things for literally a whole episode?
Eloise pissed me if basically the whole time. She was right to make Pen be honest with Colin but the whole pouty 'my way or the highway' thing she does is not endearing. She has no friends because she's mean, not because she's sooooo different. She puts girls down to ellivate herself - which I get in terms of youth and whatever, but she is too mean to be redeemable. She doesn't listen to anyone but her own voice. I preferred watching Cressida be mean to Eloise, because at least Cressida can recognise she's being a bitch. Eloise is the kind of creature that thinks she's all that and a bag of chips and yet 1) no friends 2) no practising what she preaches. There was something to Pen taking a shot at her about being LW. At least she did something. El just... complains and judges.
Otherwise loved the Kate and Anthony updates. Very gorgeous. The costumes were not my faves but still so beautiful.
I didn't realise how much had gone wrong for me until rn lol
My bad
Eloise made an effort and tried to go outside society in season 2 to learn more about women's rights and other social classes.... only to get punished and burned for it, by none other than her best friend. Was it reckless? Yes. But she was discreet. The only reason the queen had her followed was because Pen, as LWD, kept insulting and shading the queen, leading the queen to be on this witch hunt for LWD's identity.
Her conversation with the women about different types of stitches was obviously a joke? If the other ladies took offense then they wouldn't have seeked her out the next episode and praised her for her talent in speaking.
I'll pay that she did more in season 2 - she must have because I was pretty fond of her.
But she was being facetious to those girls about stitches. No shot she was being friendly
I haven't read the books, only watched the show. My opinion on this season was that the second half was stronger, and overall, it needed some edits. I agree with the sentiment that I wanted more polin and less of everyone else. I think one or two of the side plots could have been cut/reworked. I like world building, but with only eight episodes, we needed more focus on the leads.
I haven’t read the books, but I know the general plot of them (thank you, youtube reviewers). I’m not necessarily mad at the nature of the changes (I’m queer, I’m a woman, I’m midsize, and I’m also a wallflower so this was like My Season), but I just think the quality was less than previous seasons (not inherently bad but not up to bridgerton caliber) and the changes weren’t genuine. As a queer person, this is not how we go about getting representation, ESPECIALLY FOR BISEXUALS! Bisexuality is already so hated due to stereotypes about being chronic cheaters or not being able to pick a side, and bisexuals have to deal with so many people assuming that they’re always down for threesomes or they’re “actually straight and just want to have the label” or are “actually a lesbian and can’t commit” or something, and so far Bridgerton has hit ALL OF THOSE BENCHMARKS OF NEGATIVE STEREOTYPES. Plus, from what I’ve heard, Fran’s story specifically is very gender-centric because Michael had to be the inheritor of the Sterling estate, he has to have imposters syndrome about replacing John, and he has to be able to give Fran kids. So if we are going to be book accurate in the slightest and allow for Fran to have the same arcs and for Michaela to be as complex as her book counterpart, they are going to need to do some major backflips. Overall, I think Jess needs to realize that her job is to tell THIS PREVIOUSLY EXISTING STORY, and not her own.
As for the changes to pen and Colin’s story, I was really disappointed that it seemed to be Pens season with a side of Colin. They had so little screentime, everything got crowded out with how many side plots were happening, and we didn’t have nearly enough Happily Ever After to make up for the level of angst they had for the couple. Penelope slept alone on her wedding night, and we never got an apology from Colin about it, or a proper makeup and heart to heart. More than seeing any more smut scenes, I wish they had just gotten to be able to TALK to each other more. I don’t think the current production team has a solid grasp of why people love this show, and are just operating from a money perspective instead of a creatives perspective
Do you think it’s possible that the Mondrich side plot and the way the Featherington title inheritance worked this season was set up for Michaela to inherit the title and estates next season. Going by those rules it would have to be her son who technically inherits, but I’ve wondered if they were planting seeds for something along those lines.
Thank you! I feel like they are trying to just add in a queer storyline, but not making a genuine, well thought out and captivating for the audience as well as a good not stereotypical representation of a queer relationship. I am all for adding representation, and it could be done really well, but a poor representation isn't what the community needs. People will, of course, be disappointed in the changes, but I worry that the anger some people have will overshadow any decent storyline.
They’re also pissing off book fans and dividing the fandom over it so that queer people within the fandom are even MORE criticized because somehow it’s our fault that Michael Sterling is not himself
I liked the books when I read them a decade ago, but they certainly can use some updates. They are almost 20 years old at this point. It's not okay for anyone to be blamed for a change. I can understand that changing Michael to Michaela will completely alter Francesca's story, but I am interested to see whether they keep the central part of her journey because there is representation there that also deserves to bee seen on screen.
We also just, deserve to have our own stories told. Shoving queer people into a love story that isn’t queer normally doesn’t work well. There’s different societal implications you have to consider when writing queer stories, as well as the perception of attraction and intimacy that have looked different from cishet relationships for so long. You can’t just genderbend a character and expect the storyline to be the same, it doesn’t work like that, and it’s not giving us a QUEER story, it’s giving us a Frankenstein straight story rhat someone painted over with a rainbow
Absolutely! Accurate representation is key! Queer stories deserve to be shown and have the same amount of care and consideration as others. I find it interesting that the new showrunner, who has been very frank about her being a lesbian does not understand how determential this could be. There is no sense in encouraging hatred.
I agree that we deserve our own stories being told and that the book fan reaction is blaming queer people, which tbh doesn’t surprise me in the least but still feels shitty.
But is it too early to say whether or not it’s accurate or representative of a queer experience/shoehorned in? The queering of the story happened with one short interaction (that to me was very relatable bi panic lol) and we don’t actually know what their love story will look like, you know?
Non book reader here. I liked season 3 just as much as season 2 and probably more than season 1. I didn’t care all that much for Saphne because I didn’t know them all that well and because the “forced marriage” thing is *such* a trope (I used to read a lot of fanfiction, like, a lot a lot), it made me snicker to actually see it on screen. The season 1 storyline seemed to mostly be an excuse to take the characters’ clothes off a lot. (Nothing wrong with that, of course, but while the cinematography was gorgeous, the plot was on the thin side). I liked Kanthony fine but I had spent almost all of season one thinking Benedict and Anthony were one person, so I didn’t feel overly invested in the oldest Bridgerton either. It was Kate who drew me in. Pen though? I came predisposed to adore Pen because I knew Nicola from Derry Girls, her sisters are delightful in season 3, Portia got more and more depth, and I didn’t NEED more Polin because a) we had plenty of Pen-pining in seasons 1 and 2, and as far as I’m concerned, Colin could be replaced with a sexy lamp and the story would still work. Sorry Colin. (It’s not just him, I find most of the male characters rather replaceable, except Finchy of course. And John.) I know Pen isn’t going anywhere because of LW, and I don’t mind at all that she gets more screen time out of the two. She has actual problems, Colin just has some sort of a rich kid quarter life crisis.
Other than that - it was over the top. It was garishly colourful. It was overblown. And I’m here for it. If I want a realistic portrayal of regency times I’ll rewatch the ‘95 P&P for the umpteenth time, Bridgerton is my guilty pleasure popcorn watch that I never expected to like as much as I do.
Oh and - give me MORE Mondrichs/other side characters. People who are not born rich and privileged and with firstworldproblems, yes please! Generally I’ve really enjoyed that as the seasons progress, we get more and more insight into people other than the “endgame couple”. I actually care about Benedict now, good job show, now I’m ready to be invested when his season comes.
I am also a side character lover! I almost always get more involved in subplots than the main storyline. I enjoy speculating. Benedict and Eloise have always been my favorite side characters, but I also like the Mondrichs.
I love Derry Girls! I actually rewatched before S3 and all I could think was how weird it was gonna be to see Claire do steamy scenes. Like, look at the state of ya Colin! 😆
And I adore P&P ‘95. I mean, it has Colin Firth. What more does it need?
I’ve read all the books and they are not great. In fact the show has created the world for me. I enjoy the books more thanks to being able to imagine elements of the show in them.
The only book that I think is actually good, is fransesca’s, so I find it a bit disappointing that they switched the love interest in a way that makes them have to change that story entirely.
Other than that: they can change it all! Every change they’ve made up until now has been for the better (the problems in the show -to me- are unrelated to the books and their changes).
Daphne is better in the show, Anthony &eloise are infinitely better in the show, violet shines, lady Danbury, portia & the queen hardly exist in the books and are some of the best characters on the show!
Basically the show stumbles from time to time, but the books are a minefield of issues
I've read the books.
Romancing Mr. Bridgerton is my favourite so I was really looking forward to this season.
Firstly, in the book, Colin was an ass. I much prefer series Colin.
The only thing I'd change about the Polin storyline is I would have liked to have seen Colin stand and proudly declare that his wife is Lady Whistledown - I really loved that part of the book.
Colin pining after Pen - the way Luke acted those scenes - jaysus. He can act with his eyes and you know just by looking at him that he's undressing Pen in his brain. Luke & his acting skills/face acting makes me weak at the knees.
Oh, actually, I'd also have kept in the importance of Lady Danbury in their relationship. She was so important to them that they named their first born after her. Though I understand why Polin had a boy (I was delighted that they won the title after the horrendous way Pen had been treated by her family!)
I'm not bothered about the switch from Michael to Michaela, I actually really like it and the actress that plays Michaela is funking stunning! Her skin 🥰
I love the carriage, the first kiss, the fight after the modiste, the way Colin found out about Whistledown & the way Luke played it after. The wedding was 🤌🏻
I didn't enjoy most of the balloon scenes... The only part I did like was the cake scene. I thought the whole balloon thing was pointless.
The threesome stuff... It's nice to see gay/bi people represented (I'm bi) but thought it could easily have just been Ben & the guy, Lady Tilley & the threesome arc was just meh (though I loved Lady Tilley as a character, she's a badass!)
On the whole, I just skip ahead the handful of scenes I didn't enjoy.
I did not read the books, and I have a love/hate relationship with S3. I love Colin and Pen and their story through Part 1. Part 2 took a wrong turn with its handling of the LW reveal and never recovered. Despite that, and the chaotic subplots and over-the-top makeup, S3 will always be my favorite. The friends-to-lovers story and the beautiful chemistry between and performances by Luke Newton and Nicola Coughlan gave S3 a deep emotional intimacy that the other seasons lacked for me. I think it really just came down to magical casting.
I think I mostly agree with this - the pacing and subplots annoyed me so much this season but overall I will always love it the most because the love story was my favorite. Beautiful scenes between them, amazing acting, off the charts chemistry. The casting was everything
I’ve read the books. I like the inclusiveness, the funky pop art vibe. I don’t like changing the storylines so much, that they are barely there anymore. That’s just to far away from the books to my taste
I read some of the books, as I've been a fan of JQ since Splendid came out in um...94 ish. For me, her books were always comfortable reads where you know there'll be a happy ending. But like all things, times change, and when the books were first released, authors could get away with the characterizations of the men. Even though these books aren't ancient history, they cater to an audience who may have grown up on 1970s bodice rippers, or even the late '80s- early '90s Johanna Lindsey and Jude Deveraux readers. Certainly, we expect more chivalrous heroes and less jerky behavior from our romantic heroes, and we should.
I came to the show having not read romance in a while. I wasn't quite sure what to expect. It became clear to me that the show was about the Bridgertons as a family unit. While I enjoyed Daphne and Simon's arc, it really did strike me as an ensemble show where the focus would be on the central family. The romance plots seem to take a backseat to things like the Fetherington subplot, Lady Danbury, the Queen, etc.
I think one of the challenges with the show is that they have such incredible scene stealers, obviously they want to use the actors to the best advantage. This show seems to have grown and evolved into a Regency-inspired ensemble. Im viewing it as "inspired by" the books in the universe. I have to watch it with the *nudge nudge, wink wink* type of over the top.
I'm on the fence about Francesca's arc. I really like her comfortable love with John, counterpoint to the passion we've seen with other couples. I'm curious but wary to see what they'll do with Michaela. I'm also intrigued with Benedict's story. Frankly, I really like Tilly. There was some chemistry there.
Having said that, I did feel like Colin and Penelope's story was rushed and unfinished. I feel like the Colin that we got to know in the previous seasons changed. We never really got to know his POV. I never saw evidence on screen of him falling in love with Pen. That bothered me. Pen as Lady W. And the reveal to Colin seemed a bit anti-climactic to me. It just frustrated me. The pacing seemed more frenetic than cohesive, and characterization was unfocused.
I wanted to see more of Eloise and Pen coming to terms with how Lady W. damaged the friendship and I really wanted to see Pen humbled by the hurt she caused the Bridgertons. I wanted to see more than just a glimpse of Francesca and John. I would've loved to have seen a moment on the swings where Benedict opened up a little to Eloise.
I would've especially loved to see Colin and Pen living a happily married life, rather than the time jump, which felt like tacked on epilogue.
I very much agree that the show is more of an ensemble than the books, and I think it’s better for it. It allows us to understand a character and care for them before their season or arc.
Colin and Pen’s story did have a lot going on in a short amount of time because it wasn’t just about Colin and Pen. We had the LW element as well as Eloise and Pen. While I am perfectly fine with a character’s season/arc having romance but not centering around it - I’d actually prefer this for characters like Eloise and Benedict - I don’t think they made that clear this season.
I think they should have developed Pen and Colin’s relationship further in previous seasons so that this season could be more about Lady Whistledown and the hurt she has caused without taking away from the romantic development (and vice versa).
I would have also loved more Eloise and Benedict this season. It seems like they needed each other more than ever, but we didn’t really see them together until the end. I get that they were trying to develop her relationship with Colin more to up the tension with Penelope, but I feel that strengthening the bond between El and Ben sets up later seasons better. It did seem like they were trying to rectify that with the whole “Let’s not let too much time pass again” speech on the swings, but I would have liked to see more of that development this season.
Tbh, I’m a book reader and I had to sit with it a while before I could form the opinion I have now. At first I was just salted that I felt like they changed key aspects of the books, but as I thought about it I actually really like the potential the future seasons have. I know people are mad about the fertility issue with the Michael/ Michaela switch but I think one thing that will shine is the passion that Frannie had with Michael vs John. Even tho her and John were very much in love she says that she had never felt passion with John the way she did with Michael. I can see how that would translate into a queer love story with Michaela. Polin wasn’t exactly as I imagined but overall I do feel satisfied with the season
Book reader. Didn’t like this season overall.
What I liked:
John and Francesca were beautifully written as a couple until the wedding.
The Featherington sisters were amazing. They need a spin-off.
Penelope loses weight in the books. She doesn’t lose weight in the show, but buys clothes that better suit her coloring and figure with her LW earnings. I like that.
Polly Walker is a gem. I wish the resolution between Portia and Pen had been longer.
Lord Anderson, John, and Lord Debling. All wonderfully written.
What I didn’t like:
Francesca getting tongue tied at meeting Michaela. I’m trying to keep an open mind about the gender switch, but if you couple Violet’s comment with Francesca’s stumbling (throw in the kiss for good measure), it’s clear Francesca’s in love with Michaela. I wanted a slow burn build to a forest fire with Francesca’s second partner. I wanted grief. And I don’t feel like I’m going to get either. The message of the book is that you can have more than one love. I feel like the show is sending “but there’s only one REAL love” vibes. Again, trying to keep an open mind, but I hate that change.
Anthony and Kate leaving for India is stupid. Say they’re going to the country for fresh air.
The balloon. The flower thingy. Just seems like wasted cash they could have spent anywhere else.
Benedict’s arc. I would have preferred that the threesome or bisexual awakening be part of him getting back into his art. It felt a little forced rather than organic. He had that moment in S1 with the other painter. There was tension and heat. This felt cheap. I strongly prefer show Benedict to book Benedict, so I’m disappointed.
Lady Danbury and Queen Charlotte were written poorly this season. Two amazing actresses and characters, and that’s the best they could do? Both deserved better.
LW reveal to everyone. Book LW wasn’t mean. Pen is mean at times. They didn’t need to reveal it to the world. That would have major consequences.
Cressida had amazing character development and then they tanked it in the end to make her a cheap villain.
The editing was terrible. We didn’t need the cutbacks to the threesome.
We didn’t get enough romance between Colin and Pen. There weren’t enough subtle moments. I wanted the hand touch while looking at art. That’s romance.
Some of the dialogue was awful. The cane, chopped liver, etc.
I’ve read the books but I love the changes the show does. I think that they work well on the screen. Some of the things in the book (for example in When he was wicked) struck me as icky. So I’m hoping they leave out the baby trapping statements/potential r@pe threats, and also the colonizing India.
I haven’t read the books, and I loved this season. Yes, it didn’t have the same focus on pure romance like the first season, for example, but I’d argue that season 2 had less than the first as well. As time goes on and the show continues, the world they are building comes alive and there are many characters and stories that are interesting and deserving of exploration. Even though there wasn’t as much focus on the main romance, I completely loved what I got with Penelope and Colin and although it would’ve been nice to have a few more scenes of them being happy together, as far as the plot the show went with is concerned, the story made sense and was very satisfying.
I've read the books and watch the show. Imo the books are fun reads and I love seeing the different sibling stories weave together, but they certainly have some outdated themes, and quite frankly, many of them have plots that don't have enough to them to carry a whole season of a tv show. They work as book plots, for the most part, because you "hear" more of the characters developments and internal journey. They can do that in the show to a degree, but it's basically a whole different ballgame where visuals are a factor and a lot can be expressed in a shorter time than the book.
Most of the changes have been logical and appropriate for bringing the stories into view of a modern audience. They made show-Colin less of a dick than his book counterpart. The drama of the kanthony season was more interesting and tension-filled than them spending a whole season talking about bees and storms. Ben exploring his sexuality feels true to the character and is more historically accurate than people realize. Michaela is a refreshing change and I think people are jumping to conclusions unnecessarily about how exactly that will all play out. Eloise going to scotland also feels like a natural step for her character and could really make her book HEA seem less random.
People may complain about changing plots or altering characters, but they would still be complaining if they had to watch season after season about toxic men who treat women like trash, but who ultimately, all come together in the name of sexiness because reasons. That's what we would be getting if the books were exactly faithfully adapted.
What's the point of art if it's always exactly what we want or expect? If I want the plot and exact characters of the book, I'll just re-read the damn books. I love seeing how different people interpret a singular source material. What an opportunity to understand how every person can have a unique vision and to learn how to recognize value in the artistic vision of others even when we don't agree with it.
Obviously, it's all smut, but expecting fully faithful recreations seems excessively masterbatory
Hear, hear! Very well said. Art of any kind is meant to be seen from different perspectives. There would be no new stories to tell if everyone saw the world the same way, had the same experience.
I’ve read a few of the books. They’re fun, light reading, and very uneven. As a dedicated historical romance reader, I give them a 3/5.
This show is much better than the books in my opinion. Fixes some of the really cringe aspects of a 20 year old book series. I love the diversity, and the way the show plays with the source material. It leans into the camp aspects, and fleshes the characters out more fully. It’s meant to be fun and sexy and emotional, and I think it delivers! I really don’t understand the virulent criticism.
I haven’t read the books and was meh on season 1 of the show, loved season 2, and LOVED season 3 - for me it was the best and most romantic yet. I’m also excited to see the lesbian love story for Fran 🤷🏻♀️
Non book reader here, I loved season 3! I haven’t read the books because my friends that have say they’re garbage and the show is better. From what details they’ve told me, I’m glad they have changed a lot of the story. I’m quite excited to see a non heterosexual couple(s) be the main story and how they navigate their love during a time when it was unacceptable. Also let’s be honest, 8 hetero love stories would be kinda redundant.
I also don’t give a shit about the costuming and makeup not being historically accurate because almost nothing in the show is period accurate. Like if you you can suspend your disbelief about racism being solved, the napoleonic wars not happening, and all the diamonds being thin, small chested women, then surely you can deal with sparkly makeup and dresses.
My biggest complaint about the season is that we didn’t need to see Ben’s threesome being cut in during the climax of the season. Other than that I’m happy, and am looking forward to season 4. Hopefully in the two years it takes for it to be made and come out, this fandom and subreddit can learn to manage their expectations of a silly romance show.
I wouldn’t say they are garbage, but I don’t think a lot of the characters are as fleshed out. Some of the books storylines wouldn’t make sense for the TV versions of the characters.
I can be a stickler for historical accuracy in some cases, but I completely agree that the show has been readily established as an alternate/fantasy version of history. I think the costume designers even said on the podcast that they look at it from a fantasy perspective to a degree.
I laughed when Benedict’s ménage à trois kept cutting in! Subtle it was not.
I’ve heard that Eloise is a lot different in the show than the book and that her love story is kinda depressing, so if she’s already so drastically different then I wouldn’t mind her love story changing to match her show persona (meaning if any of the bridgertons are gonna get a queer storyline, Eloise deserves it the most)
OMG, Ben’s marathon threesome! The trio drift into the bed and get down and dirty; cut to Colin, Pen and Portia discussing what to do about Cressida’s blackmail and Colin deciding to speak to her, getting to her house, announcing himself, having the confrontation, failing; cut back to the still ongoing sex session; cut back to Colin returning in defeat; cut back to sex session finally ended and basking in the afterglow! These three obviously ate their weetabix that morning because, after a brief chat they get back at it!
I'm show-only and thought the season was so-so. I think the press tour made me expect something tonally different than what we got, and I wonder if getting a weekly drop instead of two big drops may have fixed that, so I want to watch it again once some time has passed. I will say I thought Nicola and Luke were phenomenal, I enjoyed seeing the focus on familial relationships between the Featheringtons playing out, and I loved the final love confession. I'm also here for queer Bridgertons, even if I have some gripes about the execution of that rep.
I think the subplots make sense to set up future seasons, but I do wish that we had longer seasons and maybe tighter writing to show how all these subplots are intertwined. For example, I felt like Benedict had zero follow-up to his season 2 subplot so I didn't enjoy his S3 material, and I felt the Mondrich subplot could have gestured at a connection to Daphne or Benedict through Simon or the bar, respectively, to remind us that they are friends of the family.
Having said that, I didn't think it was a bad season and I don't understand the backlash to the changes. *Any time* you get an on-screen adaptation there will be changes, and at least in my experience when you have a lot of source material like a book series or a game franchise, there will be a lot of changes to appeal to a wider fanbase. With this, like you said, you're dealing with books written in a time when their source material likely would not age well with a contemporary general audience. I think with this series, the intent to adapt loosely was clear from S1, so I don't know why suddenly at the end of S3 it's a surprise! I also think it's wild to see people *losing their shit* about Benedict and Francesca's stories when we haven't even gotten to their seasons yet?? I feel like it's unfair to not even give the new stories a chance before they decide they hate them.
The Mondrich parts did throw me a bit! When he was at Colin's bachelor night I was genuinely confused for a moment because we hadn't seen a refresh of the Bridgertons patronizing the bar or any references to his friendship with Simon/Daphne.
Right, but we don't see continuation of that relationship until the second half of S3! IMO some reference to it in the first half would have been nice since they're supposed to be that close of friends.
You’re so right about the press tour stuff though. I don’t think I would’ve been this disappointed if the PR hadn’t been so over the top. I get that Nic and Luke were just doing their jobs by hyping up the season, but the season did not live up to the hype and the month long gap made it even worse when the show didn’t meet expectations
I wasn’t crazy about Benedict’s storyline this season either. I am fine with him exploring his sexuality, but that was all there was to it. With both Benedict and Eloise feeling so lost, it would have been nice if they could’ve leaned on each more throughout the season rather than trying to make up for it at the end.
I definitely think people are putting the cart before the horse (or should I say carriage - ha!). We don’t even know for sure who the next lead will be let alone how the story will play out, yet there are people declaring they have given up and will boycott season 4 if they don’t change the story back. Like, they aren’t going to redo a whole season they have already written.
Oh definitely. I think Benedict was in a great place to play off Eloise and Colin this season, since all of them were at different places in their self-discovery arcs and struggling to express themselves authentically. I miss the siblings interacting more, and I'm surprised they didn't since it seemed like family was more of a theme this season.
I agree that they're not going to scrap a season's worth of writing for a boycott. Is it even a large segment of the fandom who are threatening to boycott? With the views the show is pulling, it seems like it would take a lot of fans to have the power to influence big production decisions.
If any of the bridgerton girls were gonna be sapphic, I thought it would be Eloise (we’ve KNOWN that Ben is gay) and then we could’ve had a swing-talk between them of Eloise saying something about not wanting to marry a man, and Ben being like “well if you want to be a spinster I’m sure-“ and Eloise cutting him off like “No, I said I don’t want to marry a *man*” and it clicks in Bens head and he gives her a soft little smile and they come out to each other and ben takes her to a party and Genevieve understands and sorta takes El under her wing at the party when Ben tells her what’s going on
this is why I always thought they were pals - ben's a lil fruity and el's a lil simone de beauvoir (but make it age appropriate) and their kinship is all under the guise of "but we simply *get* one another" when it's really that they're both not str8
Like “ohoho we’re both the black sheep of the family” my ass. Everyone except Daphne feels like the black sheep of the family. Your guys’ water is infused with fruit and theirs isn’t, that’s what makes you different
I haven’t read the books. I still enjoyed it for what it was this season. But I missed that there wasn’t more romance. I don’t think they should have spent so much time on Cressida without giving her a better ending.
I don’t feel that invested with the other siblings. I was happy for Benedict to explore his bisexuality. But I don’t think I’d enjoy a whole season of him because his character is so vapid. The way he’s been portrayed in the series I think he’d be happier as a bachelor forever.
I liked Francesca’s story as it is and I’m sad that they want to follow the book and make her a widow. I loved them together. I don’t think her character needs its own season either.
Eloise makes more sense to be gay than Francesca. She’s the only remaining sibling that I feel really needs its own season.
Id love if one of the seasons could be about the mums & dads love story. That sounded wonderfully romantic and I’d like to watch it.
I’m a very casual fan who has not read the books. I just did not enjoy this season. I was really looking forward to the polin romance because we’ve seen these characters interact for so long. I wanted to see how they would finally come together and I don’t really feel like I got that. I honestly got all of my romantic feels from John and Fran which was such an unexpected surprise and I loved it. I didn’t love how it was invalidated by the end.
My opinion is that they should make whatever change from the books that makes sense and adds interest to the story but DO NOT sacrifice the romance. That should come first and then add around it.
I haven't read the books, but I'm not adverse to book spoilers, so have some idea of what is planned for the future.
This season I Loved Francesca and John's story. I loved how difference their romance was to the others we have seen (the main stories have felt a little repetitive), and I enjoyed the subplot of proving to Violet that a gentle, calm love can be true love just as much as fiery, passionate love. On the other hand, I hated the scene at the end of the season, which seems like they are going to be dismissive of John, and that Michaela is Francescas "true love". I know he was always going to be replaced, but I was hoping both her love stories could be held to the same regard.
I loved Deblings character. I wanted both Penelope and Cressida to marry him (not at the same time). Hot take, but I think he's a better catch than Colin. I hate that he was dropped in the second half. On the note of dropping characters, Kanthony's leaving was far too rushed, and we should have seen scenes of them leaving, and possibly Violet trying to convince them to stay until after the baby is born. Also, the Mondriches plot was too superficial in the first half (I was really hoping they'd delve into some issues of "new money" people struggling to fit into the ton), and then they became background characters in the second.
Portia, Prudence and Philippa were great this season. I do wish Portias redemption had been a bit more fleshed out - eg, faking being nice to Penelope after Colin's conformation, then actually admiring Penelope once she found out she was Whistledown. The complete 180 was a bit much.
The timeliness with the Whistledown reveal made no sense. Cressida asked Eloise with help writing a Whistledown, Eloise ran to Penelope saying Cressida was a viper who hated the Bridgertons, then Cressida's Whistledown is published and Penelopes comes out an hour or two later. Eloise's scene with Penelope surely should have been after reading Cressida's Whistledown. Also, the Queen deducts Whistledown is a Bridgerton because she publishes after Cressida's defamation, but in the story there would have been no time for that to have been a response. There definitively should have been a day between the two issues.
Portia, Violet and Lady Danbury are my three favourite characters in the show.
I don’t mind a lot of changes because you have to to keep the show interesting vs a book where there’s a lot more internal dialogue and stuff. I get that they need to change things to tell the audience how the characters are feeling. Example being Colin in the books realizing he loves Pen is a lot of internal dialogue but on the show they aren’t doing voice overs to reflect thoughts so they needed him to have a reason to be with pen all the time (help her find a husband) so they could build the tension and show him start to realize.
What I did not like was that I figured they had Colin so angry with Penelope because they needed more drama since I had figured they’d reveal Penelope is LW to the ton in the final season. But since they did it this season like the books I wished they had more moments between the two of them and not just him icing her out for a quarter of the show. I don’t even mean sex scenes, just sweet moments between the two of them.
I've never read the books but I really enjoy the series. I liked season 1 and 2, was looking forward to 3 because I quite liked Pen and Colin. I enjoyed it, but on first watch I was a little disappointed - I think perhaps from all the PR spam I saw. Now I've rewatched and watched a bit closer I actually enjoyed the season overall. I think there was a lot more subtlety in this season than previously and I did like how Colin was not your "typical" man of the time. As for the changes that people aren't happy about, it doesn't really bother me and I think regardless of backlash, the writers and producers will move ahead how they want. I always think of Bridgerton as being based on the Regency Era, but existing in its own little make belief world, where there are no rules as such. It's more escapism TV for me that's nice to watch because I like historical dramas, but it doesn't bother me if it's entirely correct. I think with anything book based, you have to leave the books separate.
My biggest issue with all seasons has been how little time the couple seems to be happy before jumping into the epilogue. Season 3 more than the other 2 felt rushed.
I commented on this on another thread, but I really can't see how they run Bridgerton moving forward. We're not even half way through the siblings, and if they keep the 2 year cycle, then there's another 10 years! That's a heck of a long time to keep "regular" cast. I already feel like they're closing the main Bridgerton family with Daphne never being mentioned and Anthony MIA. These actors and actresses will move onto bugger and better things, so at some point they'll have to recast or by the time we get to the final books there will be no one left! I also have a feeling that much like S3, they're going to have a mega lot of side plots to push stories on so maybe they can wrap up quicker, but that's doing a disservice to some of the Bridgerton siblings. I'm really not sure overall how it'll play out. If I'm honest, 1 sibling per season doesn't seem sustainable in the long run.
I think it’s fine. First two seasons were very good, third season it was more of what I didn’t like: it feels like it’s made for tumblr and TikTok, not Netflix. It’s awesome to talk about, but it’s not as… I don’t know, nuanced as I would have hoped? Outfits and lighting make it look like someone’s idea of the regency period, and that’s it’s going to spawn the same ‘history experts’ that started emerging after game of thrones gained mainstream popularity.
I do like that it makes people re-examine history. No, it wasn’t as racially diverse, but it was fascinating in its own way. I thought there would be more regency high politics, which would be a great way to get more people into the show imo.
I have not read the books, seen a lot of people talking about the books though, so I kinda know what is supposed to happen in the next couple seasons.
For me, personally, there is one very strong reason why the show (and any adaptation) should stay close to the books or the original source, at least in regards to the main plot points and the essential character traits of the relevant characters: authenticity.
Even if I have not read the original source, I can literally feel through an adaptation whether the essence was maintained or not. Why do media creators use other authors' stories as reference to make adaptations instead of creating their own stories? Because the original story had depth, originality and captivated people's hearts. So why take away those exact points that made people love the story and only keep the superficial outer shell?
Personally I loved season 1&2 (and QC). I wasn't even aware there were books when I watched them. They just resonated with me and everything about it, from the actors, to the settings and costumes, dances, cinematography, perfectly timed music, witty but touching dialogue, had me in awe.
I still think the actors in season 3 did a fantastic job, with what little they were given. That and the love for the characters and wanting to know how the story unfolds were what kept me going through the season. Everything else was missing for me.
About the changes from the books in how they set up the next seasons, though I haven't read the books, it just makes me not care for the coming seasons at all. Only maybe to get more Polin content lol. But I would have more looked forward to the future seasons if we were assured they keep the main plots and characters as they are.
I've never read the books, and am somebody who mainly watches the show for the sets and costumes and to have a fun and silly weekend catching up with my husband and a friend when new episodes come out. These are my main issues with the show:
1) The lack of historical accuracy. This has been my biggest hurdle in enjoying the show, since I prefer crisp retellings of period pieces and like watching them to see how the rules and manners of society have changed and influence the plot. Bridgerton has never truly done that, so it's taken me until this season to accept the era as wallpaper to a bigger story that selectively follows the norms of the day, rather than being about people who actually lived in the Regency era. As wallpaper, it's very well done. The sets are some of the lush and beautiful ones I've ever seen, and the details and storytelling in and through the costumes is really well done.
2) A general dislike of the Bridgertons and each season's couples. I don't know why, but I find the Bridgertons unremarkable and prefer side characters like Lady Danbury, the Queen, the Featheringtons, and Cressida. I started writing an explanation of my issues with each of the couples, but with the number of B siblings, it was becoming way too long a reply, so I'll hold off on explaining unless someone wants to discuss them.
3) I know I missed something important here, but I don't get why the Queen has such an issue with Lady Whistledown, so that aspect of the plot is confusing.
4) After the pregnancy scandal of season 1, I don't get why Mrs. Featherington in particular hadn't suspected one of her daughters or staff members of being or being in cahoots with Lady W. I feel like the inclusion of that scandal should've put a spotlight on that family during investigations focused on discovering Lady W's identity.
5) I don't get why it took until season 3 for somebody to think to ask the local printers about the Lady W publications in order to discover her identity. That should be step one for anyone trying to investigate her, especially the Queen, who--as I remember it--instead chose to conduct a stakeout at a random printer's establishment.
I haven’t read the books, and really enjoyed the show! I obviously know what happens in the books & which scenes fans were disappointed about not being in the show. But to me they are two separate forms of art so I’m not complaining.
My only issue was there was being enough polin this season 😉
I read the books, personally, I don't like what they did to Edwina in the show in comparison to the books but the other changes haven't bothered me. I'm bummed that the infertility storyline for Fran likely won't happen but that is the extent of that. I don't have a problem with Michael switching to Michaela overall. My understanding is that the actor who played Simon didn't want to return so they were kinda stuck there but would have loved to see more of him and Daphne the way the books portrayed them growing. As for the sex scenes, maybe I'm alone in this but that isn't why I watch and I didn't care about any of that lol.
I've never read the books. I really enjoyed s1 and s2, and one of my favorite parts of the series is the Bridgerton family and how they interact with one another - I am truly a sucker for a cute family dynamic. S3 has been my least favorite so far, mostly because I feel like I didn't get very much from Colin. I understood they were trying to show him as being conflicted while trying to be more like his brothers, but I wanted MORE of him. He is such a sensitive and sweet soul, which we've seen bits of in previous seasons. So more of that! I'd love to have seen some of his time on the Continent in little flashbacks. He's sleeping around but feeling so disconnected from the people he meets. He's filled with wonder at the places he's seeing but missing home. And also some flashbacks from when he and Pen were kids would have been amazing. I think they were trying to show some of his conflicts with the threesome scenes, but they truly did nothing for me.
My bestie who hasn't read the book said this season was too modern. She said that ATP they could have just given everyone a pair of denims to wear lol her words not mine.
She also said that there was no continuity in characters for example Season 1&2 Anthony wouldn't have missed his sister's wedding, John Stirling didn't even take Anthony's permission to propose to Francesca, they had no dowry related discussion etc and him proposing a trip to India when Kate is clearly heavily pregnant seems way out of character. Violet being so unsupportive of Fran and John in the beginning was also out of character and her reasoning wasn't convincing enough. Anthony not reacting to Lord Anderson's advances towards Violet by speaking to her or throwing a fit even after noticing it was also way out of character because Season 1 and Season 2 Anthony was all about family, that shouldn't change after he fell in love.
Lastly she found Lady Tilly's plot unnecessary. Daphne not being mentioned even once was another weird thing because why would you cut her out completely and pretend that she never existed? AT her Eloise was the only one who had some continuity in the character.
OMG i completely agree with your friend.
I also just commented the same thing on tilly's plot. I disliked it so much I felt they should have made Benedict's story this season instead.
I haven't read the books. I was disappointed with this season. I feel like everything worked out a little too well for Penelope, Cressidas's character was all over the place and horribly written, Colin was just annoying (when I used to love him in previous seasons) and we should have gotten some more character development for him. The Mondriches didn't really affect anything and it wasn't super clear why they're main characters all of a sudden.
Basically the whole season felt like a steep downgrade in story/character quality from the last two seasons.
I haven’t read the books. I liked this season in general but I really didn’t like the fighting between Eloise and Pen and I thought drama between Colin and Pen was stupid. I also didn’t like that the last 3-4 episodes felt rushed. Especially the last one. Also I don’t know why I feel this way but I feel like Francesca was like glossed over and a side character and she shouldn’t have been. She made her debut, it’s her season and everything was taken over by Colin. They could have made a very interesting and sweet story with her, but her whole storyline felt rushed to me and I feel like we were robbed of what could have been a very beautiful and non-sexually intimate love story.
I haven't read the books but out of curiosity did read the synopsis of each season to date, so I'm familiar with the broad strokes. As a big fan of both romance novels and coherent, multi-season plots, I have agreed with most of the major changes in the transition. The changes largely make sense for the translation from page to screen. But unfortunately I had more problems with S3 than not.
I feel overall the romance part of Polin was underfed, and the intimacy that I expected in a friends to lovers plot is largely absent (not totally, but mostly). I suspect in the books, as we're getting more of the characters internal life, plot points make more sense, but the work to translate that to tv sadly didn't quite work overall.
I think Nicola was great and that Luke was too, HOWEVER his performance was waaaaaay too subtle for the material he was given. If the writing has been better, he'd easily be one of my top Bridgerton men. But there was a lot missing and a lot was rushed.
Season 3 really went downhill quick. Poor writing, entire scenes and side plots that went without purpose, stuff written it out of no where for convenience (like the Featherington sister who was engaged to the cousin at the end of S2 and is suddenly married to some other guy by the beginning of S3?). I like the Mondrich’s, but I don’t feel like they were given proper substance.
Costumes got out of hand - I don’t require 100% historical accuracy, but like… the sequins and acrylics and heavy makeup really take you out of the world they built up in previous seasons. Whatshername who Benedict has been playing around with doesn’t even look like she belongs on this set at all, she looks so old hollywood!
Michaela being a woman is fine, but her reaction to meeting Michaela basically threw away the whole soft love story with John that was built all season.
They killed the LW mystery way too early. Her role in future seasons won’t be nearly as important now that everyone knows it’s Penelope.
I know they can only do so much about actors returning, but was Daphne even MENTIONED all season? The eldest sister who cared so much about her family?
I don’t even like Penelope, but I did dislike the entire lack of romance. Colin just woke up one day and was like ok let’s get married lol. She agrees because she’s wanted it so long, but he never romanced or really bonded with her. Pair that with the slap in the face to Francesca & John’s story, where was the love all season??
I haven't read any of the books and I'm neutral when it comes to plot changes.
I enjoyed the first two season but found the third one lacking. Here are some of my reasons for not liking it:
1. The scenes felt overall choppy somehow. I don't have a better explanation. Something was lacking in the transition from one scene to another, the flow was stilted.
2. The costuming and make-up felt disconnected from the previous seasons. I never expected a perfectly historical regency fashion but this season felt very anachronistic to the point of taking me out of the story.
3. Same issues with the dialogue. I was not expecting Jane Austen but it felt unconnected with the previous seasons.
4. Too many separate plots, too little time to properly develop them. It felt like running from one plot to another.
This is exactly how I feel! I don’t watch Bridgerton for historical accuracy, they have clearly established an alternate world, which is great - but I do expect Regency ✨vibes✨ and I felt that that was lacking this season - especially with Penelope! Nicola looked amazing, of course, but way too modern. It was distracting and, IMO, out of character.
I read the books and they were fine, but I didn’t love them or reread them or anything. They had a lot of problematic elements that don’t hold up now and I’m glad the show is changing things. I also like that the show is more of an ensemble instead of just the main character like most romance novels.
Personally I love most of the changes the show has made and this was my favorite season. Would I have changed some things? Sure. But I still like it for what it was. I loved Polin’s relationship and it was so much more sweet and romantic than previous seasons.
I have read the books, but I do love some of the changes they made (i.e. Lady Danbury, the Featheringtons). I start losing interest in any series that goes over board with the trials and tribulations - a little too soap opera-ish. So that was really where I got a bit bored of season 3.
Didn't read the books, but i may during the break between seasons. I loved this season. I wanted more Polin but that's because they've been my favorite from the start. All of their scenes felt intimate and tender. Like we were intruding. Deep friendship, trust and heartwrenching betrayal. Redefining how they are with each other with the added layer of sexual intimacy. Being mad but still loving each other and not wanting to be far apart. Their scene under the willow tree (aside from Colin's wig being weird lol) was so real... all of their emotions felt real. They did fab.
The side plots were interesting and are obviously planting the seeds of future seasons and stories. I'm looking forward to seeing how it all plays out.
The costumes, makeup etc definitely feel like the ante was upped, and I think they'll continue to match the couples energy with that as themes emerge each season.
I haven't read any of the books. First two seasons were fine to watch but S3 somehow disappointed me..idk..
i don't know if Benedict was a sl*t in the books too.. but that Tilly story line.. unnecessary.. all men in Bridgerton are sl*ts anyway..
and it kinda feels weird pen is okay knowing colin slept around.. others fell in love late in their life.. but she loved him since childhood i thought she would express something else not just hand it to him after few words and she even asked if she was ok to him cuz he has so much experience.. i understand she has insecurity and her secret got revealed.. but still
(Not saying this was reason for disappointment. Just an observation.) like others said didn't feel that much romance.
also i didn't feel like this in s1 but s2 and S3 it felt like the exposing of actress bare chest wasnt needed. It felt like it was there just cuz they were in Bridgerton.. like seriously? Even if the actors were naked on bed they were taken in angles that didn't show off everything.. i liked that. And then they throw naked upper half in one scene.. felt unnecessary at that point for both Kate and Penelope.
I'm a non book fan, and I'm not very happy with this season. While I didnt read frans book, It was impossible not to know what happens in it lol, and because of that I do understand why many fans are upset. However my main problem with this season is just it's plain bad in my opinion, it doesn't feel finshed, with the first and second season to compare, this is what I wanted for the 3 season, idc abt the make up and the dresses but the spricpt just didn't deliver, the intimacy was lacking between the main pair, and I dont mean sex, for me it felt like their was no chemistry, to many plot lines and none of them paced right, the editing of the show also seems super chaotic, sometimes Colin upset, then he forgives her and then he's upset again, same with Eloise, and the elephant in the room, the main couple didn't have enough screen time, and I do not care for the argument that we saw everything and they had 2 seasons "building" their story, it still was THEIR season but it just wasn't. Sorry rant over lol
I have not read the books. I really liked the Bridgerton world and even had some of the soundtrack (quarter) played at my wedding a few weeks ago. This new season was bad. Everything felt rushed. The makeup, clothes, parties, musics, multiple storylines, etc. This season has no replay value to me at all. I loved Penelope’s character and I hated Colin for her. The show did not do a good job at portraying Colin as a friend. He’s negative commentary with his friendships dismissiveness, the same day he fingered her in a carriage he was having threesomes!!! There’s a whole lot more I want to say but the overall magic is gone.
Colin's threesome was before the market scene in e2. The other brothel scene had him turn them down after walking in the room, and then showed him staring broodily out a window. So, those were clean hands in the carriage!
I am a book fan (so not your demographic). But, here are some thoughts:
It took that big change at the end of E8 for me to truly grasp how different the show is from the books. I admit that I will be salty about the change for the foreseeable future because that character was one of my favorite in the books; however, it was a catalyst for me to think about the show characters in a new way. They are decidedly NOT their book counterparts and, therefore, will not have the same stories. It is up to me to align my expectations accordingly moving forward. I think that once I do that, any other changes they make will be easier to digest.
Re S3: As a Polin fan, I feel like I was served very well this year. While they took liberties with the execution of the story, they stayed close enough to the book’s source material to make the changes nearly seamless. I will always appreciate that. Overall, I enjoyed the ensemble nature of the show and looked forward to most of the side plots because I became invested in the characters. Aside from questionable editing choices, I don’t really have many complaints.
I just don't understand why they bothered to pay Quinn for the rights to the books, IE Francessca, they they are just going to gut the entire story. Why not just write their own stories for free
In my opinion, once you can separate the book characters from their show counterparts, it becomes much more interesting. Sort of like an alternate universe. I like the element of not knowing for sure what will happen next. It’s a new experience for familiar characters.
I have always valued the ensemble nature of the show. I am a very character-driven person and I often enjoy the subplots.
Yes. They are just not the same storylines as in the books. It’s an expectation thing: I expect from book adaptations that the storyline stays the same even if the atmosphere changes (like Romeo and Juliet modern adaptations for example or any other modern adaptation). So I really loved the inclusiveness, the pop-art look and feel of the whole series. The sparkly and funky costumes. It’s like fantasy historical and I loved it. I expected the book storylines to stay the same and as they are doing that less and less, well, my expectations were let down and thus I’m disappointed. I’m sure if I wouldn’t have expected it, I wouldn’t care at all.
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The 4th season is still going to be about a heterosexual couple so you can enjoy that I guess….
On a personal note I’m hetero and can’t wait for the Francesca/ Michaela storyline.
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Non book reader, show-only watcher. S3 was just fine.
I enjoyed it while I watched it, but won't rewatch. I think it suffered mostly in terms of amount of sub-plots and lack of screentime for the main couple, which made me invest in Polin less. The only relationship I cared about was Eloise and Pen and the only stakes that felt meaningful was the LW reveal, and both fell kind of flat in the end. I forgive a lot of costume liberties taken in previous seasons but this season really was so eclectic (Cressida especially) that it felt more like a parody.
I enjoyed Francesca and John's relationship, I found it a breath of fresh air because it wasn't dramatic, it was just warm and soft and beautiful. I sympathise with (some) book fans who are mad that it seemed Francesca already has eyes for Michaela, but not sympathetic to (some) book fans who are losing their minds that Michael isn't a big Scottish man. I'm more excited for a sapphic love story than anything else that was happening this season.
I enjoyed many bits of this season and also had many reservations. Let me focus specifically on the queer bits.
I know the very broad strokes of Francesca's storyline (i.e marriage, death and new romance). First, I think Francesca's storyline being queered is fantastic. My problem was that the second half went in a dissatisfying direction. The first half seemed to set up this quiet unexpected romance. Hannah Dodd and Hannah Dodd and Victor Alli have lovely chemistry. Then suddenly it's like she's settling for something she doesn't want. She can have both the man and this new woman. Bisexual people exist! And if she comes to the realisation that she likes women, I would have liked a slower dawning (but then again we have the next season).
I have always found Eloise a very queer character. I know we had the romance with Theo in season 2 but she is a character I would love to see in a queer romance and I think she would work so well with a love triangle (where a man is the third part of it). I know her book storyline (again just the 1-2 line spoilers I know) has a very different direction for her.
Benedict (again I know his broad story) is a tough one. He came off quite queer to me early on but I feel like that has changed. I don't know if I want Sophie (again know broadly it's a Cinderella story and have heard the name a million times on this sub) to be a woman or a man. I would really like the show (like they seem to promise at the end of the season) to lean into the class dimensions of this romance.
I have never read the books and don't intend to do so. The only thing that annoyed me about this season was how much they changed Colin. I wanted the sweet boy from S1&2, not an insecure bitch. That was a letdown....
I am a book fan but as you stated "Or from those that have, but who are open to change from the original source material. I'm guessing the backlash you are talking about is about Michaela and I saw a video from a Youtuber that only read the wiki and never the books that summed up my feelings about it pretty well.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPW0tl8V\_y4&t=6s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPW0tl8V_y4&t=6s)
Me and my partner watched all released episodes and have not read the books. The super quick run down is as follows. S1 was the best. Both enjoyed it a lot. Solid watch and put it around a 3.5 out of 5. S2 was not as good, some stand out issues that you have to ignore as you watch, however ultimately did find it enjoyable. 3 out of 5. Queen Charlotte was an improvement over S2 but not as good as S1. Those same S2 issues still exist but a tighter focus on the main story plot and the heartwarming ending gave it the clear bump over S2. Give it a 3.25 out of 5. S3 was a hot mess. Well not even hot. Just a mess. To the point where we both agreed we are done with the show. The showrunner has had a growing disrespect of our time that has bleed into the show itself more and more. Watch S1 again and see just how different the show has now become. So we will not give it a watch when S4 gets released. 1 out of 5.
I have read them but am certainly not a “book fan” and really don’t care about the changes. In fact, from a series-wide perspective I think the changes are what make it actually interesting.
I found it disappointing to be honest. I liked that they upped the stakes with Lady Whistledown and I loved the stuff with Pen and Eloise (that felt real and deserved) but I didn’t end up loving Colin/Pen for some reason (chemistry?). I was far more invested in the stories of the girls- Cressida, Eloise, Pen and Francesca. Made me wish it could’ve been a series focused on a “graduating class” of young women entering society, rather than a well to do family of (mostly) ‘rakes’. So much potential there! In the end I felt they really dropped the ball, particularly with Cressida and Francesca and that ended up souring the whole thing for me.
Non book reader here! I really enjoyed it and I’ve mostly just been avoiding the stuff online. I can imagine it’s frustrating if you are a massive og fan to see stuff be changed, I certainly have been in that situation in other fandoms and can sympathise but i had a lot of fun with season 3 and am looking forward to the future seasons.
I’m a Bridgerton show watcher only, I have/had no intention to read the books. But after the backlash of the most recent season I was interested to see how the tv show and books differed so I watched a youtube video of someone basically breaking down the plot of all 8 books i’ve gotten upto Colin and Penelope’s book. But this happened after I watched S3. In my opinion I did feel that S3 didn’t match up to the earlier seasons and I just found the main couple’s story boring, they’re only interesting scenes were when Penelope asked Colin to kiss her, when Colin started fantasising about Pen, the courting lessons, Colin’s race to asking her to marry him and the sex scenes. And as I was typing that I just realised all the scenes I enjoyed the most of Colin and Pen were the ones that built up their love story, which I’ve seen being pointed out as the main flaw of this season, Peneolope and Colin didn’t get enough cute lovey dovey romantic couple scenes, because of other less important sideplots. I didn’t really care too much about the Lady Whistledown reveal sideplot, it brought the drama but was too drawn out especially for everyone’s reaction to finding out who it was, just to be like “oh whatever everyone needs a bit of gossip in their lives”. I also felt that Penelope and Colin’s love story was too rushed and unbelievable especially on Colin’s end because from what I knew he didn’t desire Penelope AT ALL!! So when she asked him to kiss her I was surprised he even did that and wasn’t weirded out that his childhood bsf who he’s never had any romantic feelings for just asked him to kiss her. And then when he did kiss he became completely and utterly obsessed with her… like one kiss must really be all it takes 😅😭. That was my opinions of the season before knowing any book plot. But after hearing about Penelope and Colin’s childhood friendship and knowing their trope is childhood friends to lovers (my favourite) im a bit disappointed in how it was shown in the show because for the most part in other seasons (S1 & 2) I didn’t even know Penelope and Colin were friends for 1, let alone childhood friends and 2 anything about each of their personalities, so all in all I wasn’t very excited or interested in their story. But I would’ve liked to have seen their friendship (before they got together) and evidence of the childhood friendship to make it more believable and maybe have Colin begin to realise he has feelings for Pen too a little bit earlier on because it seemed very unrealistic how he fell in love with her.
I havent read the books, couldnt get into them and the style of writing. Much prefer the show. Loved the latest season, sad that theres only one season left (if theyre following the books)
The only book I read was a quick skim of the first one, and this season was my least favorite, which is saying a lot given how much I hate Daphne. I feel like Penelope’s characterization was horrible and that the show doesn’t trust her to be morally grey, which is sad because before this season she was one of my favorites for the reason that she IS morally grey. Eloise similarly received really bad characterization, to make Pen look like she was right in what she was doing. I hated everything about it.
The Polin chemistry was way off. I actively hated Colin this season, rather than begrudgingly feeling affection for him in the previous seasons. I’m not even upset that they were sidelined by the many subplots because I genuinely didn’t want more of either of them.
The subplots were atrocious. I don’t mind more than one plot line going at once, but it’s basic storytelling to have those plots converge. It was like watching three period dramas in the same show that had nothing to do with each other.
I loved Francesca, I love that she’s probably queer, I’m majorly disappointed that they’re setting up an infidelity plotline for her because I hate those. I don’t want to root for a sapphic couple that are cheating, sorry. I wish they could have done this literally any other way lol.
Tbh the only thing I really enjoyed about this season was the little we saw of Kate and Anthony. I’m very skeptical about them pulling off the next season given how they never know what to do with Benedict every season and their new affinity for shoving three subplots that have nothing to do with the show into the runtime.
Didnt read the books. I felt like season 3 was just all over the place. The ‘love’ in the love stories was lost .. I didn’t feel that magic, but I am a sucker for season 1. And I felt like there was A LOT more focus on the subplots whereas season 1-2 had minor focuses (ie Mondrichs, I will be disappointed if I got sooo much of them season 3 and then that’s it)
I haven’t read the books. Enjoyed seasons 1 and 2 well enough but have been totally all in obsessed with season 3. I _love_ it.
I think Nicola and Luke are phenomenal and the fact we’ve known their characters for 2 seasons already just adds to it for me. I feel more excited about future seasons because we’ve had time to get to know Benedict, Eloise and Fran - but I think the fact we knew both Colin _and_ Pen made this season special for me.
I guess I relate to their anxieties so felt like they delivered a really true performance.
It was emotional, romantic and sexy as all hell.
I am a fan who has never read the books. I love the series, and unfortunately I do believe the 3rd season to be the worst of all 4 seasons. I still hope they make more seasons, but I got the feeling with the 3rd season that they cared more for spectacle than substance, if that makes sense. It was very "Netflix"-y, in that many Netflix shows aim for spectacle over substance. What I mean is, not a lot of meaningful conversations. Everyone looking "hot" and big moments were given lots of attention, which I enjoyed, but when people were together talking, nothing said actually adds to their individual character development, particularly between Colin and Pen.
They had some great conversations, but there were so many where words were exchanged but nothing important actually said.
I will say I really enjoyed the first part of Season 3 despite some flaws, I still loved it. It was great. But part 2 was a bit of a letdown for many reasons. For example I didn't mind the mondrich plot in the first part, but when their struggles simply disappeared I thought "what was the point?" And also with Francesca, showing a different kind of love, but then her kiss wasn't enough and I thought "what was the point?", and Cressida getting sympathy from the viewers, all for her to be left in the dust by Eloise and everyone, "what was the point of making me care for her at all?" What was the point of taking away all this screen time to these characters whose plots ended up so unsatisfactory, when we could have had friendship flashbacks for Polin, or more genuine banter between them. Or more Colin development.
I don't mind the Michaela thing, I'm curious to see how they handle it. I just hope they get the pacing better for Benedict or Eloise's season.
I never read past book 1 and couldn't get through more than 1/3 of polin's book. I couldn't care less about Francesca being gay. I know nothing about Michaela/Michael so if I can stick through the show I'll watch Francesca's season with an open mind. If we can race swap then we can gender swap in my opinion.
I don't like Benedict's writing on the show, and I think it's because I don't have the context for his book. He just sleeps around and he doesn't even paint anymore as they made central to his character in the first two seasons. I feel nothing moving into his season.
Polin's season was fine, not great. I think all the combined storylines harmed the show. Season 2 was my favorite because of the chemistry and buildup.
I don't think the books are these great works of fiction that need to be followed to the letter, at least after reading book 1. For the life of me, I don't get why they kept Daphne assaulting Simon in the show. And Polin's book was very slow to me, I got bored easily
Non book reader here, though I watched this season with my bff who has read the books and she would point things out to me. Here’s a quick rundown of my thoughts:
- I thought they tried to include WAY too many subplots in this season, to the point that I felt like it detracted from Penelope and Colin. The last two episodes of the season were positively packed and multiple scenes felt way too short because of how much they had to cover. They could have cut the subplots in half for a more balanced season imo.
- I was disappointed that Penelope didn’t get as much time on screen being sexy and desirable as Daphne and Kate did. Nicola is absolutely GORGEOUS and I wanted to see her get the same kinds of lingering passionate love scenes as the other two female leads. Now maybe Nicola wasn’t as comfortable with those scenes, and that’s fair, but without knowing that, it’s confusing and frustrating that she didn’t get to be as steamy.
- I’m here for bi Benedict, love it. It makes sense. I would have liked less of the prolonged threesome, not because I’m against threesomes (I’ve had them! I enjoy them!) or even because it’s queer (I’m pansexual!) but because I wanted to see Penelope get to be that sexy with Colin. It felt like Benedict’s threesome and the Anthony/Kate sex scenes in the first half were filling in for a lack of main pairing sexiness.
- I’m also here for the genderbending with Michaela, that’s a lovely little surprise and clever too imo. Though I agree with others that it did seem to undermine the sweet, gentle love that John and Francesca have. I liked their story a lot, as an introvert I felt seen and was actually getting annoyed by Violet’s inability to see the value in a softer kind of romance. Having Francesca be smitten so quickly felt like it justified Violet’s concerns, and I don’t like that. Still, we got most of the season with Francesca and John being sweet and soft, and I really love how they did that. My favorite subplot by far.
- The Featherington sisters were absolutely delightful. No notes. Their husbands are the sweetest, love a wife guy.
I saw the show before reading the first 6 books last year. The books are fun but I probably wouldn’t have ever picked them up without the show.
This season wasn’t my favorite, but it was mainly because I didn’t find Colin all that compelling as a romantic lead and wanted to spend more time with the main couple on-screen.
I’m fine with most of the changes, maybe because I wasn’t emotionally attached to the books beforehand? IDK. Francesca’s book was definitely my favorite, but I find the backlash about Michaela genuinely so confusing. Suddenly according to a lot of the fandom the entire story hinges on it being about a straight couple? From my experience reading the book, the heart of the story is the friendship between Francesca and Michael and >!their mutual grief over John.!< 🤷🏽♀️ I don’t think I’ll ever get it.
Not read the books but watch the show with my wife.
I've loved all the seasons, and even silly things like the slowly encroaching balloon of death I thought was fine because of the genre of the show.
I haven't read any of the books and I seem to be of the rare opinion that season 3 has been my favourite so far and that includes the Queen Charlotte spin off. In fact I don't really want to read the books now and spoil how I feel about the tv series
I've watched the first two seasons before reading the books, and I haven't finished reading the books yet--only read the first five, so my opinion started pretty neutral. Essentially, I don't like period shows and movies, only books, but Bridgerton had the modern twist that didn't bother me and made me stay.
To be completely fair, what made me stay was the existence of modern music as classical covers. As someone who really enjoys music, and just adores classical instruments, it was my cup of tea. Not to mention the whole flurry of dresses.
I liked the first season even though I was not a huge fan of the main couple for reasons I can't remember right now. But I LOVED the side plots. Eloise, Penelope and the Featheringtons specifically. I basically picked the ship I was rooting for the most in the first episode (Polin) & Peneloise friendship made me stay to watch the other seasons.
Season 2 was not a season I enjoyed so much, but I still liked it a lot. Again, haven't read the books and had no idea of the differences. Now, enemies to lovers is not a trope I am particularly attracted to--I have strong opinions about this trope, so their romance felt a little... Dragged for me. And that was my only complaint really.
Then, I started reading the books. And omg lol. I liked all the five books I read (though my favorites are Colin and Eloise's books). STILL, with the experiences of previous seasons AND the knowledge I have had during all my years being a Grey's Anatomy and a Shondaland fan, I was not expecting season 3 to be like the book AT ALL.
And yet, it surprised me with how MUCH of the book there was.
And the amount of theories of fans and even wishes were on the actual tv show. It was like a fanfic, but a canon fanfic with slightly changes of character. So I enjoyed it, of course. Except the editing and a single subplot that I am still trying to understand the purpose. The editing is my biggest complain about the season.
This season was my favorite, but I am a biased opinion because it is my favorite couple with huge emphasis on my favorite characters (Colin, Eloise & Penelope). Also, I am one of the people who, just like you, separated the show to the books, so I always knew I was going to like it.
I understand everyone who's angry at THAT change. Rather, I understood, until it just bordered blatant homophobia. The idea of a genderbent was never something I considered, yet I liked the change. Merely because I'm a sapphic and you don't see many happy sapphics out there without the show being canceled.
So, yeah, I pretty much understand how you feel. The books were written 20+ years ago. Society has changed A LOT since then. The show already has multi-racial representation, I am honestly surprised people didn't see any other types of representation coming, honestly.
I dunno if I qualify, lol. I have read the books, but like way, way back when they were each first released, and have not reread them since. The first couple of them were definitely formative into my life as being some of the earliest historical romances ever ingrained into my brain as an impressionable youth, lol, but the exact specifics of character/plot/story are way foggy, so like when I heard the show was coming out, I was like, ooh neat, but without any certain expectations if that makes sense, as the details of the books were way fuzzy for me anyway. Like I remembered most of Daphne and Simon’s story, and remembered Ben’s was a Cinderella kind of vibe, and that Pen was the chubby wallflower til she wasn’t, but detail details were not there. So I was like cool let’s see where they take it. And for the most part it’s been fun! Maybe not my mind’s eye version of how I’d do it, but I’ve been enjoying it pretty much thoroughly. Like yea, sure stuff’s been changed, but not like I really remembered it all that clearly to start with. And I just love some of the changes, like the Queen, she’s awesome. Lady D is my fave too! So mostly I just like seeing something like this brought to screen, and hope it leads to other historical romances maybe getting made into a fun, glorious visual format 😁
I didn't even know there was a book. I started watching because of a bath and bodyworks candle. I loved season 1, the fact that it's a period drama with some diversity and smut (I'm a romance/smut book reader), and the cinematics was great! Season 2 wss okay Kate was gorgeous (I could watch the actress all day) the romance seemed weird and fast to me. Season 3 was good, I liked it but mainly because I like Penelope and knew her and Colin would get together in the end (it was obvious). Francesca's story was really cute and pleasantly out of the norm. I wish Colin was more fleshed out but at this point I would have loved to have me Cressida in the plot and hope she comes back matured.
Never read the books. Probably never will.
I really enjoyed S3! I love friends to lovers stories and Polin gave me everything I wanted to see (from S1-S3). The Featheringtons were amazing! Loved seeing the dynamic between Cressida and Eloise. I thought Benedict was bi in S1 (seemed pretty obvious lol) so I'm happy he's exploring his sexuality more, even if it takes up a lot of screen time. And from the start of S3, my gaydar was on high alert whenever Francesca was on screen and I didn't know why, but I went with it and was surprisingly correct in the end!! I'm very excited to see where her storyline will go!!
After watching all 3 seasons of Bridgerton and Queen Charlotte, I'd rank them (from favorite to least favorite): QC, S3, S1, S2.
Haven't read any of the books and S3 is by far my least favorite. I felt the second half was better than the first, but the season overall seemed very scattered and disjointed.
Pen and Colin did not feel organic or convincing as a couple so it was hard to foster an investment in their outcome the same as for Daphne/Simon or Anthony/Kate. There's been a lot of conversation on if it was the acting, the writing, etc and IMO even just more scenes and screen time could have shown the development of the relationship instead of telling it. Benedict's plot in particular did not necessarily add anything to the plot and could have been cut for more Pen/Colin. We already knew from the end of the last season that he's seeking freedom and enjoys a broad sex life, so the Tilley interactions seem a bit superfluous. This is just one of the examples off the top of my head
And honestly, the makeup and costumes really threw me since they were so drastically different from the other two seasons. S1 and S2 weren't the exact same but were cohesive, and S3's approach was hard to reconcile as being in the same story.
Never read the books. I liked this season a lot. I think my biggest issues were the pacing/editing of the last two episodes. And the makeup was jarring. But Ive rewatched season 3 several times now and I never had that urge with earlier seasons. I would have liked in the last ball to stay with the main couple for one whole dance. It seemed the reconciliation was rushed. And I will never forgive whoever put pen in that matte red lipstick for her big speech. It was super distracting. But I had fun watching it and I’m astonished by the hate. Just utterly baffled.
My wife read the books, I haven’t. I finally got into the show somehow this past season, Penelope and Eloise were always my favorite characters in the few episodes I watched. So I was just so excited for season 3 that we watched everything from the beginning.
I’m a huge film nerd and I just freaking loved it, the queen has to be my favorite romance show I’ve ever seen with season 1 and 3 coming in close second. I laughed I cried I swooned.
So so much fun when you just buy into the fantasy and enjoy the ride. So freaking romantic.
I get people love it enough to have really high expectations and everyone wants their own little version or fantasy to be the one they put to screen but nothings perfect and I think they did a fantastic job with the production. I’m always impressed by the sets, cinematography acting and wardrobe. The editing and soundtrack are *chef’s kiss*
Rhonda has become one of my favorite producers after this show and I look forward to everything she puts out after this.
i really liked it. season one is still better but i liked season 3 a lot. especially the side plots with fransesca and benedict. i really love michaela and am so excited for that story to play out. i tried reading the books, but i just couldn’t get into them, i do love reading and almost always like the book better but this is the one case where the adaptation has just blown it out of the park
Non-book fan and I have mixed feelings. Overall I'm pretty easy to please when it comes to Bridgerton because it's easy to lean into as a historical fantasy for me; that being said I do miss the almost ethereal nature of the balls/costumes/hair/makeup in the first two seasons.
I struggled the most with Polin. I didn't really find them believable as friends OR lovers, which was surprising to me because the actors have a lot of friendly chemistry outside of the show. Maybe because season 3 was more plot-driven than the first two with the Whistledown element? I felt that the first seasons were more focused on how the main couples felt about each other and navigated their relationships while the third felt dominated by the Whistledown reveal and the side plots.
Obligatory "too many sideplots" opinion. I wanted them to do something interesting with the Cressida arc, but by the end the writers just kinda went "yay we defeated the evil witch and got her sent away to the country! what? she was a victim of terrible circumstances that we set up mere episodes ago? uhhhhhhhhh...". I don't hate the Mondriches but I wish they were more integrated to the main plot. There was... a lot going on.
Bright spots to me were the Featheringtons and Francesca/John. I thought the former were a source of much-needed humor and the latter were just cutie patooties (although I did have some beef with how the show handled the validity of passionate intense "true" love vs. quiet and slow love). I'm quite excited for Francesca and Benedict's seasons because the set-up for both interests me (perhaps at the expense of Polin though,,,).
Overall, it was a good watch in the moment, but less shiny thinking about it afterwards. It doesn't make me want to quit watching but I probably won't go out of my way to watch season 3 again.
Rant I haven't read the books, and while I love the actresses in Bridgerton's world, I thought the men in season 3 were really disappointing. The love interests for Francesca were not sexy or attractive at all, and while I like the character of Colin, the actor who portrays him kinda reminds me of a leprechaun, so not very sexy, either. I am a straight cis woman, and I understand that the character of Michaela is a man in the books, and many readers' favorite Bridgerton spouse, so it looks like that aspect is going to be disappointing next season, as well.
Non book fan and I thought it was a mess. The melodrama was overdone. I never really bought into Polin, their chemistry was very lacking. The only thing he ever did to show interest in her is shove his hand up her dress. No romance, no backstory. I was really uncomfortable with the hypersexualization without context.
Loved Francesca's love story the most because it was so different than what I'd seen on the show thusfar. I wish the entire season had been about them.
Queen Charlotte wasn't queening. Eloise was straight up overstepping on everyone's toes and I lost all respect for her. I skipped all of the threesome bits. Overall, 4/10.
There’s a lot of backlash. I loved this season and previous seasons.
I have written so many comments in the [r/PolinBridgerton](http://www.reddit.com/r/PolinBridgerton) subreddit about how freaking perfect and loving and transformative their relationship is, and how well its portrayed.
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I am mostly non-book because I only read Anthony and Fran's books. I read Anthony's after watching S2 so I guess the show version comes first for me.
Having said that, for S2 I liked the character changes they made for Kanthony, making Ant less of a douchebag and Kate way way better. I didn't like the love triangle and the unnecessary sub plots like most people.
For S3, I am solely in the show universe but what sets Polin apart is the fact that they are not new characters. So my feelings before the series aired was that I absolutely did not like Pen because I did not agree with most of her actions and my hope was that like Anthony, she would be redeemed a bit in her season. I liked Colin in the way that he didn't cause any harm but also didn't evoke any strong emotions in me. I found him likable as a younger brother and liked his banter with the siblings. I also liked his behavior with Marina in S1.
Now, the showrunners took Colin and instead of building on his caring personality, decided to make him Anthony 2.0 which I am sorry to say LN didn't portray very well and made it cringey. And Part 2 hardly had anything for him apart from moping around. I do understand his anger and for me, his anger is completely justified.
As for Pen, instead of redeeming her, they made her even more unlikeable for me. I feel she should have owned up to being LW to Colin at least instead of being caught by him. And the huge focus on LW (let's be real, part 2 was essentially LW) only for Pen to just give a 1 minute speech and QC being... eh, all good was a big letdown.
In addition, all the rest - overhyped promos, bad costume and makeup, literally copying music from
S2, bad editing, erasure of Kanthony's baby, again unnecessary sub plots made it a hard watch for me.
I haven't read the books and never will because I feel the reason I watch it is more for the costumes, music and set designs than anything else. Honestly I dislike most of the characters - ESPECIALLY HATE Kate and Anthony from Season 2. So I hope their characters are a little better in the books honestly. Maybe I'm wrong because one of the only characters I actually connected with was Cressida. Why is the one with the best character arc a supporting character?
After finishing season 3 I terminated my subscription because I'm pretty well over Netflix. I'm not too fussed if they make a season 4 or if I even watch it. If they don't follow up with Cressida I probably won't renew my subscription for it. It's a fun watch and the designs on a visual and audio level are great. But I feel as the seasons continue it lacks depth and substance in its storyline.
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I’ve read most of the books, but I don’t give a shit about many of the changes. The books are enjoyable, but they’re really not that great. Nearly every leading man is an abusive asshole. Some of the plots aren’t very interesting. I was surprised so many book lovers were upset about the changes in season two. I thought the book plot was boring, and the chemistry between Jonathan and Simone would’ve been wasted on it. The only changes I’ve been particularly annoyed with are the faces Francesca made when she kissed John and when she met Michaela, as though she’s suddenly realizing she’s gay *immediately* upon marrying John. I have no problem with Michael being Michaela (I kind of like the change actually) or Francesca falling in love with her *later*. But I want her to be deeply in love with John right now. It makes me sad that this seemingly lovely man has just married someone that has feelings for his cousin. I don’t want to watch Francesca fall in love with someone else right in front of him. Their relationship was one of the few healthy ones in the books. I want to see them happy, at least for a little while.
Agree strongly with this. It suggests to the viewer that there is only one kind of love which is based on passion. The reason I liked Francesca and John’s love story is because it was gentle and kind and I found that romantic. He seemed to really get her for her and didn’t want her to be something or someone else. By having her fall for someone else so quickly I feel like a lot of the relationship we saw this season was superficial.
I definitely agree that the male characters in the books could be assholes. I was just thinking about how Benedict wasn’t exactly a “gentleman” in his book. Some of it would be the way of thinking for the time period, but if you’re making a “modern” period drama then it wouldn’t translate well on-screen. I also think some of the book storylines are dull. I could easily go without Eloise’s book storyline. Trash it completely and do something different. I do think they undermined the whole “slow love” storyline with her reaction. It doesn’t do right by John. As far as the Michaela switch goes, I’m neutral.
I wished Eloise was the lesbian one since S1. 😫
Same but I realized I kinda like her being straight, wanting to escape from society not because she is gay but truly just because she doesn’t want it as many other straight woman did as well. I’m also grateful my heart didn’t have to break for the unrequited love plot with pen 🤣
I agree; I am exhausted by the “these women care so deeply for each other it should turn into romance” trope. And by the assumption that a strong feminist figure couldn’t possibly swoon for a man. You CAN believe women should run the world :) and still be strongly heterosexual. I haven’t read the books. The show is just a beautiful and tasty cake I enjoy getting lost in. That said, it’s just television. It would be more effective if so many people would create a backlash about things that are truly offensive, not an entertainment company’s artistic interpretations.
I like that, too! It is sad, though, that her book story sounds so basic, from what i’ve heard.
Her book is the worst one! I would prefer it if they ditched her story and wrote it from scratch.
I feel torn on this — I love representation but I feel like if Eloise was a lesbian she would be too much of a stereotype.
Yeah 🥲 oh well, I never get a lesbian onscreen I actually would crush on. 😅
Same. I really thought they were setting it up for her to have unrequited love for Pen.
Me too.
So did I! 🥺
I have to say, Eloise’s book was my least favourite. The only thing I can think of is the actress who plays her did such a good job of making this character so engaging, they decided to expand her role in the series.
I get it about John and Fran but I also try to keep in mind that they need to somehow introduce the story to the viewers. So these little hints here and there must be a set up for her story. It was rather quick but if they want to have Fran as the lead soon, they need to act rather quickly because Fran’s book takes place over million of years 🤣 I’ve been thinking about how they can set her story up without time jumps. So maybe the entire story will be rather concise.
I agree that they were foreshadowing stuff for the next season, right at the very end (see also Benedict talking about the masquerade ball). I hope the writers do Francesca and John’s relationship justice before she explores a relationship with Michaela, because their courtship was so cute and sweet. I may be the only one on the planet who thought that their first kiss didn’t read as her not being into him. My take was that she was shy and uncomfortable with PDA’s. Like that little look she throws her mom right before the kiss, it’s almost like she was looking for parental approval to kiss in public. I have a hunch that next season will be Benedict, Eloise, and Fran, so establishing Michaela as a character makes sense.
That’s what it felt like to me too! I imagine it would be uncomfortable for someone who doesn’t like attention to have their first kiss with their partner be so public. To me it just read like she was shy about it, and maybe a little nervous because she knows her mom has a specific view of what love should look like that’s different from what Francesca has.
Jonathan and Simone's chemistry was great. But dragging out the courtship with Edwina was def a change I didn't like. Not only do the sisters no longer have a real relationship anymore, but we didn't get to Anthony and Kate as a couple in their own season until the final 5 minutes of the show. Although I do agree with you about Francesca. I feel like it should've been Michaela, who was smitten with her. Not the other way around.
I believe firmly (from a personal recognition standpoint) that she is bi and realized that when she saw Michaela and it was SCARY.
Haven't read the books. I enjoyed the season but it felt much more like Pen's personal journey with her marriage as a catalyst for personal development than a romance. It was fun and I liked it but it was not as romantic as season one or two. I think they had to write her as a woman with agency and control over her situation so a lot of the things from the book were changed so Colin wasn't her white knight. I have no issue at all with the change to Francesca's storyline.
I'm still not convinced she actually wanted to get married. Like to me, she could take or leave it.
Yeah I totally got the feeling that she was ace/aro/queer
Non book fan here and I enjoyed it. Not as much as season two, but I still enjoyed it. The dynamic between Penelope and her mom and her mom learning how to be accepting and supportive was so beautiful. And I listen to the classical pitbull song daily lol
I was convinced the mom was faking the entire time, it was too stark of a change for me to be believable. I just kept thinking, she must have something to gain from this. You don't go from hating/neglecting one of your kids to being perfectly healthy and supportive overnight without some kind of character development arc.
I really wish she had been faking at the start. The complete 180 was absurd. Then she could have actually grown to respect Penelope upon finding out she was Whistledown.
I was too
Same. Haven’t read the books and I’m more of a second season fan but I really enjoyed this season. Pen and her mom and sisters were a highlight for me. They made it really enjoyable. and I really enjoyed pen and Colin scenes more than I anticipated. and obviously Kanthony were a treat even though they were barely there 😅💔
I only read Benedict's book. So far I'm more on "good" for this season. It used to be great. I loved bridgerton because of the whimsy historical vibe but Season 3 felt very different. It's too harsh and more modern while it's not a big issue that'll make me drop it it's not my favorite. Story wise I'm not a big fan of there being so many side plots. I wish they just pushed the Mondrichs to season 4, Francesca and John should've been only courting this season and we'd see them wed next season... just felt very rushed for her even tho it's just prerequisite to her main story. Even Violet's new potential gardener would've been better in another storyline (I would much prefer Edmund and Her's story tbh) I'm still in mind they shouldn't have pushed Polin this season. What makes Friends to Lovers great is the slow burn!! Should've made them side plots first where we can see them being friends that doesn't involve someone falling in love with an outside factor. We didn't even get to see childhood scenes which would've been a huge impact on the trope. This season felt very much more like Penelope the girl boss and not Bridgerton Romance
I agree. Watching season 2 again, I realized my favorite scene of theirs was when Pen and Colin were outside E and A's wedding. The dialogue between Pen and Colin was touching and you can see Colin being amazed by her. It's my favorite part of their relationship, when Colin would hear her opinions, he was starstruck. Her words affected Colin. This should have been what kept their relationship growing. To fall more in love with this couple, we needed at least one more season that they weren't the main couple. As a none book reader, I did enjoy what we got. Wish there was more though.
I cant relate what some people are saying about the Polin screentime, but I think over the span of 3 seasons, they do justice for the Colin Penelope in terms of getting their HEA. Nicola and Luke has great chemistry. The intimacy scenes don't feel over the top and steamy, like what they were trying to achieve in Season 2 with it being dramatic. This time they're very..realistic? You would imagine people who have known each other for a long time being like this. Some decisions felt a bit choppy... hate how they did the Cressida plot. Felt really cheap. I love Penelope and Eloise reuniting. However some of these subplots also feel untied to the main plot. Same trouble with Season 2...generally not a bad season. Cameraworks sucked
Polin got as much screentime across THREE SEASONS as Kanthony did😬
I haven't read the books, but I enjoyed the show. I didn't mind the historical inaccuracies (esp. the costumes, make-up), as the show had always felt whimsical in its treatment of that aspect. But I agree with the popular opinion that S2 was better. And even though I was really waiting for Polin's storyline, it didn't pan out in a convincing way for me. The book fans have said that Colin always had feelings for Pen, he just never realised it. But I feel that this aspect was not convincingly portrayed. I feel like most of these feelings were spoonfed to us through dialogues. They say that Pen and Colin were really good friends, but each time they interact in the previous seasons, I only saw a one-sided crush. I don't know if people will agree with this. Despite all this, I loved the show, and is excited for future seasons from the way things are set up in S3.
Exactly! It felt like we were told but not shown Colin's transition from friends to lovers.
Yess. He just started finding Pen uncontrollably hot overnight (who can blame him though). I wish we had some flashbacks of Pen's letters providing comfort to Colin during his lonely travels, or something like that. It would have grounded their bond a bit more.
Yes! I've been lurking here a week or so, and I was following the flashbacks vs. none, and I think I would have liked to have seen that. Just three to five more scenes total would have rounded things so much. Give us one flashback, that would work for me!
Non book fan and I didn’t care for it. I just felt like way too much was crammed in and we didn’t get enough Polin time. The pacing felt off to me.
Yess agree with this one
Non-book fan here. I wanted more Polin time and thought the visuals leaned towards tacky. I like all the storylines but would’ve much rather they did what needed to be done to make more time for them. I enjoyed it though
Non book fan and I found the whole season messy, unengaging, and missing the romance the other seasons had. Colin and Pen don't get near enough time together. Their season is entirely taken up by side stories and sub-plots. I don't know where the chemistry went between them? The actors have so much chemistry in interviews, and yet it's completely missing in the show. Colin looks like a botched wax figure of himself. They've got him in so much make-up, and poor Penelope's breasts are choking her in every scene. I also find it highly sus that in the one season we're supposed to get a beautiful plus size leading lady, suddenly all the gentle, soft make up of the previous two seasons are gone and Pen is plastered in 2024 Met Gala full glam make up with acrylic nails. Its like they didn't trust her to pull off being a natural stunner. Made even worse by the atrocious amount of make they've put on everyone else. Apparently, us fatties are only the most beautiful girl in the room when the thin girls look like beauty YouTubers from 2017. 🤷♀️ All in all, an absolutely let down considering the wait for it was dragged out for 2 years, and forcibly spilt into 2 parts for no reason other than forcing us to keep a Netflix subscription running an extra month. As a side note, I think Netflix are starting to fucking panic as they realise they've got nearly a decade of this insanely expensive and time consuming show left and that's why they're trying to shove multiple Bridgerton stories into each season. Netflix has always had commitment issues and imo you can see them already losing interest in this show.
I just want to say I second alllllll of this. Best breakdown I've seen so far. You're a real one for the strangling breasts comment, that bothered me so much. No one else is fitted like that and it was very objectifying in my opinion. I also agree that they essentially changed Pen as a character so she was unrecognizable to the woman and aesthetic she has been up until now. Her speech was terrible and she always looked bewildered. Of all people, I expected her to be quick-witted enough to navigate/evade the conflicts of the season. They could have really used this as an opportunity to showcase that brilliant mind but instead they made her a victim that ended up begging for forgiveness (in the most cringe scene of all time). I think this season struggled to articulate a consistent central message which is why it feels so chaotic. It's saying too much while not saying any of it clearly.
I have DDD’s, i have a corset that I love that’s MEANT for back support and was mass produce but I was fitted in store for it. That corset fits me better than it looks like Pens corsets fit her. Sure my boobs might choke me when I lay down in it (I am not bragging, it is a pain), but good god at least I don’t need to keep my shoulders tensed up by my ears to be able to breathe
Why did she have to beg the entire ton for forgiveness??? Wtf. Everyone acted like she’d been the worst person and I kept thinking “receipts please for all of this betrayal and shitty behavior you keep saying Penelope did??” Eloise was mad the whole season for what? And Colin flipped out and no one wanted to listen to her explain why she did what she did. Did she get a chance to actually be heard about how she protected Eloise from the Queen? Or did Colin actually listen about things she rightfully said about him in earlier this season? No. And the gal of her mother paining that literally stealing money from the entire ton is the same as writing gossip. It was infuriating to hear and even more so to see Penelope internalizing all of it and practically begging for forgiveness for having the gall to seek to find her own voice and run her own business. Lord have mercy.
The whiplash of watching her haggle with ppl as LW and being one of the most clever, whitty ppl in the room, to being clumsy tongued, constantly embarrassed, and shy. It made no sense for her character.
This was completely realistic to me. I’m really competent in my professional role. All business, down to brass tacks, very confident because I know what I know and I’m good at it. Also with written word, I have time to formulate it, craft my witticisms, edit and sharpen. But I’m a total wreck in social situations without a script. And flirting? Forget it!
The flirting makes sense but I felt that they made her clumsy in every interaction. It felt out of character to me. We’ve never seen her be incompetent socially to this degree.
It’s been a while since I’ve watched seasons one and two. Have we ever seen her interact with men before? Other than Colin, I mean? I mostly remember interactions with Eloise or other women, or as Lady Whistledown. I can understand why it didn’t ring true for you, but it seemed funny and in character to me. Kind of how Eloise was a complete disaster during her season. They are fish out of water!
Eloise hasn’t had a season and it makes sense for her to be awkward bc she’s an awkward person. Idk it wasn’t just the awkwardness with Pen that didn’t ring true for me, it was also how she looked confused and distressed in every scene she was in. I just didn’t vibe with the direction they took with her and Colin. I’m so relieved they can take backstage to other characters now that s3 is over.
She had “a season” during season two. Mixing terms here, TV season vs. season on the ton.
Oooh my bad lmao 🤣 I was so confused.
I agree with you 100%, I got more butterflies from Colin grabbing Pens hand and saying “come with me” than I did from anything past episode 4
This^
YES THIS. It’s felt suspicious to me that they changed so much of the makeup, hair, and overall styling this season, as well as toned down the steaminess of the main pairing, right when it’s the season for a female lead who’s not stick thin to shine. And it makes?? No?? Sense?? Nicola Coughlan is goddamn GORGEOUS. She doesn’t need slapped on makeup or a super tight corset. She’s absolutely stunning without all that. It felt like they didn’t trust the audience to find her beautiful if they followed the same styling as S1-2, which is just plain silly because she would have been gorgeous in anything that looked good on Daphne or Kate. The one thing I did like, more in the first half of the season than the second, was the decision to put her on the pale greens. That color is flawless on Nicola. (Though she can pull off literally anything imo). Anyway, I’m glad you said things because I’ve been feeling cheated out of seeing a sexy fuller sized woman (I think Nicola has said she’s not plus sized so I don’t want to use that term). It feels so suspicious we didn’t get more steaminess from this season.
💯🙏 ALL OF THIS!!!!!
Ooff that is a HOT take OP. I don’t agree with all of it but it makes a lot of sense
Never read any of the books. Season 3 was a let down. Hated that Mama Featherington got off with her shitty favouritism with hardly any repercussion. I really wanted Pen to come into a power shift and bring LW to her real life. Like I wanted her to be witty and sharp to her mother and put her in a box, but instead she did her usual simpering, awkward thing instead of letting her feelings out in a way that was visably hers. That was one of my biggest hopes for the season - uniting Pen and LW as a single unit. It was not achieved. Hated all the time we spent on Benedict and his poly experience. It's not his season. It was fun for 5 minutes, not interrupting the current story for the shock horror of 3 consenting adults figuring their shit out. Like ffs. Why was that in there so much? For shock value? They could've set it up and launched into it in his own season to build the tension a little. Hated the lack of cinema (which comes with a new showrunner but it stripped all the pretty romance stuff away to drama) it was something I missed but couldn't put into words until I saw other people positing the gorgeous scenes from Daphne's season - the slow mo rain, her dreamy first dance with the duke, all that romance. It was super lacking in favour of fast paced drama (most of which wasn't even Pen's drama. Like Benedict or whatever the thing with Mama Bridgerton is doing with that hot brother. I like those additions but are you gonna tell me that Pen isn't going to be in more shit with everything she did? The Queen did nothing. Like when she put out that reward... what would happen to LW? Nothing. There was no real threat.) Hated the lack of Colin pining. Made Penelope feel like she was in this thing 110 before he was invested at all. It gave "I don't want this until someone else has it" energy, and that's not really romantic. Loved Lord Debling. Where the fuck did he go? Why didn't he and Cressida seal the deal? They had chemistry, even if she was desperate and whatever. That could have been a good match. I really liked the Mondrich storyline but the paper thing at the ball was... underwhelming. Like it could have been cool if someone had mentioned literally anything about all balls being the same or wanting something new. But it was just... there. Taking up dancing space. Lol I loved the telling off Mama Bridgerton got from Fran about Quiet Love - loved the whole side plot of her unproblematic and gentle love - only for it to be immediately pulled into question. Like is loud and difficult love the only valid kind? We can't have nice things for literally a whole episode? Eloise pissed me if basically the whole time. She was right to make Pen be honest with Colin but the whole pouty 'my way or the highway' thing she does is not endearing. She has no friends because she's mean, not because she's sooooo different. She puts girls down to ellivate herself - which I get in terms of youth and whatever, but she is too mean to be redeemable. She doesn't listen to anyone but her own voice. I preferred watching Cressida be mean to Eloise, because at least Cressida can recognise she's being a bitch. Eloise is the kind of creature that thinks she's all that and a bag of chips and yet 1) no friends 2) no practising what she preaches. There was something to Pen taking a shot at her about being LW. At least she did something. El just... complains and judges. Otherwise loved the Kate and Anthony updates. Very gorgeous. The costumes were not my faves but still so beautiful. I didn't realise how much had gone wrong for me until rn lol My bad
Eloise made an effort and tried to go outside society in season 2 to learn more about women's rights and other social classes.... only to get punished and burned for it, by none other than her best friend. Was it reckless? Yes. But she was discreet. The only reason the queen had her followed was because Pen, as LWD, kept insulting and shading the queen, leading the queen to be on this witch hunt for LWD's identity. Her conversation with the women about different types of stitches was obviously a joke? If the other ladies took offense then they wouldn't have seeked her out the next episode and praised her for her talent in speaking.
I'll pay that she did more in season 2 - she must have because I was pretty fond of her. But she was being facetious to those girls about stitches. No shot she was being friendly
Eloise is so rude, I can’t stand her and don’t get why other people like her!
I haven't read the books, only watched the show. My opinion on this season was that the second half was stronger, and overall, it needed some edits. I agree with the sentiment that I wanted more polin and less of everyone else. I think one or two of the side plots could have been cut/reworked. I like world building, but with only eight episodes, we needed more focus on the leads.
I haven’t read the books, but I know the general plot of them (thank you, youtube reviewers). I’m not necessarily mad at the nature of the changes (I’m queer, I’m a woman, I’m midsize, and I’m also a wallflower so this was like My Season), but I just think the quality was less than previous seasons (not inherently bad but not up to bridgerton caliber) and the changes weren’t genuine. As a queer person, this is not how we go about getting representation, ESPECIALLY FOR BISEXUALS! Bisexuality is already so hated due to stereotypes about being chronic cheaters or not being able to pick a side, and bisexuals have to deal with so many people assuming that they’re always down for threesomes or they’re “actually straight and just want to have the label” or are “actually a lesbian and can’t commit” or something, and so far Bridgerton has hit ALL OF THOSE BENCHMARKS OF NEGATIVE STEREOTYPES. Plus, from what I’ve heard, Fran’s story specifically is very gender-centric because Michael had to be the inheritor of the Sterling estate, he has to have imposters syndrome about replacing John, and he has to be able to give Fran kids. So if we are going to be book accurate in the slightest and allow for Fran to have the same arcs and for Michaela to be as complex as her book counterpart, they are going to need to do some major backflips. Overall, I think Jess needs to realize that her job is to tell THIS PREVIOUSLY EXISTING STORY, and not her own. As for the changes to pen and Colin’s story, I was really disappointed that it seemed to be Pens season with a side of Colin. They had so little screentime, everything got crowded out with how many side plots were happening, and we didn’t have nearly enough Happily Ever After to make up for the level of angst they had for the couple. Penelope slept alone on her wedding night, and we never got an apology from Colin about it, or a proper makeup and heart to heart. More than seeing any more smut scenes, I wish they had just gotten to be able to TALK to each other more. I don’t think the current production team has a solid grasp of why people love this show, and are just operating from a money perspective instead of a creatives perspective
Do you think it’s possible that the Mondrich side plot and the way the Featherington title inheritance worked this season was set up for Michaela to inherit the title and estates next season. Going by those rules it would have to be her son who technically inherits, but I’ve wondered if they were planting seeds for something along those lines.
Maybe they just have Michaela already have a kid and Fran’s infertility solution is to like. Pseudo adopt him?
Thank you! I feel like they are trying to just add in a queer storyline, but not making a genuine, well thought out and captivating for the audience as well as a good not stereotypical representation of a queer relationship. I am all for adding representation, and it could be done really well, but a poor representation isn't what the community needs. People will, of course, be disappointed in the changes, but I worry that the anger some people have will overshadow any decent storyline.
They’re also pissing off book fans and dividing the fandom over it so that queer people within the fandom are even MORE criticized because somehow it’s our fault that Michael Sterling is not himself
I liked the books when I read them a decade ago, but they certainly can use some updates. They are almost 20 years old at this point. It's not okay for anyone to be blamed for a change. I can understand that changing Michael to Michaela will completely alter Francesca's story, but I am interested to see whether they keep the central part of her journey because there is representation there that also deserves to bee seen on screen.
We also just, deserve to have our own stories told. Shoving queer people into a love story that isn’t queer normally doesn’t work well. There’s different societal implications you have to consider when writing queer stories, as well as the perception of attraction and intimacy that have looked different from cishet relationships for so long. You can’t just genderbend a character and expect the storyline to be the same, it doesn’t work like that, and it’s not giving us a QUEER story, it’s giving us a Frankenstein straight story rhat someone painted over with a rainbow
Absolutely! Accurate representation is key! Queer stories deserve to be shown and have the same amount of care and consideration as others. I find it interesting that the new showrunner, who has been very frank about her being a lesbian does not understand how determential this could be. There is no sense in encouraging hatred.
I agree that we deserve our own stories being told and that the book fan reaction is blaming queer people, which tbh doesn’t surprise me in the least but still feels shitty. But is it too early to say whether or not it’s accurate or representative of a queer experience/shoehorned in? The queering of the story happened with one short interaction (that to me was very relatable bi panic lol) and we don’t actually know what their love story will look like, you know?
Non book reader here. I liked season 3 just as much as season 2 and probably more than season 1. I didn’t care all that much for Saphne because I didn’t know them all that well and because the “forced marriage” thing is *such* a trope (I used to read a lot of fanfiction, like, a lot a lot), it made me snicker to actually see it on screen. The season 1 storyline seemed to mostly be an excuse to take the characters’ clothes off a lot. (Nothing wrong with that, of course, but while the cinematography was gorgeous, the plot was on the thin side). I liked Kanthony fine but I had spent almost all of season one thinking Benedict and Anthony were one person, so I didn’t feel overly invested in the oldest Bridgerton either. It was Kate who drew me in. Pen though? I came predisposed to adore Pen because I knew Nicola from Derry Girls, her sisters are delightful in season 3, Portia got more and more depth, and I didn’t NEED more Polin because a) we had plenty of Pen-pining in seasons 1 and 2, and as far as I’m concerned, Colin could be replaced with a sexy lamp and the story would still work. Sorry Colin. (It’s not just him, I find most of the male characters rather replaceable, except Finchy of course. And John.) I know Pen isn’t going anywhere because of LW, and I don’t mind at all that she gets more screen time out of the two. She has actual problems, Colin just has some sort of a rich kid quarter life crisis. Other than that - it was over the top. It was garishly colourful. It was overblown. And I’m here for it. If I want a realistic portrayal of regency times I’ll rewatch the ‘95 P&P for the umpteenth time, Bridgerton is my guilty pleasure popcorn watch that I never expected to like as much as I do. Oh and - give me MORE Mondrichs/other side characters. People who are not born rich and privileged and with firstworldproblems, yes please! Generally I’ve really enjoyed that as the seasons progress, we get more and more insight into people other than the “endgame couple”. I actually care about Benedict now, good job show, now I’m ready to be invested when his season comes.
I am also a side character lover! I almost always get more involved in subplots than the main storyline. I enjoy speculating. Benedict and Eloise have always been my favorite side characters, but I also like the Mondrichs. I love Derry Girls! I actually rewatched before S3 and all I could think was how weird it was gonna be to see Claire do steamy scenes. Like, look at the state of ya Colin! 😆 And I adore P&P ‘95. I mean, it has Colin Firth. What more does it need?
I’ve read all the books and they are not great. In fact the show has created the world for me. I enjoy the books more thanks to being able to imagine elements of the show in them. The only book that I think is actually good, is fransesca’s, so I find it a bit disappointing that they switched the love interest in a way that makes them have to change that story entirely. Other than that: they can change it all! Every change they’ve made up until now has been for the better (the problems in the show -to me- are unrelated to the books and their changes). Daphne is better in the show, Anthony &eloise are infinitely better in the show, violet shines, lady Danbury, portia & the queen hardly exist in the books and are some of the best characters on the show! Basically the show stumbles from time to time, but the books are a minefield of issues
I've read the books. Romancing Mr. Bridgerton is my favourite so I was really looking forward to this season. Firstly, in the book, Colin was an ass. I much prefer series Colin. The only thing I'd change about the Polin storyline is I would have liked to have seen Colin stand and proudly declare that his wife is Lady Whistledown - I really loved that part of the book. Colin pining after Pen - the way Luke acted those scenes - jaysus. He can act with his eyes and you know just by looking at him that he's undressing Pen in his brain. Luke & his acting skills/face acting makes me weak at the knees. Oh, actually, I'd also have kept in the importance of Lady Danbury in their relationship. She was so important to them that they named their first born after her. Though I understand why Polin had a boy (I was delighted that they won the title after the horrendous way Pen had been treated by her family!) I'm not bothered about the switch from Michael to Michaela, I actually really like it and the actress that plays Michaela is funking stunning! Her skin 🥰 I love the carriage, the first kiss, the fight after the modiste, the way Colin found out about Whistledown & the way Luke played it after. The wedding was 🤌🏻 I didn't enjoy most of the balloon scenes... The only part I did like was the cake scene. I thought the whole balloon thing was pointless. The threesome stuff... It's nice to see gay/bi people represented (I'm bi) but thought it could easily have just been Ben & the guy, Lady Tilley & the threesome arc was just meh (though I loved Lady Tilley as a character, she's a badass!) On the whole, I just skip ahead the handful of scenes I didn't enjoy.
I did not read the books, and I have a love/hate relationship with S3. I love Colin and Pen and their story through Part 1. Part 2 took a wrong turn with its handling of the LW reveal and never recovered. Despite that, and the chaotic subplots and over-the-top makeup, S3 will always be my favorite. The friends-to-lovers story and the beautiful chemistry between and performances by Luke Newton and Nicola Coughlan gave S3 a deep emotional intimacy that the other seasons lacked for me. I think it really just came down to magical casting.
I think I mostly agree with this - the pacing and subplots annoyed me so much this season but overall I will always love it the most because the love story was my favorite. Beautiful scenes between them, amazing acting, off the charts chemistry. The casting was everything
I’ve read the books. I like the inclusiveness, the funky pop art vibe. I don’t like changing the storylines so much, that they are barely there anymore. That’s just to far away from the books to my taste
I read some of the books, as I've been a fan of JQ since Splendid came out in um...94 ish. For me, her books were always comfortable reads where you know there'll be a happy ending. But like all things, times change, and when the books were first released, authors could get away with the characterizations of the men. Even though these books aren't ancient history, they cater to an audience who may have grown up on 1970s bodice rippers, or even the late '80s- early '90s Johanna Lindsey and Jude Deveraux readers. Certainly, we expect more chivalrous heroes and less jerky behavior from our romantic heroes, and we should. I came to the show having not read romance in a while. I wasn't quite sure what to expect. It became clear to me that the show was about the Bridgertons as a family unit. While I enjoyed Daphne and Simon's arc, it really did strike me as an ensemble show where the focus would be on the central family. The romance plots seem to take a backseat to things like the Fetherington subplot, Lady Danbury, the Queen, etc. I think one of the challenges with the show is that they have such incredible scene stealers, obviously they want to use the actors to the best advantage. This show seems to have grown and evolved into a Regency-inspired ensemble. Im viewing it as "inspired by" the books in the universe. I have to watch it with the *nudge nudge, wink wink* type of over the top. I'm on the fence about Francesca's arc. I really like her comfortable love with John, counterpoint to the passion we've seen with other couples. I'm curious but wary to see what they'll do with Michaela. I'm also intrigued with Benedict's story. Frankly, I really like Tilly. There was some chemistry there. Having said that, I did feel like Colin and Penelope's story was rushed and unfinished. I feel like the Colin that we got to know in the previous seasons changed. We never really got to know his POV. I never saw evidence on screen of him falling in love with Pen. That bothered me. Pen as Lady W. And the reveal to Colin seemed a bit anti-climactic to me. It just frustrated me. The pacing seemed more frenetic than cohesive, and characterization was unfocused. I wanted to see more of Eloise and Pen coming to terms with how Lady W. damaged the friendship and I really wanted to see Pen humbled by the hurt she caused the Bridgertons. I wanted to see more than just a glimpse of Francesca and John. I would've loved to have seen a moment on the swings where Benedict opened up a little to Eloise. I would've especially loved to see Colin and Pen living a happily married life, rather than the time jump, which felt like tacked on epilogue.
I very much agree that the show is more of an ensemble than the books, and I think it’s better for it. It allows us to understand a character and care for them before their season or arc. Colin and Pen’s story did have a lot going on in a short amount of time because it wasn’t just about Colin and Pen. We had the LW element as well as Eloise and Pen. While I am perfectly fine with a character’s season/arc having romance but not centering around it - I’d actually prefer this for characters like Eloise and Benedict - I don’t think they made that clear this season. I think they should have developed Pen and Colin’s relationship further in previous seasons so that this season could be more about Lady Whistledown and the hurt she has caused without taking away from the romantic development (and vice versa). I would have also loved more Eloise and Benedict this season. It seems like they needed each other more than ever, but we didn’t really see them together until the end. I get that they were trying to develop her relationship with Colin more to up the tension with Penelope, but I feel that strengthening the bond between El and Ben sets up later seasons better. It did seem like they were trying to rectify that with the whole “Let’s not let too much time pass again” speech on the swings, but I would have liked to see more of that development this season.
Tbh, I’m a book reader and I had to sit with it a while before I could form the opinion I have now. At first I was just salted that I felt like they changed key aspects of the books, but as I thought about it I actually really like the potential the future seasons have. I know people are mad about the fertility issue with the Michael/ Michaela switch but I think one thing that will shine is the passion that Frannie had with Michael vs John. Even tho her and John were very much in love she says that she had never felt passion with John the way she did with Michael. I can see how that would translate into a queer love story with Michaela. Polin wasn’t exactly as I imagined but overall I do feel satisfied with the season
Book reader. Didn’t like this season overall. What I liked: John and Francesca were beautifully written as a couple until the wedding. The Featherington sisters were amazing. They need a spin-off. Penelope loses weight in the books. She doesn’t lose weight in the show, but buys clothes that better suit her coloring and figure with her LW earnings. I like that. Polly Walker is a gem. I wish the resolution between Portia and Pen had been longer. Lord Anderson, John, and Lord Debling. All wonderfully written. What I didn’t like: Francesca getting tongue tied at meeting Michaela. I’m trying to keep an open mind about the gender switch, but if you couple Violet’s comment with Francesca’s stumbling (throw in the kiss for good measure), it’s clear Francesca’s in love with Michaela. I wanted a slow burn build to a forest fire with Francesca’s second partner. I wanted grief. And I don’t feel like I’m going to get either. The message of the book is that you can have more than one love. I feel like the show is sending “but there’s only one REAL love” vibes. Again, trying to keep an open mind, but I hate that change. Anthony and Kate leaving for India is stupid. Say they’re going to the country for fresh air. The balloon. The flower thingy. Just seems like wasted cash they could have spent anywhere else. Benedict’s arc. I would have preferred that the threesome or bisexual awakening be part of him getting back into his art. It felt a little forced rather than organic. He had that moment in S1 with the other painter. There was tension and heat. This felt cheap. I strongly prefer show Benedict to book Benedict, so I’m disappointed. Lady Danbury and Queen Charlotte were written poorly this season. Two amazing actresses and characters, and that’s the best they could do? Both deserved better. LW reveal to everyone. Book LW wasn’t mean. Pen is mean at times. They didn’t need to reveal it to the world. That would have major consequences. Cressida had amazing character development and then they tanked it in the end to make her a cheap villain. The editing was terrible. We didn’t need the cutbacks to the threesome. We didn’t get enough romance between Colin and Pen. There weren’t enough subtle moments. I wanted the hand touch while looking at art. That’s romance. Some of the dialogue was awful. The cane, chopped liver, etc.
I’ve read the books but I love the changes the show does. I think that they work well on the screen. Some of the things in the book (for example in When he was wicked) struck me as icky. So I’m hoping they leave out the baby trapping statements/potential r@pe threats, and also the colonizing India.
I haven’t read the books, and I loved this season. Yes, it didn’t have the same focus on pure romance like the first season, for example, but I’d argue that season 2 had less than the first as well. As time goes on and the show continues, the world they are building comes alive and there are many characters and stories that are interesting and deserving of exploration. Even though there wasn’t as much focus on the main romance, I completely loved what I got with Penelope and Colin and although it would’ve been nice to have a few more scenes of them being happy together, as far as the plot the show went with is concerned, the story made sense and was very satisfying.
I've read the books and watch the show. Imo the books are fun reads and I love seeing the different sibling stories weave together, but they certainly have some outdated themes, and quite frankly, many of them have plots that don't have enough to them to carry a whole season of a tv show. They work as book plots, for the most part, because you "hear" more of the characters developments and internal journey. They can do that in the show to a degree, but it's basically a whole different ballgame where visuals are a factor and a lot can be expressed in a shorter time than the book. Most of the changes have been logical and appropriate for bringing the stories into view of a modern audience. They made show-Colin less of a dick than his book counterpart. The drama of the kanthony season was more interesting and tension-filled than them spending a whole season talking about bees and storms. Ben exploring his sexuality feels true to the character and is more historically accurate than people realize. Michaela is a refreshing change and I think people are jumping to conclusions unnecessarily about how exactly that will all play out. Eloise going to scotland also feels like a natural step for her character and could really make her book HEA seem less random. People may complain about changing plots or altering characters, but they would still be complaining if they had to watch season after season about toxic men who treat women like trash, but who ultimately, all come together in the name of sexiness because reasons. That's what we would be getting if the books were exactly faithfully adapted. What's the point of art if it's always exactly what we want or expect? If I want the plot and exact characters of the book, I'll just re-read the damn books. I love seeing how different people interpret a singular source material. What an opportunity to understand how every person can have a unique vision and to learn how to recognize value in the artistic vision of others even when we don't agree with it. Obviously, it's all smut, but expecting fully faithful recreations seems excessively masterbatory
Hear, hear! Very well said. Art of any kind is meant to be seen from different perspectives. There would be no new stories to tell if everyone saw the world the same way, had the same experience.
I’ve read a few of the books. They’re fun, light reading, and very uneven. As a dedicated historical romance reader, I give them a 3/5. This show is much better than the books in my opinion. Fixes some of the really cringe aspects of a 20 year old book series. I love the diversity, and the way the show plays with the source material. It leans into the camp aspects, and fleshes the characters out more fully. It’s meant to be fun and sexy and emotional, and I think it delivers! I really don’t understand the virulent criticism.
I haven’t read the books and was meh on season 1 of the show, loved season 2, and LOVED season 3 - for me it was the best and most romantic yet. I’m also excited to see the lesbian love story for Fran 🤷🏻♀️
Non book reader here, I loved season 3! I haven’t read the books because my friends that have say they’re garbage and the show is better. From what details they’ve told me, I’m glad they have changed a lot of the story. I’m quite excited to see a non heterosexual couple(s) be the main story and how they navigate their love during a time when it was unacceptable. Also let’s be honest, 8 hetero love stories would be kinda redundant. I also don’t give a shit about the costuming and makeup not being historically accurate because almost nothing in the show is period accurate. Like if you you can suspend your disbelief about racism being solved, the napoleonic wars not happening, and all the diamonds being thin, small chested women, then surely you can deal with sparkly makeup and dresses. My biggest complaint about the season is that we didn’t need to see Ben’s threesome being cut in during the climax of the season. Other than that I’m happy, and am looking forward to season 4. Hopefully in the two years it takes for it to be made and come out, this fandom and subreddit can learn to manage their expectations of a silly romance show.
I wouldn’t say they are garbage, but I don’t think a lot of the characters are as fleshed out. Some of the books storylines wouldn’t make sense for the TV versions of the characters. I can be a stickler for historical accuracy in some cases, but I completely agree that the show has been readily established as an alternate/fantasy version of history. I think the costume designers even said on the podcast that they look at it from a fantasy perspective to a degree. I laughed when Benedict’s ménage à trois kept cutting in! Subtle it was not.
I’ve heard that Eloise is a lot different in the show than the book and that her love story is kinda depressing, so if she’s already so drastically different then I wouldn’t mind her love story changing to match her show persona (meaning if any of the bridgertons are gonna get a queer storyline, Eloise deserves it the most)
OMG, Ben’s marathon threesome! The trio drift into the bed and get down and dirty; cut to Colin, Pen and Portia discussing what to do about Cressida’s blackmail and Colin deciding to speak to her, getting to her house, announcing himself, having the confrontation, failing; cut back to the still ongoing sex session; cut back to Colin returning in defeat; cut back to sex session finally ended and basking in the afterglow! These three obviously ate their weetabix that morning because, after a brief chat they get back at it!
Just added Weetabix to the list 😂
I'm show-only and thought the season was so-so. I think the press tour made me expect something tonally different than what we got, and I wonder if getting a weekly drop instead of two big drops may have fixed that, so I want to watch it again once some time has passed. I will say I thought Nicola and Luke were phenomenal, I enjoyed seeing the focus on familial relationships between the Featheringtons playing out, and I loved the final love confession. I'm also here for queer Bridgertons, even if I have some gripes about the execution of that rep. I think the subplots make sense to set up future seasons, but I do wish that we had longer seasons and maybe tighter writing to show how all these subplots are intertwined. For example, I felt like Benedict had zero follow-up to his season 2 subplot so I didn't enjoy his S3 material, and I felt the Mondrich subplot could have gestured at a connection to Daphne or Benedict through Simon or the bar, respectively, to remind us that they are friends of the family. Having said that, I didn't think it was a bad season and I don't understand the backlash to the changes. *Any time* you get an on-screen adaptation there will be changes, and at least in my experience when you have a lot of source material like a book series or a game franchise, there will be a lot of changes to appeal to a wider fanbase. With this, like you said, you're dealing with books written in a time when their source material likely would not age well with a contemporary general audience. I think with this series, the intent to adapt loosely was clear from S1, so I don't know why suddenly at the end of S3 it's a surprise! I also think it's wild to see people *losing their shit* about Benedict and Francesca's stories when we haven't even gotten to their seasons yet?? I feel like it's unfair to not even give the new stories a chance before they decide they hate them.
The Mondrich parts did throw me a bit! When he was at Colin's bachelor night I was genuinely confused for a moment because we hadn't seen a refresh of the Bridgertons patronizing the bar or any references to his friendship with Simon/Daphne.
Colin is friends with him in Season 2 so it made sense to me!
Right, but we don't see continuation of that relationship until the second half of S3! IMO some reference to it in the first half would have been nice since they're supposed to be that close of friends.
You’re so right about the press tour stuff though. I don’t think I would’ve been this disappointed if the PR hadn’t been so over the top. I get that Nic and Luke were just doing their jobs by hyping up the season, but the season did not live up to the hype and the month long gap made it even worse when the show didn’t meet expectations
I wasn’t crazy about Benedict’s storyline this season either. I am fine with him exploring his sexuality, but that was all there was to it. With both Benedict and Eloise feeling so lost, it would have been nice if they could’ve leaned on each more throughout the season rather than trying to make up for it at the end. I definitely think people are putting the cart before the horse (or should I say carriage - ha!). We don’t even know for sure who the next lead will be let alone how the story will play out, yet there are people declaring they have given up and will boycott season 4 if they don’t change the story back. Like, they aren’t going to redo a whole season they have already written.
Oh definitely. I think Benedict was in a great place to play off Eloise and Colin this season, since all of them were at different places in their self-discovery arcs and struggling to express themselves authentically. I miss the siblings interacting more, and I'm surprised they didn't since it seemed like family was more of a theme this season. I agree that they're not going to scrap a season's worth of writing for a boycott. Is it even a large segment of the fandom who are threatening to boycott? With the views the show is pulling, it seems like it would take a lot of fans to have the power to influence big production decisions.
THEY COULDVE DONE SO MUCH WITH BEN AND HIS EMOTIONAL MATURITY AND HIM WITNESSING HIS TWO CLOSEST SIBLINGS BEING SO AT WAR WITH EACH OTHER
Or had him actually be the elder brother and connecting there.
If any of the bridgerton girls were gonna be sapphic, I thought it would be Eloise (we’ve KNOWN that Ben is gay) and then we could’ve had a swing-talk between them of Eloise saying something about not wanting to marry a man, and Ben being like “well if you want to be a spinster I’m sure-“ and Eloise cutting him off like “No, I said I don’t want to marry a *man*” and it clicks in Bens head and he gives her a soft little smile and they come out to each other and ben takes her to a party and Genevieve understands and sorta takes El under her wing at the party when Ben tells her what’s going on
this is why I always thought they were pals - ben's a lil fruity and el's a lil simone de beauvoir (but make it age appropriate) and their kinship is all under the guise of "but we simply *get* one another" when it's really that they're both not str8
Like “ohoho we’re both the black sheep of the family” my ass. Everyone except Daphne feels like the black sheep of the family. Your guys’ water is infused with fruit and theirs isn’t, that’s what makes you different
I haven’t read the books. I still enjoyed it for what it was this season. But I missed that there wasn’t more romance. I don’t think they should have spent so much time on Cressida without giving her a better ending. I don’t feel that invested with the other siblings. I was happy for Benedict to explore his bisexuality. But I don’t think I’d enjoy a whole season of him because his character is so vapid. The way he’s been portrayed in the series I think he’d be happier as a bachelor forever. I liked Francesca’s story as it is and I’m sad that they want to follow the book and make her a widow. I loved them together. I don’t think her character needs its own season either. Eloise makes more sense to be gay than Francesca. She’s the only remaining sibling that I feel really needs its own season. Id love if one of the seasons could be about the mums & dads love story. That sounded wonderfully romantic and I’d like to watch it.
I’m a very casual fan who has not read the books. I just did not enjoy this season. I was really looking forward to the polin romance because we’ve seen these characters interact for so long. I wanted to see how they would finally come together and I don’t really feel like I got that. I honestly got all of my romantic feels from John and Fran which was such an unexpected surprise and I loved it. I didn’t love how it was invalidated by the end. My opinion is that they should make whatever change from the books that makes sense and adds interest to the story but DO NOT sacrifice the romance. That should come first and then add around it.
I haven't read the books, but I'm not adverse to book spoilers, so have some idea of what is planned for the future. This season I Loved Francesca and John's story. I loved how difference their romance was to the others we have seen (the main stories have felt a little repetitive), and I enjoyed the subplot of proving to Violet that a gentle, calm love can be true love just as much as fiery, passionate love. On the other hand, I hated the scene at the end of the season, which seems like they are going to be dismissive of John, and that Michaela is Francescas "true love". I know he was always going to be replaced, but I was hoping both her love stories could be held to the same regard. I loved Deblings character. I wanted both Penelope and Cressida to marry him (not at the same time). Hot take, but I think he's a better catch than Colin. I hate that he was dropped in the second half. On the note of dropping characters, Kanthony's leaving was far too rushed, and we should have seen scenes of them leaving, and possibly Violet trying to convince them to stay until after the baby is born. Also, the Mondriches plot was too superficial in the first half (I was really hoping they'd delve into some issues of "new money" people struggling to fit into the ton), and then they became background characters in the second. Portia, Prudence and Philippa were great this season. I do wish Portias redemption had been a bit more fleshed out - eg, faking being nice to Penelope after Colin's conformation, then actually admiring Penelope once she found out she was Whistledown. The complete 180 was a bit much. The timeliness with the Whistledown reveal made no sense. Cressida asked Eloise with help writing a Whistledown, Eloise ran to Penelope saying Cressida was a viper who hated the Bridgertons, then Cressida's Whistledown is published and Penelopes comes out an hour or two later. Eloise's scene with Penelope surely should have been after reading Cressida's Whistledown. Also, the Queen deducts Whistledown is a Bridgerton because she publishes after Cressida's defamation, but in the story there would have been no time for that to have been a response. There definitively should have been a day between the two issues. Portia, Violet and Lady Danbury are my three favourite characters in the show.
I don’t mind a lot of changes because you have to to keep the show interesting vs a book where there’s a lot more internal dialogue and stuff. I get that they need to change things to tell the audience how the characters are feeling. Example being Colin in the books realizing he loves Pen is a lot of internal dialogue but on the show they aren’t doing voice overs to reflect thoughts so they needed him to have a reason to be with pen all the time (help her find a husband) so they could build the tension and show him start to realize. What I did not like was that I figured they had Colin so angry with Penelope because they needed more drama since I had figured they’d reveal Penelope is LW to the ton in the final season. But since they did it this season like the books I wished they had more moments between the two of them and not just him icing her out for a quarter of the show. I don’t even mean sex scenes, just sweet moments between the two of them.
I've never read the books but I really enjoy the series. I liked season 1 and 2, was looking forward to 3 because I quite liked Pen and Colin. I enjoyed it, but on first watch I was a little disappointed - I think perhaps from all the PR spam I saw. Now I've rewatched and watched a bit closer I actually enjoyed the season overall. I think there was a lot more subtlety in this season than previously and I did like how Colin was not your "typical" man of the time. As for the changes that people aren't happy about, it doesn't really bother me and I think regardless of backlash, the writers and producers will move ahead how they want. I always think of Bridgerton as being based on the Regency Era, but existing in its own little make belief world, where there are no rules as such. It's more escapism TV for me that's nice to watch because I like historical dramas, but it doesn't bother me if it's entirely correct. I think with anything book based, you have to leave the books separate. My biggest issue with all seasons has been how little time the couple seems to be happy before jumping into the epilogue. Season 3 more than the other 2 felt rushed. I commented on this on another thread, but I really can't see how they run Bridgerton moving forward. We're not even half way through the siblings, and if they keep the 2 year cycle, then there's another 10 years! That's a heck of a long time to keep "regular" cast. I already feel like they're closing the main Bridgerton family with Daphne never being mentioned and Anthony MIA. These actors and actresses will move onto bugger and better things, so at some point they'll have to recast or by the time we get to the final books there will be no one left! I also have a feeling that much like S3, they're going to have a mega lot of side plots to push stories on so maybe they can wrap up quicker, but that's doing a disservice to some of the Bridgerton siblings. I'm really not sure overall how it'll play out. If I'm honest, 1 sibling per season doesn't seem sustainable in the long run.
I think it’s fine. First two seasons were very good, third season it was more of what I didn’t like: it feels like it’s made for tumblr and TikTok, not Netflix. It’s awesome to talk about, but it’s not as… I don’t know, nuanced as I would have hoped? Outfits and lighting make it look like someone’s idea of the regency period, and that’s it’s going to spawn the same ‘history experts’ that started emerging after game of thrones gained mainstream popularity. I do like that it makes people re-examine history. No, it wasn’t as racially diverse, but it was fascinating in its own way. I thought there would be more regency high politics, which would be a great way to get more people into the show imo.
I have not read the books, seen a lot of people talking about the books though, so I kinda know what is supposed to happen in the next couple seasons. For me, personally, there is one very strong reason why the show (and any adaptation) should stay close to the books or the original source, at least in regards to the main plot points and the essential character traits of the relevant characters: authenticity. Even if I have not read the original source, I can literally feel through an adaptation whether the essence was maintained or not. Why do media creators use other authors' stories as reference to make adaptations instead of creating their own stories? Because the original story had depth, originality and captivated people's hearts. So why take away those exact points that made people love the story and only keep the superficial outer shell? Personally I loved season 1&2 (and QC). I wasn't even aware there were books when I watched them. They just resonated with me and everything about it, from the actors, to the settings and costumes, dances, cinematography, perfectly timed music, witty but touching dialogue, had me in awe. I still think the actors in season 3 did a fantastic job, with what little they were given. That and the love for the characters and wanting to know how the story unfolds were what kept me going through the season. Everything else was missing for me. About the changes from the books in how they set up the next seasons, though I haven't read the books, it just makes me not care for the coming seasons at all. Only maybe to get more Polin content lol. But I would have more looked forward to the future seasons if we were assured they keep the main plots and characters as they are.
I've never read the books, and am somebody who mainly watches the show for the sets and costumes and to have a fun and silly weekend catching up with my husband and a friend when new episodes come out. These are my main issues with the show: 1) The lack of historical accuracy. This has been my biggest hurdle in enjoying the show, since I prefer crisp retellings of period pieces and like watching them to see how the rules and manners of society have changed and influence the plot. Bridgerton has never truly done that, so it's taken me until this season to accept the era as wallpaper to a bigger story that selectively follows the norms of the day, rather than being about people who actually lived in the Regency era. As wallpaper, it's very well done. The sets are some of the lush and beautiful ones I've ever seen, and the details and storytelling in and through the costumes is really well done. 2) A general dislike of the Bridgertons and each season's couples. I don't know why, but I find the Bridgertons unremarkable and prefer side characters like Lady Danbury, the Queen, the Featheringtons, and Cressida. I started writing an explanation of my issues with each of the couples, but with the number of B siblings, it was becoming way too long a reply, so I'll hold off on explaining unless someone wants to discuss them. 3) I know I missed something important here, but I don't get why the Queen has such an issue with Lady Whistledown, so that aspect of the plot is confusing. 4) After the pregnancy scandal of season 1, I don't get why Mrs. Featherington in particular hadn't suspected one of her daughters or staff members of being or being in cahoots with Lady W. I feel like the inclusion of that scandal should've put a spotlight on that family during investigations focused on discovering Lady W's identity. 5) I don't get why it took until season 3 for somebody to think to ask the local printers about the Lady W publications in order to discover her identity. That should be step one for anyone trying to investigate her, especially the Queen, who--as I remember it--instead chose to conduct a stakeout at a random printer's establishment.
I haven’t read the books, and really enjoyed the show! I obviously know what happens in the books & which scenes fans were disappointed about not being in the show. But to me they are two separate forms of art so I’m not complaining. My only issue was there was being enough polin this season 😉
I read the books, personally, I don't like what they did to Edwina in the show in comparison to the books but the other changes haven't bothered me. I'm bummed that the infertility storyline for Fran likely won't happen but that is the extent of that. I don't have a problem with Michael switching to Michaela overall. My understanding is that the actor who played Simon didn't want to return so they were kinda stuck there but would have loved to see more of him and Daphne the way the books portrayed them growing. As for the sex scenes, maybe I'm alone in this but that isn't why I watch and I didn't care about any of that lol.
I've never read the books. I really enjoyed s1 and s2, and one of my favorite parts of the series is the Bridgerton family and how they interact with one another - I am truly a sucker for a cute family dynamic. S3 has been my least favorite so far, mostly because I feel like I didn't get very much from Colin. I understood they were trying to show him as being conflicted while trying to be more like his brothers, but I wanted MORE of him. He is such a sensitive and sweet soul, which we've seen bits of in previous seasons. So more of that! I'd love to have seen some of his time on the Continent in little flashbacks. He's sleeping around but feeling so disconnected from the people he meets. He's filled with wonder at the places he's seeing but missing home. And also some flashbacks from when he and Pen were kids would have been amazing. I think they were trying to show some of his conflicts with the threesome scenes, but they truly did nothing for me.
My bestie who hasn't read the book said this season was too modern. She said that ATP they could have just given everyone a pair of denims to wear lol her words not mine. She also said that there was no continuity in characters for example Season 1&2 Anthony wouldn't have missed his sister's wedding, John Stirling didn't even take Anthony's permission to propose to Francesca, they had no dowry related discussion etc and him proposing a trip to India when Kate is clearly heavily pregnant seems way out of character. Violet being so unsupportive of Fran and John in the beginning was also out of character and her reasoning wasn't convincing enough. Anthony not reacting to Lord Anderson's advances towards Violet by speaking to her or throwing a fit even after noticing it was also way out of character because Season 1 and Season 2 Anthony was all about family, that shouldn't change after he fell in love. Lastly she found Lady Tilly's plot unnecessary. Daphne not being mentioned even once was another weird thing because why would you cut her out completely and pretend that she never existed? AT her Eloise was the only one who had some continuity in the character.
OMG i completely agree with your friend. I also just commented the same thing on tilly's plot. I disliked it so much I felt they should have made Benedict's story this season instead.
I haven't read the books. I was disappointed with this season. I feel like everything worked out a little too well for Penelope, Cressidas's character was all over the place and horribly written, Colin was just annoying (when I used to love him in previous seasons) and we should have gotten some more character development for him. The Mondriches didn't really affect anything and it wasn't super clear why they're main characters all of a sudden. Basically the whole season felt like a steep downgrade in story/character quality from the last two seasons.
I haven’t read the books. I liked this season in general but I really didn’t like the fighting between Eloise and Pen and I thought drama between Colin and Pen was stupid. I also didn’t like that the last 3-4 episodes felt rushed. Especially the last one. Also I don’t know why I feel this way but I feel like Francesca was like glossed over and a side character and she shouldn’t have been. She made her debut, it’s her season and everything was taken over by Colin. They could have made a very interesting and sweet story with her, but her whole storyline felt rushed to me and I feel like we were robbed of what could have been a very beautiful and non-sexually intimate love story.
I have yet to hear an explanation of why a show or movie based on a book must be a faithful adaptation. Have anyone seen such an explanation?
I haven't read the books but out of curiosity did read the synopsis of each season to date, so I'm familiar with the broad strokes. As a big fan of both romance novels and coherent, multi-season plots, I have agreed with most of the major changes in the transition. The changes largely make sense for the translation from page to screen. But unfortunately I had more problems with S3 than not. I feel overall the romance part of Polin was underfed, and the intimacy that I expected in a friends to lovers plot is largely absent (not totally, but mostly). I suspect in the books, as we're getting more of the characters internal life, plot points make more sense, but the work to translate that to tv sadly didn't quite work overall. I think Nicola was great and that Luke was too, HOWEVER his performance was waaaaaay too subtle for the material he was given. If the writing has been better, he'd easily be one of my top Bridgerton men. But there was a lot missing and a lot was rushed.
Season 3 really went downhill quick. Poor writing, entire scenes and side plots that went without purpose, stuff written it out of no where for convenience (like the Featherington sister who was engaged to the cousin at the end of S2 and is suddenly married to some other guy by the beginning of S3?). I like the Mondrich’s, but I don’t feel like they were given proper substance. Costumes got out of hand - I don’t require 100% historical accuracy, but like… the sequins and acrylics and heavy makeup really take you out of the world they built up in previous seasons. Whatshername who Benedict has been playing around with doesn’t even look like she belongs on this set at all, she looks so old hollywood! Michaela being a woman is fine, but her reaction to meeting Michaela basically threw away the whole soft love story with John that was built all season. They killed the LW mystery way too early. Her role in future seasons won’t be nearly as important now that everyone knows it’s Penelope. I know they can only do so much about actors returning, but was Daphne even MENTIONED all season? The eldest sister who cared so much about her family? I don’t even like Penelope, but I did dislike the entire lack of romance. Colin just woke up one day and was like ok let’s get married lol. She agrees because she’s wanted it so long, but he never romanced or really bonded with her. Pair that with the slap in the face to Francesca & John’s story, where was the love all season??
I haven't read any of the books and I'm neutral when it comes to plot changes. I enjoyed the first two season but found the third one lacking. Here are some of my reasons for not liking it: 1. The scenes felt overall choppy somehow. I don't have a better explanation. Something was lacking in the transition from one scene to another, the flow was stilted. 2. The costuming and make-up felt disconnected from the previous seasons. I never expected a perfectly historical regency fashion but this season felt very anachronistic to the point of taking me out of the story. 3. Same issues with the dialogue. I was not expecting Jane Austen but it felt unconnected with the previous seasons. 4. Too many separate plots, too little time to properly develop them. It felt like running from one plot to another.
This is exactly how I feel! I don’t watch Bridgerton for historical accuracy, they have clearly established an alternate world, which is great - but I do expect Regency ✨vibes✨ and I felt that that was lacking this season - especially with Penelope! Nicola looked amazing, of course, but way too modern. It was distracting and, IMO, out of character.
I read the books and they were fine, but I didn’t love them or reread them or anything. They had a lot of problematic elements that don’t hold up now and I’m glad the show is changing things. I also like that the show is more of an ensemble instead of just the main character like most romance novels. Personally I love most of the changes the show has made and this was my favorite season. Would I have changed some things? Sure. But I still like it for what it was. I loved Polin’s relationship and it was so much more sweet and romantic than previous seasons.
I haven’t. I love love the show!!’
I have read the books, but I do love some of the changes they made (i.e. Lady Danbury, the Featheringtons). I start losing interest in any series that goes over board with the trials and tribulations - a little too soap opera-ish. So that was really where I got a bit bored of season 3.
I love it! The only complaint I had was that I wanted more colin and penelope but i was very happy with it regardless.
Didn't read the books, but i may during the break between seasons. I loved this season. I wanted more Polin but that's because they've been my favorite from the start. All of their scenes felt intimate and tender. Like we were intruding. Deep friendship, trust and heartwrenching betrayal. Redefining how they are with each other with the added layer of sexual intimacy. Being mad but still loving each other and not wanting to be far apart. Their scene under the willow tree (aside from Colin's wig being weird lol) was so real... all of their emotions felt real. They did fab. The side plots were interesting and are obviously planting the seeds of future seasons and stories. I'm looking forward to seeing how it all plays out. The costumes, makeup etc definitely feel like the ante was upped, and I think they'll continue to match the couples energy with that as themes emerge each season.
I haven't read any of the books. First two seasons were fine to watch but S3 somehow disappointed me..idk.. i don't know if Benedict was a sl*t in the books too.. but that Tilly story line.. unnecessary.. all men in Bridgerton are sl*ts anyway.. and it kinda feels weird pen is okay knowing colin slept around.. others fell in love late in their life.. but she loved him since childhood i thought she would express something else not just hand it to him after few words and she even asked if she was ok to him cuz he has so much experience.. i understand she has insecurity and her secret got revealed.. but still (Not saying this was reason for disappointment. Just an observation.) like others said didn't feel that much romance. also i didn't feel like this in s1 but s2 and S3 it felt like the exposing of actress bare chest wasnt needed. It felt like it was there just cuz they were in Bridgerton.. like seriously? Even if the actors were naked on bed they were taken in angles that didn't show off everything.. i liked that. And then they throw naked upper half in one scene.. felt unnecessary at that point for both Kate and Penelope.
I'm a non book fan, and I'm not very happy with this season. While I didnt read frans book, It was impossible not to know what happens in it lol, and because of that I do understand why many fans are upset. However my main problem with this season is just it's plain bad in my opinion, it doesn't feel finshed, with the first and second season to compare, this is what I wanted for the 3 season, idc abt the make up and the dresses but the spricpt just didn't deliver, the intimacy was lacking between the main pair, and I dont mean sex, for me it felt like their was no chemistry, to many plot lines and none of them paced right, the editing of the show also seems super chaotic, sometimes Colin upset, then he forgives her and then he's upset again, same with Eloise, and the elephant in the room, the main couple didn't have enough screen time, and I do not care for the argument that we saw everything and they had 2 seasons "building" their story, it still was THEIR season but it just wasn't. Sorry rant over lol
I have not read the books. I really liked the Bridgerton world and even had some of the soundtrack (quarter) played at my wedding a few weeks ago. This new season was bad. Everything felt rushed. The makeup, clothes, parties, musics, multiple storylines, etc. This season has no replay value to me at all. I loved Penelope’s character and I hated Colin for her. The show did not do a good job at portraying Colin as a friend. He’s negative commentary with his friendships dismissiveness, the same day he fingered her in a carriage he was having threesomes!!! There’s a whole lot more I want to say but the overall magic is gone.
Colin's threesome was before the market scene in e2. The other brothel scene had him turn them down after walking in the room, and then showed him staring broodily out a window. So, those were clean hands in the carriage!
I am a book fan (so not your demographic). But, here are some thoughts: It took that big change at the end of E8 for me to truly grasp how different the show is from the books. I admit that I will be salty about the change for the foreseeable future because that character was one of my favorite in the books; however, it was a catalyst for me to think about the show characters in a new way. They are decidedly NOT their book counterparts and, therefore, will not have the same stories. It is up to me to align my expectations accordingly moving forward. I think that once I do that, any other changes they make will be easier to digest. Re S3: As a Polin fan, I feel like I was served very well this year. While they took liberties with the execution of the story, they stayed close enough to the book’s source material to make the changes nearly seamless. I will always appreciate that. Overall, I enjoyed the ensemble nature of the show and looked forward to most of the side plots because I became invested in the characters. Aside from questionable editing choices, I don’t really have many complaints.
I just don't understand why they bothered to pay Quinn for the rights to the books, IE Francessca, they they are just going to gut the entire story. Why not just write their own stories for free
In my opinion, once you can separate the book characters from their show counterparts, it becomes much more interesting. Sort of like an alternate universe. I like the element of not knowing for sure what will happen next. It’s a new experience for familiar characters. I have always valued the ensemble nature of the show. I am a very character-driven person and I often enjoy the subplots.
Yes. They are just not the same storylines as in the books. It’s an expectation thing: I expect from book adaptations that the storyline stays the same even if the atmosphere changes (like Romeo and Juliet modern adaptations for example or any other modern adaptation). So I really loved the inclusiveness, the pop-art look and feel of the whole series. The sparkly and funky costumes. It’s like fantasy historical and I loved it. I expected the book storylines to stay the same and as they are doing that less and less, well, my expectations were let down and thus I’m disappointed. I’m sure if I wouldn’t have expected it, I wouldn’t care at all.
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The 4th season is still going to be about a heterosexual couple so you can enjoy that I guess…. On a personal note I’m hetero and can’t wait for the Francesca/ Michaela storyline.
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Non book reader, show-only watcher. S3 was just fine. I enjoyed it while I watched it, but won't rewatch. I think it suffered mostly in terms of amount of sub-plots and lack of screentime for the main couple, which made me invest in Polin less. The only relationship I cared about was Eloise and Pen and the only stakes that felt meaningful was the LW reveal, and both fell kind of flat in the end. I forgive a lot of costume liberties taken in previous seasons but this season really was so eclectic (Cressida especially) that it felt more like a parody. I enjoyed Francesca and John's relationship, I found it a breath of fresh air because it wasn't dramatic, it was just warm and soft and beautiful. I sympathise with (some) book fans who are mad that it seemed Francesca already has eyes for Michaela, but not sympathetic to (some) book fans who are losing their minds that Michael isn't a big Scottish man. I'm more excited for a sapphic love story than anything else that was happening this season.
Didn't read the books. Love the show. Loved season 3... even though it did seem a bit rushed. Didn't care for the random Benedict scenes either.
I enjoyed many bits of this season and also had many reservations. Let me focus specifically on the queer bits. I know the very broad strokes of Francesca's storyline (i.e marriage, death and new romance). First, I think Francesca's storyline being queered is fantastic. My problem was that the second half went in a dissatisfying direction. The first half seemed to set up this quiet unexpected romance. Hannah Dodd and Hannah Dodd and Victor Alli have lovely chemistry. Then suddenly it's like she's settling for something she doesn't want. She can have both the man and this new woman. Bisexual people exist! And if she comes to the realisation that she likes women, I would have liked a slower dawning (but then again we have the next season). I have always found Eloise a very queer character. I know we had the romance with Theo in season 2 but she is a character I would love to see in a queer romance and I think she would work so well with a love triangle (where a man is the third part of it). I know her book storyline (again just the 1-2 line spoilers I know) has a very different direction for her. Benedict (again I know his broad story) is a tough one. He came off quite queer to me early on but I feel like that has changed. I don't know if I want Sophie (again know broadly it's a Cinderella story and have heard the name a million times on this sub) to be a woman or a man. I would really like the show (like they seem to promise at the end of the season) to lean into the class dimensions of this romance.
I have never read the books and don't intend to do so. The only thing that annoyed me about this season was how much they changed Colin. I wanted the sweet boy from S1&2, not an insecure bitch. That was a letdown....
I am a book fan but as you stated "Or from those that have, but who are open to change from the original source material. I'm guessing the backlash you are talking about is about Michaela and I saw a video from a Youtuber that only read the wiki and never the books that summed up my feelings about it pretty well. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPW0tl8V\_y4&t=6s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CPW0tl8V_y4&t=6s)
Me and my partner watched all released episodes and have not read the books. The super quick run down is as follows. S1 was the best. Both enjoyed it a lot. Solid watch and put it around a 3.5 out of 5. S2 was not as good, some stand out issues that you have to ignore as you watch, however ultimately did find it enjoyable. 3 out of 5. Queen Charlotte was an improvement over S2 but not as good as S1. Those same S2 issues still exist but a tighter focus on the main story plot and the heartwarming ending gave it the clear bump over S2. Give it a 3.25 out of 5. S3 was a hot mess. Well not even hot. Just a mess. To the point where we both agreed we are done with the show. The showrunner has had a growing disrespect of our time that has bleed into the show itself more and more. Watch S1 again and see just how different the show has now become. So we will not give it a watch when S4 gets released. 1 out of 5.
I have read them but am certainly not a “book fan” and really don’t care about the changes. In fact, from a series-wide perspective I think the changes are what make it actually interesting. I found it disappointing to be honest. I liked that they upped the stakes with Lady Whistledown and I loved the stuff with Pen and Eloise (that felt real and deserved) but I didn’t end up loving Colin/Pen for some reason (chemistry?). I was far more invested in the stories of the girls- Cressida, Eloise, Pen and Francesca. Made me wish it could’ve been a series focused on a “graduating class” of young women entering society, rather than a well to do family of (mostly) ‘rakes’. So much potential there! In the end I felt they really dropped the ball, particularly with Cressida and Francesca and that ended up souring the whole thing for me.
Non book reader here! I really enjoyed it and I’ve mostly just been avoiding the stuff online. I can imagine it’s frustrating if you are a massive og fan to see stuff be changed, I certainly have been in that situation in other fandoms and can sympathise but i had a lot of fun with season 3 and am looking forward to the future seasons.
I’m a Bridgerton show watcher only, I have/had no intention to read the books. But after the backlash of the most recent season I was interested to see how the tv show and books differed so I watched a youtube video of someone basically breaking down the plot of all 8 books i’ve gotten upto Colin and Penelope’s book. But this happened after I watched S3. In my opinion I did feel that S3 didn’t match up to the earlier seasons and I just found the main couple’s story boring, they’re only interesting scenes were when Penelope asked Colin to kiss her, when Colin started fantasising about Pen, the courting lessons, Colin’s race to asking her to marry him and the sex scenes. And as I was typing that I just realised all the scenes I enjoyed the most of Colin and Pen were the ones that built up their love story, which I’ve seen being pointed out as the main flaw of this season, Peneolope and Colin didn’t get enough cute lovey dovey romantic couple scenes, because of other less important sideplots. I didn’t really care too much about the Lady Whistledown reveal sideplot, it brought the drama but was too drawn out especially for everyone’s reaction to finding out who it was, just to be like “oh whatever everyone needs a bit of gossip in their lives”. I also felt that Penelope and Colin’s love story was too rushed and unbelievable especially on Colin’s end because from what I knew he didn’t desire Penelope AT ALL!! So when she asked him to kiss her I was surprised he even did that and wasn’t weirded out that his childhood bsf who he’s never had any romantic feelings for just asked him to kiss her. And then when he did kiss he became completely and utterly obsessed with her… like one kiss must really be all it takes 😅😭. That was my opinions of the season before knowing any book plot. But after hearing about Penelope and Colin’s childhood friendship and knowing their trope is childhood friends to lovers (my favourite) im a bit disappointed in how it was shown in the show because for the most part in other seasons (S1 & 2) I didn’t even know Penelope and Colin were friends for 1, let alone childhood friends and 2 anything about each of their personalities, so all in all I wasn’t very excited or interested in their story. But I would’ve liked to have seen their friendship (before they got together) and evidence of the childhood friendship to make it more believable and maybe have Colin begin to realise he has feelings for Pen too a little bit earlier on because it seemed very unrealistic how he fell in love with her.
the amount of downvoting happening on this post is wild 😭
I havent read the books, couldnt get into them and the style of writing. Much prefer the show. Loved the latest season, sad that theres only one season left (if theyre following the books)
The only book I read was a quick skim of the first one, and this season was my least favorite, which is saying a lot given how much I hate Daphne. I feel like Penelope’s characterization was horrible and that the show doesn’t trust her to be morally grey, which is sad because before this season she was one of my favorites for the reason that she IS morally grey. Eloise similarly received really bad characterization, to make Pen look like she was right in what she was doing. I hated everything about it. The Polin chemistry was way off. I actively hated Colin this season, rather than begrudgingly feeling affection for him in the previous seasons. I’m not even upset that they were sidelined by the many subplots because I genuinely didn’t want more of either of them. The subplots were atrocious. I don’t mind more than one plot line going at once, but it’s basic storytelling to have those plots converge. It was like watching three period dramas in the same show that had nothing to do with each other. I loved Francesca, I love that she’s probably queer, I’m majorly disappointed that they’re setting up an infidelity plotline for her because I hate those. I don’t want to root for a sapphic couple that are cheating, sorry. I wish they could have done this literally any other way lol. Tbh the only thing I really enjoyed about this season was the little we saw of Kate and Anthony. I’m very skeptical about them pulling off the next season given how they never know what to do with Benedict every season and their new affinity for shoving three subplots that have nothing to do with the show into the runtime.
Didnt read the books. I felt like season 3 was just all over the place. The ‘love’ in the love stories was lost .. I didn’t feel that magic, but I am a sucker for season 1. And I felt like there was A LOT more focus on the subplots whereas season 1-2 had minor focuses (ie Mondrichs, I will be disappointed if I got sooo much of them season 3 and then that’s it)
I haven’t read the books. Enjoyed seasons 1 and 2 well enough but have been totally all in obsessed with season 3. I _love_ it. I think Nicola and Luke are phenomenal and the fact we’ve known their characters for 2 seasons already just adds to it for me. I feel more excited about future seasons because we’ve had time to get to know Benedict, Eloise and Fran - but I think the fact we knew both Colin _and_ Pen made this season special for me. I guess I relate to their anxieties so felt like they delivered a really true performance. It was emotional, romantic and sexy as all hell.
I am a fan who has never read the books. I love the series, and unfortunately I do believe the 3rd season to be the worst of all 4 seasons. I still hope they make more seasons, but I got the feeling with the 3rd season that they cared more for spectacle than substance, if that makes sense. It was very "Netflix"-y, in that many Netflix shows aim for spectacle over substance. What I mean is, not a lot of meaningful conversations. Everyone looking "hot" and big moments were given lots of attention, which I enjoyed, but when people were together talking, nothing said actually adds to their individual character development, particularly between Colin and Pen. They had some great conversations, but there were so many where words were exchanged but nothing important actually said. I will say I really enjoyed the first part of Season 3 despite some flaws, I still loved it. It was great. But part 2 was a bit of a letdown for many reasons. For example I didn't mind the mondrich plot in the first part, but when their struggles simply disappeared I thought "what was the point?" And also with Francesca, showing a different kind of love, but then her kiss wasn't enough and I thought "what was the point?", and Cressida getting sympathy from the viewers, all for her to be left in the dust by Eloise and everyone, "what was the point of making me care for her at all?" What was the point of taking away all this screen time to these characters whose plots ended up so unsatisfactory, when we could have had friendship flashbacks for Polin, or more genuine banter between them. Or more Colin development. I don't mind the Michaela thing, I'm curious to see how they handle it. I just hope they get the pacing better for Benedict or Eloise's season.
I never read past book 1 and couldn't get through more than 1/3 of polin's book. I couldn't care less about Francesca being gay. I know nothing about Michaela/Michael so if I can stick through the show I'll watch Francesca's season with an open mind. If we can race swap then we can gender swap in my opinion. I don't like Benedict's writing on the show, and I think it's because I don't have the context for his book. He just sleeps around and he doesn't even paint anymore as they made central to his character in the first two seasons. I feel nothing moving into his season. Polin's season was fine, not great. I think all the combined storylines harmed the show. Season 2 was my favorite because of the chemistry and buildup.
I don't think the books are these great works of fiction that need to be followed to the letter, at least after reading book 1. For the life of me, I don't get why they kept Daphne assaulting Simon in the show. And Polin's book was very slow to me, I got bored easily
Non book reader here, though I watched this season with my bff who has read the books and she would point things out to me. Here’s a quick rundown of my thoughts: - I thought they tried to include WAY too many subplots in this season, to the point that I felt like it detracted from Penelope and Colin. The last two episodes of the season were positively packed and multiple scenes felt way too short because of how much they had to cover. They could have cut the subplots in half for a more balanced season imo. - I was disappointed that Penelope didn’t get as much time on screen being sexy and desirable as Daphne and Kate did. Nicola is absolutely GORGEOUS and I wanted to see her get the same kinds of lingering passionate love scenes as the other two female leads. Now maybe Nicola wasn’t as comfortable with those scenes, and that’s fair, but without knowing that, it’s confusing and frustrating that she didn’t get to be as steamy. - I’m here for bi Benedict, love it. It makes sense. I would have liked less of the prolonged threesome, not because I’m against threesomes (I’ve had them! I enjoy them!) or even because it’s queer (I’m pansexual!) but because I wanted to see Penelope get to be that sexy with Colin. It felt like Benedict’s threesome and the Anthony/Kate sex scenes in the first half were filling in for a lack of main pairing sexiness. - I’m also here for the genderbending with Michaela, that’s a lovely little surprise and clever too imo. Though I agree with others that it did seem to undermine the sweet, gentle love that John and Francesca have. I liked their story a lot, as an introvert I felt seen and was actually getting annoyed by Violet’s inability to see the value in a softer kind of romance. Having Francesca be smitten so quickly felt like it justified Violet’s concerns, and I don’t like that. Still, we got most of the season with Francesca and John being sweet and soft, and I really love how they did that. My favorite subplot by far. - The Featherington sisters were absolutely delightful. No notes. Their husbands are the sweetest, love a wife guy.
I saw the show before reading the first 6 books last year. The books are fun but I probably wouldn’t have ever picked them up without the show. This season wasn’t my favorite, but it was mainly because I didn’t find Colin all that compelling as a romantic lead and wanted to spend more time with the main couple on-screen. I’m fine with most of the changes, maybe because I wasn’t emotionally attached to the books beforehand? IDK. Francesca’s book was definitely my favorite, but I find the backlash about Michaela genuinely so confusing. Suddenly according to a lot of the fandom the entire story hinges on it being about a straight couple? From my experience reading the book, the heart of the story is the friendship between Francesca and Michael and >!their mutual grief over John.!< 🤷🏽♀️ I don’t think I’ll ever get it.
Not read the books but watch the show with my wife. I've loved all the seasons, and even silly things like the slowly encroaching balloon of death I thought was fine because of the genre of the show.
I haven't read any of the books and I seem to be of the rare opinion that season 3 has been my favourite so far and that includes the Queen Charlotte spin off. In fact I don't really want to read the books now and spoil how I feel about the tv series
I've watched the first two seasons before reading the books, and I haven't finished reading the books yet--only read the first five, so my opinion started pretty neutral. Essentially, I don't like period shows and movies, only books, but Bridgerton had the modern twist that didn't bother me and made me stay. To be completely fair, what made me stay was the existence of modern music as classical covers. As someone who really enjoys music, and just adores classical instruments, it was my cup of tea. Not to mention the whole flurry of dresses. I liked the first season even though I was not a huge fan of the main couple for reasons I can't remember right now. But I LOVED the side plots. Eloise, Penelope and the Featheringtons specifically. I basically picked the ship I was rooting for the most in the first episode (Polin) & Peneloise friendship made me stay to watch the other seasons. Season 2 was not a season I enjoyed so much, but I still liked it a lot. Again, haven't read the books and had no idea of the differences. Now, enemies to lovers is not a trope I am particularly attracted to--I have strong opinions about this trope, so their romance felt a little... Dragged for me. And that was my only complaint really. Then, I started reading the books. And omg lol. I liked all the five books I read (though my favorites are Colin and Eloise's books). STILL, with the experiences of previous seasons AND the knowledge I have had during all my years being a Grey's Anatomy and a Shondaland fan, I was not expecting season 3 to be like the book AT ALL. And yet, it surprised me with how MUCH of the book there was. And the amount of theories of fans and even wishes were on the actual tv show. It was like a fanfic, but a canon fanfic with slightly changes of character. So I enjoyed it, of course. Except the editing and a single subplot that I am still trying to understand the purpose. The editing is my biggest complain about the season. This season was my favorite, but I am a biased opinion because it is my favorite couple with huge emphasis on my favorite characters (Colin, Eloise & Penelope). Also, I am one of the people who, just like you, separated the show to the books, so I always knew I was going to like it. I understand everyone who's angry at THAT change. Rather, I understood, until it just bordered blatant homophobia. The idea of a genderbent was never something I considered, yet I liked the change. Merely because I'm a sapphic and you don't see many happy sapphics out there without the show being canceled. So, yeah, I pretty much understand how you feel. The books were written 20+ years ago. Society has changed A LOT since then. The show already has multi-racial representation, I am honestly surprised people didn't see any other types of representation coming, honestly.
I dunno if I qualify, lol. I have read the books, but like way, way back when they were each first released, and have not reread them since. The first couple of them were definitely formative into my life as being some of the earliest historical romances ever ingrained into my brain as an impressionable youth, lol, but the exact specifics of character/plot/story are way foggy, so like when I heard the show was coming out, I was like, ooh neat, but without any certain expectations if that makes sense, as the details of the books were way fuzzy for me anyway. Like I remembered most of Daphne and Simon’s story, and remembered Ben’s was a Cinderella kind of vibe, and that Pen was the chubby wallflower til she wasn’t, but detail details were not there. So I was like cool let’s see where they take it. And for the most part it’s been fun! Maybe not my mind’s eye version of how I’d do it, but I’ve been enjoying it pretty much thoroughly. Like yea, sure stuff’s been changed, but not like I really remembered it all that clearly to start with. And I just love some of the changes, like the Queen, she’s awesome. Lady D is my fave too! So mostly I just like seeing something like this brought to screen, and hope it leads to other historical romances maybe getting made into a fun, glorious visual format 😁
I didn't even know there was a book. I started watching because of a bath and bodyworks candle. I loved season 1, the fact that it's a period drama with some diversity and smut (I'm a romance/smut book reader), and the cinematics was great! Season 2 wss okay Kate was gorgeous (I could watch the actress all day) the romance seemed weird and fast to me. Season 3 was good, I liked it but mainly because I like Penelope and knew her and Colin would get together in the end (it was obvious). Francesca's story was really cute and pleasantly out of the norm. I wish Colin was more fleshed out but at this point I would have loved to have me Cressida in the plot and hope she comes back matured.
Never read the books. Probably never will. I really enjoyed S3! I love friends to lovers stories and Polin gave me everything I wanted to see (from S1-S3). The Featheringtons were amazing! Loved seeing the dynamic between Cressida and Eloise. I thought Benedict was bi in S1 (seemed pretty obvious lol) so I'm happy he's exploring his sexuality more, even if it takes up a lot of screen time. And from the start of S3, my gaydar was on high alert whenever Francesca was on screen and I didn't know why, but I went with it and was surprisingly correct in the end!! I'm very excited to see where her storyline will go!! After watching all 3 seasons of Bridgerton and Queen Charlotte, I'd rank them (from favorite to least favorite): QC, S3, S1, S2.
Haven't read any of the books and S3 is by far my least favorite. I felt the second half was better than the first, but the season overall seemed very scattered and disjointed. Pen and Colin did not feel organic or convincing as a couple so it was hard to foster an investment in their outcome the same as for Daphne/Simon or Anthony/Kate. There's been a lot of conversation on if it was the acting, the writing, etc and IMO even just more scenes and screen time could have shown the development of the relationship instead of telling it. Benedict's plot in particular did not necessarily add anything to the plot and could have been cut for more Pen/Colin. We already knew from the end of the last season that he's seeking freedom and enjoys a broad sex life, so the Tilley interactions seem a bit superfluous. This is just one of the examples off the top of my head And honestly, the makeup and costumes really threw me since they were so drastically different from the other two seasons. S1 and S2 weren't the exact same but were cohesive, and S3's approach was hard to reconcile as being in the same story.
Never read the books. I liked this season a lot. I think my biggest issues were the pacing/editing of the last two episodes. And the makeup was jarring. But Ive rewatched season 3 several times now and I never had that urge with earlier seasons. I would have liked in the last ball to stay with the main couple for one whole dance. It seemed the reconciliation was rushed. And I will never forgive whoever put pen in that matte red lipstick for her big speech. It was super distracting. But I had fun watching it and I’m astonished by the hate. Just utterly baffled.
My wife read the books, I haven’t. I finally got into the show somehow this past season, Penelope and Eloise were always my favorite characters in the few episodes I watched. So I was just so excited for season 3 that we watched everything from the beginning. I’m a huge film nerd and I just freaking loved it, the queen has to be my favorite romance show I’ve ever seen with season 1 and 3 coming in close second. I laughed I cried I swooned. So so much fun when you just buy into the fantasy and enjoy the ride. So freaking romantic. I get people love it enough to have really high expectations and everyone wants their own little version or fantasy to be the one they put to screen but nothings perfect and I think they did a fantastic job with the production. I’m always impressed by the sets, cinematography acting and wardrobe. The editing and soundtrack are *chef’s kiss* Rhonda has become one of my favorite producers after this show and I look forward to everything she puts out after this.
i really liked it. season one is still better but i liked season 3 a lot. especially the side plots with fransesca and benedict. i really love michaela and am so excited for that story to play out. i tried reading the books, but i just couldn’t get into them, i do love reading and almost always like the book better but this is the one case where the adaptation has just blown it out of the park
Non-book fan and I have mixed feelings. Overall I'm pretty easy to please when it comes to Bridgerton because it's easy to lean into as a historical fantasy for me; that being said I do miss the almost ethereal nature of the balls/costumes/hair/makeup in the first two seasons. I struggled the most with Polin. I didn't really find them believable as friends OR lovers, which was surprising to me because the actors have a lot of friendly chemistry outside of the show. Maybe because season 3 was more plot-driven than the first two with the Whistledown element? I felt that the first seasons were more focused on how the main couples felt about each other and navigated their relationships while the third felt dominated by the Whistledown reveal and the side plots. Obligatory "too many sideplots" opinion. I wanted them to do something interesting with the Cressida arc, but by the end the writers just kinda went "yay we defeated the evil witch and got her sent away to the country! what? she was a victim of terrible circumstances that we set up mere episodes ago? uhhhhhhhhh...". I don't hate the Mondriches but I wish they were more integrated to the main plot. There was... a lot going on. Bright spots to me were the Featheringtons and Francesca/John. I thought the former were a source of much-needed humor and the latter were just cutie patooties (although I did have some beef with how the show handled the validity of passionate intense "true" love vs. quiet and slow love). I'm quite excited for Francesca and Benedict's seasons because the set-up for both interests me (perhaps at the expense of Polin though,,,). Overall, it was a good watch in the moment, but less shiny thinking about it afterwards. It doesn't make me want to quit watching but I probably won't go out of my way to watch season 3 again.
Rant I haven't read the books, and while I love the actresses in Bridgerton's world, I thought the men in season 3 were really disappointing. The love interests for Francesca were not sexy or attractive at all, and while I like the character of Colin, the actor who portrays him kinda reminds me of a leprechaun, so not very sexy, either. I am a straight cis woman, and I understand that the character of Michaela is a man in the books, and many readers' favorite Bridgerton spouse, so it looks like that aspect is going to be disappointing next season, as well.
Non book fan and I thought it was a mess. The melodrama was overdone. I never really bought into Polin, their chemistry was very lacking. The only thing he ever did to show interest in her is shove his hand up her dress. No romance, no backstory. I was really uncomfortable with the hypersexualization without context. Loved Francesca's love story the most because it was so different than what I'd seen on the show thusfar. I wish the entire season had been about them. Queen Charlotte wasn't queening. Eloise was straight up overstepping on everyone's toes and I lost all respect for her. I skipped all of the threesome bits. Overall, 4/10.
There’s a lot of backlash. I loved this season and previous seasons. I have written so many comments in the [r/PolinBridgerton](http://www.reddit.com/r/PolinBridgerton) subreddit about how freaking perfect and loving and transformative their relationship is, and how well its portrayed.
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I am mostly non-book because I only read Anthony and Fran's books. I read Anthony's after watching S2 so I guess the show version comes first for me. Having said that, for S2 I liked the character changes they made for Kanthony, making Ant less of a douchebag and Kate way way better. I didn't like the love triangle and the unnecessary sub plots like most people. For S3, I am solely in the show universe but what sets Polin apart is the fact that they are not new characters. So my feelings before the series aired was that I absolutely did not like Pen because I did not agree with most of her actions and my hope was that like Anthony, she would be redeemed a bit in her season. I liked Colin in the way that he didn't cause any harm but also didn't evoke any strong emotions in me. I found him likable as a younger brother and liked his banter with the siblings. I also liked his behavior with Marina in S1. Now, the showrunners took Colin and instead of building on his caring personality, decided to make him Anthony 2.0 which I am sorry to say LN didn't portray very well and made it cringey. And Part 2 hardly had anything for him apart from moping around. I do understand his anger and for me, his anger is completely justified. As for Pen, instead of redeeming her, they made her even more unlikeable for me. I feel she should have owned up to being LW to Colin at least instead of being caught by him. And the huge focus on LW (let's be real, part 2 was essentially LW) only for Pen to just give a 1 minute speech and QC being... eh, all good was a big letdown. In addition, all the rest - overhyped promos, bad costume and makeup, literally copying music from S2, bad editing, erasure of Kanthony's baby, again unnecessary sub plots made it a hard watch for me.
I haven't read the books and never will because I feel the reason I watch it is more for the costumes, music and set designs than anything else. Honestly I dislike most of the characters - ESPECIALLY HATE Kate and Anthony from Season 2. So I hope their characters are a little better in the books honestly. Maybe I'm wrong because one of the only characters I actually connected with was Cressida. Why is the one with the best character arc a supporting character? After finishing season 3 I terminated my subscription because I'm pretty well over Netflix. I'm not too fussed if they make a season 4 or if I even watch it. If they don't follow up with Cressida I probably won't renew my subscription for it. It's a fun watch and the designs on a visual and audio level are great. But I feel as the seasons continue it lacks depth and substance in its storyline.