[Bridgerton music]
Last week, Netflix released the first half of Bridgerton Season 3, a regency era drama following a wealthy family’s journey within the English ton and the marriage mart that ensues. With each season following a new Bridgerton sibling’s love life, the show provides fresh romances and keeps its audience invested.
Bridgerton’s newest season took the number one spot on Netflix’s Global top 10 list the week of its release, amassing over 45 million viewers in the first four days. Some students on campus contributed to its worldwide success, watching the newest four episodes as soon as they came out.
KIRA HUGHES: I’ve watched all four (seasons) if we’re counting Queen Charlotte. I love every single one. I love the music. I love the costuming. I love the beautiful actors. But season two is my favorite.
MAIA PANDEY: I’ve watched all of them—part one of season three last night actually—and I love them. I feel like it has the same energy as like Ella Enchanted, I think that’s why there’s so much nostalgia to it.
NINA GEORGIEVA: I’ve watched all of them, I’m a day one Bridgerton fan, some may say. The fantasy is so fun, I love that it toes the line between historically accurate and just like wild.
Season 3 follows wallflower and “spinster” Penelope Featherington, played by Nicola Coughlan, and her journey falling in love with Colin Bridgerton, played by Luke Newton. Given the ship name Polin, long time fans of the show awaited Penelope and Colin’s story for its friends to lovers trope. Additionally, in the show, Penelope is secretly Lady Whistledown, the gossip girl of the regency world.
HUGHES: I mean, I’ve been waiting for Penelope to have her moment. I love her glow up. I love that she’s not wearing those ugly yellow dresses anymore. Her new costumes are so gorgeous, so beautiful. And I’m really liking the Kate and Anthony. Like I’m liking that they’re still kind of included in the story.
PANDEY: I’ve been seeing stuff leading up to it, about how they transform the two leads into leads by changing their hair and makeup and costuming. So I feel like every time I see Penelope, it’s just crazy how much better they styled her, like with her hair and the color palettes and stuff.
Produced by Shonda Rhimes and Shondaland, famously known for the creation of Grey’s Anatomy, the show follows multiple different plot lines within the season. Past leading characters and side characters are written with intricate side plots and struggles. However, this is a common complaint among some viewers who argue that the leading love interests do not always get enough screen time. Other fans insist the series uses its large ensemble cast to continue world building.
HUGHES: I would say I guess it’s just the plotlines are getting a little bit confusing. Like there’s so many of them. But I don’t really dislike that, I think it’s more of like a, I have to lock in to follow the story.
PANDEY: I don’t buy the chemistry between the leads as much as I did in the previous season. In the most recent episode, they got together and he proposed at the end, which felt like it moved very quickly for me.
GEORGIEVA: As much as I love the side plots, there’s supposed to be a main couple every season. I feel like they haven’t gotten enough storytime, like I feel like Penelope and Colin should be doing more on screen.
But Bridgerton is not just elegant gowns and violin renditions of modern day pop music. To some viewers, Bridgerton stands out from other romance and regency shows. While it still orients its stories in a marked historical period, its casting of leads of color marks a new era for Hollywood representation. In the previous seasons, the show spotlighted Desi representation with Kate Sharma, played by Simone Ashley. Also, in its debut season, the Duke of Hastings was played by Rege Jean Page, a biracial actor.
HUGHES: Well first of all the diversity I think is a huge piece for me. Like. I mean I guess as a Black woman, it’s very nice to see people of color getting to have like the pretty dresses and the love story. So more than anything, I think that’s what really attracts me to it.
PANDEY: I like what they do with sort of scrambling historical accuracy, like obviously the diverse casting, is something that stuck out to me in the early seasons, having a South Asian female lead in the second season, where that was like a fact of her background but not something that continually deprecated her or made her more unattractive.
GEORGIEVA: I think Brigerton is a show that’s really hailed for its representation. They’ll bring in a lot of people of color, or like this season had a whole plot line with a guy in a wheelchair. There’ll be casually like other groups that you don’t normally see on TV.
PANDEY: I also think what I appreciate about the diverse casting with little explanation is it doesn’t tie these people of color to oppression. And I think that happens so much in period films where like, you’ll have characters of colors, but they’ll be subservient or dying. So it’s really refreshing to see a period piece where you have non white characters, but they’re not like being violently oppressed.
Overall, the first part of season 3 is only growing viewership and adoration of the Bridgerton world. With Part 2 set to release June 16, fans will be able to reunite with the beloved cast of characters in less than a month.
For WNUR News, I’m Grace Herzog, and I’m Izzy Pareja.
