‘Bridgerton’ Season 3 Part 2: Everything To Know About What Might Come After That Carriage Scene

More exists to Bridgerton than the Regency-era sexy scenes, but that is what most people instantly conjure up in their minds whilst thinking of this show, and it’s not an unfair portrait. Nudity and even scratch marks are part of the show’s enduring appeal, and somehow, the show keeps getting more randy every season after The Duke left the building.

The third season recently dropped four episodes with four more to come in a second half. Let’s talk about where Shondaland left off and what is to come.

Plot

Make no mistake, the writers knew exactly what they were doing when they ended Episode 4 with “For God’s sake, Penelope Featherington. Are you going to marry me or not?” Nicola Coughlan’s character hasn’t yet answered that question, but readers of Julia Quinn’s books know that Penelope and Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) do get married. However, there’s still the question of whether the show will follow the book because events have been time-swapped here a bit, at least while considering the moment when Colin will/should learn about Penelope actually being Lady Whistledown.

(Oh, please let them have an ending that is happier than Queen Charlotte and King George.)

Whether or not “Polin” follows the same course of the books — with Colin getting over the Lady Whistledown thing — remains for time to tell. We do, however, already know that Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie) was not pleased to learn the truth, and Penelope might never be able to give up that poison pen of hers. And in the books, the moment where Colin finds out about Penelope’s alter ego actually comes right before the Carriage Scene that shook the viewership of the Netflix series. Whereas the Carriage Scene has now already materialized onscreen with the revelation of Whistledown still to come.

So, it’s really impossible to predict how Shondaland plans to handle that awkwardness, but here’s some insight from showrunner Jess Brownell, who spoke with Variety:

“The back half of the season in many ways is the upside-down world of the first half. If the first half is all playful and light and very much grounded in a rom-com sensibility, as soon as we jump into the back half, you have these much heavier conflicts that come into play. This includes the fact that Penelope is hiding that she’s Lady Whistledown from Colin, and her relationship with Eloise still not being in a great place, just as she’s getting together with her brother. So the tension starts ramping up.”

Also, Queen Charlotte is bound and determined to uncover the Whistledown secret, so we shall see if that’s how Colin finds out. If this romance does not proceed to marriage, however, you can bet that the audience will not be thrilled, and this show does aim to please.

So, stay tuned.

Cast

Too many characters exist in this show. Naturally, the focus is on Couglan and Newton but also Simone Ashley (Kate Sharma) and Jonathan Bailey (Anthony Bridgerton) as the second-season newlyweds. The ensemble cast includes Golda Rosheuvel (Queen Charlotte), Adjoa Andoh (Lady Danbury), Ruth Gemmell (Violet Bridgerton), DaLorraine Ashbourne (Mrs. Varley), Hannah Dodd (Francesca Bridgerton), Luke Thompson (Benedict Bridgerton), Harriet Cains (Philipa Featherington), Bessie Carter (Prudence Featherington), Will Tilston (Gregory Bridgerton), Polly Walker (Portia Featherington), and Julie Andrews (the voice of Lady Whistledown).

Phoebe Dynevor and Ruby Stokes departed after the second season, and yes, Regé-Jean Page is still gone.

Release Date

The final half of this season arrives on June 13. Expect four episodes and then a too-long wait for the fourth edition.

Trailer

No trailer has surfaced yet, although perhaps “Keeping With The Featheringtons” will tide you over?