After a two-year hiatus between seasons, Bridgerton has returned in all its Regency-era glory.
The Netflix series, based on Julia Quinn's books of the same name, debuted in 2020 (aka our Covid-era) and quickly became one of the streaming platform's most-watched shows ever.
Like the books, each instalment of the TV series revolves around a different Bridgerton sibling: Daphne in season one, Anthony in season two, and the current season joins Colin, fresh off the boat from his Euro-travels and enlisted to help Penelope Featherington with her search to find a husband.
The first part of season three has just arrived, with the second incoming on June 13, but already, there's a lot to love about this series' return to Netflix.
Watch the trailer for season three. Post continues after video.
Lifting Penelope up to her rightful place as a romantic lead is a triumph. She begins the season by deciding to have a makeover (less dressing like a cupcake served at a baby shower, more vixen vibes) to entice a suitor.
After fumbling in conversations with men because of nerves, she makes up with Colin after their brief fight and asks him to be her romance coach, as he's become the ton's Casanova since turning more mature and cultured by his European adventures.
Of course, like countless rom-coms before them, this teacher/student dynamic soon turns romantic. Penelope excels and finds herself being courted by Lord Debling but then a jealous Colin predictably falls for Penelope.
Season one culminates in a sexy scene and the chemistry between Luke Newton and Nicola Coughlan is electric. The couple have a steamy first kiss before they get raunchy on a carriage ride and Colin proposes.
In the penultimate moment before the credits roll on part one, Colin reaches up Penelope's dress as an orchestral version of Pitbull's 'Give Me Everything' booms. Perfect, no notes.
Then Colin proposes, as he demands "For God's sake Penelope Featherington, are you going to marry me or not?" he smirks as she smiles.
It was rom-com excellence.
Aside from the delights of Polin (okay this couple's name blows), I enjoyed the developments for the Mondriches, who discover their young son has become a baron, along with the early beginnings of love stories between Bridgerton children, Francesca and Benedict (not together, like with different people, although it is 19th century England so anything is possible).
But among the memorable moments, mostly ones featuring Coughlan who is truly mesmerising this season, there was something off about part one that I couldn't get past.
Penelope's story arc was detailed, developed and deserved for a character who had waited patiently in the wings for two seasons to have her own love story take the stage.
Listen to The Spill's interview with Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan, which didn’t go to plan.
But what about Eloise?
I'd hazard a guess that if you asked any Bridgerton fan their favourite character — they would say Eloise, Penelope, or Queen Charlotte.
Fiercely independent, intelligent and witty, Claudia Jessie's Eloise is a popular character and someone a lot of women can relate to — as the only Bridgerton daughter not interested in her life being defined by marriage.
Eloise's storylines have dominated both seasons. In the first season, Eloise and Penelope's sisterly friendship was detailed before they got into a fight over Penelope's cruel treatment of Marina. At the same time, Eloise was enlisted by Queen Charlotte to use her smarts to track down the identity of Lady Whistledown.
Season two introduces a slightly more mature version of Eloise, who has developed an interest in women's rights and begins a flirtation with Theo Sharpe, as assistant at Lady Whistledown's printer.
Then in the latest season, Eloise is just... a bit of a bummer.
The enigmatic character of past seasons has been replaced by a rather one-dimensional Eloise, a character with no other motivations or interests besides taking down Penelope. This season, Eloise formed a friendship with Cressida Cowper, a woman known for being unkind to Penelope (and well, everyone), which just plays as petty and vindictive.
Understandably, Eloise is still struggling with the discovery that her closest friend was Lady Whistledown, granted she's spent much of the series trying to uncover their identity, but it's disappointing that Eloise offers no compassion or empathy towards Penelope, her friend she once considered a sister.
This storyline could be overlooked if Eloise was shown doing anything — like seriously, anything?? — else all season, but she's been merely demoted to a side character who only exists to be an antagonist to Penelope.
This isn't the Eloise we know and love from the previous seasons — the character was once a constant presence in the series. While several Bridgertons have come and gone, with Anthony making a handful of brief cameos in season three and Daphne has all but disappeared into thin air, the Bridgerton siblings yet to be married should be present.
Benedict is expected to have his love story told next season with Eloise slated to follow, but how are viewers expected to be invested in Eloise when her character, once the show's unofficial leading lady along with Penelope, was sidelined all season?
In the book version of Colin and Penelope's installment, Romancing Mr. Bridgerton, Eloise was more upset with Penelope for her growing attachment to Colin rather than holding a grudge about her hiding her Lady Whistledown side-gig. As in the novel, Eloise hoped to grow old with Penelope as unwed and unbothered spinsters.
Sounds like a dream tbh.
This is a missed opportunity to represent this specific loss: when a single friend enters a different life stage than you.
Hopefully, this is explored in the second part of season three and Eloise is given more to do than moaning about Penelope while completely disengaging from her own life.
A life that countless Bridgerton fans are extremely invested in and we want our Eloise back.
Feature image: Netflix.
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