Season 3 of Bridgerton kicks off with an explosive argument between Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton.
During a panel for the show on Wednesday, February 14, Netflix released a clip of Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) calling out Colin (Luke Newton) for his past comments.
“Do you not need a chaperone?” Colin says after offering to walk a less-than-thrilled Penelope home.
“Spinsters do not need chaperones,” she responds. “I am in my third year on the marriage mart with no prospects to show for it. What would you call that?”
Colin attempts to change the subject by bringing up the recent distance between him and Penelope.
“Something wrong, Pen? Between us, I mean,” he adds. “I wrote to you this summer, as I always do and you did not respond. Admittedly, very few did, but if you are going to make me say it out loud … I miss you.”
Penelope uses the opportunity to bring up her issues with Colin, saying, “You miss me. You miss me but you would never court me, is that correct? I overheard you at my Mama’s ball last season telling everyone how you would never, ever court Penelope Featherington.”
She continued: “Because I embarrass you. Of course you would never court me. I am the laughingstock of the ton even when I changed my entire wardrobe. It never occurred to me that you of all people could be so cruel.”
Based on the book series written by Julia Quinn, the regency series follows each Bridgerton sibling’s journey to find love. Viewers got a chance to watch Colin and Penelope’s friendship blossom in the first two seasons before they became the focus of season 3.
“Usually we’re meeting a new person who’s falling in love with one of our regulars,” executive producer Shonda Rhimes said about the upcoming season at Wednesday’s panel. “But this time, we know the people who are falling in love. We’re already rooting for them because we already know them, and I’m excited for that.”
Showrunner Jess Brownell also opened up about what fans can expect, sharing, “Colin and Penelope are underdogs in many ways. We get to see these characters step into their power this year, which I think will make a lot of people who have ever had an unrequited crush or felt like an underdog before feel very seen.”
Despite the excitement for Colin and Penelope’s story, which takes inspiration from Quinn’s novel Romancing Mister Bridgerton, the third season has surprised fans by not following the order of the book series.
Brownell, has stood by the decision to focus on Colin ahead of his older brother Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson). (Benedict’s connection with newcomer Sophie is the focus of the third novel, An Offer From a Gentleman.)
“[We have] really [been] getting to know Pen and Colin. We’ve been watching Pen’s crush and seeing how oblivious Colin is to it. That’s a dynamic that you can only play out for so long before something has to change,” she told Entertainment Weekly in December 2023. “This really felt like the right time to lean into what’s been set up with them. On the Benedict side, he’s such a fun character and such a fan favorite that we are really excited to play with him for a little bit more and let him have more fun before he settles down.”
Part 1 of Bridgerton season 3 starts streaming on Netflix on May 16. The second part will be available on June 13.
