Polin’s Love Story Got Sidelined in ‘Bridgerton’ Season 3

The big picture

• Season 3 of
  Bridgerton
  focuses on Penelope and Colin's fast-paced romance, overshadowed by multiple characters and subplots.
• Season 3's secondary character story arcs are denser than in previous seasons, leaving Penelope and Colin with no on-screen romance.
• Season 3's messy storytelling results in little build-up, development, and focus on Penelope and Colin's love story.

Every season of Bridgerton it centers around a love story. The first season took its time to develop and simmer the romance between Daphne and the Duke. The second season took Kate and Anthony on the long road from enemies to lovers. The third season, on the other hand, quickly joins Penelope and Colin, and then he spends much of his time focusing on the lives of others. The previous two seasons of Bridgerton it had some supporting character story arcs, but nothing compared to the density of season three. Not only do we have a very full season of characters and subplots, but even the romantic lead he has a story more important than his own courtship. With so much time devoted to other characters and narratives, Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin (Luke Newton) don't get the on-screen romantic treatment they deserve.

Seasons 1 and 2 of 'Bridgerton' slowly build their love stories

The first two seasons of Bridgerton Take the time to introduce and establish your romantic leads and put their developing relationships at the center of the story. Season 1 focuses on Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) and the Duke of Hastings (Regé-Jean-Page). Daphne enters society, becomes the queen's diamond of the season, and begins her search for a potential suitor. We are introduced to other characters – the dynamics are explored, but the actual plots are kept to a minimum. Romantic tension develops between Daphne and the Duke as they go from enemies, to fake couple, to real couple. They have problems along the way, and finally, in the end, it is clear that their marriage is strong and happy.

Season 2 focuses on Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) and Kate Sharma (Simon Ashley), masterfully developing their romance through the enemies-to-lovers trope. Tension builds between the pair throughout the season, the part of real love that cuts slowly and subtly. There are other characters in the mix, like Kate's younger sister Edwina (Charithra Chandran), but again, the focus is on Anthony and Kate and their rivalry turned romance. At the end of the season, Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie) does discover that her best friend Penelope Featherington is secret gossip columnist Lady Whistledown, but it's still Anthony and Kate that hold the focus, more than any of the subplots. Finally, they solidify their relationship at the end.

Season 3 is supposed to focus on Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington and develop their romance between friends and lovers. It was known from previous seasons that Penelope had unrequited feelings for Colin and that they had been friends for a long time, so some of that introductory development can of course be skipped over this season. But the way Colin develops romantic feelings for Penelope so quickly after apologizing to her and helping her find a husband feels rushed and forced. There's little context as to why he suddenly realizes this, other than the superficial idea that she adores him. They come together quickly before the middle of the season, and are engaged to be married. They have their problems as Penelope struggles with her secret identity as Lady Whistledown and seems to long for Eloise and her own freedom more than Colin. Although the series is called Bridgerton, seems like it should have been called 'Featherington' this season, like Penelope's personal problems come to the fore.

Some subplots should have been saved for future seasons of 'Bridgerton'

Without actually counting the minutes of screen time, it seems possible that Cressida Cowper (Jessica Madsen) has more screen time than Colin Bridgerton this season. So many characters come out of the background to have their own full arcs, it takes time and focus away from Penelope and Colin. There are at least three subplots that should have been saved for future seasons Bridgertonall related to members of the Bridgerton family.

First, there is Francesca (Hannah Dodd), the beginnings of their love story are explored in season 3. She realizes that she is different from her siblings, prefers a quiet life, and pursues marriage to John Stirling. Their actual wedding is shown this season after Penelope and Colin have already had theirs. While John Stirling (Victor Alli) is obviously not Francesca's “true love” match for the series, this whole thing could still have been saved for its own season so as not to detract from Polin's wedding and marriage. This addition of another Bridgerton wedding, and in the end no less, only makes Polin's feel less important.

Second, there is Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson). While it's great to see him freely explore his sexuality, is this really the season to do so? Like Francesca, Benedict will have his own season, and much of that self-discovery should have been saved for then. Not only does all this exploration take screen time away from Polin again, but it's also going to leave Benedict's season a little light on interesting content.

Finally, there is Violet Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell). Even though she's the mother of the rather large Bridgerton family and won't necessarily get her own season, maybe she should! There's clearly enough character and romance material to explore here, like a widow who's ready to find love again. Instead of finding him here in Polin Season 3 with Lady Danbury's brother Marcus (Daniel Francis), why can't he get his own time to shine?

These are just the Bridgerton family subplots that take away Polin's screen time, never mind the other vast cast of supporting characters. There's Cressida Cowper who is going through her own courtship problems, trying to find a way to support herself. The Mondrichs (Emma Naomi, Martins Imhangbe) forge a new life and leave his club behind to join high society. The Queen (Golda Rocheuvel), as always, is on the hunt for Lady Whistledown. Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh) is compensated with his brother. The other Featherington sisters, Prudence and Philippa (Bessie Carter, Harriet Cains), try for babies. Lady Portia Featherington (Polly Walker) is dodging a lawyer who is investigating his finances.

The only exception to minor characters overstaying their welcome is the return of Kate and Anthony. It's always nice to see previous couples whose stories have ended since they don't dominate the plot. Here, Kate and Anthony let off some steam, expect a baby, and take a break to India to get away from Polin's narrative. Others should take their cues from Kanthony.

Is Colin even relevant this season!?

Thrown in between all the non-Polin subplots, Penelope also has her own dramas to deal with this season. In fact, her personal dramas are more prominent and important than her relationship drama with Colin. Her attempt to solve her secret of being Lady Whistledown takes center stage, leaving Penelope's romance with Colin far behind. Even his mending with Eloise feels more important and believable than his romance with Colin, as that forgiveness takes its time throughout the season.

Penelope starts the season angry with Colin for his insulting words at the end of season 2. She quickly forgives him, for no reason, as he offers to help her find a husband. The series then spends quite a bit of time focusing on Lord Debling (Sam Phillips), while he and Penelope meet and find common ground for a possible marriage. Their calm, cute interactions actually feel right for Penelope's future, and honestly, if they had sought marriage, it probably would have been mutually content, since they really seemed compatible in so many ways. So when Colin comes in and ruins it for Penelope, it's not really the big romantic gesture the audience is expecting. And when they connect, and he proposes minutes later, there has been very little time to root for this couple earlier this season.

After the mid-season engagement, the story focuses on Penelope keeping her Lady Whistledown a secret from Colin, and when she finds out, it's up to her to decide if it's worth giving up. And the answer is, rightly, “No.” While it's important for Penelope to follow this journey of personal growth and make decisions about her future that work for her, this has absolutely nothing to do with romance or her relationship with Colin. So why is it even here? Its true purpose seems to be as a catalyst for Penelope's personal story arc.

Especially when compared to the more concentrated previous seasons, Bridgerton Season 3 has too many subplots, some of which could have been saved for more relevant future seasons. It feels more like a sprawling soap opera than a romance novel come to life. While some of these stories are at least related to Penelope's character development, the same cannot be said for Colin. There is very little build up to their romance and no significant development. Penelope and Colin's love story is disappointing because of a deeply messed up narrative.

Bridgerton is available to stream on Netflix in the United States

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