Warning! SPOILERS about Bridgerton season 3, episode 2 and Romancing Mr. Bridgerton ahead.
Summary
LikeBridgertonseasons 1 and 2 beforehand,Bridgertonseason 3 didn’t keep everything from the book it’s based on in the adaptation, but one change in Penelope and Colin’s relationship proved monumental. Based on Julia Quinn’s fourthBridgertonbook,Romancing Mr. Bridgerton,Bridgertonseason 3 has Penelope and Colin’s romance front and center, as well as their personal developments, as shown by Penelope’s repeated attempts at securing a match before Colin’s confession.Bridgertonseason 3, part 1 showed Penelope flourishing, with her Lady Whistledown venture going strong and Colin finally sharing the feelings Penelope had harbored for him for years.
However, as Penelope thrived, Colin’s attention was solely focused on flaunting his new attitude on life first and making sense of his unexpected feelings for Penelope later.DespiteBridgertonseason 2 leaving him aching for a purpose that he couldn’t seem to find,Bridgertonseason 3 didn’t reveal what that purpose might be, as Colin spent more time either giving lessons to Penelope or observing her from afar, trying to understand when and how his feelings had grown. This approach made one detail inBridgertonseason 3, episode 2 less noticeable, despite being a much bigger story in the book.
Bridgerton Season 3: How Colin Will Realize He Loves Penelope Was Secretly Revealed In Season 2
One crucial storyline involving Colin & Penelope in the book was already hinted at in Bridgerton season 2, foreshadowing said development in season 3.
Bridgerton Season 3 Only Focuses On Polin Connecting & Penelope’s Breach Of Trust
Colin Doesn’t Even Recognize Penelope’s Praise In The Show
Penelope discovering Colin’s travel journals is a moment indissolubly linked to their romance, as right after Penelope’s breach of trust, Colin’s hand is wounded both inBridgertonseason 3 andRomancing Mr. Bridgerton.Colin’s cut makes one of Colin and Penelope’s first connections possible, as Penelope went straight to bandage his wound inBridgertonseason 3, episode 2, lingering over his hand after placing the handkerchief. However, despite showing a readiness to act, Penelope’s first impulse was to compliment Colin’s writing after spying on his journal.
Colin didn’t acknowledge the compliment, instead focusing on how what Penelope read wasn’t for anyone else’s eyes, only seeing her breach of trust and not the fact that the travel journals left Penelope so enraptured that she continued reading despite knowing how wrong it was to do so. In addition, once Penelope managed to patch up his wound, Colin called off the lesson so that they wouldn’t be together anymore, showing how little consideration for Penelope’s compliment about his writing he had, as he didn’t comment on it, making the moment a hugeBridgertonseason 3 book change.
Penelope’s Opinion Is How Colin Realises She Truly Sees Him In The Book
Penelope’s Thoughts On His Journals Show Colin How Much He Wants To Hear Her Praise
While the scene was indubitably about Colin and Penelope touching hands for the first time, Penelope’s discovery of Colin’s travel journals featured many more details inRomancing Mr. Bridgerton. Indeed, not only did they have to collaborate to keep the wound hidden from the butler, but they also had the chance to talk about how much Penelope liked Colin’s writing, going much further than just one sentence as inBridgertonseason 3.Penelope felt so moved by Colin’s descriptions that she felt compelled to make him understand how good his writing was, even if he didn’t believe so.
10 Best Bridgerton Season 3 Moments That Come Directly From The Book
Although differing greatly in its side characters' stories, Bridgerton season 3 had many scenes identically mirroring Romancing Mr. Bridgerton’s.
Penelope’s passion for the craft led Colin to believe her when she called his passages “clever” and “brilliant” inRomancing Mr. Bridgerton, and he even asked her to elucidate why she liked so much what he viewed only as descriptions.Receiving Penelope’s precise praise, which attributed his writing’s strengths to his ability to provide vivid descriptions in which the readers could see themselves,convinced Colin that Penelope saw his true self inRomancing Mr. Bridgerton, rather than seeing just another Bridgerton, making him not want her to leave the house, unlikeBridgertonseason 3.
What Colin’s Reaction Means For Bridgerton Season 3 & His Search For Purpose
His Lack Of Purpose Was Central In Season 2 But Season 3, Part 1 Never Mentioned It
WithBridgertonseason 3, part 1greatly focusing on the exploration of what both Penelope and Colin thought were unrequited feelings, little time was dedicated to their personal development. However, withBridgertonseason 2 setting up very clearly Colin’s need to find a purpose that gave his life meaning, the topic of his journal writing will have to return inBridgertonseason 3, part 2, asRomancing Mr. Bridgertonincludes just as much the coronation of Colin and Penelope’s feelings for each other as it does Colin finding his dream and working toward it only thanks to Penelope.
While it’s entirely possible for Colin’s purpose to be at the center ofBridgertonseason 3, part 2 just as Lady Whistledown’s unmasking,Bridgertonseason 3, episode 2 not including Colin’s genuinely interested reaction in Penelope’s feedback slightly cheapens Colin’s search for a purpose. Indeed, inRomancing Mr. Bridgerton,Colin’s discovery of how exceptional Penelope was went hand in hand with his growing feelings and her help in getting his journals published,making him feel like a new man after the brief period of their engagement, as everything changed for him then.
Colin & Penelope’s First Kiss Fixes A Major Problem With The Bridgerton Books
Bridgerton season 3 does away with a specific book issue, which changes certain aspects of Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington’s first kiss.
Instead,Bridgertonseason 3, part 1 focusing solely on Colin and Penelope’s feelingsfor each other after season 2 saw Colin unmoored because of his lack of purposerisks making Colin’s goals less important, as he didn’t seem to think about them for the entirety ofBridgertonseason 3, episodes 1 to 4.Bridgertonseason 3, part 2 could nevertheless still solve the blunder by focusing more thoroughly on Colin’s dream once his love for Penelope is secure, counterbalancing part 1’s focus on Colin and Penelope’s love with the centrality of Colin’s goals in part 2.
Bridgertonseason 3’s part 1 is streaming on Netflix, while part 2 will be released on June 13.
Bridgerton
Bridgerton, released on August 09, 2025, is set in Regency-era England and follows the lives of the influential Bridgerton family. The series explores themes of wealth, lust, and betrayal, portraying societal dynamics through a blend of romance and intrigue.
