Bridgerton Season 3 will feature the love story of Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) as they’re about to take their shaky friendship to the next level. But amid the romance that will blossom between the two, Penelope has yet to reveal her secret alter ego, Lady Whistledown, to Colin. With the big attention the youngest Featherington child is about to receive, the show’s executive producer Shonda Rhimes revealed the new season would be a “very different world” for Polin.
In an interview with Shondaland, Rhimes talked about the change in Penelope and Colin’s dynamic in the upcoming Bridgerton Season 3. The famed screenwriter believed that Penelope’s secret identity would pose a big problem for the pair. After it affected her friendship with Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie) in the second season, it remains to be seen how Colin will react if he learns the truth.
“It’s a very different world this time,” Rhimes said. “Because we’re dealing with a relationship that’s been based on an underlying lie.”
Colin has no idea that Penelope is behind the scandal sheet author, Lady Whistledown. As the latter is known for setting the Ton’s tongues wagging with her scandal and gossip writeups, revealing her true identity may affect her romance with Colin. Hence, this is one of the things fans should look forward to seeing in Bridgerton Season 3.
“Penelope has never revealed to Colin that she is Lady Whistledown — and he has a real problem with Lady Whistledown,” Shimes continued. “So, to see that play out, it feels really fresh.”
How will Colin learn Penelope is Lady Whistledown in Bridgerton Season 3?
Bridgerton Season 3 is based on Julia Quinn’s fourth book, Romancing Mister Bridgerton. A major plot point in the novel is the mystery surrounding Lady Whistledown’s identity, and Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh) starts a bet with whoever can unveil who’s behind the gossip column. Among the many characters in the series, Colin discovers who Lady Whistledown really is after following Penelope as she releases her last Whistledown column.
Lady Whistledown has caused a big problem for the Bridgerton family in the first two seasons after writing about Daphne Bridgerton's debut (Phoebe Dynevor) and exposing Eloise’s illicit activities. She, too, is behind the ending of Colin’s engagement with Marina Crane (Ruby Barker) after revealing her pregnancy in her column. Hence, it’s a must-see what Colin will say to Penelope when he finds out she’s Lady Whistledown.
What is Bridgerton Season 3 about?
Bridgerton Season 3 will follow the story of Penelope and Colin as their friendship turns into a romantic relationship. Penelope decides to take a husband after being exhausted from seeing everything at home. However, she’s about to lose confidence after noticing no man is paying attention to her. Colin will then come to her rescue, offering her help to regain confidence. And though Penelope hates him after hearing him telling his friends he would never court her, she accepts his offer. From there, love is about to begin, though they still need to face Eloise’s anger toward Penelope and the latter’s new suitor, Lord Debling.
You can read the synopsis below:
Penelope enters Season 3, finally ready to give up her longtime crush on Colin. However, that doesn’t mean she’s done with love. Instead, Penelope has decided it’s time to take a husband — and preferably one who will give her the freedom to continue her double life as Lady Whistledown, far away from the prying eyes of her mother and sisters. Lacking in confidence, Penelope’s attempts on the marriage mart fail spectacularly. Meanwhile, Colin has returned from his summer travels with a new look and a serious sense of swagger. But he’s disheartened to realize that Penelope, the one person who always appreciated him as he was, is giving him the cold shoulder. Eager to win back her friendship, Colin offers to mentor Penelope in the ways of confidence to help her find a husband this season. But when his lessons start working a little too well, Colin must grapple with whether his feelings for Penelope are truly just friendly. Complicating matters for Penelope is her rift with Eloise, who has found a new friend in a very unlikely place, while Penelope’s growing presence in the town makes it all the more difficult to keep her Lady Whistledown alter ego a secret.
Bridgerton Season 3 will be divided into two parts, with Part 1 set to be released on May 16, 2024, and Part 2 on June 13, 2024, on Netflix. Fans need to see how the revelation of Penelope’s secret identity as Lady Whistledown will play out in the new season and how it will affect Colin and his love for her.
