Before the Cinderella fairytale that is set to take place during Benedict-centered “Bridgerton” Season 4, the third installment of the Netflix series saw some crucial developments for nearly all of the Bridgerton siblings — as well as their mother.
Following the friends-to-lovers arc between Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin (Luke Newton), Season 3 saw Penelope’s love match get caught up in her secret identity as gossip columnist Lady Whistledown, which threatened both her friendship with Eloise (Claudia Jessie) and her relationship with Colin. With mounting pressures from Eloise, a blackmail attempt from Cressida Cowper (Jessica Madsen) and trouble from her mother, Penelope ended the season by coming clean about her identity, though she promised she wouldn’t be giving up that gig.
Beyond Penelope and Colin’s journey, Season 3 saw the Bridgerton siblings still in the marriage market make some notable connections, two of which brought them closer to their queer identities.
Refresh yourself on the biggest plot points of Season 3 — and how they set up for Season 4 — below.
Benedict’s exploration
Kicking off with the man of the hour, Season 3 saw Benedict (Luke Thompson) explore his sexuality after a fling with widow Lady Tilley Arnold (Hannah New) turned into a throuple with Mr. Paul Suarez. The trio’s fun came to a pause in the Season 3 finale, however, when Tilley proposed a monogamous relationship to Benedict — an arrangement rejected by Benedict, who cited his eagerness to explore his sexuality.
After the season’s debut, showrunner Jess Brownell revealed Benedict might be best be described as pansexual as he finds connection with an individual’s spirit and mind, and promised the show would continue to explore his fluidity despite his meeting with Sophie. “This is not the end of that storyline,” Brownell told TheWrap. “As any fluid person knows, fluidity is a part of your identity, whether or not you end up with a man, a woman or a nonbinary person.”
Francesca found her match — and her next one
There was another queer awakening in the Bridgerton family for Francesca, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves. First off, Season 3 introduced Hannah Dodd as Francesca — who replaced Ruby Stokes and fit seamlessly into the “Bridgerton” universe just in time for her to join society and find her husband in John Stirling (Victor Alli), with whom she bonded over requiring some quiet during a busy ball.
The pair wed, but as the newlyweds prepared to head to Scotland, John’s cousin, Michaela Stirling (Masali Baduza), caught Francesca’s eye, queuing up a queer storyline for Francesca. Michaela is a gender-swapped love interest for Francesca from Julia Quinn’s “When He Was Wicked” novel, which follows Francesca as she falls in love with John’s cousin, Michael, following John’s early death.
Brownell told TheWrap that adapting Francesca’s story felt “natural,” revealing that she found connections between the character’s introverted nature and her sexuality. “As a queer woman, I really identified with her book. Her book talks a lot about how she feels different and doesn’t know why,” Brownell told TheWrap. “I think Julia Quinn intended that to be more about the fact that she’s more introverted than the rest of her family, but I think for many queer people, that sense of feeling different and like an outsider is something we carry with us from the time we’re young.”
Whistledown’s identity is revealed as Colin and Penelope find love
Penelope’s friends-to-lovers arc with Colin is all she could dream of, though her newfound love match is jeopardized when Eloise threatens to expose Penelope’s identity as Whistledown to Colin, who despises the gossip columnist. Penelope is briefly saved when Cressida claims she is behind the column in an effort to obtain Queen Charlotte’s 5,000-pound reward, though Penelope eventually takes ownership of the column when Cressida attempts to discredit the Bridgertons.
Penelope juggles both Colin’s hurt feelings and a blackmail attempt from Cressida, but she soon realizes she must reveal her identity as Whistledown to the ton in order to save her mother, who is about to be exposed for taking the money that cousin Jack stole from the ton in Season 2. In an effort to prove that her mother has a source of income that’s not the stolen money, Penelope pays for her sisters to throw the ball of the season, where she plans to reveal herself. She invites the queen and the rest of the ton and reveals herself, promising that she’ll be more careful about her writing should the Queen allow her to continue, which, of course, she does. And things get smoothed over rather quickly with Colin, who is madly in love with her, as well as Eloise.
Brownell teased that Season 4 will see Penelope “navigate what it’s like to be a public gossip columnist, not only dealing with the people she writes about, but also taking steps to be more accountable in what she writes.”
Violet gets a love interest
Mama Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell) finally gets a chance at love after the loss of Lord Bridgerton when she meets Lady Danbury’s brother, Lord Marcus Anderson (Daniel Francis). Marcus gets the thumbs-up to court Violet from Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh) after they reconcile some of the resentments from their adolescence.
Eloise remains uninterested in the marriage market
After an unsuccessful season in society, Eloise ended Season 3 with a resolve to go beyond the “tiny bubble” of the ton and “have some adventures,” telling Francesca she “cannot change the world without seeing it.” She starts that mission by tagging along with Francesca and John on their voyage to Scotland.
“I think where she’s at right now, she’s just not that interested in romance,” Brownell told TheWrap. “She really cares about her family relationships and she really cares about her friendships, and I think she still has some room for growth.”
Anthony and Kate enjoy newlywed life
As is customary for “Bridgerton,” newlyweds Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) and Kate (Simone Ashley) enjoy their happy ending, and Kate even reveals she’s pregnant. The couple heads to India to ensure their child enjoys both sides of their heritage.
