The hotly anticipated first half of Bridgerton season 3 isn’t arriving on Netflix until May 16, but a recent trailer already has viewers worried about a fan-favorite pairing. Based on the best-selling book series by Julia Quinn, Bridgerton is a sweeping historical romance set during the Regency era. During the so-called “social season” of the early 1800s, young people from certain middle-to-upper-class families, or those who were members of the nobility, were introduced to society through balls, galas, and other social gatherings. The primary objective for most families is to make sensible marriage arrangements.
For some, it’s about forging alliances, ensuring that a family’s legacy lives on, or securing financial stability, but there are also those who use the season as a chance to climb the social ladder or improve their standing. Of course, a few lucky young prospects even marry for love. Shondaland’s first scripted show for Netflix, Bridgerton‘s seasons have centered on different members of the Bridgerton family, including Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor) and Anthony (Jonathan Bailey). The third outing adapts Quinn’s Romancing Mister Bridgerton novel, which means Colin Bridgerton’s (Luke Newton) romantic exploits will be at the show’s center.
In addition to confirming Bridgerton‘s Daphne replacement, the season 3 trailer takes a closer look at Penelope Featherington’s (Nicola Coughlan) relationship with Colin. While the youngest Featherington daughter starts out as a close friend of Colin’s younger sister, Eloise, Penelope eventually forms a bond with the third-eldest Bridgerton son. Two seasons into the steamy Netflix series, Penelope (a.k.a. Lady Whistledown herself) is pursuing her own suitors with an eye towards marriage. Colin, meanwhile, has returned from his time abroad; as his brother notes, Colin is looking even more dashing and grown-up than before.
The trailer teases the blossoming friendship between a reunited Penelope and Colin. At one point, Colin even offers to help his pal find a suitable match. While there’s no denying that Penelope and Colin’s friends-to-lovers story has felt inevitable since Bridgerton season 1, the trailer introduces a twist in the form of suitor Lord Debling (Sam Phillips). Frustratingly, Bridgerton season 3 plays into a toxic romance trope regarding Penelope. After a makeover sequence that sees her donning a new dress and some makeup, Penelope suddenly catches every would-be suitor’s eyes at a ball.
Not only does Bridgerton season 3 play into the “she’s beautiful now” makeover trope, but the series seems to implicate Colin in yet another frustrating trope. Post-makeover, Penelope spends an awful lot of time with Lord Debling, which upsets Colin. There’s a long-standing trope in the romance genre of a conventionally attractive man only showing interest in a woman when another man displays his affections first. In season 2’s finale, Colin harshly claims he would never date someone like Penelope. Even if he was repressing how he really felt, Colin’s sudden shift isn’t happening for the right reasons.
While Bridgerton season 2’s ending left Penelope and Colin in a rocky place, the show’s third outing finally has a chance to center their slow-burn friends-to-lovers story. Unfortunately, the season 3 trailer doesn’t inspire a ton of faith that the series won’t veer into some of the genre’s most tired tropes. If anything, Bridgerton season 3 owes it to its characters, and to fans of Penelope and Colin, to call out the toxic tropes it’s playing with. Otherwise, said tropes will undercut one of Bridgerton‘s best romances before it even has a chance to fully blossom.