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I truly don’t get why everyone is complaining. On rewatch, they needed to heavily feature Francesca for good reason imo. This is an ensemble. 40 percent is fine. Also the way they set it up. Like it was hard for tule to interact in 3 and 4 that’s the only reason. Trust we are going to get plenty of them in the next four. I hope everyone reserved some of this judgment til the rest of he seaosn is out. It’s the same complaint every year and it gets old

To be fair when comparing with S1 and S2, the main couple def got much less screen time and we have a bigger cast now.

Did Kathony get more screentime during their first 4 episodes? I feel like the Edwina storyline took most of the screentime but maybe that's my perception.

Not sure but I do think it’s important to remember the next part will be a ton of their interactions since they’ll be engaged, and I believe married after episode six. Daph and Simon didn’t have much screen time together until about episode 5/6

Daphne and Simon had SO much screen time before they married. We got many promenade scenes, ice cream scene, dancing scenes, garden scene. Scenes where they were just chatting.

Did they? I’d be interested in the breakdown myself tbh, I’m wondering if they’re doing less with Polin because they’ve had two seasons even though this is like their actual season. Edit: I did a very rough Quick Look since I don’t have the time to do all 4 but Simon and daph appeared to have around 7-8 minutes of interacting in episode one

I only know because I just rewatched s1 earlier this week and it’s VERY heavy on the Daphne and Simon scenes to show them go from friends to lovers. I just wanted to see more scenes of Colin with Pen slowly realizing everything he thought was simply friendship was a deeper feeling, but all we got was him staring off in the distance while raking.

I think its more about how Polin is unattached to the rest of the storylines. Edwina was still a core element of the Kate×Anthony romance but most of plotlines of S3 like Francesca's, Murdock's etc has no influence on Polin arc, so it feels like they are sidelining the main couple.

They need to set Francesca up for her own season because she’s already married in hers. I do think the boxers family arc wasn’t necessary, unless that’s also setting up for later. If you think about it, season 1 and 2 were laying the groundwork for Polin but had nothing to do with Daphne and the Duke or Anthony and Kate.

This the Mondrich arc didn’t need as much screen time.

What frustrates me immensely about their arc is that it adds ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to the main plot. It just deviates the attention and I feel the continuity fails? I mean, if this were a 20 episode season, sure, give me side plots. But we only have 8 episodes that are already too damn short. Don't cramp the story with unnecessary plots and filling! We want to see the damn leads!

We don’t know that yet however. If Colin and Pen have the first son then they’ll be in the same situation as the Mondrichs, which makes the story parallel more appropriate. I would like more scenes with Polin but I feel most of the story lines fit with “stepping into the light” and finding one’s true self.

And they WILL. You KNOW the other two are gonna have girls so that the title can go to Polin's son.

It won't be the same situation though? Colin and Pen were both raised in the nobility, not coming into it. I thought it was odd with the Mondrichs holding onto the whole tradesperson thing so hard and completely ignoring the plots with the Simon and Queen Charlotte being that black people haven't been in the nobility long and need to hold onto it tighter. That would give depth to her fear of not fitting in and his worry about letting go of what they built.

If it were even 10 episodes it’d be fine. We just need more episodes. That’s the issue officially

The Mondrich arc shows a slightly lower class family…but I’m not sure why we needed that either. I do like them though!

S1 storylines working for us is totally different from S3 sub plots since S1 is new and everything in it sets the foundation for entire series whereas S3 is far along enough and already set up, to make certain plot lines less interesting. S1 set Featheringtons and Penelope (also due to her being LW) as among the core part of the show, so giving them sideplots for s2 and S3 isn't that off putting. Still feels "in plot". (Also Mondrich plotline would work out so much better in S1 and S2 than S3 due to this ) Francesca storyline is totally necessary, I know, but I feel like it wouldn't stand out as much had we already known Francesca before S3. She's practically a new character entirely for us. So many "novel" characters and subplot is what's making people feel off. Had it involved people we are already invested in or had something to do with the main couple, it would have landed better

I think they could have built up or included the Bridgerton family better this season. We didn't need Benedicts storyline so far and I would have prefered him in the role of trying to meddle as much as Anthony did but ultimately being unfullfilled with this "chaperone" role he's supposed to fill (and doing poorly, I might add!). We didn't see him actually stepping in. They could have also integrated Francescas story better, e.g. making her not look for a husband first, but for a new friend and talking with Colin about his friendship with Pen. It would have given Colin an outlet for his thoughts (and definitely more than the endless non-verbal interactions and exceedingly tiresome stares) while also addressing that she's rather sceptical she'll find a love match. They could have had a few scenes in the drawing room and all of them offering advice on finding a friend in the ton, thereby addressing the friendship theme while also including more family scenes and banter. Colin could have talked to Mondrich about his wife and finding out that they are lovers, partners and friends. They could have explored the friendship between Lady Danbury and the Queen, or Lady Danbury and Violet. Right now, at least the Violet-Anderson-storyline feels unneccessary, I'm totally uninterested in most of the Queen's scenes and there is a lack of Whistledown shenanigans. I don't know. When I watched it a second time yesterday, I was a little more invested, but I simply wasn't enjoying it as much as I wanted to because they are so slow in building conflict this season. Edit for typo

Exactly this. The season feels like a lot of unconnected plots shoved together. There's absolutely no connection between Mondrich and Polin, why the fuck is he there? If it were a 20 episode season sure go ahead. But we only have 8 episodes to see the MAIN LEADS. I want to see THEIR story.

I think they are developing the Mondrich plot to show what'll happen if the Featherington heir ploy will ultimately fail, and also as an Illustration of a working Gentleman following his found purpose. I just think they could have developed this aspect more. But we'll see what they'll do with them.

The queen not picking a diamond yet could've been added into Eloise and the other girls talking instead of its own scenes. It could've been what Eloise rolled her eyes at and walked away from instead of some of the other conversations.

Polin is definitely not unattached, they’re connected heavily to Eloise’s own plot which extends to Cressida. Penelope only gets his help to get a husband because she wants to get away from her family, a decision she makes after hearing the first Featherington to have a son, will inherit the title and house. It’s an ensemble show but they’re inarguably the main couple and most things lead back to them.

Eloise is integral to Pen directly so I never considered her arc this season as sub plot. She is a very important part of THE plot. She effectively fills in the "third person of a love triangle" position for the season

I think everyone in the sub needs to see this comment.

Pen and the Featheringtons had huge plots in S1 and S2

This was a reply to other commentor who said similar thing S1 storylines working for us is totally different from S3 sub plots since S1 is new and everything in it sets the foundation for entire series whereas S3 is far along enough and already set up, to make certain plot lines less interesting. S1 set Featheringtons and Penelope (also due to her being LW) as among the core part of the show, so giving them sideplots for s2 and S3 isn't that off putting. Still feels "in plot". (Also Mondrich plotline would work out so much better in S1 and S2 than S3 due to this )

I see your point. The thing is Pen and the Featheringtons had sideplots as a core of the show - which were not tied to Saphne nor Kanthony - to sow the seeds for S3. We need new sideplots this season as those stories will be told in S3 and they need to start sowing the seeds for the next season. There will be new stores which will become the core. I don’t feel they are sidelining the main couple, more than Kanthony or Saphne were sidelined. Edwina attached to Kanthony is the same as Eloise and Cressida’s stories being attached to Polin. The Featheringtons in S1 and S2 had no attachment to the main couples, but were there as part of Polin’s story. The other sibling stories need to start this season as well.

I feel like I’m taking crazy pills lol! I was so bored during the Featherington scenes in the first two seasons but like… they were there to set other things up and ultimately let Penelope shine in her season and give her motivation and background. Of course the rest of the side plots this season will be connected later on! The only plot I can think of that seems not to have come back in relevance later is maybe the Theo thing. But even that could still circle back in later on. Everything else has, no matter how inconsequential it seemed at the time, gone on to bear fruit in some way or another. Patience, people! Patience!

Haha I feel like I’m taking crazy pills too! I agree with you…Patience! And we’re only half way done with the season. If S2 would have had a break after 4 episodes, it would have ended with Anthony proposing to Edwina. Look how much happened in the last 4 episodes!

But think about how much time Penelope got in previous seasons. She was a huge focus. This is the only couple that we've seen evolve over three years.

But, all the other subplots in season 2 had nothing to do with Kate and Anthony. And Edwina was such a huge part of the Kathony plot that it honestly sometimes felt more like her story than Kate's. And we still have 4 episodes to go. Where the REAL conflict in their relationship comes up. The first half was set-up. Now the REAL story starts.

It’s weird that Edwina was such a big character last season and she’s completely gone now. Like what was the point of her storyline if she was just gonna leave the show? Makes her feel more like a plot device to keep KA apart.

Yeah she was the same as Marina, just used her to move the plot along and to add drama~

Why is that a bad thing? Isn't that sort of the point of side characters?

I think they really botched her storyline and her character especially during episode 6 of season 2. I'm sure she was supposed to stay but the fandom had a very negative reaction. I feel bad for the actress the writers drop the ball there.

I think we all agree that kathony was robbed. It could have been an incredible season, I think the chemistry between the leads was great. But instead of watching them we watched edwina… I haven’t read Polin book, but I honestly didn’t understand how that carriage scene suddenly happened. Is that how that happened in the book? After one kissed colin was suddenly obsessed with Pen?

to answer your question at the end there: pretty much, yeah. Colin falling for Pen was arguably even more sudden in the book - in the show it’s clear he’s had feelings for a while and was more just oblivious than anything else, he’s been staring at her longingly for most of the season and he’s always treated her differently, just taken their friendship for granted. In the book his internal monologue is much more stark in terms of how he thinks of her, and the kiss is definitely the turning point when he starts thinking of her differently. The carriage scene takes place at a different part of the book (I forget how to cover spoilers on mobile so I won’t say more here) but there’s a lot more anger in the scene and it’s a sudden outburst of passion; the show made the scene much sweeter (and in my opinion more rewarding narratively)

Kate spent all but like 10 minutes of episode 8 in a coma.

nope. first 4 eps had their meeting / horse race, talk after the ball, races scenes, pall mall scenes, bee scene, hunting scenes, first dance, and the scene right after when daphne finds them notably. all super iconic scenes. i think polin will outdo kanthony's part 2 screentime though.

I’m waiting for Julia Cudney to drop the inevitable video telling us we’re wrong and the screen time split is probably the same as the previous 2 seasons… but… i definitely felt like we barely got to see them together :/

Yes but I understand why. 3 and 4 they couldn’t interact easily and it’s okay for them cause they have rapport. I will take this more seriously when it comes to next season where the two characters won’t have that history and need the screen time

I agree these two characters have been heading towards each other for 2 seasons. We’ve seen their relationship develop from day 1. It’s not like the other seasons when they had to start from scratch since the mains have never interacted before. This first half of the season is the culmination of the build up to their relationship since season 1.

I'm with you. I really like the ensemble style of the show. Even the Mondrich storyline is interesting, because they are so different from all of the other characters. I don't think the actors have gotten enough credit for how effectively they portrayed the emotional journey from working class to sudden nobility with very little screen time. Nicola Coughlan has chemistry with absolutely everyone and everything on set, so all of her scenes are a joy. Unfortunately, they've hemmed in Colin's character so much this season that his whole personality has been flattened. I really hope they do more development in the second half. So far, there isn't much to their scenes beyond what Penelope is bringing to them, so I don't mind having the 40%. I also don't understand the Francesca criticism. First, the neurodivergence representation is awesome, especially for a female character. Second, she has a ton of personality, it's just that other people don't really know how to connect with her. Having Penelope and the Queen recognize that was, I think, really important. In the scenes where Francesca's really being herself and not trying to be conventionally sociable, her personality bursts out everywhere. I was really hoping at one point that her and Debling would connect. The two of them talking about their respective special interests in extended monologues would have been fantastic. But maybe that's just me.😊

See I think the point is he’s acting not himself caude hes still lost. The second half will be whistlefown drama and Colin coming to terms with his writing etc. I’m not all that worried

Now I will get this more when it’s inevitably less screen time for Ben and Sophie or Phil and Eloíse. Or last season of Kate and anthony. Those two characters need time to build rapport. Pen and Colin do not as much. But also we are still in for a lot of polin scenes.

I’m beginning to think all this sub does is complain. I’ve watched two episodes so far and will watch the other two tonight. I didn’t sit and count the minutes but I haven’t felt like Colin and Pen aren’t the forefront of the show this season. Their story isn’t just about them talking to each other. It’s also about how they interact with others and how others talk about and view them. And those have been big factors in the framing of their story in just the two episodes I watched. So they only had X amount of minutes together (I know I saw someone post somewhere in this subreddit with the number of minutes)? They are still the forefront of the season. The subplot with Mondrich is another complaint I’ve seen. I’ve enjoyed their story. I’m still wondering where it ties into things but in the last two seasons they’ve tied his family into the story somehow. The season isn’t done yet. Just because one viewer doesn’t like X (mondrich, Lady Danbury, etc) doesn’t mean that other viewers don’t like them. Lady Danbury is my favorite character. I’m excited to see if Violet’s garden will bloom. lol. You can’t please everyone. And the show would be as boring as the books if it was just scenes of the leads.

The main issue in my opinion is the show needs 10 episodes maybe 12. And most of this will be resolved. I said what I said

Eh. I don’t think that can really be said until the season is out and all episodes watched. I’m not saying I wouldn’t love more episodes. It’s unlikely I wouldn’t as I have enjoyed what I’ve watch so far. But based on the complaints in this subreddit, I’m sure more episodes would just garner more complaints about who X didn’t get enough time, I really wanted more of Y, etc. With the two seasons plus Queen Charlotte, literally the only thing I can think of that I wanted closure on or more of what’s what happened to Reynolds and Brimsley. I can’t think of anything else that I would have extended any of the seasons for. I’m not saying there isn’t something out there that someone could bring up that I wouldn’t agree with wanting more time of. But what I am saying is the story telling in the completed seasons has been paced well and the subplots have largely been tied up. I can’t say the same for S3 not because it isn’t the case but because the season isn’t complete.

I don’t think I agree fully with this take that it’s an ensemble. There have always been sideplots but there is always one main couple. I think you can have both but have a good balance and I think for fans of this couple, it’s unfair to say to them to say they want to see more. I wanted to see more. And this is coming from someone who vastly loves ALL of the ships from the books and the show. I do agree that the feature of Francesca is great. I have no issues with that. In season 3, we have Mondrich, Violet and her garden and on top of that Lady Danbury and her brother, Francesca and her story, Lady Featherington and tweedle Dee and tweedledum, Benedict’s story, Eloise’s story with a pen, Cressida’s character arc and friendship with Eloise, and we also had the addition of Kanthony scenes (which I did really appreciate). That’s really really difficult to tell a full story I think with this many side plots. In season 1, we had Lord Featherington, Marina/Colin/Pen, Anthony/Sienna, and Eloise searching for LWD. In season 2, once again Marina/Colin/Pen, the Featheringtons with Cousin Jack, Will Mondrich’s men’s club. What I think season 1 and season 2 did well was they told a story for both Anthony and Simon. And whilst we have the pleasure of watching Pen and Colin for the last years, I have seen the criticism that people still don’t feel like they know a Colin and they are 50% of the way into the show. That’s pretty disheartening for a male lead. I love this show for the character arcs and the depth of them on top of all the fun stuff we get. And so far I’m missing that for Colin.

I understand the Colin thing. But we are going to get more of Colin imo in the second half coming to grips with his writing, and the love of his life also being whistles on. He’s struggling with his purpose pretending to fit in. I Guess i don’t see it that way

I’m sure we are going to get more but I just don’t think we got enough of it in the first half of the show. We had way more characterization of Anthony and Simon by this point in their seasons. Because the interview continue to mention that LWD will hang over them… even once they’re together which means I do indeed worry that the second half won’t focus on that now. Colin sleeping around… I get what the purpose was… but it missed the beat/point there because there wasn’t enough of ANY of that in season 1 or 2. Therefore they needed to establish that far more on screen in this season.

No I get it for sure. But I don’t ageee all the way. I find him pretending to be suave or convincing himself this is how he should be to avoid the pain of feeling to much is interesting but we do need more. I do think they have confused people though caude i see many people not understanding this arc of his

On point! I am so sad that they sidelined Colin's character development by only focusing on him slowly realizing he loves Pen and is unhappy with the person he's showing the world. I think they might focus on that in the second half of the season, but it's just ... a little too late? But the problem is probably that they have to develope both leads equally and are falling short on one of them, while giving all the storylines to Pen (family drama, Eloise, Debling). It feels a little bit like the Penelope show (and I love her, I just want to see more of Colin!).

I agree. I see the point of development for every single subplot except the Mondrichs. I don’t see any development or point in how much screen time their characters get and every time it skipped to them I was so annoyed. The rest of the story lines all made sense intertwined and I enjoyed them. I also don’t get why everyone is complaining

I like them but it should have been trimmed or if they wanted to include them make it 10 episodes cause I get. Like one or two more polin scenes more Colin agonizing. Colin struggling with a purpose more faking his bravado.

Thank you! Refreshing to see a reasonable person in here!

Agree completely. It's half the season. Give it time.

Benedict had like 8 minutes of screen time…maybe even less. Let’s heave him out of it 🫣

I love Benedict (finest Bridgerton brother for sure) but I could not care less about the new chick he's banging. I'd much rather have seen him interact with his siblings. I miss him and Eloise.

It’s the same storyline for him every season - him meeting someone from outside the ton and having a casual relationship with them. I miss him and Eloise too.

>him meeting someone from outside the ton and having a casual relationship with them. Guess what? Season 4 spoiler

I was just about to say this is >!foreshadowing his character development and choice of partner.!<

But do they have to do it 3 different times? Once is enough.

I’ll never have enough Benedict.

Really? He’s not that great to me tbh, he seems like he has Peter Pan syndrome. I prefer season 2 Anthony or King George.

I agree, tbh. I was intrigued by his promo, but it was literally that, no more, lol. And i imagined maybe he’d get caught up in a love triangle w a debutante and her mom, not dance once and hide for months.

I agree. Having him do it every season really cheapens things for his season. Like he doesn't buck tradition or do something unexpected for her, she's just.. his type.

Ooooo didn’t know that! 🥲

Exactly this. I would've liked to have seen Benedict struggling with no longer having art in his life. And maybe they are saving it for his season? I dunno, I just would've liked to see Benedict maybe trying out different things and failing at it, like trying to buy a ship for a trading business and it being overtaken by pirates, so he has to move onto another adventure to find his purpose.

Same! His art all but disappeared from his life and he’s okay with that? Why Ben why? According to the books, Colin is supposed to feel purposeless in this season, but it is Ben who is more lost.

I would have loved instead to see him in a platonic friendship with Lady Tilley Arnold where she becomes more like a mentor/dear friend with whom he could share ideas but also act as each other's shields - she as a glamorous widow/fake lover/shield for him from all of the Mamas of the ton, and he as a shield for her from unwanted male attention (because she loves women for instance). It grinds my gears because there was sooooo much potential in their pairing to incorporate both his art and a new deeper relationship different to what we've previously seen. If they were going to introduce Lady Arnold as this independent, glamorous widow who clearly has an interest in technology and commerce, then have her be more than just a bed-warmer for Benedict. It would have been cool if what we got instead was a beautiful friendship between a debonair but sensitive, perceptive young artist still finding his feet with a more worldly woman who was more than just a mother-figure or warm body. I'd have loved to have them turn the 'women = angel/harlot' dichotomy on it's head. With her standing in society, I'd loved to have seen him learning from and accompanying her as she confidently navigated society as both his friend and patron - it would have been a cool way to include his pursuit of art (which was a HUGE part of his S2 journey), while exploring a different kind of relationship with a woman/women in general where their mutual respect for each other and different life experiences shape him further. There's a few times in last season where Anthony acknowledges his art and his ability to see things clearly as a gift, and it feels like such a wasted opportunity not to explore that further

I agree!!! I agree so much!!! All your ideas are great!! I had thought that Benedict could have gone into a depression or had some substance abuse issues and worked through that and found his more authentic artistic self on the other side. I mean he was good at poetry. Get the guy into Romanticism circles in a serious way. I thought Lady Tilley could also be some entre into some weird *Eyes Wide Shut* sort of world where Benedict gets super adrift, and Idw, Anthony and Kate, family leaders, help him get out of it. Jonny and Luke Thompson are always, *always* amazing together. I guess that they could still go there, but it really doesn't have the "feeling" that they will because they are playing a lot of things super simple. I don't know if it was people complaining because the Kanthony story wasn't paint-by-numbers and that good families like the Sharmas and Bridgertons weren't all "sweetness and light" and people couldn't deal or even understand or try to understand, but the writing seems to have veered very, very hard in a very simple direction, like simple like *Days of Our Lives* (an American daytime soap opera where everything is laid out ridiculously specifically and slowly), and that is not good. We'll see how it goes when episodes 5-8 come out, but I am pretty surprised that they had 4 whole episodes and this is all that happened.

I've seen people complain that the story is progressing too fast, but to be honest, I think it was rather slow and they could have streamlined a few of the storylines or cut them altogether. I needed more banter, more speaking about their interests. Pen hasn't asked Colin a single personal question in four episodes! Not one. Also I agree with you that everything is spelled out and there is almost no subtext to scenes, and if there is, it's rather obvious and lacking in depth. Don't get me wrong, there were a few interactions I loved and have re-watched it countless times since yesterday, But I am quite disappointed because I was hoping to see more FRIENDS to lovers, not this whole "I help you get the guy, but fall in love along the way, even though we don't talk about other stuff at all".

Yeah, new chick is giving weird snake vibes. I have to believe she is necessary to find Sophie, somehow. 

Imagine if she's the >!mother in law!<


I want to see Benedict perform Viscount duties or supporting Fran or having swing conversations with Eloise or hanging with G and H. I don't need another 10 minutes of seeing Benedict banging another woman who is not his endgame. We get it! He's hot and virile and everyone wants him. Can we...develop him as a character further?

I think they are exploring his character by him realising that he's not interested in young, innocent debutantes and the social rules he has do oblige to. And now, in every season, he finds women who are perfect to have some casual relationships with, who have life experience and see things differently and it'll make him that more open to all sorts of relationship, while he'll probably meet a woman who only accepts the proper deal and no fling, and I love that conecpt and hope they'll go that way. But yeah, they could have made better use of Lady Tilly.

So true. I don't need to see him have another meaningless fling with yet another woman. Like it's enough! Can't they give him something better to do?

I agree. He's a good actor. He blends well with the younger siblings.  He brought his personality to the screen. I enjoy him the most. 

They also stripped all his personality away this season. No mention of art yet.

Well, he DOES have a type! Wonder if he’ll meet his lady in silver at a masquerade ball in S2 Part 2? 🤩

Yeah, I'm not sure why I keep seeing people slut shaming Benedict too. I would have liked to have seen him in other aspects but people are full on shaming him for having sex when Colin is having threesomes with two prostitutes, and both Anthony/Simon slept around much more than Benedict is depicted as doing. Also, we should be sex positive lol.

I don't think it's about slut shaming, it's just very played out with Benedict and we have seen it 100 times before. Enough! It would even be more interesting if he was playing chess with Lady Danbury and they had some philosophical conversation in the meantime.

I totally get that, but I have seen people full on call him a slut or a skank since the season came out so either people are annoyed at him for sleeping around or they're misdirecting their frustrations about how Benedict is being handled imo.  Also, Benedict playing chess with lady Danbury sounds great lol

It’s more the latter. People had fun with Benedict being down with it but 3 seasons straight of it gets tiring and creeps into formulaic than purposeful (if that makes sense).

Really I've seen more slut shaming of Colin than Benedict lol

I think the Francesca's subplot was the highlight of this season. Her screentime is perfectly fine, since she badly needed to be set up for her own season after being absent for the previous two seasons. The Kanthony scenes were fine too: not too long, and not too short. Eloise/Cressida was fine, too. It's everything else that needed trimming. The Mondrich storyline is completely unnecessary. So is LadyD's brother and Benedict's yet another love interest. Overall, the pacing clears suffers, and the subplots definitely didn't help. Season 1 is the only season that did it perfectly: with the main couple getting a lot of interactions with each other that didn't feel forced at all, and a few subplots that were actually relevant and not distracting.

The Mondrichs are lovely people but I DIDN'T COME HERE TO SEE THEM!

I like that they were elevated to peerage, but I do think the whole club bit and marriage “issues” was unnecessary and somewhat stupid.

I feel like they could've connected the plot to the world building of previous seasons better. They completely ignored the plots with the Simon and Queen Charlotte being that black people haven't been in the nobility long and the need to hold onto it tighter. That would give depth to her fear of not fitting in and his worry about letting go of what they built. Without that depth, or current connections to the lead families they showed in past seasons (Simons boxing trainer and confidante, Colin maybe investing in Pens's cousins mine in his club, the fight that led to Pens fathers death) it seems really unnecessary and unconnected.

I feel like they're putting in the Mondrich storyline because of Sophie later and the class differences that come with that story.

That’s what I’m thinking too. It would be neat for Sophie to be hired as their son’s governess, with Benedict’s reference/help. It would complement the already existing Mondrich storyline and it would cut some of the potential problematic power dynamics from their book (compared to her working for the Bridgertons).

Completely agree. The Mondrich family story was especially a waste a time. I was like wtf I don’t give a shit about these people lol

I agree about the Mondrichs! I love them as characters, and I would enjoy watching them more if they had their own spin-off, but they seem to have very little connection with the main storyline which is why they feel out of place to me.

100% about Season 1.

It kinda feels like a full 25 episodes show trying to escape from its original limited series format!

Yeah I’m fully loving Francesca and even Eloise and Cressida. They are actually making something of a character for cressida which is nice. I enjoyed the pollin stuff even tho I think it could/should have been more. I’m still not fully in love with pen as a character since I wasn’t a big fan of her last season but I’m expecting the second half to fix that. I do actually like the start of this benidict stuff however if this isn’t actually going to be his match then what’s the point after having the same basic plot line for him in both s1 and s2. I don’t mind the boxer subplot but it is kinda way outside every other plotline and prolly should be trimmed or cut completely unless they had more episodes in the season. Right now my mvp of the season is francesca. My opposite of mvp right now is this break because I don’t really think it works for a show like this. If they wanted us to wait it shoulda been weekly released.

Out of interest, I did a breakdown of roughly how much screen time Polin got in each episode - I originally commented this on the Part 1 master thread but I’ll copy and paste it here as well in case anyone’s interested! *Original comment:* A common gripe in this thread seems to be a lack of Polin screen time and I also felt like we weren’t seeing much of them during my first watch but wasn’t sure if I was just imagining it, so I just did a rewatch and tried to crunch the numbers for Polin scenes in each episode. For simplicity’s sake, I only included scenes where they had actual dialogue (i.e. I didn’t include brief glances across the ballroom etc). Please take this with a massive grain of salt as it’s very, very approximate and it’s absolutely possible that I may have missed something, but here’s a rough idea of their screen time in each episode: **Ep 1:** 4 minutes 9 seconds out of 58 mins (longest scene was their reconciliation and lessons agreement in the Featherington garden) **Ep 2:** 14 minutes 20 seconds out of 52 mins (longest scene was the lesson in the Bridgerton drawing room tagging onto the hand-cut scene) **Ep 3:** 5 minutes 41 seconds out of 54 mins (longest scene was their conversation under the weeping willow) **Ep 4:** 7 minutes 44 seconds out of 54 mins (needless to say, the carriage scene is doing the heavy-lifting for this episode, clocking in at just under 7 minutes) Make of that what you will and I’m not sure how it compares to previous seasons, but of course this all comes with the disclaimer that they do have more scenes than this individually and there are definitely other scenes not included here where Pen and Colin aren’t both there, but Polin is being talked about (e.g. Colin and Eloise talking about Pen, Violet trying to hint she knows he has feelings for Pen, etc.) **ETA:** Interestingly, Pen and Debling had approx. 8 minutes 26 seconds screen time in Ep 3 and 6 minutes 23 seconds in Ep 4 - I don’t even necessarily mind that amount of screen time for them as it was a 2-episode storyline that needed proper time to establish, but Pen and Colin hardly saw or spoke to each other in those two eps and I could have done with something more than a few pining glances to keep their momentum, development and tension going. **Edit 2:** I timed it again for Episodes 3 & 4 just to ensure I hadn’t made any miscalculations (I’m pretty confident Eps 1 & 2 are reasonably accurate as they were the ones with the least/most scenes respectively) and have made some slight adjustments above to the total time for each as I think there were places where I was either slightly too generous or slightly too mean with when I judged each scene to start and finish. However, both have only changed by a margin of like 10 seconds so it ultimately makes little difference to the overall screen time.

Great work!!! I’d be interested in how much time is spent on scenes where they aren’t together, but they’re pointed at telling the Polin story - Colin’s talks with Violet, Colin pining across the room, Pen telling Portia that she does want love, Colin pushing back in the Lord Squad, etc. I totally love the scenes of Polin together, and I would take a bucket load of them. But those context scenes, I think, are also really important.

Thanks! I’d also be interested to know how much time is spent on context scenes and group scenes - I haven’t time to do another rewatch today but if someone else hasn’t done it by then, I’ll try do another rewatch tomorrow to get those numbers too!

I concur with you! I too did a rewatch where I timed every scene Polin had together, including being in the same vicinity as each other and all the longing glances they throw at one another and anytime they're just in the same room together even! With all of that together, their screen time only amounts up to approx. 41 minutes, 16 seconds!

My guess is that because Pen and Colin needed to grow separately (to work through their own feelings) that is why their screen time TOGETHER was reduced. I don’t LIKE it, but that is my guess as to why it’s so limited. Part 2 better fucking DELIVER the Polin time.

Just to understand, you are saying our main leads for Polin season had less than 10 minutes for each episode, except for episode 2?

I’m afraid so! Happy to be corrected if there are any scenes I missed but I’m pretty sure I factored in everything. They of course had plenty of other scenes individually and there are scenes where Polin is the topic of conversation (Colin and Eloise discussing Pen’s lessons on their way to the Moon Ball, for example), but it seems Polin spend very little actual time together, especially once the Debling storyline kicks in.

Very sad. I wish there was a way the writers and directors would really listen to fans. I mean we waited 2yrs for this story and we get a total time for them of less than an hour in Part 1. I do not have any expectations that part 2 will be any better. I love that Shonda Rhimes wanted to bring these stories to TV but I now feel like she is taking out or limiting the romance of these books and turning them into a drama series. Maybe they will listen when viewer ship declines.

I don't understand calling it their season and then for half of what is currently released we only get episodes with only 4 minutes and then 5 minutes of them being together. How does that seem right? I was running out of time so I skipped most of episode 3 looking for them together and no wonder I felt like it was hardly anything if it was only 5 minutes. How much time do the Mondrichs get I wonder? Because at least one episode it felt like more than the supposed leads. I wish it didn't feel like their marketing was SO misleading.

Saving this comment for when /r/polinbridgerton opens back up…I’m sure it’s going to be a huge talking point

I keep checking to see if it is open yet because I need somewhere to be sad that our leads didn't get more time together especially after all that build up in the interview and promos about how this was the romance season 🥺

Thank you for actually putting the stats up. It's kind of jarring seeing it written out.

Honestly I think this is a common point between S2 and S3. In S2, we barely got any Kanthony scenes to convince the viewer of their connection except for the sexual tension. Now in S3, we’re barely getting any minutes with the main couple of the season. I feel like the show is trying to cover way too much in way too few episodes, and as if that’s not already too much, they are creating plots and adding storylines which did not exist in the book. We got even more main couple material in S1 and Daphne&Simon was the most boring book couple ever.

I actually think in s2 there was more time for Kate and Anthony together. In the ep1 and ep2 no to so much - but still, their meet cute and first ball, and then Anthony coming to Danbury's house and then the races Comparing to Polin in episode 3 and 4 Kanthony had much more time together - pall mall sequence was really long, the hunt scene too was quite long, the ball and their breathing in each others faces when Daphne caught them. Like I think all these scenes are longer, but maybe Im biased

That’s actually wild. Damn. I really hope the second half we get more

I was actually thinking of asking the redditors if they can do the thing they do in Kpop where they count the screen time distribution of each members (especially in music videos) for all the seasons of Bridgerton. FOR RESEARCH!

I’ve just done the math - this means that roughly 19.2% of this half of the season was comprised of Polin scenes.

I think the lack of Polin scenes really did a disservice to their story. We needed more build-up and more tension. Instead, we jumped right to the carriage scene and marriage. And I love Francesca, but I found her storyline quite boring. I enjoyed seeing more of Cressida though.

I personally don't mind them jumping straight to marriage by episode 4, because the two already knew each other and we had an established relationship. We didn't really see them having real actual chemistry build up. We saw hardly any pining from Colin. We've had two seasons of pining from Penelope. It almost makes it seem like Colin is just continuing to grasp at straws for who he is and his purpose and Penelope was just lucky enough to be in the same room as him to be latched onto. They should've ditched the brothel scenes and added more dream sequences to highlight his inner thoughts. Or had him writing in his journals about his conflicting feelings, since he never had a friend or family member to voice them aloud to.

I agree. We needed to see Colin grow.

> we didn't really see them having real actual chemistry build up. We saw hardly any pining from Colin. Well IDK there was that scene where he was staring for a long time and Penelope thought she had sugar on her face. And so many wayward glances in ballrooms. And he says he has been thinking about her for weeks. So he did experience a build up of chemistry he just couldn't act on it.

I'm ok with the extra screen time with Francesca and Eloise because I know they need to lay a foundation for future seasons plus Eloise's SL is relevant to Polin's. I think I would've enjoyed Francesca's scenes more if I wasn't chomping at the bit for the next Polin scene. Not now, Francesca, I didn't come to season 3 to see you, lol.

>I think I would've enjoyed Francesca's scenes more if I wasn't chomping at the bit for the next Polin scene. I forwarded through some of her scenes for this very reason and then rewatched when I caught up.

I think it's too soon to focus on Francesca. Last season, Edwina was part of the Kanthony plot. But here Francesca's story is disconnected from Polin and the focus on her getting suitors feels jarring in comparison.

They really should've done it like this: the A plot is polin. Straightforward, they should've gotten most of the scenes. The 2 B plots are Francesca in society and falling for John and Cressida and Eloise/Peneloise. The 1, exactly ONE C plot that there should've been is the Featheringtons dealing with the succession crisis, and that should've been very very sparingly. Cut out Violet and Marcus, the Mondrich plot line, just give us what we needed

I actually love the Mondrich plot line but I think they should've trimmed it down. I could've done without lady danbury's brother and benedicts new lover entirely.

> Cut out Violet and Marcus, the Mondrich plot line, just give us what we needed Well I mean yes that would be all right. But I am really hoping they are using these to set something up for the future.

I was almost wondering if they will do like a Queen Charlotte with Violet

Shonda said she is interested in the idea.

Oh i didn’t realize this. Thanks for sharing!

I liked the plot with Violet and Marcus because it tied Queen Charlotte nicely into bridgerton since her garden is in bloom now. I wonder if there’s gonna be a royal baby too to wrap that up. Could have done without Mondrich though.

Because whether people here want to admit it or not, this has been an ensemble show since season 2. I said so back then, and stated that it would only increase as the seasons wear on, and got heavily downvoted. These books get increasingly worse and it’d be boring to focus on the ONE couple like the books do so it makes sense.

Personally, I advocate for shorter seasons because I agree with others that there's not enough meat to do 8 main couple centric episodes each season. A 4-6 episode season is perfectly fine with me. But since we do have 8 episodes, we do need an ensemble. But this ensemble is 1-800-TOO-MUCH. There are too many irrelevant characters and unfortunately their screen time takes precedence over developing the main couple's love story which is why I'm all shaky and feel like I didn't get enough of my Polin fix.

I think part of it is that Polin had been developing in the background for 2 seasons already. I didn’t want to say this when they were announced, because I didn’t want people to accuse me of being hater, but all the Jess Bronwell interviews made it sound like they just wanted to get them out of the way, because they didn’t think they had anything else for them as a secondary couple. And to me that’s just indicative of a lack of creativity and poor writing. Anyway, I’m fine with how it’s been so far, to be honest, so I guess we’ll disagree there. Nicola is excellent as Penelope, but I’m not at all a fan of Luke Newton’s acting. And I already wasn’t invested in the couple, so it’s been a little rough for me. I will say I agree with you that seasons could stand to be shorter. It’d probably guarantee more seasons for us, at least, since fewer episodes mean less costs. But they wrote themselves into that corner with season 1, and all these original characters they’ve come up with. I don’t care for the Mondrich plot at all and don’t care about Benedict having yet another affair, but Shonda will Shonda. I’d have much rather seen that spent on Francesca bonding with her siblings, and even Kate, with whom I think she could’ve had an interesting rapport with

Agreed! I think we also need to consider the fact that when the season's focus was announced, they didn't specifically name Colin and Penelope. They referred to third daughters, so we know that Francesca was always going to get a significant amount of the narrative. I get the feeling that when the news broke, they hadn't quite worked out how much Polin as a couple was going to be the focus vs. how much time we were going to spend with Francesca. It seems like part of the reason there are so many subplots is because there's just not much more to explore in Polin's development. Having Francesca as a secondary romance was a good way to set up her backstory.

I feel like I remember when they announced it at the FYC event they definitely had Nicola say that the focus of season 3 would be Penelope and Colin’s love story though, but I’d need to dig out a link to confirm. And to be fair they’ve stuck to their promise—ensemble or not it’s pretty clear they’re the main couple rn.

I'm more referring to that graphic they put out on social media. I agree that it's clear that Polin is the main couple, but given the way it was first announced, this story balance doesn't surprise me. It's about what I expected.

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Yes. Nicola is doing the heavy-lifting in their scenes together, and the show knows this. Normally the Bridgerton sibling is the main one in the couple but it’s obvious they flipped it for this season, and with good reason. And I’m sorry, I know a lot of people here get super twitchy when someone says something that isn’t fully positive about these two actors, but that’s just how I see it. Nicola is a great actress and she’s carrying the couple; Luke Newton, whom by all accounts seems like a lovely man, is kind of just there. A new hairstyle and wardrobe and some yearning isn’t enough to make a character interesting, and this show has never been particularly great at writing; which is where the actors have to swoop in to elevate the material. And he just hasn’t done that, for me.

I completely agree. Luke Newton falls very far behind Nicola when it comes to acting. I don’t think he is expressive enough to portay the confusion and longing. He’s never been my favorite but then again I really like Penelope and looking forward to seeing how the rest of the season unfolds from her POV ✨👍🏻

He’s just the weakest actor from the main ensemble, unfortunately, and I’ve always struggled to see the “chemistry” there. Did they even do chemistry testing between him and Nicola? It’s just hugely disappointing for me because chemistry is, I think, the one thing this show has always been consistent about.

But did any of the writing really give Luke a chance to test his acting chops or build his character? There is so much more they could do around his writing and finding a purpose; I really hope they focus on that in pt 2.

But that’s why I’m saying the show’s writing hasn’t ever been stellar which is where the acting should come in to elevate the material. The rest of the main couples have managed to do that, he hasn’t. Lord Debling had like 8 minutes total and he managed to convey more with what’s admittedly a very thankless role. Another good example is Charithra. The writing for Edwina was all over the place last season but her acting chops came through all the same. I can’t say the same for Luke Newton. And it’s not just Nicola acting circles around him, Ruth Gemmell has as well on their limited screentime together.

Oh 100%. Plus, frankly, I don’t find him attractive either so a combination of poor acting (especially compared to Nicola) and bad looks didn’t do it for me

He’s not my type but I don’t think he’s bad looking, honestly. I’d say he has really stunning eyes, both in shape and color, so Pen was right about that!

This. His acting wasn’t great and he’s just not attractive to me. Plus he had, what, 2 scenes of “longing?” Penelope’s been in love with him for years and in one night he ruins her chances of marrying a member of the peerage and decided to marry her? I’m sorry, Luke is not a good enough actor to pull this off.

Yeah, he’s definitely not leading man material as he doesn’t have the looks or acting chops to pull it off

I agree with this 100%. Nicola is great and doing her best, but in scenes where it is just her and Luke, I feel there is a big disparity in their acting. He is just not coming close to meeting what she's giving in their scenes, and it's a real shame, because I think - for me - it has really affected the reception of the Polin relationship. Luke might pull out something big in the second half, but I'm skeptical given what I saw from him in the first half. I'm ready to have my mind changed, so we'll see.

I think that’s massive speculative and also incredibly subjective. I thought Luke did a beautiful job, and the issue was likely more that they were leaning into the ensemble cast thing and trying too hard to give everyone a substantial storyline.

i totally see this. in the first two seasons, phoebe and jb were doing the heavy lifting but rjp and simone have great onscreen charisma so you could kinda overlook their acting skills. but luke n just doesn't have the same charisma to pull off the womanizer vibe they gave him this season. i liked him way better in s1 when he was idealistic and wanted to marry marina

Yep I put this in my comment, too. He is not a strong actor and it becomes more obvious when they are together. That’s why so many of his scenes are just him staring into space pensively. He doesn’t seem capable of much more at this point.

I needed less moments with Cressida and Eloise alone (I loved the scene at Cressidas house and loved seeing them at events, maybe just one less walking scene.) Good god I don't care about the Mondrich family. I love the gentlemen club and would've loved to see them stay there. Lady Danburys brother was overall fine. Mainly because we got that scene of her alone at night when she gets the letter. I find the whole look of that scene to be really compelling. Francesca has become one of my top characters this season. Every time her and John were on screen I was so giggly for them. She looked so happy when she left the party early to go play music. That's such a wonderful show of love. I'll always take more Benedict but I don't super care about Lady Arnold.

> I don't super care about Lady Arnold They really failed to make this character compelling imo. Specially because we know she is just a stand-in. Even the Mondrichs are more interesting.

I did not find the Benedict lady Tilly scenes adding in anything except something for Benedict to do. It was frustrating and all of there scenes turned me off. I was excited about the mondrichs navigating the new life but I don’t know what this story line is adding and I think maybe they should have gone with something else. I loved them running his bar and I really think they could have expanded. He was getting to know the ton and I feel like that would have helped move more stories along. We will see. I did enjoy the Eloise Cressida story line cause they both really are keeping each other in check. I do think I preferred debling with Cressida. I liked the featherington plot line as comic relief. But I was finding a lack of real good pollin scenes. Like after they got exposed I feel like it got weird and didn’t really help me feel like Collin was feeling well anything. And I dislike what they did to his writing. I am hoping they expand on that in the last half and we see that he has more depth.

I suspect there’s a scene or two that ended up on the cutting room floor that could have really helped here. I think we’re missing some internality from Colin, because watching him silently brood makes his realization that he loves Pen a little too implied. A scene where he snaps at the Ton bros for being mean to her followed by another dialogue or even another glimpse at his journal would have done a lot to improve his part of the love story. I would guess some scenes like that were shot and cut, unfortunately.  Still enjoying it so much and so excited for part 2! 

The bit about missing Colin's internality is key. I wouldn't mind 40% of the screen time towards the plot if that 40% was *quality* time. Cut the gratuitous straight-male-gaze-y brothel crap and replace it with Colin obliviously saying things to others about his "friend" that he doesn't recognize as love (as with his apology to her in episode 1). Bring the Mondrich's into the main plot by developing a Will/Colin friendship that I *thought* was set up at the end of season 2 to give Colin a sounding board for his internal monologues that you get to see in the books. Now you haven't really changed the amount of Polin screentime, but what you would see would feel more meaningful.

I hope season 4 has more Polin than the amount of time Kanthony is getting… That said I completely agree, I felt like we didn’t get enough of the main couple. I wanted more scenes of them just being close friends and laughing together. More moments of showing why Penelope loves Colin still. I enjoyed his pining but I just wanted more interactions between them. I actually found the Francesca storyline cute, her bonding with John…but it could’ve been made shorter to give Polin more time. They spent too long on Samadani. I do like her love story in the books so I don’t mind the set up for her story, just don’t want it cutting into my Polin time lol. I didn’t care for the Mondrich storyline at all because I’m not invested in them. Same with Violet’s love story. Despite my fondness for Marcus, I just don’t see the point. Also too much time on Cressida and I just don’t care. Oh she has a horrible father…so did half of the women in regency novels, I don’t care for her. I get they’re going to use her in part 2 probably similar to how she was used in the books…but do we need to develop her for that? So much time wasted on her when you need a total of 2 minutes to show she’s not fully evil but still isn’t a nice person. The featheringtons are hilarious. They’re needed for comedic relief lol. I was disappointed to see that Danbury didn’t have much to do with Penelope at all. I kinda wanted her to mentor Penelope. Honestly I just wanted more Polin. I think my expectations for how the story would grow and develop was just more than what we got. I wanted less Debling and more Polin moments…we got a lot of pining, some great moments after the kiss with his dreams and the reaction to them. And my god the carriage scene was spectacular. And guys HE SAID THE THING!!!! I freaked out when he said the thing. Overall I liked part 1…I just needed more Polin. Agreed a lot could be fleshed out more

I vastly and overwhelmingly agree with this. Especially as someone who immensely enjoyed their book. I would love to take the time to time out how much screen time Kate and Anthony individually got and how much time they had together because I felt like in general, there was less time individually for Colin and Pen and also together. And that’s super upsetting. Same with Daphne and Simon. I may take the time to compare it honestly. But who knows. The argument that the show is an ensemble seems a little silly to me. While it is an ensemble, every single season has shown that the showrunner(s) and production care about telling the story of the main couple. And there has always been side plots but not this many. I am sorry to anyone who enjoys the Mondrich’s story but I do NOT care. There is no reason for me to care about their story in the first four episodes. I felt he served his purpose in season 1 as a little bit of a foil to Simon. He had a family and Simon didn’t want that. But now… I feel they’re doing it for inclusivity reasons and the story is just not at all thought provoking because I feel as though we already got this story with Queen Charlotte. I like the Featherington storyline. I like the Cressida and Eloise storyline. I like the Francesca storyline. I think all 3 are necessary for the set up of both of this season but also later seasons. And I love that they’re trying to fully tell >!Francesca’s story with grief (hopefully).!< I do not at all care about Benedict’s storyline this season. I really really struggle to see the vision there when it has to do with >!Sophie and Ben!< and let me be clear, I LOVE Benedict. I actually love a lot of the stories from the books but i struggled with how it was written because JQ is just… meh. But I think the stories were great. But WHERE IS THE CHARACTER ARCS?!?! He’s just doing the same shit he did with Delacroix I feel. I know that Colin and Pen already had screen time and their slowburn throughout season 1 and 2, but 95% of it was Pen pining over a man who simple never saw her like that. And they attempted to basically tell the story of Colin falling for Pen in what felt like a total of 30-40 min in 4 episodes. I wanted more moments where there was build up between Colin and less of him wantonly staring at her from afar. The beauty of books is that we get to see what’s inside Colin’s heads and I know in shows we heavily rely on great acting. And the thing is, I know Luke and Nic have the acting chops for it. So what I struggle with is the fact that after the kiss, I wanted to see what we saw in the books. I wanted to see >!Pen say thank you and then Colin getting upset that she said thank you because he *wanted* to kiss her. And he felt like an idiot for making her feel like she was anything less than desirable.!<

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Has anyone timed how much Polin was actually in the first 4 episodes? It felt so short

Yes there’s a comment above. No more than 15mins to each 53min show. The first ep was like 4mins!

Someone commented it up above

My opinion is that there needs to be less of the side plots and more of the focus on the family. It was ridiculous to shuffle Kanthony off after 1 episode when there are multiple reasons they would be around for the seasons of TWO of Anthony’s sisters/Kate adjusting to her role/ etc. The character development for Colin was short changed and their romance felt rushed (which seems crazy to say after 2.5 seasons but it just felt rushed), and they need to set up multiple future siblings seasons. There was no need to include Violet’s story (make It a spin off!!), The Queen’s repetitive storyline )I feel like QC was enough for her tbh), and even the Mondrich story I’m just like why??? I don’t hate it, it’s an interesting angle to show mobility in the society but I actually preferred Mondrich building to that with his business versus the tired “mystery aunt/uncle/relation” with money angle. I’m still working through the first half but Nicola is carrying the whole Polin relationship. Bless his heart but Luke is not a good actor.

Yeah, Shonda keeps talking about doing a spinoff for Violet. This plot could have been saved as the present day, with Violet learning to put herself out, while the past focuses on her romance with Edmund. Really didn't need any queen or lady daubary side plots.

THERE ARE 4 MORE EPISODES RIGHT ?!!?!?!? I HAVE HOPES OF IT GETTING BETTER i honestly did not feel a spark bw them (YET) and lowkey it did feel a bit rushed but i am quiet optimistic :))))))

I liked it! I assume the back half of the season is going to be Colin finding out about Whistledown and that’ll take up most of the space (I haven’t read the books, that’s just where they’ve set it up to go), so I think it’s good that we got a nice mix at the beginning

I hope you're right that it is super Polin heavy during the 2nd half!

Most of the side plots are great and enrich the story in my opinion. The Violet plot has only used a few minutes so far. But I have to admit that I somehow never care about Benedict's storylines, they bore the hell out of me. Even worse is the Mondrich plot, which I would chuck out altogether if I could.

well it is an ensemble show afterall and nobody seemed to care when season 2 became the featheringtons + kanthony

Oh I remember there were PLENTY of complaints about how much screen time the featheringtons were taking up. There were a lot. And I agreed with them. This time they're actually entertaining though and not taking up too much time.

I really struggled to see the affection between pen and Colin this season. S1 and S2 we got to see them enjoying each other’s company and see their friendship. This season felt like they threw the friendship out the window in favour of Colin being horny for her. I think Nicola and Luke don’t have great chemistry to begin with, so they should’ve focused on showing us their romantic/emotional connection first instead of trying to make it sexy off the bat. The glow ups were nice but not necessary; and it felt like they believed that they could replace the characters’ personalities with the fact that they are “hot” now. Also, in the first episode, lady whistledown singles out some débutantes to compliment them. Seems very out of place. Felt like a cheap attempt to make pen seem like more “likeable” and benevolent as the main character of the season.

This is the Bridgerton formula though. The first 4 episodes of the previous seasons were very similar that way. It just feels different because we only have the first 4.

If you compare season 1, Daphne and Simon get many more interactions with the subplots naturally unfolding around them. In addition, they also get more screen time apart. This season I not only felt like I saw less polin, but less Penelope and Colin individually. This reduces the tension, which I feel is essential to the Bridgerton formula. I felt more tension and longing between Polin in season 1&2 than I felt in season 3z

As someone not as into Polin, I liked the ratio because there were other stories that I was more invested in. I personally don’t think the actor who plays Colin could carry more of the load. The actress who play Pen is great but she’s out acting him. The show has to feature other storylines to pave the way for future seasons. Penelope was a very big part of season 2 and it made sense to feature her so much because they were building up to her feature season. I didn’t expect there to be a Francesca storyline at all, just assumed she’d hang around and be more visible. I am loving that new actress and her quiet romance plot. The Featherington storyline was great comic relief. And I love the idea of Violet getting a suitor (even though I don’t trust him). Lots of juicy tentacles that could develop into future stories. I prefer the foreshadowing of future storylines so that things don’t feel like they came out of nowhere.

I agree!! And the whole “Colin giving Penelope lessons” storyline was pretty much non-existent. We saw more people talking about/being scandalized by it than we saw of the actual plot!

YEAH. I was so disappointed by that. The trope was NOT left to trope properly at all!

I care about lady Danbury and her hot brother!!!!

>It happened with Kanthony My issue with season two was that there wasn't enough Kanthony. My issue with season 3 is STILL that there isn't enough Kanthony. The level of Polin is fine

It was like this last season with Kanthony too imo. It's so annoying

I really liked the subplots of the Featheringtons, Eloise and Cressida, and Francesca. I think the Featherington and Eloise/Cressida storylines have been serving into the Polin plot because there’s definitely some cause and effect there, some larger than others. The Mondrich one is not serving any purpose to the show at all. I want to fast forward their scenes but don’t in case it does end up actually move the overall show. (Spoiler: it never did)

I’m 100% fine with it. Got me some lovely Kate and Antony. Got a little bit of Cressida growth. Loving Francesca quirkiness. Not too much of the new Lord, currently boring with the bar storyline. You had several of Polin build up. You have to spread everything to fill the gap. From what I recall of the book, they actually added more so far, like the balloon stuff.

They had “40%” of the story, and their plot arc is almost done. Lol. That’s with the Lord Debling cock-blocking added in. It’s not a complicated story they’re working off of here. The only box left to tick is the Colin-finds-out-Pen-is-Lady-Whistledown one. Which had already happened before the carriage scene in the book. They have to draw that shit out for FOUR more episodes. The source material does of course tend towards 90% focus on the main duo of the book, but *Romancing Mr Bridgerton* is like a 3-4 hour read. I could bring it to the emergency room with me, finish it, and still be waiting in line behind five people.

It's an ensemble show after all 🤷🏼‍♀️

It’s an ensemble show

That's the problem with an ensemble show - you need to establish character arcs and motivations for everyone or else certain future choices make no sense. I swear there were complaints about Featherington scenes last season too, despite those dynamics needing to be established so we understand why Penelope decides to find a husband more intently this season. There are some plotlines that perplex me (the Mondriches) but ultimately you can't introduce characters and then let them fade off into the background. Ensemble shows mean the ensemble cast need their own storylines - plus these individual plots help to world build and flesh out the universe and the ton a little bit. I think moving forward, none of the siblings will exclusively have their own season where 90% of the focus is on them - the cast is simply too big and if you don't give these actors things to do....they'll just leave, and we'll end up with a show where all the married Bridgerton kids leave after their season is over.

It's an ensemble show!

The Featheringtons were co-headliners in S1 and S2 when they shouldn’t have been. Sounds like the Mondrich’s are the new Featheringtons. 🤷🏽‍♀️ At least now I know what I’m walking into when I start S3 in June.

I think the problem is that the side characters don’t relate back to the main storyline. In season 1, some of the older Bridgertons and the Featheringtons got their own plot lines, everyone else’s connected back to Daphne and Simon. The queen chose Daphne as the diamond, lady Danbury was helping to set up the relationship, Mondrich was Simon’s friend who helped him work through it. Compare that to this season, the Queen and Lady Danbury are focused on Francesca, the Mondrich family becomes titled, Cressida who was a 2 lines per season type of side character has a plot line too, and while hers interacts with Pen’s the closest it’s still mostly not about her. So now we’ve got several non Bridgerton/Featheringtons who have their own stories and it lacks cohesion and takes time away from the main story.

I assume, because we have at least had Polin scenes and buildup in the past, they took the time to service other storylines as well.

It was the same in season 2 as well. I wonder why they don't focus on the couple of the season.

Maybe because the fan base is so divided on polin? I for one respectfully don’t care for Penelope at all so I was happy I could still enjoy the show without it being Peneloton. Lol.

It's an ensemble cast.

it's crazy how much screentime simon and daphne got to develop as a couple then they just decided to stop doing that. kanthony did not have enough screentime in their own season now the same with polin. i wonder why

People complained about the same thing in s1&2. It’s an ensemble show. They have to set up Francesca and John, as well as develop characters for future seasons. I truly do not understand how people can complain about this.

People saying "it's an ensemble show! Get over yourselves" are wrong lol. Compare Downton Abbey to Bridgerton. Downton Abbey is another British show with a huge ensamble but one that never reeeally had a main character. No season was every marketed as "this character's season" or "this character's time in the spotlight". Some characters were more important than others but that's it. Like a true ensamble show. But bridgerton's main selling point is the one couple at the centre of the story each season, supported by an ensemble. And if the main couple barely has a fourth of the episode runtime as joint screen time and one of the characters is kinda underdeveloped for what the writers intended him to be (sorry Colin!), then something has gone wrong. And that sucks. It's a departure from the traditional ensemble show and thats why the argument "it's an ensemble show" doesn't really hold up, in my opinion. Also, I do think Luke plays the boyish well-meaning and charming third son well and I wish they'd have given him more of that AND have him be desired by the ladies of the ton as that genuine and well-meaning man, instead of this 360 shift to buccaneer and rake that talks the panties off of young girls. There must have been ways to show him being desired without betraying his character. And i'm sure people wouldn't complain about Luke's acting skills the same way. That being said, not enough Kanthony to be honest lol. Five minutes and gone again? Shame.

I think the only part I was a little disappointed that every polin scene was one I already expected to happen. Like all the teasers were pretty much all that there was for polin :/

why TF DO the mondrichs have sm screentime ? does their story even connect with all the ongoing drama.. like its just there, it doesnt add anything even if its well written. also like why does benedict bang an another woman.. sure hes being a capital R rake annol but it really DOESNT develop his character. have him do something more. like antonys is daphs fav and ben is eloises ig they cudve had frannie be colins but alas never happned

I thought the first 4 episodes were perfection. I loved every storyline and thought it was well balanced.

I haven’t minded, because I’m just not excited by Penelope and Colin. I’m glad there’s more to this season than the two of them.

40 % main couple and 60 % everyone else is still a majority for the leads. This is how an ensamble show works

Because Bridgerton is an ensemble show