Bridgerton 3.1: What a Tease!

Bridgerton has been one of my favorite series in the past few years. I read the Julia Quinn novels when I was first getting into romance. When the first season came out I was thrilled with the color-blind casting, the lush costumes and settings, and the soundtrack made up of classical versions of pop songs. Season two took a little longer to get me, but by the time Anthony tries to slap a bee off Kate's shoulder I was hooked. Netflix, clearly knowing what they had, decided to split season three into two parts. What a tease! I was intending to put off watching part one until part two was streaming, but I recently found myself with a free night and a hankering for regency romance, so I went for it. There are spoilers below for the first two seasons, so proceed with caution!

Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) has decided it is time for her to find a husband. Her idiotic sisters are both wed, and if she doesn't make her own match she'll have to depend on them for protection as she sinks into spinsterhood. Her ideal husband would be wealthy, distant, and easy to ignore. Actually, that's not true: her ideal husband would be Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton), the older brother of her erstwhile best friend Eloise, who she's loved as long as she can remember. But Colin has publicly announced that he's not interested in Penelope, and why should he be? He's the rakish son of the one the ton's favored families who just returned from a European tour, so all the prettiest ladies are throwing themselves at his feet. Penelope equips herself for husband hunting with a complete makeover, acquiring a series of gorgeous gowns in colors and cuts that suit her frame. Even though her new look makes a splash, she finds herself unable to flirt with the gentlemen who approach her. Colin offers to help her build her conversation skills, even though she's never had any trouble talking to him. And the more time they spend together, the harder she finds it to hide how she feels.

As a pale, curvy redhead, I've been looking forward to Penelope's story since the first season. So far, it doesn't disappoint. Penelope is in a bad place at the beginning of the season--friendless, suitorless, hopeless--which makes it easier to understand how desperate she is to connect. Coughlan's post-transformation look is fantastic, and her body is treated with the same sort of rapturous attention from the camera that was commonplace in previous seasons. If the final scene of part one is anything to go on, we should be getting plenty of steam in part two. Colin has had a similar glow-up, with a looser look that represents his increasing lack of concern about social rules. He's a little prissy for my taste, and I'm looking forward to seeing that part of him come undone. But honestly, the thing that I'm really hoping to see more of in part two? Cressida Cowper's insane hairstyles.

Now, like the rest of the romance-loving world, I'm waiting impatiently for June 13, when the second part is released. Look for my review of the second part on June 18th!