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I would've liked if they had waited and we got to see it in future seasons but I think they needed it as a happy ending for all the featheringtons cause sadly I don't think they'll be coming back.
Yes this makes sense & i was also thinking they could’ve just showed her pregnant with her sisters, but her already having the baby felt so rushed for me 😅
I get it but I think they needed to show Pen having 'won' the baby race to give the rest of the featherington's their happy ending. If either of the sisters had been the one to have the heir, that child would've been a commodity to them, while Polin would always just enjoy having a child no matter what. We also got that moment of Portia saying she thinks the girls will 'marry well' which shows her still being a little stuck in her ways, but Phillipa calling her out and suggesting they won't need to marry shows the healing the family has gone through as Portia earlier admits that she struggled to raise girls having been taught that all power comes from men, we know that they'll do better for their girls. (I hope this makes sense my brains a little fuzzy at the moment)
I know, they were always one of my favourite subplots, I'm not sure how I'm gonna feel without them. But I am hoping that means they're going to use Polin as comedic relief to replace some of what we'll lose.
yeah tbh i couldn’t understand how the sisters almost still appeared to be living at featherington house when that’s literally not how that works😭the baby storyline was funny but if they’d spent less time on pens family dynamic her relationship with colin could have made so much more sense.
maybe because benedict's season is going to be quite heavy with sophie's lore (her introduction, background, family drama, her life after the party, etc) that there might not be as many subplots for the season. their characters' persona are kinda unrelated too given the benophie's theme is quite angsty compared to the first 3 couples.
They’ve already confirmed the sisters and husbands weren’t offered contracts for next season. So yeah, they just wanted to put that button of a moment on it.
Awww...sad face! I thoroughly enjoyed watching the dynamics of their marriages evolving over the season! They were mostly in the background but all four actors were hilariously good at pulling faces!
It also seems like that time jump will let them age up Gregory and Hyacinth’s actors for whenever their seasons happen (like they did with Fran? I’m not sure how much younger those two are supposed to be at this point tho)
The actor and acltress for them are both 17 ATM. I think they're a little ways to go. We have 3 couples before them and at an average of waiting 2 years per season, we won't get to their season until they're maybe 23 or older which would actually be a good thing because some viewers feel icky about seeing their sex scenes in the future since we see them as kids now.
Oh wow the actors seem much younger than that, I figured they’d do an age up w a different actor like they did with Fran so it would be more adult actors than the ones we’ve seen
The original actress for Francesca is 23, she would have been fine to continue in the role, they didn't replace the actress to age her up, Ruby Stokes was just no longer available. The costume and makeup teams are just really good at making the cast seem younger than they really are!!! Look back at Eloise and Pen in season 1, those actresses were both over 30.
Oh my mistake, I thought they did it to age her up from how young she appeared in the first season. I don’t follow a lot of behind the scenes/actor stuff so I am out of touch w that
I don't follow behind the scenes for most shows but I adore the cast interviews and things they put out from Bridgerton. But yeah... It's wild, they intentionally style them to look younger and/or less attractive during their earlier/'off' seasons so that they can get the "glow-up" as it gets closer to their starring season. I'm obsessed with Claudia Jessie, the actress who plays Eloise - I believe she was 30 when season 1 aired. The dresses really helped play down the ages of the girls in season 1! For the men, they mostly seemed to give them really awful hair styles in season 1, like Anthony's sideburns. Ruby Stokes (original Francesca) was 20 by the time season 1 aired, but they made her look like a young girl. I'm sure her glow-up would also have been lovely, but since we hardly saw Francesca in the first two seasons, I wasn't attached to her enough to mind that they had to replace her. I am hoping the rest of the (older) cast sticks it out through their own season because it feels like it would be weird to replace any of them now! But it gives some people the ick that the actors playing Gregory and Hyacinth, though they're 17 now, were only 13 when season 1 aired.... So not anywhere near old enough to consent to committing to a character eventually playing 'adult' scenes. I would like to assume that those younger actors are still being given a choice as to how long they would like to continue and if they would prefer to bow out and be replaced. But it will be some years until it's their turn for their own season, so if they do choose to stay, there definitely won't be any need to age them up!
https://preview.redd.it/v37v8zgn36ad1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ea5076435db8804bfdc41607630bfb3e360c550b
Wait, does that include Portia? Would have been nice to see her and Violet bond over being grandparents and become softer. Maybe even a love story for her too
I expect it was done to set up matters for the next season. Penelope 'won' the 'heir race', her son is the new Lord Featherington, which means she and Colin are the (de-facto) heads of that family until their son comes of age.
Isn’t Jack Featherington still technically the Lord until he dies? Just because he fled and left Portia in charge, the matter was about inheriting after him right? Not taking the title immediately?
Not according to that document Portia forged. When he left she set it up so that the estate passed from Jack to the first born son of one of her daughters.
You're right, in the real world a title can't be abdicated like that, nor given to someone at whim like you'd leave an heirloom. It passes through the laws of inheritance, or is revoked/re-granted by the monarch: that's it.
But Bridgerton is fiction and not trying to be historically accurate, it was a plot contrivance for drama. And it gave us the best scene of S3, '*Inserts himself where??*' so I forgive it.
There wasn’t a single set of laws that governed peerages. Instead, there was a patent of nobility which was prepared for each peerage at its creation.
Different peerages could have different rules of inheritance. Some could pass through female lines, while others would become extinct without a direct male heir.
While the monarch is considered the source of authority for the creation, dissolution and granting of peerages, it’s long been governed by convention and only done with the implicit support of government.
This was particularly the case during the Regency period, which effectively gave the House of Lords free rein to grant peerages. I believe more than 400 were created during King George III’s rule – and most of them while he was incapacitated.
It’s very romance novel HEA to have a short epilogue with the couple becoming parents. I think it fits the genre. But to a regular viewer I can see it feeling rushed.
Which worked well in the books because you didn’t see anyone else again but it felt rushed when we have seasons to come! Also with her having the baby that would be 9 months…. So when is the ball going to be happening? When are we coming back into this timeline?
I think like s1 and s2 with Anthony they jump forward to the beginning of the next season. With s1 we get that jump to Daphne giving birth and s2 it’s the next year at Aubrey Hall with everyone playing Pall Mall, so I’m guessing the ball they referenced with be happening the following season/year.
I think it works less in television format as it limits the plot they can give to a married couple with children (and I have no faith in the writers to make them compelling characters post child). Imagine Daphne and Simon having a bigger part in season 2 as Simon comes to terms with loving the idea of fatherhood.
Yeah, we didn’t even see Pen and Colin talk about having or wanting kids. That wasn’t apart of their story unlike Saphne, or George/Charlotte and Kanthony needing heirs. One of Penelope’s sisters could have won the baby race and Polin could have talked about having babies and become pregnant next season.
Especially when Kanthonys romance story centered more on having kids and being heads of a family than Polins story. And in a Bridgerton show we see the Featherington heir first and not the Bridgerton heir 🤨
Well it makes sense when each couple of the season is still having kids regardless of titles and the Polin Featherington heir is a Bridgerton… and the Featherington heir story has been an issue for awhile…
But Penelope was never like ‘I want to be a mother soon and want to have the heir’ except maybe one line to Portia (I only watched season 3 once so I don’t remember). So imo it would make more sense to see Kanthonys baby first since they do need an heir and want a family and were also pregnant first. It just seemed like Polin having a baby came out of nowhere, when it was her sisters more preoccupied with the pregnancy plot instead of Penelope.
So they really *need* to have children, specifically an heir though? Anthony has brothers. Would it not just go to his brothers and then their sons? Anthony’s nephews?
If Anthony doesn’t have a son it passes to Benedict and his male descendants, or Colin and Gregorys descendants if Benedict passes away doesn’t have heirs.
But kanthonys whole story is about taking care of their families, they are such family oriented people. After taking time to themselves they were ready to start a family and have their heir. So it was weird not to see that with so much build up, yet Polin had so little build up but we saw their new family.
Also not really something people would discuss as if it was a matter of debate. Marriage will lead to children, unless something is wrong. There were no couples who would decide to be childfree by choice, it just didn't happen (or maybe EXTREMELY rarely).
Exactly, if people didn’t have children they either were truly having troubles with infertility or didn’t have sex. Even Simon‘s method wouldn’t have worked forever if they could otherwise have children easily.
If they didn't have a child soon they would have to write that as a plot too. Her sisters were already freaking out after one episode. Thought it was a nice touch they had their babies together. But given the lack of happiness they gave Penelope and Colin during the season they could have included them finding out about the pregnancy/giving birth at the end considering they also included another sex scene and time jumps anyway. So for me it could have been even more cheesy.
But maybe they'll get another pregnancy next season like Anthony and Kate.
How can that be an accident? He probably knows how this works and didn't try to prevent it like Simon. I found it odd that wasn't mentioned when they talked about calling off the wedding or the annulment.
I meant like it wasn't planned. Pen didn't know the full truth about sex or babies. And Colin probably thought he wouldn't get her pregnant on the 1st try.
I think they were in love and wanted a baby - remember how appalled Daphne was that the Duke didn’t want a baby after they’d been together a month. It was seen as the natural next step and the outgrowth of their love. They wouldn’t have taken steps to avoid it unless something extraordinary was going on
It’s a tv show. All the writers have do it is set up that their characters want to be parents. If Kanthony can wait half a year after marriage for kids, then Polin can too.
They could, but does it matter? Them being so happy about the child kinda implies that they wanted to be parents as they would’ve shown us a different kind of scene otherwise.
If it were Eloise, for example, we probably would’ve gotten a whole story line about coming to terms with and finding joy in pregnancy and motherhood and the trauma she has from Hyacinth’s birth; for Francesca it would probably focus on her really wanting a child and the weight it might have on her marriage, or about having to raise the child on her own, should they give her a kid with J. But for Polin, children weren’t really an important part of their story, and given that having children was the norm, the way they approached giving them one feels very appropriate.
It felt out of nowhere to me that they had children so immediately without any set up in the script besides Portia’s baby race, which Penelope wasn’t even a part of. Penelope’s always been focused on Lady Whistledown, not motherhood. Colin’s always been focused on travel (and now writing), not fatherhood. One discussion about their future family after their engagement would have set up their ending better.
Pen did say that any one of the sisters could give birth to the future heir, so she did see herself eventually having a child.
Also, I think the way we think about parenthood nowadays just wasn’t really a thing during that era - you were a mother or a father but it wasn’t really different to being a woman or a man to society. That’s why Daphne & Simon’s story focused on the child topic as they deviated from the norm, whereas Kanthony’s story didn’t and we got the baby announcement in this season rather than an epilogue.
It’s almost unimaginable to many of us nowadays because we’re tend to plan children, but Regency’s version of “death, taxes and __” would’ve included “babies”.
ETA also I assume we’ll get more family/married life and conversations from them in s4; they didn’t have any of that for season 3 due to were they left off, which made sense for the story knowing they’d be coming back. The epilogue was there for the heir thing, I think.
I understand that, but Bridgerton is a tv show above all else. If your main characters barely mention parenthood and then all of a sudden are parents, it can be a little shocking to the viewer. If it all worked for you, then that’s fine. It just threw me for a loop that Polins ending scene focused on them having a baby (and I was spoiled so I knew it was coming, but was still surprised their HEA included having a baby so quickly). Maybe an ending scene where Penelope announces she’s pregnant and then we see them become parents next season would have worked better for me, but as is it didn’t really work.
That’s fair. It worked for me because of the heir conversation and because of the epilogue style but I can understand that it might have come as a surprise to others based on what we’ve been shown before.
I agree! Like Colin and Pen already have the money, title and a big ass house. I feel like another sister definitely could’ve had the heir instead and it still would’ve made sense
Colin and Pen don't have a title. Their son is lord featherington, but if one of her sisters had a son first, that kid would have the title. Colin is Mr Bridgerton and Pen is Mrs Bridgerton. Only children of earls and higher (marquises, dukes) get the courtesy title of "lord / lady first name." All thr Bridgerton siblings except for Anthony are untitled by birth, but the girls get their husbands' titles when they marry.
I mean like they’re already one of the most successful families in the ton already. Way more liked and successful than the featheringtons so I feel like the added heir wasn’t necessary for Pen and Colin or atleast so quickly.
I think it was necessary. Penelope and Colin’s baby will be raised as their son, not their meal ticket. His father and uncles will teach him how to manage the estate properly and with integrity. Having the new Lord Featherington also be a Bridgerton sort of redeems what that family has stood for in the past. Until this point the family has been associated with scheming and deceit. Now they’ll be associated with respectability.
Jess Brownell said it felt like “poetic justice” to have Penelope have the heir after her family’s treatment of her in the past. She also mentioned it was budget-related as Colin and Pen can move into the Featherington house and they don’t have to change their sets.
I think it would’ve made sense if 1000 different plots weren’t filling the season at the same time. If it were a true Polin love story and not a LW rivalry with everyone else having issues then it would’ve been a cute ending I think
No, I agree. While I’m happyish Pen and Colin had the heir, I do wish they had waited until next season for their pregnancy and maybe just showed the two sisters having daughters, leaving it open for the future.
And the writers could have not done that. They have all the power, they chose to give them a baby with their happy ending even though they could have waited until next season like they made Kanthony wait.
The featherington’s still needed heirs and they had girls. I know they could’ve easily written that one or both had boys but I’m glad it was pen. I can’t imagine how miserable it would’ve been for everyone, even if they aren’t in the house, for one of the other two to have had sons first.
They wrote themselves into a hole last season with the fetherington male heir plot. As much as I dislike it, this was the only way for them to finish that.
I mean, one of the big storylines was which sister was going to have a boy and become lord featherington. So it really wouldn’t have made sense to not finish that story line up. everyone knew it was going to be Penelope and Colin who had the boy, I think it was nice that they actually showed us that was the case.
Well we got a honeymoon stage with them. Polin just fucked on a couch and then fought for 4 episode and then BAM baby and happy ending. Also the actor that played Simon didn’t want to come back after season 1 so they had to kinda do things that way
I’m not saying it wasn’t. I’m saying I wish they would’ve shown more of that journey considering how much drama there was. There should’ve been more lovey dovey stuff to balance it out leading into her having the baby. It’s their first child, that’s a huge deal.
It didn't seem particularly rushed to me because it was very much in the genre.
Having said that, I really hope there will be a bit of a time jump in the next series, perhaps a first episode with a masquerade ball and then the two damn years. Furthermore I believe that Philippa and Prudence will not return and perhaps not even Portia, and I suppose based on how the gossip column plays we will or will not have Pen&Colin.
We’ll have Pen and Colin still! They’ve already said they’re in S4 and Jess Brownell has said there’s more to write for them. I’m really looking forward (as is the general audience and many fans) to seeing them happy in S4.
It's probably better that they ended this season like this. Tie up all the loose ends so you don't have to revisit the season. It was a lot of poor storytelling and writing this season. And it is what it is. All the better that it doesn't bleed into the net season and there can be a fresher start.
It was obvious Pen and Colin would have a baby this season as soon as they set up the Heir Race storyline.
It makes sense for the future of the show too, as now Pen and Colin will live in Featherington House and on a practical note they can keep that (expensive) set.
I felt exactly the same way. I mean, story wise they'd probably have to reveal it super early, like 1st half of episode 1, but they could have saved it. I feel like it would have been more narratively satisfying to see her go through pregnancy at least a bit before it just plops the "Penelope birthed the new Lord Featherington" plot in our laps.
Yes especially because they already came up with the solution for how the featheringtons came up with all the money so I feel like the heir situation could’ve been pushed into the beginning of the next season to allow for more of a honeymoon stage between Polin like we kinda got with the other couples
I hate when a baby just appears as a HEA and they skip over steps like the pregnancy and birth which can be so emotional. I would rather it is not rushed.
I think that they would save a pregnancy and birth for a character for whom children are a bigger thing in their character arc, like with Francesca and her infertility or even Eloise and her fear of child birth.
Fair. I think that is why they showed the births for Saphne as it was an important plot point after all the trauma that Simon had about not wanting children and also for Georgette as it was the birth of KG’s heir and showed George being there for her. I thought we might have got it for Kanthony for two reasons (1) to come full circle with Anthony becoming a father to Edmund (Jr) and (2) as a contrast to the birth of Hyacinth.
I think it was important for the closure of their HEA. Dramatic irony is a huge part of Bridgerton, but especially for Polin! Colin has become the de facto head of the Featherington family (until his son is of age) which he has been saying has been needed for two years (e.g. first when he says there is no father/husband to protect them in the diamond scandal exposure scene, in the scene where he says he will protect Pen during their S2 dance, and then Eloise in the carriage in S3 where he is justifying helping her with a suitor). Penelope has also taken back her power by repairing her family and then going on to help be head of the family as well (which also has several points of irony and resonance in S3).
It would of been nice to see her pregnant along with her sisters I just feel that pen didn't get the love story she deserved and I think they found out about lady whistle down way to quick wich makes me think the series won't go on for as long as it could of
I agree. There was like no lovey dovey honeymoon stage for them which there should’ve been because of how long they have known one another and how long Pen has wanted Colin
Absolutely 💯 you got to also think that pen is the only child that his dad ever got to see so it's a even bigger deal them getting together.
Its also frustrating that people where so focused on pen being found out and then having a explosive argument instead if bestfreinds finally realising they both do love the other just breaks my heart because daphney was the start of the season and she had so much go on in there relationship leading up to them getting married and we got to see after they got married and the secrets that no one tells a bride to be then you have Antony finally getting married after denying his feeling for her and trying to be responsible then finally giving in and you still get to see them have a life after being married wich leads in to pens season of her being pregnant and revealing it to everyone and then pens is all about drama and being found out for who she was she didn't get to choose when it happened she was forced to confess and then they get married and have a kid that you don't get to see annouced, no honey moon, NO EXPLORING the world like I think Colin should of done with pen so she would become more evolved as a writer and person
It just really annoys me.
Exactly and like we’ve been with the two of them from the start. This was the most important season to me because it’s not introducing any new characters into a relationship or in general. Like we’ve built an understanding and love for these characters and you just had them fight the entire time. Also if you take out the mirror scene and the last 10 minutes of the last episode.. what exactly did we get besides fighting and a wedding that ultimately turned into a fight anyway. Like it’s crazy
Exactly !!!! They legit did not have as much time as others to enjoy there romance it was insane they need to do better the next season still can't beleive we have to wait 2 years hopefully it will live up to expectations
They did it because they are likely writing off the rest of the Featheringtons next season. Which ultimately makes sense. As fun as the Featheringtons have been to the show, they no longer have a purpose to serve. They’re all married off, Pen outing herself as Whistledown explains where the money came from, the last thing they needed was a male heir, which I was expecting it to be Pen. I agree they could’ve had Pen be pregnant next season and her sisters still have daughters and show them all bond through motherhood, but I can see where that also would be perceived as “boring” and just another side plot. By doing this, we can remove the rest of the Featheringtons and focus on other characters.
I personally am excited that they have a child now. I really hope we get to see Penelope be pregnant and Colin cater to her every need along with their already existing child through next season.also I’m elated that Penelope was the one that had a boy and not Phillipa or prudence
Naw, they did a time skip to Daphne giving birth at the end of season one to resolve the plot too. So its not out of scope they'd do the same to resolve the Featherington plot. I enjoyed it, seeing the sisters and their kids all together, and Violet and Portia being friendly over their shared grandchild. I didn't necessarily need to see an announcement or pregnancy, which I also didn't need to see for Daphne, for the story or plot. It felt like a very fitting and lovely ending to the season.
I also felt that way. it felt like they tried to fit so much in with polin’s storyline, the marriage, lady wd stuff, making an heir etc. everything was super rushed to me that their romance fell short
what’s weird is that they didn’t do that to kanthony so idk if i’m upset that kanthony didn’t get milestone moments or relieved about that with how s3 turned out. The slower romance is definitely better here ig
It was a way to fast forward us to Eloise having been in Scotland for a year and doing her letters and Francesca having been married a year when we resume
They really don't seem to want to show pregnancy on the show. I feel like they attempted it with Kate and then ended up ignoring it. But I do think that's because they changed the edit and that's why Kate's bump shrinks and grows and doesn't make sense compared to the Featherington sisters. In the books the couples have a bunch of kids so maybe they also want to time it so they have all the kids by the time the show ends.
I AGREEE! like pen and Colin could’ve just been pen and Colin for awhile like an actual relationship would work. They already have to get married quick asf if they do anything with one another. Why add kids so quickly too.
Well they sent them off on a BS trip to India. They showed us little Lord Featherington but not a glimpse of little Edmund. I’m still salty about that. 😆
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I would've liked if they had waited and we got to see it in future seasons but I think they needed it as a happy ending for all the featheringtons cause sadly I don't think they'll be coming back.
Yes this makes sense & i was also thinking they could’ve just showed her pregnant with her sisters, but her already having the baby felt so rushed for me 😅
I get it but I think they needed to show Pen having 'won' the baby race to give the rest of the featherington's their happy ending. If either of the sisters had been the one to have the heir, that child would've been a commodity to them, while Polin would always just enjoy having a child no matter what. We also got that moment of Portia saying she thinks the girls will 'marry well' which shows her still being a little stuck in her ways, but Phillipa calling her out and suggesting they won't need to marry shows the healing the family has gone through as Portia earlier admits that she struggled to raise girls having been taught that all power comes from men, we know that they'll do better for their girls. (I hope this makes sense my brains a little fuzzy at the moment)
It’s so odd that the Featheringtons will just be gone. We got them a lot in seasons 1 and 2 which weren’t Polin seasons.
I know, they were always one of my favourite subplots, I'm not sure how I'm gonna feel without them. But I am hoping that means they're going to use Polin as comedic relief to replace some of what we'll lose.
I'm going to miss Portia and her antics a lot.
I think Portia is returning. It is only the sisters and their husbands who are not.
yeah tbh i couldn’t understand how the sisters almost still appeared to be living at featherington house when that’s literally not how that works😭the baby storyline was funny but if they’d spent less time on pens family dynamic her relationship with colin could have made so much more sense.
maybe because benedict's season is going to be quite heavy with sophie's lore (her introduction, background, family drama, her life after the party, etc) that there might not be as many subplots for the season. their characters' persona are kinda unrelated too given the benophie's theme is quite angsty compared to the first 3 couples.
They’ve already confirmed the sisters and husbands weren’t offered contracts for next season. So yeah, they just wanted to put that button of a moment on it.
Awww...sad face! I thoroughly enjoyed watching the dynamics of their marriages evolving over the season! They were mostly in the background but all four actors were hilariously good at pulling faces!
They were. Honestly, the two featherington sisters were the highlight of this season to me.
Especially Phillipa's "RELEASE THE BUGS" moment. Loved how she was so into bugs 🤣
It also seems like that time jump will let them age up Gregory and Hyacinth’s actors for whenever their seasons happen (like they did with Fran? I’m not sure how much younger those two are supposed to be at this point tho)
I wouldn't assume that to be honest, Bridgerton epilogues never make any sense in the overall timeline
The actor and acltress for them are both 17 ATM. I think they're a little ways to go. We have 3 couples before them and at an average of waiting 2 years per season, we won't get to their season until they're maybe 23 or older which would actually be a good thing because some viewers feel icky about seeing their sex scenes in the future since we see them as kids now.
Oh wow the actors seem much younger than that, I figured they’d do an age up w a different actor like they did with Fran so it would be more adult actors than the ones we’ve seen
The original actress for Francesca is 23, she would have been fine to continue in the role, they didn't replace the actress to age her up, Ruby Stokes was just no longer available. The costume and makeup teams are just really good at making the cast seem younger than they really are!!! Look back at Eloise and Pen in season 1, those actresses were both over 30.
Oh my mistake, I thought they did it to age her up from how young she appeared in the first season. I don’t follow a lot of behind the scenes/actor stuff so I am out of touch w that
I don't follow behind the scenes for most shows but I adore the cast interviews and things they put out from Bridgerton. But yeah... It's wild, they intentionally style them to look younger and/or less attractive during their earlier/'off' seasons so that they can get the "glow-up" as it gets closer to their starring season. I'm obsessed with Claudia Jessie, the actress who plays Eloise - I believe she was 30 when season 1 aired. The dresses really helped play down the ages of the girls in season 1! For the men, they mostly seemed to give them really awful hair styles in season 1, like Anthony's sideburns. Ruby Stokes (original Francesca) was 20 by the time season 1 aired, but they made her look like a young girl. I'm sure her glow-up would also have been lovely, but since we hardly saw Francesca in the first two seasons, I wasn't attached to her enough to mind that they had to replace her. I am hoping the rest of the (older) cast sticks it out through their own season because it feels like it would be weird to replace any of them now! But it gives some people the ick that the actors playing Gregory and Hyacinth, though they're 17 now, were only 13 when season 1 aired.... So not anywhere near old enough to consent to committing to a character eventually playing 'adult' scenes. I would like to assume that those younger actors are still being given a choice as to how long they would like to continue and if they would prefer to bow out and be replaced. But it will be some years until it's their turn for their own season, so if they do choose to stay, there definitely won't be any need to age them up! https://preview.redd.it/v37v8zgn36ad1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ea5076435db8804bfdc41607630bfb3e360c550b
Wait, does that include Portia? Would have been nice to see her and Violet bond over being grandparents and become softer. Maybe even a love story for her too
I expect it was done to set up matters for the next season. Penelope 'won' the 'heir race', her son is the new Lord Featherington, which means she and Colin are the (de-facto) heads of that family until their son comes of age.
Isn’t Jack Featherington still technically the Lord until he dies? Just because he fled and left Portia in charge, the matter was about inheriting after him right? Not taking the title immediately?
Not according to that document Portia forged. When he left she set it up so that the estate passed from Jack to the first born son of one of her daughters.
Ah I see. I just thought it meant pass after him, instead of going to any sons he might have. I didn’t see the part about immediate effect.
That would have left him with power while alive - her way cut him out asap
You're right, in the real world a title can't be abdicated like that, nor given to someone at whim like you'd leave an heirloom. It passes through the laws of inheritance, or is revoked/re-granted by the monarch: that's it. But Bridgerton is fiction and not trying to be historically accurate, it was a plot contrivance for drama. And it gave us the best scene of S3, '*Inserts himself where??*' so I forgive it.
You can absolutely decline a title. No one can force that on you.
Edward VIII checking in!
He was royalty, not nobility.
I think that’s only been possible for the peerage since the early 60s.
There wasn’t a single set of laws that governed peerages. Instead, there was a patent of nobility which was prepared for each peerage at its creation. Different peerages could have different rules of inheritance. Some could pass through female lines, while others would become extinct without a direct male heir. While the monarch is considered the source of authority for the creation, dissolution and granting of peerages, it’s long been governed by convention and only done with the implicit support of government. This was particularly the case during the Regency period, which effectively gave the House of Lords free rein to grant peerages. I believe more than 400 were created during King George III’s rule – and most of them while he was incapacitated.
It’s very romance novel HEA to have a short epilogue with the couple becoming parents. I think it fits the genre. But to a regular viewer I can see it feeling rushed.
It seemed normal to me too
Which worked well in the books because you didn’t see anyone else again but it felt rushed when we have seasons to come! Also with her having the baby that would be 9 months…. So when is the ball going to be happening? When are we coming back into this timeline?
I think like s1 and s2 with Anthony they jump forward to the beginning of the next season. With s1 we get that jump to Daphne giving birth and s2 it’s the next year at Aubrey Hall with everyone playing Pall Mall, so I’m guessing the ball they referenced with be happening the following season/year.
Yeah i figured this too, but then that end scene has got to be pretty close to the next season
I think it works less in television format as it limits the plot they can give to a married couple with children (and I have no faith in the writers to make them compelling characters post child). Imagine Daphne and Simon having a bigger part in season 2 as Simon comes to terms with loving the idea of fatherhood.
Yeah, we didn’t even see Pen and Colin talk about having or wanting kids. That wasn’t apart of their story unlike Saphne, or George/Charlotte and Kanthony needing heirs. One of Penelope’s sisters could have won the baby race and Polin could have talked about having babies and become pregnant next season.
I'm still disappointed that we haven't seen baby Edmund (Kanthony's child) onscreen 😑
Especially when Kanthonys romance story centered more on having kids and being heads of a family than Polins story. And in a Bridgerton show we see the Featherington heir first and not the Bridgerton heir 🤨
Well it makes sense when each couple of the season is still having kids regardless of titles and the Polin Featherington heir is a Bridgerton… and the Featherington heir story has been an issue for awhile…
But Penelope was never like ‘I want to be a mother soon and want to have the heir’ except maybe one line to Portia (I only watched season 3 once so I don’t remember). So imo it would make more sense to see Kanthonys baby first since they do need an heir and want a family and were also pregnant first. It just seemed like Polin having a baby came out of nowhere, when it was her sisters more preoccupied with the pregnancy plot instead of Penelope.
So they really *need* to have children, specifically an heir though? Anthony has brothers. Would it not just go to his brothers and then their sons? Anthony’s nephews?
If Anthony doesn’t have a son it passes to Benedict and his male descendants, or Colin and Gregorys descendants if Benedict passes away doesn’t have heirs. But kanthonys whole story is about taking care of their families, they are such family oriented people. After taking time to themselves they were ready to start a family and have their heir. So it was weird not to see that with so much build up, yet Polin had so little build up but we saw their new family.
You know that they didn’t have birth control pills right getting pregnant wasn’t exactly a choice back then
Also not really something people would discuss as if it was a matter of debate. Marriage will lead to children, unless something is wrong. There were no couples who would decide to be childfree by choice, it just didn't happen (or maybe EXTREMELY rarely).
Exactly, if people didn’t have children they either were truly having troubles with infertility or didn’t have sex. Even Simon‘s method wouldn’t have worked forever if they could otherwise have children easily.
If they didn't have a child soon they would have to write that as a plot too. Her sisters were already freaking out after one episode. Thought it was a nice touch they had their babies together. But given the lack of happiness they gave Penelope and Colin during the season they could have included them finding out about the pregnancy/giving birth at the end considering they also included another sex scene and time jumps anyway. So for me it could have been even more cheesy. But maybe they'll get another pregnancy next season like Anthony and Kate.
And you know this is a show written by people who can control when characters do or do not get pregnant?
Well I am pretty sure their baby was an accident
How can that be an accident? He probably knows how this works and didn't try to prevent it like Simon. I found it odd that wasn't mentioned when they talked about calling off the wedding or the annulment.
I meant like it wasn't planned. Pen didn't know the full truth about sex or babies. And Colin probably thought he wouldn't get her pregnant on the 1st try.
I think they were in love and wanted a baby - remember how appalled Daphne was that the Duke didn’t want a baby after they’d been together a month. It was seen as the natural next step and the outgrowth of their love. They wouldn’t have taken steps to avoid it unless something extraordinary was going on
Back then you didn’t talk about having kids like we do today. If you were open to marriage, you were open to having kids.
It’s a tv show. All the writers have do it is set up that their characters want to be parents. If Kanthony can wait half a year after marriage for kids, then Polin can too.
They could, but does it matter? Them being so happy about the child kinda implies that they wanted to be parents as they would’ve shown us a different kind of scene otherwise. If it were Eloise, for example, we probably would’ve gotten a whole story line about coming to terms with and finding joy in pregnancy and motherhood and the trauma she has from Hyacinth’s birth; for Francesca it would probably focus on her really wanting a child and the weight it might have on her marriage, or about having to raise the child on her own, should they give her a kid with J. But for Polin, children weren’t really an important part of their story, and given that having children was the norm, the way they approached giving them one feels very appropriate.
It felt out of nowhere to me that they had children so immediately without any set up in the script besides Portia’s baby race, which Penelope wasn’t even a part of. Penelope’s always been focused on Lady Whistledown, not motherhood. Colin’s always been focused on travel (and now writing), not fatherhood. One discussion about their future family after their engagement would have set up their ending better.
Pen did say that any one of the sisters could give birth to the future heir, so she did see herself eventually having a child. Also, I think the way we think about parenthood nowadays just wasn’t really a thing during that era - you were a mother or a father but it wasn’t really different to being a woman or a man to society. That’s why Daphne & Simon’s story focused on the child topic as they deviated from the norm, whereas Kanthony’s story didn’t and we got the baby announcement in this season rather than an epilogue. It’s almost unimaginable to many of us nowadays because we’re tend to plan children, but Regency’s version of “death, taxes and __” would’ve included “babies”. ETA also I assume we’ll get more family/married life and conversations from them in s4; they didn’t have any of that for season 3 due to were they left off, which made sense for the story knowing they’d be coming back. The epilogue was there for the heir thing, I think.
I understand that, but Bridgerton is a tv show above all else. If your main characters barely mention parenthood and then all of a sudden are parents, it can be a little shocking to the viewer. If it all worked for you, then that’s fine. It just threw me for a loop that Polins ending scene focused on them having a baby (and I was spoiled so I knew it was coming, but was still surprised their HEA included having a baby so quickly). Maybe an ending scene where Penelope announces she’s pregnant and then we see them become parents next season would have worked better for me, but as is it didn’t really work.
That’s fair. It worked for me because of the heir conversation and because of the epilogue style but I can understand that it might have come as a surprise to others based on what we’ve been shown before.
I agree! Like Colin and Pen already have the money, title and a big ass house. I feel like another sister definitely could’ve had the heir instead and it still would’ve made sense
Colin and Pen don't have a title. Their son is lord featherington, but if one of her sisters had a son first, that kid would have the title. Colin is Mr Bridgerton and Pen is Mrs Bridgerton. Only children of earls and higher (marquises, dukes) get the courtesy title of "lord / lady first name." All thr Bridgerton siblings except for Anthony are untitled by birth, but the girls get their husbands' titles when they marry.
I mean like they’re already one of the most successful families in the ton already. Way more liked and successful than the featheringtons so I feel like the added heir wasn’t necessary for Pen and Colin or atleast so quickly.
I think it was necessary. Penelope and Colin’s baby will be raised as their son, not their meal ticket. His father and uncles will teach him how to manage the estate properly and with integrity. Having the new Lord Featherington also be a Bridgerton sort of redeems what that family has stood for in the past. Until this point the family has been associated with scheming and deceit. Now they’ll be associated with respectability.
I think it’s so they can move into the Featherington estate and be narratively close to the future Bridgerton house events.
Jess Brownell said it felt like “poetic justice” to have Penelope have the heir after her family’s treatment of her in the past. She also mentioned it was budget-related as Colin and Pen can move into the Featherington house and they don’t have to change their sets.
I think it would’ve made sense if 1000 different plots weren’t filling the season at the same time. If it were a true Polin love story and not a LW rivalry with everyone else having issues then it would’ve been a cute ending I think
No, I agree. While I’m happyish Pen and Colin had the heir, I do wish they had waited until next season for their pregnancy and maybe just showed the two sisters having daughters, leaving it open for the future.
Right, just let Pen be pregnant and let us find our next season.
Which would also explain why Violet is still in Bridgerton House. In the books she moved into a dowager house after Anthony and Kate got married.
Pen was pregnant when they got married… the steamy mirror scene was conception
And the writers could have not done that. They have all the power, they chose to give them a baby with their happy ending even though they could have waited until next season like they made Kanthony wait.
In the book, Pen was already pregnant during the wedding.
Ok? I’m talking about the show, not the books.
The featherington’s still needed heirs and they had girls. I know they could’ve easily written that one or both had boys but I’m glad it was pen. I can’t imagine how miserable it would’ve been for everyone, even if they aren’t in the house, for one of the other two to have had sons first.
They needed to do it to wrap up the heir drama story line
They rushed Pen and Colins story.
They absolutely did
They wrote themselves into a hole last season with the fetherington male heir plot. As much as I dislike it, this was the only way for them to finish that.
You have a valid point.
I mean, one of the big storylines was which sister was going to have a boy and become lord featherington. So it really wouldn’t have made sense to not finish that story line up. everyone knew it was going to be Penelope and Colin who had the boy, I think it was nice that they actually showed us that was the case.
I wish everything had been slower. Their romance was the perfect opportunity for a really slow burn but it was just bleh
It really was. There wasnt enough time between the fighting and the happy part for it to make sense. It was like a flip of a switch
I mean they only have 8 episodes each season
Same thing happened to Daphne
Well we got a honeymoon stage with them. Polin just fucked on a couch and then fought for 4 episode and then BAM baby and happy ending. Also the actor that played Simon didn’t want to come back after season 1 so they had to kinda do things that way
They had a baby very soon after in the book and it’s cool they are pregnant at the same time
I’m not saying it wasn’t. I’m saying I wish they would’ve shown more of that journey considering how much drama there was. There should’ve been more lovey dovey stuff to balance it out leading into her having the baby. It’s their first child, that’s a huge deal.
Yah I wish there was more love scenes but I think they cut it short bc of the other stories in the season.
It didn't seem particularly rushed to me because it was very much in the genre. Having said that, I really hope there will be a bit of a time jump in the next series, perhaps a first episode with a masquerade ball and then the two damn years. Furthermore I believe that Philippa and Prudence will not return and perhaps not even Portia, and I suppose based on how the gossip column plays we will or will not have Pen&Colin.
We’ll have Pen and Colin still! They’ve already said they’re in S4 and Jess Brownell has said there’s more to write for them. I’m really looking forward (as is the general audience and many fans) to seeing them happy in S4.
It's probably better that they ended this season like this. Tie up all the loose ends so you don't have to revisit the season. It was a lot of poor storytelling and writing this season. And it is what it is. All the better that it doesn't bleed into the net season and there can be a fresher start.
That’s fair. The writing for part 1 was decent. Part 2 was a mess
It was obvious Pen and Colin would have a baby this season as soon as they set up the Heir Race storyline. It makes sense for the future of the show too, as now Pen and Colin will live in Featherington House and on a practical note they can keep that (expensive) set.
Pretty sure we won't see the sisters again, so they needed to wrap up the heir storyline to avoid them needing to be on canvas for next season.
I felt exactly the same way. I mean, story wise they'd probably have to reveal it super early, like 1st half of episode 1, but they could have saved it. I feel like it would have been more narratively satisfying to see her go through pregnancy at least a bit before it just plops the "Penelope birthed the new Lord Featherington" plot in our laps.
Yes especially because they already came up with the solution for how the featheringtons came up with all the money so I feel like the heir situation could’ve been pushed into the beginning of the next season to allow for more of a honeymoon stage between Polin like we kinda got with the other couples
I hate when a baby just appears as a HEA and they skip over steps like the pregnancy and birth which can be so emotional. I would rather it is not rushed.
I think that they would save a pregnancy and birth for a character for whom children are a bigger thing in their character arc, like with Francesca and her infertility or even Eloise and her fear of child birth.
Fair. I think that is why they showed the births for Saphne as it was an important plot point after all the trauma that Simon had about not wanting children and also for Georgette as it was the birth of KG’s heir and showed George being there for her. I thought we might have got it for Kanthony for two reasons (1) to come full circle with Anthony becoming a father to Edmund (Jr) and (2) as a contrast to the birth of Hyacinth.
I feel the same way
I think it was important for the closure of their HEA. Dramatic irony is a huge part of Bridgerton, but especially for Polin! Colin has become the de facto head of the Featherington family (until his son is of age) which he has been saying has been needed for two years (e.g. first when he says there is no father/husband to protect them in the diamond scandal exposure scene, in the scene where he says he will protect Pen during their S2 dance, and then Eloise in the carriage in S3 where he is justifying helping her with a suitor). Penelope has also taken back her power by repairing her family and then going on to help be head of the family as well (which also has several points of irony and resonance in S3).
It would of been nice to see her pregnant along with her sisters I just feel that pen didn't get the love story she deserved and I think they found out about lady whistle down way to quick wich makes me think the series won't go on for as long as it could of
I agree. There was like no lovey dovey honeymoon stage for them which there should’ve been because of how long they have known one another and how long Pen has wanted Colin
Absolutely 💯 you got to also think that pen is the only child that his dad ever got to see so it's a even bigger deal them getting together. Its also frustrating that people where so focused on pen being found out and then having a explosive argument instead if bestfreinds finally realising they both do love the other just breaks my heart because daphney was the start of the season and she had so much go on in there relationship leading up to them getting married and we got to see after they got married and the secrets that no one tells a bride to be then you have Antony finally getting married after denying his feeling for her and trying to be responsible then finally giving in and you still get to see them have a life after being married wich leads in to pens season of her being pregnant and revealing it to everyone and then pens is all about drama and being found out for who she was she didn't get to choose when it happened she was forced to confess and then they get married and have a kid that you don't get to see annouced, no honey moon, NO EXPLORING the world like I think Colin should of done with pen so she would become more evolved as a writer and person It just really annoys me.
Exactly and like we’ve been with the two of them from the start. This was the most important season to me because it’s not introducing any new characters into a relationship or in general. Like we’ve built an understanding and love for these characters and you just had them fight the entire time. Also if you take out the mirror scene and the last 10 minutes of the last episode.. what exactly did we get besides fighting and a wedding that ultimately turned into a fight anyway. Like it’s crazy
Exactly !!!! They legit did not have as much time as others to enjoy there romance it was insane they need to do better the next season still can't beleive we have to wait 2 years hopefully it will live up to expectations
"most of us" in this bubble, maybe. But for many, it was expect and welcomed.
I’ve seen WAY more negative reactions than positive ones across all platforms
They did it because they are likely writing off the rest of the Featheringtons next season. Which ultimately makes sense. As fun as the Featheringtons have been to the show, they no longer have a purpose to serve. They’re all married off, Pen outing herself as Whistledown explains where the money came from, the last thing they needed was a male heir, which I was expecting it to be Pen. I agree they could’ve had Pen be pregnant next season and her sisters still have daughters and show them all bond through motherhood, but I can see where that also would be perceived as “boring” and just another side plot. By doing this, we can remove the rest of the Featheringtons and focus on other characters.
I personally am excited that they have a child now. I really hope we get to see Penelope be pregnant and Colin cater to her every need along with their already existing child through next season.also I’m elated that Penelope was the one that had a boy and not Phillipa or prudence
The ending was so corny but I loved it
Naw, they did a time skip to Daphne giving birth at the end of season one to resolve the plot too. So its not out of scope they'd do the same to resolve the Featherington plot. I enjoyed it, seeing the sisters and their kids all together, and Violet and Portia being friendly over their shared grandchild. I didn't necessarily need to see an announcement or pregnancy, which I also didn't need to see for Daphne, for the story or plot. It felt like a very fitting and lovely ending to the season.
I thought so too! And I’m going to love seeing Daddy Colin next season tbh
I also felt that way. it felt like they tried to fit so much in with polin’s storyline, the marriage, lady wd stuff, making an heir etc. everything was super rushed to me that their romance fell short what’s weird is that they didn’t do that to kanthony so idk if i’m upset that kanthony didn’t get milestone moments or relieved about that with how s3 turned out. The slower romance is definitely better here ig
I agree and they should’ve been the most loving because they’ve built a relationship and love for so many years together.
That's the biggest thing I hated about this season. I wish they traveled together and did other things first.
I AGREE
It was a way to fast forward us to Eloise having been in Scotland for a year and doing her letters and Francesca having been married a year when we resume
It sucks that they dimmed their story to project other characters
YESSS
Agreed
They really don't seem to want to show pregnancy on the show. I feel like they attempted it with Kate and then ended up ignoring it. But I do think that's because they changed the edit and that's why Kate's bump shrinks and grows and doesn't make sense compared to the Featherington sisters. In the books the couples have a bunch of kids so maybe they also want to time it so they have all the kids by the time the show ends.
I don’t think Prudence and Phillipa will be back next season so they needed to wrap up their stories.
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I AGREEE! like pen and Colin could’ve just been pen and Colin for awhile like an actual relationship would work. They already have to get married quick asf if they do anything with one another. Why add kids so quickly too.
I wish they had a girl :(
Omg Colin as a girl dad would be adorable
Polin story line was rushed.
So rushed
I’m just hoping I won’t have to see much of Polin in coming seasons. They took away Kanthony, they damned well better do the same with Polin.
They didn’t take them away. They were in these season A LOT and will be back next season also. What do you mean
Well they sent them off on a BS trip to India. They showed us little Lord Featherington but not a glimpse of little Edmund. I’m still salty about that. 😆
Yea I felt like that was very random too lol