Dearest Gentle Readers, it is time to go back to the Ton for another social season with the arrival of the most anticipated Netflix premiere of the summer, Bridgerton Season 3. Based on the novel Romancing Mr. Bridgerton by Julia Quinn, Netflix has made the decision to split the season into two parts, the first released on May 16 and the second released on June 13. Part 1 had a record release of 45.05 million viewers worldwide within the first five days of its release. This season, the third Featherington daughter and perpetual wallflower, Penelope, played by Nicola Coughlan, changes her entire wardrobe and enlists the help of the third son of the Bridgerton family, Colin, played by Luke Newton, who has arrived back in Mayfair after his months-long travels across Europe. Elsewhere, the Bridgerton family has the third daughter Francesca’s society debut to worry about, as she is very quiet and more focused on playing pianoforte than getting married, but will she find her match this season? As Penelope gains the attention of a ton of eligible suitors, Colin begins to get jealous, but will his jealousy cause a rift between the two or will it help them become more than friends?

As Bridgerton Season 3 has split into two parts, only the first four episodes are available for fans to watch on Netflix. As each season of the show focuses on one of the eight Bridgerton children’s love stories—first was Daphne and her marriage to the Duke of Hastians, Simon, and second was Anthony and how he found love in who he believed was his enemy Kate Sharma—this season focuses on Colin Bridgerton, who is from one of the most respected and well-known families of the Ton, realizing his feelings for his lifelong friend Penelope Featherington, who has also had a long-term crush on him. Each of the previous seasons took the time to introduce a new character as the main love interest of a Bridgerton sibling, which led to a slower pace at the beginning of the season, but this season is different in that aspect. Season 3 jumps right into the love story, causing a faster pace, as the two main leads have already been around since Season 1. 

The tone of the season is very romantic, as the scenes play out in the love story and even scenes with other characters, such as Francesca. Friends-to-Lovers is a popular trope among romance series, but Bridgerton twisted the trope. Many films and series used the popular girl and popular boy who are friends and fall in love trope, but this season used that trope to its advantage. Throughout the first two seasons, Penelope, the female lead of Season 3, has been bullied by the members of the Ton and labeled as a wallflower. The series uses the friends-to-lovers trope to its advantage to show that a popular, respected character can fall in love with a character that is not respected by the Ton. 

Bridgerton Season 3, Part 1, has one of the most incredible casts in romance drama series history. The cast consists of Adjoa Andoh, Julie Andrews, Lorraine Ashbourne, Jonathan Bailey, Harriet Cains, Bessie Carter, Nicola Coughlan, Ruth Gemmell, Florence Hunt, Claudia Jessie, Luke Newton, Golda Rosheuvel, Luke Thompson, Will Tilston, Polly Walker, Hannah Dodd, Jessica Madsen, and Simone Ashley. 

The chemistry of actors Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton on-screen is so incredible. The two act out the scenes between Penelope and Colin with so much love that fans have found that they think the two are together in real life. Small glances of jealousy, love, and happiness that Luke Newton makes through the first few episodes allow for the ultimate tension between the two characters while Penelope is looking for suitors. Penelope’s story of confidence is played out with so much care by Nicola Coughlan that wallflowers everywhere will appreciate seeing a character that they relate to grow in confidence. Luke Thompson adds some comedic relief to all the tension, drama, and scandals this season. His quick, witty remarks have the effect of washing over the tension to allow for some more funny moments throughout the few episodes.

Cinematography is a very important part of the Bridgerton franchise. This season, it was used to show aspects of love, such as zooming in on characters’ faces to show emotions of jealousy, lust, passion, and love. During huge ensemble scenes, such as the popular ballroom scenes that are featured each season, they are filmed in a wide shot, overviewing the dancing members of the Ton, which has the effect of self-emerging into the ballroom scene. Costumes on Bridgerton are always big, loud, and elaborate. This season took a turn for Penelope, with her costumes going from her usual colors of yellows, greens, and pinks to blues, greens, and purples. Penelope’s dresses this season tell the story of a woman gaining her confidence in hopes of finding a husband. Colin’s costumes have changed as well this season, from layers, jackets, and innocence to a rugged pirate look, as he had been away during the months in between seasons. The change of costumes is an interesting sense of growth between the characters on their journey to love. 

The Bridgerton franchise is known for their use of orchestrated versions of popular songs throughout seasons, such as “Thank U Next ” by Ariana Grande being used in Season 1 and “Material Girl” by Madonna being used in Season 2. Season 3 takes an interesting turn in the popular current song covers. Some of the covers used this current season are “Jealous” by Nick Jonas, “ABC” by Gayle, “Snow on the Beach” by Taylor Swift and Lana Del Rey, “Happier than Ever” by Billie Ellish, and the most wild choice, “Give Me Everything” by Pitbull. Using a Pitbull song for the most romantic scene in the first four episodes is surely a wild pick but one that pays off. As for the rest of the songs, each fits into an individual scene, which makes the impact even more incredible.

The popular regency drama Bridgerton is an amazing piece of art for lovers of romance during Season 3 Part 1. Every aspect of the show has viewers on the edge of their seats to watch the scandals unfold. The romantic, swoon-worthy show would be loved by anyone who wants to experience romance during the 1800s. Bridgerton Season 3 is available on Netflix.