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flamedork · 13 days ago

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T'is the end of Colin Week. I cry, but I have loved so much having an excuse to yap about my absolute favorite character, and I want to thank the mods for giving me said opportunity! He is my darling angel boy, my crumbly croissant, my buttery biscuit, my scrumptious crumpet. I will always love him

Day 8 focuses on Colin and Penelope's friendship, and I'm grateful for that fact, because sometimes I think their friendship can be considered secondary in the fanbase or storyline, overshadowed by the romantic hopes and outcome of their relationship. But their friendship is so important to me, and the reason why I got so invested in them in the first place. I've found that, very often, there's almost a feeling of. . .resentment, or disappointment that the friendship was built up first. All those 'how could he not see what's right in front of him!?' miss the point. The friendship is the HEART of it all!!! The friendship is, arguably, the best part. The 'I like you' head to their 'I love you' tails (tales. Haha. Get it? Ba dum tiss)

Colin has always appreciated Penelope as a person first and foremost. In an era when men are expected to see women in only one of three categories: irrelevant, familial, or potential partners, Colin breaks the mold. He admires and cares for Penelope as a human being and a peer, an equal. She is not irrelevant wall dressing, as she has felt other men have seen her as, to the point where they ignore what she's saying even when she's speaking directly to them (such as in season 2), or a familial connection- despite what Marina said, Colin never saw Penelope the way he did Hyacinth or Eloise or Daphne. And no, in Seasons 1 and 2, Colin did not see Penelope as a suitor would.

Instead, Colin saw Penelope for who she was with no labels attached and no expectation or pressure: a witty, intelligent, dreamer, like he was. He listened to Penelope, laughed at her jokes. He found her in corners and ballrooms, he specifically asks her what she's thinking. He shows Penelope he values her, and he tells Penelope he values her.

And, in no particular order, some of my favorite friendship scenes between them are-

1: First Dance, Vauxhall, Season 1

Colin approaches Penelope, surprising her by doing so, and when she nervously says she didn't know he'd be there, he disarms her with a joke 'Sorry to disappoint'. He listens and is charmed by the fact that she's pleased with her dress, it's clear he agrees with her that it's pretty, and then when Cressida shows up and spills water on said dress, Colin, knowing how much Penelope loved it and was feeling good, refuses to let negativity cloud her night. He gives Cressida the cut direct, an outward snub, and offers Pen his hand to go dance. He chooses Penelope not just over Cressida- but over propriety itself.

They have FUN. They laugh and spin and he really hams it up for her. A night that could have ended horribly instead ends with Penelope feeling cared for and seen. Colin was a good friend to her, and that's what turned her night around.

2: Season 1, the Marina conversation.

When Penelope comes to Colin to tell him that Marina loves someone else, when you look at it through a lens of friendship, this is actually a really wonderful scene. This is Penelope coming to Colin to put agency in his hands, and Colin listening to Penelope explicitly. I know a lot of people treat this as a 'he doesn't listen to her' but come on, he DOES. He completely does. When she tells him that Marina loved someone else, Colin's response is directly to what she told him. He doesn't dismiss her, he doesn't scoff it off. He tells her it's okay because he has no room to judge someone who's loved someone else. That's a super healthy response from him!! Colin Bridgerton, my green flag man. Come on, Colin's a virgin in this season. He compares his experiences to Marina because he thinks they're on even ground. He says he's flirted with women before, so why should he hold the same against Marina? Colin's not purposefully misconstruing what Penelope is telling him. He's listening to her. He doesn't KNOW she means that Marina is pregnant. He thinks she's a virgin who can't drive just like he and Penelope are!

(Also, I think with Colin read as an ND character, it makes complete sense that he doesn't 'read between the lines' like people so badly want him to. She told him something, he listened to the something, he responded directly to the something.) More importantly, he validates the fact that she came to him. He takes her hand, he tells her she's very good. He APPRECIATES that she came to speak with him. A lesser man might find it irritating that she wanted to get in his business or even get angry. Not Colin. Colin has such deep admiration for Penelope, and values their connection. He even says so later on, that she was just trying to protect his heart. He recognizes this moment as Penelope being a good friend to him, as being in his corner even at the expense of her friendship to her cousin, and he wants her to know he is grateful for that. It's a beautiful moment of friendship for the two of them.

3: "You are special to me" Season 2

I'll say it. That scene had me in a CHOKEHOLD. It grabbed me by the throat and didn't let go. I know it's taken as a very romantic line, and it is, okay, it IS, but also from a platonic standpoint, god, what a validation. Friendships CAN be romantic, and love is more than just kisses between spouses. She thanks him for looking out for her family and he makes it CLEAR that he didn't do it for her family. He did it for HER. This is him affirming that he'll always be in her corner. That he's there for her. That he'll stand up for her and defend her and stick his neck out for her. Not because he wants anything back. Not because he's trying to woo her. Not because he wants sex, or a marriage. Not because she's Eloise's friend. But because she is HIS. His friend, his loved one, a piece of his heart. That he appreciates and cares about her as a human being, and that their connection is deep and unyielding. I'm gnawing on my own floorboards

4: "You've given up women?" "For the time being." "I. . .am a woman." "You are. . .Pen. You are my friend. You do not count." Season 2

This scene is used SO. OFTEN. to bash on Colin, but that's because we as the audience see it from a perspective of dashed romance instead of for the beautiful declaration of caring it really is.

Colin is HEARTBROKEN in Season 2. He's depressed. He's been tripping balls in Cyprus and getting high under a full moon to contemplate a blade of grass to try to distract himself from how utterly sad he is. His first engagement in Season 1 ended up in a public humiliation for him, and the woman he thought he could have a future with had been lying to him the whole time. It's his first taste of heartache. It's bitter. So he distances himself from any further possibility of such.

But he can't distance himself from Penelope. Penelope is MORE than a potential partner, mind you. She is his friend. She is his confidant. She is smart, and she is warm, and she is kind. He *wants* to be around her, and he trusts her!!! He trusts her more than he trusts anyone else. He trusts her with the truth, he trusts her with his vulnerability, he trusts her with his perspective, his jokes, his insecurities. This is not him dismissing Penelope. This is him AFFIRMING Penelope. Affirming her permanent place in his life and in his heart. This is him saying 'no matter what happens, no matter WHO happens, you will always rise above it for me. I could never give you up.'

And I know Penelope was hurt because she got her hopes up about being Mrs. Colin Bridgerton, but I just wanna grab her hands and go 'Penelope, please. Take the W.'

5: Colin's apology, Season 3

Colin Bridgerton is the only mofo on this whole show who ACTUALLY knows how to apologize, I stand on that TEN! TOES! DOWN!!!!!

Everything about his apology is perfect. I need him to teach masterclasses. I need him to do a TED!Talk. I need him to publish self help books on this topic entirely. A lot of people say that his apology sounds like a love declaration and they're right! It is! It just isn't a romantic one. But that doesn't make it any less of a love declaration?

"It pains me to see you upset" "I am not the man I was last year when I spoke such callous words about you" "Thank you for seeing me" "I am not ashamed of you: The opposite is true, in fact. I seek you out at every social assembly because I know you will lift my spirits and help me see the world in new ways" "If a husband is what you seek, let me help you" "I am PROUD to call you my very good friend."

I want to kiss him clean on the mouth. Is there ANYTHING sexier than a man who appreciates a woman just for being herself? He acknowledges how he hurt her, he compliments her, he offers to repair the harm he caused and rebuild their connection through spending time together. I'm wailing. I'm sobbing. I'm howling at the moon.

6: "I'm certain you'll find your purpose one day. Everyone must, eventually." Season 2

This is a scene that focuses more on Penelope's friendship with Colin and how she shows that than how Colin does. Now, I'll be honest here and say that I notice Colin is actually the one who reaches out to her and shows his hands to Penelope more than she does to him, which is to say: in their friendship, Colin is the one who affirms Penelope, and Penelope is rarely the one to affirm him. Nonetheless, this scene is a glimpse into Penelope pouring into their relationship by being honest and vulnerable. It is one of the few moments where she isn't just deflecting back to him, (I mean, he has to ask her how she is when they meet at the races, presumably because whilst she responded to most of his letters, she didn't really open up to him) but is letting him in. She's letting him see her. She's letting him see how much she trusts him.

Colin is downtrodden, he's feeling low on himself. He's standing by himself, drinking from a flask. It's important to note that Penelope finds HIM this time, instead of Colin finding her. She checks in with him, asking if he's having a celebratory drink because he's found what he's looking for, and he responds "Only if what I'm looking for can be found at the bottom of this flask", she shifts gears, tells him that eventually, he WILL find his purpose. But Colin, always hungry to know Penelope's perspective, asks if she's found hers. She relates to him, and tells him of course she hasn't.

She then goes on and explains how grand her purpose will be, how it will encourage her to be brave and witty, take her away from the watchful eyes of her Mama, how it will set her free. (Sidenote, connecting this to Season 3, as much as I wish we didn't get Colin's whole 'my purpose is Penelope' thing as his speech and that the book declaration is SO. MUCH. BETTER, rewatching THIS scene, I realize, okay, maybe Colin has said that his purpose is Penelope. . .but Penelope is also saying HER purpose is Colin. HE encourages her to be brave and witty. HE takes her away from the watchful eyes of her mama. HE sets her free. I really needed to rewatch that scene to have a better sense of the reciprocity the two of them have in that aspect, so thank you Colin Week!)

But I digress. When he asks her what could possibly measure up to all that (YOU!!! Colin, YOU measure up to all that!!!), she affirms him by saying that they need their fantasies to face the realities of the world. And he recognizes that she's a dreamer like he is. That she doesn't scoff off his follies, like his family can, like Marina did, like he's been trying to do to himself, but that she sees them, and that she appreciates them about him.

No wonder he twists the words Marina said to him into "You care for me. That you'll never forsake me." That isn't what MARINA said it him. It's what Penelope did.

7: Running after Penelope when Cressida rips her dress, Season 3.

This one's short, but in that ball, even though everyone was looking at her, there is one person and one person only who actually SAW her. And that person is Colin. Penelope shows up, looking like the belle of the ball, and she feels beautiful. When she's talking to Debling (ugh, Debling. all my homies hate Debling) and Cressida comes to step on her dress and rip it, all he does is say it was a mistake and then fuck off into the distance

But what does Colin do?

He sees Penelope running, clearly distraught, and he goes after her. He cuts his conversations short, he peaces out, and he immediately goes to find her. I swear this guy has Spidey Sense but for Penelope. Pen Perception. She's upset at him, sharp like she's never been before, but he's still gentle with her. He tries to compliment her (that's a charming dress), he affirms her (you are not a spinster), he checks in with her (is something wrong, Pen? Between us, I mean), and he says he misses her. Actually, he says "I miss you". Which is a very important distinction. "I miss you" is ACTIVE. "I've missed you" is past, is passive. I miss you implies still, always, not just before.

Sure, she cuts him down. Sure, she projects onto him all her own insecurities and that she embarrasses him (untrue) and that she's a laughing stock (not how he sees her), and she leaves, but the fact that he follows her out in the first place, what he says to her, and then that he comes to her the NEXT DAY to apologize, that's all showing her how important she is to him, and the importance their connection has. He doesn't get angry, he doesn't get mean. He treats her with the same respect and tenderness and understanding he always has. I will forever love him.

And I want to give one last, final moment of shine to Luke Newton for how he delivers these scenes. In all these scenes of genuine friendship, Luke also builds in kernels beyond the surface and beyond the lines themselves to really make these scenes as tender and feeling as they can be. The 'you are Pen, you do not count' scene could have been done so dismissively, but instead he delivers the lines in such a warm and tender way. The 'I miss you', spoken more softly. The expression on his face when he looks between Cressida and Penelope at Vauxhall, how he laughs and spins her around, how affectionately he says 'Pen', his tone of voice, his body language. Flowers to Luke, and flowers to friendship.

#YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSS #AHHHHHHH #SCREAMING INTO MY PILLOW #THANK YOU #COLIN BRIDGERTONNNNNNNN MY BELOVEDDDD #BRIDGERTON

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