#Bridgerton critical

[clock-of-the-leaf]

I didn't even watch a full episode and WTF ?!? ELOISE ?!? YOUR NEW BFF IS TELLING YOU THAT SHE'S GOING TO GET ENGAGED TO A GRANDPA ?!? Why aren't you doing anything ?!?

Like that is character assassination

[bookish-cravings]

The way Bridgerton wants us to root for Pen as Lady Whistledown and we’re not allowed to point out how she’s actively harming other women and ruining their lives by spreading these rumours but AT THE SAME TIME, when Penelope is forced to write about herself in Lady Whistledown, we’re supposed to feel bad for her and recognize that she’s been humiliated and sympathize with her because this article will have drastic negative consequences on her life

Like, I’m so confused, are we supposed to be pro-Whistledown or not? If it’s so awful and humiliating, why is Penelope continuing to write this stuff? You can’t expect me to feel bad that she’s finally had to experience what she’s been doing to every other girl in the ton

And if they were going to write this in, why doesn’t Penelope learn from it and realize just how toxic this entire Whistledown business is? Why doesn’t Bridgerton allow her to grow? Why isn’t she ever held accountable for her actions?

[storkmuffin]

I am completely grossed out by prostitute buyers and as every single Bridgerton boy is a john, I can't stand to watch them touch these beautiful girls and win them season after season.

[justfandomwritings]

An essay on why I won’t be watching next season.

1. Obviously actors have to promote their shows and hype them up. But the interactions between Nicola and Luke during the press tour were, in retrospect, clearly also acting performances, and it is rare to see acting within the press tour to the degree that those two put on while grossly exaggerating things like how sexy this season would be or how much Polin we would get. I don’t blame them. It’s clearly what they were told to do. And it’s fine to hype a show, but I think a lot of people felt genuinely lied to with the WAY this season was hyped.

2. The casting has been color conscious and inclusive in a way I greatly admire. But they have not been inclusive in other ways. And that’s not to say they should have to be. One show shouldn’t bear the responsibility of being inclusive to everyone and making up for an industries worth of exclusion. But we have exactly one size inclusive character in this whole show, and I’m not even demanding more, but to butcher the season of the only size inclusive person in this show this badly and in these ways sends me a clear message of what the writers thought they could get away with with a curvy actress and how they saw her.

3. The wait times for this season and next season are just too long. The hype dies down too much between seasons such that we care less and less each time we get a new one, especially when you only give eight episodes, regardless of their length. You know who also gave us a season in 2022 and then an eight episode season this year? house of the dragon. And they have to CGI a fuck ton of dragons. Yall were sitting on this season being done filming for over a year and for what? What did you do in post? A bee? And then to have the audacity to do it in two parts? Fuck off.

4. Add to that. The costumes and new sets looked so much cheaper this season than previous seasons. Where did the budget go.

5. The plot is too crowded. Maybe you thought a curvy girl couldn’t carry a season. Maybe it was bad writing. Obviously you needed Cressida and Eloise to have decent amounts of screen time but you also did half of Francesca’s story and set one up for Violet and Benedict that collectively took the majority of the screen time and left us with very little Pen and Colin. Which was a disservice you never gave Anthony or Daphne’s seasons and was why they were good. We got enough crumbs of the others to tell us what was happening but not enough to make them feel like main characters or to make it feel like an ensemble show. There were leads in season 1 and 2. This season it was an ensemble with too many moving parts. But everyone’s said that. It’s not surprising.

6. My biggest problem is the tone. The blame. Admittedly I’m a woman who relates strongly to Penelope so I’m not impartial here. But for a character who spends her entire life being abused by every single person in this show, who is pushed to her absolute breaking point before finally giving her mother and the tonne a taste of their own medicine. For that character to receive no grace, no understanding, no respect, for the vast majority of the season hurt. To not only have zero understanding of her situation but to frame the entire plot of the show around the fact that SHE alone should be sorry. To have minimal to no groveling from Colin over what he said last season, to have no acknowledgment of how he treated her as a safety net, to humanize Cressida who made her life hell with minimal acknowledgment of that fact, to have Eloise get ONE comment from Cressida of all people about her friendship with Penelope but no real reflection from Eloise or acknowledgment on her part or apologies for what a truly SHIT friend she was for DECADES. That hurt. Because the message is that sure, they can push you to your fucking limit, you can break after years of being bullied for your weight and your looks and your status. Your own mother and sisters hands can be filthy with insults and abuse. Your friends can treat you like utter garbage for years. They can befriend your bullies. Your soon to be husband can, very recently, insult you to his friends behind your back. But you owe them the apology for breaking after years of abuse. It’s not that the tonne couldn’t be angry or that they all should’ve fallen at Pen’s feet. It’s that those arguments never happen at all because once again, just like when she was being used and abused by everyone, everything was put on Penelope. And the cycle continues.

7. Colin should’ve groveled more. I know I said that in the previous point but it really ruined things for me so I want to emphasize it. I wanted that man on his knees the whole season, and I should’ve known I wasn’t gonna get that when y’all dropped the list of songs and there wasn’t any of the A List Yearners on the list. But I’m still mad.

8. Actually that’s a good point. Did anyone else think the songs didn’t go as hard this year? Except Pitbull were we excited about any of them?

9. You did the Pride and Prejudice ballroom trick with the dancing alone thing and you didn’t nail it. If you’re gonna do that trick it has to fucking HIT. (And it has to be enemies to lovers.) And you did it half assed. You should be ashamed.

10. There was a two second window there when Cressida asked the maid for help where I thought they were gonna swap lives and the maid would go with her aunt and Cressida would become a maid and I was like “holy fuck is Cressida gonna become Bennys love interest?” and that would’ve been better than what y’all did I think. And it would’ve justified her excessive screen time.

11. I love gender swapping Michaela and making Francesca bi. We love it. But why was Francesca immediately interested. Once again the writers don’t understand pining. Michaela is PINING for Francesca and can do nothing but love her from afar. Francesca loved John completely and whole heartedly. Michaela was a beautiful love story for her but was also a second chance. She loved John completely. She would never have an emotional affair on him. How did you immediately ruin such a beautiful second chance romance?

12. Where was Pen’s friendship with Anthony or Lady Danbury? Why wasn’t Colin proud of Pen the way he was in the book? To make her even more alone? To emphasize that she was alone and at fault and helpless? Fuck off.

I just don’t have it in me to watch this show deteriorate further.

[artcinemas]

the racism and antiblackness in the bridgerton fandom might be the only period accurate thing about this show.

[sunflowerofchaos]

Okay enough time has passed for me to throw my two cents into the Bridgerton discourse. Many are displeased with the season and part 2 specifically. I have been trying to piece together what my issues were with it and I hope that someone can find this and maybe find something that clicks as to why the season may have been disappointing.

I am a big polin stan. In fact I started watching for and because of them. Totally believed in the supremacy of their story because of their adorable friendship and the long build up ever since the pilot.

I loved part one. That will be controversial but I truly did. Was the pacing a bit off? Yes it was!

But did it give us the romcom atmosphere, the yearning, the love? Yes definitely! I'll even argue that part one, the going from "friendship to love" is done more beautifully in the show than in the book. People said one kiss is all it takes for Colin but that's really not true in the show. If you take account of the history we have because of season 1 and 2 it doesn't feel that way.

And the funny thing is that despite part one having a bunch of side plots, it worked. It was walking on the edge of being too much but it didn't cross the line.

Not yet anyways... so here are my 6 big errors of part 2

Like everyone I was way too hyped after the carriage scene, which leads to..

Error number 1: The break after the carriage scene set the bar too high. The long break filled with press and interviews further hyping up part 2 after that high consequently did damage to the reception of part 2. I believe that almost anything after the carriage would appear as a let down due to the wait. That's kind of unfair to the show I know, but it also makes sense as we, the audience would have abnormally high expectations that are difficult to please.

Part 2 is flawed and there is no arguing that. The beginning of it felt like a let down due to the split right after the carriage scene aka the climax of part 1 (pun intended) but fine objectively speaking episode 5 and 6 are nice. But then comes error number 2, the fact that we have 2 episodes where their love is clouded by the secret of lady whistledown. I feel like that was problematic to the pacing of part 2 (which is a problem in itself). The tension in episode 5 was necessary but also so much. So much that Colin literally questions her feelings. Then episode 6 instead of lifting that cloud sooner, continues to sour the polin scenes until the very end of the episode. The reveal should have been earlier in episode 6, so they have time to properly heal and be happy. (Seperate errors that I will adress)

Error number 3 is how the wedding fell under the dark cloud of the angst. I was wishing it would be the happy wedding of bridgerton and it was happier than Daphne's or Anthony's (not that we saw the real one) but the queen disrupting the wedding felt like another punch. One more time we were close to seeing their happiness but couldn't. (Something we barely get to see at all)

Then error number 4 (my personal enemy). The pacing of the conflict and healing. The way Colin was hurting was amazingly portrayed by Luke and I even understand how Colin wanted to hurt Pen with the entrapment comment and unlike many I won't hate him for it at all. But one thing where the writing really failed me is how polin shared a number of scenes that could've had a bigger role in their healing but ultimately didn't. I will list the scenes and how EVERYTIME we think they are a step closer to healing, they go back to square one and how that effects the scene where they eventually do "heal".

Exhibit A: The modiste scene. Beautiful confrontation and it really set up the possibility of them talking through it more but then it ends abruptly with Colin shutting down (however I'm inclined to give this one some saving grace because at least they talk)

Exhibit B: The wedding. Colin once again gives us hope that perhaps they're closer to making up but when Colin walked away with Pen and they had a second confrontation where she states that she is lady whistledown, I expected Colin to at least accept that statement and not revert back to being in denial about it afterwards and shutting down again. This could've been the scene where Colin starts to accept them as one. (Not to take away from the letters scene but it would have been a great foundation for it)

Exhibit C: The bedroom scene. Ah my personal nominee. This scene could've been so much more and no I don't mean a sexy scene. This scene could've been thee scene where they talk. It would've felt more powerful to have the talk that they have in Bridgerton house in their bedroom instead. I can't stress how it would've fit perfectly and been book compliant. If they had utilized this scene better, then polin being at Fran's wedding the next day would've have felt more emotional and helped convince us of them gradually solving the conflict. Netflix, that wouldn't even take from your running time. Pen could've confronted him there as she did in the book. Colin could've faced his jealousy right then and there instead of having Cressida point it out for him and still not facing it.

Exhibit D: Bridgerton house. Yes they do talk here and you can see that scene as the one where they settle things prior to the ball, BUT one it is too close to the end and it feels cut short which frankly doesn't seem enough for the viewers to believe that they now have joined hands. This scene was personally not enough for me. I think if you expand the conversation it would be much better or again if you put this dialogue in the bedroom scene it would have been powerful and helped the pacing as the bedroom scene was in the first half of the finale and this one way too close to the ball.

You'll see that every scene post reveal is following the same frustrating pattern of them brushing over the problem. You in turn get your hopes up for it to develop further into forgiveness, then voila Colin shuts down and goes back to square one. That was extremely frustrating for me as a viewer as it happened multiple times, especially since it seems ridiculous to leave the conflict in the air till the last 10 minutes when they have had several opportunities to solve it sooner. Colin's peace at the end comes too suddenly as those previous scenes don't see him gradually make peace with the matter but always shutting down and running. Those scenes could have been used to show the steps of him gradually getting over it, forgiving her and facing himself.

Error number 5. The side plots and overall pacing.. As I said part 1 walked the fine line but part 2 crossed it. What do you mean that we get more scenes of secondary characters than polin getting over their conflict and having some time to see their happiness. That messes with the pacing, making part 2 seem to want to cram up as much plot as possible. You have Francesca's love match, Benedict's exploration, Eloise's general conflict and dynamic with Cressida, Cressida's own story, Violet's arc, lady Danbury and her brother's conflict, the Mondrichs arc, the solicitor, queen etc...

This season was simply TOO ambitious for its own good. It tried to do too much. Suddenly it didn't feel like polin season but rather the season to set everything up for the next season and that really hurts as a polin fan.

Finally error number six which is by far the most famous error. The lack of happy polin. As I explained episode 5 and 6 while showed some happiness it didn't feel real because of the secret constantly hanging around. They were happy but you as a viewer might have felt more worried and had a more bittersweet feeling. Especially when you see Colin get more and more anxious and insecure during those episodes. Then episode 7 and 8 sees them miserable most of the time. That sucks even though it is necessary it still sucks. Sucks because after all that put together we don't get to see it pay off. 4 episodes of angst and they give you one scene that suddenly heals it, 10 seconds sexy scene and an epilogue scene where they suddenly have a baby. It is simply not enough to balance out the dark vibe of the entirety of part 2. That is why thousands of people are hanging onto the petition to release the deleted scenes. So we can finally see the pay off of the angst and can properly balance out the emotions that came with it and move on.

Not to mention the absolutely wasted confession of Colin Bridgerton.. when he said I love you at the end of episode 8 I was already thinking "with everything that you are, everything you have been and everything you hope to be????!!!" But then he didn't say it and I was confused as to why they would possibly not use THEE love confession??? Since that's Bridgertons thing??? Having incredible confessions... And it's not like it didn't fit in fact it would have fit so well. At this point if you squint you might imagine hearing luke continuing the line for God's sake. That remains a mystery that makes no sense to me.

So by now I don't think anyone got that far and I can't complain because I wrote this for me. To structure my thoughts and make peace with it. And so to sum up these errors: the split, the structure of episode 5/6, the wedding sadness, the way the conflict/healing was handled, the pacing with the side plots and the lack of happiness to counteract the angst. I will revisit part 1 happily and just stop after the mirror lol. I will look forward to seeing polin happy in 2 years I guess.. and I do believe that when season 4 comes out and they're happy and are hanging around we will accept season 3 way more and come to hopefully love it.

[lordcastaway]

i'm so tired of seeing bridgerton everywhere and it being the thing that now shapes people's perception of the regency era (no matter how many people claim everyone understands it's some fantasy alternative history thing. also the regent is barely there!!!!) like we could have got some emma (2020) style stuff yet hornier but nah, the costumes are ugly (sorry) even if we ignore their innacuracy and it is a lousy "but they defeated racism!!!1! doesn't matter sexism and homophobia still exist, no magical marriages manages to solve that, sorry. also everyone gets the "married and had 10 kids fate". if you want to adapt nonsensical light-hearted regency fiction do the books where jane austen solves crimes.

[lady-of-the-spirit]

I'm not satisfied with how the Eloise/Cressida friendship ended or how the Eloise/Penelope friendship rekindled.

[lafemmedefxndom]

I just...do Not Care about Colin's pain. Boy was off traveling and "finding himself" like the trackless trust fund baby he is for three seasons. Each time, he's reappeared no more insightful, or less self-absorbed than he was before; each time, he remains absolutely blind to either the pain his supposed cherished friend lives with, or his part in adding to it.

While Penelope has spent her life out at sea, Colin Bridgerton trips and drowns in puddles. Like Edmund and Fanny from Mansfield Park, their "romance" just fills me with protective rage.

Penelope deserves better

[mortuarybees]

It's just kind of unsettling the direction Bridgerton is taking its characters it presents as nontraditional or on the margins or trying to figure out what their lives could look like outside the roles available to them that they either can't or don't want to fulfill; with penelope, I'm dissatisfied with penelope's ending in ways that are hard to articulate without doing a second viewing of the show focusing on her character, but it was a little jarring to cut forward to her with a baby having just helped her husband, who only accepted and saw the value in her actions after she received the acceptance of the queen and the ton, publish his memoirs, with vague plans to become a columnist both making friends with the ton and holding the powerful to account? Maybe? I also disliked the direction taken in the second half with cressida, it seems as if the show takes the sort of "her reasons for attempting to blackmail penelope and badmouthing the bridgertons were understandable but doing so was inexcusable," especially since she does ultimately get sent away and receive her "comeuppance" for daring to besmirch one of the most powerful families of the ton in an attempt to make an independent life for her. And I disliked the way eloise broke with her when she lost interest; not that it happened, necessarily, but that this is positioned as the correct choice and eloise's return to moral righteousness.

It seems Benedict's final conversation with Tilley is setting him up to fall monogamously in love with a woman unless they change his storyline, which isn't out of the question. I haven't read the books but if they follow how eloise's storyline plays out as I understand it, becoming a governess in an attempt to make an independent life for herself and finding she does actually enjoy the role of a mother and stepping into the premade role of a wife with children appropriate to her own age at that point as if she never missed a single step on the path of a lady's life she spent her whole life thus far attempting to circumvent; assuming, of course, that they don't change her ending either, but this romance arc seems consistent with the show thus far. It seems like the direction they're taking these characters is not actually finding how they can exist as themselves within the strictures of the life they were born into or forge a new life of their own but instead assuring them that they can in fact fit into the roles they initially rejected, not to worry.

Of course this is a very traditional romance anthology intended as wish fulfillment for straight women, but by also giving all the bridgertons full arcs outside their romances since several of them won't even have their romances introduced for several seasons, arcs that involve nonconformity and identity seeking, ending them with conformity and ultimate fulfillment in the very roles they were trying to find an identity outside of ends up feeling fairly hollow and disappointing.

I'm very interested to see what they do with Francesca's story, her widowhood and infertility and romance with a woman necessarily disqualifying her from this typical path, and potentially with cressida's if she is Benedict's love interest's half-sister since she will presumably return for that.

Obligatory disclaimer, these are my initial personal thoughts (as someone who does enjoy historical romance and romance as a genre) on finishing the season and do not represent a close viewing of the entire show or a reading of the books

[tinkerbitch69]

Something something, the chuldur are a social commentary on how modern audiences uncritically consume media like Bridgerton or other Austen-esque historical romances and desire to be a part of the sanitized, easily consumable aristocratic lifestyle it presents while refusing to acknowledge the problematic nature of their romanticisation of deeply classist, racist and colonial power structures in historical eras mired in some of the worst injustices these systems have ever perpetrated.

Is this anything?

[clock-of-the-leaf]

Eloise was literally like that in part one

And you're going to tell me that in the laps of one or two episodes she doesn't eveb bother to listen to Cressida telling her that a 70y old man wants to marry her ? That the friendship was “falling appart" ?!?

I can't bring myself to watch the last two episodes

[sabrinaacarpenters]

Yk it's bad when us bisexuals are speaking up about how weird everything they're doing is 🤡

There is no respect for source material in Bridgerton. I dread what they're doing to Francesca's storyline. He story was all about struggling with the death of her spouse, losing her baby and then re entering the marriage mart because she really wanted to be a mom!

But they're taking away her agency and stripping off her reason for doing what she was doing.

Also I loved Michael he was one of my favourites love interests in the books! Plus I absolutely adored him and Francesca! They way both of them struggled with the guilt that is what we're doing a dishonour towards John?

The fact that Michael tells her "I'm gonna tie to to this bed until you're with child" line omgggg

I can't believe as a bi woman I'd ever be mad about a wxw on screan narrative, but I honestly can't bring myself to like this 😭 tbh if they really want to be inclusive they should make characters that are part of the LGBTQ+ instead of turning a canonically male character into a woman and fucking up the whole character developments and storylines.

they had every opportunity to make a successful queer spin off like queen charlotte but i swear jess brownell is secretly trying to ruin this show as much as possible from the shein fabrics, fake nails, bold glamour tiktok filter makeup to fucking up francesca's storyline

like her book is basically the only one where the story does not work if you change the genders, how is michaela supposed to inherit the title ???? and fran is the most desperate out of the bridgerton girls to be a mom, way more than daphne. like that's the whole plot.

i just truly don't understand what the point is of these adaptations where they just throw away the source material halfway through, like write your own story ???

[thegirlfromgonewiththewind]

You know, I love Bridgerton, and season 2 is literally my favourite, but sometimes I’m still pissed at how they handled everything with lady whistledown and the Colin-Penloise storyline.

The fact that the Featheringtons had such a big portion of screen time, to the point that we know very little about the Sharmas, is very disappointing. To build Pen’s storyline they effed up Kate’s, and most of all Benedict’s future one. The order of storylines would’ve been so much better for so many characters if the Featherington family had less but consistent screentime throughout more seasons.

To me, the season 1 finale shouldn’t have revealed that Pen was LW. It should’ve stayed a mystery for that moment, to give the watchers the time to speculate and everything.

That way in season 2 we would’ve had more space for other storylines. Yes, the Featherington would still have screen time, but not as much as they did in canon. They could’ve added Felicity and a storyline tied to that, leaving the majority of space to the Sharma family backstory and storyline. And, we could’ve had the grounds to introduce Sophie and set up Benedict’s season. In the finale we would’ve got the LW reveal.

Then it would’ve been Benedict’s turn to have a storyline with Sophie in “season 3”. In parallel, the LW and Featherington storyline of S2 would’ve unfolded later, with Penloise’s fall out at the end of “season 3”.

At that point Pen would be in the marriage market for 4 years, and season 3’s previously set storyline would have unfolded. Not only that, but it would directly tie to Eloise’s story the following season.

I don’t know, I just think this order of things would’ve been so much better for so many characters. More of Kate and her backstory during her season, a nice season for Ben and Sophie, an organic amount of Featherington in all seasons without overshadowing the LI’s own storylines, and then a back to back continuation of the Pen-Eloise drama.

You see, in the books, Pen’s marriage is what makes El desire to marry as well. They will surely change that for Show!Eloise because of the different characterization, but it still could’ve made sense. Based on how things are set now, either Benedict’s story will be pushed further back to season 5 to keep the continuation of the Penloise storyline, or season 4 will be centered on Benedict but once again overshadowed by the LW drama.

I love Bridgerton, I do, it’s one of my fav series at the moment. But as a writer, I also think that consistency is important in the grand scheme of things, especially in a series like this. The urge to unmask LW for the watcher effed up multiple characters’ storylines. Especially since the Queen Charlotte spinoff happened even without LW and the Queen’s storyline drama. QC’s few present-set moments didn’t even acknowledge all the beef between Charlotte and LW. It could’ve been a nice set up for the “season 3” beef tho, since Pen talked so much about George and Princess Charlotte’s death.

So yeah, sorry for the rant, but this back and forth in storylines just rubs me the wrong way.

[dusty-daydreams]

Hi! Fic Anon here.

After seeing so many opinions on Eloise I just want her to hide behind me while I defend and protect her 😭. Like they accuse her of being a pick me or "not a girl's girl" or having the "not like other girls".

And these are all Penelope's fans. Seeing that make me dislike her even more. I like Penelope but as an anti hero or villain, she could have been so interesting.

Eloise has valid reasons for not wanting to get married and even if she doesn't understand why other girls would want to get married but she still respects it (as far as I remember).

It has been a while since I have watched s 1 and 2 (and I haven't even gotten started on 3 due to prior commitments lol) but many people accuse her of being a bad friend to Penelope, was she really a bad friend as many accuse her to be?

Have a nice day!

Hi Fic Anon!!!!!!

I don’t think she was that bad of a friend - I think she was a teenage girl who tend to be a bit self-absorbed. Besides if we are going to accuse Eloise of being a bad friend we have to do the same to Penelope, and that’s without evening taking her nasty alter ego into account because they are both equally self-absorbed in season 1 & 2. Eloise just talks at Penelope while Penelope doesn’t share anything with Eloise, their self-absorption presents differently so it’s easier for people to attack Eloise for being a bad friend. But as I said in my On Eloise’s Obsession with Whistledown post, the secrets Penelope kept from Eloise makes her a bad friend as well.

Like Eloise might talk primarily about herself and not ask after Penelope enough but Penelope has been known to abandon Eloise at events to spend time with other friends (e.g. the art gallery scene in season 1 that I made a bit more dramatic in my fic).

Eloise totally had extremely valid reasons for not wanting to marry, and the historical reality is that a lot of women of various means didn’t get married. Jane Austen didn’t marry, and she was impoverished gentry.

It is just that Eloise’s greatest crime is that she is a character that is anti-marriage in a romance show. A good chunk of the fans that are here for the fluffy fun are going to have their backs put up by a character who disdains the fluff they love so much.

But Eloise is not a pick me. Categorically. She is not interested in performing the hyperfeminity her society expects but she is absolutely not a pick me.

A pick me is a girl that pretend to like the things boys traditionally likes and disdains the tongs women traditionally like because she thinks that she will be more successful finding a boy to date that way.

Eloise is categorically uninterested in attracting a man. She is not interested in the limited feminine pursuits on offer, but unlike a modern woman who has a whole range of things she can do, Eloise’s movements and choices are hyper-restricted.

It is not being a pick me or not like other girls to be uninterested in music, drawing and decorative embroidery, the three main pursuits it was acceptable for a woman to have.

Further if you watch the show you will see that Eloise isn’t actually rude to other women. She is rude to Daphne, who is her sister so that’s a completely different relationship, and she is rude to Cressida because Cressida (as much as I love her now) is a bitch. But she isn’t rude to women.

She is loving and admiring of Penelope and her opinions, and she doesn’t really socialise with other women in season 1 and 2.

In season 3 part 1 she is actively trying to make friends, and while she isn’t interested in other women’s pursuits, she makes a witty comment, that all the other women find funny. And she treats Cressida like the grown intelligent woman she is, and is probably the first person to ever do so. Even the sister relationship we see this season is loving and respectful, Eloise wouldn’t make the choices Francesca is making but she respects the wisdom of her sister doing so and actively helps her to try and have the quiet functional season she dreams of.

No Eloise is rude to men. A man makes a sexist comment she leaves him on the dance floor. Theo assumes she is vapid, she insults his intelligence. A man makes a dumb comment about collecting books, she rolls her eyes and makes a passive aggressive remark.

How can she be a pick me pretending to disdain embroidery for a man’s interest, when she a) is genuinely uninterested in embroidery, b) tries to be polite when women discuss it and c) ISNT INTERESTED IN ATTRACTING A MAN!!!

Its just tiring Fic Anon, because all of these characters could be soooo rich, Eloise and Penelope and Cressida and Benedict and Colin - all of them, if the show and the fans treated them with respect and sincerity

But the show isn’t actually interested in making a good interesting show, they are interested in keeping people watching through simple but dramatic stories

Anyway, thank you for this message Fic Anon! I love when you message because I get to think about these things in detail

[midnightin]

How fucked up is it that Penelope told Colin that he could ask for an annulment in 3x08?

Pen was so uncertain about her husband’s frame of mind after weeks of being subjected to the silent treatment that all she could think was that he couldn’t possibly love her enough to want to be with her.

Colin Bridgerton, the sensible and kind man she fell in love with, was not capable of taking his head out of his ass for one minute in order to see his anguished wife and tell her: “I’m angry with you and I need time… but I still love you. Don’t you ever doubt that. I want to be your husband and I want you as my wife.”

I’m so… disappointed.