’Tis the season! “Season” here, of course, meaning both the part one premiere (part two will hit your Netflix on June 13!) of the Shondaland and Netflix romance Bridgerton’s season three (out May 16) and, yes, the start of the social season within that very show. The marriage mart is open, love is in the air, and the people have arrived. It’s all so beautiful. By now, you know that season three will adapt much of Julia Quinn’s fourth novel, Romancing Mister Bridgerton, in her Bridgerton series and focus on the romance between longtime friends Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington. But before we discover how that friendship blossoms into love or if Colin ever discovers that Pen is, in fact, anonymous gossip queen Lady Whistledown, we should take a quick turn down memory lane. Season three might be all about friends-to-lovers, but season two was decidedly an enemies-to-lovers story thanks to the constant bickering and undeniable chemistry between Anthony, the eldest Bridgerton, and the headstrong new girl in town, Kate Sharma. Below, find a refresher on all the biggest stories to come out of season two, and even a reminder of a few smaller ones that might come into play when season three begins.
On Kate & Anthony
“You are the bane of my existence and the object of all my desires.” I mean, do we need to say anything else but that about these two? That line feeds my soul, and, not to be dramatic, but it changed me as a woman. The enemies-to-lovers romance trope is a trope for a reason; it works, baby! When Kate Sharma, her younger half sister Edwina, and Edwina’s mother, Mary, who fled the ton in her youth to marry Kate’s dad — not an aristocrat — arrive in Mayfair to stay with Lady Danbury for the season while they attempt to procure Edwina a husband, the Viscount Anthony Bridgerton has already declared that he will take a wife this season. It’s not as fun as it sounds (at first): Anthony makes it clear that he is getting married out of duty to produce heirs, and he’s not interested in any of that love business. We come to find out later that this is his way of trying to protect himself from what happened to his mother after his father died. He would never want to cause that type of pain for someone else (but also he would never want to feel that type of pain). It makes sense to an extent — the trauma from his father’s death is deep-seated — but Anthony can sometimes lean into the dramatics (a compliment, I swear).
He says he’ll just marry whoever the diamond of the season is because she’ll be the best match. The diamond of the season ends up being Edwina Sharma … and Edwina Sharma ends up being sisters with the mysterious woman Anthony met riding horseback early one morning, the same woman he’s already had multiple arguments with before he even knows her name! As Anthony attempts to woo Edwina, Kate attempts to stop him at every turn. They bicker constantly. But in a hot way. In a way where you know immediately that these two are into each other. Everyone sees it except for Edwina, which is tragic.
When Anthony realizes he is in love with Kate, he does what any reasonable man would do: He proposes to her sister because he cannot marry someone he loves. Oh, wait, did I say “reasonable” man? It’s a terrible idea from the get-go, but Anthony isn’t the only one pushing it — Kate is forcing this marriage too. She, like Anthony, has resigned herself to a certain kind of life out of familial duty. Once her father died, she vowed to make sure Mary and Edwina were well taken care of, which translated into Kate putting her own dreams for love aside and tutoring Edwina into becoming a more-than-suitable prospect. Kate even goes so far as to strike a deal for a dowry with Mary’s horrible parents (the deal does not last long!). But again, like Anthony, behind this mask of “duty” is a deeper pain: Kate does not feel worthy of love.
Anthony and Edwina make it all the way down the aisle, where Edwina spots the insane chemistry between her fiancé and her sister and bolts. She winds up calling the whole thing off and choosing herself. At first, Kate and Anthony and their two families do their best to keep the real reason for the called-off marriage a secret. Eventually, Kate and Anthony cannot hold back their feelings any longer, and they succumb to their desires in a gazebo on the Bridgerton property. It is as hot as you’d expect. But then, in a real state the next morning, Kate takes off on her horse and then falls in the rain and suffers a serious head injury. Now who’s dramatic? Over the few days it takes Kate to wake up from her injury, Anthony is beside himself. He might lose the woman he loves, and it would be all his fault. This is exactly the feeling he wanted to avoid. It came for him anyway. Kate does wake up, though, and before she runs away back to India, Anthony tells her exactly how he’s been feeling — that he loves her, that he cannot imagine his life without her, and that he needs her to know it even if she still wants to leave. But of course, she loves him too. The two tie the knot, and we get the happy ending we were rooting for. Even Newton the dog seems pretty jazzed about it.
On Penelope & Eloise
We’ve seen many moments of heartbreak throughout our time in the Bridgerton universe, but have any stung (apologies, Anthony) quite so much as watching best friends Penelope and Eloise break up? It’s not a rhetorical question: The answer is decidedly no. Things feel precarious between the two pals from the jump: With Eloise out in society and forced to attend balls, Penelope doesn’t have quite so much freedom to gather her intel and slink off to publish as Whistledown. It forces Penelope to be a little more clever (she enlists the help of modiste Madame Delacroix) as well as hide even more secrets from El. That’s a recipe for disaster, and we all know it.
![nicola coughlan as penelope featherington and claudia jessie as eloise bridgerton in the shondaland series](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/bridgerton-season1-episode2-00-07-48-19rc-1608053634.jpg?resize=980:* "Nicola Coughlan as Penelope Featherington and Claudia Jessie as Eloise Bridgerton in the Shondaland series "Bridgerton" on Netflix")
The relationship only gets thornier from there. In Eloise’s relentless pursuit to discover the true identity of Whistledown, she figures out what printer the gossipmonger uses and winds up falling into a very sweet little romance with the print-shop boy Theo. I mean, the man wants to share books with her so he can hear what she thinks about them — could there be anything that would turn Eloise on more? Again, this is not rhetorical — the answer is no! All this time with Theo is bad news for Pen, who worries about being discovered. She attempts to get Eloise to cut things off with the guy, claiming that she’s trying to prevent her friend from ruining her and her family’s reputation, but we all know it’s a little too self-serving here. Eventually, the queen’s footman discovers Eloise hanging out at the print shop, and they assume Eloise must be Lady Whistledown. Queen Charlotte confronts her: If Eloise doesn’t come clean about who she really is, the queen will rain down hellfire on Eloise and her family, ruining them forever. It’s a very fun time for El!
Penelope feels responsible (she is) and knows she needs to do something to save her friend from ruin. Her plan? Write something so scandalous about Eloise that the queen would never believe she would write it about herself. And so, Penelope writes about how the Bridgerton girl has been seen cavorting with political radicals (she doesn’t mention her romance with a normal, which is something, I guess). Eloise is ostracized immediately. El also tearfully ends things with Theo, not wanting him to end up in any royal crosshairs.
At the end-of-the-season Featherington Ball, a relaxed Penelope gossips about some people in the ballroom to Eloise, and for the first time, she notices the way her friend speaks. Her Regency-era Spidey sense begins tingling. Next thing we know, Penelope walks into her bedroom to find Eloise rummaging through her stuff. Eloise knows Penelope is Lady Whistledown. Let me say that again for the people in the back: ELOISE KNOWS PENELOPE IS LADY WHISTLEDOWN. These two proceed to have a fight that, to this day, is still gutting to think about! Eloise is angry: angry that Penelope has been lying to her all this time, and even angrier about all the things Penelope has written about her family. How can she ever forgive her? Penelope tries to deny it, but it is futile. When Eloise turns mean, so does Pen: She tells Eloise that she’s just jealous that she has done something with her life while all Eloise does is talk about it. Eloise gets quiet — she never wants to see Penelope again.
On Penelope & Colin
Okay, finally we’re getting down to business — though, honestly, if you’re a fan of Bridgerton, you know it’s all about anticipation. So, you’re welcome, I guess? While Penelope surely has a lot going on with the Eloise of it all, you can always count on her to find at least a little time to pine away in secret for her good friend Colin Bridgerton. In season two, Colin remains an oblivious dope, although there is one interesting development in this regard that points to some seeds being planted that will, as we now know, bloom in season three.
Colin, back from another jet-setting trip throughout the continent to find himself (or run from something), still can’t get Marina Thompson, now Lady Crane, his near-wife, out of his head.
Much to Pen’s chagrin, he dips out of the country weekend at Aubrey Park to pay his old sort-of-flame a visit. There, he finds a markedly changed Marina. It’s not that she’s completely unhappy, but she does have the solemn look of a woman resigned to a life that didn’t go exactly as planned. Sir Phillip Crane is kind enough, even if this is in no way a marriage of love, and she now has twin babies. She tells Colin in no uncertain terms that he needs to grow up when it comes to what happened to them and that he should open his eyes to all the people around who already love him. And then, she name-checks Penelope. It’s like the first time Colin has ever considered how dear and loyal a friend Penelope Featherington has been to him all this time. In a way, this feels like the beginning of everything.
Colin goes on to show just how loyal he can be to Penelope too. When he realizes that Penelope’s cousin, the new Lord Featherington, is cheating a bunch of people in the ton out of their money to invest in his fraudulent gem mines in America, he grabs Penelope at the Featherington Ball and confronts Lord Featherington — Colin will not allow this man to ruin Pen’s family! Penelope is already on a high from this gallant move, and then when Colin rides his adrenaline rush all the way to asking her to take to the dance floor with him? Well, it’s the greatest night of Penelope’s life up to that moment.
That is not how the night ends; sorry to burst that very adorable bubble. Later that evening, Penelope overhears Colin talking to a group of other eligible bachelors. They’re all laughing and making fun of Colin for dancing with Pen. When one asks if he’s courting her, his response is “Are you mad? I would never dream of courting Penelope Featherington. Not in your wildest fantasies.” That’s going to sting for a while — and that’s exactly how we leave these two as Colin sets off on more travel adventures and Penelope takes to her room to nurse her many, many emotional wounds.
Other news from around the ton …
While that might be some of the major news out of the ton in season two, there are a few other gossip items we shouldn’t forget. You never know what — or who — might come into play as the marriage mart revs up once again. For instance, there is, of course, Benedict Bridgerton, our second best boy, who once again spends this season trying to figure out who he is. He winds up getting accepted to the Royal Academy of Arts in London and believes he’s finally found his path in life — only to have his dreams and ego squashed when he learns that Anthony made a huge donation in order to buy that spot for his brother; Benedict promptly gives up painting altogether, even though several people tell him not to turn his back on his passion.
Someone on the opposite trajectory: Will Mondrich. With his money from his shady betting schemes with the OG Lord Featherington, Will tries to become an honorable man. He starts his own drinking club establishment in Mayfair. While business is slow to start since he’s competing with a club that has been around for decades, it is Will who warns Colin of the new Lord Featherington’s shiftiness — and after Colin calls the guy out, he thanks Will by bringing all of his friends to Will’s place. Business is booming, baby.
Speaking of the Featheringtons — what an absolute disaster of a season for that family. We’ve already covered how Jack Featherington winds up being a fraud and tried to scam members of the ton — including Colin Bridgerton — out of money with his fake mines, but lest you forget, Lady Portia Featherington was in on it too. She blows up Jack’s original plan of marrying Cressida Cowper for her dowry by trapping the guy in a marriage with Prudence. When she learns about the guy’s money troubles, it is Portia who comes up with the investment scheme. But after Jack’s outed by Colin and wants to flee to America with the money and Portia, but leave her daughters behind, Portia will have absolutely zero of that. She outschemes Jack, taking most of the money and sending him packing, making sure he knows she’ll blame everything on him when the word gets out about his grift. Portia isn’t the most loving or doting mother, but here she clearly shows she is a mama bear you do not mess with.
There is, of course, no better mama bear on this show than Violet Bridgerton. And while this didn’t go down in season two of the mothership series, Violet Bridgerton certainly had an interesting arc in the Bridgerton spin-off Queen Charlotte that fans will want to remember ahead of the new season. For one, she discovered that Lady Danbury hooked up with her dad back in the day, which could add some interesting layers to the friendship between the two best meddlers in all of Mayfair. But most importantly, Violet had a realization that she wanted to find love again. Or, at the very least, was open to the possibility of it happening again. That’s huge! Is there any suitor deserving of Violet? Perhaps we’ll find out soon enough.
And with that, we are as prepped and ready as we’ll ever be to make our grand entrance — set to an instrumental version of a pop bop, no doubt — into season three of Bridgerton. But as every good Bridgerton fan is aware, there is no way to prepare for everything that awaits us as the marriage season kicks off, and sometimes — most times — the surprises are the best part. See you in the ballroom, dearest gentle readers.
Maggie Fremont is a freelance pop culture writer with a focus on television. You can find more of her writing on Vulture, Entertainment Weekly's EW.com, and TV Guide.
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