Bridgerton season 3 skips a book to adapt a love story that happens later in the source material, and it will miss out on a huge storyline. Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton novels dedicate a story to each Bridgerton sibling. Bridgerton‘s seasons 1 and 2 have followed the books’ order with Daphne Bridgerton and Simon, Duke of Hastings being the focus of season 1, and Anthony Bridgerton and Kate Sharma being the focus of season 2. However, after Bridgerton season 2’s ending, it was announced that season 3 would not be following book 3’s focus on Benedict Bridgerton, but instead, book 4’s, with the focus being on Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington.

Shonda Rhimes’ adaptation of the Bridgerton books has not been exact, with one example being Eloise’s romantic storyline with Theo Sharpe. However, these changed sub-plots have not affected the main plot of each season, and Bridgerton has mainly been a faithful adaptation of Quinn’s novels. The sub-plots have meant some side characters becoming more prominent, and thus more popular. It is mainly the older Bridgerton siblings who have had air time, with the younger ones still being children and featuring less in Bridgerton. However, season 3 is the first time Bridgerton will be veering so far from the order of Quinn’s novels.

Bridgerton Is Skipping A Book To Tell Colin & Penelope’s Story Sooner

Colin And Penelope’s Love Story Happens Years Later In The Books

Penelope’s love of Colin and his obliviousness to it has been building since Bridgerton season 1…

Book 3 of the Bridgerton novels is An Offer From A Gentleman and is about Benedict’s romance with Sophie Beckett. Bridgerton season 3’s story tells Penelope and Colin’s love story instead.Bridgerton season 3 showrunner, Jess Brownell, told Variety that they are skipping Benedict’s story because she “really [feels] like it’s Colin and Penelope’s time.”. Penelope’s love of Colin and his obliviousness to it has been building since Bridgerton season 1, and the Bridgerton season 2 finale saw Penelope overhear Colin say he would never marry her.

There is the tension with them throughout Bridgerton that Brownell felt needed to be pushed. Because of this build-up, Brownell recognizes how invested in the pair audiences are. Plus, Bridgerton diverted from the books by revealing Penelope as Lady Whistledown in season 1 and having Eloise find out Penelope’s secret at the end of season 2. These details have made everything come to an emotional head for Penelope in season 3, which is why now is the ideal time to tell her and Colin’s story.

Brownell mentions how Colin has become so close to realizing Penelope’s feelings for him that season 3 felt like the “perfect moment to tee it up” which means skipping Benedict’s story is worth it for the stage that each character is at by the end of Bridgerton season 2.

What Happens In Bridgerton Season 3’s Missing Book

Benedict Finds Love With Sophie Beckett

An Offer From A Gentleman is inspired by Cinderella, and Quinn introduces Sophie Beckett, the illegitimate daughter of an Earl, who is reduced to maid work by her stepmother and step-sisters after the Earl’s death. Sophie meets Benedict after sneaking into a masquerade ball but has to leave at midnight and Benedict never finds out Sophie’s identity. Benedict is hung up on the mystery woman but unknowingly meets her again, two years later, this time as a housemaid.

Benedict is drawn to Sophie and is compelled to rescue her from her awful living situation, yet he is still determined to marry the mystery woman. After being unable to deny his feelings for Sophie, but being scared about marrying a different social class and breaking his vow to marry the mystery woman, he proposes that Sophie becomes his mistress. Sophie refuses as she does not want her children to carry the same illegitimate title that she did.

When Benedict finally finds out Sophie’s identity, he is angry, and she leaves the Bridgerton household. Unfortunately, her stepmother accuses her of being a thief. The Bridgertons find out Sophie is in prison through Lady Whistledown and save her, and Benedict and Sophie soon marry. An epilogue reveals they have at least four children.

Will Bridgerton Season 4 Return To Benedict’s Story?

The Main Season 4 Character Has Not Yet Been Announced

It is unknown whether Bridgerton season 4 will return to Benedict’s story, especially as Eloise is becoming more popular and audiences are keen to know who she ends up with. Completely skipping Benedict’s story will stray far from the books and leave a lot of fans unhappy, but Bridgerton may also fold his story into season 3 in a lesser way.

In the novels, Eloise’s story includes a big time jump, so it would be extremely difficult to return to Benedict’s story if Bridgerton does decide to dedicate season 4 to Eloise and maintain a similar timeline. However, Benedict’s story includes a two-year time jump as well, so it is possible to start his story in season 3 and run it alongside Eloise’s in season 4.

So far, Bridgerton’s sub-plots have had depth without pulling from the main couple’s storyline, so Benedict’s story could be properly told this way. However, Benedict could meet Sophie in season 3 and then start season 4 just after the two-year time jump. Of course, since the show hasn’t been using the same timeline as the books, a time jump might not be included at all. Colin and Penelope’s story takes place about a decade after Daphne’s in the novel, and within the show, it’s only two years.

Having season 4 dedicated to Benedict would allow Bridgerton to keep Eloise as the young, independent woman she is. Also, it would give a chance for more of a story with Theo before the events of her book. Eloise is arguably the main character of the entire Bridgerton series, so creating her season too early could mean her character becomes less important afterward, which would go against her popularity.

How Skipping A Book Has Affected Bridgerton Season 3

Skipping The Book Works For Season 3’s Main Story

Because the Netflix series is only loosely based on the novels about the Bridgerton siblings, skipping the third book to focus on Colin and Penelope doesn’t have a negative effect on the main storyline of the season. Colin and Penelope’s book story, after all, plays out years later than it is playing out on the show. By placing their love story so much earlier, the timeline of the Netflix show is officially different from the books, meaning the stories no longer have to occur in the same order at all.

…straying from the book orders and the specific details of the books is only helping the series to tell a compelling story…

Colin and Penelope’s story does not suffer from being moved up in the timeline. Quite the opposite, in fact. It’s hard to see Colin Bridgerton as the good friend who would do just about anything for Penelope as a man who would also wait another decade to figure out how he feels about her, which is what happens in the books. Colin and Penelope admitting their feelings earlier in the show allows the writers to give more story to them after they actually get together.

Skipping the third book for now also means that the audience who is familiar with the books can still be surprised by the events of the show. While it’s clear that every Bridgerton sibling is eventually going to fall in love and get their happily ever after, straying from the book orders and the specific details of the books is only helping the series to tell a compelling story.

The downside, however, with skipping Benedict’s story, or more accurately, delaying it, means that Benedict in season 3 of Bridgerton feels more aimless than his past appearances. The first two seasons planted the seeds for him to fall in love with a character like Sophie as he demonstrated empathy for the working class and a society that didn’t follow the rigid rules of the ton.

In season 3, however, Benedict is no longer frequenting the art scene, having a relationship with a business woman, or even taking art classes. His character feels a little lost at this point, and if the show delays his story again to focus on another Bridgerton in season 4, fans of his character might start to worry that the story isn’t serving him as well as it could in Bridgerton.