“Bridgerton” is finally back after two long years.
Season three, which is divided into two parts comprised of four episodes each, premieres on Netflix this Thursday. The show, based on Julia Quinn’s romance novels, will focus on Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) and Penelope Featherington’s (Nicola Coughlan) love story.
In case you need a refresher on what happened last season, Business Insider has you covered with the most pertinent information to keep in mind before diving into the new batch of episodes.
Eloise Bridgerton’s friendship with Penelope Featherington is on the rocks after figuring out that she’s Lady Whistledown.
Claudia Jessie as Eloise Bridgerton and Nicola Coughlan as Penelope Featherington on the season two finale of “Bridgerton.” Netflix
During season two, Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) accused Eloise (Claudia Jessie) of being Lady Whistledown and gave her three days to confess and be the royal’s ally or she’d ruin the Bridgertons. But before Eloise could lie to Queen Charlotte, Penelope purposely wrote another scathing issue of Lady Whistledown’s gossip column and revealed that Eloise was associating with political radicals.
The bombshell resulted in a heated argument between the two characters, with Eloise feeling betrayed. Penelope justified writing the scandalous news about Eloise because she felt it was the only way to convince Queen Charlotte that Eloise wasn’t Whistledown.
Penelope said that she was done being Whistledown and gave it up for Eloise. But Eloise walked away from her, calling her an “insipid wallflower” and saying she never wanted to see or speak to her again.
The Featheringtons seemingly overcame their financial struggles.
Polly Walker as Portia Featherington and Rupert Young as Jack Featherington on the season two finale of “Bridgerton.” Netflix
Jack Featherington (Rupert Young) was brought in as the new lord of the house and was supposed to help restore the family’s status in society. After he revealed to Portia Featherington (Polly Walker) that he was broke, the two created a con in order to rebuild their finances. Jack sold a counterfeit ruby necklace and convinced men to invest in his mines.
Their plan fell apart when Colin caught on and told Penelope that Jack was a fraud. Colin told Jack that he wouldn’t tell others what he learned, as long as he returned the money and left town. Meanwhile, Portia pretended to be unaware of Jack’s scheming.
Later that evening, Portia ordered Jack to leave town while she kept a large sum of the money to support her and her daughters. Portia also had her housekeeper, Mrs. Varley (Lorraine Ashbourne), forge his signature on a document stating that as soon as one of the girls had a son, the estate would go to them.
Penelope overheard Colin telling his friends that he’d never court her.
Nicola Coughlan as Penelope Featherington on the season two finale of “Bridgerton.” Netflix
Unbeknownst to Colin, Penelope has had a crush on him for years. Even though he has repeatedly friend-zoned her, she’s continued yearning for him.
While dancing together at the Featherington ball on the finale, Penelope seemed hopeful because Colin told her that he’d always look after her since she was special to him. But later that night, Penelope overheard Colin telling his friends that he would “never dream” of courting her.
“Not in your wildest fantasies, Fife,” he told his friend, prompting laughs among the men.
Kate Sharma and Anthony Bridgerton got married off-camera at the end of season two after finally admitting their love for each other.
Simone Ashley as Kate and Jonathan Bailey as Anthony on the season two finale of “Bridgerton.” Netflix
Kate (Simone Ashley) and Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) spent most of season two bickering and detesting each other. Anthony was originally supposed to marry her younger sister, Edwina Sharma (Charithra Chandran). But on their wedding day during episode six, Edwina saw the way they looked at each other.
Anthony told Edwina that he still wanted to go through with their marriage, but she declined because he wouldn’t be able to give her the love she deserved, and she didn’t want to betray herself.
In the finale, Kate and Anthony finally stopped resisting their feelings and agreed to get married. Fans didn’t actually get to see Kanthony’s wedding ceremony, but the season concluded with the newlyweds joining their family for a game of pall mall.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, showrunner Jess Brownell said that audiences can expect to see the couple enjoying marital bliss in season three.
“With them, we’re not really interested in introducing any big new conflicts into their relationship,” Brownell said. “We feel like they’ve been through the hard stuff, and we want viewers to get to see them in a more playful, lovey space.”
The season two finale hinted at Edwina getting a second chance at love outside Mayfair.
Charithra Chandran as Edwina Sharma on the season two finale of “Bridgerton.” Netflix
During the Featherington ball, Edwina encouraged Kate to follow her heart and put herself first. As Edwina watched Kate and Anthony dance, Queen Charlotte turned to her and said, “Have I yet told you about my nephew? He is a prince and he is available.”
Queen Charlotte was referring to Prince Friedrich of Prussia, played by Freddie Stroma on season one of “Bridgerton.”
Don’t expect to see Chandran reprise her role as Edwina, though. The actor hinted at not returning during a season two interview with Entertainment Tonight, saying: “‘Bridgerton’ is a show about the Bridgerton family, and at the end of the day, Edwina is not directly part of that family.”
Chandran confirmed during an interview with The Indian Express that she wouldn’t appear in season three, due to filming a movie.
Violet Bridgerton is considering opening herself up to the possibility of romance again.
Ruth Gemmell as Violet Bridgerton on the season one finale of “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.” Netflix
“Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story,” a miniseries released in 2023, centered on the relationship between young Queen Charlotte (India Amarteifio) and young King George III (Corey Mylchreest). The series alternated between showing characters in the 1700s and in the present-day world of “Bridgerton.”
During a present-day scene in episode five, Violet (Ruth Gemmell) told Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh) that she never considered another man besides her late husband, Edmund Bridgerton (Rupert Evans). But she’s been having different, hornier thoughts recently.
“My garden is in bloom,” Violet said.
On the season one finale, Violet told Lady Danbury that she was cautiously considering opening herself up to love again.
“I tried to imagine it, another man besides Edmund,” Violet said.
“He is all I have ever known. We were children together. I had a great love. I do not expect another. Yes, I suppose my standards are high.”
In response, Danbury encouraged Violet, telling her she has a right to high standards and that this is an exciting journey for her.
