Daphne Bridgerton stands out against a picture of Prudence and Philippa Featherington
The Featherington sisters in Bridgerton season 3 repeat a key Daphne story from season 1, but this time around, it is very different. With Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton as the focus of season 3, Penelope’s family is naturally a big part of the story. For her mother, Portia, part of that involves pushing Penelope’s sisters, Prudence and Philippa, to have children as quickly as possible in order to help the family out of a tight financial spot.

Prudence and Philippa eventually get pregnant, and the ball they throw as a “last hurrah” of sorts winds up playing a big role, as it’s where Penelope reveals her identity as Lady Whistledown. Bridgerton season 3 has a happy ending, with all three sisters visiting each other with their children. However, the path to getting there takes a lot of turns, and one of them is reminiscent of an important beat in Daphne’s story from season 1.

Bridgerton Season 3 Changes Its Approach To Daphne’s Season 1 Babies Storyline With Prudence & Philippa

From An Empowering Critique To Comic Relief

Philipa Featherington (Harriet Cains) and Prudence Featherington (Bessie Carter) looking downcast in Bridgerton season 3 Part 1

In Bridgerton season 1, Daphne marries Simon, unaware of how sex works. Her mother is supposed to tell her, but Violet can barely string together a sentence before becoming too flustered to speak. Daphne has to discover the truth by herself, but it’s a story portrayed with great empathy for the character. The show makes clear that Daphne’s ignorance has nothing to do with her intelligence and is simply a product of the time.

However, Bridgerton season 3 presents a different interpretation of this storyline. Portia cannot figure out why Prudence and Philippa are not conceiving despite their apparent best attempts. Eventually, Philippa suggests that what she thinks is sex is not sex at all, in a scene written just for laughs. In playing that particular story beat for comedy, the show implies Prudence and Philippa are “dumb” for not figuring it out themselves, a completely different approach to how it handled the same revelation with Daphne.

Bridgerton Season 3’s Featherington Sisters Story Betrays The Meaning Behind Daphne’s Season 1 Revelation

Daphne’s Story Is No Longer Heartfelt And Meaningful

Phoebe Devyner as Daphne Removing Her Gloves in Bridgerton 

Both approaches could not be more different, yet they have the same underlying themes. For most of history, especially during the Regency and Victorian eras, women were left in the dark about sex. Women are not meant to experience the same sexual pleasure and freedom as men do. Daphne’s story provides a thoughtful critique of this misogyny, but the Featherington sisters completely invalidate this with their similar arc.

Ultimately, Bridgerton season 3 presents the lack of sexual agency among women as a punchline to a joke. It suggests viewers are not supposed to take the misogyny behind this notion seriously at all. What starts as an astute critique turns into a silly way to insult Penelope’s sisters. In the process, the show does a real disservice to one of the first season’s most thoughtful storylines.