Is Portia Featherington clairvoyant?
(Netflix)
It’s Polin season again, gentle reader! After leaving us excited (in more ways than one) with that carriage scene that we rewatched an embarrassing number of times and a proposal cliffhanger, Bridgerton season 3 part 2 is about to arrive on Netflix on June 13.
Fans are eagerly waiting to see Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton), one of the most anticipated Bridgerton ships, together at last, doing some scandalous things, unchaperoned! I cannot wait to see the look on the Bridgertons’ and Featheringtons’ faces when they find out about the engagement!
But here’s a funny observation that I bring to you, in true Lady Whistledown style. Having rewatched the previous seasons in unbearable anticipation of the new one, I couldn’t help but notice how several characters have accidentally manifested Polin coming together, including Pen’s mom, the Lady Portia Featherington herself!
Anthony Bridgerton
(Netflix)
In season 1, episode 2, “Shock and Delight,” when Anthony comes home to tell his mother, Lady Violet, that Daphne has received a proposal from Lord Berbrooke, Violet tells him that the Duke of Hastings has entered the chat, and nobody else matters. But Anthony is quick to retort that the Duke has merely danced with Daphne, and that does not mean he’s interested in marrying her. After all, Colin danced with Penelope, too!
“They’ve danced a couple of times together at a ball. Colin has done the same with Penelope Featherington. It does not signify—”
We know that the once-upon-a-time rakish Anthony Bridgerton ends up eating a lot of his previously uttered words by the time Kate Sharma is done with him in season 2. And this is one of those things! In the books, Kanthony are huge supporters of Penelope, but we haven’t gotten any such moments in the show yet. Hopefully part 2 remedies that!
Lady Portia Featherington
(Netflix)
I don’t think we give enough credit to Mommy Featherington. She has repeatedly been cornered and had to extract her family from difficult situations. But Portia has always come out on top. Maybe she’s more powerful than we thought, even unknowingly clairvoyant?
In season 2, episode 1, “Capital R Rake,” Portia proclaims two things that actually come to pass in the future. Prudence has just ratted on Penelope writing letters to Colin, and Portia dismisses Pen’s repeated claims that Colin is her friend. She says, “Colin Bridgerton is no more your friend than I am the next Catherine the Great.”
Well, well, well! You see, Catherine The Great is a famous historical figure. She was an Empress of Russia sometime in the early 1700s (a century before Bridgerton) and married to Peter III. Much like Portia, Catherine never really liked her husband. Their marriage was quite an unsuccessful one, and they were estranged. Catherine would always try to elevate her bad circumstances and learned how to spot people’s hidden motives and interests so she could use them for her benefit.
Can you guess how she came to power? She overthrew her husband, Peter III, merely six months after he became emperor. She had her husband arrested and forced him to sign a letter abdicating the throne, so she could ascend to become empress and ruler, undisputed!
Sound familiar? That’s exactly what Lady Featherington does to the new Lord Featherington at the end of season 2, after taking all his money, forcing him into exile, and forging his signature on a document that would transfer the estate to the male heir of one of her daughters!
So not only did Portia become the next Catherine the Great, but Colin also turned out to be a very good “friend” (with benefits) to Penelope!
Eloise Bridgerton
(Netflix)Okay, I know Eloise ought to be the last person on this list, considering what’s about to happen in Bridgerton season 3 part 2. But hear me out.
In season 3 part 1, episode 2, “How Bright the Moon,” Colin and Eloise are riding the carriage to a ball, when Colin tells Eloise that her estranged bestie Pen seeks to find a husband this season, and a rather surprised Eloise asks him, “She’s not seeking a husband in you, I hope?”
Of course, Colin parrots the company line of merely helping her find one, but come on, Eloise said it. She put the words out there, in the universe, and the love that she has for her BFF just manifested it! Ah, the power of friendship!
In hindsight, it’s fun to come across these moments in your rewatch leading up to Bridgerton season 3. These are total “Ha! Guess what?” moments for us audiences who knew Polin was always endgame!
