In this day and age, it's fitting that Bridgerton Season 3 is a meditation on shifting identities. In its top plot — the long-simmering love story between Penelope and Colin (Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton) — the latest installment finds the two protagonists figuring themselves out who they are and who they can be, experimenting with new identities for the public. For each other.
The first half of the Netflix series, which premiered on May 16, incorporates this theme into the smallest details, from butterfly symbols (shapeshifting!) to lots of dancing, Showrunner Jesse Brownell noted.
"More than ever, people are transitioning in the opposite way to what they were in the past," Brownell tells Bustle. "The ball [in the first episode] is Lady Danbury's Ball of the Seasons, which is about the changing of the seasons."
Season 3 marks Brownell's first time as showrunner, but her collaboration with creator Shonda Rhimes goes back 15 years, from the first two seasons of "Bridgerton" to "Grey's Anatomy." ” and “Scandal.” Simply put, she's been involved in some of the most impressive love stories on television.
“Shonda is a genius, and one of her greatest skills is knowing not only what people want to see, but knowing what they don’t know they want to see,” Brownell said. “I try to operate from that place and not just make everything clean and tidy.”
Major spoilers for Part 1. The second half of season three is unlike Julia Quinn's book Romancing Mr. Bridgerton , so there isn't any road map to what viewers can expect. Episode 4 ends with Colin and Penelope riding in a steaming carriage.
"We're in a topsy-turvy world in a lot of ways," Brownell said of the final four episodes (airing June 13). "If the first part is a romantic comedy, the second half gets into a very tense place because Penelope as Lady Whistledown has a huge secret that hangs over everything."
Below, showrunners break down the carriage scene, rom-com references, and how #Polin compares to other beloved Shondaland couples.
Penelope's style change was once ridiculed, but people didn't expect Colin's change. Can you talk about his worldly, almost lascivious character?
One of the themes we’re going to be talking about this season is the idea of your authentic self. Penelope and Colin both have some personality. Colin returns this season, wearing dark clothing. He has such confidence and momentum. But whenever someone comes back with a completely new personality after being away for a few months, they may be denying another part of themselves. There is a more sensitive, vulnerable side to Colin that still needs hugs.
This is the first season of Bridgerton , released in two parts. Did you know it was coming out before or after you wrote the episode?
We had already finished writing and producing the series when Netflix approached us and asked us to split the season into two episodes. We had a cliffhanger in the middle of the season and it turned out really well. To be honest, it was natural for us to split each season into two parts.
Is there a particular moment in the carriage scene that you're proud of?
The carriage scene is an important moment because there's a lot of dialogue, especially for Colin, who is succinct and witty but comes in shorter bursts throughout the season. [This gives] Luke this moment to really launch into a big speech. There's a version that can be dramatic, but it has to feel like it's spilling out of him, like he can no longer control these feelings.
As a long-time member of Shondaland, do you think there's anything about Colin and Penelope that mirrors the couples on Grey's Anatomy or Scandal ?
On Grey's Anatomy , there's a great pairing between Meredith and Derek, with Meredith having a one-night stand with him and then realizing he's her boss. In "Scandal," you have the taboo of falling in love with a married president. So the lesson I learned is how to find believable obstacles in a relationship. Without plausible obstacles, you can't have real desire and tension.
As for Penelope and Colin, they might have gotten together sooner had they both been in therapy in the modern day. Because there is no big obstacle for them to be together. But it's important to dig into the fact that A) Penelope was really hurt by what Colin said last season, and B) Colin was a little too reliant on other people's opinions to make bold moves to catch up on what he had done before Wallflower.
You mentioned the rom-com vibe of Part 1. Was Colin and Penelope's story inspired by a specific movie?
really. We've discussed a lot of movies in the room where a character is less confident or likeable and instead longs for someone who's more [opposite]. Many of John Hughes's movies are very applicable: "Pretty in Pink", "Sixteen Candles". A movie called "Can't Buy Me Love" starring Patrick Dempsey is an interesting reference. We paid homage to the makeover scene in She's All That in some ways and then kind of twisted it around a little bit.
More broadly, I'm a huge fan of Nora Ephron and Richard Curtis. Something to remember if we go back. Any movie with a great rom-com joke is a reference for us.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
