Why Bridgerton Season 3 Fumbled (& Made Me Fall Out of Love With The Show)

[@FullofLit]

Use code FULL50 for 50% off your Parade order (excluding any 80% off sale items)! Shop Parade: www.yourparade.com/FULL50 This is the best discount Parade offers, so now is the ideal time to stock up on your faves or try out a new style!

[@bunnymoon9130]

Absolutely agree with you on the pattern thing. Season 4 has the potential to become THE scandalous season of all. Like hello, Benedict is supposed to marry a woman who was literally THROWN IN JAIL. I need Benedict, who never had to deal with strong backlash, to fight for Sophie in front of the whole ton, i need the whole Bridgerton family standing in front of her, protecting her & Benedict. Like this has sm potential, but i’m afraid the queen will smile at them once & they’ll just swoop the whole conflict under the rug

[@hali_55]

I’m only 13 minutes into the video and I agree wholeheartedly. Bridgerton’s never been a show of much…substance, but season 3 kind of exposed the ridiculousness for me a bit and I’m not sure I can see it any other way anymore. In s1, Simon and Daphne had this huge thing between them: his determination not to have a child, and her assaulting him, and it’s all resolved within a couple of scenes in the finale. In s2, Anthony almost ruined Edwina and then scandalously got together with her sister…and it’s resolved by one statement from the queen. In s3, Penelope is exposed as the person who’s been exposing the ton’s secrets and broadcasting harmful rumours for 2 years…and it’s resolved by one speech.

[@FullofLit]

yeah i didn’t even touch on s1 cause the way the show and fandom brush off the marital SA that occurs goes beyond ridiculous, it’s downright weird and gross

[@annabelledrake2027]

this is why the whole whistledown thing doesn’t really bother me. Are we supposed to pretend this is surprising or out of the blue for this show? it’s not, it’s exactly in line with the spirit of the show from the beginning. I’m not watching for some artfully crafted lady whistledown plot. I’m watching for the family dynamics and the steamy/romantic couple scenes, both of which were great this season.

[@aylah7041]

apart from the s1 crap the rest wasn't even in the books so its stupid stuff the show added - i agree that the excitement to see these books on the screen has really fizzled out

[@infinitypayne9629]

@@annabelledrake2027I personally didn’t dislike the LW resolution because it was unrealistic but because it was anticlimactic. The drama was three seasons long and I don’t feel like the payoff was worth it as a viewer. In s1 and s2, though it was equally unrealistic because the arcs were 8 episode long and related to one set of characters, it was a satisfying ending. But LW relates to so many characters in every season and the Ton as a whole and all we got was release the bugs 😅. Heck even for the Bridgertons , we don’t get to see what she writes to Violet or even how Anthony would react because he personally swore to the queen regarding Whistledown

[@gabrielleduplessis7388]

I wish they just made her a novelist like the book did. The whole point was her quitting LW and realizing she can still do something involved with writing. But she was less brutal as LW in the books.

[@hisaac3795]

Fully agree. The entire goal seems to be to portray certain women as 'girlboss' material with nothing but a couple of passionate speeches thrown in...which often don't make any sense, to the point of irritation.

[@FullofLit]

the way they framed whistledown this season was PEAK 2010 girlboss feminism

[@thulaganyo.modise]

I agree. The show constantly wants these feminist moments for the sake of a few clicks and it never lands cause we smell the bs. I mean S2 had Edwina making all these speeches that completely contradicted everything we had seen in previous episodes because they were trying to tell us that she wasn’t a loser even though her intended cared more about looking at her older sister than saying his wedding vows. There’s a reason we call it the Girlboss Speech When I saw that they were doing the same thing LW I couldn’t even say I was surprised because the show wants us to suddenly see LW’s actions as empowering even though they raised the stakes constantly by showing us how it can negatively impact the lives of others.

[@SkippyLaughlin]

And because of this idiotic trop Penelope was robbed of a soft romantic journey with her s/o who was originally Charles Bingley coded.

[@fireandsugar2625]

I really REALLY hope in season 4 they go back to a more natural look for the actresses. I feel like the makeup in season 3 was just so over the top and unnecessary. Like you have a cast of incredibly beautiful women. They dont need that amount of makeup. I really noticed it on Kate and Pen. I just hope they tone it down.

[@bc7911]

Exactly, the more frustrated that I got with S3, the more Penelope’s acrylics were driving me crazy. 😅

[@kiaraosorio1903]

I’m completely for the Michaela change BUT what I didn’t like was that they made Francesca be the one fall at first sight which I wish they didn’t do. As you know in the book it was Michael who was in love with Francesca from day 1 and I loved the dynamic of Francesca slowly but surely finding out her feelings for him. I don’t get why they changed that aspect in the show. I wish it would’ve been Michaela who was lost for words the first time she saw Fran but they made it the opposite which is the change I didn’t like.

[@cristenkray5192]

I definitely agree! I think they should’ve had Michaela be the one obviously already falling in love with Fran at their first meeting. It does mess with the dynamic a bit to have Fran stumbling over her own name at the sight of Michaela, BUT that could absolutely have been chalked up to her nervousness at meeting another new relative and the situation as a whole (if the show were smart enough to use that excuse).

[@beribyuns]

I have not actually read the books, but couldn’t they still sorta channel that dynamic through Fran slowly but surely finding out she likes women? Depending on how they go about it she could take a long time to realize she’s in love at all.

[@dilsedesi1704]

Exactly. Although I do mourn for Michael, he was the best male lead in books. I welcome Michaela but the way they handled it was so poor. Why did they have to show her not liking the kiss at the wedding and then her being tongue tied at seeing Michaela. I honestly loved the way they showed us John and Fran's journey as we didn't get to see that in the book but those 2 moments somehow ruined it for me. I feel so bad for John. And if Michael would have been there with same scene playing out. I would have been equally pissed

[@elliebell2317]

Yes! I'm so bothered by that. First, it makes it seem like she doesn't really love John, at least not the way she did in the books, which is sad for him. I don't want him to be what Edwina almost was. And second, if Francesca is having feelings for Michaela already, it makes the closeness of their friendship in the book seem inappropriate. I don't want to watch her have an emotional affair.

[@lxttlcrow_1293]

well if you look at it from a show narrative lense i think they were trying to parallel violet and fran’s stories to teach each other ways of how love can not only be a singular feeling and it could be felt in various ways. that little exchange they had w violet talking abt how she fell for edmund foreshadowing the first meeting and then w violet learning to take it slow from seeing how fran loves john in her own way. i had a chance to watch that scene again and also found that michaela had a mutual interest but quickly realized who john’s wife was and reigned it in (verryyy book michael i thought the actress did a great job in showcasing that subtly) this might be an unpopular opinion but i didnt see fran falling in love rather i think she’s having an unexpected crush on someone when she hasnt experienced anything like that before.. and there is no one in her life she can reference that type of attraction to someone of the same gender. (as she has alw modeled her reference of what love was to her parents)

[@oliviadcs03]

as much as i love jonny / anthony and am so so glad he is coming back, if they are gonna have the audacity and disrespect to not bring simone back (when she has said in multiple interviews that she wants to and will make the time to come back) then i dont want / it wouldnt make sense to see anthony because like you said, you can’t have anthony ‘famously besotted’ bridgerton without his wife like that is something that physically can’t happen as anthony is quite literally attached to her hip for their entire screentime in s3

[@cristenkray5192]

THIS!! I don’t want to watch the show if both Jonathan and Simone aren’t gonna be in it as Kanthony. It’s egregious bc they have Portia Featherington in it but Kate is missing?? I literally prayed that we’d get the end of the Featherington family waste scenes after season 3 but apparently not.

[@oliviadcs03]

@@cristenkray5192 no LITERALLY like what storyline could you possibly have for portia when you dont even have one for the vicountess who is one of the heads of the bridgerton household?!?!

[@austenlover2613]

@@oliviadcs03 You've taken the words right out of my mouth! How are they going to explain Kate Sharma's absence?! Anthony without Kate does not work! I know the production would like to focus on other characters but she needs to be there for at least a scene or two......At this point I'm just hoping she will be present for Benophie's wedding.....

[@erinlev12]

I was a bit disillusioned by the abrupt turn the second half of s3 took and then even more by the lackluster ending. I really had the highest hopes that this would be the best season yet bc Pollin is my favorite couple in the show (I haven’t read the books), but alas I was disappointed. However I will still rewatch the first half of the show and at least ep 5, after that the show loses me. I think what was missing in their story to give more insight into their characters and their love story were the flashbacks we got in s1 & s2. The show also lacked the vivacity and the vibrant colors it had in previous seasons and QC. I don’t love the new show runner, I don’t think she fully gets the show. But I choose to stay delulu and hope for a great season 4 bc Benedict is my favorite Bridgerton.

[@livingarrows]

Just want to say I love Simone and want her back. She deserves to be back in every season. But let’s not blame Jonny in any way. He’s not in charge of casting decisions or contracts. Hopefully bts he is standing by Simone but I sometimes think fans assume he has some power, but he’s likely got a contract obligation he can’t just rescind. He might have signed assuming Simone would be back. Anyway, hope this production gets their act together and confirms Simone’s return asap.

[@erinandthe1580]

That speech was so “and then everybody clapped” 😂

[@thulaganyo.modise]

omg?😭😭

[@hali_55]

I feel the exact same way about Colin and a part of me thinks that he comes across as a stranger in s3 because they seem to have completely rewritten him as a person rather than sticking with his established character. I would’ve much preferred sweet sensitive writer boy Colin falling in love with his best friend then having to deal with the fact that she’s person responsible for so much harm in his family and his own first heartbreak.

[@bc7911]

My least favorite thing about this season was that the characters were presented to us like we’re not familiar with them. Character development is one thing, but they were all taking such big swings that were completely divergent from who we know them to be.

[@SkippyLaughlin]

Me too. It shows how American writers see sweet guys as having little value. And they assume we don't want them because of thw stereotype that they're probably a oushover. They did Colin and Luke wrong. When Colin was falling in love with Marina he was dreamy and sweet like he normally is I would have loved to see him like that with Penelope. Also I would have loved to have him realized he's in live with Penelope prior to any psychical relationship

[@dr.braxygilkeycruises1460]

@@bc7911 I agree with you 100%!!!!!!!! That was my exact feeling when watching season 3. It was like, "Do I have brain damage, or have they literally changed the entire essence of each character and thought I'd be too stupid to notice?" Sadly, Penelope was my favorite character in the whole of the Bridgerton series, but they did her so dirty that I officially lost interest in watching any further seasons. Jess (new showrunner) being involved with season 4, too, means I won't be watching.

[@bc7911]

@@dr.braxygilkeycruises1460 Yes!! I’ll be watching, but I’m scared. 🥺

[@Shrinksgaze]

I was completely baffled by the way the writers turned on the developed understanding between Violet and Francesca about different ways of romantic love. Violet even called Francesca *wise* ! The end made Francesca look like a fool, but also me as the audience for sitting through all those conversations between mother and daughter and making sense of it, when in the end the writers decided to just have love at first sight be the *real* love. And it was hard to make sense of the conversations since Violet somehow has multiple personalities, where one of her personalities was friends with Edmund first (this personality talks to Daphne and Colin about that) and the other personality was completely in love with him the moment she saw him (this personality tries to force the same experience on Francesca). I'm still frustrated about this overall ill attempt at exploring different kinds of developments of romantic love.

[@azdajajeanne]

"If you're seeing her as purely a victim or purely a villain, then you're both doing the same thing, which is: dehumanizing her." This became my favorite channel for nuanced Grishaverse takes, and I see you're still delivering the nuanced perspective I so respect you for. How refreshing! 💯/💯

[@FullofLit]

damn you're a veteran of my channel! i feel like i need to give you a medal for sticking with me this long, here ya go: 🎖️

[@kevinsafar]

I seriously hate that they made Kate and Anthony go to India because they had already left to extend their honeymoon, and they made them leave again. I don't understand why they didn't have them go to Aubrey Hall instead.

[@sk3lut]

that bothered me cause it very much gave they had no idea what to do with them

[@dilsedesi1704]

Yes like Anthony would have never taken pregnant Kate on a ship that lasted like 4-5 months. Didn't he have ptsd by seeing his mother, where is the helicopter husband we were waiting for. And why would they not be at his own sister's wedding. They are HEAD OF THE FAMILY.

[@AuntieM27]

@@dilsedesi1704 Just very bad, thoughtless, careless writing by someone who has never heard of continuity

[@ayma123]

The excuse that the show runner gave was that it gave the actors the possibility of doing other things and explaining their absence (she called a plot device). Fast forward to last week: only Jonathan Bailey (who's famously VERY busy) will be back and not Simone Ashley.

[@jcgardenia]

@@ayma123 It was really bad timing. Jonathan Bailey was shooting Fellow Travelers at the same time as Bridgerton, so he was going back and forth for a while. I still think they could have come up with a better explanation for their absence.

[@stephanieweeks3489]

Fully agree with the main issue with Francesca was her REACTION. Michaela was supposed to be smitten, not Francesca. So now we’re potentially delving into emotional cheating and lusting after your spouses’ cousin and that undermines the hell out of Francesca and John who in the books were VERY much in love and happy 😢

[@zaniyyahjacobs2499]

I honestly don’t care about the gender swap. I am a little annoyed that it looks like they are going to change Fran’s story from having a life where she had 2 loves to making it look like she never loved John and will only love Mikala. It’s taking away the thing I like about her story. That you can have love, lose it, and find it again in a different person in a different way. If they take her loving John out of the show that is no longer her story.

[@asteven8]

All. Of. This. John and Fran's books was the first Bridgerton book I read. I loved it for all the reasons you mentioned, including the depiction of infertility. I walked away from the show with decidedly mixed feelings, specifically how they seem to be casting doubt on Fran's love for John, especially after that quiet build over s3. I'm hoping the show can still get to the heart of Fran's love for John and her later love for Michaela.

[@rw835]

So so glad to hear from you again! My heart is in my throat at the fact that you lost footage - that’s my literal nightmare, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the recovery process pays off! 🤞🏽

[@erinandthe1580]

I have an unrealistic anger that arises when I talk about the whistle down reveal, it’s angering. Cressida gets to be the ultimate bully despite the fact that whistle down has caused more strife for the previous couples than anyone like damn. Shondalands inability to recognize the flaws of their fave is why this show cannot prosper

[@CentralCityCitizenMedia]

I'll tell you why the Michaela reveal deflated me, and it's very specific to the experience of a dark-skinned Black (read: of sub-Saharan African descent) woman. Our first, and likely only major character experience in all the Bridgerton universe is to be masculinized. As if society doesn't already take every opportunity to saddle us with that burden within out community. Misogynists throw around "looks like a man," "looks like a dude," "seems more like a dude to me" like a slur when they want to tear us down. Shona Rhimes knows her audience inside and out, or seemed to, yet she goes and crystalizes this very hurtful trope in one of the biggest pop culture outputs of our time?? Subconsciously, and even in the tiniest, most fleeting way, typical America, who might not work with or befriend a DSBW in their lives, will see Black women as men. It's okay to push us aside; we get back up. It's okay if we're the breadwinners; we can take it. *If you're ever in trouble, run and find a Black woman. She will help you.* Marina was a memorable character who made two seasons' appearances, and she was eventually rescued. Mrs. Mondrich, along with her husband, comes into money, a payoff for standing by her man--and out of true love! Madame Delacroix? I love a self-made atelier who lives on her own terms. The queen reigns over the ton. Great. They're in the sisterhood and I love them and *begrudge them nothing*. But they are all either biracial or light-skinned. Shondaland goes no darker than caramel in deep winter with speaking, regular characters that we can form an opinion about. The first dark-skinned Black woman we get--and she is an absolute beauty--and she's been gender switched? And I know it's a fantasy; we have to be big girls, turn off our TVs and move on. But DSBW don't even get to exist in that world as a major, feminized character. That's always been withheld from us, and we've always had to be the bigger, more mature, more reasonable person about and just deal.

[@CentralCityCitizenMedia]

"But Lady Danbury is dark-skinned." Yes, and I love a dark-skinned titled dowager woman. I also watched "Queen Charlotte" and while Arsema Thomas, is stuuuuuuning, how does a top-tier beauty only manage to pull a husband who looks like a gremlin? Okay, social pressures, but when she becomes widowed and takes a lover he's just some other old guy?? This is the Bridgerton universe, mind you, which has redefined the glow-up for romantic male characters. It's just another doubling down how society valued DSBW. Her circumstances bordered on rape, and after she survived that, we really only see her sort of mothering the biracial duke and advising other DS women (not African) on navigating Mayfair. Again, we sigh and we deal.

[@Rememberme2305]

Not so gentle reminder since everyone apparently forgot that Marina almost DIED attempting to abort her pregnancy after Penelope outed and ridiculed her on her gossip papers for DAYS. Penelope never apologised to her for it. And then in season 3 the best Pen could own up to that fumble was 'I was misguided' "Misguided" does not even BEGIN to cover that Pen. It's giving Kendall Roy at the end of Succession about his caterer boy "That never happened."

[@Ssloage2]

Oh my god☹️

[@ElizabethNicoleSchwartz]

Unfortunately the homophobia and racism about the Michael to Michaela switch is still very very rampant in comment sections.

[@FullofLit]

that is unfortunately not at all surprising bigotry is a helluva drug

[@ginger_L3]

the possibility of a queer bridgerton romance was the most exciting thing in this season for me looking online to see what others thought was so disappointing

[@katherinealvarez9216]

I was so ready for the actress to be Sophie. But she's Michaela. Now I just want her to have a decent script because she's good. And people just suck. Why do that?

[@gabrielleduplessis7388]

@@katherinealvarez9216i originally expected her to be Sophie too. While I agree that there is racism and homophobia, many were focused on Francesca having Michael’s reaction. It felt disrespectful for Francesca looking like she had a love at first reaction mere minutes after she got married. And many interpret Francesca’s story as being about infertility and latched on to that. Some say it isn’t about that so I am not concerned about that storyline anymore. I just want the essence of the characters to be there and after seeing Francesca have the reaction that Michaela was supposed to have made me feel the essence of the book characters. I also am on the side if Michael was Michael, and Francesca forgot her name and practically hyperventilated over this man mere minutes after her wedding, I would still be mad. So that is why some are mixed with the gender swap. Unfortunately, the critique of the change gets lost through the homophobia and racism. I hates the petitions to replace Michaela. Complaining about the change and not liking it or feeling mixed is one thing, but to harm the actress further by setting up a petition is horrible.

[@maddyelizabeth153]

I don’t agree with the racism or homophobia that is surrounding the changes to these relationships . It’s 2024 and if the writer herself supports it and wants to be more inclusive then let it be. My personal reasons for being disappointed in these changes is that Michael and Francesca’s relationship in the book is my favorite of all of the Bridgerton siblings romances. I don’t like that the moment she met Michaela you could tell that she felt something. In the book, her feelings for Michael and the guilt/conflict that they brought to the story, due to the death of her husband, were so moving. It wasn’t something that Francesca chose, it happened unexpectedly and she ran from it…literally. The back and forth between Michael and Francesca was something that I wanted to see so badly and other than Kate and Anthony’s relationship, in the show 👀, I felt that their relationship would be the most angst filled. I feel that because of the changes to the story and the obvious attraction she already has to Michaela that the relationship will be a disappointment just like Penelope and Collin’s was. As for Benedict, his book was another rendition of Cinderella and I’m sure they can still achieve that, I just don’t want for there to be any more unnecessary love triangles. We already saw the conflict caused by his sexuality in season 3 and there is no need to repeat that when his season does come. They have already cast his love interest and I would like to explore that relationship without any added complications. His book relationship is already unnecessarily complicated as it is and he does a lot of it to himself. No need to add in a homosexual side piece just for fan service. I do hope I’m wrong, but as of now Bridgerton has lost all appeal to me and I expect nothing but disappointment.

[@pinksuperstar2]

You laid out all the issues me and my friend voiced while we were watching it. Season 3 really exposed the massive problems with the writing and the racism that still exists and is very much activated in the fandom. And it breaks my heart. Actually what breaks my heart so much about SImone's treatment behind the scenes, how Kate is so under-used and seems to be an after thought now is the fact after Rege signed off Bridergton after season 1 and there was worries about what was gonna happen next, especially since people weren't liking how the assault scene just swept under the rug, how Marinna was treated and slut-shamed, Simone and Jonathon came and saved the series. They- along with Charithra Chandran-carried season 2 on their BACKS. Kathony/Kanthony was the best example of enemies to lovers I've seen in so long where it wasn't toxic, there wasn't a power imbalance, the bantering was so so good, and THE SEXUAL TENSION WAS THERE. Kate Sharma and her family brought so many fans into the fandom. Kathony/Kanthony brought so many fans in. If you have Anthony, you need Kate. If you have Jonathon, you need Simone. And I'm getting so tired with how production and the writers are acting like SImone/Kate are an after-thought.

[@tamtaz2001]

Could not agree more on the horrible handling of the Whistledown resolution & Colin’s lack of development sort of tanking the season. The Mary Sue’ing of Penelope/the Whistledown plot was made significantly more egregious by your observation about Penelope & Cressida. They navigate the Ton in the exact same way: one of them is just a loud, in your face bully while the other hides her bullying behind a gossip rag. For one to be banished to parts unknown for her actions while the other gets some gaslight, girlboss pat on the head and a HEA for her actions was actually atrocious. Also, the writers had 2 seasons to give Colin the same development they’ve given Eloise & Benedict, but they didn’t and then scrambled to figure out how to truly flesh him out in his feature season. They failed, and he fell flat in his season as a result.

[@aliiciia555]

My problem with Colin was that I felt him being over his anger in 7-8 was rushed and that from then his jealousy took over and this is why he is acting like it, out of pure jealousy. I don't think that arc was handled well. If he said something like: I love you, I just need time to process, my anger cannot be overpowered by my love... It would have been fine. But him distancing himself without communicating about it... Stop making characters reactivating each other's trauma ( Marina-entrapment, distance - feeling unloved - Pen's home life, Colin's feeling used)! Plus I hated that they stopped communicating with each other after the wedding. Miscommunication and zero communication are my pet peeves I hate them. Why can't the writers just let Pen and Colin talk their problems through verbally or in letters? I'm so sick of couples who can't talk to each other. On the other hand, the LW issue is deeper for me, not just a thing needs to be let go, even if it's more negative than positive. LW is a part of Pen's personality and by asking her to give it up, he was asking her to cut out a part of her identity. I don't think he realised it. Being in a relationship, any relationship requires full acceptance from both sides. ( The inside out 2 movie kind of show how I feel about LW and Pen.) I cackled when Pen said she was captivated by them. Because girl you weren't. Stop rewriting it. They bullied her, she bullied them back, not because they amused her but the exact opposite.

[@InternetsPedestrian]

Colin definitely is not a well rounded character, we have no solid character traits like we had for daphne or Anthony and worse we see nothing about how his father's death relates to his current relationship like we did previously. Like for me the main draw of the Bridgerton siblings is seeing how their parents great love and tragedy affected them and their ability to be in relationships.

[@elle8786]

Colin felt like such a side character. For the main male lead, he was so satellite I can't actually describe him with anything other than 'Penelope's hype man'. And I think a good change the show could have made would have been for Penelope to have responded to Cressida's blackmail with 'You know what, I'm going to retire, you take the reward money and the fall.' And then left if so no one finds out, and saved 'everyone learns who Whistledown really is' for another season. You know, make it one of those unnecessary subplots this show is so fond of...

[@aggelikisss8949]

Personally, I don’t like Polin (neither as a ship nor as individual characters) but I still wanted to see if they could make me root for them like they did with Anthony. Yet 3 seasons in and we still don’t know Colin. 3 seasons in and Penelope has not been held accountable. Colin is rake all of a sudden and Penelope is a girlboss who has talked shit about everyone including the queen and yet everything is resolved by the magic power of love and friendship in one scene. Not a single flashback to show them actually being friends instead of pen having an unrequited crush. Colin just coming to the realization that he’s in love with her out of nowhere??? What? Eloise and Cressida being handled so poorly despite how interesting their dynamic was and Eloise dropping her in 5 seconds. Francesca finally having a storyline but getting overshadowed by this whole debate on her sexuality, essentially making John seem useless after spending the entire season making us root for them. Kanthony’s storyline being about having a baby and we don’t even get to see the baby because they ship them to India without a farewell, without being at Francesca’s wedding, without even knowing that pen is lady whistledown. Benedict just vibing and doing whatever for the 3rd season in a row completely forgetting his story last season. The worst thing is ,though , that as long as people in this fandom police your opinion and the very valid criticisms that a lot of people have I don’t thing they’ll change their approach and in typical shondaland fashion they’ll continue to fumble. Another thing! If they make the mistake of not bringing Simone back the backlash will be huge. Not only because of how popular and loved Kate and Kanthony are but also because HOW does a production fumble the first 2 very fan favorite poc leads so bad? AND still pride themselves on the show’s diversity, while simultaneously not providing any protection to any of the poc actors ESPECIALLY Masali. The racial and homophobic abuse she has been receiving FOR MONTHS and the production not saying a word? Only Hannah, Simone and Jonny standing up for her? Honesty if they keep this up is there even a reason to continue with the rest of the seasons? They don’t know how to write happy couples or resolve drama in a non rushed way, the pacing is off, everyone is acting out of character, they keep contradicting themselves, they can’t treat their actors right and at this point why waste time on getting invested in the leads each season if they write them off anyways? How will I get invested in Benophie knowing that they don’t even know what to do with the literal heads of the household who still have a big amount of book material unused? If they can’t give Kanthony a story after getting married what could they give to Polin and Benophie? They have proved time and time again that they can’t or don’t want to fix the issues fans point out, choose to antagonize their audience instead and treat their actors like shit. How long will this be viable? Personally, I hope Benophie gets an incredible season ( people have been fighting for their lives for the production to FINALLY give Benedict his season) but I became a fan because of Simone and if she leaves it won’t be the same for me…

[@emmadickey5602]

I feel exactly the same about Francesca's upcoming queer storyline. I love the potential, I really love Micaela and her one line. But Francesca and John are so sweet. And Francesca's book was such a lovely look at learning to love again - and love differently. I don't want her relationship with John to be erased. But very excited for Francesca's season (if Bridgerton is still going 2 or 3 seasons from now).

[@glorysusanne]

ALMOST 40 MINUTES OF DARIA YAPPING 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️

[@FullofLit]

and there was even more footage i cut 🤭 i just refuse to shut up lmao

[@Youknowwhoyounopoo]

@@FullofLitrelease the unedited version, girl! We missed you around here!

[@garlantyrell6368]

Season 3 could have been better, but the writers did a really good job on the Featherington family storyline. Portia, Prudence, and Philippa received some really good character development this season and I really loved how the ending showed how they were finally able to come together as a family. Philippa saying how her own daughter can become a writer when she grows up really shows how she’s started to adore and value Penelope more. And I loved how Prudence cried at Polin’s wedding(cause she also cried too), showing that she is happy for her sister in the end. And the Featherington husbands were hilarious this season. Mr. Finch and Philippa’s relationship is so cute. Side note: Since I think it’s confirmed that Portia will be coming back in season 4, I think she’ll have a rivalry with Araminta like they had in the books as a side story. That’ll be fun to see.

[@munaamakihe1148]

What kind of rivalry did Portia and Araminta have?

[@dilsedesi1704]

​@@munaamakihe1148just maid and workers war. Araminta stole one of Portia's maid but she comes back to Featheringtons after some time as she could not handle the Torture bu Araminta. This all is through Lady Whistledown's paper.

[@crystalwarren6992]

I think by making Pen younger the writers set her up as a villian through shoddy writing . She literally starts LW before The Ton "ignores or bullies" her..LW is published literally after the 1st Ball. Unlike the books where she's actually had a history of bullying and spinsterhood

[@crystalwarren6992]

the Ton has never bullied her. Only Cressida (once) and her sisters do this and none of them are the subject of her worst LW actions ..instead she targets people who have shown her kindness but ones she is jealous of

[@gabrielleduplessis7388]

A) it makes no sense that Kathany did not have a wedding. At the point of time they could have it, would have the happiest one, in my opinion. I agree with people about how cool it would be to see an Indian wedding and them going around the block thing (sorry for forgetting the name for it) seven times. I get waiting until season 3 for the baby, but we needed the wedding. B) I hated how they sidelined Polin (and yes I say that about Kate and Kathany) and over dramatized the LW plot and I also felt the book was constantly ignored. After seeing so many suggestions about what they wanted for Penelope, Colin, and Polin, those suggestions were literally in the dang book. You have a reference Jess and Netflix, use them. C) I wish they gave more emotional growth with Bendetict. I think Tilly and Paul should have been introduced together and Bendetict realizing he is intrigued by both during their conversations. I also wanted his art to take more of a stance. Have Anthony’s words play inside his head every time he picks up a paintbrush or pencil. Maybe he bumps into an art school student who tells him he should come back, but Bendetict refuses. There, you have him being aimless without using him as a sex doll. D) i feel they had the time for Polin, but they dedicated it to 3 more additional subplots that we did not need. The other ones felt like continuations to the previous seasons. And a lot of that time was used for repetitive scenes that weren’t needed at all. Use that to develop the main characters, not the side ones.

[@Beyoncesinternet]

I didn't like that the Whistledown reveal was done after the proposal but the audience was waiting for the ball to drop the entire time. The main problem with the second half is that Penelope is defending Whistledown as her voice or her talent, but everyone is looking at it as just a column. Then the writing doesn't allow her to voice that her issue is mostly with people telling her to forget and leave behind a part of her personality. Then theres Colin hating Whistledown which should've been established after the marina situation rather than it be the main blockage in this season's romance. the thing that made colin unique was that he was such a lover boy and him struggling with Whistledown was fine but all his emotions about Whistledown were internal and it shouldn't have been

[@Eden_Rivers]

This is my take on the Francesca/Michael/Michaela story. I haven't read the books, so all of my knowledge of Francesca's character comes from the show. Although I do believe I watched a video here that mentioned the character of Michael, his name is not one that would have registered for me. So during the scene when Francesca and Michaela meet, the entire "twist" went completely over my head. I did clock two things: 1. I found it strange that John brought his cousin over to meet his new bride and his cousin immediately looks her up and down and asks who she is. They didn't have a quick conversation where John mentioned he just got MARRIED? 2. Francesca's reaction to Michaela made NO SENSE to me. I remembering thinking we knew she was shy, but why is she freaking out? Again, totally over my head. After a bit, I did the Professor Google and found out about the Michael/Michaela twist. Once I had that information, the plot twist still didn't make sense to me, and I blame this on the popular offense of Netflix rushing through their resolutions. The whole scene was too fast. We needed more time for this. Girl just got married five minutes ago, we have had zero inclination that she had any attraction to women, and she's taken aback by this character? Even if this character was Michael, I still find it strange. John was standing right there. She's not even started her honeymoon phase, and her head was turned that fast? I think the entire introduction would have been better if it had been at the beginning of the next season, and given the newlyweds some time to be married and in love. Getting to know each other. Maybe she finds out married life isn't what she thought it would be? Then I feel that the payoff of Fran being attracted to someone else may be slightly more believable. I think some of the negative reaction of this comes from the chatter before this season dropped, after the Charlotte season had aired. The compliant being that the show was able to rewrite history and give us black characters in the Ton, but the gay characters were still hiding in the shadows. Fair arguments. So there is something that makes me wonder if the team was responding to these complaints by giving us this plot change, and I think fans are also wondering if they can make this work because it's not authentic to the character. Again, I haven't read the books, so maybe it is. But there is something about it that feels like this is result of a meeting where they're asking, "Who can we swap for a gay character?" Maybe they didn't and more thought went into it, but I think that the Brimsely/Reynolds felt organic from the beginning. And seriously, if they don't tell us what happened to Reynolds in a second Charlotte season I'm going to cry.

[@ncz7]

This is so true. You cannot erase the fact that there are rude and homophobic people, however it's not the case with brimsley and reynolds they are very much celebrated because it felt organic and not forced and its an original character. Unlike in francesca's story that's been established for years and loved for years. Why would yoi changed such a popular favorite character then expect people to just accept it. This is what Jenna Ortega said weeks ago she dont like genderswapping characters like James Bond and make him to "Jamie Bond", she wants to have original stories for women thats empowering rather than stealing or changing an IP (intellectual property). Hollywood keeps on doing this shit for i think a decade now. And look now we dont have much original stories everything is adaptation. Going back to francesca no matter changing gender will never be the same to the story of her book. Especially the main plot point of second chance in love, Two great loves, infertility and wanting to be a mother plot will be changed completely.

[@Eden_Rivers]

@@ncz7 Oooh, see again, I didn't read the books so I didn't even know about the infertility thing. Interesting. Huh.

[@ncz7]

@@Eden_Rivers yes, that's why people have strong emotions for this change. The gender is pivotal to their story as well. For me francesca is not the best choice to carry the sapphic storyline because it doesnt make sense to her story at all. Thats why many people want eloise be one cuz her book really sucks and least favorite.

[@burnt-croissants]

@@ncz7 you shouldn’t equate the fondness for brimsley and reynolds to the francesca and michaela relationship, especially for shows with a primarily female audience. straight men love the fetishize lesbian women and straight women love to fetishize gay men (because they can just self-insert themselves into these fantasies). that is why so many people who watch bridgerton immediately was against michaela, but are fine with brimsley x reynolds. if you want further proof of this sentiment, you have to look no further than the sales and success metrics of mlm romance books compared to f/f romance books, or even m/m movies produced and made compared to f/f romance movies produced and made.

[@ibuprofriends]

this season + them trying to get rid of simone = me done with this show lmao. i started watching for kate sharma and to kick her out when she clearly wants to return doesn’t sit right with me.

[@silviafaraone01]

Same here. If they keep disrespecting Simone, I won't watch this show even though I'm really sorry to abandon it now that there will be the season of my second favourite couple after Kanthony. Unfortunately I don't bear disrespects and the way they make huge differences in the promotion of coloured actors compared to white ones, is really unbearable.

[@hockeygrrlmuse]

I do think a lot of the underlying issues with the writing stemmed from the problems I have with the vast majority of the romance genre. So much conflict is just miscommunication and nothing deeper. So many arguments are just fixed with sex. I thought it was such a good idea to delve more into the drama and consequences of Lady Whistledown, but then they absolutely fumbled the reveal by making it into a girlboss arc. They wanted to give Cressida more depth, but then they clawed back all possible growth for her because it incovenienced the rest of the timeline. They made more than enough changes to piss off the book purist weirdos, but then they chickened out on making any kind of risky creative & emotional decisions, so it all falls apart. I'm never going to watch S1, I really like S2, and I don't think I'll bother rewatching S3. Who knows what the future holds? I applaud the chances this production team have taken so far, but I'm not optimistic about the future.

[@silviafaraone01]

Welcome back Daria❤️, best wishes for your new chapter of life. Having said that, I start by saying that I have never been a Polin fan and I don't think I will ever be, just as I will never understand why the Featherington family has been given too much space to the detriment of the protagonists of S2 and in S3 to the detriment of the different characters who deserved to be further explored. I think the only thing I appreciated was the evolution of Pen's relationship with Portia, because I saw the human side of a mother who basically always wanted only the best for her daughters because she didn't want them to have unhappy marriages like hers. This season has a lot of problems, more than the previous ones, because if in the first and second there are elements that make them the best (the first for the management of the main story and all the other characters, and the second is made number 1 thanks to Kanthony) the third has amplified all the problems that in the first two we could also put aside because there are elements that save them, as I said, problems that you have exposed very well both in this video and in the previous one. My Number 1 with this show: I'm tired of the lack of respect that the production has for Simone A and Jonathan B, because during the announcement of the S3 cast it happened that they had forgotten to add S&J even though we already knew that they would return. This time instead they only announced the confirmed cast "So Far" and on Shondaland Jonny is missing but Simone and on Netflix Tudum both are missing. I don't think it's a random oversight, because it's been 3 years now that the production gives little consideration to Kanthony compared to total white couples, but this doesn't make it a correct thing to do.

[@silviafaraone01]

Simone is the only actress who supported Masali (Michaela) but literally no one speakes about the unequal treatment that mixed leads have unlike white leads in this show… thankfully now many blogs are reporting this situation, the hypocrisy of the production that plays a sort of double game, making people believe that they focus on inclusion, but then they make a miserable production for Simone and Jonny, while they have given everyone else a huge promotion... I hope that Simone will return despite the obvious lack of respect, because I can't imagine Jonny coming back alone and because I can’t and refute to imagine Anthony without his Kate and I want to see them as parents (their baby is the future heir, Lord Bridgerton) and heads of the family. Their role is the most important in these shows and in the Bridgerton family and this must be remembered to the production. Brimsely, Alice Mondrich and Mrs Varley have been promoted to regular characters while Lady Kate Viscountess Bridgerton is still in the balance and this is unacceptable. If they don't want to see an irremediable collapse of audience, they must bring Simone back to the set.

[@faeriequeen882]

I didn’t really like the switch from Michael to Michaela. I wouldn’t have cared if she had originally been Michaela in the book but making a drastic change like that especially for a story like Francesca’s where her story does hinder on Michael being a man wasn’t a good choice. That being said I have absolutely nothing against the actress and have heard bits and pieces of the back lash she has been facing and it is appalling and she does not deserve it. I know that the change in Michael’s gender was due to an input from one of the show runners I think who saw herself in the character and wanted to make her queer. When creating a book, tv show, movie, ect, it is very normal for people to sometimes impart a bit of themselves in the story’s or the characters but when it comes to making a show I feel like it’s different because your working with multiple people, you need to think and consider multiple people, not just one person. I feel like you should not make such a big change purely for yourself, you need to think of everyone especially when your show is an adaptation of an already written story and it is not yours to change. I’ve heard mixed news about the author of the Bridgerton series opinion on the change, so I actually don’t know how much say she had over the decision to change Michael’s character or how she feels about it. If they wanted to make a Lesbian love story I am unsure why they didn’t make new characters to add to the show, they’ve done it before with Theo, Lady Tilly, or just make an original show set in the Victorian era centred around a lesbian couple, I could see that being very popular and I would definitely watch it and enjoy it. However what’s done is done and we cannot do anything about it, I don’t like the change but they’re not going to do anything about it so there’s no point in pondering on it. I am sorry if I have offended anyone, it was not my intention. I have nothing against the actress and I hope this disgusting behaviour towards her stops as it is not warranted or necessary.

[@elliebell2317]

I feel the same way about the introduction of Michaela. I'm on board with her being a woman, and that actress can get it. My complaint lies with Francesca's reaction to meeting her. All that time spent explaining love doesn't have to make you tongue-tied just for her to meet Michaela and get tongue-tied. But what's worse, it makes her love for John seem less pure. Imagine you got married, and the next day, your new spouse is having feelings for someone else. It makes me sad for John. It also ruins the dynamic from the book of Michael pining after Francesca and her seeing him as her friend and falling in love with him later. If Francesca is already having feelings for Michaela, their jokes and long walks seem less innocent and their friendship less genuine. I'm going to try to remain optimistic though. If they could turn that abusive asshole Book Anthony into my beloved Show Anthony, who knows what else they're capable of.

[@atrixsea]

I agree with all your takes the other thing bridgerton suffers from is the lack of eps, 8 isn’t enough to really drive deep into all plot lines. Also main thing with Colin is that he believes that’s he has to be of service in order to be loved. Hence how he reacts in trying to help pen during the blackmail.

[@alicia-bq2zt]

Season 3 was NOT friends with the show don't tell rule and i think that harmed it a lot. I'm holding onto hope for s4 tho because of Luke Thompson lead and also him and Yerin having had chemistry tests during auditions (I also love her and think she's going to be the perfect Sophie!)

[@ZeinaIan]

I really hope they go back to the old makeup and costuming, cause that was my biggest gripe with this season. Benedict is my favourite character so I really hope that next season is good.

[@InternetsPedestrian]

What ! You're telling me you didnt like Penelope's totally out of place and not flattering girlboss red lipstick

[@ZeinaIan]

@@InternetsPedestrian About as much as I liked her acrylic nails. 😆

[@sk3lut]

I felt so lost watching part 2 of season 3. Like I remember being so confused cause so much was happening, after episode 5 everything just went full speed throwing in so much that I couldn’t keep up. By the time Colin found out about Penelope’s identity as LW I didn’t even realize we we’re already at the end of the episode. I was super disappointed with how they handled Colin too, I did not feel any connection to him despite him being the male lead, even during his love speeches. Granted- they were touching and I did like his last declaration in the final episode, it really didn’t hit for me like Anthonys or Daphnes. I’m not a fan of the new show runner at all, season 3 gave anything but Bridgerton. It gave Jess’s fan-fiction Bridgerton edition. Hope they go back to the roots and aesthetic of season 1 and 2. Even better, bring back the original show runner.

[@aliiciia555]

I'm sending you a virtual hug ❤❤ I hope everything gets better❤❤

[@FullofLit]

thank you so much and i hope so too 💕

[@theyapperconvention]

oh my gosh exactlyyyyy you have perfectly articulated how I have felt about this season for so long like you took the words out of my mouth. I remember being so disappointed as days passed without the Bridgerton team saying something or standing up for their actors of color until I realized it wasn't even the first time so why would they bother now. It is so disheartening to see that from the fandom but mostly from the show for having said absolutely nothing. With Kanthony and the whole possibility of having Kate not there.... it's stupid sorry. Do you mean to tell me that the man who couldn't spend a few minutes away from Kate all through season 3 will be there without his wife please stop playing in my face. I still have hope for season 4 though because **insert heart eyes* Benedict. Anyway I absolutely enjoyed this video and your takes as always.

[@sophie12388]

I still feel very disconnected from season 3 it just wasn’t as good as season 2 and just felt the chemistry wasn’t quite there or there just wasn’t enough screen time for the leads. I’m hopeful for Benedict’s season just a shame we have to wait such a long time for it. Also have you seen Maxton Hall?

[@wyldweaverandwyrm]

I feel the same way as you about this season. I was so excited and it was just disappointing. It definitely feels like the production dropped Michaela's actor in it, they put her right in the end for such a brief moment and then just left it. And they haven't done much to support her and it feels really horrible that she's going to have to deal with this for 4-6 years potentially until Francesca's season. I really like her and think she'll be excellent, although I do wish that they hadn't implied that Francesca doesn't feel much for John, second love is so rare for romance and I really hope they keep that element.

[@thoughtsofaleo2916]

oof yeah I'm feeling a lot of the things you are with this show. I want to be excited for s4 with even more Asian rep (like I love that 2/4 seasons have Asian leads!), but at the same time, the fandom (and bridgerton's lack of response to it) and the way they're handling these plotlines are really soured a lot of my enjoyment. I do hope they see the valid complaints and concerns and address them, but I'm really not holding my breath here :/ also I hope you're able to recover the data on your harddrive! I've been there before and it absolutely sucks to go through.

[@notevenfunny_]

They should got back to their roots and release season 4 on Christmas Day 2025

[@notevenfunny_]

Or by the very least March 25th (season 2 release day).

[@FullofLit]

i believe it was said that season 4 is going to be set (partially if not entirely) in the fall which would be a dream

[@Cosmic_Solace]

I want to add that if I think of the technical and costume design of this season, I know it is a fantasy series and it's not that deep, but it didn't feel like a period drama atmosphere like it did in the first two seasons. The makeup was too modern and bold for the 1800s, just compare Daphne or Edwina to Fran or Pen, the surroundings of the town at night, and even the homes, looked they were lit by electric lamps instead of oil ones. It felt so uncanny valley sometimes. There was a zooming out shot that was used multiple times, it looked ridiculous. And finally, during the mirror scene, why were the actors blurred out like a filter, and shown at these extremely awkward angles? Is it to compensate because Pen is not as slim as Daphne or Kate? If so, that is ridiculous too, as Nicola is a gorgeous woman who deserved better. So many things went wrong with this season.

[@SkippyLaughlin]

Even though Kanthony had sweet adorable scenes I wanted Kate's backstory and to meet Neddy Eddy. Why only 3 episodes and they're barely in episodes 5 and 7. It's a joke I didn't care about anyone else. Only Francesca and John. So I hated the show when I realized Kanthony was barely in it and only watched s3. If Polin was written by CVD and Colin wasn't a Tatified turd I would have watched. But he looked bad amd was cold and gross towards Penelope. She may be problematic but she deserved genuine love and ethereal styling Daphne and Edwina had. Nicola is just as ethereal as Charithra, Claudia, and Phoebe just a bit curvier. And the styling did her dirty. She kinda looked like a cautesan rather than an elegant youthful aristocratic lady. And the costumes they gave Kate was abysmal. Except for the was woth th2 orange Spemcer jacket.

[@HungryEyes-sl3mu]

S3 really could've been this great grounding season for the Bridgerton family if the writers had've given us a handful of flashbacks showing Penn and Colin's relationship growing from start to present. It would've given Colin some much needed facets, and probably could've flashed out some of the other siblings. I'd say the addition of two more episodes and releasing a full season at once instead of the split seasons would've made a world of difference.

[@gabs9653]

I feel the same with Whistledown. If they wanted fluffy/unrealistic resolution to that storyline they shouldn't make it such a big deal to the characters! Eloise holding the grudge for so long, not wanting to talk to Pen to let her explain, Colin suddenly hating Whistledown and having such a big reaction to the reveal. If they would make Eloise and Pen reconcile on their own (because they miss and love each other) after a heartfelt talk, if Colin would figure it out himself - Pen anxious and stressed and Colin just says babe we exchanged letters, I know your writting style, I know your type of humour, I know you can be vicious I KNOW YOU. Then the nonsense at the end where everybody claps wouldn't feel so out of place. But they have dramadramadrama for the whole season to just end with 'actually nevermind :)'

[@DariaElGrellPozina]

I feel a lot of it. I think season 3 REALLY fucked up with the resolution and as we've seen with legendary fumbles like Game of Thrones that is really all that matters in the end. I loved part 1, the romance and the pining and the tension were all great, romcom was swoony and cute. Part 2 was just a plane crush, made worse by the wait. Pacing? Horrid. Dismissal of the quiet love between Fran and John? Baffling. Polin spending 60% of it fighting? Hated it, one of the reasons I'm not rewatching season 1. Eloise being the worst friend to everyone? Blackmailing Pen after she already agreed to her demands, not even giving her full 48 hours to confess with months until the wedding and then going "oh, I shouldn't intrude" as soon as shit hits the fan? Being friends with Cressida and understanding her situation, witnessing how cruel her family is- only to do a full 180 the second Cressida is inconvenient? I fkn hate Eloise, she's entitled, selfish, always thinks she's better than everyone else and never suffers consequences of any of her actions. Even Whistledown's "reveal" about her last season did literally nothing, she didn't like to be in the ton anyway and her family's too reputable to suffer because of her. Benedict's whole arc being shoved into part 2 doesn't help anything. Colin surely looked like he was struggling with inner conflict (and I'd disagree that he's a blank character, I think they did successfully showed his hero complex for 3 seasons, but it can also be argued that they did not since so many ppl didn't notice it), and it would be neat if he had any screentime or friends to express it to before the final 15 minutes. I especially agree that the 8 episode format is killing the show, along with conflict resolution in the last 20 minutes (they did that IN ALL THREE SEASONS), especially since someone from the production said they don't understand why would anyone want to just see the characters being peacefully happy? What? And then there's the fact that the first season their female love interest is not runway model sized they put everyone in heavy makeup? That instead of just lowering her bustline to the correct position, they made almost all of her dresses sinched at the waist too? Sure, it can be argued that it just immitates the anachronistic silhouette of Portia, but does it? Yes, I agree, Nicola looks great, but that's also because thinner waist has almost always been in style, SAVE FOR THE EMPIRE PERIOD (and later the 1920s). Yeah, they added Miss Kenworthy (the only other young lady of a bigger size in the ton, let's see if season 4 is gonna keep up the diversity or just drop the pretense they care) to seemingly argue that it wasn't her figure that repelled the suitors but her attitude. And her being the only female lead clothed in the post-conflict bed scene? I hope it's just for her comfort, and we saw her fully in the mirror scene, but like, no sexy back like Phoebe and Simone? I know none of it might've been explicitly fatphobic, but sure seems like at the very least internalised fatphobia. And I'm not saying any of it out of weird voyeristic fascination with Nicola or to police how she can look or be on camera. She looked gorgeous the whole time, even before the "glowup". But if Pen's look wasn't the problem, why did it have to be changed SO MUCH? Like a plus sized girlie who never sees her own body type appreciated in the romantic shows, that was still a breath of fresh air, even with a few farts added. I just wish the show would stop getting in it's own way and adjust according to the show's growth, ESPECIALLY when it comes to growing fandom where they seemingly want the progressives AND the conservatives.

[@anawelterr]

You are so right about the Whistledown thing, the way they handled all that was just... As someone that was looking foward to these season I was so desapointed when the second part came out, everything seemed so rush and they wasted so much time on other characters rather than the main couple too. I wish they had followed the book order so we could build on the angst and the pining.

[@bl1776]

To me the series talked about topics that were so rarely adressed. - Forgiving someone even though you don't like what they done, and what it takes to keep friendships. Aging with people, making mistakes, but realizing that love endures. Eloise learned so much, had interesting things to say, and i loved when she talked with Colin about wanting to forgive Penelope - Reinventing what masculinity is when you are not a support person. What does it mean to have a goal and be second to your wife ? If you've been taught that you have to protect, but your partner is perfectly well doing it on their own. I feel like it is a very current problem that men haven't solved, and I like the show runners giving their take on it, even though the end speech lacked subtlety.

[@suelyons531]

Totally agree. I honestly thought the writers did Colin dirty. Some parts were very nice but nothing like the previous 2 seasons.

[@intotheunknown6736]

I maintain that the story, especially in regard to Colin, would have benefited from flashbacks. In both s1 & 2 we had flashbacks to younger Anthony and Simon and I think that really helped round them as characters. Also, Daphne and Colin's friendship was so pivotal to both characters, I feel losing that dynamic from the book, seeing as they are the closest in age, really hurt Colin's arc.

[@aliiciia555]

I agree with the Featherington women take, even though I find the reconciliation a little bit cheap, I think they should have do something more with Portia, like introducing that she was raised by a Mother just like her and without realising it she became her own Mother, this is why she treated Pen like this. I mean them recognising their similarities doesn't erase years of emotional neglect and verbal abuse. I needed a little bit more, like this generational trauma head canon of mine.

[@callmecristal]

I have high hopes for Benedict and Sophie! I hope producers LISTEN to the criticism of the fans and change some things to make the show over all better!!

[@LoLovesLife]

I honestly had no idea about the Michael/Michaela change until the discourse started online. By the last few episodes I had gotten so frustrated with the lack of Polin screen time that I started fast forwarding through basically all of the scenes that didn't have them in it including the Francesca/Michael scenes because I found them very interesting. I just feel like the show has gone so far from the spirit of season 1. I decided about halfway through season 3 that I was done with Bridgerton after this. I'm happy for everyone who's been cast for next season and hopefully they find success but I won't be tuning in.

[@Jor-don808]

One of the disappointments I found around this season is how important conversations about why people won't like Pen were covered up by her weight.

[@Rememberme2305]

This. There's this scary tribalism when it comes to this character imo. Not only Ruby Barker has experienced some truly weird and creepy behaviour from Penelope's stans. People I know and myself (predominantly WoC) have received ragebait, racist hatemails accusing us of being fatphobic, and occasional death threats for having valid criticisms of Pen's harmful and at times racist actions as LW.

[@thulaganyo.modise]

@@Rememberme2305 racist? please elaborate on that one.

[@Rememberme2305]

@@thulaganyo.modise In season 1, Penelope has been describing Simon with racially motivated language. Season 2 episode 2, Whistledown wrote about Kate, a complete stranger, a dark-skinned Indian woman as "prickly spinster of a beast". That's racist.

[@APerezSoprano]

You woke up and decided to say FACTS. S3 left me so unsatisfied. S2 is my fav but I know it’s flawed and hoped s3 would somehow get better writing but hell no, it was so much worse. Also it’s so stupid to have Anthony back but no Kate. I know the timeline in Bridgerton is confusing they have them shipped to India and then coming back with a newborn baby?? Or worse having Anthony leaving Kate in India with their child??? Anthony would rather chop an arm than to do that. So confusing Also I need someone to talk about the way Simone Ashley has been treated ever since she got cast.

[@munaamakihe1148]

I don't think they would leave Kate and the baby alone in India, they will probably say she is at Aubrey Hall with their child.

[@thulaganyo.modise]

@@APerezSoprano This!! I can bring up her abysmal treatment on this show and we need more people to wake up the conversation about her treatment since being in Bton because it’s insane. More people even from the GA were agreeing but it needs more traction.

[@APerezSoprano]

@@munaamakihe1148 yeah probably. This show has an insane timeline because it would take them so long to travel to India and back that s4 would realistically have to be a few years later. Maybe a time jump? Or if Simone is indeed not in s4 perhaps Jonny will be in a flashback of Benedicts?

[@APerezSoprano]

@@thulaganyo.modise yess a lot of people don’t know this!

[@coriw2366]

I never post comments on pretty much anything on the internet, but I had to comment on this to say YESSSSSS. I agree with 98% of you said. If I could sum up a lot of what you said, the Bridgerton writers care more about drama than they do about romance. Obviously there needs to be some drama to keep things interesting, but not so much that it hurts the romance. Ugh!

[@raymay7712]

so this is my take on the whole francesca situation, particurlalry: i feel like francesca has to be bi, not because i dont want her to be a lesbian, but so her story makes sense. the point of francesca arch is all about leaning to love again and allowing yourself to do so even if you already had a great love story, so she has to love john, it is part of her as character. i know they could change it for the show and all, but i feel like it would disrespect her character and the beautiful writting they did for them as a couple. i am also a book lover and have no problem with michaela as long as they dont forget that francesca loved jonh as well.

[@nakaibrown9206]

For anyone who doesn’t really understand Colin as a character, I would recommend you to watch Sammy Bates Colin Bridgerton Character Analysis. She does a great job of examining who Colin is, his struggles, his flaws, etc. It’s long but I think it’s worth it and helped me have a greater appreciation for Colin.

[@GotLostProductions]

I just wanna condole with you over your hard drive woes! I wrecked a memory card halfway through my first ever overseas trip in 2007 and have zero photos of at least two months’ worth of travelling and I’m still mad about it.

[@fe-real]

This is why I couldn't even bring myself to watch your video about Sophie and Benedict, because my soul is DONE with Bridgerton right now. I don't see how they expect me to take Benedict's love life seriously in Season 4, when they have given the audience ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to work with... Luke Thompson being hot? Bi-inclusion? This is all...They ripped his character to shreds (he spent most of this ENTIRE show with his young siblings or in various beds) and now we're expected to care about him falling in love? Huh?! I don't even know HOW they'll handle him falling in love with the "help", cause listen! In the book, the "Be my mistress" mindset had me fuming many times! The things the series chooses to highlight/change/trash about each character is so ridiculous to me! They do these actors so wrong! Nicola and Luke had to drain blood out of rocks with their acting ability to make up for their characters crappy writing that started in Season 1 already. The Marina storyline almost ruined Colin and Penelope both! Why?!!! so we could introduce and possibly redeem Sir Philip (the worst male lead in all of Bridgerton) and then on the flipside... The opera-singer had no bearing on Kanthony's storyline AT ALL... Is that what's about to happen? Benedict sees a girl in a mask and all of a sudden nothing that we've seen in the past seasons matter? Him breaking up with a woman, because of commitment-issues doesn't matter? Truth is... I'm TIRED!

[@munaamakihe1148]

I don't understand why you all are harsh on Sir Philip, he was terrible in the books like all male leads but in the show he seems like a sweet person.

[@daniellaaa24]

If Bridgerton was made in the early 2000 Penelope would've been arrested😂 and in front of everyone at a ball Then Collin would have no choice but to bail her out, BREAK HER OUT, or stand by his woman at trial😂 it would've been so dramatic a whole fanfic

[@mc-ge2bt]

I posted this on another site but I no longer believe the writers of the show actually like the books. I think they read them and decided to "correct" them through their own eye and its absolutely awful. I haven't liked the show since season 2 because the rewrites drove me nuts and then they changed the order and now they are changing the entire storylines. Nope. Sorry Shondaland, this isn't good.. its actually pretty bad.

[@AH-sg8bn]

Miss slayer you make the best reviews. You touch on every point that needs to be touched!!! it makes me so satisfied likeeeee. ugh! ate as always.

[@strawbsbloobs]

The thing that honestly ruined season 3 for me is that their relationship was like, 8% cute and 92% crying. They are cute characters who started out friends! (admittedly, I didn't read the book so had no notion what was going to happen, but Netflix likes to change stuff so *shrug*) I really wanted to see them build things up from friend to more, be sweet and tentative together testing the boundaries of their relationship, which is a different flavor of romantic buildup that I thought would be fun after the sexy-smouldering first 2 seasons. I know Bridgerton has to have drama, and I was expecting it, but build them up happy first! ... like, their first kiss was Penelope crying and sniffling "will you please kiss me just so I can have one kiss in my life" like GIRL and he's all, "ooh she's hot, she was just crysniffling through our makeout, that's hot" excuse me NO SIR and then it was like 2 seconds of cute flirt-coaching scenes, which was such an underused trope if they were going to do it, and then back to sad crying for basically the rest of the season (also the Polin development was not helped by having too many couples and splitting focus too much this season)

[@KLoveDawgs]

I could have used 80% less Mondrich side quest, 20% less Cressida, 20% less Benedict aimlessness, and 60% less Lord Anderson (who won't even be in S4 WTF?). That time should have gone to developing a Pen and Colin attraction and the relationship with Colin and his siblings. How did they get to that house so fast?! Why was the money was still hidden under the floor in her old bedroom?! Repeating outfits in Ep 8 was so distracting. Continuity completely abandoned.

[@jcgardenia]

Sis, the face you made over the lack of a Kanthony wedding was the same face I made. The villainy and the audacity.

[@yellowbag14]

Whole-heartedly agree with everything you said! This season just came off as very superficial (which to be fair, no one's really watching Bridgerton for depth, I suppose), but it just seemed egregiously so this time around. Colin suddenly be pushed on us as writer and this self-sacrificing person when in reality he is a dude on a perpetual gap year, and of course the "and then they all clapped" speech at the end. Nothing felt earned. Also, side note, have you watched My Lady Jane? I would love to see your reaction to it. It's a fun time and the leads' chemistry was absolute fire. Like Kanthony levels.

[@celly589]

The show has just lost its charm, spark and romance. It’s clearly becoming more of an ensemble show which is very disappointing considering the heart of it should be the romance. Usually I can’t tell when a show gets a new showrunner but for Bridgerton it is painfully obvious. Even the way it’s shot compared to season one is so much less cinematic and beautiful. I don’t really have high hopes moving forward but I’ll continue to watch because I’m too sucked in at this point.

[@ritzee13]

If you make Daria hate Brigerton, you know you fu***d up.

[@Bakamigos]

This video made me feel so validated. Thank you

[@stefaniaurrieta7463]

I am on the fence about the Michaela thing just because I really identified with the infertility plot in Francesca’s book, and honestly I feel like there is no way to keep that plot with a female love interest, just because the setting is in the regency era and there is no way for 2 women to conceive or try to conceive naturally. But the show is so far removed from the plot points of the book that I guess they’ll change that too, I was just looking forward to the representation of infertility that we have gotten zero of in media. I always imagined that Benedict would be the one with a queer love story, and yes they confirmed he is queer last season but I thought they were going to play with his want to be out of society and maybe end up with a man in the country side. Or even Eloise maybe introduced Phillip’s sister? As it would be too weird for it to be Marina but let her be a lesbian? I just found it really weird that they chose Francesca for the gender swap love interest instead of the other 2 That being said I really liked the actress for Michaela’s one line, it was very sassy😅

[@bonitadesastre]

I feel you on the footage I really really hope they uncover it all for you!

[@Multifandom04]

I would honestly only rewatch s3 for Cressida storyline/ Violet & Marcus/Kanthony.Hope s4 brings back love/passion for me as well

[@JessEla87]

Romancing Mr Bridgerton is my favorite Bridgerton book, and I was sad with how Polin’s story was handled. I feel like both of the other couples got more screen time and Kanthony’s story was handled so much better, despite the fact that it’s so different from the book. And the writers just did my boy Colin dirty. The way they wrote him in the first half was just wrong. I know he was supposed to be such a rake and all that, but that just doesn’t fit Colin’s character to me. At least not the way they have built that character so far. And it just felt like they were trying to make him Anthony and that’s not who Colin is. The beginning part of the carriage scene was awkward, but then got so much better. Benedict’s storyline was a bit rushed too, but it felt oddly authentic 😂 I didn’t like book Benedict, and am looking forward to his season for some redemption of that story. And what are they doing with Eloise? She was so all over the place and I just couldn’t figure out what was happening with her. Give my girl some peace writing room! I am looking forward to the next season with timidity. Season 3 was a let down for this diehard Polin fan and I hope they do better by Benedict.

[@wonder-wall1914]

Actually, Kate and Anthony got a few minutes less screentime during their own respective season.

[@dilsedesi1704]

​@@wonder-wall1914But still their story landed because it had substance. A lot of substance and the chemistry was🔥. And despite the fact that Nicola and Luke have such good chemistry, Polin's did not fully came out on screen. And the substance from their book was handled so poorly. You wanted to root for both the main leads in S2 because of their hardships but I could not root for Colin and felt Pen deserved better.

[@flacioppa]

I would LOVE your review on My Lady Jane, I feel it’s so up your alley! It’s silly that they canceled it but still a great show!

[@DarthKade]

I appreciate your thoughts on this - I also lost the hyper fixation and level of interest that I had overall with Bridgerton after season 3; for all the same reasons you pointed out. Here’s hoping for a shake up in season 4 🤞🤞🤞

[@karinavidal4882]

I feel like Colin is not a leading man I hate to compare the other leading men can’t say anything about Queen Charlotte haven’t seen I have heard good things about it. Comparing him to Simon and Anthony these two have storylines and personalities and moments with Daphne and Kate where you’re like “Oh I root for them.” With Colin I didn’t get that.

[@burnt-croissants]

i have a lot of issues with how s3 was handled, for example the weird biphobic stereotypes for benedict, dropping the cressida and eloise friendship mid-way through, everything about the polin relationship post colin finding out she was whistledown, the lack of story for kanthony--but nothing made me retreat from the bridgerton fandom as much as the vile remarks that followed the michaela reveal. the way such a large part of the fandom talked about sapphic women and sapphic relationships, straight up being nasty and invalidating us really soured my view on the community (obviously not everybody, but enough people were saying horrible things very loudly) and made me stop engaging. i can write a 20-page essay's worth on this topic, but lesbians are already incredibly ostracized from media and society, we have very few safe spaces irl or in stories/art. seeing such a mass deluge of people denounce (i'm not talking about those dissapointed about michael not being in the adaptation, i feel like that's perfectly valid) and throw vitriol around using lesbophobic language after the michaela revelation, i can tell you, made many queer/sapphic/lesbians feel like there's no place for us to get our swoon-worthy romance. as if we don't deserve it. now i don't have a lot of hope for franchaela's love story either, mostly because of how the meeting between the two was handled and JB's handling of the threesome in s3 and how male-gazey it felt, despite her being a queer woman. but that's another discussion entirely. but at the same time, i am sooo here for michaela being THE female rake. from the one line Masali had…the charisma, the charm, it’s all already there.

[@valeriemanful2507]

You know what really upset me when Sophia got casted as the Asian girl I was happy that she was a person of color but I was on the side of the Bridgerton fandom that wanted her to be black so I thought to myself oh I wish we had a black girl love interest and then I remembered we do have one Michaela, but she’s one of the most hated characters on Bridgerton right now 😢

[@FullofLit]

the lack of protection and public support for masali by those in charge is one of the most upsetting things i’ve seen and i hope she knows so many of us (sane fans) love her and want her to be part of this show!

[@burnt-croissants]

i love Masali sm, she deserves the world. It’s genuinely upsetting to see Shondaland not treat their dark skinned black and brown actors right or give them the same treatment as their white counterparts. especially when this show got popular because of it’s diverse casting.

[@garlantyrell6368]

@@FullofLitI do worry for Masali. I can understand why fans may be disappointed in the change since they won’t be getting the lovable Michael they wanted, but there is no reason to attack the actor for just doing their job. If they’re so worried for Francesca having babies, they can always change the story to her having kids with John before his death(so that way a piece of him lives on even after he’s gone)and then she gets with Michaela after. It would also be a good plot because it would show how Michaela feels like she’s replacing John by being the second parent to his children.

[@kendrajanelle1996]

Seriously someone save Bridgerton by putting Daria in the writer's room! Agree with so much of this. You articulated so well why this season just didn't hit like the others though I too had fun watching it. When the romance was blossoming, the characterization was so important; then, with the S3 part 2 shift, with such a monumental secret, the stakes were so important. Those two things needed both to be strong and connected to hold up the overall story. I'm thinking of arches with columns. Together they are very strong, but if the support isn't enough on any side, the structure will eventually fail. That's what happened here to a certain degree. And I absolutely agree, that Netflix's refusal to do more than 8 episodes is such a culprit. It's one of my biggest critiques of their shows across the board; it's just not enough time to build a cohesive, meaningful, and well paced story arc. Also wanted to chime in about the bigotry (particularly the homophobia) from the fandom. As a bi girly, I was immediately in love with the switch to Michaela. Seeing sapphic rep (especially sapphic rep that includes a WOC) in a show like this is honestly a dream. The homophobic reactions though unsurprising given the already established racism from a portion of the fandom (racism and homophobia are never too far apart) definitely dulled some of my excitement. Your criticism is really the only one I've seen that I can understand. I had originally interpreted Fran's reaction as her just being startled by the sudden realization that she *could* be attracted to a woman (because whew..been there!). That said being a bit more removed from the initial excitement, I can see the writers did set the scene for it more likely being love at first sight. I actually have some ideas of how I think that *could still* work without disregarding John and Francesca's quiet love, but I'm not writing for the show and frankly I like my first inclination better. That said, the general concept of how that scene could/does the stage going forward leads into my last thought. What really bothered me about the reactions, outside the absolute raging homophobia, were the gajillion variations of "I'm not homophobic but this ruins Francesca's story because xyz". The fact that so many people couldn't even imagine how the change to Michaela could work. To me, it just reflected the narrow way in which cishet people view queer characters and queer storylines. There are plenty of ways it could be written with Michaela instead of Michael without leaving out key parts of Fran's journey and the refusal by so many fans to even take a step back and consider that was so frustrating. Now, the Bridgerton writers could fumble Francesca's storyline horribly. Still that is very different imo from it automatically being "ruined" by the change. Anyways this was hella long. Still looking forward to the next season. Also hoping you have better luck and can get settled in your new place soon and I hope you can get your files back!

[@selenarodgers5667]

Yay, Daria’s back ❤️

[@veravevi]

❤For you and for this video! You describe my thoughts on this season, which I enjoyed but there were some things that didn't convinced me totally. I was also surprised by how invested I was in the Featherington story, they became such an interesting family and I loved their development. Aaand I need to say, sorrynotsorry, that Kanthony are still the best thing EVER so they MUST come back! That said I can't wait for season 4 because I'm very curious about Benophie!!

[@berryzem]

I'm not sure if you watch anime but there is a genre geared typically for younger boys where the main character is usually a young boy-teenager. A common writing complaint many fans of this genre have is where a love interest is introduced but she has next to no actual characterization unless it somehow pertains to the protagonist. Bridgerton season 3 like you mentioned before with Colin not really being able to stand on his own really strongly reminded me of that phenomenon where the only difference is the genders are swapped. This wasn't Colin's season. It was Penelope's...which honestly isn't saying much either because the ensemble cast started encroaching on their season because Netflix doesn't prioritize the show enough to give it more episodes so the characters can actually breathe. It definitely is a big problem writing wise because a romance is supposed to allow both characters development. It's just astounding how they messed things up this badly. I'm almost impressed.

[@saramartinbravodelaguna185]

I didnt watch the second part of the season. I’m done, sorry. I needed Kate and Anthony, I needed consequences for Penelope 😅

[@juonithzramos1089]

I've never liked Penelope and so maybe I'm biased and lean towards all the negatives of her in this season, but trying to make Whistledown synonymous with like female empowerment was a huge slap in the face to all the characters she ruined and the fans of the show. Every time we gasped with shock and indignation at the scandals strewn so callously about in her pamphlets now make US seem like the assholes. "How could we hate a woman who has embraced her power?" type thing, when her "power" primarily consists of belittling and humiliating OTHER women. Pen is NOT a girls', girl and I refuse to treat her as one now because the writers said to. (Also, her romance with Colin was trash. "friends to lovers" my ass, they had NO basis in friendship and they completely rewrote Colin so it makes their romance feel moot as the person she was in love with didn't exist anymore.)

[@notevenfunny_]

I think my problem with Colin's part 1 arc was they spent more time establishing his fake rake persona than establishing that he didn't like his fake rake persona. I think his journals were a really good narrative device they could've used to explore his feelings on his fake rake persona more, they only used it once, and that frustrated me. In part 2, they reintroduced the writing, but they didn't utilise it enough. Then to see the screenshots of his journals people posted, and to see that he was writing about Penelope during his travels, and about some really deep sh*t about his purpose, I got frustrated with the directors and writers for not having Luke Newton do a voice over read of those journal entries Colin was writing. Because excuse me for saying this, I'm not gonna pause the screen to read those journal entries. If they didn't linger the camera on the writing, if they feel it's not important enough for us to know, then I'm not gonna pay attention either. Re: Lady Whistledown and Polin: I'm one of the few people who enjoyed the tension that came with Lady Whistledown, but I agree the reveal to Colin should've been at the end of ep 5. I think episode 5 should've ended with Penelope and Eloise arguing about revealing Lady Whistledown to Colin, then Colin overhears them both arguing, and that's how he finds out. In the middle of him walking away from them both, and Penelope running to him trying to explain, we get the Cressida announcing herself as Whistledown and Kanthony baby announcement. Same scene as ep 5, but this time, instead of Penelope becoming light headed and fainting because she's too stressed about revealing her secret identitiy to Colin, this time she faints from the stress of Colin having found out the way he did or whatever. Then we'd have more time to explore the complexities of the whole Lady Whistledown situation. But that's just me. 🤷🏾 I still enjoyed my time with season 3, and Polin and George and Charlotte are still tied for my favourite couple but the timeline of their relationship was messed up by leaving the reveal to the end of ep 6 and only giving 2 episodes, instead of 3 to deal with everything.

[@Sadji594]

I agree with a lot of the things you said the pacing, but not enough screen time for Polin, and the splitting of the season, too many storylines, I actually didn’t like that. They changed Michael to Michaela, but as a black woman I have a whole Nother reason why which I won’t get into here. But I’m willing to take the journey on where they go with us, but also knowing that Michael was a rake, makes me a little upset on why they chose a woman, but we’ll get into that later. Or won’t. But I am very interested to see what happens with Benedict and Sophie because I was Really hoping it would be an Asian lead was actually trying for Gemma Chan. But Yerin is lovely and I can’t wait. So I hope production and the writing team have a listened to our grapes. I doubt it, but less minor storylines more focus on the main characters and stand behind your actors. You made a decision to pick these people, so you should be the main person standing behind them and champing them. There’s no reason all the H-E-B give into that lovely young lady who is playing Michaela or that was given to John even though justice for John. You better make Francesca have loved him, but loved him in a different way because I don’t like that you’re trying to make it seem like she ain’t want him at all.

[@brinagotsued]

I really agree that Bridgerton needs to take more time with the endings, specially in the last season it felt like I had missed parts of the episode, so I rewatched and things were just missing. I like Michaela, I just think that Francesca shouldn't have really noticed her in this season. It should have kept focus on that every love is different, and I think it would be more impactful when down the line in Francesca's season she does notice her. I would really like if she's bi, since there is so much bi-erasure and I think it would be nice to show a very passionate relationship between two women.

[@moritzmartini4132]

In my opinion season 3 should have been about Benedict & Sophie and Colin & Penelope should´ve been the leads of season 4 (just like the book order). This would´ve given Polin another full season for proper development and preparation, not only for them as a couple but also for them as individuals (like you said Whistledown all of a sudden being this girlboss feminist icon that had a turn around after realsising she should help people was very sudden and rushed). I mean it even is canon in the books that Benedict and Violet found out Sophie was arrested through a Whistledown column. So Penelope could´ve had this moments of witnessing a young innocent working class woman getting arrested and deciding to use her power to help her. This would´ve been the start of a great redemption arc. We also could´ve gotten more infos and backstory about Colin. Season 3 (Benedict & Sophie) should´ve been set in 1815 (first episode) and then continued in 1816 (episodes 2-8, a ONE year timejump instead two like in the books). Then season 4 could´ve continued in 1821 (not the exact same but still a timejump like in the books, I chose 1821 bc that´s the year Hyacinth would be 18 and therefore have her first season). And bc of the timejump and them being older Colin and Pen would also have gained some majurity

[@m87020]

You dont need to appease ANYONEE. Besides its nice to get a more thought out opinion video that has had time to be analysed in your head! I personally like that more than reaction videos. Hope youre doing ok ♡

[@LulaRu]

Thank you My Lady Jane and Midnight At The Pera Palace for removing the bitter taste Bridgerton S3 left in my mouth

[@Pepperjack1986]

The fact that Penelope wasn't absolutely ruined, Bridgerton name or not, by her reveal shows me that there's no justice in the Bridgerton world. Marina WAS ruined by Penelope outing her, and was only saved by a convenient marriage that removed her from the public eye. The Bridgerton family as a whole were given the cut direct after the Anthony-Edwina non-wedding, and after Penelope's expose of Eloise, they were shunned even further. Penelope got off scott-free, not even a slap on the wrist, for being a malicious gossip, and that alone had me heated.

[@katherinealvarez9216]

Yeah, this season wasn't great. Oh well. Onto to Season 4 and Sophie!!!

[@VampGirlPrague]

Hello, I for myself am fine with the gender switch of Michael. Read the books long time ago and if the story will be good, all is good. What I had problem, is, that in the books, Michael fell in love at the first sight with Fran, and from her side feelings developed with time (if im not right, correct me, is fine). So I would prefer it similar way I think. I think the inner conflict between loving John and developing feelings for Michaela would work better for me personally as in the books she loved John deeply, but here it was like yeah shortly after wedding a crush on other person - that did not land for me. The attitude that the actress, that plays Michaela, landed for sure. Gorgeous, energetic, fun - i think I will like her, if the story will be good. I guess we will have to wait and see :-)