In Defense of Colin and Penelope
Kara's Thoughts on Her Favorite Bridgerton Couple
** spoilers for season 2 of Bridgerton **
In case you didn’t know, Bridgerton season two dropped last Friday on Netflix, and in true Kara fashion, I binged it all in two days. The Viscount Who Loved Me is my favorite in the series of books by Julia Quinn that I’ve read so far, and even though it pretty immediately veers off from the events of the books, I still enjoyed watching Anthony and Kate’s journey unfold on screen, and I can easily say this was even more fun for me than season one.
As much as I love Anthony and Kate and their enemies to lovers slow burn, my favorite of the Bridgerton couples are actually Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington. Though we won’t get the full picture of Colin’s love story until season four, I am equally as invested in this different type of slow burn that the show seems to be setting up for Penelope and Colin, and their interactions throughout season two make me excited for what’s to come.
Romancing Mister Bridgerton is the fourth book in Quinn’s Bridgerton series, chronicling Colin’s love story with Penelope Featherington. As one would expect, part of the story has to do with the revelation that Penelope is Lady Whistledown and how Colin helps Penelope navigate the situation when someone sends threats of blackmail to the anonymous gossip sheet. Since season one of the show ended with the reveal that Penelope is Lady Whistledown, the show must obviously take a different course when it comes to Colin and Penelope’s relationship in some respects, since the audience is in on the secret.
Season two sees a different dynamic between Colin and Penelope, as it is revealed that the two have been corresponding while Colin is away in Greece. He sends the same amount of letters to Penelope as he does to his own family members, quickly cementing their friendship in a way that is not present in the book, but as someone who absolutely LIVES for friends to lovers arcs, this is the exact type of content I’m here for.
The season goes on, with Penelope smitten as per usual, and Colin now counts Penelope as one of his dear friends. He still seems rather oblivious to her feelings, even being confused when he visits Marina at her new home with Sir Phillip Crane and she makes mention that he should stop living in the past and focus on the people who care about him in the present, Penelope specifically.
Although there were some lovely moments between Colin and Penelope this season, there’s still the very heavy cloud of Lady Whistledown weighing over their relationship. As of now, Eloise is the only person who knows Penelope’s secret, which certainly causes trouble given the horrible things that Penelope published about Eloise in what she thought was an attempt to keep her friend safe when the Queen wrongly suspected that it was Eloise who was Lady Whistledown.
This isn’t the only terrible thing that Penelope has published about a Bridgerton, since just last season Colin was victim to her pen when she wrote about Marina’s pregnancy and her plan to trap Colin in a false marriage. When Colin eventually learns Lady Whistledown’s identity, I think it’ll add for an excellent layer of angst that will only enhance Colin and Penelope’s romance. Of course time will have passed and it won’t be as though Colin is still in love with Marina, so I don’t think it’ll be a betrayal that cuts too deep. And if the show handles Colin’s revelation anything like the book, then he will mostly admire Penelope for building something for herself and following her dreams of being a writer.
The other moment from season two that gives me hope for Colin and Penelope’s story still is Penelope overhearing Colin speak to some other gentlemen about how he would never court her at a ball. For those who have read the book, you’ll know that this is similar to a scene in Romancing Mister Bridgerton where Colin declares to his brothers that he’ll never marry Penelope Featherington. While it’s heartbreaking for Penelope to hear, it’s an important part of furthering their story along, so seeing its addition made me happy.
Some people might say that Colin’s rude remarks or Penelope’s secret might hinder any chances of the two of them having a chance at a good relationship, but I say there’s still hope. My biggest reminder to everyone who initially found themselves invested in these two is that if we’re following the books, technically Colin and Penelope don’t get married for another ten years. I’m not sure how the show will handle the time jump from Benedict’s book to Colin’s but I do imagine that some amount of time will pass. Right now Colin is 21 and makes remarks that dumb boys often make, especially when they’re fending off marriage. Given what happened with Marina, I doubt Colin is in a rush to get down the altar anytime soon. Penelope is not yet secure in who she is, and I think part of the magic of Romancing Mister Bridgerton is that Penelope is sure of herself and what she wants in ways she would not have been if she were a brand new debutante, which puts her and Colin on a bit more equal footing when they finally get together.
All this to say, though Colin might have gotten on our nerves with talk of his “gap year” to Greece, and Penelope seems to be making more enemies than friends where Lady Whistledown is concerned, I still have hope that their story will come to a satisfying conclusion in season four.
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