Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for Bridgerton Season 3 Part 1.
In thefinale of Part 1, Season 3ofBridgerton, the episode closes out on a high note that leaves all of us out of sorts and completely breathless. After seasons of pining from afar and tiptoeing around each other, our new favorite couple, Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin (Luke Newton), hop into the privacy of a carriage to argue but end up rocking the carriage in an intimate scene that would make romance veterans blush. While this may just seem like the ultimate payoff for ardent Polin fans,the steamy scene actually says a lot about each of the characters' individual development, while also marking the growth and dynamic of their relationship… or, according to Colin, marriage.
With so much anticipation built up for this particular scene throughJulia Quinn’s novels, filming it asan entirely female-focused experience, where Penelope’s pleasure is prioritized over Colin’s, makes us realize how much of a trademark it is inBridgerton’ssuccessful pairings. The show flips the script on traditional intimacy rules, leaving us gushing over the tantalizing atmosphere created by this fan-favorite couple.
Bridgerton
Set in the glamorous world of Regency London, the Bridgerton family maneuvers through the opulent and treacherous landscape of high society. Daphne Bridgerton, the family’s eldest daughter, enters the marriage market, sparking a whirlwind romance with the enigmatic Duke of Hastings.
Penelope Learns How To Be Vulnerable in ‘Bridgerton’ Season 3
Penelope’s character has been gradually fleshed out over the past two seasons, as she is clearly obsessed with romance yet is too scared to branch out of her comfort zone. Despite being donned in bright canary colors, she prefers to remain hidden in the shadows, safely tucked away from the throes of passionate romance and content in her role as an observer, embodied by her secret identity as Lady Whistledown (voiced byJulie Andrews). As such, theBridgertonSeason 3 storyline of Colin helping Penelopefind a suitable husband emphasizesher need to come into her own and break free from the societal shackles of thetonto indulge in true romance. This is accentuated by her stunning transformation that she wasn’t quite ready for. Ironically, she switches out her vivid colors for a moody emerald to fit into the mold of theton’s aesthetic expectations, yet is further ostracized due to her lack of comfort around social interactions. Colin’s lessons of standing against social pressures and becoming more vulnerable become the essence of Penelope’s arc, and though it seems like this culminates in her pursuit of Lord Debling (Sam Phillips), the real payoff is the carriage scene.
The power of this intimacy scene inEpisode 4 ofBridgertonis her raw vulnerability, something that Colin had been trying to teach her. And really where is she more herself and less caring about what others think than behind those doors of that carriage? Penelope sheds all her awkward reservations and effortlessly leans into the scene, literally trembling with visceral passion and vulnerability. While the scandal of her needing help to find a suitor made it into the pages of her Whistledown installments, it is here thatPenelope truly becomes the open and daring romantic protagonist she writes and fantasizes about. Though this display may still be behind closed doors, and she still has a lot of distance to cover before she truly transcends the boundaries of the rigid ton, it is a far cry from her silent longing in Season 1.
Colin’s Character Arc Peaks in ‘Bridgerton’s Carriage Scene
On the other hand, Colin has been wrought by his unanticipated and sudden feelings for Penelope in the last couple of episodes, completely unraveling himself with his unbidden thoughts and dreams. Newton himself describes Colin as “tortured” during aninterview with TV Insider, which is the perfect word to describe the tousled, dark-eyed Colin during this period. Returning from his travels, he very quickly falls into the rhythm of toying with the ton’s debutantes’ feelings and laughing about it in the gentlemen’s club, all depicting the typical culture of young bachelors. However, during this more “tortured” period, there is a scene whereColin fleetingly attempts to challenge the norms of young men behaving frivolously and superficiallyabout women’s bodies. However, being met with laughter and ridicule, he quickly separates himself from the crowd, actually taking his own advice to Penelope about following one’s own inner self. This transition to love marks his growing maturity, and this is especially exemplified in how he treats Penelope in the carriage scene.
Going from the raucous scenes with sex workers to now practically worshiping Penelope’s body, he places love above the casual flings he prioritized before. After going through hiswrought and depressing internal conflict, he lays himself down at the altar of Penelope, and is only really concerned with her pleasure without worrying about his own. It also hints at a sort of resolution of his mental distress, ashis previous wandering eye is pulled into a single-minded pursuit of Penelope’s pleasure. During the same interview with TV Insider, Newton says he is both “excited and proud” of Colin as he has “finally got his ducks in a row and knows what he wants” as he confesses his feelings to Penelope. However, with his closing proposal, there is a chance he may be getting too carried away (although they did just exit the carriage unchaperoned, so it’s definitely the road to go down). The entire scene is topped off with the string rendition of Pitbull’s “Give Me Everything,” as Colin ravenously devours Penelope and also rips the souls out of our bodies as well.
‘Bridgerton’s Couples All Have One Thing in Common
While the carriage scene marks milestones in the couple’s individual journeys, it certainly also has implications for their relationship. With the scene being so female-focused and Colin taking most of the agency in ensuring Penelope’s pleasure, itreflects the mentor-mentee dynamic they had earlier in the season. Colin’s passionate yet delicate treatment of Penelope is almost as if he is still trying to coax her out of her shell, while also constantly being aware of how comfortable and safe he feels. He sporadically pulls back to quickly gauge her confidence levels before going back and pushing it further, creating a beautiful, heart-warming and gentle display of consent and love. Coughlan mentions in aninterview with USA Todaythat the cameras were placed outside the carriage, making the moment far more intimate: “Really, it’s just this moment between these two characters.” It also makes this first time feel more like an untouchable bubble of love, far away from the condescending ton and their expectations.
The focus on female pleasure is also a motif for lovein the primaryBridgertoncouples in the show. More often than not, we see Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) and Simon (Regé-Jean Page) going down on their wives instead of focusing on their own pleasure in intimacy scenes. In fact, there is a direct comparison in Season 3 where Anthony is focused on far more “important things” than the chaos outside when he is in bed with Kate (Simone Ashley). On the other hand, this season also includes a direct contrast of the lovelessmarriages of Penelope’s sisters, who, admittedly, don’t really get anywhere near the pleasure we see with Penelope. As such, the carriage scene also deftly places Penelope and Colin alongside the tested and idolized couples on theBridgertonpodium, earning them a sort of credibility and cache that they certainly didn’t need but is exciting to see.
‘Bridgerton’s Carriage Scene Flips Traditional Intimacy Rules
Using female-focused intimacy scenes like this is another one ofBridgerton’sways to add modernity to this Regency-era piece. Alongside thebeautiful string versions of pop songsand the culturally diverse casting,Bridgerton stays relevant and modern through these touchesthat are hidden beneath so much grandeur that they become subtle. And yes, this includes the color-blind casting, because if you saw Simon glide on screen and immediately challenged the validity of a person of color as a Duke in Regency London, before being gobsmacked about how drop-dead gorgeous he is, you are lying to yourself. Similarly,Bridgertonassaults us with emotion and breathlessness before we can question how Colin and Penelope managed to get away with being unchaperoned in a carriage, while also instantly breaking down all traditional depictions of intimacy.
While the limited time in the carriage may have been a factor in choosing who gives and who receives, the show could have easily switched the roles over and followed the traditional rules of intimacy that are commonplace on the screen and in real life, where men’s pleasure is prioritized and a woman’s is essentially omitted. The stigma around women’s pleasure is gradually being eroded, as we also see it freely and voraciously represented in Prime Video’s recent filmThe Idea of You, but it isstill refreshing to see it being so indulgently exhibited on screen. As such, this female-focused scene becomes a love letter to women’s pleasure but also sets up a tantalizing sexual dynamic that embodies the growth of this fan-favorite couple.
The first four episodes ofBridgertonSeason 3 are available to stream on Netflix in the U.S., with Part 2 set to premiere on June 13.
