The scandal has further slimmed Penelope’s chances of getting a husband. However, in this episode of Bridgerton season 3, she doesn’t want to give up and will try once more. Colin has very conflicting feelings this episode; he is trying to understand how he sees Penelope, especially when she is in another man’s arms. We are also introduced to three new characters and have the opportunity to get a closer look at Cressida’s story.
Before reading part 3 of this analysis, make sure you have read part 1 and part 2.
Bridgerton season 3 Episode 3: Forces of Nature
Major events:
- Eloise’s apology
- Start of Penelope and Lord Debling’s relationship
- Cressida’s choice of husband
- Benedict’s new love interest (major for Benedict, not the plot)
- Violet’s introduction to Lord Marcus Anderson
New characters:
- Lord Samadani (Queen’s choice for Francesca),
- Lord Marcus Anderson (Lady Danbury’s bother).
- Lady Tilley Arnold (Benedict’s crush for the season)
Key interactions:
- Colin-Penelope: Colin is very awkward this episode as he is trying to understand what he feels toward Penelope.
- Penelope-Colin: Penelope is clueless about Colin’s affection. She is more occupied with her suitor.
- Penelope-Eloise: Their friendship has started its healing process. Penelope knows Eloise wishes her the best, even if from a distance.
- Penelope-Lord Debling: They enjoy each others company and are starting to show interest in one another. Penelope enjoys being liked for who she is and Lord Debling prefers a truthful person.
Character arcs:
- Cressida: While it’s not a character arc per se, we get a reasoning for why Cressida wants to marry. She doesn’t feel supported by her parents, so she seeks the support in her husband. I really feel sorry for Cressida this season.
Bridgerton season 3 Episode 3 breakdown
The Bridgerton episode starts off with a spicy dream Colin has about him and Penelope. In the dream, he tells her that he cannot stop thinking about their kiss and about her (mind you, this is probably the same night after they kissed, so Colin has this dream very quickly; as if he had these feelings all along, hmmmm).
Penelope confirms she has the same feelings and thoughts about him. Then they go IN for the kiss… aaand then Colin frantically wakes up, obviously shocked about the dream. And as Colin is Colin… he is very confused with his thoughts and feelings.
In the Bridgerton drawing room, Violet is asking Francesca AGAIN to repeat what the queen told her in the previous episode. She believes it means Francesca is the diamond of the season (or jewel, not sure if the queen wanted to call the IT girl of this season the diamond), which changes EVERYTHING.
Francesca will have a lot more suitors AND a specific suitor that the queen herself will select (which undoubtedly means she is expected by the queen to choose that suitor. However Violet is always about love, so maybe she wouldn’t be scared to tell the queen if her choice was bad).
Colin enters the Bridgerton drawing room and is very awkward, telling Benedict how he fell asleep as soon as he went to bed and had NO dreams (yeah right). Even Benedict is like, what are you on, bro?
It’s cute that Benedict points out how Hyacinth is not allowed to read Lady Whistledown, but she waits for the maids to throw it out and reads it anyway.
Do you wish your queen to banish this guest to the far reaches of the kingdom?
Queen Charlotte (Bridgerton season 3)
Next day, the queen and Lady Danbury are deciding on who would be a good suitor for Francesca. Lady Danbury mentions Lord Debling (foreshadowing), but the queen says he is boring because he spends half of his time devoting himself to nature and the other half talking about it.
The queen sees that something is bothering lady Danbury. She says that she will have an unwanted visitor arrive. Love how the queen asks if she needs to banish the guest for her (that was really nice of her).
Lady Danbury has a talent for always knowing how to say the right thing to the queen while still remaining in charge. Lady Danbury is the true queen of the show.
Next, we go to the Featheringtons. How is Phillipa so clueless about pregnancy?
Eloise visits Penelope. They are awkward. Eloise starts by saying she has noticed that Penelope has not been attending social gatherings (I’m guessing since the day she released the Lady Whistledown sheet about herself).
First, Eloise is a bit salty, letting Penelope know how she felt when Penelope wrote about her. That Is why she asks, “It is not pleasant to have Whistledown write about oneself, is it?” To be fair, she has every right to say that. She does have a point, and Penelope herself knows it.
Eloise continues that it was very harsh and that Penelope did not deserve such scrutiny. She says that she is responsible for the rumor coming out, though she didn’t mean to spread it. That makes Penelope believe they might be getting on good terms, so she invites her to stay, though Eloise declines.
Eloise says she hopes Penelope will find what she is looking for (a husband) with or without Collin’s help, which I think was very sweet of her. You can clearly see that she cares about Penelope and does not wish her anything bad; however, she simply cannot forgive Penelope for writing about her and possibly for ghosting her during the summer. I’m still not sure which one hurts her the most, to be honest.
Penelope is definitely sad-happy. Sad that they are still not friends but happy that Eloise is not mean to her (which she would probably understand, as she did write about her in Lady Whistledown). I still think Penelope could have thought of a better way to save Eloise in season 2. I don’t think the only option was to get Eloise in a scandal.
Next, Penelope is back in society, and people are gossiping about her. She meets up with Colin under a willow tree, and they have an awkward conversation (because when they last met, they were making out). They decide it would be for the best to end their lessons, as it would be awkward as hell.
The reasoning Penelope gives is that Lady Whistledown has already written about them, and she doesn’t want to further embarrass Colin’s family, so they should not continue their lessons. But in actuality, it’s probably because of the kiss. Though Colin would have probably continued the lessons if Penelope would have not suggested otherwise.
Interestingly, when they are saying their goodbyes, Colin cannot say that he hopes she finds a husband. Instead, he says “I wish for your happiness“, which shows that even at this moment, he wants Penelope for himself. If only he would have the courage to tell her how he feels sigh.
We are at the ball. We see Cressida talking to her mother, who makes her talk to Lord Debling and try to secure a proposal. Cressida clearly does not like him (she doesn’t care much about nature; in fact, she doesn’t like it). But her mother says that she HAS to marry this season; otherwise, Cressida’s parents will find a husband for her (which will probably be an old, ugly man). Cressida is scared by that thought and goes up to Lord Debling to try to charm him (he doesn’t seem interested).
Cutting back to Penelope’s mother, she says it’s a shame Penelope’s sisters are not at the ball because they would help Penelope hide. I guess it is justifiable in this case. Penelope is currently in a scandal, so she is not in the best position to be in society.
Penelope tries to talk to two lords, but they are being mean to her and acting like assholes.
At least Penelope has a cute conversation with Lord Debling. She finds out that he doesn’t read Lady Whistledown, so he doesn’t know the gossip. He is intrigued by what she could have possibly done, since people only barely tolerant him for being a vegetarian. He asks what Lady Whistledown wrote about Penelope. She tells him, and he is actually impressed. He admires her bravery for doing something outside the society’s norm.
I have to put a snippet of their conversation in here, because I thought it was so cute:
Lord Debling: “Well done.”
Penelope: “For being a fool?”
Lord Debling: “For stepping away from the herd, even though you risk of becoming a target. Just like him.” *points to a deer head*
Penelope: “He’s dead.”
Lord Debling: “True. But at least he got to come to the party.”
Penelope: “A rather dull one if I am honest. Forgive me, I should not have said that.”
Lord Debling: “Do not apologize. In fact, I find your frankness immensely refreshing.”
Then they share the cutest of smiles.
Colin sees them across the room and is clearly jealous. As a viewer, I am sort of team Debling, because he is so cute and just accepts Penelope as she is. But, of course, I know Penelope wants Colin.
Next day, Cressida tells Eloise that she plans to marry Lord Debling. Eloise says that it may not be a good idea since Cressida: 1) doesn’t care for nature or animals (she prefers to wear fur) 2) Penelope talked a lot with Lord Debling at the last ball. Cressida doesn’t see Penelope as competition but also tells Eloise how important it is for her to marry this season, as she doesn’t have the support Eloise has from her family. She thinks that she will only get such support if she marries.
Most important reason why Cressida wants to marry Lord Debling is because he is HER choice. Though I would say it is not entirely true since her mother made her talk to him, but if her only other option is a random an her parent’s select, then yeah, this is a better option.
Cressida asks for Eloise’s help in marrying Lord Debling. Eloise is hesitant (she doesn’t want to take him away from Penelope) but says she can lend her some books about nature.
Next scene is by the balloon. This is the first time a hot air balloon is presented to the ton, so it is a big deal.
Colin and Penelope talk by the sweets. Penelope tells Colin that Lord Debling has shown an interest in her. She feels happy and thanks Colin for his lessons as they seem to have worked. She buys a sweet, licks the sugar off of her fingers, and somehow that turns Colin on. This is like Daphne/Simon spoon scene (if you know, you know).
Then we get to Cressida, Eloise, and Lord Debling chatting. Cressida is initially not pleased with the conversation as she does not care about the topic of balloons. However, when Lord Debling reveals that he does not get on with his family, Cressida finally has something in common with him.
Trying to fit in with my family is like trying to force a camel through the eye of a needle.
Lord Debling (Bridgerton season 3)
Lord Debling asks Penelope to join the conversation, and it gets reeeealy awkward. Penelope and Cressida try to compete for Lord Debling. It’s sad to watch, since both girls are trying to be the biggest nature enthusiasts while neither cares for nature. Unfortunately, Penelope’s responses are worse.
In the balloon lecture, Benedict meets a woman who (believe it or not) is smart and is interested in engineering, which apparently is like a miracle there, so Benedict instantly likes her (this subplot… I don’t care). We are introduced to Benedict’s love interest for the season (probably only this season). My thoughts about Benedict this season were expressed in part 1 of this analysis.
The queen introduces Francesca to Lord Samadani (a great friend of the queen). Immediately, it seems that Francesca doesn’t like him, but since she doesn’t hope for love, she thinks, “Oh well, this is my husband, I guess.”
Prudence’s husband falls because Prudence pushes him since someone saw them make out in public. His fall causes one of the ropes to untangle. As it is windy, the balloon starts to wiggle and move. It is going to knock out Penelope, but Colin asks others to help with the ropes.
Penelope stares at the balloon (actually Colin pulling the rope) for quite a while until she starts to run away from it but trips and falls (of course..) Lord Debling sees that she will probably collide with the balloon, so he slides in to shield her. Luckily for them, Colin and the rest of the gentlemen are pulling the ropes, so the balloon does not touch Penelope. Colin saves the day, and Lord Debling is Penelope’s hero.
Was it worth looking at Colin and almost getting crushed by a huge basket? Don’t think so, Penelope. Quick sidenote, I watched an interview where Nicola Coughlan (who plays Penelope) said that in this scene, it was the most action Penelope’s ever gotten (when Lord Debling was on top of her to shield her from the balloon).
Innovations ball. While walking from the carriage, Violet Bridgerton drops her glove, and it is picked up by Lady Danbury’s brother, Lord Marcus Anderson. They definitely have a spark between them when they meet. Now THIS is a subplot I want to see more of. An actual meaningful connection, not a random sexual partner for the season cough cough Benedict cough cough.
We see a bit more of Cressida and her mum. She tells Cressida that she HAS to dance with Lord Debling tonight. She whines about Cressida’s father cutting their allowance by half. Not sure if this is because Cressida is single. She makes her believe so, I guess.
Francesca talks to Lord Samadani. Turns out they both have 7 siblings. Francesca reveals that it can be lonely being among so many siblings. My guess would be because their parents don’t have enough time for all of them? Not sure, but it might also be because Francesca is more introverted so she doesn’t like being among so many people.
Lord Samadani says he feels the opposite and intends to have 8 children of his own so the house would always be filled with chatter. Francesca is taken aback by that response (she clearly doesn’t want that many children). This again shows how they are NOT compatible.
Violet has a brief, cute conversation with Lord Marcus Anderson about kids, and we can once more see that they clearly like each other (at least each other’s company). Lady Danbury comes joins the conversation and reveals that it is her brother who is ONLY VISITING – not sure what happened between them, we will surely find out in the upcoming episodes – but Lady Danbury does not like him at all.
I do want to point out Violet’s awkward introduction. It is the first time I see Violet Bridgerton so nervous:
Violet Bridgerton. Lady Bridgerton, the dowager. Formerly.
Violet Bridgerton (Bridgerton season 3)
Francesca goes outside to get some fresh air but is soon approached by a mysterious suitor. She is clearly a bit annoyed as she wanted some peace and quiet, but to her surprise, the suitor was in search of the same thing. He proposes they enjoy silence together. Francesca is surprised by that but relieved that there is finally at least one person who truly understands her. I’m starting to think she was feeling lonely because no one is like her.
Benedict finds and properly meets Lady Tilley Arnold (the one from the balloon); She tells him that she has no intention of marrying anytime soon (she is a widow). This sort of tells us that they will not stay together, and this is literally just for this season (I might be wrong, hopefully, but while I think that is what this is, I am so not interested in this subplot).
Penelope goes to Lord Debling to apologize for not being honest with him earlier that day (she is not an enthusiast of nature, she prefers indoors, gossip, society and reading a good book). Lord Debling is pleased with that. He tells her that he is not looking for someone who is exactly like him. In fact, he wants his partner to have other hobbies. They hit it off and continue spending time together at the ball.
I want to be with someone who knows who they are and embraces their own peculiarity, as I do. As I believe you do as well.
Lord Debling (Bridgerton season 3)
Colin asks Violet a question. He wants to know what Violet wants for Francesca to find this season. She says the same thing that she wanted for herself, Daphne, Anthony – passion, thrilling love. Colin then wonders if Violet thought that a great love is built on the foundation of friendship. She says that it is important; that is how she and Colin’s father first started. But it is quite rare to go from friends to lovers.
Colin wonders how they knew it was mutual; Violet reveals that it was because Colin’s father (Edmund Bridgerton) had the courage to ask. Violet notices that Colin is looking at Penelope and Lord Debling, and she instantly puts two and two together. Her spidey senses are telling her that Colin is in love with Penelope, so she is basically caught up with Colin’s situation.
For some reason Prudence says she feels sick looking at Penelope dancing with Lord Debling???? (why is she so mean?!). Also, Penelope and Lord Debling are dancing to “Happier than ever” by Billie Eilish while being smiley and happy (this episode is so cute, I cannot).
Colin goes to Penelope and says that he has a question for her (probably Do you have feelings for me?). However, Colin takes forever to speak, so Lord Debling is back and asks Penelope for a dance. Colin watches as they dance and is clearly bothered.
The episode ends with Colin walking away from the ball, defeated. This episode was filled with cute moments and dialogue. I really enjoyed this one. In this moment, after watching the first three episodes, I am team Lord Debling. He enjoys Penelope’s personality, constantly compliments her, and most importantly, he knows what he wants.
Colin already had so many opportunities to tell Penelope his feelings. Instead, he lets her walk around while being perceived as the butt of the joke and then has the audacity to feel sorry for himself when Penelope is dancing with Lord Debling.
Colin is quite annoying in this episode. I would understand him being so resentful if he were a girl, since it is harder to be direct when you are a young lady in this society. But he is a man; he has every right to go up to Penelope and tell her how she feels. There is no way he is in doubt. Penelope herself asked him to kiss her. What doubts are there, Colin?!
I hope you enjoyed the third part of this analysis! Feel free to write your thoughts in the comments and share this post with fellow Bridgerton fans.
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