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My honey bee , come get this polin 🐝 💜

Now he's thinkin' 'bout me every night, oh

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You're too sweet for me

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One Direction - Night Changes

Penelope: colin, what are you doing? Colin: writing my wedding vow Penelope: what page are you on? Colin: 511

There are so many missed opportunities in Part 1 of Bridgerton Season 3 its frustrating to behold.

As one half of the season is out it’s possible that some of these will be fixed in the second half however having to wait until then (not just in terms of release date but also narratively) is not good planning. Having to wait for Part 2 to have most of the interesting things happen with our supposed 'main characters' makes the structure of the season feel unbalanced, and annoys the audience trying to root for the main couple. And a lack of attention to our romantic leads leaves the audience feeling uninvested and unconvinced in their love.

Spoilers below.

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1. No flashbacks: by the end of Episode 4 in S1 we knew all of Simons backstory, why he didn’t want children or marriage, and his key character motivations. This helped us understand why Antony was so against the match (he knew of Simon’s vow), why Simon duelling him instead of agreeing to marry Daphne was actually a sign of love, and helped the audience understand his struggle to accept love. Similarly by Ep 4 of S2 we have had Anthony’s tragic past with his father revealed, explaining his fear of love impacting on those around him and explaining why he is fighting the clear feelings he has for Kate. For both of these romantic leads we (the audience) now know why they are refusing their clear and obvious feelings for the heroine, what internal struggles they are going to need to overcome this season, and by proxy have been reassured that they must truly love the heroine otherwise they wouldn’t be tormented.

This explanation and fleshing out of key character-beats reveals the internal motivations which are governing these characters; this knowledge is essential for future scenes where their actions will appear dismissive or unloving and the audience needs to know that they are operating under their own internal world view in which those actions make perfect sense.

Simon rejecting Daphne's hand? He’s not being cruel, he doesn’t want to deprive her of children as he has foresworn having them. Anthony rejecting his feelings for Kate and continuing to pursue her sister? He’s not unfeeling, he’s actually feeling too much and trying to run from it. This knowledge helps us forgive actions that could make us doubt their ‘true feelings’ and is essential to the audience rooting for the couple. When the romantic lead is being an ass it helps for us to know what may be making them act that way.

No Colin flashbacks means we have no idea what motivates him, what his internal journey for this season is, or any reassurance that his love to Penelope is true. What might have been motivating Colin to act like an ass, not just to Penelope but to other people, and what m ight be be grappling with now which is impacting him either realizing his feelings or coming to terms with them? We have no idea, so his journey to love is a little less compelling.

2. Colin didn’t get humbled: through season 1 + 2 we’ve seen Penelope pine after Colin while he bumbles happily along seeing her as a cherished friend but ignoring her for other romantic options. We finished season 2 with a Colin deeply hurting Penelope and implying to the audience that he actually doesn’t respect her even as a friend - what friend would imply their fiend is unattractive or unmarriable to others, especially in that time and society?

As the audience has been following this one sided romance from Penelope’s perspective we’re predisposed to be on ‘her side’, hence wanting Colon to be humbled and have to properly apologise. We want to see Colin chasing Penelope (in a role reversal from the previous two seasons) and be made to eat his own worlds.

Instead we get one scene of Penelope revealing her hurt over Colin’s actions, and then their next scene together Colin is all but forgiven. He apologises but immediately move the conversation on, asking to atone for his actions by offering help and then bam! For all intents and purposes it’s business as usual between the two again. Penelope is happy to chat and banter with him, smile at him lovingly, and agree to a secret (and scandalous) partnership.

Whats even more concerning is that they’ve set up Colin to property hate Lady Whistledown so when Penelope reveals herself she may even have to humble herself before Colin for his forgiveness. Having started the season (with two years to dwell on Colin’s actions) wanting Colin to have to beg Penelope for forgiveness, it feels disappointing that not only do we not get that but we may get significantly more scenes of her begging for his.

3. Penelope and Colin together: this may be more personal preference but I’m not feeling the same for this couple as I did for Daphne+Simon or Kate+Anthony, or even Charlotte+George. Some of it is line delivery (Anthony felt like Brooding Fuckboy, or Fuckboy who’s fighting their inner demons, whereas Colin just feels sleezy), some of it is script (Colin hasn’t been given nearly as much dialogue and little of it is noteworthy), and some is just preference in that this lead doesn’t feel mysterious or challenging or interesting. He’s really just there.

Simon and Daphne, Kate and Anthony, Charlotte and George they all had this tension when they were on screen together that you could feel through the screen. Maybe it’s the lack of anger or hatred or antagonism between the two of them and due to them being a friends to lovers storyline but the tension just doesn’t feel like it’s there.

4. Time with the main couple: It doesn't feel like the 'main couple' this season has had as much time or scenes to help us understand why they are meant to be together.

This is an ensemble show and as season continue and characters develop or are added this will become a bigger issue; there are more named characters and players than S1 to juggle, plus some characters need time this season to set themselves up for future plot lines.

But Season 1 felt like Daphne and Simons season. Season two felt like Kate and Anthony's season. This doesn't feel like Colin and Penelope's season. Its more like this is a drama-filled season, and one aspect of it is Colin and Penelope.

5. Colin's Character: This is actually a much bigger problem so lets break it down further

5.1 Why Colin? In a friends to lovers plot (a childhood friends to lovers plot too) we really need to see why our heroine is fixated on this man; why is he better than all her other options, why did she originally fall and then remain in love with them for all these years, and why should we want him to realise his own feelings? Crucially what is so special about him?

As Colin hasn't yet been fleshed out, really at all, we don't know why he is this great love for Penelope and why we should root for him to fall in love with her in turn. So Penelope's pining for him comes across as less understandable and more 'I don't get what you see in him but okay'. And that's bad, especially for a show which wants you to go feral over their central couple; fewer members of the audience falling in love with the lead means fewer people understanding Penelope maintaining this crush (especially when its detrimental to her future) which means fewer people rooting for the main couple.

5.2 Colin’s character dissonance: this is kind of a show don’t tell issue but we keep being told all these things about Colin’s character, instead of seeing examples of this behavior ourselves, and on top of that what we are told doesn’t match with what we are shown.

Violet tells Colin he’s ’always putting others first’ but we have never seen this in 2 1/2 seasons of this show. Colin has left to travel in every off season, a very self centred action focused solely on what he wants to do and not what others may want. We’ve seen Benedict put people first more than Colin (being the shoulder for Eloise, helping her out in ballrooms, being Anthony’s second for his duel and his sounding board with Sharma issues) so that character assessment feels untrue.

Violet also calls Colin her ‘most sensitive child’ but we have not one scene of Colin showing this sensitive side. There’s no scene of him comforting Daphne about her failed season or Anthony about his problem with the Sharmas; no moment showing him helping out anyone outlet out of the kindness of his heart, or reacting to another’s pain or worry or problems so again this feels like Violet is describing a totally different character.

Penelope says Colin’s eyes are more beautiful ‘when you’re being kind’ but we haven’t seen Colin be overly kind to anyone. He told Marina in S1 he would have still married her if she had told him of her pregnancy, but this is stated when he’s angry so he’s probably not feeling or looking very kind right then, and it isn’t him actually doing this action, it’s just him claiming what he would have done. When he’s goes to visit Marina in S2 his actions come off more desperate and clingy than anything close to kind. If you argue that his tutoring if Penelope is kind, it’s actually self serving as he offered to do this to atone for him being decidedly not kind at the end of last season. He’s helping her out but he offered this to make up for hurting her before so I don’t think you can view this as a selfless act.

When he reveals Jacks scheme in S2 and demands he pay back money while preserving the Featherington Ladies good name he is undoubtably doing a good act but ‘kind’ isn’t the way he’s portrayed: he’s shown as decisive, protective, angry, courageous, bold, etc.. all very good things but still not that ‘kind’ Penelope talks about.

The last time Colin did something entirely kind may have been Season 1 asking Penelope to dance after Cressida ruined her dress. If that's it, that's very little to go on and a very long time ago.

It feels like people are trying to tell us that Colin is a good guy, without showing us moments where he actually is good. It comes off as clunky and doesn’t match the character we have seen, so these claims have little impact on our assessment of him as a person and as a lead.

5.3 Colins Writing; Stop trying to make Colin's Great Writing happen. Its not going to happen.

At least not when the only snippet you give us is basically porn.

I haven't read the books but I've heard that Colins writing snippet that Penelope finds, while starting as porn, eventually turns into a rumination on how unfulfilled and alone these actions make Colin feel and how he feels lost. That would have been an amazing moment to have in the show, giving us honesty and a secret from the romantic lead and adding depth to Colins actions (which are a little jarring to watch while we actively want him to be falling for Penelope).

If Colin is this great writer then have him writing more. In the back of conversations at breakfast, have him reading his travel journals or scribbling in a notebook. In the hot air balloon scene have Colin seek out an adventure novelist to talk about his experiences. Maybe he gets a letter from Sir Phillip asking about his travels since they enjoyed speaking so much last season, and Colin sends long and detailed responses people joke are like novels (also great for future seasons).

Right now it feels like window dressing and a throw away comment that he's 'an incredibly talented writer' and doesn't match what we've seen of him.

(Side note: it is objectively hilarious that Penelope reads one page of smut about a naked woman the author is sleeping with, then later describes this page of writing as 'incredible' while claiming she 'would love to read more'. You sure you're 100% interested in Colin there Penelope...?)

5.4 How is Colin a Tragic Hero?: This figure always works best for romatic stories and all other Bridgerton Seasons have followed the formula. Simon had a negligent and abusive father and no good examples of marriage or family, Anthony had traumatically had his beloved father die in front of him and been parentified at a young age, and George had the weight of the crown destroying his mental health. All of these leads had a demon they were wrestling with and it gave them intrigue and interest.

Colin has no demons; at least none we've been made aware of.

There's a vague allusion (from Eloise, Lady Whistedown and Violet) that Colin is in some way 'putting on a front' this season. What would have been amazing for the audience would have been a scene or two showing Colin struggling to fit in (in his family, in the Ton, etc) and him feeling alone or isolated because of it. Maybe traveling was his attempt to have interesting stories to tell, or something to distinguish himself with but upon his return (Season 2) no one had an interest in listening and groaned when he tried to share his stories, and so he turned to writing them down instead and decided to shut himself off from trying to relate to everyone as 'himself' and instead to become 'The Traveler' character and pretend so he can fit in.

This would not only give Colin a Secret or a Demon that he needed to work through, but offer us (the audience) a way in which he would be able to understand and support Penelope; another person feeling isolated and unheard who turned to writing to express themself.

While there are the bones of a great love story here the little work put in to flesh out Colin as an individual, giving us no idea of what experiences made him and what he is currently grappling with, means the audience doesn't have much to go on when Penelope professes to love him. Who is this man, as descriptions of him don't match his actions and those actions he does have are both seemingly self serving (travel) and not fully fleshed out (writing); and both annoyingly happen largely off screen. And as the current structure pits Penelope as likely the one needing to beg forgiveness by the end of the season, while we entered it expecting Colin to begging for her forgiveness, their current relationship doesn't feel as salifying or as earned as we could have hoped.

Here's to Part 2 doing some very heavy lifting.

**Speculation for Francesca's Season plotline** Sorry this is so freaking long and spoilers for the show and books ahead ....

Francesca's love story can still retain the key emotional beats, motivations and character growth from her book even with Michaela Stirling in place of Michael, so no one should panic regarding that. Here's how...

Original plot: Inheritance and titles

Michael is torn up that he inherits the Earldom, estate and money when John dies; he feels that he has gotten everything at the expense of a man he saw as his brother. The idea of also ‘inheriting’ his brother’s wife (whom he is secretly in love with) horrifies him and so he flees the country for 4 years. This absence allows Francesca time and space to grieve John and for her to continue acting as the Countess, living in comfort and peace while she rebuilds her life.

Solution: Ally John to the rescue!

The writers should clarify that there is literally no one still living who could inherit the title and estate. Only child of an only child for the last 100 years kind of thing, and all possible cousins by marriage etc are also dead. Have the estate guy from Season 3 come in and inform Fran that he has conducted extensive interviews and there is literally no one living who could inherit the estate, so they will have to honor John's very strange provision in his will. John has specified in his will that the title will pass to whomever Michaela marries, as his cousin and the last of the Kilmartin’s - her father was his fathers younger twin bother. Bridgerton the show has established that women cannot inherit but they can manage an estate (Lord Deblings wife will act for him as he travels, the Mondridge's son inherits not his mother, one of the female Featherington's will inherit the estate once they have a son and act as 'the mother of the lord') so John cannot pass the title to Francesca upon his death but he can pass to to Michaela's possibly future spouse.

(He could also have put in a provision like the Featherington's that Fran would act as the Earl until their child reaches their majority, but as he dies childless this isn't an issue)

This way Michaela will still feel the guilt for inheriting everything from John, plus the men who will pursue her for the title will make her flee the country to escape marriage. In her mind she can not only escape marriage to someone who wants the title, but in practice it will allow Francesca to remain acting as the Countess. As Michaela is in love with Fran already this is a kind gesture of ‘the least I can do is not take all that away from her after she just lost John’ plus she just cant be around her as she mourns John and turns to Michaela for comfort.

Bonus plot point; Michaela is a lesbian and she confessed this to John when they were children as they grew up together as siblings! Therefore in passing the estate to her John in practice gives her the title. He knew she would never marry a man, or be able to marry a woman and so this is his way of passing the title to her. This gives Michaela the same guilt at inheriting everything (everyone is claiming my life is in many way better off after my cousin died but I would give it all up for John being alive again) and allows her journey during Fran's season to be to focus on accepting what John has done for her.

Original plot: Infertility and motherhood

Francesca deeply loved John and mourned him for years. She struggled with infertility while they were married, thought she was pregnant after he died and then lost their child soon after. As she is now a widow she mourns the loss of the only piece of John she had left, and the idea of being a mother. She eventually decided to try and remarry specifically because she wanted to be a mother.

Solution: Accepting the loss of biological motherhood

Francesca still struggles with infertility throughout her marriage with John and loses her baby just after John’s death. She decides to remarry to become a mother, and part of her growth is allowing herself to want this and take steps to become a mother. However part of her struggle as she falls in love with Michaela is the idea of never having biological children of her own. Through Michaela and coming to terms with the reality of loving a woman, Fran comes to embrace motherhood by another route: adoption, wardship, sponsoring etc.. Infertility is still a huge part of Frans character arc and journey, but this version tells the story of people who are truly never able to have their own children, whether by personal infertility or the constraints of biology. But Fran and Michaela (and people like them) can still be parents, they can still build families, and sometimes even loosing out on something you love is worth it when you find true happiness with another.

Frans season could end with her and Michaela taking in a baby or young child of a friend as their ward, and becoming mothers together.

Original plot: More than one great love

John and Francesca were deeply in love; Fran's journey in her book is unique in the Bridgerton siblings in that she gets two great loves. She has to come to terms with loving again, not only allowing herself to look for passion and love but to accept it when she does find it.

Solution: Bisexuality vs Lesbianism

Completely ignore that little moment at their wedding where the writers and directors implied that she didn’t like the kiss with John and was later instantly attracted to Michaela. Francesca's journey is the struggle of allowing herself to love again, ergo she must have a first love to compare against. Fran should be written as Bisexual not as a Lesbian - she had true and deep love with John, and her journey with Michaela is to 1) discover that she is also attracted to and able to fall in love with women, and 2) that she is allowed to fall in love again. Francesca needs to come to the realization that this second love shouldn't be compared to the first and that it doesn't diminish it; she did love John and she can love Michaela, and one doesn't invalidate the other.

This would also touch on such great points about bisexual awareness and erasure; people truly can be attracted to both genders, and it doesn't have to be an either-or decision. These loves can and often are equally rewarding and true across genders and shouldn't be seen as one being 'experimenting' or a 'mistake' until you settle down with the other. Also it would solve the issue that the writers have (hopefully) inadvertently created; by making Francesca have a moment of attraction for Michaela at her wedding to John; if they write her as bisexual and having been attracted to Michaela throughout her marriage then it reinforces the harmful stereotype of 'bisexuals are never faithful because they are attracted to everyone'. Removing this and making no further mention of it would be in everyone's best interests.

This will allow great Mother-Daughter bonding between Violet and Fran. Violet struggled to initially understand Fran and John as a couple, but came to accept and champion their love. As Violet is being set up for a great '2nd act' love of her own, by the time Fran starts to struggle with allowing herself to want her new partner Violet will be able to provide real advice and support for her in that regard. How a second great love can be different but only because you yourself are different and one can't truly be compared to the other. It will also allow a degree of healing from Violet's handling of Fran+John, as she is perhaps the only person who will understand Fran continuing to mourn John long after his death.

Original plot: Michael's return and Francesca's future

In the book Michael returns to 'do his duty' and marry, and its only when he comes back after 4 years of little to no contact that he realizes he is still in love with Francesca. Fran also realizes she dearly wishes to be a mother and won't give up on that dream, so is looking for a husband to enable this to happen.

Solution; Michaela is chasing Fran

Francesca and Michaela have been in loose contact the whole time, mainly regarding the estate but also helping one another deal with he loss of John. One huge advantage is that women are able to write to one another freely with no worry of scandal, and so they become distant pen pals through the years. When Francesca decides that motherhood is important to her and she is going to find a husband so she can become one, Michaela rushes back home to England. She has no interest in marrying but she will be there for Fran.

Michaela knows she is still deeply in love with Fran but 1) there is no indication that Fran would or could ever feels the same and 2) Fran desperately wants children, which is something Michaela can never give her. Kind of like Simon from S1 only this time it wont be overcome by talking about your trauma. So Michaela comes back to England to truly hep Fran find a husband, justifying this as due to being in love with Fran and will never marry, its likely Michaela will leave the estate to Fran's child. So she should at least see who is a contender and help Fran choose the father of her child.

Original Plot: Michael's devotion while refusing to act on his love

Michael has been in love with Francesca for 6-ish years by the start of their story; 2 while she was married to John and the 4 years since his death. Not only has he not acted on that love since his cousins death, he doesn't even when Fran decides she wants to remarry for children. This is due to his loyalty to John and his guilt over loving his wife and now widow; even when they reconnect and he worships and adores her, he is not going to properly 'act' upon this love by proposing marriage as that would feel like a betrayal to John.

Solution; Daphne to the rescue

We still have the guilt and loyalty to John and Michaela not feeling comfortable pursuing the woman she loves because of it. However later on, once an attraction has been first stablished maybe, this can be expanded to Michaela feeling guilt that being with her will not give Francesca what she was claimed she dearly wants; children. Michaela will not properly act on their feeling's for one another, and maybe when Francesca is starting to embrace there romance Michaela can be the on to pull back and tell Fran she should still look for a husband. Fran would have to convince her that this is what she wants and that Michaela can make her happy.

This would also be a great way to bring in Daphne for a quick scene in Season 6(?), as she added so much to S2! Daphne could discover this struggle and share her own issues with having children with Fran; how she initially thought she wouldn't be able to have children with Simon and even after realizing they were both deeply in love she had to come to terms with never being a mother. This would also be a fantastic opportunity to address Daphne's awful actions in S1; She could reveal that she did not handle to loss well, and that in truth she had not properly accepted a life without children and so when the possibility of them was there she acted cruelly, something she regrets to this day. She took her pain and anger at having to give up children because of Simon out on him once it was revealed they were still possible. So her advice to Fran is totally be sure biological children are something she could live without. Because resenting the person who made you give up a dream will quickly poison your love and it is hard to come back from that. But she does also understand loving someone enough to give up on a dream.

Original Plot: Seduced into marriage, not realizing you're in love

Michael follows Francesca back to Scotland and proposes a business marriage so she can have a child and remain the Countess. After getting lost in a storm they start an intimate affair for several weeks while Fran thinks over his offer of marriage; she is torn over her attraction to Michael as this was never supposed to be part of her 2nd marriage and it feels like a betrayal of her first love. Eventually Michael cracks and tells Fran if she won't marry him then she must leave as he can't watch her marry another. He confesses his love and Fran agrees to marry him because she likes him and he's her friend and she enjoys sleeping with him. Its only after he suddenly falls ill after their marriage that she realizes she has fallen in love again, and truly embraces that risk for the reward of being with him.

Solution: M won't be a side piece and F needs to make a decision

As there is no need to rush to Scotland to tell Fran about Colins wedding this can al take place in London during the season. Michaela proposes a relationship while Fran looks for a husband; they can have fun together but when Fran wants to marry Michaela will stand back. Fran is the one who starts to think she doesn't want this arrangement to end and that she has proper feelings for Michaela, which still feels like a betrayal to Johns memory. She doesn't think there are romantic feelings from Michaela, just passion, and so she isn't realizing that she herself is falling in love.

This would also give great opportunities for double jealously for both women, as both are being actively pursued.

As Fran falls more in love though she starts to think about staying with Michaela, how they could run the Earldom together and live as if they were married. She will just take a husband but have a lover on the side as many men do. Michaela is the one who pushes Fran away, as she is focused on giving Fran her dream of children and marriage, neither of which are an option with her. Eventually, during an argument over one of Francesca's suitors Michaela confesses to loving Fran since the moment they met; not only is she feeling guilty about this due to John's memory but she couldn't forgive herself if she was the reason Fran gave up on her dream of motherhood. Michaela tells Fran she should leave her and go find a husband as Michaela can't give her the life she wants. Then when Fran proposes the secret lover route Michaela is devastated, as she will not be a mistress, even for the woman she loves. It would be agony to see Fran with another so Fran can't have her cake and eat it too; if she marries, their relationship will be over.

This could be when Fran has to truly think about what she should be giving up with this relationship and to have those heart to hearts with Daphne and Violet. Can she embrace a second great love and risk her heart again, and can she make pace with never having biological children?

In the time she has been thinking this over Michaela has fallen seriously ill; learning that she is close to death Fran races to her and realizes she does love Michaela. This is how she felt abut John and she is already mourning losing another great love; if that's how she feels, shouldn't she do anything to keep it?

Upon reaching Michaela it becomes clear she isn't as seriously ill as reported but there is no going back for Fran now. She confesses her love too and convinces Michaela that there are other forms of motherhood that will satisfy her. She won't regret loving her and can make her peace with everything she will have to give up for this relationship as long as she gets to be with Michaela.

So most of the main themes and character journeys which Francesca and Michael(a) go on throughout their love story are still open to being portrayed. Most of these plots are ready to go, just needing some adapted structure to make them work. Though it came out of left field and with no warning, that doesn't mean its not going to work.

This can still be a gorgeous story of longing and loss, and finding love where you least expect it.

**Spoilers for S3 and beyond** expanding on this for more Michael-Michaela parallels

Original plot: Michael is a rake, and Frannie loves his tales about being wicked

Michael is described as charming and flirtatious before John marries Fran but its afterward that he really starts being seen as a Rake. This is mainly in reaction to him losing Fran to another, and Frannie loves to ask him about a time 'when he was wicked' for him to share these rakish/scandalous exploits with her. Its a big part of their friendship when she's married to John, and does a lot of set up work for Michael's character and his interactions with Fran in the future.

It is also revealed later that some of his exploits are exaggerated and a result of gossip more that action; he has been sleeping around and acting rakish, but not to the extend the gossips claim.

Solution; Michaela can be scandalous too

Firstly, the intention behind Michael being rake-ish during the time Frannie knows him and in then sharing those stories is 1) to show his reaction to the devastation in having lost Fran to another and 2) to share tales which will shock and entertain her, while showing Michael as a passionate person. The intention behind sharing those tales wasn't 'this man loves sex', it was 'this man lives wildly and not by society standards', 'this man does after what he wants', 'this man is an engaging entertaining storyteller, unashamed of the varied life he has lived'. All of these things can be conveyed by Michaela as well, just tweak the tales slightly.

Michael is said to be charming before Johns marriage, but its only after he sees the woman he loves marry another that he starts being described as a 'rake'. In the book its implied that this is mainly due to having no chance to marry Fran, so he becomes more loose with women. Being seen as a Rake was one of the few things a man could do which would be seen as 'scandalous' due to their comparative greater freedom in society; therefore in describing him as one Michael is being shown to be scandalous, or act in a scandalous way.

They can show that Michaela has also been scandalous her whole life; a wild thing as a child, doing unladylike things and not listening to her governess; secretly visiting a card parlor in disguise; travelling to the continent (Mainland Europe) with only a companion and no notice etc...Maybe Michaela reacts to seeing Fran marry John by becoming more wild and scandalous; riding and walking alone and unchaperoned, traveling to other towns with little notice and dancing with anyone at local assemblies, writing to women across the world. There are many ways the writers can convey that Michaela has become more scandalous in her actions post Johns marriage, and that it is a reaction to her loving Fran from afar. These tales don't have to be as explicitly sexual, as the main aim for Michaels was to show his personality not his sexual prowess, but they could easily mix in a few double entendre in there or allusions to past lovers which Fran doesn't pick up on but the audience does.

Original Plot: Michael contracts malaria in India

Michael comes back to England with malaria and tells no one. Early on in their time in London he falls ill with a fever due to this and Fran discovers his condition. While he survives this and is said to be healthy again, later in the book he gets a fever again and is seriously ill. This makes Fran race to his side, worrying that she is going to loose him forever, thinking 'its not fair that I loose 2 husbands so young, when others who don't even love theirs have them live to old age'. Fran needs this moment, thinking he is dying, to realize that she is in love with him and embrace her new feelings.

Solution; There's no reason Michaela can't go to India

Bridgerton The Show has established women can travel internationally, under specific circumstances; Queen Charlotte traveled from Germany to England for her wedding, under heavy guard; The Sharma women literally travelled from India to England in Season 2, we assume with a chaperone but one is never mentioned; Kate's plan was to travel back to India once Edwina married and no one was raising an issue over her going on her own, even if she would have had a chaperone or travelling companion; Kate and Anthony are planning to travel to India after S3 to have their first child there and visit Edwina and no one is raising an issue with a pregnant woman travelling with only her husband.

These examples all show that a women travelling internationally is possible, there just have to be certain conditions in place. Give her a pen pal or friend to visit and boom! You could even make this Edwina; Kate keeps in touch with Edwina but also Eloise and Fran during the time John is alive, through this Michaela comes to know of Edwina and maybe even writs to her herself, when she needs to flee the country to run from her feelings India seems a very long way away, what do you know she knows someone there she could visit.

Michaela just needs a chaperone or travel companion with her and she can run off to wherever; give her a fantastic older lady, who has been with Michaela for years and kind of enables her wildness, who travels with her so that its 'allowed' but in reality is a great friend and confidant. This also allows someone who has supposedly know her for years to reveal to the audience that Michaela is different around Fran, that this friend has known for years of Michaela's feelings and helps her with her guilt etc..

Thee no reason Michaela can't go to India during those 4 years (of however long the show wants to make this) and contract malaria, to follow the book plot of her illness.

But if that would be jumping the shark, she can always have gone to somewhere else for those 4 years and contracted another potentially deadly disease which will allow the plot to work in the same way; at that time there's a plethora of illnesses to choose from, so send her to Spain and have her contract Yellow Fever, it doesn't really matter as long as she has a way of potentially being on deaths door to scare Fran into realizing her love.

Original Plot: tension on being the heir between Michael and John

There is (apparently) some small tension between the two, from Michaels side, over John being the heir to the Earldom and Michael having nothing to his name. Their fathers were twins, and Johns father being born 7 min earlier means he inherited and John after him, while Michael inherits nothing and has little money himself.

Michael struggles with this, especially after Johns death; part of him has been angry about this accident of birth meaning he misses out on the Earldom, and now he has everything he sometimes wished for but he has lost John for it. Michael is horrified he might have spoken this into existence and that what he once wanted has cost him so much.

Solution; I work twice as hard, for half the pay

Dissatisfaction with the accident of birth making one cousin the heir and the other penniless? Of course this could still happen for a women, and even more so due to her gender.

Michaela is not only frustrated that her fathers later birth meant he wasn't the heir, but now she is also frustrated that her gender makes her doubly ineligible. Combine this with her attraction to women in a time it wasn't possible to have a relationship, and you can have some great angst around 'if only my father has been born first', 'if only I had been born a man', 'the accident of birth and gender has screwed me over in life'. None of this tension and underlying resentment in her relationship with John (though very small and nothing that would ever impact their relationship) has to be lost, and actually will be enhanced by Michaela's gender and sexuality.

This would add to the horror after Johns death, and anger as society's reaction; a woman becoming heir to the Earldom would be an even greater improvement in circumstances than a penniless cousin inheriting it, so society would be saying Michaela is the luckiest women who ever lived to gain this. Completely disregarding that she only has this due to her beloved cousin dying tragically and unexpectedly young. If John is the one to specify this in his will that only make it worse; literally everything she now has is because of John, and because he has died, so her self hatred and anger will be enormous.

TL;DR Michaela can still be 'wicked' in her scandalous actions (sexual elements optional), there is no reason she can't travel overseas when she runs from her feelings, and men don't have a monopoly on 'I'm angst ridden over loosing out over the inheritance' feelings.

**Speculation for Francesca's Season plotline** Sorry this is so freaking long and spoilers for the show and books ahead ....

Francesca's love story can still retain the key emotional beats, motivations and character growth from her book even with Michaela Stirling in place of Michael, so no one should panic regarding that. Here's how...

Original plot: Inheritance and titles

Michael is torn up that he inherits the Earldom, estate and money when John dies; he feels that he has gotten everything at the expense of a man he saw as his brother. The idea of also ‘inheriting’ his brother’s wife (whom he is secretly in love with) horrifies him and so he flees the country for 4 years. This absence allows Francesca time and space to grieve John and for her to continue acting as the Countess, living in comfort and peace while she rebuilds her life.

Solution: Ally John to the rescue!

The writers should clarify that there is literally no one still living who could inherit the title and estate. Only child of an only child for the last 100 years kind of thing, and all possible cousins by marriage etc are also dead. Have the estate guy from Season 3 come in and inform Fran that he has conducted extensive interviews and there is literally no one living who could inherit the estate, so they will have to honor John's very strange provision in his will. John has specified in his will that the title will pass to whomever Michaela marries, as his cousin and the last of the Kilmartin’s - her father was his fathers younger twin bother. Bridgerton the show has established that women cannot inherit but they can manage an estate (Lord Deblings wife will act for him as he travels, the Mondridge's son inherits not his mother, one of the female Featherington's will inherit the estate once they have a son and act as 'the mother of the lord') so John cannot pass the title to Francesca upon his death but he can pass to to Michaela's possibly future spouse.

(He could also have put in a provision like the Featherington's that Fran would act as the Earl until their child reaches their majority, but as he dies childless this isn't an issue)

This way Michaela will still feel the guilt for inheriting everything from John, plus the men who will pursue her for the title will make her flee the country to escape marriage. In her mind she can not only escape marriage to someone who wants the title, but in practice it will allow Francesca to remain acting as the Countess. As Michaela is in love with Fran already this is a kind gesture of ‘the least I can do is not take all that away from her after she just lost John’ plus she just cant be around her as she mourns John and turns to Michaela for comfort.

Bonus plot point; Michaela is a lesbian and she confessed this to John when they were children as they grew up together as siblings! Therefore in passing the estate to her John in practice gives her the title. He knew she would never marry a man, or be able to marry a woman and so this is his way of passing the title to her. This gives Michaela the same guilt at inheriting everything (everyone is claiming my life is in many way better off after my cousin died but I would give it all up for John being alive again) and allows her journey during Fran's season to be to focus on accepting what John has done for her.

Original plot: Infertility and motherhood

Francesca deeply loved John and mourned him for years. She struggled with infertility while they were married, thought she was pregnant after he died and then lost their child soon after. As she is now a widow she mourns the loss of the only piece of John she had left, and the idea of being a mother. She eventually decided to try and remarry specifically because she wanted to be a mother.

Solution: Accepting the loss of biological motherhood

Francesca still struggles with infertility throughout her marriage with John and loses her baby just after John’s death. She decides to remarry to become a mother, and part of her growth is allowing herself to want this and take steps to become a mother. However part of her struggle as she falls in love with Michaela is the idea of never having biological children of her own. Through Michaela and coming to terms with the reality of loving a woman, Fran comes to embrace motherhood by another route: adoption, wardship, sponsoring etc.. Infertility is still a huge part of Frans character arc and journey, but this version tells the story of people who are truly never able to have their own children, whether by personal infertility or the constraints of biology. But Fran and Michaela (and people like them) can still be parents, they can still build families, and sometimes even loosing out on something you love is worth it when you find true happiness with another.

Frans season could end with her and Michaela taking in a baby or young child of a friend as their ward, and becoming mothers together.

Original plot: More than one great love

John and Francesca were deeply in love; Fran's journey in her book is unique in the Bridgerton siblings in that she gets two great loves. She has to come to terms with loving again, not only allowing herself to look for passion and love but to accept it when she does find it.

Solution: Bisexuality vs Lesbianism

Completely ignore that little moment at their wedding where the writers and directors implied that she didn’t like the kiss with John and was later instantly attracted to Michaela. Francesca's journey is the struggle of allowing herself to love again, ergo she must have a first love to compare against. Fran should be written as Bisexual not as a Lesbian - she had true and deep love with John, and her journey with Michaela is to 1) discover that she is also attracted to and able to fall in love with women, and 2) that she is allowed to fall in love again. Francesca needs to come to the realization that this second love shouldn't be compared to the first and that it doesn't diminish it; she did love John and she can love Michaela, and one doesn't invalidate the other.

This would also touch on such great points about bisexual awareness and erasure; people truly can be attracted to both genders, and it doesn't have to be an either-or decision. These loves can and often are equally rewarding and true across genders and shouldn't be seen as one being 'experimenting' or a 'mistake' until you settle down with the other. Also it would solve the issue that the writers have (hopefully) inadvertently created; by making Francesca have a moment of attraction for Michaela at her wedding to John; if they write her as bisexual and having been attracted to Michaela throughout her marriage then it reinforces the harmful stereotype of 'bisexuals are never faithful because they are attracted to everyone'. Removing this and making no further mention of it would be in everyone's best interests.

This will allow great Mother-Daughter bonding between Violet and Fran. Violet struggled to initially understand Fran and John as a couple, but came to accept and champion their love. As Violet is being set up for a great '2nd act' love of her own, by the time Fran starts to struggle with allowing herself to want her new partner Violet will be able to provide real advice and support for her in that regard. How a second great love can be different but only because you yourself are different and one can't truly be compared to the other. It will also allow a degree of healing from Violet's handling of Fran+John, as she is perhaps the only person who will understand Fran continuing to mourn John long after his death.

Original plot: Michael's return and Francesca's future

In the book Michael returns to 'do his duty' and marry, and its only when he comes back after 4 years of little to no contact that he realizes he is still in love with Francesca. Fran also realizes she dearly wishes to be a mother and won't give up on that dream, so is looking for a husband to enable this to happen.

Solution; Michaela is chasing Fran

Francesca and Michaela have been in loose contact the whole time, mainly regarding the estate but also helping one another deal with he loss of John. One huge advantage is that women are able to write to one another freely with no worry of scandal, and so they become distant pen pals through the years. When Francesca decides that motherhood is important to her and she is going to find a husband so she can become one, Michaela rushes back home to England. She has no interest in marrying but she will be there for Fran.

Michaela knows she is still deeply in love with Fran but 1) there is no indication that Fran would or could ever feels the same and 2) Fran desperately wants children, which is something Michaela can never give her. Kind of like Simon from S1 only this time it wont be overcome by talking about your trauma. So Michaela comes back to England to truly hep Fran find a husband, justifying this as due to being in love with Fran and will never marry, its likely Michaela will leave the estate to Fran's child. So she should at least see who is a contender and help Fran choose the father of her child.

Original Plot: Michael's devotion while refusing to act on his love

Michael has been in love with Francesca for 6-ish years by the start of their story; 2 while she was married to John and the 4 years since his death. Not only has he not acted on that love since his cousins death, he doesn't even when Fran decides she wants to remarry for children. This is due to his loyalty to John and his guilt over loving his wife and now widow; even when they reconnect and he worships and adores her, he is not going to properly 'act' upon this love by proposing marriage as that would feel like a betrayal to John.

Solution; Daphne to the rescue

We still have the guilt and loyalty to John and Michaela not feeling comfortable pursuing the woman she loves because of it. However later on, once an attraction has been first stablished maybe, this can be expanded to Michaela feeling guilt that being with her will not give Francesca what she was claimed she dearly wants; children. Michaela will not properly act on their feeling's for one another, and maybe when Francesca is starting to embrace there romance Michaela can be the on to pull back and tell Fran she should still look for a husband. Fran would have to convince her that this is what she wants and that Michaela can make her happy.

This would also be a great way to bring in Daphne for a quick scene in Season 6(?), as she added so much to S2! Daphne could discover this struggle and share her own issues with having children with Fran; how she initially thought she wouldn't be able to have children with Simon and even after realizing they were both deeply in love she had to come to terms with never being a mother. This would also be a fantastic opportunity to address Daphne's awful actions in S1; She could reveal that she did not handle to loss well, and that in truth she had not properly accepted a life without children and so when the possibility of them was there she acted cruelly, something she regrets to this day. She took her pain and anger at having to give up children because of Simon out on him once it was revealed they were still possible. So her advice to Fran is totally be sure biological children are something she could live without. Because resenting the person who made you give up a dream will quickly poison your love and it is hard to come back from that. But she does also understand loving someone enough to give up on a dream.

Original Plot: Seduced into marriage, not realizing you're in love

Michael follows Francesca back to Scotland and proposes a business marriage so she can have a child and remain the Countess. After getting lost in a storm they start an intimate affair for several weeks while Fran thinks over his offer of marriage; she is torn over her attraction to Michael as this was never supposed to be part of her 2nd marriage and it feels like a betrayal of her first love. Eventually Michael cracks and tells Fran if she won't marry him then she must leave as he can't watch her marry another. He confesses his love and Fran agrees to marry him because she likes him and he's her friend and she enjoys sleeping with him. Its only after he suddenly falls ill after their marriage that she realizes she has fallen in love again, and truly embraces that risk for the reward of being with him.

Solution: M won't be a side piece and F needs to make a decision

As there is no need to rush to Scotland to tell Fran about Colins wedding this can al take place in London during the season. Michaela proposes a relationship while Fran looks for a husband; they can have fun together but when Fran wants to marry Michaela will stand back. Fran is the one who starts to think she doesn't want this arrangement to end and that she has proper feelings for Michaela, which still feels like a betrayal to Johns memory. She doesn't think there are romantic feelings from Michaela, just passion, and so she isn't realizing that she herself is falling in love.

This would also give great opportunities for double jealously for both women, as both are being actively pursued.

As Fran falls more in love though she starts to think about staying with Michaela, how they could run the Earldom together and live as if they were married. She will just take a husband but have a lover on the side as many men do. Michaela is the one who pushes Fran away, as she is focused on giving Fran her dream of children and marriage, neither of which are an option with her. Eventually, during an argument over one of Francesca's suitors Michaela confesses to loving Fran since the moment they met; not only is she feeling guilty about this due to John's memory but she couldn't forgive herself if she was the reason Fran gave up on her dream of motherhood. Michaela tells Fran she should leave her and go find a husband as Michaela can't give her the life she wants. Then when Fran proposes the secret lover route Michaela is devastated, as she will not be a mistress, even for the woman she loves. It would be agony to see Fran with another so Fran can't have her cake and eat it too; if she marries, their relationship will be over.

This could be when Fran has to truly think about what she should be giving up with this relationship and to have those heart to hearts with Daphne and Violet. Can she embrace a second great love and risk her heart again, and can she make pace with never having biological children?

In the time she has been thinking this over Michaela has fallen seriously ill; learning that she is close to death Fran races to her and realizes she does love Michaela. This is how she felt abut John and she is already mourning losing another great love; if that's how she feels, shouldn't she do anything to keep it?

Upon reaching Michaela it becomes clear she isn't as seriously ill as reported but there is no going back for Fran now. She confesses her love too and convinces Michaela that there are other forms of motherhood that will satisfy her. She won't regret loving her and can make her peace with everything she will have to give up for this relationship as long as she gets to be with Michaela.

So most of the main themes and character journeys which Francesca and Michael(a) go on throughout their love story are still open to being portrayed. Most of these plots are ready to go, just needing some adapted structure to make them work. Though it came out of left field and with no warning, that doesn't mean its not going to work.

This can still be a gorgeous story of longing and loss, and finding love where you least expect it.

Bridgerton S3 Pt2 Spoilers

I swear seeing Anthony Bridgerton looking at his mother and Lord Anderson talking and saying "he oversteps" was so funny. He's like " who's this man hitting on my mother?" How come no one is talking about this?

Anyone else wanted to see Violet Bridgerton get her "Garden" tended to in season 3 onscreen or is it just me. Guess I'll have to rely on fanfiction on Ao3

I don't care what anyone says I like the whole Francesca and Michaela Stirling ordeal just like I like the whole Benedict x Tilly x Mr. Suarez. Because I LIVE for this so FIGHT ME!!

Honestly everything that happened with Cressida was so unnecessary especially when taken in to account the fact that she had told Eloise all season about how she needed to find a husband or she was going to get married off to an older man and it was actually going to happen had she not pulled the Whistledown stunt.

And then Eloise calling her a Viper??? Really showed that she had never really listened to what Cressida has said when Cressida has listened to her endless rambles (kinda of the only time we see her kinda listening is at the ball where she see Debbling is finally alone and goes over to him). Not only didn't listen but also didn't care it really made me realize that Cressida was a place holder for Eloise and she was using her and here was Cressida thinking she actually made a friend when she hadn't.

Like Eloise could've spoken up for Cressida with the whole blackmailing situation she knew why Cressida needed the money and could've been like "oh Colin that might not be a good idea for you to go. And she's actually doing this to get out of marrying an old man" because if she said that not only would it have given everyone some sort of understanding but also Portia Featherington would've understood immediately.

So much for Cressida could've happened if she was given her money and everything else but also if Eloise had advocated for her knowing what she knew but her not doing so provide that unless the conversation is not focused on what she can relate to she's not listening at all.

I liked Eloise, but honestly, I can't at all with her right now. Also, with the fact of everyone wanting for her to be gay 🙄 after everything she's done to show that she isn't even a girl's girl I doubt she would even be for the girls romantically.

Also, aside note, did anyone see those like dark, almost black marks that Cressida's mom had on her arms. There's a scene when Cressida's version of Whitledown was being handed out she pulls up her glove, which slipped, and you can kinda see black marks. Like, does it have something to do with her hate for the Bridgerton? Was it Cressida's fathers doing?

Anyway, Eloise is a bad friend, and she is definitely not a feminist or a girl's girl.

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