Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Bridgerton Season 3 Part 2.
AsBridgertonrevolves around the siblings of the titular family, the show boasts another storyline that turns out to be more heartwarming and poignant than we could ever have imagined inSeason 3. The Featherington household’s drama has been churning on the back burner for the past two seasons, throwing out a fan-favorite character as well as some severely underappreciated ones.Season 3 reserves more screen time for the Featheringtons, gradually bringing their flourishing dynamics to the forefrontand delivering an unexpected scene in the finale between mother and daughter. Considering these characters were barely even inJulia Quinn’s novelsof the same name, Netflix has done a dazzling job with fleshing out their characterizations and motivations, allowing them to thrive in this jam-packed season.
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.
The Featherington Storyline Is Sparse in the ‘Bridgerton’ Books
TheBridgertonnovels kept the Featherington family on the sidelines, with onlyPenelope (Nicola Coughlan)making any real traction in the story. Though their story was sparse, Netflix has managed to weed out important details of their characters and create a lively background for them to thrive in the series.The entire inheritance plot and the family’s financial difficulties are non-existent in the book, with Lord Featherington still being alive and kicking, though he is not really involved in the storyline. There is no inheritance scheme in which Phillipa (Harriet Cains) and Prudence (Bessie Carter) are pitted against each other in a race to become pregnant with a son, a race that Penelope ultimately wins in the series. This race becomes thesource of comedy forBridgertonSeason 3, resulting in the invaluable discussion around how intimacy is performed, which also leads to Portia’s (Polly Walker) increasing frustrations and worries. As such, in the books Portia is not concerned with the family’s finances like in the series, and instead, is simply another caricature of a Regency mother prowling the marriage mart for acceptable suitors who would be willing to marry her daughters.
While the Netflix series fortunately gives more attention to the Featherington storyline, it also removes an entire sister from theFeatherington family tree. In Quinn’s novels,Penelope also has a younger sister, Felicity,who would have been around Hyacinth Bridgerton’s (Florence Hunt) age. Felicity was integral to Penelope and Colin’s (Luke Newton) love story, as Portia had initially set up Felicity to be married to Colin. Like in the series, Portia had written Penelope off as a lone spinster who would grow up taking care of her mother, and thus, her maternal efforts were poured into Felicity’s eligibility. However, when Colin comes over to ask for Penelope’s hand in marriage, Portia accepts, eager to have any association with the respected Bridgerton name at all, especially since her older daughters had already been married off. Interestingly, one was to Season 1’s Nigel Berbrooke (Jamie Beamish), though he was more irritating in the books rather than the slimy character he was in the series.
Portia Featherington Is Given a Backstory in Netflix’s ‘Bridgerton’
One of the major deviations from the Featheringtons in the book is the characterization and backstory of Portia, the matriarch of the household. In a series filled with powerful women and inspiring matriarchs,Portia is often forgotten and underappreciated, mainly because of how much she is villainized in the earlier seasons. Season 3 finally softens her story, allowing her cold and calculating demeanor to drift into the territory of grit, determination and resourcefulness. She finally gets the recognition and sympathy she deserves in this season, asPenelope finally realizesthat for all her mother’s wile and cunning, she had good intentions.
The novels never really allowed this fierce quality to enter the character of Portia, asshe was reduced to just another overbearing mother trying to achieve higher statusand social regard throughadvantageous marriages for her daughter. Her character never really extends beyond this archetype, even when she finds herself in a rivalry with another lady over a maid in the books, a subplot that simply cements her interest in trivial social quarrels. Our beloved Netflix character, however, does not have a husband to financially support her, and we discover that the husband she did once have wasn’t able to either.It is her singular conniving efforts that allowed the Featheringtons to stave off povertyand retain any social standing in theton, allowing them to be eligible for a decent marriage. Though her methods were less than savory, she was critically resourceful, managing to single-handedly sustain her family while navigating the restrictions placed on women at the time. As such, her shady dealings with Cousin Jack (Rupert Young) don’t seem as bad, especially since she had manipulated her way into removing his tyranny from their lives.
Like in the novels, Portia micromanages her daughters' image down to even the color palette, but the series offers a more nuanced and empathetic explanation for it. As such,being able to secure a relationship with theBridgerton familybecomes far more rewarding in the Netflix series than it is in the books. As Portia happily switches out her garishly bright palette to the delicate Bridgerton blue tones and fusses over the details of the wedding with Violet (Ruth Gemmell) smiling tightly by her side, we can’t help but feel ecstatic about her enthusiasm. Though it may not be driven by hopes of true love for her daughter like the show advocates, her tireless journey to trying to secure her daughters' and her own future earns its own merits.
‘Bridgerton’ Season 3 Brings Penelope and Portia Closer
Penelope and Portia relationship in the books does not really extend past the initial neglect that is established, as Portia dismisses her daughter and is simply pleasantly surprised when she discovers Colin’s interest in her. By expanding Portia’s characterization,the series also delivers one of the most heartfelt and satisfying scenes of Season 3. Throughout the show, Portia’s immense efforts often go unnoticed by her daughters, who become more preoccupied with their own dramas or are content to just label Portia as despicable and let it be. This is particularly done by Penelope, who reveals she often feels voiceless in her household and thus adopts thenom de plume of Lady Whistledownand indulges in essentially venting about her family. With Portia ever worried about the family’s reputation, she constantly feels the pressure of Lady Whistledown’s quill, making for an interesting dynamic between the two on screen.
As such, whenPenelope struggles with her secret identityas Lady Whistledown and eventually reveals it to her mother, their relationship finally comes to a head. While Portia is initially, and understandably, aghast that she would expose her family like that, especially after all the trials Portia has endured to keep them afloat, she eventually begins to respect Penelope’s power. This leads to aheart-warming mother-daughter bonding moment as Portia divulges why she has done what she has doneand the frustration she feels about being a woman in the rigidton. Penelope identifies with this, as she had considered giving up her success and power as a writer in order to conform to her new role as a wife. Their newfound understanding is an inexplicably huge reward for the inane arguments that arose between the two throughout the show, becoming one of the most invaluable additions the showrunners could have added toBridgerton.
So ‘Bridgerton’ Is Getting a Season 4, Right?
We still have ‘Tons’ of unanswered questions.
‘Bridgerton’ Season 3 Also Highlights the Featherington Sisters
But it is not only their mother-daughter relationship that captures our hearts this season, but also the completely overlooked sisters that we had dismissed as superficial and irrelevant. Penelope’s sisters also received a makeover in the series, becoming far more cruel to Penelope, and thus accidentally smarter, than they were in the books. By giving the two sisters far more personality than they had in the novels, the show renders this aspect of the Featherington storyline heart-warming as well.Throughout Season 3,Prudence in particular becomes envious of the attention Portia was giving Penelope, slowly growing warmer to Penelope in hopes of returning to her mother’s good graces. As she is vying for her mother’s approval, we almost sympathize with her, considering it is the only approval she really has ever had, since she is also often ridiculed in theton. The fact that they still reside in the Featherington manor, a detail that also deviated from the novel, emphasizes their dependency on Portia, both physically and emotionally, despite having husbands. As such, it is touching that Penelope recognizes this and funds an extravagant ball for them, nudging Portia’s attentions back to Prudence.
This exuberant ball becomes a stage for Philippa’s relationship with Penelope to blossom, albeit in a subtle way. As Penelope makes her speech in the finale and the gossip of the ton ensues shortly after, it is anunexpected yet delightful shock that Phillipa comes to her rescue and releases a flourish of butterflies(sorry, “bugs”). With Penelope standing in the center of the hall, completely alone and vulnerable to the nasty whispers of society around her, the scene is perfectly set up for Colin to come support her. ButBridgertonsubverts these rom-com expectationsto deliver us this surprising, endearing familial moment, solidifying the tumultuous bonds within the Featherington family. As such, the Featherington household slowly resolves the conflicts and bitterness that have pervaded their relationships throughoutBridgerton, becoming an unexpectedly heartfelt tale of blossoming family relationships.
