Dear Readers: We hope you’ve had a chance to binge Bridgerton season 3 by now—and are gearing up for Bridgerton season 4. If not, what are you waiting for? We’re ready to dissect and discuss all the twists and turns of Polin’s season, which saw some major developments happen to other major characters.
In part one of our interview with showrunner Jess Brownell, who took over the role this season, replacing Chris Van Dusen, who oversaw Bridgerton seasons 1 and 2, we talked about how Julia Quinn came to terms with the major gender shift in Francesca Bridgerton’s story, and the future of Benedict, who seems like the frontrunner to lead Bridgerton season 4. Brownell has been a writer on the show since season 1. In part two, we discuss some interesting details surrounding fan-favorite Kanthony, Cressida Cowper’s unexpected storyline, and of course, the resolution of Colin and Penelope’s romance—and Penelope and Eloise’s romance.
Teen Vogue: I don’t know if you know, but Netflix—probably unintentionally—made the moderators and reviewers wait quite a while between episodes five and six and then seven and eight. I was stuck with Colin for weeks [at the end of episode six], not knowing what was going to happen next. It was such an amazing reveal, and obviously, a pivotal moment in their story. Talk to me about building that moment and how you wanted it to play out.
Jess Brownell: A lot of that was inspired by how it plays out in the book. In the book, Colin follows Penelope. It’s set up a little differently, but we liked the idea that right when Penelope is struggling with whether or not to give up Whistledown, and right when she decides to pick up her quill again—that’s the moment Colin finds out about her. At the beginning of that episode, Eloise basically says, “Don’t tell him. It’ll break his heart.” Penelope struggling with that, and then having him find out that way obviously creates quite a bit of drama, because he definitely wants to hear it directly from her. It creates a lot of dramatic potential for us in episodes seven and eight.
TV: I really like the whole Penelope and Eloise friendship storyline. I think that’s just as important to the story as Colin and Penelope. It’s great to see them become friends again. I saw the scene between Colin and Eloise, when they talk about forgiving Penelope, and it was really touching. Why was that moment important to show?
JB: All three of them are really friends: Eloise, Penelope, and Colin. Obviously, Eloise and Colin’s friendship is something we’re focusing on this season. Everyone’s in their own corner of that friendship. There’s Pen and Eloise here, Colin and Eloise here, Colin and Pen, etc. This time, it’s really important for the two people in the family affected by this friendship/love triangle to talk about it together. I think a big theme of this season is showing that friendship and family are just as important as romantic relationships and giving those relationships the respect they deserve.