Queen Charlotte uses one of its final scenes to broach the subject of Lord Ledger’s infidelity very modulated, with Violet never revealing the extent to which she knows about her father’s affair with Lady Danbury. Instead, the pair’s interaction focuses on the hat that Lord Ledger gave Agatha, using Lady Danbury’s decision over whether she should get rid of it as a symbolic rendering of Agatha’s ability to continue honoring her past relationship with him. Violet’s approval for Agatha to keep the hat signifies her own ability to come to peace with her understanding of events, providing a very understated conclusion to the storyline in Queen Charlotte. Thankfully, Violet and Agatha’s second conversation about Lord Ledger is much more direct in Bridgerton Season 3, one which features such a mutual understanding between the two women that underscores the strength of their relationship.
While Lady Danbury doesn’t mention anything about the affair directly, she finally does ask Violet a direct question about whether Bridgerton’s matriarch truly knows what happened. Moreover, while Violet’s initial reaction to discover the affair was reserved and somewhat cool during the ending of Queen Charlotte, here Violet is nothing but understanding. Rather than ask Agatha spiteful questions about why she and Lord Ledger did what they did, Violet reaffirms her own connection to her family by insisting her father was a good man and Lady Danbury has been a good friend. Lady Danbury does the same in affirming her connection to Violet and her approval of the woman’s with Lady Danbury’s brother, confirming to fans that both women knew each other’s minds all along while offering a rare glimpse at how compassionate friends can eclipse the scandal of Bridgerton’s most improper relationships.
In a world where women like Cressida constantly try to put other women down in order to elevate their own prospects, the lack of judgment shown by either Lady Danbury or Violet constitutes a heartwarming instance of loyalty in the face of impropriety. Opting to depict how friends can overcome the losses of their past together, Bridgerton’s decision to make amends instead of scandal marks just one more instance where the show celebrates female friendship in Season 3. The reunion of Eloise and Penelope during Bridgerton Season 3 also furthers this theme, with the pair’s reconciliation after the fallout from Lady Whistledown’s true identity demonstrating that Bridgerton’s friendships can bear the brunt of any secret, so long as both parties are open to hearing it.
The latest batch of episodes proves the importance of transparency in relationships by having Lady Danbury and Violet finally open up to another about the secrets of their past, confronting Lord Ledger’s role in both women’s lives. By continuing to address the legacy of Agatha’s insightful relationship from Queen Charlotte, Bridgerton’s Season 3 finale reveals both ladies’ acceptance of one another with a starting lack of serious judgment, giving both the opportunity to continue their matchmaking mischief in future seasons. In a fictional world filled with constant love triangles and marriage pacts, the emphasis placed on women’s friendship confirms that not all couples need to be a love match nothing, and sometimes there’s better than finding someone willing to wear a silly paper hat.
Bridgerton Season 3 is currently streaming on Netflix in the U.S.
