Did Lady Whistledown just reveal the hottest gossip of the ton?
Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan, who plays Penelope Featherington on the Netflix show, caused quite the stir when she shared a photo of costar Luke Newton (Colin Bridgerton) in a June 2 Instagram that featured a Post-it note in the background that read “Sophie.”
In fact, many fans of the original book series by Julia Quinn theorized that the secret message was meant to hint at the central romance of the fourth season, since in the third novel, An Offer From a Gentleman, character Sophie Becket is introduced as Benedict Bridgerton’s love interest.
“SOPHIE?!?” one fan said in the comments, adding a wide-eyed emoji, with another writing, “Does the mirror say Sophie?”
Unfortunately for those waiting for Sophie to appear on the show (her and Benedict’s book was skipped in favor of Colin and Penelope’s, Romancing Mister Bridgerton), Nicola was quick to shut down the rumors.
“lolll no,” the 37-year-old said in response to a fan, “that’s @sophie.burton.33’s makeup station!!”
And despite some disappointment, fans were thankful for the clarification, with one replying, “we almost panicked,” while another joked, “bestie you had me screaming.”
Mostly, Nicola’s fans were busy sharing their excitement for the second half of Bridgerton‘s third season, which drops on Netflix June 13. As the cast explained, there’s plenty more drama awaiting the regency-era franchise, especially with the “huge elephant in the room,” that Penelope is secretly Lady Whistledown.
“It’s really easy to think, ‘Oh, they’ve confessed their love for each other and they’re going to live happily ever after,'” Luke recently told E! News, “but actually, the way it’s written—it’ll take you every which way.”
And as costar Claudia Jessie, who plays Eloise Bridgerton, teased, “We have to remember that it’s friends, which can be seen as part one, to lovers—part two. If you catch what I’m saying.”
And Lady Danbury herself, Andjoa Andoh, shared that all the story lines would be colliding in the second half.
“We have the ongoing mystery of Whistledown, we have the breakup of the friendship between Eloise and Penelope, we have the burgeoning [romance] between Violet and my hideous brother,” Andjoa explained. “Part two, everything starts to come together. There’s a lot of resolving that needs to take place.”
Curious to see what else was changed from book to screen? Keep reading to find out.
Where We Find Penelope Featherington
In Netflix’s version, Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) becomes our heroine, deciding that at only 19 years old it’s time to give herself a full makeover in an effort to shed her wallflower ways and find a husband. To that end, she nixes the yellows and oranges she’s worn for most of seasons one and two, instead opting for more flattering dresses and colors—oftentimes wearing the famed Bridgerton blue. Pen also gets help from Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton), whom she has had a crush on for years, on how to improve her flirting techniques.
The circumstances are very different for book Penelope, who is already 28 years old in Romancing Mister Bridgerton, since the story is set in 1824, 10 years after Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) married Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley). Book Penelope is considered an old maid and her fashion transformation stems more from her mother finally leaving her alone after she doesn’t get married. While book Pen is also stressed about being stuck with her mother for the rest of her life, it does not prompt her to find a husband.
Another major difference? No one—not even the reader!—knows that she’s town gossip Lady Whistledown at the beginning of the book, a secret that only comes to light until about halfway through the fourth book; Netflix viewers, meanwhile, were treated to that bombshell in season one.
Where We Find Colin Bridgerton
Colin is our dashing young suitor in season three, and as has been the case for his character throughout the show, book Colin’s trajectory is different from show Colin.
In the book, he is 33 years old and has been traveling extensively for years—as opposed to just a few months in the show—rarely leaving him at home. He also finds himself struggling to find his purpose, which he’s slightly less concerned about on the show.
Much like on Netflix though, he finds his attraction to Penelope slowly growing throughout the book and spends much of his time marveling at just how kind, funny and stunning Pen is—all qualities he’s shocked that he and the rest of the ton never noticed before.
The Moment Colin Falls for Penelope
In both the book and the show, emotions really come to a head for Colin and Penelope when she accidentally on purpose reads his travel diaries. Book Pen was visiting the Bridgertons because she’s still best friends with Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie), while show Pen was at their house in episode two for private flirting lessons with Colin.
In both versions, Colin cuts his hand, although in the book it’s on a letter opener and in the show it’s because of a broken candle holder.
Regardless, it’s as she is wrapping his hand that Colin really notices Penelope.
How Colin and Penelope Share Their First Kiss
For Polin, in the book and show, their first kiss comes when Penelope directly asks him to lock lips, telling him she’ll live her life having never been kissed if he doesn’t do it.
On our TV screens, the moment occurs at the end of episode two, just after it’s been revealed to all of the ton that Penelope asked for Colin’s help in finding a suitor.
In the book, the kiss occurs in the Featherington drawing room when Colin visits Penelope to express his distress over the fact that he thinks his sister Eloise is Lady Whistledown (voiced by Julie Andrews).
How the Carriage Scene Really Went Down
Yes, in both the novels and the screen adaptation, Colin and Penelope’s second kiss happens in a carriage just before he FINALLY proposes.
Netflix decided to make the kiss and proposal happen in the Featherington carriage at the end of episode four, just after Colin has ruined Penelope’s chances with Lord Debling (Sam Phillips).
He doesn’t yet know that she’s Lady Whistledown, basically the Regency era DeuxMoi. In fact, episode one ends with Colin expressing his hatred for Lady Whistledown after she wrote some not-so-nice things about his “new” personality following his travels, telling sister Eloise that he will ruin whoever Whistledown really is.
In the book, Polin’s carriage kiss and engagement occurs in Colin’s coach after he’s followed Penelope into town and learned her shocking secret: that she is, in fact, Lady Whistledown, meaning he goes into their marriage fully aware of her double life.
What About Francesca Bridgerton?
Francesca Bridgerton (Hannah Dodd) is unfortunately sometimes considered the forgotten Bridgerton child, not because her family doesn’t love her, but because—as she does on the show—the sixth Bridgerton sibling prefers quiet and calm.
In the book series, it’s casually mentioned that Francesca found her husband seven years before we pick up with Penelope and Colin. However, executive producer Shonda Rhimes and team have decided to combine some of the book plotlines with Francesca, Colin and Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) all searching for love in season three. That leads us to…
In the TV show, Francesca becomes Queen Charlotte’s (Golda Rosheuvel) “diamond” of the season and finds herself being courted by the Queen’s pick Lord Samadani (David Mumeni), as well as by her preferred suitor, John Stirling, Earl of Kilmartin (Victor Alli). (Sadly, Queen Charlotte is not a character in the books, meaning the monarch—and her truly fantastic headpieces—never anoints a “diamond” of any season.)
We’ll avoid any more of the novel’s spoilers about Francesca—as there’s likely to be plenty of development on her in Bridgerton part two—but if you are interested in spoilers, her story is expanded upon in the sixth Bridgerton book, When He Was Wicked.
