As Bridgerton continues to dominate Netflix’s most-watched charts, one cast member is stirring up fan discourse with his sweet post celebrating the end of the third season.
Lorn Macdonald, who plays Albion Finch, the endearing, sneezing husband of Philippa Featherington, took to Instagram on Wednesday to share a series of adorable behind-the-scenes photos.
“Albion Finch,” Macdonald wrote. “What started off with cheese and a sneeze became a character I deeply care about. Huge thanks to everyone who made this a job I’ll never forget and to all the fans showing your love for this weird little dude. It means a lot. And to my Philippa. @harriet.cains . My partner in crime. It’s been real. Bless you.”
The caption caused fans to wonder if this was Macdonald’s goodbye post to the show. “wait why has it been real, u wont be around in next seasons😢?” one asked in the comments. “Wait don’t tell us this is the end for Mr. Finch?! 😭😭 we love him!!! ❤️,” another said.
Macdonald’s bumbling character quickly became a fan-favorite on the series, with some fans calling Finch their “favorite green flag.” During this season of Bridgerton, which focused on Nicola Coughlan’s character Penelope Featherington, viewers got to see a deeper glimpse into the world of the Featherington family — particularly, the naive but loving relationship between Penelope’s older sister Philippa and Mr. Finch, which had some particularly beloved comedic moments between the two as they navigated sex and romance in their new marriage.
But with the chapter of Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton officially closed, it’s unclear if the Featherington families will return to the screen in the next few seasons. Macdonald has not clarified if he is definitely not coming back, and Netflix has not given any more details about the fourth season. Showrunner Jess Brownell told Teen Vogue this week that some side character storylines — like the rags-to-riches Mondrich family and society mean girl Cressida Cowper — will continue into the next seasons.
“I want every sibling to have their own season, and I know that Shonda [Rhimes] wants that as well,” she said.
While there hasn’t been any announcement officially on what will happen in the fourth season, Brownell has said that it will likely take two years until the next Bridgerton sibling graces our screens again. In the meantime, fans can still get their fill of Lorn Macdonald in his other projects — catch him in the new Hulu dramedy Dinosaur or the thriller Tummy Monster, which premiered at the Glasgow Film Festival this March.
A Viral Bridgerton Theory About Benedict & Cressida Just Got Debunked
The quill ink has dried on Bridgerton Season 3, but the theories are just getting started. Given all the clues that point to Benedict being the potential Season 4 lead (that masquerade ball mention), it only makes sense that viewers are particularly interested in the second-eldest Bridgerton brother.
The Cinderella-esque story of Benedict’s book, An Offer from a Gentleman, is a favorite for many readers. However, a recent theory suggests a major departure from Julia Quinn’s novel — in fact, what if Benedict’s love interest is not Sophie Beckett but Cressida Cowper?
Another Book Twist?
That would be quite a major change, but is there any merit to it?
Though several fans have put forth the prediction on social media, @cassmorann’s viral Instagram post compiles some of the main arguments. “The ultimate redemption arc for Cressida would be to marry into the Bridgerton family,” the user suggests. “The most obvious avenue for that, of course, being Benedict.”
@cassmorann adds that with Cressida being sent off to live with her aunt at the end of Season 3, a return to Mayfair could be similar to the “rags-to-riches” story seen with Sophie in An Offer from a Gentleman.
The user also notes that the last time Cressida is seen in Season 3, she has a chain element in her hair. “She is literally being held captive,” adding that Benedict can be seen wearing a key on his waist in the same episode, suggesting that he holds the literal and figurative key to changing her fate.
Don’t Worry, #Benophie Stans
A Bridgerton deep dive is always fun, but if you can’t bear the thought of Benedict’s love interest changing from Sophie to Cressida, fear not. Someone does hold the key to Cressida’s hair cage, but it’s not meant to be Benedict.
Jessica Madsen, who plays Cressida, recently told Entertainment Weekly that an alternate ending showed Lady Cowper joining her daughter in the carriage. In her hair? A key! This represented the mother “choos[ing] her daughter,” showrunner Jess Brownell confirmed.
Grace Gorman, Bridgerton wig artist, even shared a video of the unseen key look. “The key to happiness is freedom, the key to freedom is in Lady Cowpers hair 👀🗝️🔒,” Gorman wrote on Instagram.
Plus, trend expert Cat Quinn shared in her own video that Gorman explained the significance of the mother-daughter wig moment, and wrote in her caption that “Her mom Araminta comes to save her in an alternative ending and holds the key to her freedom. (not Benedict as some are reporting).” So, consider this one debunked.
But was Benedict wearing a key in the Season 3 finale? Maybe, but so are most of the men you’ll see on Bridgerton, if you look closely.
Apparently, Regency guys wore adorable little keychains all the time!
There’s a good reason for that, too. According to the Greater Bay Area Costumers Guild, men of Benedict’s time would carry a watch inside a special fob pocket, and that watch chain would have a special key for winding. So it seems Cressida’s cage clue, while compelling, was really only ever meant to be a sweet Easter egg about her mom.
As for Sophie, Brownell did recently tell Glamour that we will “see her at some point.” So it seems she very much exists in the Bridgerton universe.
Bridgerton’s Costume Designers Quashed A Viral Season 3 Theory
A viral Bridgerton fan theory has been debunked. After the release of Season 3 (the second part of which dropped on June 13), fans have been looking out for any potential clues about the upcoming fourth season, and their attention was drawn to Eloise Bridgerton’s wardrobe.
On Reddit, some fans claimed that a ballgown worn by Eloise (played by Claudia Jessie) was possibly an Easter egg relating to her love story in Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton novel, To Sir Philip, with Love, in which the character falls in love with Sir Philip Cane.
Fans pointed out that not only was Eloise’s dress designed in Philip’s favorite color (light green), the garment also featured a flower pattern that closely resembled a geranium — the flowers Philip sends Eloise in the book.
Despite gaining traction among viewers online, Bridgerton costume designers, John Glaser, George Sayer, and Dougie Hawkes, poured cold water on the theory, telling People that Eloise’s dress details are simply a coincidence.
“The intention wasn’t there,” Sayer explained, while Glaser added, “Some things are just done inherently. It’s after the fact when people dissect it, I do sometimes think, ‘I had no idea we did that.’ It just was there. It’s flattering to think that we’re that smart. We’re not.”
While the Eloise dress theory proved incorrect, the show’s costume designers have been known to drop Bridgerton Easter Eggs via character outfits before.
When Season 2 debuted on Netflix in 2021, fans theorized that a green dress worn by Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) was intended as a clue about her love story with Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton), which eventually played out in the newly-released Season 3.
Speaking to People, costume designer Sophie Canale confirmed this was indeed the case, as Penelope’s green gown symbolized the mixing of her family’s yellow color palette and Colin’s blue color palette.
Another Eloise Theory
Fans also recently theorized that Eloise might end up marrying Lord Debling in the Netflix series. However, the character ties the knot with Sir Phillip Crane in the original Bridgerton books. Given the show hasn’t changed a character’s love interest thus far, this particular theory seems unlikely.
Who Plays Cressida Cowper? Jessica Madsen Has A Big Season 3 Role
In Bridgerton Seasons 1 and 2, actor Jessica Madsen’s character, Cressida Cowper, was positioned as an antagonistic force in the party circuit. She threw some mean side-eye, corralled the gossip circles, and was armed with a series of nasty remarks. Lady Whistledown once referred to her as “ill-mannered,” which spoke volumes.
In the first two installments, Cressida failed to win the affections of an eligible suitor, so she’s back in Season 3, and her story takes an unexpected turn.
Following Penelope and Eloise’s rift at the end of Season 2, Cressida strikes up an unlikely friendship with Eloise (played by Claudia Jessie) — which baffles the youngest Featherington (Nicola Coughlan).
“They [Cressida and Eloise] really show up,” Madsen recently told ExtraTV about Cressida’s arc. “They show a mirror up to each other, and they learn different things.” She continued, “They listen to each other and Eloise challenges her and sort of helps her break down her mask and open up and be vulnerable, which we have not seen.”
And that’s just the beginning of it, dear reader. Below, here’s what to know about Season 3’s breakout star, and what the book has in store for her.
She Identifies With Cressida’s “Fire”
In a 2021 interview with New Scene Magazine, Madsen talked about how she and Cressida differ. “Cressida is definitely fiery. Her fire inside fuel’s her need to light a fire underneath others, she has a lot of passion and determination and will take down anyone who crosses her,” said the actor, who graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. “I’m an Aries so I have that same fieriness, [but I’m] less of a fire starter or scolder.”
Before joining the Netflix juggernaut, Madsen starred in a few big- and small-screen projects, including 2017’s Leatherface, Rambo: Last Blood, and Mr Selfridge.
The Whistledown Twist
Warning: Bridgerton book spoilers ahead. The third season is based on the fourth book in Julia Quinn’s series, called Romancing Mr. Bridgerton. In the novel, which focuses on Penelope and Colin’s love story, the former does her best to hide her identity as Lady Whistledown, but Cressida ultimately discovers the secret.
Cressida uses the opportunity to blackmail Penelope for a hefty sum of money. Colin, who has also learned the truth, throws a wrench in Cressida’s plan and announces Penelope’s secret identity to the ton (with her permission). It ultimately helps them avoid the scandal that would’ve ensued had Cressida gotten her way.
Bridgerton Star Nicola Coughlan Addresses Deleted Scene Rumor
Nicola Coughlan is setting the record straight. On June 20, the Bridgerton star addressed rumors that multiple love scenes between the Season 3 leads, Penelope Featherington (Coughlan) and Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton), were cut from the Netflix drama.
“This is just a rumor,” the actor wrote under a behind-the-scenes video of herself and Newton. “I think you got all the Polin we had but there’s lots of BTS still to share.”
The rumors emerged after fans claimed the season didn’t include enough intimate moments between Penelope and Colin.
Coughlan isn’t the only cast or crewmember to have commented on the speculation. A day before, Bridgerton’s executive producer, Tom Verica, wrote on Instagram, “Not sure where this all came from but these claims are false. The supposed scenes … don’t exist.”
A Polin Petition
A petition on change.org asking Netflix to release the supposed missing scenes has spread among the Bridgerton fandom, gaining more than 67,000 signatures.
“Fans were left a bit unsatisfied with the lack of happy moments between the couple,” the petition reads. “Throughout the world tour, we were made to believe that we would see ‘Polin take on the world together,’ unfortunately that was not how most fans experienced Part 2.”
A Scene That Was Actually Cut
While Coughlan and the Bridgerton EP have denied that any Polin moments were left out, one intimate scene didn’t make the final cut.
Martins Imhangbe (who plays Will Mondrich) recently disclosed to Digital Spy that he and Emma Naomi (who plays Alice) were scripted to act out a love scene in their characters’ new residence. “There was a whole scene written where Will and Alice do it everywhere,” Imhangbe said. “Then the kids interrupt.”
While the scene was ultimately left on the cutting room floor, the actor suggested that the moment might be “saved for another season.”
