The Bridgerton series is focused around the love life of the titular family, a noble household from an alternate London in the early 1800s. It is based on a series of books, and while the source material tends to focus on a single character, the show expands on this, showing many more relationships.
The third season of the show is mostly focused on Penelope Featherington and her suitors, one of them being Lord Alfred Debling. A lot of people are wondering who this Debling is, since he is a new character created for the show, so we are left wondering what his role will be in the coming episodes.
Who Is Lord Debling?
Lord Alfred Debling is a character created exclusively for the show, meaning that he’s nowhere to be found in the books. He has made it his life’s mission to save endangered plant life, learning all he can about it and spending quite a lot of time away from the Debling estate.
It is unclear if his travels have a dent on his economy, or if he is paid by the Crown to perform his duties.
Since Lord Debling is a practical man, he sees marriage as a useful way to have someone to take care of his estate. All we know about his other family members is that he doesn’t get along with them, so they would offer no help with his house affairs.
In essence, he isn’t a bad person, so he doesn’t want to marry someone that would end up miserable with their relationship. He plans to be up front about his needs, telling anyone he seeks to marry that they would be left to their own devices for the majority of the marriage.
Lord Debling And Penelope Featherington
Lord Debling notices Penelope Featherington during one of Lady Danbury’s Balls, and he becomes charmed by her honesty. They develop a friendship born from two people seeing the world similarly, which is why, eventually, Lord Debling chooses Penelope as his possible wife.
Penelope also sees this as a logical marriage, since everyone keeps treating her as someone who will never find a suitor. Not only that, this would be the perfect opportunity to leave her household, escaping the clutches of her mother, and living a peaceful life taking care of the Debling estate.
The only problem here are the feelings Penelope has for Colin Bridgerton, something that is easy to tell once you spend a little time with her. She’s been a friend of the Bridgerton family for years since their house is in front of hers, and she’s had feelings for him for years now.
In the books, nearly a decade passes before Penelope and Colin end up together, and the conflict is more focused around the reveal of Lady Whistledown’s identity rather than if they end up together or not.
As the first half of season 3 comes to a close, it is clear that Penelope has chosen Colin over Lord Debling, which was to be expected, since that is what happens in the books. This left us wondering what purpose Lord Debling will serve in the future, now that Penelope and Colin are becoming an official thing.
Lord Debling And Cressida Cowper
While Cressida Cowper does appear in the books, she’s never given too much depth, and she simply marries off-screen. The third season of the show looks to expand on her character, turning her into Penelope’s rival for the affection of Lord Alfred Debling.
Since Lord Debling is still in need of a wife, it is likely he will now pursue Cressida, but we will have to watch the rest of the season to find out. He might fit the role of Cressida’s husband, who has not been shown in the show, but wasn’t at all developed in the books.
