Bridgerton S3 Part 2 review: 'Polin' chemistry fails to live up to the hype

It brings great pleasure to watch Coughlan's Penelope come out of her shell and give up the role of a wallflower. However, her charm and acting capabilities are not enough to save her on-screen chemistry from fizzling out.

The second part of Bridgerton’s third season revolves around Lady Whistledown, and whether the boss woman from the regency era will finally find the courage to face the consequences of her actions.

This remains the plot throughout all four episodes — overshadowing the subplots like Francesca’s wedding, a pregnancy announcement, Violet Bridgerton’s budding romance, and the many unnecessary threesome sequences.

Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) has once again proven her prowess as an actor, delivering a convincing performance in some of the most vital episodes of the franchise. It brings great pleasure to watch her come out of her shell and give up the role of a wallflower. However, her charm and acting capabilities are not enough to save her on-screen chemistry from fizzling out. Despite escaping the friendzone, Penelope and Colin (Luke Newton), popularly known as Polin, are not able to keep up with the steamy chemistry among the lead actors of the previous seasons.

The third season also sees a change in the pleasing cinematography of the Bridgerton franchise. And it is not a positive change. The soft colour palette, mainly pastels, is missing. The camera work in some of the scenes looks shoddy. Plus, the costumes aren’t as awe-inspiring — in fact, they are more reminiscent of the District 1 residents from The Hunger Games.

Though the second part loses steam midway, it still manages to give viewers an enjoyable ending. Plus, brownie points for a few Easter eggs hinting at the storyline of future seasons, one with a potential queer lead.