"Bridgerton" season three part one ends on a highly-anticipated carriage scene from the books. Here's how they compare and what it might mean for part two.
Liam Daniel/Netflix
"Bridgerton" season three, part one, rewards fans with a highly-anticipated carriage ride scene in the final moments of episode four.
In the new season of "Bridgerton," one of Netflix's most popular franchises, Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) is moving on from her hopeless crush on her close friend Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton). However, in episode four, Colin realizes he is in love with Penelope and tries to stop her from marrying her suitor.
In the final scene of episode four, Penelope is forced to return home from the society ball alone after Colin scares off her suitor. Colin gets in her carriage before it can leave and admits his true feelings.
The pair then make out, with a string cover of Pitbull's "Give Me Everything" playing in the background, until they are interrupted by the carriage stopping outside Colin's house.
Undeterred, Colin asks Penelope to come inside with him.
"For God's Sake, Penelope Featherington. Are you going to marry me or not?" Colin says after Penelope is confused by his request.
This scene largely resembles Colin's proposal in "Romancing Mr. Bridgerton," the book this season is based on. The TV adaptation is very different from the book, but "Bridgerton" showrunners are likely keenly aware that bringing in moments like this can send book fans into a frenzy on social media, creating more buzz for the series. Even ahead of the season, "Bridgerton" fandom was freaking out when a teaser clip hinted at a mirror sex scene from the book.
Here's how the proposal plays out in "Romancing Mr. Bridgerton" and what this may mean for season three, part two.
Liam Daniel / Netflix
In "Romancing Mr. Bridgerton," Penelope asks Colin to kiss her because she is worried she will never be kissed, similar to the scene in season three, episode two. However, the kiss leads to a disagreement because Penelope thinks Colin is only kissing her out of pity. Colin then leaves without apologizing.
A few days later, Colin goes to Penelope's house to apologize but sees her enter an unmarked carriage and decides to follow her. The carriages drive into the center of London, and once Penelope reaches her destination, Colin discovers she's Lady Whistledown, a notorious anonymous gossip writer.
Colin is infuriated that Penelope lied to him, but he is also jealous of her talent and fears for her safety. Though Lady Whistledown has retired, London's society, the Ton, is trying to reveal her identity to win Lady Danbury's bounty of £1,000. If Penelope's secret is revealed, it could ruin her and her family's reputation.
Cressida Twombley, Penelope's bully, had tried to take credit for the gossip paper to win Lady Danbury's bet, and Colin catches Penelope writing her last gossip paper to discredit Twombley's claim.
On the carriage ride home, the pair fight about what she should do, but during the argument, Colin confesses that he thinks she's beautiful and kisses her.
Like in the show, the pair get hot and frisky in the carriage until it stops, but in the book, it is the middle of the day, and the carriage stops in front of Penelope's house.
Colin decides to go into the Featherington house, saying the same "Are you going to marry me or not?" line to Penelope.
But, when the lovers walk in, they find the whole Featherington family there. This leads to a long, awkward conversation before Colin can tell Lady Featherington he wishes to marry her daughter.
Laurence Cendrowicz/Netflix
Season three of "Bridgerton" diverts from the book by not including the big search for Lady Whistledown. But Penelope is still keeping a big secret from her fiancée — that she is Lady Whistledown — which could lead to a fight between the couple when it comes out.
Madame Delacroix (Kathryn Drysdale), the city's modiste, and Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie), Colin's sister, both know Penelope is Lady Whistledown and could accidentally reveal Penelope's secret.
In part one, Eloise tries to protect her family from Penelope, fearing she would gossip about them again, so she may use the secret to put a stop to Colin and Penelope's engagement.
Alternatively, Eloise has already shown her callous nature regarding secrets in season three, which could mean she could reveal it to her new best friend, Cressida Cowper (Jessica Madsen). Cressida already dislikes Penelope and would likely be more than happy to reveal the secret or blackmail Penelope, like she does in "Romancing Mr. Bridgerton."
Penelope and Colin could still get in a fight without a big Lady Whistledown reveal. In the book, Colin is angry with Penelope when he discovers her secret identity because he feels inadequate compared to her. After all, she is an accomplished writer, and he has no legacy.
If he discovers Penelope's secret, that inadequacy could still be central to the couple's disagreement, even if Lady Whistledown's anonymity is not threatened.
"Bridgerton" season three, part two, premieres on June 13.
