Um... Is Bridgerton Fatphobic???
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- Опубликовано: 20 окт 2024
- Is Bridgerton ashamed of its own characters?!?
After watching Season 3 of Bridgerton on Netflix, there are a few key biases that I feel like the creators have that show in how the characters are handled -- from the visual depiction of Penelope Featherington, to the narrative mishandling of Francesca Bridgerton. And, I worry that these biases may DEEPLY impact the writing/filming of future seasons of Bridgerton.
So welcome to The Writer's Block. I hope you'll join me as we discuss the nuances of depicting different body types on screen, how diverse representation can actually support the status quo, and how complex it is to properly depict Big Ol' Benedict Bridgerton.
Written & Edited ----------------- Dylan Gregory @TheWritersBlockOfficial
Additional Voices --------------- Ana Sera
#Bridgerton #BridgertonSeason3 #Bridgertonanalysis #videoessay #Characteranalysis #bodyimage #representation #thewritersblock
Do you think Bridgerton handles representation well???
Idk? Does it? Is it supposed to?
@TeamStudNation1280 good question
Is the job of TV shows to represent different types of people? Unless it's the express goal of the show, why should they? I understand the point that they are were probably biased against Nicolas character and didn't want to show her in spicy scenes. Which is obviously hypocritical and wrong. But why do shows need to represent as many types of people as they can. Doesn't that just start to feel like pandering to audiences? I think shows need to focus on proper character development and plot and if the characters are gay or fat than go ahead and explore that but why does it need to be a "representation" of gay or fat people?
It most certainly does. It did not have to include gay characters and black characters, but did anyway. It's especially true because of the time period. They don't even have to represent a lot of people, but did anyway. If this isn't enough representation, then you should just stop watching anything cause it's never good enough.
@@Paradigm7977because ppl are oppressed and experience violence because of their presentation (race, body size, etc) to the world. Representation helps to normalize "the other" and there y, in theory, helps to deter and dissipate social and physical violence towards those ppl.
friends to lovers is such a classic, EASY trope but penelope and colin's scenes don't even make them feel like they were friendst to begin with. even if penelope was angry at colin at the beginning of the season, they never feel like they really know each other beyond the surface level. everything that's supposed to be a sign of their friendship is told to us rather than shown. the biggest indicator of underlying fatphobia to me is how colin's character is handled- he's a very empty, wishy washy love interest who seems to immediately lose any of the quirky awkward personality he displayed in previous seasons and can't make up his mind on whether he actually wants penelope. it's like the writers themselves can't imagine how to write a regular guy falling in love with a fat woman. i would have loved to see a quirky, awkward and genuine-feeling romance between well-written versions of penelope and colin.
I think this is partially why the whistledown plot annoys me. There's not enough time spent on the CORE romance. So they have to make Colin fall head over heels INSTANTLY than be mad at her INSTANTLY then be cool with whistledown INSTANTLY.
This, This and This!!!..
They did Colin so dirty.
Shonda should not have made him a rake. He was known as a charmer in the books, so that side of him wasn’t a big deal.
I get the fake charm to show how he feels he has to be like his brothers, but the brothel scenes weren’t like him at all.
Also, his journals were literally, “i walked on the beach and the water was as blue as…. Or i have met the most delightful man today. He told me about….” They weren’t sexy fan fiction at all.
I know shows and film don’t have to be a copy cat of the book, but the book was a great guideline they did not use.
The book nods I saw were thanks to Nichola and Luke respecting their characters from the book. They followed that, not Brownwell or the writers.
They used some lines verbatium which I loved too, but they ring hollow now thanks to how they were written in part 2.
Colin is a great, complex character. I loved how they wrote him in the previous seasons and Luke’s subtle acting is phenomenal. But the writing really assassinated his character. He deserves better than that.
@@TheWritersBlockOfficiali agree.
But they did have time to develop him. They chose not to.
Brownwell chose not to. She rather focus on the 11 (most of them) unnecessary side plots instead of the main romance.
Why am I so jaded? Penelope and Colin were my favorite couple from the books. They made me continue watching the show. And for them to not get the same attention that the other couples did was disrespectful to the fans, characters, and actors.
And some of the issues Kathany fans had were the same ones Polin fans had which says something.
@@gabrielleduplessis7388 the sideplots were ridiculous. The ones relating to Penelope's family and Cressida made a little bit of sense since they relate to Penelope and Colin, but what in the fresh hell was the point of the bartending couple becoming nobility? It feels like they for some reason didn't want to kick them out of the show but also had no idea what to do with them past season 1
Season 3 Colin looks like he just got cast as Gaston in a highschool production of Beauty and the Beast
omg so real, the way he looks, just like someone who is trying to looksmax, it weirds me out
@@Mark-xf3feIt was so weird! Like season 1 and 2 Colin was so cute and season 3 they made him look like a wax sculpture
@@Asteroids50wax sculpture😂 so accurate
Right? He looks like he's had ozempic and knows what an I phone is
@@nelonwa7754so true. That face has seen Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Not a horse drawn carriage.
That weird scarf/fabric in that sex scene read as "don't show the fat girl tummy" rather than a creative way to censor the explicit nudity...there are plenty of other full butts and boobs for the skinnier characters!
Exactly
That sex scene was weird
What if it was explicitly asked by the actress? Not everyone is comfortable showing the same things
@@HyacintheMonet Exactly!
@@HyacintheMonet3:11
Kate was also robbed of a wedding... I would have loved to see an indian wedding...that was such a missed opportunity
Especially a historic one, less modernized but modernized in Bridgerton fashion. Oh I would have ate that up!
Girl no! They can't give ust two weddings in one season...that's messed up. I'm glad they didn't.
@@vishakakarthik5190They can as seen in season 2 and 3.They just did not want to show a wedding for the female lead in S2 because it ‘wouldn’t compare to Edwina’s that was thrown by the queen’. That was a direct quote from the S1/2 showrunner. It’s a shame because she’s the first female lead of colour and also because it would’ve been a beautiful ceremony to bring us down from all the angst.
The scene where francesca meets John was so awkward we laughed. But it wasn't awkward for them, it was awkward to watch them together. What does that say? It says the scene was truely intimate in a way
Precisely!
they also gave her FULL glam whilst daphne & kate had minimal makeup.
The heavier makeup this season was so distracting. In previous seasons, they looked so soft, almost painting-like. The actresses looked beautiful and it added to the romantic look of the show. Nicola is such a gorgeous woman as it is, she didn't need that for the "leading lady" look.
I was really not a fan of it. S3 was my first time watching the show, so I assumed it was just a stylistic thing that everything was so over the top, but then I watched the other 2 seasons. Pen really was done so, so dirty by the show. Nicola is so gorgeous and doesn't need to be caked with makeup.
I think it goes hand in hand with the modernization of the show's fashion choices. In s1 and s2, even if the styling and costumes were not 100% historically accurate, the gown silhouettes stayed true to those of the regency era. And even though we weren't shown hairstyles or realistic fabrics for that historic period, we NOTICED it belonged in the early 1800 because of the ethereal dresses with empire waistlines THAT DIDN'T SIT ON THE WAIST and also modest makeup and modest hairstyles. Here they mixed 2016 makeup trends, false eyelashes, red lips, 40s and 50s inspired hairstyles and gowns, and fits that were tight below the waist. And don't get me started on the experimental things they did with cressida and pen's sisters, and pen herself. They switched the aesthetic completely to make it pleasing to the modern eye and it looks jarring.
@@epiphaniesssthe previous seasons were quite good because the fans of bridgerton tend not to care too much if its incredibly accurate or anything but season 3 didnt even try to fit the same vibe or look of it, the dresses looked a lot more cheap this season and the makeup was very heavy on every character and penelopes dresses did not celebrate her body size it slimmed her waist to the point i thought that must be uncomfortable also the fact she looks like a barbie or lego character with that new corset.
their are scenes where Nicola wears only minimal make up, but, that red lipstic in the last scene just looked so wrong. especially on her teint. and the dress also wasn´t the prettiest, she has wonderful dresses, so why just not reuse one of the nicer ones or give her a better dress for her big moment.
We were robbed of an Indian wedding, we were robbed of a proper full body girl sex scene, and we were robbed of a healthy bisexual representation
The missed representation in the show really pisses me off so bad😭 Kate would’ve looked so good in red but the writers just didn’t want to touch such greatness. A shame honestly.
The show constantly parades itself as this diverse festival of identities, and yet it fails on nearly every front to deliver properly on that diversity. It ticks off the bare minimum and calls itself progressive, despite the numerous issues in the representation and the treatment of its diverse actors.
@@raidahblossom speak on it! They always want to pat themselves on the back for having diversity and being the epitome of representation but when it’s time to deliver on that promise it’s crickets. It’s no surprise to me that the underwritten characters on the show are the ones who contribute to this.
Even their treatment of the actors of colour is abysmal. You cannot praise yourself for being diverse but then when your cast are facing backlash because of their race/ethnicity you remain silent. It’s either you are all in with your diverse casting or you keep it bright, light and white.
They just had a different writer and director this season so everything seems SO off right now
Yeah. It makes it hard to determine intent, but unfortunately the effect remains the same in my opinion
I didn’t know this. It def explains why season 3 just didn’t FEEL like the Bridgerton we all know and love from the previous 2 seasons.
The new showrunner, Jess Brownell, is the problem. She's fat phobic, never liked or cared about Polin's story, and has no respect for the source material. I get the distinct impression that she has no interest in showing traditional man/woman relationships; that she only wants to show LGBQT+ couples. I understand representation for these communities has been woefully low and change is definitely needed in this respect. She stated in an interview that "S3 is some of her best work". Well, if that is the case, I'd hate to see something she worked on that was sub-par. And it doesn't bode well for S4, because she is the showrunner for S4 as well. oy vey!
I didn’t find season 3 to match up to Nicola’s comments at all - “very naked” WHERE?? I felt that the directing and cinematography really shied away from showing Penelope’s body at all. I did not think they celebrated her in any way.
Precisely!
They squeezed her so bad all u seen was her breast
They celebrated her breasts and then literally no other part of her body 🤡 it was a very disappointing season in general but as a plus size girl I was really looking forward to a perceived “bigger” female lead only to be extremely let down
Yeah, there's no passion in the love scene. So ... Why
@@paigeh.9208 I can't agree more. It just reminded me of my childhood best friend, who was a "bigger" girl from an early age and well into adulthood (she still is), but as soon as she hit puberty and her breasts developed, she was only ever seen as sexy because she had really big breasts. It was so sad, I honestly felt so much for her. She confided in me and it was so depressing to hear how every time a man approached her or was attracted by her they focused solely on her breasts, and that's all they ever made comments about. She's honestly the most objectificated person I've ever known and that says a lot, cause I've had a looot of female/femme presenting friends/people I've talked with on the subject of objectification. So to see Penelope's character been given pretty much the same treatment just felt so backwards - the exact opposite of what they pretended this season to be about.
The last sex scene where Penelope is fully clothed in a robe and riding Colin was what made me realize the fatphobia. If it was Nicola's choice that is fine. If not, then they really messed up. Not only is the scene brief, she is a plus sized woman that is fully clothed in a sex scene. This was supposed to be their "wedding night" make-up sex after the Whistedown drama. So dissapointing.
Yeah it felt very conspicuous and forced. I hope it was the actresses choice and not the creative team
They could have even had her shoulders and décolletage visible even if they didn’t show EVERYTHING. There r so many ways to strike a balance and they didn’t even TRY so I agree w u 100%. There cld have been close ups on specific body parts without zooming out. Or lots of soft whispers and other affection displayed. But they didn’t even try. S3 makes u feel the show runner actively tried to sabotage their love story! The writers shld hv been disappointed w/ their work.
I've heard there was a lot of uproar about Francesca's new love interest because of the gender swap between the book vs show. However, I never read the books so idc about Micaela being a woman instead of a man. My concern was that I had representation for a love like my own with my husband, calm and secure vs the loud fiery ones shown on tv all the time, and the way the show ended makes it seem like it wasn't real love and Francesca was settling due to societal norms and in reality she's a lesbian and that THAT'S why there was no spark ever for her with John, until meeting Micaela.
EXACTLY!!! From what I understand, un the books her husband dies and over time she develops a romance with Michael. So they could have just done that without adding the "no spark" business at the end. It's such an unforced error and deeply disappointing. I think whoever wrote the last episode didn't watch the rest of the season
Exactly, ruined her story..
That was my issue too. Some of it was from me reading the book, but a lot of it is you show this different, but empowering love story and throw it away in ten seconds.
In the book, Michael, now Michaela had the love at first sight reaction so what the show dis diminished the spirit of their story already. Also, we did not see the trio friendship yet.
Also, i get her maybe not feeling the kiss because of shyness. But show a private scene of them enjoying this new physical intimacy when alone, meaning a kiss or whatever. Doesn’t have to be sex.
Quinn fought to show Francesca’s and John’s love on screen and am glad for that. I just hate how Brownwell demolished that wish when bringing in Michaela to further her agenda.
@@TheWritersBlockOfficiali heard there were four total writers and the way the season was written, it felt no one reviewed the other writer’s scripts because many redundant scenes were added and it seemed they retconned things from the previous seasons.
@@gabrielleduplessis7388 I think blaming this decisions on the so called “queer agenda” just gives the writers/showrunner a way to defend themselves by saying “nah the Francesca plot is perfect you are just homophobic”. When in reality this has nothing to do with the gender swap, it’s just poor writing/direction.
The point is they can make fran a queer character (I personally love that), but you have to make it well. And this is a problem of season 3, all of the relationships feel weird compared to past seasons. As a viewer, it’s concerning that the relationship that feels more natural to me it’s Benedict and Tilly.
The cinematography in s3 was worse overall. It might not be a bias, it could very well be a worse cinematography team
Very much so a possibility
Like with what happened to Outlander.
agree: and if your show takes like 3 years for 8 episodes that should be an absolute no brainer. either lower the "quality" of whats infront of the camera and make it up in writing, or at least make the show visually perfekt if it allready takes 3 years for 1 season, after all the sets are allready there.
this is not house of the Dragon with CGI in the Billions, so i have no Idea why they take such a long time.
Except we can still see the difference between how she's framed and how secondary characters in the same season are treated. Benedict and Kate both get very different treatment.
I found it weird that no one acknowledged Penelope was bigger and that’s something that people can find really attractive. All about that bass and stuff. But Colin doesn’t seem all that into her curves and they frame Penelope in the same way as the thinner female leads, which is a disservice to her. She’s not the same size as the other ladies and that’s fine. The cinematography has to use other methods of communicating her attractiveness. They have to work more than they did with Daphne and it seems like the team didn’t know how to do that. Did a man direct the sex scenes?
Show don't tell. Nobody had to point out that Pen is big and desirable bc they showed it to us.
@@animec-dramaskpop6362I agree that showing is better than telling, but I didn’t feel like they showed us that she’s sexy. I wanted Colin to be GAGA for his curvy goddess girlfriend and instead he seemed like he thought he could do better, which made me dislike him. Same with the other man Lord Deblin. He seemed ok with Penelope, but not like he thought she was gorgeous. In season 1, the audience knows that the duke and the prince both find Daphne really attractive. I don’t see why the same wasn’t done for Pen.
maybe you just don’t find her attractive? her styling, the downward angle of camera (cause Colin is tall and also for titty view), and other choices show how beautiful and sexy she is soooooo think that’s on you and not the producers
@@Asteroids50this is where the writing failed.
In the book, he was hungry for her. Couldn’t keep his hands off of her.
Again, shows don’t need to be a copy cat of the book, but they had the outline right in front of them and didn’t use ir.
i'm gonna ramble my mouth off here, but maybe rather than the problem being a man directing (i don't know who directed it, though), maybe the problem was that it was directed by someone who doesn't understand the appeal and attraction towards someone with a body like penelope's. i say this as a person who likes to read a lot of romance comics which are largely written by women and they know very well how to make the guy appealing and attractive, but rarely how to make the girl be just as much of a heartthrob (that's changing little by little but rarely they get to be Just as much). when i read romance done by men, i sometimes see girls complaining of the opposite. of course, there is the matter of who the audience is for w/ these stories, which i understand, but i think on a tv show that spicy it's important to make both parties look and feel desirable. what i loved about anthony and kate's scenes in s2 (i guess especially as a bisexual) is how much both of them are smoking hot and shot in a way that makes you want them both. they're both the actors of desire and the subject of desire. they both act on it and both their mindsets in the horny situation are appealing. for penelope and colin not only did i not buy their romance since s1, but there is this issue you speak of. i'm attracted as hell to nicola and i don't want her just as this audience surrogate that's supposed to be seen as "just like the thin ladies if you think that hard enough and we don't attract too much attention that she isn't" and not hot in her own right.
As a young girl growing up surrounded by toxic adult relationships I didn't have good role models. Unfortunately I learned from tv and movies that love was passionate madness. 🙄 As an adult I was so happy to see the Francesca storyline as a much more realistic and sane depiction of love that was presented on the same level as the typical movie tropes. Of course I'm not saying that Hollywood should have the responsibility for teaching our children, but it was wonderful to see that on screen. Until the last moments when we're given to understand that such a quiet love wasn't truly "real" since it wasn't explosive.
6:36 I can answer that! The actress who plays Daphne had broken her arm and needed to be in a cast, so the muff was how the costume team was able to hide it while filming
Edit: also yes, Bridgerton is absolutely fat phobic
29 points. -1 because that's Eloise
@@TheWritersBlockOfficial and I OOP - all the times you mentioned Daphne in this video got me mixing them up 😆
@@TheWritersBlockOfficial Yes, she broke her wrist during a fall on set. They had to come up with a solution quickly, so they made her a muff to wear. Easy solution that would have made more sense during winter.
Something that made it even more obvious that they saw Nicola of less of a beautiful or “desirable” lead was when they heavily edited her face and some of her body on the shows tie-in book cover. In the last two seasons tie-in book covers the leads faces and bodies were not edited at all.
Yeah it looked like an ai cartoon filter
Nicola also had too much make up on in my opinion and she had acrylic nails… like really?
Exactly, like her major makeover was so extreme even for Bridgerton. @@xdacyon2787
that is like... on one level with movie posters of Melissa McCarthy editing her smaller. like... you have Nicolla Coughlan, real life Diplomat Barbie. she is perfekt as she is.
And I noticed on the barbie Posters and in the, all the woman including Nicola, wore minimal make up, and where not visibly eddited. and that in a Barbie Movie, where they play plastic Dolls. But the Netflix Team just edited their most beautiful Lead til she looks like a drawing.
Eloise is wearing the muff because the actress injured her hand during filming. It was the solution to hide her bandage. Yeay 30 points 🎉
1000000% agree with S3 feeling fatphobic (generally). Even the promotional stuff was doing everything to hide Nicola's body or even editing her to look a little slimmer. And then the amount of sideplots detracting from Penelope's romance plot...It all feels so cruel, the filmic equivalent of Lady Featherington forcing Penelope into those garish outfits in S1-2 :(
With Francesca, I had a sense they were trying to have their cake and eat it too....They wanted to depict a neurodivergent, secure romance (yay!) and set up a queer character/romance (yay!!) but didn't blend the storylines well enough for one to counterbalance the other, like you said :( it's really unfortunate, because I love the idea of Francesca being a lesbian, but having that come at the expense of her relationship with John after a season of buildup...I think they could've fixed it by having Francesca just...be bi, as in she likes John AND she likes Michaela equally, but in different ways. I dunno...This season really has a lot of flaws in its writing and execution that feel much more noticeable because it's just not as enjoyable as the first two and Queen Charlotte.
Yeah it's a new showrunner I believe, so I think the vision for the show just isn't as clear anymore. They're getting caught up trying to set up future protagonists, writing off past protagonists, giving multiple plot threads to the current protagonists, and juggling a bunch of random side characters that are interesting but underdeveloped. I think this season -- given the amount of representation it TRIES to promote -- needed to have sturdier legs. I think changing showrunners AFTER this season would have helped a lot
@@TheWritersBlockOfficial Ohhh that makes a ton of sense! Explains the oddness of this season, definitely. Great video, as always!!
@toyosibee.mp3 thank you for the kind words!
The sideplots were STUUUPIDD every time that rrrandom couple came on like ‘but I wanna run a bar’ I was like DGAF out of my mind lmao
Unpopular thought: fatphobia is ok, everyone should be afraid to be fat, for their own health and wellbeing. Having said that, everyone should be respected and treated with dignity, fat or not.
The issue is, that original, unproblematic and authentically diverse writing takes time, effort, research and imagination. Things that most shows and media tend to lack tbh 😂
agreed. but Bridgerton really has no Excuses, they have the biggest bugged possible and had 3 years for making 1 season. 3 years! 8 episodes. they have no excuses!
TY for addressing the flub with Benedict's bisexuality. As a bisexual, I can assure the public that we're not alien life forms who must constantly copulate with any and every individual from two cis genders, thus unable to be content and loyal in a monogamous relationship. I view it much like someone being attracted to blondes, but they also are sexually attracted to brunettes. If you are married to a brunette, must you have a blonde lover on the side to make sure your sexual preferences are 100% sated at all times? That is exactly how media often presents being bisexual, as though we must act on all urges with anyone we are slightly attracted to of either cis gender. In reality, we are just people, only we have a broader pool of appreciation for what we find attractive or sexually desirable. It's not really a big deal.
Yep. Bisexuality isn't 2X horny. Also nearly every villain in western fiction is bi coded or gender bends.
Hmm I actually think this critique is a kind of bi-erasure, funnily enough. Like damn can we let Benedict the baby queer breathe for a second?? Yes, of course us bisexuals can be happy in monogamous relationships. But in the universe of s3 this man literally makes the life-altering discovery that he's not straight approximately 5 minutes ago. He has no idea what kind of not-straight he identifies as, and as the audience, neither do we. Maybe he leans homoromantic. Maybe he prefers emotional companionship with women but deeply enjoys a good lay with a man from time to time. Maybe he just wants a ho phase! (To any baby queers reading this, I highly recommend it!) And you want him to just immediately ignore his discovery and do what he's been conditioned his whole life to do: settle down with a woman?
What's so strange to me about your critique and the critique in this video is how it totally glosses over the fact that we, and the Bridgertons to a far greater degree, live in a world of compulsory (hetero)monogamy. There is IMMENSE social pressure for Benedict to accept Tilly's courtship. It's brave of him to turn down her offer in favor of exploration the ton would label "deviant."
Don't get me wrong, Benedict's storyline isn't groundbreaking. But there are lots of harmful depictions of bisexuality on screen, and his just isn't one of them. (So far lol. I haven't read the books and given how the writers handled the rest of s3 I wouldn't be surprised if some mess is coming for us next season.)
the fact penelope literally had to beg colin to kiss her immediately told me that bridgerton hates 'bigger than model' people, I hesitate to use fat because I hear nicola is only a British size ten which is a size below the average woman
she also begs colin in the og novel, however, in the og novel the problem is worse because colin and penelope only get together after she loses weight
um she was desperate because she was in love and had lost all hope, sometimes people are in the trenches and that’s life. also there is literally no connection between her physicality and her wanting a kiss from the man she loves. that’s on YOU for thinking that
@@ButrScochMonks for me it was in context of how the show in general treated Penelope and colins love story for that moment to define their love, the show framed colins love to only come after that which to me was a bit sad. i understood the characterisation of Penelope and that she was in a situation in which she was desperate, but there was something about the framing that felt like the show was trying insinuate something. idk maybe I'm reaching, but for me, netflix didn't feel confident in their female lead this season which is incredibly sad because Penelope is so nuance as you said.
@@errorsinconduct That's actually not true. Penelope looses some weight between the seasons when she is 17 and 18 (so likely losing puppy fat) but still stay "pleasantly plump". She is 28 in the Polin book (Colin is 33) so there is literally a decade between her losing weight and him falling for her. He actually does ponder about it a lot that she doesn't seem to change in any way but suddenly HE sees her in a different way - and comes to the conclusion that it is him who had changed.
She's definitely not a UK size 10. I'd say a UK size 12 to 14 at most. Size 8 to 10 are still very slender.
Bridgerton has ALWAYS had a problem with representation, it's just that people are noticing it now because the main protagonist is white. Think about it: was there any black character on this show that was allowed to be truly happy and content? Simon had to be SA'd to get to a happily ever after. Lady Danbury doesn't even have a happily ever after, she only lives to serve the protagonists of the season (and you can tell even Adjoa, the actress who plays Danbury is getting sick of her character existing just to serve the romance of the season). Marina, who is just a girl who unfortunately got pregnant, ends up wed to a man she doesn't love, and as even Colin points out, she is not content in that marriage. They are obviously pointing to Marina being in a depressive state, similar to her character in the books and if her fate ends up similar then she *really* doesn't get a HEA. The Queen is married to someone who doesn't even remember her half the time and so she copes by chasing down a gossip monger. John ends up married to someone who doesn't love him and if you know his fate from the books, he *really* doesn't end up in a HEA. Hell, I think Marcus might be the first black character on that show that gets even a semblance of a happily ever after.
I can acknowledge that the show is not malicious in its intent but they've never stuck the landing with representation, whethee you're black or fat.
I think some of this also stems from the fact that the show didn't race swap any of the bridgertons. As a result, the only place for prominent characters of color are as tortured love interests, supportive friends, or side characters with half hearted b plots (I like the boxer/club owner/ nouveaurich guy but his storyline feels so much like an afterthought now).
That is a very important point. Another, which I heart from black female RUclipsrs, is the problematic feeding into stereotypes about black sexuality. There is this thing about Bridgertons going after people of colour like some Kardashian. There is the heightened sexuality of Simon or Lord Anderson, or even Simon's father and Lady Danbury husband. And then there is the black jezabel stereotype, a black woman as a seductress and home-wrecker, which they - likely unconsciously - played into with Michaela after already trying it out a bit with Marina.
All this show that not all representation is good representation, and presence does not mean unproblematic just for the sake of being there.
@@berlineczka Exactly what I was about to say too. Marina is basically the tragic Mulatto, Lady Danbury was the magical black person up until the third season where they finally gave her some semblance of a storyline outside of the Bridgertons and Charlotte. Let's not even talk about the blatant colourism that wasn't solved until the third season. And it is colourism because CVD talked about being intentional in his casting. Why was it up until season 3 that there was only one dark skin Black actor on this show? And she wasn't allowed to be happy, her happily ever after had to end in crap.
I've read the books, some of these characters didn't even exist in the books (Charlotte, the Mondriches) and those that did exist in the books (Marina, Lady Danbury, Simon), their backstories weren't as tragic as they are on the show. And there also wasn't an added layer of race in their stories either because whatever tragedy was happening in their backstory, they were white characters. These are black characters, so now the cruelty in behaviour of Duke Hastings (Simon's father) and Lord Danbury has the added layer of two Black characters who just want to stay a part of nobility.
The showrunners (CVD in particular) didn't have to add race to the storyline. Because they did add race, I expect them to address it, especially in regards to the black characters because you can argue that the Indian characters were already a part of nobility through the caste system, which is what I've seen some Indian Bridgerton fans argue. This argument doesn't work with the Black characters. I want them to explain how exactly it happened, or they look silly and quite frankly, they're insulting my intelligence by saying white people just suddenly stopped being racist to my people. But the thing is, they don't have enough episodes, even in Queen Charlotte, they didn't have enough time to address this, not in a way that doesn't insult the intelligence of its Black audience. Their hubris really wrote them in a corner.
Also, I've heard (and also noticed upon watching) that the lighting crew never accomodate to the Black actors. Dark skin requires different tones in terms of lighting, and you can definitely tell that lighting did not accomodate for this. And now Adjoa Andoh (Lady Danbury) has gone on record to say she has to go out of her way to ask, when this should be very common knowledge for lighting directors.
I can like the show for many other reasons but representation was never one of them. Season 3 and its midsized character (bc let's be honest, Pen is mid-sized and not plus sized) was not my lightbulb moment in terms of finally recognising this show was never good at representation. I'm just here for good storylines and the Regency vibes.
@@notevenfunny_To be fair, I don’t feel like there has to be some big explanation for why black people exist as nobility in the show, since it’s not based in reality to a degree. I’m kind of tired of slavery constantly being the plot line for black people, why can’t we just be happy in a fancy period show without some huge backstory as to why we exist in that context. Although I acknowledge they did set the stage for that when Lady Danbury gave that big speech to Simon. Sorry if that didn’t make much sense :)
Yeah, and they didn't even show a true wedding for Kate! I know she isn't black, she's brown, but she still isn't white and therefore not treated the same. She's the main love interest for season 2 AND WE DON'T SEE HER WEDDING?!?!
I also felt uncomfortable with with how glamoured and dolled up Penelope always was on screen. Yes ofc she was beautiful, but why is that her character wasn’t allowed to be any other way than perfeclty dressed up with perfect hair and a full face of makeup (even after she gave birth) ! Especially when Daphne or Kate were sometimes drenched in the rain, mud or in their night atire with messy hair.
the sex scene just made me feel so uncomfy because I just felt so unseasoned.
The other couples had a built up, intensity, emotion, and making me constantly go "just sleep with each other already!!" Penelophe and Collin were too slow, out of nowhere and it felt soooooo long, plus they were just staring at each other like 👁👄👁 and honestly so was I cause I didnt know how to react! pfft
The sad thing is that they have great chemistry off screen.. but something must've gone so wrong with the directing that makes these scenes so weird. Literally I felt more embarrassed than "arroused" ,for lack of a better word, because nothing felt natural in those scenes. I especially hate the forces heavy breathing..
I can't wait for Francesca and Michaela, but yeah, the way they handled her and John's relationship knowing full well that he's about to be killed off in probably season 4's finale or at least season 5 feels a bit weird
Precisely! I don't mind their chemistry, but it didn't need to come at the expense of the story being told in season 3
I am very interested in how they will do a queer relationship
I think if they had dropped Francesca fumbling her introduction and had her just calmly meeting Michaela it would have been way better. From what I understand in her book she has a good relationship with her husband until he dies so leaving it that way would have been fine.
@@kellylingro3288 yeah I heard that too. It was pretty simple to keep her bisexual or even demisexual bisexual. So you get to keep that lovely austitic coded relationship
18:53 hello! It's me. I'm the wee lesbian! I didn't like the fact that Francesca marries, and then sees Micaela, and that's who she feels the spark with, because while I am queer, and I am sapphic, I don't want this. I loved Francesca and John's relationship, I love that it was quiet, I love that it showed how healthy relationships look like. I loved it bcs Francesca was coded as Neurodivergent, and John loves her as she is. I'm also fat, and I was SEVERELY disappointed by the season, it just felt wrong. Everything you said I agree with completely.
But what if Francesca is bisexual? I actually like the fact they changed the character in the book for a girl
@@ClaraWeirdoMiss i never said I cared about then gender switch or that she could be bi. I don’t like that it’s been used for the “when it’s real love there’s a spark” when most of the time love is quiet, and this would be the first representation of it in this show. Also, if she’s bi it just perpetrates the stereotype that bisexuals are indecisive and cheaters 😐 whis is biphobic.
Okay, I want to share my opinion as a person who was super excited to see this season SPECIFICALLY my body looks very similar to Penelope's (and a lot of plus sized models/actresses still have a defined chin, but Nicola has a rounder face with a slight double chin, so I relate to her A LOT and it was all IMPORTANT to me).
Firt of all, hard disagree on the carriage scene. There is very little space, getting undressed is actually more tricky when you have more body on you, there is a lot of thigh from under which to get the skirt out, it's their first sexual encounter before an established relationship - I would say, considering all the factors fingering was actually very realistic and nice and hot (and considerate).
I do agree on the first penetrative sex scene. While the general set-up is to me realistic - I had a similar experience with my first partner being gentle and leading me through the process, I wish it was shot more intimately. Also, I am not a fan of the chair-sofa-thing they did it on, when there must have been a proper bed next door. Like, both characters and viewers could benefit a lot from having more space for all the activity.
I also couldn't help but feel that they didn't trust that Penelope could be beautiful if they didn't try to "fix her". What I mean are those horrible sinched waists on half her dresses that make for a nonsensical silhouette - the loose regency dresses look perfectly fine on her, she just needed the waistline to be correct and accentuate her magnificent bosom. The total removal of her loopy curls are something I especially mourned - here we are again giving a fuck you to curly women, thanks Hollywood.
It's just that... I have been insecure about my body for a while, and I know how the mind goes in terms of hiding your shape, and I couldn't help but notice the small things they do to "correct" her shape - because I've been there. I hoped to be reassured, but instead I received the same old message: since your waist, get a glam look. She was cute and funny, now she's sexy, and she couldn't be both, we had to remove all the funny and cute bits to make her desirable.
I dunno, I just had very mixed feelings about both their relationship and Penelope's appearance this season - it was all very much hit-and-miss.
the craziest part is how tiny Nicola Coughlin actually is, yea she's curvy but I went to the Bridgerton Experience and it had some of their costumes, her dresses on display are ***TINY*** they're not that much bigger than the other actresses because she's short and so small, like she's not actually plus size, she's maybe a size 6-8
They had a costume from the live action little mermaid at my amc and it was wild to realize how small the actress was
@@TheWritersBlockOfficial omg right? it's so crazy! they're all so tiny! even like nicola who in terms of hollywood is "plus sized" is so much smaller than your average everyday woman it's so bananas
She's a uk size 6-8 from what I've heard-- she's literally midsized at best. She's curvy and beautiful but the way people act as if she's gigantic is kinda silly to me. Like Hollywood is acting as if she's a size 20 (nothing wrong with that btw!) when she's not. It shows how distorted Hollywood is.
@@ohhmangos right? it's crazy i just read something that said her waist is like 26-27 inches that's SO SMALL
this!! People act like she's so massive. Her dresses are specifically designed to make her look bigger. I see non-stop discourse about how tHeRe'S nO wAy she could be smaller than an 18/20 to the point that she's even addressed it. She's like a medium! in smaller uk sizes!
Has "spicy/spice" gone from being a whimsical euphemism, to being a de-facto term for explicit content? I noticed it reading reviews for a book recently on Goodreads. It sounds funny used in such a matter of fact way.
It's often used to refer to explicit content in books now
Spice is code for “explicit”. People on RUclips and TikTok can’t say sex or sexy without being demonetized, so booktok started saying spicy instead.
I really like the point you brought up about how due to the B plot being about Lady Whistledown, it took away from the story. I felt like these characters did not get enough screen time but when people broke it down, they said there wasn’t much differences. However, they are basing it on seasons where the B plot relates and is fundamental to A plot. However in this season, A and B could have almost been separate and as such, the B plot took up a lot of screen time and arguably, time for Penelope so be seen as a romantic lead. Which is why the romance feels less than this season.
This show is also 100% fatphobic. I like seeing the perspective of cinematography, because the place I noticed fatphobia the most was actually costuming. Penelope was not treated with the softness in her costuming that other leads had and it really shows.
Can you expand on your point about the costumes?
Penelope was costumed poorly for the narrative in the first two seasons
I was also frustrated about the costuming for Penelope. She looked gorgeous but it’s hard for Nicola Coughlan to not look beautiful. The costuming for Penelope in season 3 was so different to the last two seasons, there were no scenes where Penelope had any natural looks, even post partum, in the privacy of her family home she is still wearing fake lashes, her hair perfectly styled. The costumes were also very far removed from the period, it lost that charm. It felt like the only way Penelope could be beautiful in this society was for her to be super glamorous 24/7 (in a very scandalous way for the time period) whereas Daphne and Edwina were both diamonds with a very natural look. Seriously her costuming and make up had more in common with Sienna, the courtesan, from season 1 then Kate or Daphne. I also personally hated the red lipstick at the end, it detracted from her speech and the way they filmed it with the lighting was just horrible and unflattering.
Fatphobia is ok, everyone should be afraid to be fat for their own health and wellbeing. Having said that, everyone should be respected and treated with dignity, fat or not
@ClaudiaM-f1y ok so the second thing you waid... that's what fatphobia refers to. So no it's not ok
Part 2: sex scenes
I am demiromantic to I did not enjoy seeing the sex scenes, but that is a personal issue.
From a narrative standpoint, they matched the book which showed them a lot. And it showed Daphne’s sexual awakening. And what shows that is a multiple sex scenes.
On top of that, it showed the duplicity of Simon pulling out and lying to Daphne about his inability to have kids.
With Kate and Anthony, the steaminess came from the tension and what fans call “hand stuff”. There are so many scenes where their bare hands touch and grasp onto to each other. That was like the sex for us. And when they finally do it, it means they both finally accepting that they can succumb to their desires without guilt. It suits the narrative.
That being said, the only sex scenes I enjoyed in the books were Polin’s. This was because of the emotional intimacy within the physical. And fans were robbed of more physically/emotionally intimate scenes.
Also, in this series, Polin was the poster child for consent which made me love these scenes more. No they did not need as much as Daphne and Simon, but considering how many of the steamy scenes were cut short, there needed to be one or two more plus the moments and conversations they had together.
I feel one of Bendetict’s love languages is sex. But he needs a spark or small connection to do so. But season 3 treated him like a sex doll which made me mad. His bisexuality/pansexual element is not the issue, but it was poorly written.
I did love the clear establishing of consent. I for sure think that Polin is by far the healthiest depiction of a romance/physical relationship uf were using real life standards. So my issue is only with the different treatment between seasons/leading ladies and not with how this romance is depicted in a vacuum
Anthony bridgerton is the king of consent
As a demisexual .. wth is Demiromantic 😂 I also did not enjoy the sex scenes... If it's a well established couple, that's when I can buy it, but everything "too early" feels off and disgusting.
@@notmyopinion4981 i consider demiromantic meaning I want a romantic connection, but don’t want to have sex. There are people like that. Rare, but they are out there.
@@gabrielleduplessis7388 so you are asexual? But not aromantic. That's pretty common. Most asexual people are not aromantic. They still want to have romantic relationships. I guess the label doesn't really matter as long as you can communicate it where it matters. 😁 Before I realized I was demi, I thought I am asexual(like you!)... But well it turned out I just never had a really deep emotional connection to someone, just meaningless crushes I didn't want to touch AT ALL! Most movies and series are super unrelatable to me, bc of all the (quick) sex! But it must be even more irritating for you. I feel so uncomfortable watching them 😵💫😂 like why do we even have to see intimate moments like that at all! 😭
11:12 “her name is literally Whistledown” 😂
I think the writers ran into a big issue trying to weave future Bridgerton relationship plots into this season, which is part of the reason it feels like Penelope isn't the main focus, on top of trying to resolve her being Lady Whistledown. I do agree that the framing of Penelope could have been more sensual without fetishizing her, like how Daphne also knew very little about sex, but her sex scenes were still very sensual, but I don't know I'd call it fatphobic, necessarily (but also not denying it could be). I think they were trying to balance the romance without denying her intellect as Lady Whistledown, and failed miserably at it. (Though, that's not to say the previous love interests were without intellect or wit.) I was told by a friend that in the books, it's Colin who actually figures out Lady Wistledown's identity and I wish they had kept that, as it would've given Colin more of a personality, and it would've neatly woven Penelope's romance with the subplot of her being Whistledown. I think they could've avoided a lot of the writing issues with that change alone.
I 100% agree with you about Francesca's story-arc, and the more I think about it, the more I get annoyed. It was such a lovely build-up and I really like the message. So for them to completely undermine their own message in the finale is such a terrible writing decision. I love how perceptive, if clumsy at times, John is of Francesca, so it really sucks that not only does she not "love" him, but I'm also sad he's going to die (regardless if John's cousin was Michaela or Michael). After a whole season build-up of their relationship, him dying feels unearned and like his character is just being disposed of.
For what it's worth, I think when Benedict talks about wanting to explore more, it's not necessarily implied that he just wants to "sleep around more," but to explore this new aspect of his personality that was being repressed by a society that has been implied to frown upon same-sex couples, or relationships that deviate from the societal norm. It could be my ace brain, but I saw it as exploration not just sexually but also emotionally and cognitively, and I appreciate that. However, I do agree that the optics of it could come off as bi-phobic, since what you point out is a common, and very harmful, misconception many make about bisexual people.
Definitely fat phobic. I also read an interview with the show runner where she talked about the fact that Penelopes body size had nothing to do with the story. This is just a denial of how judgement is passed... Likely be a use she does not understand it. The fact that Penelope is of larger size and it is not mentioned, rather she is covered up (as described in the video), is actually the problem. Sort of like how when we tell Black and brown ppl that we don't see color - that is a denial of something that very significantly contributes to their experiences in the world and how they are treated. When we ignore the differences and the criticisms that comes along with them, we are actually validating the harm and the violence being done.
@thefuriousfemme adding to this, in the show, Francesca is very similar at parties to Penelope but men all seem very attracted to her. Both Fran and pen are shy and quiet introverts, but are treated completely differently (with one being seen as much more desirable by default in the narrative) with the only significant difference (at least in the party scenes where courtship starts) being body size/shape. If the showrunners really thought weight had nothing to do with it, there shpuld have been a better explanation of why people don't find pen appealing or romantically desirable. Because it feels like the creators are using her body type ad shorthand for not being traditionally desirable, but don't want to outright acknowledge this for fear of being problematic.
So many of the side plots were setting up for upcoming seasons and to get everyone to wonder which Bridgerton was next. It took away from the romance and made their relationship mostly drama about Whistledown
@tonialston1968 agreed
@@tonialston1968I really think moving this story up messed up the pacing of the seasons. Penelope and Colin needed another season to cook, if they had done Benedict’s as season 3, weaving in Fran and John would have felt more balanced as Benedict experiences that insta-love that is not like the one Fran has. It wouldn’t have taken away from the Benophie story, like it did with Polin. It would also have allowed for Benedict’s story to be told away from London whilst Francesca POV would have given us the London society perspective. Next season is going to be strange when it comes to managing the locations of the stories.
I'm so glad that you're addressing this and you're not pretending that it wasn't bad. This new season was terrible and it has made me losyany interest in the rest of the show
I'd also add the costume and make up department. They chose to put a lot more explicit make up this season. The season they might need to "thin out" her face with contour. And they do.
Yes, too much makeup compared to previous seasons… and Nicola had fake nails!?!?!!!
@@xdacyon2787 and she also had fake lash extensions on
this is such an excellent video. i don't consider myself fatphobic and was excited to see penelope as a romantic lead this season, yet i found myself uncomfortable during penelope's love scenes, and you absolutely pinpointed the reason why. the camera ITSELF communicated discomfort with those scenes.
Thank you! I'm really glad this video could help put words to what you were feeling
15:54 Ummm, can we PLEASE get a video about these two characters being implicetly neurodivergent. As a Neurodivergent person who loves these two characters I would die for a video talking about them. Also thank you for picking up on Francesca being neruodivegent too. Thought I was the only who picked up on that as nobody else online or I know in person has said anything about that!
I would LOVE to do a dedicated video on Neuro divergent and neurodivergebt coded characters. Especially since Billy from power rangers 2017 (expclitly on the spectrum) is the most I've ever felt like I'd seen myself on screen
Francesca made me feel sooo seen as someone w/ ADHD. I know she's more autistic coded than adhd, but I still felt sooo recognized when watching her. Everything being too loud, her having an intense passion that she focuses on to an extreme degree, her not recognizing the appropriate time to say something and say what she's expected to say, etc. She's become a comfort character for me.
I'm a bit torn when it comes to her plot though. On the one hand, I'm here for the wlw representation that is to come. On the other hand, I dislike how they made it seem like the quiet love they were building up for the entire season wasn't real. I get that comp-het is a very real thing, but I think adding it here takes away from the message they spent so long communicating to the audience. I wish Francesca was shown to be bisexual, like Benedict, in that regard. You can have wlw representation in the long run, but still maintain that the quiet, understanding love between Francesca and John is equally valid and beautiful.
@mxngos7493 precisely! They took away one relationship because they wanted to rush things instead of 2 equally valid relationships that develop over time.
Bridgerton cares about female consent, but not about consent in general (especially not that of its first season’s black love interest)
Laura crone has a really good video discussing/analyzing that scene. It's a real complicated subject within the context of the narrative
@@TheWritersBlockOfficial Thank you for the recommendation! Princess Weekes has a great video on the topic as well!
Its the fact pens glowup needed more modern makeup and them to just corset that made her look like a barbie doll or something like bro thats the opposite for body positivity
The main creator did leave after season 2 so I think that had a lot to do with them bungling the Colin/Penelope Romance. I saw someone else say there’s so much going on with lesser side characters in the 3rd season that you feel like Penelope is more of a side character in her own season. I’d have to agree. I appreciated that they chilled a bit on the sex scenes in the second season, but I agree you can tell in the 3rd they’re almost trying to avoid it, but at the same time they all feel rushed when they do happen. There’s not enough tension building like with Kate and Anthony. You don’t feel like they’re actually trying to resist their desires. It felt so off character wise for Colin to not kiss Maria the 1st season because it would compromise her honor and he loves her, but with Penelope it’s straight to the downstairs business. It needed way more build up overall.
Their romance could have been so cute 😭 I was anticipating a fun My Fair Lady situation that actually showcased their friendship since it has only been talked about up until this point, and now I’m still not convinced that they were ever really friends, with Colin realizing he loves Penelope and not having her beg him for it (that’s what it felt like, it didn’t feel organic), along with Penelope getting up to Lady Whistledown shenanigans, realizing her power and the responsibility that comes with it, would have made sense her on going fight with Eloise too… we were so robbed
I also think that the shift in costuming and makeup was very... strange. Not only because it was inconsistent with the past two seasons but also because it felt like they were using it to make Penelope seem more attractive. In the previous seasons there was minimal makeup and more regency appropriate hairstyles. But with this season we saw heavy smokey eyes and bold lips along with manicured nails and sultry loose curls framing the face. It felt like they didn't believe in Nicola's natural beauty the way they did with pheobe and simone. The emphasis on more sultry clothing, makeup, and styles specifically wiith Penelope felt very intentional but not in a good way. Almost like they felt that in order for her to be desirable, she needs to be sexy. Which, don't get me wrong, she is and deserves to be portrayed in that light. But if they could still protray the former female love interests as sexy and also, simply desireable in general and all without makeup, then why couldn't they do it with Nicola's character? And it all comes back to the fact that they didn't believe in their leading lady. They did not need to yassify nicola for us to know that colin found her beautiful and sexy. There's honestly so many things I could dive into about it about it but I'll just keep it short (ish). And for anyone who might think I am reading into it, costume design in movies is ALWAYS intentional, whether it's a period piece or a modern piece, the costumes matter. The costumes and styling tell a visual story and are crucial to the characters and/or setting. Yes, the first two seasons were somewhat over the top with their costuming, but (in my opinion) they still kept the general look of regency fashion and elegance. Whereas this season was very modern and kind of gaudy. And Penelope's styling aside, it's still not cohesive for most of the season compared the the previous ones.
I didn't have a problem with it. Collin had a glow up and was hitting the gym hard. His teeth also seems different for some reason lol. Penelope was supposed to be "older" now, and ready to marry, I think the make and difference in style brought that across.
Bro the scene from Bohemian Rhapsody makes me soo angry, I feel so seen hearing it called out😭😭😭
The Bi-Erasure is crazy. Freddy Mercury just bangs. Doesn't matter who
I felt the same about Francesca's romance. I feel like she is already cheating on John. And the plot of the book is not only about Francesca's battle with infertility but also about finding love again after loss. In the book, she has a wonderful marriage with John for two years. Michael loved her but he kept that knowledge to himself. He did not in any way try to compromise their marriage. In the book, he also goes away for four years because he feels guilty about John's death, like he may have somehow wished it by loving Francesca. It is only after Michael returns from India that he begins pursuing her. And that is because she has decided she wants to try again for a baby. With the disappointment in the kiss and the stumbling over the introduction, after her mother's speech about that, it seems she has already put aside her interest in John before they ever consummate the marriage. There is also no child to inherit. Scotland may be one of the places that lets women inherit, but I'm not sure. In a comment elsewhere, I pointed out that if Elouise story included the death of Sir Phillip with Marina as the survivor, then there is already a male heir to inherit the property and they could make that the lesbian relationship if they insisted on having one.
I have no issue with Michael becoming Michaela, but I did really bristle at the way they did that introduction with Francesca stumbling over herself the first time they meet, SO untrue to the books and characters. That last episode really took away from the beautiful love story that had built up unto that point. Such a disappointment.
Thank you! This was explained so well and touched every point of how I felt throughout season 3! Penelope deserved so much better than to cry, be humiliated and be hated on in her own season. She is just as desirable as the other FMCs throughout the Bridgerton series. And as someone who has read Francesca's book, I don't mind the changes, but they completely diminished John and Francesca's love for each other. She was meant to have two beautiful and different love stories, and that's what set her apart from her siblings.
So glad I could help articulate what you were feeling! Thank you for taking the time to comment!
I had a different reaction. Daphne we didn’t know when her season began. We didn’t know Kate either. But Penelope was already near and dear and felt like a little sister. I think that’s what made it a tad squeamish for me. It was like ‘Not my sweet Penelope!’ 🫣 😂
The camera work DOES NOT help
You absolutely nailed why I was so upset about how they left Francesca’s story!
As a pansexual person, I appreciated that Benedict wants to explore his sexuality further and enjoy this newfound realisation by being with men rather than immediately having him settle down with a woman. I think it's totally natural to want to explore after realising you're bi or pan, and I'm happy that they're showing that (provided they don't end up showing us that with a montage of him hooking up with fifty different people in a matter of weeks).
Been loving your videos so far ever since I saw your Mean Girls analysis. Not sure I completely agree with the fatphobic take, though I do think the cinematography of this season was disappointing overall. Could it be because they swapped showrunners?
Something else I wanted to bring up that I haven't seen anyone talk about yet is how they basically gave Colin a personality transplant - just further adding to this idea of them being ashamed of their characters. Original Colin was goofy and a bookworm, less worldly than his brothers. He was also not as "sturdy" (Bridgerton's words not mine) as Anthony or Simon, yet in this season they undid all that. Why? To present what they think audiences want in a man: someone conventionally attractive, with a conventional body, someone's who cocky, suave and experienced and can "lead" their lesser experience female partner in bed.
I was so excited for this season cause I thought we'd see some rep for guys who don't always know what to say, or how to act. Like, how cute would it have been to have them discover each other for the first time, both as inexperienced people? There's something about that would've been so refreshing to me but it feels like they went with the most stereotypical option because they didn't trust audiences to check in for a less conventional male lead. Maybe this also adds to your fatphobic take in a way? Male body image is so rarely discussed in Hollywood and it'd be interesting to hear your take on it.
A) the showrunners did change so the unequal depiction of Penelope could very well be due to that rather than a conscious bias against women with different body sizes. My main reason for making the video was to discuss HOW she was depicted differently, and I'm less concerned with a definitive take on IF the creators were/are fatphobic. I think regardless of intention, the differences play into fatphobic prejudices, even if the cause was a change of showrunner.
B) That's SUCH a good point about Colin. They really did shift him to "leading man" mode this season which made him feel like just a generic version of his older brother. I wish they had leaned more into the idea that he's intentionally putting on a persona, but Penelope sees through it and likes him for who he's always really been. They hint at it but it's very underdeveloped in the season.
C) I also think you're point about body image is super interesting. I don't know if it was the actor, the makeup department, or pressure from the producers -- but they completely changed his jaw with either implants or contouring which felt unnecessary. A point about male body image that I think is interesting is that, while women often have MORE pressure on them to be "attractive", I feel that men have a more limited range of ways to BE attractive. Like, for men, especially in movies/tv, it's kind of Action Figure with chiseled jawline or comedy relief.
@TheWritersBlockOfficial To your first point A) I think you were able to hit on something I was feeling on this season that I hadn't been able to put my finger on. The first 2 seasons did feel a bit more whimsical and romanticized than this one. Didn't mean to imply in my first comment in my first comment that I thought your focus was on whether the production was fat phobic, but on the show. I think it does end up playing into the stereotypes it meant to deconstruct. It felt like the show was just too afraid to tackle it, so they ended up trying to be neutral (which is never possible, because neutrality is always just a return to the status quo. Which in this case is fatphobia.
B) They planted some really interesting seeds for Colin but it never grew into anything more (pun intended!). Again, I feel like it might have been a desire to keep the show as a light, indulgent spectacle but surely there must be a way to balance fantasy with mature topics like male body image?
All in all, keep up the good work. It's nice to see film commentary channels tackle these sort of issues. And, shameless plug, if you ever need an editor for your videos, hit me up 😅
Thanks for chatting with me!
What I find so sad about this is that the fans have been so excited for Colin and Penelope’s season, they really let down the fans with this season
Part 1: jess brownwell
You said everything that most of us felt about season 3 in one sentence. That’s impressive.
We noticed that Brownwell, the new showrunner, did not care about the book she based it on, sidelined the couple in their own season so she can focus on her favorite characters.
While I loved Part 1, part 2 ruined that for me at the moment.
They over dramatized the LW plot which was the one thing from the book that book fans did not want. We dis not want this dragged out.
There were many romantic moments and steamy moments in the book Brownwell and the writers refused to use. The live confessions were better in the book, but the carriage scene and first kiss did match the book well.
Again, Brownwell had her favorites and things she wanted, but it disrespects the actors and the characters. Nichola and Luke cared more about the book than Brownwell did. Ugh!
I really appreciated your differentiation between the cameras framing of a character vs personal preference. I feel like a lot of valid complaints about how Penelope is framed get drowned out by people defending their personal standards of attraction.
My take on all this is that Bridgerton seems to be TRYING to be more inclusive, but it's such a hard balancing act to maintain. It's good that they're trying, but ultimately you can't please everyone no matter what you do. There are too many factors at play: keeping up dramatic tension to hold viewers' interest, all the different forms of representation battling for attention at the same time, societal norms and expectations, the historical aspect and creative liberties taken with it...the list goes on.
I think storytelling in general is becoming harder and harder to pull off successfully. There's too much pressure to cater to audience demands while developing a good plot that keeps them captivated throughout. So I applaud anyone who attempts to consider people with different bodies and brains. It's good to feel seen and heard. But the key is to make the story good as well, not just toss in a character or a few traits to say "look, we're being iNcLuSiVe!" That's not how it works. But at the same time, it's extremely hard to balance inclusion/representation with story elements like drama, tension, and conflict.
At least we can give Bridgerton credit for trying, imo. It's a very difficult thing to get right, and it can't be done right 100% of the time. Especially when you consider everything that goes into the making of a TV show--budgets, executives making decisions, etc.--and what keeps it going--ratings, the fan base, etc.
I'm coming at this from the perspective of an overweight, neurodivergent female writer who has stopped pursuing publishing bc of the sheer overwhelm of everything going on in the industry. Also, I haven't actually watched the show or read the books yet, but they're on my lists bc my best friend has been urging me to get into them. Videos like this are my other main source of info right now. Just thought I'd include all this for perspective. Do what you will with this info.
Overall, great video! 💯🖊
Thank you for such a well put together response! I think it is absolutely a minefield to try to do positive representation of any type, and that's why I think the issues are more subconscious than explicit. I think in an attempt to be considerate they ran into some major pitfalls. But I believe they at least consciously meant well. I think part of the key to avoid8ng problematic representation is not trying so hard to make something representation. That's why I love how Nicola coughlan talked about it on press tours. It wasn't "as a woman with a large body" it was "for me..." thats why despite all the issues I raised, her performance is absolutely pitch perfect considering what she was gi en
3:02 That is what I have been thinking about this season. Plenty of video essays talk about how this season was disappointing because of character dynamics. But it felt like they rolled back "spicy content" because of fatphobia and I hate that. I only watched this season because of the couple being interesting. I still haven't seen the first two seasons.
Long story short, just go for it and don't hold back because of societal sexual appetite because society was going to be hateful anyway. Let fat peeps get to feel sexy for gods sake.
Yes!
1) Only from the fact that they made the actors loose weight to be able to be "the protagonists" and the fact that Penelope is the only fat woman is fatphobic. Also....the rich were having food to eat, aren't they supposed to be fat compare to the poor? Also, i understand they were trying to show the scenes from the books but man...they were so cringe. In the book their friendship is amazing and in the series...well there is no friendship, i was feeling very anxious throughout the whole season and i did not feel satisfied at all. Like....since when Colin is acting like Benedict from the books? They are much more funnier in the book and they have amazing scenes where their chemistry is shown. And why they did not show them to us meeting for the first time? For Penelope to loose her bonnet and flow into Colin's face, causing him to fall off his horse. That would be hilarious and so THEM! They should make this season to be funny and awkward because that is how Polin is first and then having those hot moments. Instead, they wanted to give us another Simon and Daphne season even though that was the weakest season of all.
2)About Francesca, that was my problem all along. What was the point in showing us her romance if they were going to erase it in the end? They even changed the whole story of the book by making her not liking the kiss at the wedding or falling in love with Michaela. She is not supposed to fall for her before John dies. Bc Fran. did love John a lot. And that was her problem in the book, her and Michael/ Michaela, were feeling guilty to be in love with each other and the whole story had to do with their guilt and their love for each other. I mean...if they were gonna make Mich. fall for Fran. that would be understandable, since in the book he/she is in love with her in secret but no....they had to change the core of the book and make Fran. not be in love with John. Turns out it was a mistake of hers. Like what the hell?
3) I seriously do not get, how they are going to make Benedict in s4 marry Sophie, when literally in the end of s3 he said he was not ready to marry and he wanted to sleep with other men or you know, have fun with other people in general ( also the fact that tv shows make all bi men have threesomes, bc they cannot have sex only with men or women without a third person...). But im like...what? They made him canonically bi only to make him forget all about it and commit in s4 in a marriage? You know, since his season is the 4th one. That's a plot hole.
The new writer destroed everything.
I would argue the shots of penelope, when looked at by Colin, are incredibly powered by desire. A lot of pouting and gazing up, hair tumbling down her face. It is worth considering when looking at how they handled Pen's story, that the character, unlike in other seasons, was already an established character, and one that up until this season had been portrayed as child like. She is Eloise's friend, with a high girly voice and frilly clothing, experiencing a childish crush. Her journey in one season to becoming a woman and an object of desire is tricky, and I would wager the makers of Bridgerton wanted to strike a balance, so that this childhood friend doesn't become a sex goddess overnight. It will be interesting to see what they will do with Francesca in the next season, as there would be the same issue. I had read her character as not only neurodivergent but maybe also Asexual, however (I totally agree) they wrecked her entire narrative in the last episode, so where they go now with her story will really show us how much bodytype plays into their decisions.
It took me a few episodes into the season to realise it was supposed to be Penelope’s season and not Francesca’s season, at first I was like “why do they keep cutting to her and why isn’t Francesca so developed?” the framing by the series creators this season was so strange that I didn’t even realise she was supposed to be the main protagonist rather than a b plot, they definitely mishandled her character
I also didn’t like how the series really didn’t show Francesca’s husband as desirable at all just because he’s autistic
Like it delved too far in for too long on everyone’s disapproval of him imo and after they just kinda sidelined got married and overall had very few interactions like the music moment and their initial conversations and stuff so I really wish they’d also shown him in a desireable light from the audience’s perspective more often than just those 2 instances of the meetcute and the music gift
It just annoys me so much that the show pretends that fatphobia doesn’t exist in the world of the show. That people didn’t like Penelope before and made fun of her for her outfits and personality not her body, that the glow up in the season is that she’s wearing blue not citrus. Yet Penelope’s body is implied through the whole show through the camerawork and costuming to be the problem. You can have your cake and eat it too. Fatphobia doesn’t exist but Penelope still needs a glow up.
The problem with colin for me was that he had his slutty phase, comes back a "changed man" or what not and after that he starts lusting after Penelope who has so many lovely quirks and personality traits, I don't know why she gets Colin the slut instead of Colin the cute childhood friend? Why does it take him so long to fall for her? Why does he treat her so badly even after he has fallen for her? Why is she "tricking" him into sleeping together when he is the more experienced one and the one who initiated it??? Why does he give me the ick? Why does it take him so long to fall in love but then again so quick? Why did Penelope had to change(ie changing her clothes, doing her hair differently) for her to get noticed by Colin. She was lovely from the start but she has to fight for love, as the only one being plus size that's kinda weird...
And the men of Bridgerton have always been played as promiscuous.
Season 3 disappointed me in ways I never thought a show can. I’m not excited for the future of Bridgeton at all.
I didn't like that there were too many other subplots that could've been removed and focus more on Polin. Violet/Marcus and the Alice/Will scenes could've been completely scrapped and the season would've been better, and improved on showing more on the lead of the season. Also, Polin's fight went on for too long. I wanted them to make up and have more steamy scenes. This season didnt do the main couple justice.
Yeah they would go so slow and then so fast in the romance thay none of the progress felt earned. It felt like "oh wait we are at episode 3 better turn up the relationship setting a notch"
I agree with what you're saying. I think they tried to rely on Pen's presence in the first two seasons way too much as a shortcut to showing us the things they could've. Season 1, everyone was new, so they had no choice but to show. Season 2, Kate and her family were new, so again, they needed to show. But with Season 3, Pen's been around since Season 1. But that doesn't mean they didn't need to show us. People weren't paying attention in S1 & S2 (well, there were some that were, but no enough to justify the lack in S3).
Apropos of nothing, while we're talking about bi rep, I really love the way Owl House handled Luz. Obviously it's a very different show for a very different demographic, but it does a great job of making it clear that she's attracted to both boys and girls without in any way suggesting that this makes her less committed to her partner.
The weirdest complaints i heard about Nicola was that she isn't truly fat so she wasn't good representation for fat people. Yes, it's true as a very short woman she can squeeze into passably average sized clothing, but you cannot tell me you think Hollywood bigwigs look at her and salivate at the mouth wanting to put her in a bikini
Honestly clothes are so weird when it comes to height. I'm 6'2" so only xl t shirts are long enough on mw but in with im a large. Sizing systems in. General are honestly designed as a form of psychological warfare in my opinion
I would like to offer a perspective from a person who also inhabits a larger body (and always has). Regardless of the amount of nudity we got from Penelope, how it came to be and how different her portrayal is from Daphne and Kate, season three of Bridgerton was groundbreaking for the representation of bigger bodies in the mainstream media. While I 100% agree with you on how much there is still to do to make the representation of different body types equal to the ones of “perfect bodies”, the fact that the audience got that representation to begin with (however lacking it may be) has shook me to the core and I am still seriously thinking about writing a thank you letter to Nicola.
First off: Netflix changed something for Penelope in the adaption from the books. In the book Penelope lost weight before she got her romance arc, which sucks balls to begin with. And the book also took away a lot from her agenda by giving the revelation of Lady Whistledown to Colin instead of her. So, there’s two very important changes they already made. The source material for Colin's and Penelope's storyline is also deeply flawed to begin with and that coupled with a changed production team from the first two seasons could explain the general disconnect in filming styles of season three.
Secondly: I grew up with Melissa McCarthy and Rebel Wilson as the only two actresses who regularly appeared in mainstream media. Their weight being the most distinguishing thing about them, typecasting them for the DUFF, comedic relief and as generally undesirable characters (Sookie being a little bit of an exception). Adding to that, that I was a teenager during the 2000s and the public opinion on what “fat” was what it was and how women’s bodies were talked about EVERYWHERE. (I mean, I still can’t watch Friends because I hate how even Monica talked about her former body and how it is generally portrayed.)
Penelope’s weight is not specifically discussed within the show itself. It is not an issue within the ton, not even at the modiste. Even that is mind blowing. [I know, we’re easily satisfied, but we’ve been starved (lol), man.] While yes, her framing and the angles are different from Daphne’s and Kate’s, Penelope is also not as sure about herself as the others. She’s awkward and her agenda, character development and story arcs were very different from the start. She's been infantilized up until she decided to step into her own power, and she still has to learn so much about herself aside from Whistledown and her writing, while the other two had a very different upbringing and understanding of their roles and purposes. It is only natural that her sex scenes are different from Daphne's and Kate's. She described herself as a wallflower and a spinster, so no wonder her journey towards sexuality is different.
Now, we could talk about how casting Nicola as a romantic lead, lead to a big enough public backlash already and one could argue that the toning down of her portrayal is merely a step towards preventing more hate both for the show and Nicola. The public eye also doesn’t like radical changes and must be slowly accustomed to the representation of different body types. Societal change always works best when it’s slow and steady. But of course, you’re right, all of it can also be lingering fatphobia. I would like to give them the benefit of the doubt though.
Her nudity/s*x scene: I’m not gonna lie, I cried for literal hours after seeing it for the first time because it meant so much to me. I was shocked by how much it moved me and how much I needed to see that. To feel the representation, however little it might have been in comparison. And I am fully aware that it happened specifically because Nicola pushed it. However controversial it might have been in both the public eye and the social justice committee (which I am also generally a part of), I MUST emphasize how big of a step it still was for us larger bodied women. Showing that we can be more than comedic relief, that we are desirable and sexy. That our weight is and should be the least interesting thing about us.
Even though yes, there is still SO MUCH to be done and changed to make things equal. It's still a lot.
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When it comes to Francesca's romance arc - the connection between her and Lord Kilmartin is genuine and wonderful. Though without spoiling too much, there is a plottwist in the books as well. Michaela (who is Michael in the books) is introduced for a reason.
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Benedict is a character I have the most hope for, honestly. Because I am wishing so badly that it is not only a warped representation of bisexuality, but a representation of bisexuality AND polyamory instead. Because I feel like he is just on the brink of finding himself within his sexuality and outside of socially accepted relationship norms (which is heavily underlined by his line about love not being finite), which is a much better reason for not wanting his world to be closed off again than just wanting to sleep around. I have high hopes for his storyline.
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I genuinely hope that I don't offend anyone with this comment, because I feel like I have a generally more positive approach towards everything, which might come across as naive.
Aside from Penelope's storyline Bridgerton season three gives off major second book/movie vibes, in which future plot lines are introduced to be hopefully properly dealt with in later books/movies/seasons.
Thank you so much for sharing this perspective!
This is one of the complicated things with writing these videos, because you don't want to sound like you're constantly contradicting yourself -- but there most definitely is a LOT of positive in this season, and it will not be received positively by a lot of people. I know i only touch on it briefly, but that's why I like to point out that "in a vacuum" there's nothing wrong with how they depicted (most of) these characters.
I think it's part of why MORE representation is the best route, because then we don't rely on on ONE piece of media being THE representation. Right now, Bridgerton S3 is probably THE most mainstream depiction of a Nude woman with Pen's proportions (and just her being the romantic lead for that matter). This makes it so it's hyper analyzed and makes EVERY element feel hyper intentional.
Once we get MORE representation of women like this, having her be clothed in certain scenes or how they shot her might not feel like a big deal at all, and might feel more like just an individual creative/aesthetic choice.
I think part of MY own harshness when it comes analyzing the character's depiction was that I'm coming from a very idealistic standpoint that this SHOULDN'T be a big deal. That Nicola showing her nude body (also anyone showing their nude body... man people got hangups) SHOULDN'T be cause for discussion or backlash. But it very much IS and therefore will inherently be treated differently by the creators for better or worse. Nothing in media is truly created in a vacuum, so there's really no way societal expectations wouldn't inform the depiction of Pen in one direction or another.
As for Benny Boi -- yeah I really hope they actually take a meaningful look at what it means to explore. Ideally, it's a nuanced take on experimenting and exploring sexuality rather than just an excuse to keep him from settling down before his actual season. I just wish they would have given him more time THIS season if they were going to do that, because having his bi awakening be a little side show felt dismissive and really could have used more time.
Omg tysm, when I watched this season I honestly missed the intimacy between the characters that camera used to show us…
This was an excellent, well-thought-out piece. Fantastic.
Thank you for the kind words!
The fact that many people say she is plus sized, when she is really a petite/short 5’1 woman with a round shape, large bust, and circular face shape. She has stated on interviews that she is actually a US size 6 (UK size 10). It would be totally fine if she was plus sized, but she actually is just a short size 6 and not a tall size 2/4/6 like some other actresses in the show💃🏽
Agree with so much of your video except for when you had the word "CONSENT" layered over Simon and Daphne... the series has done well with consent since then, but season one was.... bad... there.
That's fair
I don't even watch Bridgerton but loved this video
Thank you so much!
For me the intimate shots you talked about is diferente this season because they changed the director, so this entire season feel od, i didn't like this knew director for many reasons, everything felt rush this season, they didn't focus on the main couple as the previous ones, some action moment's felt goofy, and i think some characters had to much focus without bringing anything to the plot, and some important character's were left to the side. And I'm not enjoying what they did to future siblings.
Yeah, I think this was a bad time to switch showrunners. wait at least another season
I love your analysis here.
Thank you so much!
I very much agree with this analysis, with exception that the casting isn't color blind. It is color/race/ethnicity inclusive (or, at least, an attempt to be). If it were blind we would not get cultural narrative attached to characters, I. E. Colorblind casting for Simon might mean the character is played by Rege, but the story wouldn't include background about race integration and the "great project" that includes Queen Charlotte. Similarly, with Kate, we wouldn't have gotten a changed last name to Sharma or a cuktural/ethnic background change to reflect the presentation if a south east Asian actor playing the role. And further, Kate, as she is written in the script, could not be played by a white woman, because that would not be an appropriate representation of South East Asian ethnic and race.
Great point and that's why I added the "pseudo" to color blind. I think its strange because they only SOMETIMES address the race of characters, and the worldbuilding on it is quite underdeveloped. So un function, it's basically ignoring race, but then will have a one off comment about lady Danburys background or acknowledging that the queen is black. Its technically alt history but they largely treat it like nothings different 90 percent of the time
Them giving Francesca so much screen time in a season that is Penelope's says a lot about who the show-runners truly wanted to film. Sad.
You have some really great points and it makes me sad because season 3 really meant so much to me. Hopefully moving forward they can learn from their shortcomings.
I definitely think there was a lot of good to season 3 and I don't mean to take away from that. Overall I enjoyed the season. I just tend to be most critical of missed potential within things I care about
@@TheWritersBlockOfficial I understand completely.
S3 was a bit off for me and you articulated well what I had in mind. They had a different showrunner in S3 and I wish they get the original showrunner back for the next season.
My problem with Francesca (besides everything you stated honestly) is that her story in the books is about infertility. Probably the most heartbreaking scene in the books is her husband dying and her losing their baby weeks after. If you want to make a gay character fine, go for it, but don't ruin her entire story of overcoming infertility and her entire struggle and character arc.
Although I am excited to see how each Bridgerton’s siblings seasons go, I was personally most excited about penelopes season and to see her kinda get overshadowed was kinda disappointing
10/10 no notes, perfectly echoed all my thoughts!
8:44 this analysis is so good
Thank you so much for the kind words
I could not agree with you more. In every aspect you nailed everything I was thinking while watching this season.
Thanks! And this might sound silly but I want to be clear it's ok if you or other people don't agree full or at all as well. I make these videos as conversation starters and while I don't guarantee that other people will change my mind, I love discussing these topics with people and sharing ideas
The main issue with the season is the decision to do a mid season break which needed a certain amount of story progression for a natural halfway mark. Rushing the romance was not what was needed for Penelope and Colin for the trope to work.
I do think it’s got to a point though, where people can’t find a certain something to complain about, so they have to look for another thing to complain about. No one is ever happy. 🤷🏻♀️
17:48 I was disappointed in season 3, couldn't figure it out. I think you nailed it
This is sadly so noticeable.. they felt like they had to put heavy modern make up on her to make her look sexier and maturer.
I liked season 3 the most and still do after binging all seasons again.....but I get your critic and did miss some of what you said as well!
also, when penelope has her glow up, they start pinching her dresses at the waist, seemingly to make her more attractive, even tough that kind of silhouette wasn't what was worn at the time. like wtf
"Made a point to emphasise things like female consent" ... yeah... *female* consent.
I think while there is a problem with bi erasure ( and I know because I am bi), to say that benedict just wants to sleep around is also not entirely true. I think he could be polyamorous and he realized that it‘s possible to love more than one person in very intimate ways.
I am not convinced by a lot of these points, but the fact that she is TIGHT LACED in the regency era??? They must have wanted her to look slimmer for that inacronism
I've been trying to gaslight myself into believing that there was nothing wrong with season 3, and I'm the problem. That I was reading too much into everything and unnecessarily questioning the production team's decisions. This video set me free. Season 3 was a mess and it's because the writers didn't know how to accurately and respectfully write a curvy girl as the love interest.
There's to me a huge dissonance in season 3, as the writing, costuming and directing all want to be as agreeable and as hip as possible, while being terrified of edges. There's the possible issue of fatphobia that you've mentioned, with the filming not knowing how to film larger bodies without fetishizing their separate attributes, and the hideous costuming that gave Penelope some buckwild silhouettes in an attempt to cinch her body (not to mention the racially insensitive way they handled Kate's costumes this season, but that's another tangent). Meanwhile the writing hates Colin with a passion, and is an aggressive supporter Penelope with a fierce determination to circumvent any kind of consequences for her actions as LW (a majority of which were pretty fucking nasty against women, especially WoC). It was pretty convenient and quite disingenuous to write Kate and Anthony off before the LW reveal, as they are the last people present to have very good reasons to be pissed off at Whistledown/Penelope (you believe Anthony is gonna let someone calling his wife a beast off the hook? Come on now), and no good reason to stand behind her. Despite all the blusters they've made about how romantic season 3 is, it isn't a romance. Colin, the other half of this love story, is flattened to bits and exists only as Penelope's doormat, getting the worst hit out of the mass mutilation other characters suffer so Pen would have an easier time feeling better about herself. And Penelope doesn't love Colin either. Ultimately, Penelope loves no one but herself. Colin is just a sexy lamp she can fuck.
I also see that the main cinematographer from seasons 1 & 2 is absent from season 3. His protegee and a new cinematographer worked on season 3.
Give me 30 points! I know why Eloise is wearing a summer muff. Her actress was attempting to do a high kick in one of her dresses and she fell backwards and broke or sprained her wrist (don't remember exactly) and they couldn't very well stop filming til she got the cast off, so in order to hide it they invented the summer muff. The actress herself admitted that it was kind of silly and stupid but it was the only option that was truly available to them
„Her name ist literally Lady Whistledown“ 😂😂😂😂 yup
Thank you!! Finally someone noticed all these
idk if hes already done a video about it, but him talking about Benedikts bisexuality, made me think of house md's representation of the charecter 13, so if he hasnt done a vid about her or the show id love to see one
Ooh I haven't but that would be an interesting topic to explore for sure
Well made points
Thank you!
Respectfully, I have some gripes with how this video frames things in Bridgerton. I'm a plus size girlie and a historian, so maybe that's why our perspectives are so different.
I dislike emphasizing "female consent" with Daphne and Simon at 2:15. Simon's consent was negated at Daphne's expense. That is not healthy consent, and is outright harmful, not empowering. She was lashing out due to her figuring out how sex/pregnancy works as a newly married (bc this is the only way to be truly empowered in this society) woman. She intentionally robs Simon of his consent, perhaps due to her lack of education over what sex really is, making her fundamentally misunderstand how disrespectful her actions were.
The issue was not the nudity and intimacy. It was the fact that Daphne performed a sexual act Simon was explicitly uncomfortable with. Yet somehow the narrative paints it as if SHE was the victim. That is a glaring error with the storytelling that I have serious problems with, personally.
Also, I think what Nicola meant when she asked for specific things to be included was that she - as woman with "perfect breasts" (I fucking love her) who exists in her body and knows what it's like - felt strongly that the production should strive to include things SHE would have liked to see onscreen - because she belongs to a demographic that is sparsely represented erotically, and she had insights to what should and shouldn't be done. I know that I, a woman with "perfect breasts" if I do say so myself, was amazed that she looks like a goddess the whole time. It's wonderful for not only her confidence, but she also knows it's great for the confidence of other viewers who have bodies that look more like hers.
8:02 Furthermore, the scene where she covers herself up instinctually felt more to me like a basic virginity thing. She's never been intimate before. She's never had another person able to look at her so up close, to see a body she might think makes her less attractive - and then Colin helps her open up because it's obvious that, no, he thinks she's HOT.
I take issue with this being phrased as "some trope where the man shows the girl she was beautiful the whole time" because this is, well, a SEX scene with someone who is insecure, and a virgin. He's expressing attraction for her, which is pretty on par for a sex scene.
9:56 I understand the issue with the carriage scene because her dress is taken off in the book. That gripe makes sense to me.
I don't know enough about film direction to speak on that stuff, so go off I guess. However, it's notable that there was a change in showrunners from seasons 1 and 2 (Chris Van Dunsen) to season 3 (Jess Brownell).
I'm not going to defend little nitpicks like the execution of the friends to lovers trope. That's an issue with the showrunners trying very hard to subvert expections ahead of the trope, I suppose, but I don't see how that's shaped by fatphobia. Granted, I never read the books, so things may be very different and if I had that awareness I may feel differently, but idk, it just started to feel as I watched this that you found different things that were wrong with the season and somehow connected it to fatphobia.
Now, of course, I'm not going to say the show is perfect - bc it really isn't, in fact it does a lot of shitty things! I think the worst it's done is that issue with Daphne and Simon and the non-consent. Personally, I wasn't the biggest fan of Penelope's makeup this season because - again - I'm a historian and it kinda took me out a bit. But this show isn't meant to be historically accurate, I get that, that gripe is just my personal taste.
17:51 as far as I know with Francesca's storyline, she has been told repeatedly that she MUST find a man. She finds the first one she connects with intimately - and I'm neurodivergent too, and some of my greatest friendships (like all of them) are with other neurodivergent people. We can just exist around each other and not feel stressed about weird things. Parallel play, man!! You can have it with friendship AND in relationships.
For me, when I was a young lesbian I had deep internal struggles, I made myself go out with 2 boys. I'd tell myself that the sick feeling I had in my stomach was excitement, because people always say that kinda thing happens. I have been on a grand total of 2 dates with boys in my life, and both times I avoided the guy like plague after. ESPECIALLY Logan, who actually wanted to kiss me in-between 7th and 8th period!! My neurodivergent robotics and LEGO-obsessed pal who wanted to kiss me got really bored of my jumpiness and altogether avoidance of him. He was a GREAT friend before that! .... but I'm gay. And I knew that for sure when I dated my first (and only) girlfriend of 4 years, who is also one of my best friends since high school. I know the difference now between platonic love and romantic love, which is really hard for baby queers!
I think that's the direction the show is taking Francesca. I have friends who read the books who hate this because they'd rather new characters are made queer, but, honestly, if this goes the way I think, Bridgerton might represent something that is very difficult to articulate to people: comp het. Alternatively, it's possible Francesca could be bisexual and she really does love John, her love for Michaela is just different.
Of course, I understand that narratively speaking Francesca seemed to be on a very different path. Perhaps the writers fumbled the initial setup, but I'm personally excited for what's to come.
As for Benedict, I wholeheartedly agree that it might be bad for bi representation. Like I said, the show's not perfect. I think the reason this happened is bc they want to save him for his season (which was supposed to have happened already), so they won't want to 'confuse' the audience by having him fall in love with someone he won't be with. I hope they don't do what they did for Francesca and change his love interest to a man just to "make it queer" because he's still bisexual when he falls in love with a woman. To me, that would actually feel like the most harmful route, but that's just me.
Ahh I had a lot to write, and I hope you're not mad at the stuff I said lol. I'm curious if this video essay is written as a fan of the show alone, or also the books, bc that might answer some of my questions I guess
this took me a really long time to formulate and write and I am sorry if it got repetitive, friend. I feel like a lot of your issues can be boiled down to differences between showrunners, which doesn't invalidate your concerns, I'm just wary of calling scenes that felt empowering to me (a queer and plus size woman) fatphobic for falling short.
Even if it's not perfect, it's a first step. Especially in this genre, women who look like that are never pictured as desirable in such a way. I thought it rocked.
Read all of this. Deeply appreciate the thorough response and sharing your personal experience. Will respond thoroughly myself as soon as time permits!
@@TheWritersBlockOfficial 😅 thank you! Hope you’re having a good night my guy, and even if i had gripes, I did enjoy your video. I don’t want to get that twisted - I watched the whole thing and it unearthed the little debate demon in my soul. Good job!!