Susan Granger’s review of “Bridgerton: Season 3, Part 1” (Netflix)
Gentle reader, if you have not seen the first two seasons of the Regency-era melodrama “Bridgerton,” you’ve missed some truly delightful television. Producer Shonda Rhimes’ Shondaland series is now heavily into Season 3 with a cliffhanger concluding Part 1 – and Part 2 scheduled to commence on June 13.
Based on Julia Quinn’s novels about the eight close-knit siblings of the Bridgerton family looking for love and happiness in London’s high society, the series has brought love/passion/desire back to prime-time television – like “Gossip Girl” meets “Downton Abbey.”
Re-imaging a diverse 19th century England, it focuses on aristocratic families finding proper husbands for their ‘eligible’ daughters while seeking favor from Black royalty: “We were two separate societies, divided by color, until King George fell in love with one of us,” explained influential Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh) in Season 2.
In Season 1, Simon, Duke of Hastings (Rege-Jean Page) courted Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor). In Season 2, Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) pursued Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley). Now, in Season 3, Part 1 – childhood friends/neighbors Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) acknowledge their amorous feelings for one another.
Meanwhile, when Francesca Bridgerton (Hannah Dodd) makes her debut, her “sparkle’ is acknowledged by scheming Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) and her widowed mother Violet (Ruth Gemmell) finds an ardent admirer in Lady Danbury’s estranged brother, Lord Marcus Anderson (Daniel Francis).
Plus there’s a recurring character, Will Mondritch (Martins Imhangbe), inspired by the most famous Black boxer of the time, Bill Richmond. Mondrich has retired from boxing, opened a gentlemen’s club and become the father of a Baron.
All of this bodice-ripping drama is chronicled by the cunning, scandal-mongering, anonymous gossiper known as Lady Whistledown (voiced by Julie Andrews).
“Bridgerton” has been renewed through Season 4 but plans are to adapt every book in Julia Quinn’s series for a total of eight seasons.
On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “Bridgerton: Season 3, Part 1” is a spicy, steamy 7 – with four episodes available to binge-watch on Netflix.
