Now you’ve watched the first four episodes of Bridgerton Season 3, it’s time to discuss the cliffhanger. The episodes ended with Polin officially happening.
There are some substantial changes to the book. One of those is that Colin doesn’t yet know that Penelope is Lady Whistledown. That’s sure to come up soon, and it could lead to some issues for the two. However, right now, they have their happy ending.
The question is whether this cliffhanger is too predictable. Does it lack drama for a season that is split in two? This could be a problem for Netflix, especially considering Netflix didn’t tell Bridgerton writers that it wanted to split the season in two right away.
You can’t end a split season with no drama
The whole point of a split season is to end with a cliffhanger that makes you need more. Just look at the way some of the other Netflix shows have managed it. They end with major questions about murderers, how to save characters, and other mysteries. There’s a reason for people to tune back in and see what’s going on.
That hasn’t happened with Bridgerton Season 3A. The only question is what happens when Colin finds out, but we knew that was going to be a question all along. After all, the show would have to follow the books in terms of the characters who marry the Bridgerton siblings, so we knew Polin would have to happen.
What could have been a better cliffhanger for Bridgerton Season 3A?
Maybe the series should have kept the order of the books intact for Polin’s storyline. It would have added more drama and intrigue had Bridgerton Season 3A ended with Colin finding out that Penelope is Lady Whistledown. The show could have even ended with Colin seeing Penelope dropping of the letter, leaving the carriage scene for Season 3B.
This would have been a much bigger cliffhanger. There would have been questions about whether Polin could work things out with this big reveal. There would have been the excitement to tune in for the second half of the season expecting the carriage scene. Netflix would have had a lot more to get fans excited about the upcoming half of the season.
This isn’t a show fault, though. I put the blame on Netflix for not making it clear from the start that it wanted the season split in two. That could have meant more time to craft an exciting cliffhanger.
This doesn’t mean I won’t be tuning in for the second half of the season. It’s just not as exciting as I’d hoped for.