#anti Polin

[hamletshoeratio]

Penelope:

Betrayed the trust of those closest to her including friends, namely Eloise and Marina, and her own family

Nearly ruined/ruined multiple people's reputations out of jealousy (Daphne & Marina)

Straight up attacked people who never had a bad word to say about her (Kate, Edwina, Anthony, Daphne)

Nearly ruined her own family's reputation

Nearly destroyed the Bridgerton's reputation

If she truly had Eloise's best interests at heart THERE WERE OTHER WAYS TO GET HER OFF QUEEN CHARLOTTE'S SUSPECT LIST. Eloise wasn't out in season 1, she wasn't present for most of the events Lady Whistledown described. Tell the Queen directly about Theo as she loves a love story. Or you know reveal herself. But no protecting her secret identity took priority.

Destroyed an actual working woman's business (the seamstress from last season) for personal gain (to get Genevieve Delacroix on side after she discovered her lady whistledown secret)

Her comments about George III's mental health are shall we say yikes in qc

The way she handled the Marina and Colin situation. If she truly had Colins best interests at heart, she could've told him or Eloise directly or through another anonymous means. By publishing it, she nearly destroyed her own family's and colins reputation, and trapped Marina in a marriage that if it goes anything like the book will kill her.

But Eloise is the villain for being a young woman and pettily starting a duo with her ex best friend's enemy after learning about the above? Yeah nah.

[angrydemonfawnbaby]

maybe one day i will be over bridgerton season three and my hatred for penelope but that day is not today

i understand that the books are different and that book polin and penelope are not what their show counterparts are but i need book polin and penelope fans to take a step back and examine the absolute psychological horror of what show polin is.

genuinely there is something so insidious about a girl who meets a guy, believes it's love at first sight, and then befriends his sister. in fact, her ONLY friend is his sister. she spends years pining, sitting and staring out of her window so often that everyone in her life knows this is a common occurrence for her. a habit. she loves him, she wants to be with him, she wants to be a part of his family, and that family treats her well, they treat her with kindness.

and she tears them down. secretly. she uses her friendship with the daughter, her closeness to them, to prop herself up. to write vitriolic things about them, to cast shame on them, to bring their reputation into question time and time again. there is something so irredeemably manipulative about a girl who takes the secrets of those who trusts her and reveals them publicly when it best suits her--when she does not want the boy she loves to marry a girl who has been kind to her, a girl who considers her a friend, who has shared her anxieties and heartbreak. it does not matter that this girl would be a good wife, or that the boy truly cares for her, because this girl is not her. and she could've told the boy herself, but that boy is kindhearted and sensitive and good and he might still marry this other girl. and that is what is truly unacceptable, that is what can't be allowed to happen. so she destroys it, thoroughly. it does not matter who is caught in the blast.

it did not matter how this embarrassment would effect the family she claimed to love as her own, the family she wanted to be a part of. it did not matter that it would ruin marina, the only other person to consider penelope a friend. it led to marina nearly dying, it led penelope's own family being shamed and shunned. it did not matter, because to penelope, the only thing that mattered was that colin remained unmarried so that he may one day love her the way she loves him.

it did not ever matter that colin already loved her as a friend, because to penelope that was not a love worth having. not from colin, or marina, or eloise.

she does not care who she hurts. again and again. with daphne, with anthony and the sharma sisters, with her own best friend. eloise confides in penelope things that not only could destroy her reputation and that of her family, but things that could get her in trouble with the queen--views that are dangerous. and despite what she says, she does it to save herself first and foremost, to keep eloise from discovering her secret.

and when she thinks that the boy she loves will never return her interest, when he returns from his time away different from the boy she has spent years obsessing over from afar, she writes about it once more. to make herself feel better, to make him feel bad. for not loving her, for daring to try and change, for daring to be something he is not--something different from the boy she supposedly loves.

penelope actions as whistledown have shown her to be a callous, selfish, manipulative person. she understands that being whistledown means having power, admits it, and she has constantly used that power to destroy other women--regardless of how kind they were to her (marina), how much they trusted her (eloise), or if she even knew them at all (kate and edwina, the queen and her infant grandchild). she is a vicious and mean person on paper, with no loyalties to anyone but herself. her actions as whistledown are undefendable and cruel. and she is whistledown, they are one and the same.

i cannot see how anyone can look at the two and see anything to romanticize. she knows eloise would not want her in bridgerton house, rightfully so, but she goes to be close to colin, and then she invades his privacy by reading his journals. she continuously lies and crosses boundaries, but her eyes well with tears immediately after and so all is miraculously forgiven--nevermind that she will go home to write something cruel by candlelight later.

even their first kiss feels like a manipulation. a coersion. she begs, cries, pleads, claims she could die never having been kissed and she knows colin is a soft, sensitive boy. he was going to marry marina after a short courtship, convinced of love, he might've went ahead married her if he'd found out about the pregnancy privately because he is a good and kind man. so of course he will kiss her.

and then he proposes, and before they can go about it properly, before he can rethink it or back out--she publishes it in whistledown. so that the whole ton knows that she has finally won. she has succeeded in becoming a bridgerton. and she continues to lie to them all. she continues to lie to colin. she smiles and plays the role of the innocent girl next door, when she has been their primary antagonist force behind the curtains for years now.

even her declaration of love is said to distract, to protect herself, when he has discovered her secret, her true identity, and she can no longer hide. she shouts it at him, like it is meant to make everything okay, to make all of the bad things she's done go away.

and in a well written story, with well written characters, it would not. it would be seen for what it is. desperate. manipulative. but this season of bridgerton is a let down in many ways, and all of them are rooted in how the narrative has catered to washing away how horrible of a person penelope has been, instead of acknowledging it and moving forward with a true redemption arc.

so instead, we get to watch a gossiping mean girl who has spent years stalking and preying on one family in particular, manipulating her way into her happy ending with said family. and everyone just has to be gaslit into believing this is okay when it's not.

[brekker-by-brekkerr]

I laughed when Lady Danbury said Penelope loves the Bridgertons more than anyone because I was like...are we thinking of the same person? Penelope?? You mean the woman who has written so much crap about their family, frequently unprompted (her disparaging Daphne in s1, for example) and who clearly has this bitter mindset about the "pretty Bridgertons" that she has taken out on them multiple times. She's the one who loves them the most??

Even Cressida's mom was like "LW is always talking crap about the Bridgertons I thought it was on-brand to do the same." Like be so real right now.

[shewhotellsstories]

Jokes aside, it’s odd for me to see people swearing up and down that Colin needs to beg and grovel and earn Penelope back because up until that conversation she overhead he hadn’t treated her badly. He danced with her, he defended her, he returned all her letters, and he bailed her family out when he thought they were being taken advantage of.

He treated her like a friend. Yeah, no one wants to hear that a crush doesn’t see them as an option romantically, but someone treating you like a good friend when you want more isn’t bullying. It’s life.

[lovelyo]

Season 3 part 2 will be Ass. Let me Tell You Why.

Cause in the end, Penelope, Lady Whistledown, the one who has left devastation in people’s lives will get all what she wants. The man that she wants, the attention that she wants, the family she always wanted to be(so envious of them she talked shit about them ), will get her best friend back, might have the heir for that dumbass Featherington plot line, might get the Queen’s pardon and above all else, will most likely not give up LW cause they made LW such an integral part of the show.(so in that case, she’ll be even more filthy rich)

And if we go by leaked spoilers, it is said that Colin will be mad at Penelope for like 1 episode until Kanthony talks some “sense” into him. So that just tells me Kanthony will be OOC because there’s no damn way Anthony would let that beast comment about his wife slide.

There are no stakes when it comes to this season cause we all know how it’s finna go down. If Penelope gets any type of consequences, then her very undeserved HEA is doomed so everything is going to have to go her way for the already idiotic plot to make some form of sense. It’s like the love triangle in part 1, what the hell was the point of Lord Debling when everyone and their ancestors knew Colin and Penelope were end game? So we can see Colin’s cringe angst? If we already know the answer to the love triangle, there’s no point. The “find you a husband” plot line was stupid as shit anyway, but it’s whatever now.

Ugh, then we have to sit through more awkward love scenes between asshat 1 and 2

Eloise threatening Penelope with her LW identity is going to amount to nothing cause we know Penelope isn’t gonna receive any comeuppance. Matter of fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if they made Eloise apologize to Penelope for…🤷🏾‍♂️🤷(let’s apologize to the toxic friend for not dealing with their toxicity)

For Penelope to have a happy ending, she has to get away scot free and that’s what boils my blood. I hate in media and literature when a character goes around, creates chaos and receives nothing for it or just a slap on a wrist. I’ve noticed an increase in it lately too. Also, I’m tired of writers not severing their bias from their writing. I’ve been encountering many series lately where the writer(s) have favoritism towards a specific character and gives them the easy route, bends the world for them and pull punches just because they like them so much. It’s really aggravating cause you see everyone else getting put through the wringer and then you see the favored character walking through Candyland. It hurts the story, the character, and frankly makes you hate the character.

Everyone around Penelope is gonna act brain dead in order for Penelope to get what she wants and I’m not here for it. Even the general audience ain’t for it. The only people cheering this madness are the asylum patients called Polin fans with delusions that Penelope deserves the world.

I’m not even looking forward to Francesca and John’s story cause of the Poolin fecal matter I’ll have to swim through to get there. At this point, I’m might just watch spoilers of part 2 cause it’s not worth it.

P.S. Watch Cressida get the short end of the stick cause she’s the “bully” of the show and Penelope is the “victim”. Watch them break Creloise because of the “I don’t want you hanging around Eloise” subplot which will ultimately fuel Eloise and Penelope becoming friends again. Also, Penelope and Cressida competed for Lord Debling just for Penelope to go “sike” and marry Colin so she wasted Debling’s time and made Cressida feel like shit because she wasn’t chosen. P.S.S- Polins are huge ass hypocrites cause they ragged on Eloise being privileged and having “everything” but are silent about Penelope being privileged. By the end of this season, Penelope will basically have everything, even more so than Eloise, but sure, Penelope is definitely not privileged 😑. Penelope is privileged inside the world and outside by production, why are we denying this?

[icedsodapop]

Bridgerton season 3 is driving me crazy becos Colin is literally like I forgive you for being Lady Whistledown Penelope 🥺 and I'm just screaming, "forgive her for what mate?? Lady Whistledown ruined Marina Thompson's reputation, and she almost ruined your sister's too, not yours?? She insulted Kate Sharma and your own sisters, not you??"

[herefortayloronly]

I woke up and chose violence today because quite frankly Polin stans can actually choke and die in a ditch. Imagine being so selfish and narcissistic (and of course they are because they're spoiled and entitled). Because how are y'all complaining about getting an engagement party (and a wedding) for your ship meanwhile we don't even get to see Kate and Anthony's ANYTHING!!! But god forbid the viscount and viscountess BRIDGERTON of a show called BRIDGERTON make an announcement that they're with child who is going to inherit the BRIDGERTON NAME!!!! The fact that we got to see Polin's baby before we even see EDMUND???? You know the heir to the BRIDGERTON title??? It's inconceivable to me that Polin stans are actually complaining about how bad the engagement party went or how they didn't like Colin and Penelope were upset with each other at their wedding.... AT LEAST Y'ALL GOT TO SEE AN ENGAGEMENT PARTY AND WEDDING!!!

I've been biting my tongue about this long enough because I wanted to be constructively critical and not this petty shit but today I say fuck it!!

[sweetbagel-sticks]

Idc I’m a Cressida apologist 🤷🏾‍♀️ y’all cannot convince me that anything she did was worse than what Penelope has been doing and writing the past 3 seasons

[juju-or-anya]

I have an existential question that I can't stop pondering.

Why is Eloise called an idiot, careless, a slut, and accused of not thinking about the consequences for meeting with Theo, when in reality nothing inappropriate happened? The most "scandalous" thing was an almost-kiss that never actually occurred. Their meetings were centered around discussing rights, politics, books, and investigating LW, without causing harm to anyone. So why do people insist on portraying Eloise as someone who doesn't think, simply because she comes from a privileged position and knows her family will support her no matter what? It's as if the fact that her family loves and supports her is seen as a cardinal sin.

Now, if we apply this judgment to Penelope, it seems the situation changes drastically. Penelope is glorified and sanctified, seen as a hopeless romantic for allowing Colin to touch her intimately, kiss her, and meet with her alone. Penelope isn't labeled a slut; on the contrary, she's seen as a powerful woman who knows what she wants.

This is where I completely lose track of this logic. How is it possible that a woman who wants to break out of her bubble, who seeks to understand the reality of people outside her status quo, who meets with a male friend to have intellectual and respectful conversations, is labeled as stupid, a slut, and careless? Eloise, despite any possible feelings for Theo (which I personally hope exist, but that’s a personal preference), hasn't done anything inappropriate, neither sexual nor even close to a romantic relationship. Her relationship with Theo is a beautiful and respectful friendship, based on mutual intellectual admiration.

However, Penelope, following this same logic, isn't judged in the same way. Her behavior is justified and celebrated simply because she is the favorite. Additionally, another factor is added to the equation: Penelope’s body. Some people consider her to be plus-sized, others say she’s medium-sized, and although I try not to comment on other people's bodies unless explicitly asked, it disturbs me that this aspect influences so much in the perception of her behavior. It seems that everything she does is justified because she doesn’t fit into traditional beauty standards, which shouldn’t be relevant when judging her actions.

So, where is the coherence in this logic? Why is such a different measuring stick used for Eloise and Penelope? Why is a woman demonized for seeking knowledge and genuine friendship, while another is exalted for her romantic and intimate actions? The inequality in these judgments seems incomprehensible and deeply unfair to me.

It seems to me that this logic is terribly flawed and reflects a worrying double standard. Not only are different actions being judged with unequal standards, but the context and intentions behind these actions are also being ignored. It's a logic that, ultimately, perpetuates harmful stereotypes and undermines the complexity and diversity of women's experiences and choices.

[whentheynameyoujoy]

Can't believe I'm saying this but Part 1 dropped, the "trust us, the romantic chemistry is coming, friends to lovers all the way" turned out to be crap, sooooo... Remember Simon & Daphne? It was sleeze upon creep upon ass upon get this away from me but y'know what I never doubted for a second? That they were friends.

I flat out do not buy Penelope & Colin as friends. All their interactions up until now have been those of casual acquaintances, with one side having an obvious teen crush, the other being utterly oblivious to it, and then one of them leaving the scene for a comic effect before any real bonding or really, anything of much import concerning their supposed friendship happens.

Like, what is it that Pen likes, let alone loves about Colin? And is there anything suggesting that what Colin appreciates about Pen isn't just that she gives him consistent attention?

[hamletshoeratio]

Colin telling Eloise that she's fortunate because she has never been in love when it's his other half's fault she had to walk away from "one of the only good things" in her life because LW put him in harm's way.

[kanthonyism]

deeply glad that Anthony and Kate fucked off to do their thing and weren't their for Lady Whistledown reveal because if they'd been their the show runners would have also made them react in a way that is so Out of Character for the sake of whitewashing Penelope and getting their unearned pay off and it's fr so unrealistic that she wrote the nastiest shit about everyone and was not shunned 😭😭😭 like what happened to stakes and consequences

[vicontheinternet]

Maybe we do need to go back to the “are the curtains just blue” for adults and have them have a refresher cuz why is bridgerton twt saying that Francesca is jealous of polin and implying that her and John is a marriage of convenience. And that deep down she’s envious of polin and she craves the passionate love that her siblings have for herself deep down even if she’s satisfied in a safe marriage and I feel like that’s just projection not everyone wants passion and toxicity some people want simplicity especially when the envy in question was because her mother wasn’t treated her and John with the same respect as her siblings and their partner because violet has this idea that her children’s love life is supposed to match her and her late husband’s watch was filled with grand gestures and that’s just not francesa. Violet is treating them differently because they don’t follow her vision of what love is and francesa feels alienated and isolated

[shewhotellsstories]

I was a casual Big Bang Theory viewer as a kid and a scene that sticks out to me is when the guys meet Penny's boyfriend Zack. Zack is a little goofy, but ultimately a nice guy. He's eager to meet Penny's friends and asks them about their work. But, despite being genuine in his attempts to get to know Leonard, Howard, Raj, and Sheldon the guys almost immediately start mocking him and calling him an idiot. When he realizes what's happening Zack leaves and Penny calls them out because they've told her about their experiences being bullied growing up, only to turn around and do the same thing to Zack. Zack did nothing wrong and yet because he represented the good-looking jock they hated growing up they felt they had a pass to be cruel to him.

That scene is what pops into my head when I see people defend Penelope's behavior and claim other actresses give off "mean girl vibes" for having the nerve to be thin in the same show as Nicola Coughlan. A commenter on a video of this scene astutely pointed out that the guys' childhood experiences didn't make them empathetic, it just made them bitter. And instead of processing that as adults, they took their bitterness out on a man whose great crime was liking sports and wanting to get to know his girlfriend's friends.

Penelope stans seem incredibly bitter and they think it's appropriate to take out that bitterness on those around them and see being plus-sized as something that excuses Penelope being the mean girl they didn't get to be as kids.

[lovelyo]

Always remember everyone . Lying, manipulating, blackmailing, gaslighting, invading privacy is wrong…except when Penelope does it!

Go you girlboss, go…

[thedisdainfullysilentvisitor]

AU where when Kathony announces they're leaving again, Ben, Hyacinth and Gregory elect to go with them to India both to share in Kathony's experience and to get away from Lady Whistledown