#i don't get cressida hate

[avantgardetheseventh]

"we need more complex female characters!" yall couldn't even handle cressida cowper

[dylanconrique]

they really weren't kidding about the rom-com vibes in this season.

[randomfandowthough]

I've been thinking about what a friendship between Penelope and Cressida would look like.

Imagine if, instead of being the Bridgerton's neightbors, the featheringtons lived next to the Cowpers.

Like at first it would be horrible for Pen, I don't think ske would have become as close to Eloïse as she was canonically. In their childhood Cressida would have probably joined Pen's sisters in their bullyinh of Pen BUT at some point I feel like some kind of understanding would have come for both of them.

Like Philipa and Prudence are mean but also really dumb and Cressida would have grow exasperated of them and would have reconize that Pen was the smarter one betwenn all the featherington's sisters. Cressida already pay more attention to Pen that Eloïse (notice how in s3e4 we learn that Cressida noticed the crush Pen had on Colin).

And I think Pen would have noticed the way Cressida's parents treat her at some point.

I can see a complicated but none the less sincere friendship between the two of them. Cressida would have catch on Pen being lady whistledown a lot sooner too.

[waitingtobreatheagain]

You know what I hate real real bad?

How people mischaracterize Colin (they do the same to Pen but I am going to make that a separate post for her) when we have proof that directly goes against their claims.

"Colin did not see Pen as worthy"

"Colin did not have love for/care for Pen/or pay attention to her until season 3"

"Colin does not truly love her it's only lust"

I understand having your own opinion but there are times when the opinion is OBJECTIVELY WRONG. I also don't like how folks have chosen to do this to likely the kindest male lead we'll have who expressed his love for his partner CONSTANTLY and CONSISTENTLY.

Those aren't the only things I've heard or seen but they are among the biggest misconceptions. Outside of not realizing the extent of his feelings for Pen until a catalyst (the first kiss, while we also see in the first two episodes moments that are also leading up to the realization), it is and has never been that he sees Pen as unworthy he sees HIMSELF as unworthy. WE see this even after he knows that she returns his feelings which he did not even know until the carriage. After the carriage and even while he is working through the LW reveal, he still does not feel worthy of her which is a big part of Pen reminding him in words and actions that being him makes him more than worthy. We see how worthy he sees her when he tells her to never forget that SHE is Penelope Featherington. We also see it when he is absolutely puzzled during the first kiss scene at the fact that Pen sees herself in such a self-deprecating way. He can not even imagine a life for her that is not reflecting the very best.

Next, Colin is arguably the main person we see show a genuine interest in Pen as well as truly treasuring her in his life. From dancing with her in a protective fashion after Cressida through a drink at her, having conversation together where they are the only people who get what they are saying and what it means, getting involved with Jack's plot in order to protect Pen and by extension the Featheringtons because that is Pen's family, writing to her and seeing her correspondence as his most treasured, laughing with each other on multiple occasions, seeking her out for either conversation or a dance no matter what whenever they come across each other at a social gathering. I could go on and that's just in the first two seasons. Not showing romantic interest does not mean that he did not deeply love and care for her. Colin and Pen mutually made each other feel seen and understood in a way in no one else did...is that not an expression of love? If Colin had not already treated Pen in the way he had she likely would not have fallen so deeply in love with him. Colin being so loving, caring, kind, understanding, interested in Pen and what she had going on, and much more also plays a role in why she is able to forgive him for his thoughtless comment last season. He reflects the character we have known him to be towards the end of S3 E1 when we see a genuine apology where he takes accountability tells Pen how much she means to him and seeks out how he can make up for his mistake.

Lastly, the Colin does not love her and only lusts for her is just not even kind of true. We are talking about the same man who has expressed his love (whether via 'i love yous', in his words, actions, looks, closeness, etc.) for his partner so so so often and in such a way we likely will never see with another pairing. This the man who would prefer sleep than to be awake because in his dreams they were in love and together. The same man where his whole world was topsy turvy following his realization of those same feelings. The same man whose dream about Pen that STARTED with Pen returning his feelings of love for her then led to a hot makeout. The same man who put it all on the floor and said societal rules be damned (as he always did with her) because even if it was unrequited he was going to let Pen know just how much he loved her and wanted to be with her...to show her that one person in her life would be willing to fight her no matter the opponent or cost because she would always be worth it. The same man who stood up to her mother to show that she would no longer be allowed to treat the love of his life in such an ugly way. The same man who expresses his love for Pen without ceasing and even when we did not hear the expressions as much (while working through the LW reveal and his own insecurities). The same man who turned his fianceé around so that she could only day see and believe everything he loved about her for herself. The same man who put so much intention into their first time so that it reflected something they were doing together. The same man who was so in love enamored and joyful to be with the love of his life that it felt like his first time. The same man who even when never considered not marrying Pen even at his most heartbroken and angriest DUE to how much he loved her and knowing and believing that she felt the same. The same man who when he sees her come down the aisle he forgets everything else and only thinks about how lucky he is to marry his favorite person, his best friend, and the love of his life. The same man who has given us arguably the most touching love confession that will be so hard to beat because he expresses not only how much loves and admires Pen; he expresses what he was struggling with (how he overcame it and reframed it) and how he realized that his ultimate joy and privilege in this one life he gets to live is to be able to love and be loved by her. The love is on display in countless ways. While we also know that they match each other's freak real bad and have palpable passion and desire for each other...the love is and has always been the center even before they knew the love was requited.

I don't know which Colin Bridgerton alot of folks saw but it was not the one we have seen from season 1, 2, or 3. Do you have to love Colin/Pen/Polin/or their story with your whole heart like me? Of course not. I can't allow the blatant and incorrect character assassination though. Turn your brains on, I beg.

[reallywitchycat]

I hate Sir Phillip Crane

So with season 3 of Bridgerton show released on Netflix I do see lots of disclosure about Eloise and her potential endgame. I see people shipping her with Theo, I see people shipping her with Cressida and I see people insisting she will end up with Sir Phillip Crane, because he is just best and he was already in season 1 and season 2. So let me just say, I would HATE if Eloise ends up with Sir Phillip because I hate Sir Phillip with passion.

First, let's start with fact that almost ALL men in Bridgerton books are toxic, misogynist and sometimes straight up abusive. But Sir Phillip Crane is worst of them all. He truly have no redeeming qualities. There are my reasons:

1.) He is horrible husband to Marina.

Yes, I am aware he did not marry her for love, but because his father forced him. BUT that is NOT excuse for his behaviour towards her! Phillip is dismissive of Marina's mental illness. And yes, in Regency period there was very little awareness of how to PROPERLY treat mental illnesses. Still, it frustrates me that he made Marina's mental illness all about himself. HE is one who have to take responsibility for his own children. (How horrible) HE is one who have to live in celibacy because his wife felt too sick to have sex. (I would rather not talk about marital rape that happened here, because it makes me sick). Not one word about how bad that situation was for Marina. Almost as he had no empathy for her.

2.) He is horrible father.

I don't want to go too hard on him here. He did have very abusive childhood. And this is ONE instance where his childhood trauma would work as sort of excuse. BUT! In book he IS biological father of twins. (And don't let anybody told you otherwise. If book Phillip is not meant to be biological father, book would be very clear about that. JQ always tell you such things very clearly). So basically. He was aware that he had no idea how to be good father and yet, with his free will, he decide to have children. And THEN complain about them ALL the time.

3.) He is horrible husband to Eloise.

ONLY reason he wants to have wife is to have someone who will take care of his children while he is playing in his greenhouse. Basically he is looking for babysitter who he can bang. He DIDN'T TELL Eloise about that! He DIDN'T TELL her about fact he has children!!! And once they got married, that is exactly how it works! ALL childcare land on Eloise of course. And Phillip gets almost angry when Eloise wanted to have an serious conversation instead of sex. Like he tells her he did not have sex in 8 years and so she is supposed to fell sorry for him and shut up ?! Worst thing is HE don't change at the end of the book! He gets to play with his plants in greenhouse and she gets … what ? sex ? … Like I don't understand WHAT they have in common.

In conclusion. Book Eloise deserves better. And show Eloise would never ever put up with him! To make show Phillip appealing love interest they would have to completely change his story and personality. At that point they could very easily go with someone completely different.

[eww-y-tho]

Okay, fair warning, this is long, so tldr, it's a rant about the "Debling is better" and "Colin should have suffered more" take, so just so you know, you know?

I can accept disliking friends to lovers or thinking they don't have chemistry (even though I don't agree with it and I think the people who say that don't know what chemistry is or means) except this bizarrely widespread Debling take and the "Colin hasn't suffered enough," take because that makes it clear that you weren't paying any attention to the season.

I'm sorry, but Penelope has been through the wringer. Her family only cares about her if she marries and treats her like trash otherwise, makes her feel inferior and incapable of being loved and cherished, and broke down her confidence. She is right when she says the ton considers her a spinster and a laughingstock, and Cressida among other women consistently sabotages her. She's not in a position where she can make demands and her main goal at the beginning of the season is to literally get away from her family.

Her (honestly not best) best friend has abandoned her and linked with Cressida and engages in gossip about her. Obviously, Eloise still cares for her a lot, but Penelope doesn't know that. She's lost hope that the one man who's always treated her well and with respect and actually listens to what she has to say before making a judgement and can speak freely about her deepest thoughts would ever love her back because of one stupid comment.

We know throughout her character arc that Penelope's yearning for love and a passionate romance, especially with Colin, has been a consistent desire for her.

As this is the darkest point in her character arc, the story demands that she deserves the one thing she's asking for: love. A person who will value her and cherish her and make her feel special and sexy and worthy of being with someone.

aka not Lord Debling.

Like, I don't know how you can stand on two feet with this argument because you're literally supporting Portia's opinion. You know, the character that's been insufferable the entire first half of s3 (and presumably the second half).

Colin is right when he says that Pen hardly knows Debling compared to him. Again, it's not about "which one you like better," it's about Penelope's character arc and what she needs to be fulfilled in the plot.

Also, anyone who says Colin hasn't suffered enough, like what??? Yes, Penelope's been rejected so many times it's almost ridiculous, but it's not like Colin wasn't affected by his denial/obliviousness/naivety either. He was depriving himself of the love of his life without even knowing it.

His intrinsic, hopeless romantic nature was beaten out of him with every subsequent season until he succumbed to society's expectations and pretended to be a rake despite his love and respect for the women in his life, and being a people pleaser because of his experiences literally stunted him.

S1 was him being deceived into a romantic relationship with someone who didn't love him and was using him, S2 was just a mess of an identity crisis mixed with a healthy dose of alcoholic beverages. He felt aimless in life and was isolated. His only saving grace was Penelope and her letters, so it's no surprise when Pen stops replying to them Colin freaks out some more.

People literally want to use Colin as a punching bag. His ONLY sin in the story is making the 2x8 comment. And I hate to be that guy but compare that to Anthony, who was at the altar with his love interest's SISTER.

Anyway, yeah, rant over.

[redpensandgreenarrows]

Wait... I just had a thought...

Care for some Sophie Beckett speculation?

I've seen some posts on Threads where people are speculating that the maid we get a glimpse of at the Cowper residence - the who Cressida asks for help from - might be Sophie. I couldn't remember who they were talking about, so I'm currently rewatching episodes 7 & 8. (Episode 7 is where we see the maid.)

And not to quash anyone's theories, because this truly is all just speculation, but the maid's performance just doesn't scream Sophie to me. In my mind I'd expect more timidness, stiffer, stilted speech, a more unhappy look on her face, and possibly a gaunt countenance. Maybe even fear or wariness the second Cressida asked her for help. Idk, I just don't think that was her.

BUT! Now I'm on epsiode 8, and just got to the part where we meet the Aunt come to take Cressida away to the countryside. And simply by her tone, remarks, and countenance we know this woman is a BITCH. Cressida's mother (remember, who is named Araminta) even remarks that she forgot how horrible a woman this aunt is. SO, what if the "Araminta from the books" character is kind of split into two: Araminta Cowper & this Aunt.

Sophie is still a bastard, Lord Cowper is her father, and he's pawned her off on his sister - the Aunt - to live out in the country where he doesn't have to deal/see her. Both Araminta & the Aunt know who Sophie really is and both hate her, but we need someone doling out some truly horrible treatment and that could fit the Aunt's personality.

This also gives Cressida more storyline, because truthfully I wasn't sure how they were going to bring Cressida back in after this season. BUT having Sophie at the Aunt's house gives Cressida plot out in the country that can also loop in Benedict & the Bridgerton's since this is obviously their stories. And as we all know, there is Benedict/Sophie plot out involving the countryside, so that helps too.

Idk, this all literally just popped into my head and now I'm word-vomiting it here. Anyone else see the plausibility? Thoughts?

Tagging some people, but anyone is free to comment! >> @silverhallow @tilly-tilly-2827 @sophiamariabeckett @queen-of-the-misfit-toys

[reallifeeloise]

So...I get why people dislike Eloise. I did hate her so much the first couple of seasons, cause like "GIRL stop talking long enough to hear another person!" Everyone loved her for two seasons while, to me, she did the things I do that I cringe about now. Like "No! Don't obsess over this!!! Shut up please!" cause I hated myself for not being able to stop my opinions from seeping out of my mouth like word vomit. But no one but me really hated her then. She drove into my last nerve every episode for two seasons cause she kept acting like I did when I was young. Her whole behavior stressed me out and reminded me how clueless I was about the real world.

In the "off season" I have tried to treat Eloise(my younger self) with more kindness and consideration. Especially since I expected she would do far more loathsome things come the 3rd season. But...that's not what happened. Instead, she did what I did when I moved out of that phase. She clumsily tried to relate to other people until she managed to show herself.

She is an early 19th century Mrs Maisel (fight me). And it's wonderful. She didn't betray Penelope. She's been loyal, yet distant. She looks so heartbroken when she looks at Penelope that I haven't even got it in me to be angry that she told Cressida Cowper a reputation altering secret about Penelope. I hate it, but, I can't hate her for it cause like... It was mostly an accident and she's more heartbroken than Pen!!! Like Penelope would forgive her in an instant if she had done it on purpose. Penelope dreams of Eloise publicly humiliating her so they can be even sort of go back to being friends again. I'm Eloise-like in that I'm loud and opinionated but I've learned that being so comes with consequences. Eloise is learning that in season three and I'm living for it.

[I can't edit this post one more time, but I'm certain I'll die like Edmund(doing my best). ]

[girl-named-matty]

Hogwarts Legacy characters and my first impressions of them pt.1

Semi-in order of when you meet them.

Eleazar Fig: Cool guy, seems to care a lot about me so that's nice.

George Osric: This guy is TOTALLY the villain. Why would he just come out of nowhere and be acting so weird and like he doesn't want anyone else to hear what he has to say? (LOL sorry George 💀We all know how that ended)

Ranrok: Naww who is this- DID HE JUST KILL THAT GOBLIN?!

Professor Black: Annoying. Annoying, Annoying, Annoying. GO AWAY.

Professor Weasley: She's awesome, super sweet, and she's in Gryffindor and I'm in Gryffindor so that's nice. Oh, wait a Weasley???

Cressida Blume: She's cute. Has cute freckles.

Nellie Oggspire: I need to be her friend IMMEDIATELY.

Garreth Weasley: Oh this guys a cutie--OH SHOOT HIS LAST NAME IS WEASLEY.

Natty Onai: Her name is Natty... and mine is Matty... We now we HAVE to be best friends.

Professor Ronen: Oh, he seems like fun!

Sebastian Sallow: Woah wait why are they fighting. OH SHOOT IS THAT GINGER KID ABOUT TO DIE- Oh, never mind. Was this guy allowed to do that? Is he gonna bully me? Should I be suspicious of him? Oh, well either way he's kinda cute.

Professor Hecat: Oh, she's cool.😎

Lenora Everleigh: So cute and has a very beautiful name.

Sirona Ryan: An absolute queen. Gave me free butterbeer and she seems really considerate of the other shop keepers. Oh and she defends me so yeah absolute queen.

Victor Rookwood: Uhh who is this guy? Oh shoot wait is he supposed to be another villain? His top hat is kinda goofy ngl. Also what kind of a threat is "Can't drink butterbeer forever?". I don't know whether to be intimidated or to laugh. Maybe both?

Theophilus Harlow: MY EYEESSSSSSS! 😭😭😭 (Sorry but he looks nasty)

Professor Garlick: OH SHE CUTEEEEEEE.

Leander Prewett: Oh I HATE THIS GUY GET ME OUT OF HERE!!! SEBASTIAN SALLOW SAVE ME. PROFESSOR GARLICK HELP. (I promise I have changed my ways and I now love him)

Professor Sharp: OoOooo he looks intimidating but he is very handsome.

Amit Thakkar: CUTIE RAVENCLAW!

Andrew Larson: ANOTHER CUTIE RAVENCLAW! (throwing him in here now bc I'll tell you guys I didn't even know he had a name until like six or seven+ months ago so I got my first impression of him online LOL)

Lucan Brattleby: This kid looks fire. He's my little brother now and nobody can stop me.

Eric Northcott: He hasn't said a single word yet I do not like him. (Sorry Eric girlies)

Ominis Gaunt (1): Why does this guy keep talking to me in the hallways. Is he mad at me? WHAT DID I DO?! Oh, shoot wait is he blind? CAN HE SEE WITH HIS WAND??? DAWG THIS IS AWESOME. also he's really pretty.

Richard Jackdaw: Why does he look and sound exactly like Garreth? Is this another Weasley I don't know about?

Madam Kogawa: She looks cool. Kinda intimidates me tho and I have no idea why.

Everett Clopton: His voice is kinda annoying and we got in trouble but he did teach me how to go super fast on a broom so I'll give him that much.

Deek: AWWW I LOVE THIS GUY!!

Ominis Gaunt (2): WHY DID YOU YELL AT MEEEEE?😭IM NOT GONNA TELL ANYONE ABOUT THE UNDERCROFT I SWEAR. 😭😭

Percival Rackham: Don't like him. I don't know why but I do not like him.

Professor Howin: ...is that dodo bird actually gonna attack me or are you just saying that-

Poppy Sweeting: Aww she looks cute. She is very small but obviously that doesn't stop her from defending beasts from bullies LETS GO! Oh also she's got a cool hippogriff friend!

Imelda Reyes: Oh, I am going to beat her time by a LANDSLIDE just because she said that to me. (rivals to lovers fr)

Lodgok: Oh he seems really nice for helping us but should I be suspicious of his connections to Ranrok?

Gladwin Moon: Saw this guy earlier and he was acting weird. And now I figure out it's because of some statues. Can this school get any weirder?

pt.2 coming soon 👀

[susiephone]

ok so like. the romance genre, by definition, presents the love story as being essential to the main characters' happiness. that's just what the genre is. I have complicated feelings about it as someone who isn't very romantically inclined irl, but loves love stories. for the most part I just suspend my disbelief- in real life, acting like romantic love is essential for happiness is generally a bad idea, but in a Romance, that's just part of the fictional world's structure. like I don't watch Star Wars and go "this is bullshit" because the Force isn't real.

but when it comes to a character like eloise bridgerton, my suspension of disbelief starts to wear thin, because it is such a core part of her character that she does not want to get married. and she's not a lizzy bennet type, who just doesn't want to get married to someone she doesn't love, or a kate sharma, who refused to pursue romantic love because she didn't think she deserved to prioritize her own happiness. eloise hates the institution of marriage and the patriarchal system it upholds, and for good reason!

i think bridgerton exists in this weird space where it romanticizes the hell out of the era, but does still acknowledge the issues of the time. lady featherington is broke because her husband is an idiot who couldn't manage money. marina had to marry herself off to a stranger because her reputation was wrecked when her pregnancy got out. cressida is treated as a failure by her parents for not securing a husband. and, as eloise points out, her brothers (especially the ones who aren't viscount) can run around doing whatever they want, while she and other women can't go anywhere or do anything without permission. she has no control over her money or very few ways to earn it herself; if she got married, her husband would get to control every penny. at least if she's unmarried, the man holding the pursestrings is anthony, who eloise knows would never leave her with nothing and would treat her fairly. any potential husband, she has no such guarantee. plus, she knows she'd be expected to pump out babies as soon as possible, which she understandably is not eager to do, given what nearly happened to violet.

in universe, it is a guarantee that all the bridgertons will end up with happy marriages where everyone is treated well. they're romantic leads, it's one of the perks. but eloise doesn't know that. she sees her mother and siblings' perfect matches and sees not a law of the universe in which she exists, but simply that they all got lucky. if she rolls the dice, she has no reason to think it'll end up the same way.

so given that eloise's dislike of marriage as a whole is a key part of her character, and she has completely valid reasons for feeling that way, I do worry about how they'll do her season. if they put her with philip, like in the books, I don't know how they'll be able to do it so it doesn't come off as "eloise needed to find The One Perfect Man who could change her mind about marriage and Fix Her".

[littleblackraincloudofcourse]

Spoiler filled thoughts on season 3

Let's get the simplest out of the way, I still want to see what happened to Reynolds!!

It doesn't sound like Edwina married the prince and that's a bit disappointing. Thrilled she's happy but I would have loved to see their story

I did enjoy the snippets of the many other characters closing their stories?

The Mondrichs, Dankworths, and Finchs throw surprisingly good parties (Philipa's bugs were spectacular)

I hope for more attention on past couple in future seasons, not just because I want more Polin. There's still so much we don't know about Kate and her life before Bridgerton and we need to see daddy Anthony. I also want to at least hear about Daphne and Simon again (we can have that instead of side characters)

Lady Danbury and Lady Bridgerton talking about Lord Ledger and Lord Anderson (aka their brother and dad respectively) I love that their relationship still and always will come first

I really felt sorry for Cressida (I haven't fully given up on Creloise just yet) but why the hell didn't the penguin marry her after he dumped Penelope?

Though the possible of Ace or Demi Eloise could work in many ways (including lesbian Eloise) Sir Phillip could become Marina for example

John Stirling, you are going to break my heart but Francesca I understand why you're stuttering because Michaela Stirling, DAMN (I am begging for this)

And speaking of DAMN, I do not have words for Bi Benedict (literally feral animal noise) Hoping our lady in silver is dressed like a gentleman or vice versa (non-binary Sophie) and it broke my heart when he said he wasn't an artist

I still adore the Queen's friendship with Lady Danbury (love a bestie that will banish your enemies) and loving the confirmation it's what keeps saving the Bridgertons

Most of all, Luke and Nicola went above and beyond to give us an amazing story for Polin and I couldn't not wish for a better Colin and Penelope Bridgerton (or more perfect breast) I know many people hated Colin's hot boy summer but it lead to Pen having the kind of first time she deserved (besides, Simon and Anthony both went to brothels in their seasons too and no one cared)

The Wedding, Yellow, their dance, it was beautiful! And we all knew she would have the first son but their second child had better be a daughter called Agatha

Cause Lady Danbury KNEW EVERYTHING!!!!

[the-other-art-blog]

How can anyone honestly believe Cressida changed???

Sorry, but I do not buy the whole "my dad is mean and my mom pressures me so much and society puts me against women. so that's why I have been the biggest bitch for the last three years."

And it's very telling how some people are ready to forgive her, but they treat Pen as if she murdered someone and is beyond redemption.

May I remind you that Cressida was one of the people who judged Eloise and called her a "radical ruffian" after LW published her column about her.

Are we to believe that weeks later, she had an epiphany and decided to be kind to Eloise? No! She noticed the rift between Pen and Eloise and decided to go after El. She gets a Bton connection and leaves Pen alone and defenseless. Cressida has a direct beef with Pen, like all bullies she has a fixation against one person.

What's interesting is that despite their supposed tight friendship, El hasn't invited Cressida to have tea with the family every Sunday. It's like El knows that this is not a real friendship and Cressida will never replace Pen or at least whatever they have is not even close to what she had with Pen (I realize that this sounds like I'm talking about a romantic relationship, but so what, they're the second love story of s3). Also, the fact that the rest of the family hates Cressida doesn't help this relationship.

In 3x01 she bullied Pen TWICE. If El hadn't distracted her, Cressida would have said something mean to Pen. In fact, that's why El called her because she knew she was going to bully Pen. Then, obviously, during the ball, even El apologized to her.

Even in this gif below, and any other time, El looks embarrassed and regretful to be with Cressida. She is miserable and deep down (or maybe not so deep), she knows what she is doing is wrong.

I'm convinced that the only reason why Cressida did not spread Pen and Colin's deal was because El had already called her out on her bullying in ep1. When El tells her that Pen may have a chance with Debling, she laughs! Why Cressida, why is it so far-fetched that Pen may attract the attention of a wealthy lord?

Oh, but my favorite is when Cressida said she tried to befriend El in s2. Like hell she did! First, she mocked her when it seemed El had screwed up her meeting with the Queen. But when El charmed the Queen (ten seconds later), suddenly she's offering her "a spot "an opening" in her circle, as if friendship with her was a selected club where only the worthy ones had access (Blair Waldorf who? And yes, it's an insult).

Cressida also complains about her lack of proposals as if she were a poor debutante who never got the chance to attract a suitor. The reality is that as the beautiful and popular single daughter of a lord, Cressida could have gotten married quickly. She didn't because even the horrible men of the ton could not stand her. Madame Delacroix said it in s1:

But to me, the biggest clue that she is still the ton's biggest bitch is her promo video. This last bit tells me that she's still the same.

Now, I'll be discussing spoilers for episodes 5 and 6 (because there's no way to avoid them unless you go offline). So, if you don't want to know, stop reading.

I will also be discussing potential spoilers that relate to s4.

You're reading this at your own risk!

So according to the ss that I've seen of ep 5 and 6 and the teaser, they are following the storyline from RMB where Cressida lies and tells everyone she is LW. In the book Lady D offers a reward, in the show, it will be the Queen. We know that Lord Cowper is practicing some economic violence by restricting Lady Cowper and Cressida's allowance until C marries someone wealthy. 5000 pounds is a huge amount of money in Regency England, so C will want it, plus all the attention from it. I don't know much else because I did not watch the recap videos. But this shows she's still an awful person.

Onto Benophie rumors.

Ready?

It is widely believed that the Cowpers are Sophie's family. Why? Because Lady Cowper's given name is Araminta. There were also mentions in s2 that Lady Cowper stole a servant from another house, something the Araminta of AOFAG did. That and a few comments on ig posts that mention Sophie were liked by the actresses. I'm very confident with this theory, especially with the amount of screen time the Cowpers have this season, including their domestic life. I'm sure Sophie is there working as a maid. I don't know if she is Lord Cowper's illegitimate daughter, but somehow she ended up there.

Behind the scenes, this is a recurring change adaptations use to economize in characters. The Cowpers and the Gunningworths can blend into one easily. Plus, imo, the Featheringtons already give the evil step-sisters vibe that would seem repetitive to people who haven't watched the show. They would seem to be mere replacements for the Featheringtons after they leave the show in s3.

If so, then Cressida fits the Rosamund character perfectly. Both are ultra-mean women, both spinsters, both capable of being cruel to someone like Sophie.

What about Posy? Here's where things get complicated, some believe that Cressida's redemption arc will make her a combination of Rosamund AND Posy. I think that is an absurd idea since as this post argues, there's no such redemption arc. Posy is a beautiful character who suffered domestic abuse from the very people who should have loved her. And I do not trust anyone who villanizes her for not speaking up earlier. She was the bravest person in the book for stepping up and defending Sophie, even at the risk of suffering Araminta's wrath. If Violet hadn't adopted her, who knows what would have happened to her.

I'm open to changing my mind after watching part 2, but right now, I would rather lose Posy completely in the show than give Cressida traits of her personality. Let her live in the books with her vicar! If Sophie has to lose her sole source of kindness in her house (aside from the servants), like Pen lost Felicity, then so be it.

ONE LAST THING: IF YOU HAVE MORE DETAILED SPOILERS, DO NOT SHARE THEM HERE, PLEASE!!!!! I DON'T WANT TO KNOW ANY MORE OF THE SEASON UNTIL I WATCHED IT ON JUNE 13TH. DON'T MESSAGE ME OR REPLY WITH SPOILERS.

WHOEVER SHARES MORE SPOILERS HERE WILL BE BLOCKED AND YOUR REPLY DELETED

[artsandcraps]

I didn't enjoy Bridgerton season 3 part 2 as much as I would have liked to. I hate how they just shoved Cressida to the side, gave her a horrible ending, and totally invalidated her friendship with Eloise (side note, I loved their pairing and how Jessica Madsen was a Creloise shipper; Claudia Jessie and Madsen adored each other and it really came out on screen). I adore Creloise.

I would have been okay with Eloise and Penelope continuing to not be friends because that's just life sometimes, you know? In the CBS show Mom, Christie's daughter Violet says that the damage to their relationship is irreparable and she does not want to have a relationship with her. As someone who is no-contact with my family of origin, I really appreciated that representation.

(As an aside, I know that Lady Whistledown wasn't as big of a player in the books, and I think that change really complicated a lot of elements in the series. I wouldn't have been able to forgive Penelope if I were Eloise, and if I had written it, I would have reworked that conflict to have not been as enormous. Eloise had some necessary growth and I think it would have been satisfying to explore that, particularly the Emma motif.)

The Lady Whistledown arc was batshit. I feel sad that the Polin wedding was overshadowed by the fact that Colin and Penelope were still in conflict. If they hadn't had Colin absolutely wreck Penelope's reputation (interrupting Lord Deblin's proposal and then fingering her in her carriage, as well as totally bonking her later that night), then maybe they could have had a more traditional "third-act breakup" (they realize they love each other, begin courting, and then he realizes she's Lady Whistledown and breaks it off) that culminates in the "happily ever after" at the wedding. And then you get the beautiful "perfect breasts" mirror scene.

I hate how they have Francesca immediately lovestruck by Michaela. It really cheapened and invalidated the sweet and "quiet" love that she and John had, which I loved. John should have been the genderbent casting. Then you have the infertility storyline all baked in, and then the Michael storyline continues as planned.

I would like to have seen Kate in traditional Indian garb. I know they had to have her in Bridgerton blue, but Kate had said "I want my child to know that they're a Sharma." It would be a good way for her to show that she's brought her own identity to the Bridgerton family and the viscountess role. They could have Bridgerton-type accessories and motifs in her outfits, but I think she would really shine in bright, saturated colors like orange or gold.

I don't think the Penelope makeover was dramatic enough. I'd liked to have seen her in more luxurious clothing and maybe jewelry. Nicola Coughlan looks amazing in anything, and "red hair with green outfits" is a classic combination (as well as marrying Bridgerton blue with Featherington yellow), but it feels very "florals for spring? Groundbreaking." I know the point is that her clothing was very overwrought before, but I think there could be a balance between understated/quiet luxury and a more obvious "oh, she's evolved/gotten more prosperous" kind of way.

[girllookingoutwindow]

Eloise needed to get slapped season 3 because why was she so annoying? The way she caused Pen to have a panic attack due to her forcing her to reveal her secret to Colin AT THEIR ENGAGEMENT PARTY! Why on earth did she think that was a good time and place to tell him? Imagine if Penelope did. Colin would have needed space from her and would have either left the party or looked mad the entire time and would have caused the guests to leave early. And Penelope was pregnant. Eloise didn't know that and neither did Penelope or Colin but still Eloise put the baby to risk. And when Pen was seconds away from fainting due to her panic attack Eloise wasn't concerned for her. She went straight to Colin and almost revealed Pen's secret to him. She didn't care about Penelope or Colin she only cared about saving her own ass because she knew Colin would be livid with her! I hate when people say Eloise cared about Pen becauss no she did not! She didn't even properly apologize to Pen about the insipid wallflower insult which she had repeated from Cressida who had bullied Pen for years and Eloise even befriended Cressida. Eloise Bridgerton is an awful character and I don't even care about her season. She's spoiled, entitled, impulsive, shallow, self-centered, and cruel. How on earth is she the daughter of Edmund and Violet Bridgerton? She is definitely her maternal grandmother's grandchild.

Hi, anon. I think you don't like Eloise? Lmao

I personally have a different view of her. I think she not only loves Pen, she's in love of her.

I agree she was too hard on Pen, and I was annoyed to see her doing some things, but I understand why she did it. I remember saying before part 2, she didn't know too much about love. I still think that way. That doesn't mean she can't feel love, she doesn't know what to do with it.

My honest thoughts are: she always loved Pen, she wanted to spend the rest of her life with her, she didn't wanted to be married because she wanted to be with her. She always was jealous of Colin. She was always trying to push him away. The letters was the only one place she couldn't separate them. And then, she was angry with Pen, so that gave to Colin a chance, and he took it. Eloise wasn't expecting that. She expected to forgive Pen with time and things will be the same. But Pen marrying Colin was the end of all that. She was heartbroken and she felt completely alone. She wanted so much Pen saying the truth to Colin, because she thought Colin was going to react the same way she did, because when she knew the true her heart wss broken, really broken. She didn't want him going for the same, but the most thing she didn't want it was Pen marrying him. She wasn't trying to stop the marriage, she didn't wanted the two marrying without knowing the truth because that truth destroyed her life. But he didn't react like she expected. He still wanted to marry Pen.

When Pen was going to faint in 3x05 I don't think she notice what was going on. She didn't realize before Colin asking for help because she was concerned about what she wanted to tell him. To me , she wasn't never going to tell me him anything. She was just lost in all her feelings. She was angry with Pen because she wasn't allowing herself to feel the real feeling: she was sad. She was having the process of a duel. She was losing the life she wanted with the person she wanted most. She loved Pen so much she never thought she could love someone else, she didn't want to love someone else. The insipid wallflower was just a hurt people hurt people. Something you said when you're angry, not different to the Colin's entrapment shit. They didn't believe it, they were just hurt and they wanted to hurt her.

I don't agry with many things Eloise did, specially the way she did it. But I don't think she was trying to be a bitch. She was acting like the jealous ex. She didn't know how to love someone else, how to be happy for Pen and his brother when he stole her life from her. Her friendship with Pen was never going to be the same. Pen doesn't need her anymore, and she's not her priority. Colin is too dependent. She was going to be alone no matter what. She goes away even, because she knows that the life she wanted doesn't exist anymore.

[redpensandgreenarrows]

How to turn Genevieve Delacroix into Sophie's Fairy Godmother...

Okay, so this is kind of a spin off from this post that I made yesterday: Sophie Beckett Speculation + ruminating on some of the responses I received on that post.

So, using my speculation that Sophie is currently a maid at Aunt Joanne's (& all her fabrics) home, how do we get Sophie to Mayfair to "attend" the Bridgerton Masquerade Ball?

Here are my thoughts: Sophie becomes Cressida's lady's maid while she is staying with her Aunt. When the following year rolls around, based on Joanne's opinion and her parents father's "allowance", Cressida is permitted to re-enter society to be given a second chance by her parents as well as the ton. Sophie accompanies her because Cressida begged for Sophie to continue to be her lady's maid (they actually get along in private, and I'm also going to say Cressida is unaware of Sophie being a bastard). Sophie comes to Mayfair!

In preparation for the Masquerade, Cressida and her mother go to the Modiste to select their costumes, and Sophie accompanies them. While Cressida and her mother are off discussing fabrics, Sophie notices a dress form showcasing a simple but elegant silver dress (or maybe not the silver dress yet, maybe Sophie will be surprised with that during the "fairy godmother scene"). She walks over to admire it, captivated by its beauty. Madame Delacroix clocks Sophie admiring her work, and feels a connection to Sophie just by looking at her. Gen knows and understands that sad, longing look Sophie has. There is a kinship there. Gen goes and talks to Sophie, but the conversation doesn't get very far when Lady Cowper snaps at Sophie for becoming distracted and touching things that don't belong to her. Why should she even bother looking at anything in this shop, it's not like she'd ever get the chance to go to the masquerade!

Sophie is chastised and apologizes to Gen; Gen's all "no harm - no foul", but really wants to punch Lady Cowper in the face. Then, Gen suddenly has a lightbulb moment, and the next time the Cowpers are distracted she makes her way over to Sophie and says lowly, "Want to live a fantasy just for one night? Meet me here after everyone has left for the masquerade."

Cut to the night of the ball, Sophie - deciding to live recklessly for one night - slips out of the Cowper house as soon as she can and gets herself to the Modiste. Cue Bridgerton version of Cinderella's Fairy Godmother scene: getting Sophie dressed and dolled up, providing her with transportation, saying she needs to leave by midnight so she can get back to Gen's to return the dress and then return home before the Cowper's get back.

This idea has me excited. I think it could work!

Thoughts!? Love it? Hate it? Other ideas!? Share away!!! 😁

[basiacoquum]

idk about y'all but I genuinely think there is nothing so far in Bridgerton that can actually make me hate the characters. I don't get where the vitriol comes from.

Confused and disappointed maybe (like Eloise wtf man, you really flipped on cressida there) but hate? no, not really. I like all of them, genuinely. Hate-watching is so weird