How to write a 3rd act breakup that doesnât have fans hating the MMC
*cracks knuckles* Well itâs been a very long time since I wrote something original but this oneâs been on my mind for a bit.
SPOILERS for both season 3 of bridgerton and season 1 of Off Campus
TRIGGER WARNING as this discussion will include mentions of rape/sexual assault and domestic violence/abuse.
Like many, I put on Off Campus not expecting much. Just an easy, sporty rom com show to kill time on a Sunday night. Well that turned into me staying up until 1am finishing the first 4 episodes and then running home after work to binge the other 4 the next day. In that time I cried and cheered and felt more than I have in a long time watching a show. And then I went to find others reactions. And this is where I was pleasantly surprised. In a time where it seems shows can be so divisive of its audience, the reactions overall were incredibly positive. And what was even more shocking was that there werenât sides taken with Hannah and Garrettâs fight and temporary break up. And that, brought me back to when Colin was ripped to shreds for how he acted after the Whistledown reveal. And yes, some âfansâ really just used it as an excuse to hate on Colin and Luke newton, but a larger issue was the writing choices Bridgeton made. So if you want, I invite you to join me on this very rambley rabbit hole that compares the two shows and their respective third act breakups and where I believe Off Campus was successful and Bridgerton missed the mark.
Part I: Establishing the Points of Conflict
Yes Iâm starting all the way at the beginning because I think itâs the only way to paint the picture of how we get to each of these fights and breakups (metaphorically I guess for Polin)
Something that I will applaud Off Campus of right off the bat is how naturally and simultaneously they introduce the different layers of both Garrett and Hannah. We know from Allie defending Hannah that she doesnât drink in public and affirms that no one is going to force her to do otherwise. We know that Garrett does not have a good relationship with his father, but his friends all value the manâs opinion because of his hockey legend status.
The show also does a phenomenal job of fleshing out how their past experiences shape their current ones as well as how Garrett and Hannahâs support and understanding of each other deepens their friendship. Garrett takes the effort and asks for help when Hannah needs something non alcoholic at the party. And he doesnât push her at Karaoke to drink, but rather affirms that if itâs an experience she wants to have, heâll protect her and make sure sheâs safe. Hannah isnât judgmental but does ask Garrett why he still plays hockey when it seems on the surface it makes him unhappy/brings up unhappy memories from his childhood. Followed by being understanding of his feelings thatâs heâs so close to getting what would make all the sacrifices worth it. And then follows with a distraction when things got too heavy.
Overall, thereâs a clear path for the audience to follow as we are learning about the characters and the characters are learning about and falling for each other.
As for Bridgerton. This love story is coming in after two seasons of developing these two characters, the relationship they have with their families, and their friendship with each other. In theory, this should put them well ahead of Off Campus in terms of development. But⊠that ends up not really being the case. For Penelope, yes, we have a pretty good grasp of where she is and where she is in relationship to Whistledown. But Colin? Heâs kinda all over the place. And that one is entirely on the writers.
For Colin, there was a pretty clear story line in both Season 1 and Season 2. In season 1, he wanted to be seen as a man by his older brothers and to some extent the Ton, but he doesnât want to go to brothels so he becomes the hero Marina Thompson needed. Only to have his business revealed to the entire Ton via Whistledown and now not only feels like a failure, but also has had his trust brutally broken. So he swears off women to protect his heart and goes traveling, still desperate to prove himself, only to be ridiculed by his family all of S2 for talking too much about Greece and basically called a boy who doesnât know he wants by Marina, but we do see closure there at least.
Here is the first instance where bridgerton failed to capitalize on what they already had laid the groundwork for. Colin spirals and tries to become âthe man society expected him to beâ because Penelope didnât respond to his letters. He thought he had bored her and she was tired of his ramblings just like everyone else had. So he changed. He felt empty and unsatisfied but still did what he thought he was supposed to because he thought that by becoming like everyone else then Penelope would stop ignoring him. Now I am unsure if this explicit aspect was cut or what, but by watching the show with no outside commentary, this does not translate well, (Especially when you add in the incredibly unnecessary brothel scenes) I believe it was only actually confirmed in interviews that this is why Colin changed. Which, if the actor has to explain that major of an aspect of where their character is at, then multiple people did not do their jobs right.
As for the actual start of the overarching conflict. Colinâs issue with Whistledown really didnât exist after it revealed Marina was already pregnant. Hurt and embarrassed? Absolutely. But angry at Whistledown and planning her demise? Not so much. And certainly by season 2 we donât see any animosity towards LW in particular. I donât even think we saw Colin explicitly angry after Whistledown claimed Eloise was fraternizing with âradicalsâSuddenly in Season 3 he hates the authors guts, even before she writes that anger driven article. Itâs a switch that really doesnât feel natural. Even after the article she writes on him calling him fake, the âI will destroy herâ seems way too intense.
Side Note: That article calling Colin out really was a low blow. Colin didnât know what he had done wrong, and was trying to rekindle their friendship only to be hit with her telling him the mistake only to stomp off before he could even process and try to apologize. Then she goes home and writes in a public article how heâs putting on a front and doesnât know himself. Yeah Pen, the 24 hour rule wouldâve been reallllllly beneficial here.
Part 2- Impact of Secrets/Unknowns
One thing that shocked me while writing this was how similarly structured both these stories were. Both start with a deal made at the end of episode 1, and both couples get together by mid season.
Staying with Bridgerton, I know I will be sounding like many fans who were frustrated that Colin did not know about Whistledown when he proposed and when they had their first time. Something that the longer the shows been out, the more angry for Colin Iâve gotten. This is a man who nearly experienced entrapment. Even if he only thought he loved Marina, the experience of almost marrying someone who was ready to trick you into raising someone elseâs children as your own is not something you forget and brush aside quickly. And Penelope shouldâve known and respected that.
Now I will say in Penelopeâs defense, her terror was justified. Her best friend went scorched earth and then became friends with her biggest bully. So the audience can see why she doesnât want to tell him. However, I will then argue that she had no right to be upset when he got mad about her lying.
Regardless, she didnât tell him, and that hangs a dark cloud over the so called âhoneymoon phaseâ. Maybe Luke and Nic were feeling more honeymooney while filming those two episodes, but all I felt was trepidation knowing that the longer it went on the worse it would get and later reflection would leave me feeling more irritated as the only âcoupleâ moments we really got for Polin was tainted by the fact that Pen was actively lying to Colin.
Jumping back to Off Campus, I wonât dive too much into this part because while it contributes to their headspaces during their fight, this isnât what explicitly triggers the fight. This is probably the section of the show with the least amount of conflict (at least between Hannah and Garrett). In both episodes 4 and 5 we get full disclosure of what Hannah and Garrett went through as children. But what I love is that at no time did either make the other feel like this information needed to be known. Instead, both Hannah and Garrett disclosed the information in their own time when they felt comfortable, and when they needed the support from the other whether that be as a friend or partner. And I do believe that part of the reason why the montage in episode 5 is so damn addictive for the audience is because it just feels so light and perfect. We get to see two college kids get to be really happy and have something special that theyâve never experienced with another person. There isnât some ominous cloud hanging over the couple and they,I argue, have much more of a honeymoon period than Polin did.
Part 3- Boiling Point
Again, I give the writers of Off Campus a lot of credit for letting Garrett and Hannahâs relationship breathe and not immediately get bogged down with more drama. Instead, they use the image Garrettâs teammates have of his father to keep Garrettâs fears of becoming an abuser like his father in the forefront of the audiences minds. But the first big step towards the blowup is when Hannah encourages Garrett to tell Logan, Dean, and Tucker the truth about his dad. And while Garrettâs response comes from a sweet place, and coming from the feeling that sheâs the only person he can trust to tell and not be judged or questioned, itâs not healthy. Understandably, Mr. âI donât do girlfriendsâ doesnât know this, but you donât have a girlfriend so you can have one person to shoulder all your trauma with.
Then we have the gut punch for Hannah. Hannahâs rapist is the one Garrett has to literally face off with the next day. And that sheâs supposed to watch and canât let on that anything is wrong. Seeing her shut down was painful to watch but Ella Bright did a phenomenal job of showing that and how the outside world can just feel so overwhelming. And then her meeting with her advisor was another moment that we can see how terrified she is of her past ruing the good things she has even now.
One of my favorite interactions between them is when she finally finds him after heâs been freaking out all game. And I love how in that moment we can see how much change heâs already gone through. The scoreboard is not his priority. He was worried more than anything that something happened to her. He knows her to know that she wouldnât have not shown up, have left his texts and calls unanswered, unless something bad had happened. (The voicemail he leaves asking if he did something wrong breaks my heart). But the other thing he does is trust her. So when she says âIâm fineâ he believes her. Even if he can clock her body language saying otherwise.
So now we come back to Bridgerton. This conflict has already been brewing since episode 1, but now weâve really reached the point where itâs causing uncertainty in their relationship. And I argue that a lot of what gets us to the boiling point is Eloiseâs fault. It was Eloise that first gave Pen the ultimatum to tell Colin, then encourages her to not tell Colin, also encourages her to give it up all together, and then begs Pen to bring whistledown back to clean up Eloiseâs mess. Suffice to say, I think Eloise is a terrible friend but thatâs a story for another day.
In addition, the âI love youâ is bitter sweet. Because that moment is Colin giving Pen an opening. He knew something was wrong and wanted to give her space to share. But instead, she twists that opening into a confession of how long sheâs loved him. While sweet, the timing of it will only be seen by Colin later as another potential lie when his trust in her is broken.
Part 4- The 3rd Act Breakup
(Seriously if you made it this far and donât want to put duct tape over my mouth you deserve a medal)
With Off Campus, the fight honestly starts the moment Garrett decides to go after Delaney. I want to pause for just one moment to give Belmont Cameli his flowers for this moment. The story and communication with Hannah heâs able to tell in just those few seconds while wearing a full cage that literally breaks up his expression is amazing to watch. But in those moments, we see that Hannah doesnât want him to do it but he chooses to anyway. And Iâm mature enough to say that I cheered when he did.
And now, we get to the actual fight. Right off the bat we see Hannah ready to hash this out even while angry yelling âwhat the hellâ as heâs in earshot and he tries deflect with âI canât do this right nowâ and given that he just got applauded by his dad for going after Delaney and having his worst fear thrown in his face, yeah he isnât in a good headspace to have this conversation, and knows that Hannah really isnât either. But she doesnât budge and they start hashing it out.
Something that I love that this show did was the use of different philosophies, particularly kierkegaardâs âtwo truthsâ to help convey the story. And itâs best seen right here. Both Hannah and Garrett have truths here. Garrett, at his core, is upset that Hannah wasnât honest about being ok, and that he had to play and was expected to maintain good sportsmanship with the man that caused the woman he loved so much pain and that even years later thought of herself as âbrokenâ. Meanwhile Hannah has seen first hand what happens to those who believe and support her. You see the incredible guilt she feels about her parentâs financial situation and puts all of the blame on herself for how they were all treated. And as the audience, we see the two truths. We can empathize with both parties, and neither is labeled in the wrong.
And then we get the actual break up. Itâs heart wrenching because as the audience, we can immediately tell that neither of them wants that. But we can also empathize with Garrett that hearing Hannah scream âthat scares meâ is the absolute worst case scenario and itâs better to leave now because this has all become a self fulfilling prophecy and heâll end up just like his dad. Even though Garrett takes the word out of context, itâs so realistic for how your brain can tune everything out after hearing a trigger.
Ok now with Bridgerton. The first problem is really that Colin and Penelope have multiple fights over this and we donât really see a resolution to those fights. But for the sake of this analysis I will say that the fight that halts all communication and causes the most physical separation is the fight after their wedding.
So starting with Colin actually finding out. I still find Lukeâs inability to do the scene angry a savior for this scene. Because a Colin thatâs just flat out angry doesnât fit with anything else weâve seen from Colin when it comes to Penelope. Now from a writing perspective, why did he show up all worried for her only to ditch her in the street 5 minutes later? To me, that was choice designed to make a good cliffhanger and nothing more.
Then we get the entrapment comment. And yeah Iâm gonna defend the entrapment comment! Yall can kill me in the comment section. But the way I see it, it does feel like entrapment from Colinâs perspective. She wasnât truthful about a major aspect of her life, slept with him, and was actively lying/distracting from the topic so she wouldnât be questioned. Of course someone who already had a major breach of trust was going to think that. Now a failing I see from the writers standpoint was that the comment was never brought up again. And while the feelings and fears driving the comment were valid, accusing your fiancĂ©e of entrapment is still a pretty big deal and shouldnât have just been moved on from with one guilty look from Colin. But this comment of course sparked a lot of hate towards Colin.
Then we get the fight outside of the modiste. This, in my opinion, is the fight where they make the most progress in actually getting to the root of why whistledown is such an issue. In this fight we see Colinâs desire to be taken seriously as a husband and the role he believes he needs to play as breadwinner and protector at odds with Penelopeâs hyper-independence. It also touches on Colinâs insecurities about his writing abilities and what Penelope said about him in whistledown in episode 1. And this is where again I think the writers tried to paint Penelope too much in the right. Because when you watch episode 1, there really isnât anything from Penelopeâs expressions or conversations with Colin that convey she was angry at how he had changed. She was the one who blew him off at the garden party when he tried to talk to her. Sheâs the one that left before he could apologize. But instead of apologizing she doubles down and argues that it was ok to write what she had because he was acting differently. But again thereâs the missed opportunity that her ignoring his letters was a major push factor for that change.
I also wish they had dove into the fact that Penelope uses whistledown without thinking (like ep 1) and is selfish when it comes to Colin. Yes, Penelope did try to warn Colin. However, there is a huge difference between telling him âsheâs in love with another manâ versus âsheâs pregnant with another manâs childâ. Thatâs critical information. And I argue the reason she didnât tell him was because she knew heâd still marry Marina regardless. She knew he wanted to play hero. So selfishly, she published the scandal in Whistledown, knowing Violet, Anthony, or someone else would end it for her.
Side Note: I donât know if it was the writers laziness, assumption that audiences wouldnât know he was talking about, or what but why does Colin continue to call Marina Miss Thompson. At this point sheâs been married to Philip for nearly two years!! Sheâs Lady Crane! Having Colin continue to refer to her as if sheâs a maiden makes it appear as if he believes that sheâs still available. Itâs like sheâs an ex he canât get over. Itâs weird and not good writing
Now they end this fight with Penelope screaming that she loves him, and a make out session that of course gets interrupted by a horse. But that leaves a level of uncertainty for them and frustration for the audience. Because nothing really gets resolved here beyond that Penelope does love Colin. And while an important step, allows for the next fight to fester.
(A note here: As much as I adore âYou Belong With Meâ itâs very obvious that it was a later change. Neither Luke nor Nicâs expressions match the tone of that song and makes it even more obvious that overall tone changes were made in the reshoots)
Ok so we finally get to the wedding fight and let me just tell you, this fight feels so. Fucking. Forced. Because first of all, why is Penelope mad that Colin wants her to stop whistledown when the queen just personally crashed their wedding and threatened their entire family. I think sometimes people forget just how damn powerful the Queen was. Like this a monarch of the British fucking empire. The âthe sun never sets on the British Empireâ empire. The British Empire that colonized and enslaved thousands because they had what they wanted. Now I will remind myself that this is a TV show and nothing bad actually happens (unless youâre John) but if we are putting things into perspective even slightly Colinâs fears and pleas are valid.
And then we have the for lack of a better term âitâs hard being a womanâ speech. And this speech feels so fucking out of left field it takes me completely out of the show (Penelopeâs heavy blush and Lukeâs terrible wig donât help). Here it feels like the two of them are having two separate conversations and of course nothing is going to get accomplished here.
Which now brings us to what I consider the breakup and what many fans love to shit on Colin for: not having a wedding night. In Colinâs mind his family is now under threat and Penelope doesnât care. They canât reach an agreement and so he makes a boundary and decides to sleep on the sofa outside their room. In a house that has multiple guest rooms. And this is another time where the writers really failed. Because we as the audience should explicitly know why Colin doesnât want to have their wedding night while they are still fighting. But instead, this decision is heavily criticized by fans and used to make Colin the bad guy.
Ok Soapbox time: NO ONE EVER OWES ANOTHER PERSON SEX. Yes it was their wedding night. Key word here: âtheirâ. Colin was not punishing Penelope by denying her sex. He did not feel comfortable and that was his choice to make. Same way if Penelope decided she didnât want sex, that choice would need to be respected. Neither of their families were requiring a public consummation. So please, stop using this to hate on Colin.
Part 4- Space Apart
Something that many have already complimented but I will as well is the use of split screens to show the similarities and/or differences in Hannah and Garrettâs lives. And the post breakup is no exception. From the first second of the last episode you can immediately see both are hurting yet are connected by listening to the same sad song.
Despite being broken up, we still get some really healthy communication from them both. After Hannah confronts Garrett about the âhands offâ rule and finds out it was actually a throwaway comment that spiraled through the rumor mill, Garrett assures her that heâd never do something that would put her in a position that took away her choice and reaffirming that she is free to be with whoever she wants. We also see Hannah continue to support Garrett in his own doubts of if he actually loves hockey or not. Reminding him that he didnât have to be on the ice and yet there he is, choosing to be there.
And, despite being broken up, we still see them falling back to the friendship they had before getting tons and trying to support each other and give them the push they need. Garrett understands Hannahâs decision to drop out of the showcase, but still gives her that boost of confidence that she wouldâve done incredible had she chosen to perform. And Hannah gives Garrett one more push to talk to Logan about his dad, and gives him the much needed reminder that Logan has had his back for a long time.
And lastly, the role their friends play is such an important piece of this time they have broken up. I love that Allie knew Hannah so well that she knew Hannah was the âfriendâ whose experiences made Hannah not want to drink in public. I love that as soon as Garrett opened the door to talking about not wanting to be like his father, Logan stopped everything he was doing and gave his full attention. These pieces especially in my mind are what make Hannah and Garrett eventually getting back together so healthy.
Quick shout out to coach jensen. His âwhy would I yell at you when I want you to listen to meâ was such a perfect response and I really hope we see more of that in future seasons.
Now this is the time where I grew most frustrated with Bridgerton. Because instead of seeing Colin and Penelope address the Whistledown issue and now Cressidaâs blackmail, audiences are met with multiple cutaways to Benedictâs fucking threesome. It was bad and unnecessary and thatâs all Iâll say for now. This is another instance where we see a lot of issues make the situation worse but then never get addressed. The biggest one being Colin going to Cressida to plea to stop the blackmail and failing. (which, why are we NOW getting Colin being upset Penelope didnât write back? Did the writers forget this detail until the last month of filming?) all we got from this was Colin upset he failed again, no one saying anything other than Penelope looking disappointed, and then Colin not wanting to be with Penelope again. If you canât tell, the lack of communication boggles my mind to this day.
This wouldâve been a great opportunity for Eloise to have a no holding back conversation with Colin about Penelope and whistledown, but instead we get a weak âdonât let it ruin your marriageâ as if Eloise didnât cut Penelope out of her life for a year.
Now we do finally see Penelope tell Colin that she loves him for him and that he doesnât need to do anything special for her to love him. And that all she wants him to do is stand by her and love her back. However, this then cuts to a plotting sequence and ball in which Colin and Penelope donât interact besides one weighted look during her speech. So what really got accomplished here?
Part 6- The Reconciliation
(Iâm never writing this much on tumblr ever again)
Ok Iâm gonna be completely honest. I donât like Colinâs speech at the butterfly ball. Because to me at least, jealousy was not the major issue he had. It feels more like a bone they threw in to make it match the books, but show Colin and book Colin are incredibly different. I also have issue with the idea that heâll be happy with just âa little bit of her lightâ. By this point in the show it feels like they wanted to make Penelope end up on her own but then remembered itâs a romance show so she needs to end up with Colin I guess. Colin has his own aspirations. And one of the special things about Polin is that they were both able to become writers. Personally I would have made Penelopeâs âjust being you is enoughâ their reconciliation and then allowed them to truly be on the same team and visibly supporting each other as Penelope claimed whistledown.
Now for off campus. While Garrettâs grand gesture is incredibly sweet, and Hannahâs song is a communication to him in itself, thereâs not much to say about their reconciliation. And maybe they knew there would be a good chance theyâd get a second season so they left his apology more general. But at the same time thereâs a beauty in the simplicity of it, and a guy who âdoesnât do girlfriendsâ promising to do better and wanting to be the one she chooses to be with is very sweet.
Conclusion
Well I hope you enjoyed your time down this little (big) rabbit hole. Even after all that I still probably missed some details. My final thoughts are this:
I think itâs very likely that off campus has been able to learn from the mistakes bridgerton and shows like it have made along the way. How these characters communicate should really be the norm rather than large portions of the audience being pleasantly surprised when the guy doesnât start yelling and flinging accusations at his girlfriend the moment she walks through the door.
As for bridgerton, you can tell they chose manufactured drama over telling a love story. Many of the issues I feel were caused by sidelining Colin and not actually letting his story be told. Viewers chose their sides and then villainize the other. And honestly thatâs on the writers and editors who decided the main couple needed less time because those threesome and brothel scenes were sooooooo necessary. I donât think this conflict could ever be completely equal, but the writers certainly did Colin dirty a lot more than Penelope. The focus was really on whistledown more than anything else. And watching S3 two years later? Itâs honestly pretty clear that the shows success didnât come from the writers or producers but from Luke and Nicâs on and off screen chemistry that got people hooked.
