At first I thought that moment during the mirror scene where Colin pulls back and tells Pen to stop him if she doesn’t want to go further was just important because the show is taking consent more seriously since messing it up in S1.
Bridgerton Spoilers Below:
But now I realize it’s important context that people are missing out on when it comes to the “planned entrapment” moment later when he’s upset.
I keep seeing people mad at him for saying that, and yeah it seems harsh until you really think of Colin’s pov. Here’s a guy who has already been caught up in an entrapment scheme, who’s felt the embarrassment of that once already, who found love with someone who made him want to tear off his armor and be himself and be wholly open and vulnerable with her, and he gives himself to her. He checks in with her every step of the way, because his biggest desire- his literal dream fantasy- is to feel that Penelope is on the same level as him, that everything is reciprocal. He waits for her to say she wants him back and to nod in the carriage, he waits for her to say yes keep going in the mirror, he asks her if she’s ready for the next step even when he’s literally naked and on top of her.
He gave Penelope multiple opportunities to stop him and he always backed off and respected her wishes when he did feel like he was overstepping her boundaries. He senses something is wrong with Penelope at different points post-carriage scene, and even checks in with her about that, afraid that he’s moving too fast for her and that she doesn’t reciprocate his feelings and just got carried away and doesn’t want him back. Penelope had chances to tell him herself and did not.
And then he finds out that the openness he felt with her was not reciprocated. That she’d been holding back and keeping secrets. That she didn’t trust him with all of her the way he trusted her with all of him. And because Pen didn’t tell him herself he has no way of knowing if she ever planned on telling him. She could’ve told him before she published a Whistledown column saying they were engaged. She could’ve stopped him before they had sex. She could’ve pulled him aside the same time she pulled Eloise aside when they panicked about Cressida (right before he caught her), to finally bring Colin into a situation that was rapidly spiraling out of control. She could’ve written Colin a letter since writing connects them, and she might’ve been able to express herself fuller on paper. Penelope made a huge mistake - can we just admit that sometimes Penelope’s problems are caused by Penelope’s actions? - and Colin felt betrayed by it. He realized this was weighing over them the whole time, and it hurts. It triggers everything in Colin that makes him feel useless, naive, foolish- all of his insecurities since he got tricked and then called a childish boy who needs to wake up back in S1/S2- and this time at the hands of the one person who he loves more than anyone else in the world. And who he STILL loves, which is why it hurts him so bad to think that she thought she couldn’t be honest with him.
So of course his mind went there, to entrapment. Is it nice? No, but neither is writing an article belittling Colin so all of society could read it which is something Penelope did in the heat of the moment because she was upset with Colin. To see this as Penelope AND Colin’s story (which it is) it’s important to not dismiss Colin’s POV and to have empathy for it. He’s not the bad guy. And Penelope isn’t the bad girl. They’re both just kind of messy, imperfect people. Literally almost- She’s his mess and he’s the imperfect man of her heart. Soulmates.
The Greatest Generation: Born between 1901 and 1925 (approximately). The people who fought in World War II, parents to the Baby Boomers. Steve Rogers is part of the Greatest Generation.
The Silent Generation: Born 1926-1945 (approx). Grew up in the Great Depression. This is your grandmother who refused to throw away anything “just in case.” Known for not being particularly politically active. Donald Draper is part of the Silent Generation.
Baby Boomers: Born 1946-1964 (approx). After the Greatest Generation got back from World War II, they started having lots and lots of babies. A boom of babies, if you will. Hence Baby Boomers. Baby Boomers are people in between the ages of 55 and 73 today. They grew up in a time of unprecedented affluence, thus their association with consumerism and Captialism. Your stereotypically 80s businessman is a Baby Boomer, but so were Anti-war protesters of the 1970s, so it’s complicated.
Generation X (Gen X): Born 1965-1980 (approx) The MTV Generation, the Latchkey generation, inventors of Hip-hop and Grunge. Gen Xers are between the ages of 39 and 54 today, so most middle aged people.
Millennials (Gen Y): Born 1981-1996 (approx). Unique for having grown up in the early days of Information Age. “90s kids.” Unable to find the intense economic prosperity our parents the Baby Boomers were able to find. A much maligned generation, we have been described as both “narcissitic” and “incredibly generous.” Millennials are between the ages of 23 and 38.
Generation Z (Gen Z): Born 1997-Now (approx). Kids! Gen Z is known for having been born deep into the information age, and therefore not really remembering a time before modern technology. Gen Z is a very politically active generation
"I must admit you were not a part of my book, but now when you open it up and take a look - You're the beginning and the end of every chapter." 😘❤💕 (at Bangui, Ilocos Norte)
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