PenguinLife

Fan of Polin, life, finding your joy, and travelling.

[penguinlife]

[penguinlife]

I am so glad I have moved on from Bridgerton, because this morning I remembered how they butchered Benedict's character in S3, that turned him from my favourite character to my least.

Knowing the new characters that have been announced, it just gives me the impression that they will do the same with Eloise. Introduce a new love interest that will make me hate her and not care about her lovestory with Phillip at all. Also realising that all the writers know how to do is turn the lead male characters into rakes before their season. Because in their brains women will always be responsible for mens moral compass. They will never take ownership of their characters.

I will never get over the totally unnecessary brothel scenes we had to endure for Colin. Anthony got an oprah singer, Benedict got a business woman and a rich widow, but sweet Colin got whores.

So what do they have planned for botanist father of 2 Phillip?

I just realised, the writing of this show has seriously gone downhill from S3.

The only thing I loved about S3 was Colin and Penelope and it is a 1000% attributed to Nicola and Luke taking the worst possible dialogue and plot and making it into beloved Polin. After seeing the scripts, I don't think we gave them enough credit.

[penguinlife]

My hot take...

S4 viewing numbers have been adjusted up and it is not actual numbers. ..

[penguinlife]

TBH I am hoping it was some kind of screen test self tape thingy and not another brand colab. I am so sick of influencer Luke. I just want actor Luke. That is all.

[penguinlife]

Ag nee fok man. Now I have to cancel Prime Video too. Thanks Nicola. I would've never known.

[penguinlife]

When you know it is AI, but you don't care.

[penguinlife]

Rewatching Off Campus.

So I get why the millenials are loving it.

Good dialogue

Good music

Good character development

Very much a hard throwback to early 2000 tv.

Felicity, Dawson's creek, The OC, One Tree Hill, Gossip Girl.

My one criticism is the closed mouth kisses. I totally get the no tongue/french kissing. But come on. These continuous pecks is just silly.

One thing I appreciate. Even though there is chemistry. I can see it is all acting. I am sure some people will ship the couples irl. I won't.

This show is what we have been asking for.

[penguinlife]

Does it actually matter if Luke is dating Antonia. He doesn't look happy. It doesn't seem to be a healthy "relationship". Will you stop shipping him with Nicola?

let's just be honest here for a second.

It matters.

It doesn't, I am a Lukola Stan

I love Luke and Antonia together, they are endgame.

It is just kind of annoying

Voting ended onMay 29

Tbh. It was very concerning when a 30yo man made out with a 21 yo girl at a NYE party in 2023. It was just gross. Luke should've known better. And it says so much about his character.

Was it really misguided and false to eye fuck your bestie costar, spend evenings with her alone doing we can only imagine for 6 months on the WT. Just to turn around and announce a relationship with a wannabe 22yo dancer/influencer at the premiere of your show? That is what we call a career defining mistake.

But that being said. 24yo Antonia is aging like milk. She is no-longer an aspiring anything. She doesn't have any real talent . She does some really bad modeling. And she posts on her instagram once every 2 months about a guy who always looks miserable around her. His fans hate you. I am really not sure why she would do it. Is she insecure and wants to claim him. Is she under. Contract (this makes the most sense).

But again. Her 14k (and dropping) followers are really not enough to move the needle. Adding him to your post did generate some engagement. But it is not enough to keep anyone around to make it count. You my dear are not entertaining. It is like selling a ticket to go see a popstar only to have it be a bad impersonator.

The shadow video is cringe. To me it looks like someone else took it. From the angle. A planned it. Had to ask for a kiss. From the angle it looks like he gave her access to his cheek. This is just desparate and badly executed. Again. Why is it so hard for them to seem natural and normal.

Congrats Antonia. You got a bunch of bored people to discuss your post for a few hours.

Who is joining me in a rewatch of Off Campus this weekend.

[penguinlife]

The scenes they deserved

I have always been of the opinion that Colin and Pen should've had a proper love scene after the butterfly ball. To complete their story. Colin finally being able to be intimate again.

But now I think that when Pen calls him aside to talk to him during Francesca and John's wedding. When she said. To kiss me, to hold me. After he says I do not know. He should've kissed her. Taken her to his childhood bedroom and then made love to her in many different positions. (This is what were missing from s2 and s3 to be honest. We got that in s1 and s4).

Then the next morning we needed a scene at breakfast showing how she natural became part of the family. Some banter and just a normal Bridgerton family morning.

Colin then accompanied her to feathington house, her showing him to her room, where she kept her money. Basically all those scenes with her giving money for the ball. Writing all the letters, should all have included Colin. Just observing and supporting. Penelope letting him in on her secrets. Truly trusting him. No more anger.

He then reads her letters before the ball. Have the epiphany that she has always been LW.

Then the ball. After their dance he says something like, lets go home. They have a sweet love scene similar to what we got, just longer.

In my opinion this is what the story needed. More scenes of them together.

Penelope doing all of those things on her own just never made sense.

[penguinlife]

I have to work today. So no blog.

Just a quick note.

Strange how none of the Bridgerton cast liked, commented, congratulated Nicola on her hosting SNL. She didn't even invite even one person to the show. Not that close then.

I am pretty sure they have changed tactics. Luke and Nicola have gone underground instead of the adjacent drama performance. Don't think it will help the situation. Polin will never fade from our hearts or memories. Sidelining them and stealing their screentime from the fans will never be forgiven.

I had a moment of delusion last week when I for a minute thought that the reason Nicola and Luke are this quiet is because they are filming the Feathington spinoff that focuses on Portia's story. Because that would mean Luke has not been on another holiday, but working. Nicola has not been hanging around the set of Jake's new project like a fly on a turd, helicopter parenting him, but working. I am just going to say this. Liking each and every sm post your "partner" and their friends appear in is not normal. Being all up in their work is also not normal behaviour. In rl. There is a level of respect and cutesy. Just saying.

Now to Nicola who has said publically that she deletes Instagram after posting. No more doom scrolling goes on another archiving purge. Removing yet more of Luke and Bridgerton. Including some other posts to make it seem like it is not targeted. Mmmm. Yeah. Sure Jan.

If Bridgerton/Shondaland is not behind all this shenanigans (articles, interviews, adjacents, pap walks, award shows, archiving) I can't imagine she or for that matter Luke are very much liked by them. The collateral damage it has done to the Polin and Bridgerton brand is pretty astonishing. Between their actions and Jess fucking up as showrunner.

As one person has pointed out that I did not give a positive option on my last poll. Let's try this again.

Brazil Bridgerton fans, how do you feel about Nicola removing any posts regarding the Brazil WT stop from her IG?

Elated

Happy

neutral

sad

angry

dismissed

devastated

Voting ended onMay 30

[penguinlife]

@jessbrownell - 25 characters are too many. Maybe you should've started with Colin and Penelope. Hit all the beats it deserved, completed their story. And only then added the other stories. You failed us.

I really want to know, why you thought cutting their scenes down and focusing on so many side plots was a good idea.

[madkat25]

using AI to reach even more Polin perfection 😍

[penguinlife]

I so hate AI. Neither consented to their images being used in this way. But why the fuck didn't they kiss at that point.

If I could have any other scene extended, it is the Bridgerton ride scene. Because what do you mean Colin couldn't be intimate with Pen for weeks and then when everything is resolved we see just a 8 second clip. I would pay money to see them in the carriage after the butterfly ball and when they got home that night. It is as if they just abandoned their lovestory when the queen interrupted their wedding dance.

[penguinlife]

Saturday Blog (16 May 2026)

So Nicola's "BF" attended his first BAFTA award for the show he did. Nicola did not accompany him. Now it could've been to not overshadow him. But tbh I find it strange. Not everything is about fans and fanfair. I would want my partner with me on a big night for me.

What I did notice is that he didn't gain any new followers this week. He did the red carpet, did some interviews and no-one cared. But he did gain some attention from his appearance at SNL/Nicola's IG grid. This just proves my point. When the truth finally comes out I can bet on it that he will lose most of his followers on IG. That brings me to his work. Just seems very suspicious that a guy who is an average actor at best, in his 20s with no notable roles has been working non stop from the first time it was reported that he is connected to Nicola. Do you know how expensive it would be to hire a guy with that amount of work in a small role. It is so much cheaper to get an actor with no work history.

Let's talk about Talentless. She is actually been trying. Posting more. Funny enough she is not gaining any new followers with her cringy ass posts. I always think I might have been to harsh calling her average Jane or talentless and then I come accross her "modeling" or "dancing" posts and I am like. Nope. Not harsh. Maybe too generous. Similar to Jakey Boy, all her followers come 100% from her association to Luke.

Interesting she hasn't posted any food/restaurant posts in months. She must be starving. Lukey running low on funds, can't afford to wine and dine her anymore. Her last Luke post was for his Bday that was 2+ years old. (And looked like it was AI- dear chat gpt, can you make the guy in this pic look like he is happy?) When she could've just taken a pic on his Bday to post, if she was with him. Why go and dig in the archives, if you could just take a fresh one. I would put money on him not being with her on his bday. Let's see if Bianca's post works.

Do I think he was in Ireland with Nicola for his bday, does the couch look like her mom's couch, yeah it kind of does. It also looks like it was staged. Moved to a different spot, covered with a blanket to hide it. The little peak of material, looked to me like a slip-up. Could it have been his mom's couch or someone else in his family. Yes. So, who knows.

They are both stepping away from SM and public life. Do we miss them. Yeah. But it is what it is.

We finally saw some of the bloopers of S3. I am convinced it was taken down because someone with half a braincell realised it only made it worst. The Polin fans are pretty pissed. It is all over IG, TT, X and even FB. How strange that it was their season, but it was mostly Violet and Eloise. Where is the rest of the Polin bloopers Netflix/Shondaland/Bridgerton. It is the fucking least you could do.

Also. How fucked up that S1 it is Daphne and Simons season. S2 is Antony and Kate's season, S3 is an ensamble show, S4 is Benedict and Sophie's season. The answer is right in our faces. But we can't mention it. I think Shondaland is showing their biases.

I was also wondering if Julia Quinn can sue Shondaland for the genderswop thing. Is her book sales being effected? It really ruined the book for me. Am I the only one.

Watching off-campus on Prime. Thanks for the recommendation. Really enjoying it.

Update. For the 4 year anniversary for S2 they compiled S2-4 clips of Anthony and Kate. How fucking lovely.

For the 2 year anniversary for S3 they butchered S3 bloopers removing most of Colin and Penelope's clips and posting that.

I read the anon's follow-up post about the bloopers.

I honestly think there is something going on between Nic/Luke and Shondaland. I don't think it is the money. They are under contract. Luke got paid for all 8 episodes of S4 even though he was more of an extra. Why not use him more effectively if you are going to pay him in anyway.

They are not helping themselves.

[penguinlife]

After Season 3 lots of rumours that they cut Polin scenes.

After Season 4 lots of rumours they cut Polin scenes and it was confirmed.

Now the bloopers for season 3 and guess what, they cut lots of Polin scenes.

Why? Just why? What happened?

I would also like to say, I now fully believe they cut a lot of S3 Polin scenes.

Yeah, I am so over Bridgerton and Shondaland.

[penguinlife]

So how fun. That fucking long goodbye between Queen Charlotte and Lady Danbury that felt like it took 8 episodes, mean nothing. It was just a time waster. Screentime we could've used for all the cut Polin scenes. Yes. She is back. At this point, Penelope is probably the new Lady Whistledown. How fun. That the 2 seconds we will probably have of Colin and Pen in S5-8 will be of them only talking about LW. How fun. Yay (For those that don't speak millennial - fuck you Bridgerton and the horse you rode in on)

And the best part, the actress that plays Lady Danbury doesn't seem happy about it. Haha.

[penguinlife]

So I finished When he was Wicked and I will be honest, knowing that they genderswapped Michael, ruined it for me. I am sure I am not the only one.

This is just my opinion. So please just take it as that.

I really don't get Jess's choices. Benedict's story lended it so much more to a same sex love story. Making Sophie a Korean guy would've elevated the Cinderella story. A unique take, that actually hasn't been done before. He could've had exactly the same trauma. Been a groom/stable hand. From the almost rape to the accusation of theft. Everything could've happened exactly the same. And they could've moved to my cottage and lived a long and happy life.

The other option could've just been Phillip dying and Marina and Eloise writing to eachother. Eloise becoming a governess. The boy twin would've received the title and they could've lived on the estate that is down the road from my cottage, happily forever. Would've been more true to Eloise's character. She doesn't want kids. The twins are 8yo, so not babies, she could've dealt with that.

If they seriously wanted it to be Francesca's story. Gender swapping John to Jenny would've been better. They met where ever Francesca went in S2. Became best of friends, then lovers. Living on Michaels estate in Scotland for 3 years. Michael and Francesca not getting along, but as "Jenny's" cousin, he protected them from society. Until Jenny died exactly the same way John did. Francesca and Michael finding eachother in the grief. Then stuck to to the infertile storyline. Francesca declaring she will always love Jenny, but she could love Michael as well. Michael accepting it and loving her more for it, because of how much he loved his cousin.

All of the above, would've made more sense.

Also, they could've combined S4, 5 & 6 in one. Colin, Eloise and Francesca's lovestories run in parallel, all at once. With good writing, it could've been epic. The major issue the series has is the Ton. All these characters that is so unnecessary. If they had let it fade away, as in the books. It would've opened up the stories to be so much more compelling. No series leads. Just a true ensemble.

[penguinlife]

Saturday Blog (9 May 2026)

I find this so funny, every Friday I have to send my stakeholders an update. And on a Saturday morning I send a week recap. Haha.

Anyway. So what has been happening. Nothing. It is clear that Luke and Nicola has chosen peace. They have stepped back and removed themselves from the 24/7 opinion machine that the internet has become. Sometimes there are definitely an attempt at generating SM interaction and sometimes it is just plain life happening. Not everything is an easter egg or a crumb.

Let's explore this for a second. When Luke was looking for more work last year we got a lot of adjacent action. She was all up in our faces and really drilled down that all press in good press. Even if it is not. Unfortunately it backfired and did the opposite.

Nicola was fully booked last year. So she got her little PR bf lots of work to keep him buzy. It was really a task to get together for the regular reminder that they are still "dating".

Neither of these pairings came off as authentic or real. I honestly now believe that Luke and Talentless is only physically in the same spot when we see it.

How funny that they were both called out for their pap pics, and they both denied it, but we are coming up to a year when we last saw any pap pics.

Someone again mentioned how weird it is that Talentless got so much attention at the spur of the moment British Vogue Bafta preparty. That really sealed the deal that it was PR for me.

Everything points to they are on the payroll and everything is just part of the deal.

After the Dish revelation that Nicola won't be in S5 that much. Jess said that Penelope will play a role in Eloise's story and also that Colin plays a big role in the younger siblings lives. I read a article from a legitimate outlet that Penelope's story is taking a pause for S5 referencingthe Dish. Not at all what Nicola had said, but again a rollback. This is becoming the norm with Shondaland.

There is a very small chance that Colin will get his own arc for S5 and Penelope will fade into the background becoming a supporting character in his arc the same as Colin was in the LW storyline in S4.

Now the news of the casting for baby no2. Honestly, it just feels a little too coincidental. The Polin fans are pretty upset.

But, as much as we want them to care, they don't. The 2nd baby, might be one of the other Feathington's kids. Or an entirely different production all together.

What I do find interesting is that Luke and Nicola seemingly set aside the entire year to work on.... Bridgerton?? Surely if they wanted to drive home that they are not appearing in S5 we would have learned of other projects by now. Another audio book for Nicola, that 24A movie she really wants to do, another car collaboration for Luke, maybe a play? We know Yerin is doing a play, Luke T is also doing a play, Jonathan is doing a movie, Simone has a few projects. Even little Florence has a few things in the pipeline.

Does anyone know what Nicola deleted on her insta yesterday?

Those White Mars pics that bubbled to the surface this week was interesting. Luke in the orange suit 👌 😍

Gave serious Star wars vibes. Come on Holywood. What are you waiting for?

Nicola trying to rewrite history about Brazil. Funny how she slipped into the we. We you and Luke or we meaning your glam team. Making a point of saying we said good night at 5pm. Excluding the fan event, we have them on the beach at night with the bodyguard. We know it was dark and in summer, so the sun would set much later. We also have 2 different dinners, also at night with just them. So I am calling cap (is this still a thing)

Who remembers that interview where they were asked about flirting. And Nicola said she is terrible at flirting. Her move is just to be sexy/hot (something like that) near the person that she likes. And then proceeded to look absolutely gorgeous in very boobtastic outfits near Luke on the WT. We know the man is obsessed. I really think that was her move. And tbh I think it worked. That has stayed with me, because her absolute worst looks/outfits has been when Jake is around her. With the only exception the green dress at the Magic Faraway Tree. But going on what he was wearing, I don't think he was supposed to be there. If my "bf" came to my very first big movie premiere dressed like a teenager who was forced to put his gaming consoles down for a few minutes I would be hurt.