Some Penelope fans arguments for why Penelope should keep LW are so bad that it makes Penelope look bad when there are better arguments for why this plot sucks. Like I hate to see people on the right side of the fight using the worst takes to fight for it.
Saying Penelope was willing to divorce Colin to keep Whistledown is a trash take and it’s not even true. Penelope wasn’t sacrificing her marriage for Whistledown, she offered Colin an annulment for his own sake because she thought she trapped him and that he’d be better off without her. It was done out of love for him and making it all about her wanting Whistledown more than anything else just removes all the romance. She loves that man more than anything, and wanted him to have a good life without her if that meant he was safe from whatever fallout came her way.
And even without Whistledown, Penelope is not just marriage and kids. The scene where she’s told about the new Whistledown is one where she explicitly says she’s working on her novel. She is still a writer, she still has a career.
So no. Removing LW isn’t removing the job she loves more than her husband, or making her a tradwife. But that doesn’t make it a good plot. It’s stupid. The problem isn’t even that she retires willingly after she marries— after all, she IS still a writer. The problem is that they’re not letting LW end with her. The problem with the new LW story is that they’re letting someone else steal her title and then acting as if that wouldn’t be a big deal to Penelope and that everyone would just time jump without caring about it. If LW is going to be stolen, it needs to be treated like the big deal it is.
It COULD be a good storyline. Showing Penelope trying to hunt down the fake and force them out, letting people truly see the damage a fake Whistledown could do. But that only works if Penelope is there to be an active character in that storyline. With the way Nicola is discussing her screen time in S5, and with Jess already giddy that she gets to have “her” whistledown and not have to deal with “Julia Quinn’s Whistledown” we already know that’s not true. So now we have another OOC season where the nosiest woman in Mayfair doesn’t care about a mystery, even one that directly calls back to her.
I think what made me love TOBS is how they redefined the 'glow-up' and what love should be about. In this essay, I suggest you buckle your seatbelts lads because this'll be a long rant :)
When we look at the way a woman becomes desirable, it's usually the result of a physical transformation: wardrobe change (from comfy, standard clothes to trending and revealing clothes), a drastic weight loss, excessive makeup, the removal of one's glasses, and the abandonment of all intellectual passion; all to be socially acceptable and worthy of attention. Most of all (and what annoys me the most): the concept that being a nerd or an introvert makes you unattractive and lame.
Let's use Penelope's glow-up from Bridgerton as a momentary comparison. (spoilers if you haven't finished season 3 - skip this part)
As we know, throughout seasons 1-3 (and then some in 4), Penelope is the one and only, Lady Whistledown.
Penelope is arguably one of the most powerful women of the ton; even the Queen, the traditional symbol of power, is eager to have a say in this unconventional power. Penelope moves the masses, operates on her own and can destroy reputations with a flick of her pen. She knows what the ton cares about, and plays with this knowledge. Status, money and reputation is what they care about - and the gossip is what defines society, who is what, who do we want to be around, who we tolerate, and who do we socially exile.
It takes a lot of emotional and street intelligence to be able to coordination such operations in the darkness. She is a force to be reckoned with.
Now, here’s the bone I have to pick:
When she wants to find a husband, she comes out of the shadows, changes her wardrobe and officially puts herself out in society. I will say that yes, this is how it was done, she arguably looks so much better in the colors from season 3 than 1-2 ; that’s fine, actually.
My issue comes from two other aspects : the makeup and personality.
There’s a lot that can come out of a change of color in the wardrobe - which was done, as previously mentioned. If you look at Nicola Coughlan, Penelope’s actress, she is gorgeous. The colors on their own do a tremendous job in bringing out her features.
However, when you add a 21st century makeover you lose the value of Penelope coming out of her shell.
Here’s the message I get from this: for a woman who identifies with Penelope or some of her traits, it’ll be impossible for her to be worthy of attention because she’ll need a transformation from a future century… make it make sense.
Also, heads turn because she is becomes conventionally beautiful (ok, fair enough); and that’s when Colin ‘falls in love with her’… I’m going to hold your hand when I say this: that’s not love, IT'S LUST.
Colin likes her because she gained societal value and would look good on his arm, not because she is witty, smart, a good way to challenge his intellect AND a gorgeous woman.
(Let me make myself clear, I am not saying a woman shouldn't be loved because she is beautiful, my point is that I'm tired of it being the only reason a woman is given the attention she deserves).
Obviously, the shallow men will see her as a lust object, but that shouldn’t be the case of the male lead, the main love interest. He’s supposed to stand out from the others, to love for her every angle, her intellect, the details that make her charming, her laugh, her flaws, her passions.
I also felt like Penelope's personality shifted towards wanting to be loved by Colin, especially after the LW reveal. Certainly, that reveal is very nuanced, but it felt like Colin was just jealous that his wife was more successful than him... They missed out on the best yearning opportunity of the season: he is upset at her, but a piece of him knows he cannot be like this forever because he truly, deeply, loves her.
Let's talk about The Other Bennet Sister, shall we?
TOBS showed us what a true glow-up is - and that is what I love about it:
When Mary is with her family, especially when her mother is around, you feel like she's a shadow, an afterthought, a means of comparison to make her sisters shine. That environment tears her down: every time she brings forth a new idea, or experiments with an interest, she gets berated and ridiculed. For instance, we see this when she decided to try being an intellectual and her mannerisms change; her sisters quickly catch on and make fun of her. Also, when you look at her outfits, they emphasize her being a shadow; they don't fit into what is à la mode and do nothing to enhance her features. Because of that, Mary does not actually know who she is.
The second she gets pulled out of that atmosphere, she makes her own decisions. Being with the Gardiner's, who encourage her to take risks, make mistakes, explore new environments and discover what she likes, Mary starts glowing.
The viewer can discern her change of demeanor and properly see the contrast when her mom comes to visit: Mary folds back onto herself, loses all her confidence, and tries fitting into the tight mold her mother set for her. Her presence is a looming darkness that takes up all the space and suffocates Mary's light.
Now, what I love about Mary's glow-up, is that she never changes who she fundamentally is, no matter what; and when she does, it feel uncomfortable, so she goes back to her true, authentic self. The glow-up feels realistic, well paced and not a sudden 180 from the character's personality. When the love interests come along, they are interested in Mary as a whole - and she just keeps living her life. They are interested by this woman who has her head held up high, who can hold an intellectual conversation and is fun to be around.
What's also refreshing, is that her feelings for either men is progressive. There are subtle hints of attraction, but mostly, the focus in drawn to them as people, not singular, desirable traits.
Though, I must say, when you compare Mr. Hayward and Mr. Ryder, Mr. Hayward's chemistry with Mary is the most striking - because he is like her. He has his own awkwardness, he had to work hard to get where he was, and he too, liked to push his curiosity. They compliment each other in a smoother manner.
When we think about a well balanced couple, we tend to think about opposites attract. This is still the case here: both men are opposite to Mary but in vastly different ways :
Mr, Ryder is opposite Mary in a clashing sense, like a wave hitting a cliff.
Mr. Hayward is opposite Mary in a smoother manner, like the tide washing onto the shore.
Mr. Hayward and Mary Bennet are on the same wavelength, they just have different interests. This way, they complement each other, because they can forever keep learning from one another, and that is something they both like to do. They love to learn, and what better way to do it, than with the person you love?
However, for Mary to meet Tom, she had to get out of the bubble predetermined by her mother, and find her own way. Her glow-up lead to her finding love, because she was true to herself and was unapologetic about it.
(and all of this is noticeable, of course, thanks to Ella Bruccoleri's performance, she is exceptional!)
To conclude this lengthy rant: You need to nerd out. Do what you love, and you will find all kinds of love along the way. I hope whoever reads this knows that they do not have to dim their light to please people's expectations.
Finally, I would like to reiterate what a wonderful teacher once told me (in french): Quand on est passionné, on devient passionnant; which translates to: When you are passionate, you become fascinating. (I shall leave you all the ponder on that hihi)
I’d love to hear your opinions and if there are points you agree or disagree with because I would be delighted to debate :))
(I also hope this made sense, it's late and I've been staring at it for too long)
I love TOBS but i DO have a correction about Penelope-
Colin does not fall in love with her after her glowup. This is canonically false, and I really urge people (because it's not just you who thinks this way) to revisit the season and the timeline of it.
Yes, Penelope starts dressing differently and has a different hairstyle and conducts herself differently in society, and that turns heads. It is not, however, what turns Colin's head, and it is frustrating for people to continue to use her change in wardrobe as the reason to why Colin likes her.
Colin enjoyed Penelope's company long before she changed her clothes and how she does her makeup. Colin does not like her "because she gained societal value and would look good on his arm". He very literally has always liked her. He wrote her letters back before season 2 aired. He looked for her at just about every dance. They had conversations. He literally DID like her because she was witty and smart and he liked how she challenged him. He literally says 'I seek you out at every social assembly because I know you will lift my spirits and make me see the world in ways I haven't, before"
Colin does not fall for Penelope when she 'becomes conventionally beautiful'. He realizes that what he feels for her is romantic after she asks him for a kiss. She could have done that without any change in clothing whatsoever and he'd still have come to the same conclusion.
Frankly, this is unfair to both characters. It is a misunderstanding of them. Penelope prior to season 3 presented herself as a child. In season 1, she's asking her mother if she can go play across the street with her girlhood best friend. In season 2, she's still head to toe in bows and pitching her voice high to seem purposefully young.
Colin likes Penelope long before she gets attention outside of him, and he does not see her as an object of lust. He has given her his attention, time, praise, and compliments since season 1. He DOES stand out from the others because he actually knows her intellect, laugh, flaws, and passions. I am wholly confused because it feels like. . .you almost didn't watch the show? They were friends before they got together. He knows her better than most people. And Penelope's personality has always been that she wants to be loved by Colin. There is no shift. And Colin did go through the narrative you wanted him to- he is upset at her, and he knows it cannot be forever because he truly, deeply loves her. That's why he still chose to marry her even after having to find out on his own she'd been lying to him and hiding LW from him for years. That's why they reconcile. That's why they stay married.
There are plenty of 'woman glows up and man she wants finally pays attention to her' stories out there, but Colin and Penelope are not one of them.
Because at the end of the day, Penelope changed her outfits and what she looked like and how she acted at parties and he treated her exactly the same. It was ONLY after she asked him to kiss her (which is one of the first times where she ever asks him for something she wants) and he does that he realizes- oh. He already loves her platonically, but they have sexual chemistry, too. And it's the marriage of both those things that reveals that the shape of love he feels for her encompasses both.
You make Colin out to be a shallow man who never paid Penelope the time of day prior to her wearing a low cut top. He never ignored her. He always appreciated her. He uplifted and complimented her. He looked out for her. He sought her out. Talked to her. Wrote to her. And overall was the nicest person to her of everyone she knew, herself included. They have nerded out together. The show made the mistake of having it take place in their letters or in small moments (such as in the church in S2) instead of during their season since they already were established as friends, but Colin and Penelope are not built on lust. They're built on friendship.
Reducing Colin’s realization of his feelings for Penelope to “oh he only noticed her after her glow up” is quite misleading.
We have to think from Colin’s perspective, Pen is Eloise’s childhood friend, someone he has known since they were kids, and is almost a part of his family. It would be weird for him to see her in a romantic light.
Also Colin actually praises Penelope’s intelligence multiple times, even in season 1 & 2.
Even in their lessons, Colin’s ONLY lesson for Penelope is to be confident in herself. He is trying to set her up with lords and viscounts by telling her “you are Penelope Featherington, do not forget that”. He literally thinks Penelope is too good for majority of men in the ton, and she only deserves best of the best.
"it was awkward to see colin flirt and behave like a rake" "he gave me the ick" yes ! that is the fucking point!! congratulations! you have the media literacy skills of a fucking monkey because my 4-year old niece could understand it better than you do.
we are supposed to find colin cringey and annoying and get the ick because that is not who he is. he is not anthony, or simon, or even benedict. colin (apart from gregory) is the sweetest of all bridgerton brothers (i'm going by book canon) and his most identifiable character trait is the fact that he values an emotional connection above everything. he runs away to the continent because he wants to feel that emotional connection. he has meaningless sex in brothels because that is the example he has seen growing up, that is the norm. he tries so hard to fit into the norm. he goes out drinking, adopts an entirely new personality, learns flirtations because that is how he thinks he will fit in. he's got armour on, as violet said. he puts everyone's needs above his own, he stops rambling on and boring his family with details of his trip because he knows no one cares. he doesn't talk to anthony or benedict about his heartaches because he knows they still, somewhere in their heart of hearts, view him as the annoying younger brother. he's so devastated by his closest friend not responding to him that he adopts a new personality in the hopes that it might mask the hurt better. he runs after penelope in episode one because he is so attuned to her emotions that he knows she's hurting, and tries to comfort her even when she's spiraling and lashes out. he must have been hurt by her words in the "good night mr bridgerton" scene but he puts it aside to genuinely apologise to her when literally no one else in that family would do that. colin, instead of brooding over his own feelings, goes and corners penelope in her family's garden and apologises to her, disregarding his own hurt at being cruelly dismissed by his close friend.
penelope asking colin to kiss her is not a mark of how "pathetic" she is. she has written and shamed herself in a manner that is almost entirely unsalvageable. she is at her lowest point, and then portia comes in and reminds her of how undesirable she is, and she sinks even lower. she asks colin to kiss her because she sees it as a final act, after which she can quietly wave goodbye to her dreams of ever getting married and leaving her mother's home. colin kisses her because he is also keenly aware of how she's feeling. he knows how hurt she is, he wants to do anything to alleviate that. be it cracking a joke, or kissing her. he is gentle, because he wants it to be something she can dream of when she's by herself. penelope, at this moment, has no hope for herself, and their kiss is an act of letting go for her. no, it's not a pity kiss, no he did not like her after her glow up, he has always loved her. him being struck dumb is a reaction to her physical transformation, nothing more. he does not flirt with her in that ballroom scene, he only approaches her when she's in distress. he's not flirting with her. i can assure you penelope could wear the frumpiest most neon yellow gown of all time and colin would still go "<333 my pen" for her.
colin jumps to catch the balloon's ropes because he sees that penelope is in danger, he does not give a shit about anyone else lmao. he feels temporary relief when he sees eloise run to safety, but the moment he sees penelope in immediate danger, he rushes to take action. afterwards, when he sees that she's being comforted by debling (all my homies hate debling, even if he is aro/ace coded i do NOT claim him) he does not approach her. it would be easy for him to do so, but he does not, because he respects her boundaries. colin bridgerton is the only man in the ton who respects women (the featherington sons-in-laws are too pretty to have a thought) he calls out fife and his friends for treating women like objects and calls them cavalier. the only way he would have been more explicit about his demisexuality was if he tap danced on the club table (entertaining thought, luke newton please)
colin also rapidly takes action, something which no one in the show has done so far. simon would have died instead of accepting his feelings for daphne, daphne would have been content with a loveless marriage forever instead of asking for help. kate would have pushed edwina down the aisle and gone off to india instead of confronting her own feelings, and anthony would have married edwina if she hadn't been brave enough for the three of them to run from the altar and ruin herself. penelope stood on the sidelines for years and loved him quietly because she had no hope of him loving her back. colin, the moment he is assured of his feelings, runs to penelope, almost kisses her in the middle of a ballroom. when he hears that debling is about to propose, he goes to the ball, just to dissuade penelope one more time. he cuts into their dance because he's desperate. when he runs after her carriage, he asks her if she has been proposed to, because he would not have touched her otherwise. he confesses his feelings to her only when he knows that she hasn't gotten engaged to debling, and when she says "but we are friends" he moves away. nothing more. he would have let her go, if she did not return his feelings.
idk whether i should be flattered or offended at people misunderstanding this season because on one hand it is offensive, but on the other hand, it means only smart people get polin. seriously. your minds have been rotted by insta-love and enemies to lovers that you can't even appreciate the innate beauty of friends to lovers. being friends with someone and then holding all those feelings for them. the trepidation of possible rejection. the fulfillment of being loved by the person who knows you the best of them all. the privilege of loving someone whose feelings you know better than your own. love is gentle and kind and yes it is a violent, uprooting force but above all, love does not hurt anyone. it does not hurt you. i could love someone quietly for years and it wouldn't bother me if their feelings were requited or not because my feelings are none of their business and i consider it a privilege to love and be loved by them, even if it is not in the way i would want it to be. polin are privileged in the highest sense. they know each other better than anyone else, they know how to love each other better than anyone else. to think they are rushed or they dont deserve each other is a disservice to both of them. they would be miserable with anyone else.
in other matters, if i see one more person talking smack about luke or nicola behind the safety of their screens i will personally get a bazooka.
OH MY GOD, YES. SO MUCH. I literally had to just block someone on Threads because they set me off on a much less coherent and articulate rant about the same damn thing, among some other dumbass hot takes.
If I see one more person say that Colin gave them the ick at the beginning of s3 of Bridgerton, I will fucking scream. Congratulations, you fucking understood the text!
"Were we supposed to find that hot?" YOU MEAN THE THING PEN WROTE A WHISTLEDOWN ABOUT AND COLIN LITERALLY SAYS IN THE CARRIAGE HE WAS TRYING TO BE SOMEONE ELSE. SURE YOU WERE. CLEARLY.
Man was acting like a Victorian child with the flu just at the thought of Pen getting a proposal and was ready to die after being friendzoned for five seconds...
He didn't fall, he straight up plummeted to the ground
Bridgerton Season 4 made me appreciate season 3 even more.
I was uncomfortable a LOT this season. I was constantly worried for Sophie with Benedict chasing her relentlessly (and also not pulling out when he has sex with her, having that wide smile when she says if she ends up with child she’ll have no choice but to accept his mistress offer). I was heartbroken for Violet when Benedict slutshamed her. I was physically angry on behalf of Eloise and how they are making her ready for marriage by wearing her down with loneliness.
In hindsight, season 3 was surprisingly progressive and empowering.
I really like how Penelope chose to highlight the debutantes and their unique characteristics in her LW column. Watching her watch the debutantes’ joy at being mentioned was so cute. In contrast we have season 4’s male lead, a man nearing his 30s atleast, with FOUR sisters of his own, claim all debutantes are the same and the lady in silver is “not like the other girls”.
Colin brings Eloise feminist literature from his travels, and this action matters even more to me considering how nobody in season 4 seems to respect Eloise’s views on women’s rights, the marriage mart and marriage itself.
Benedict’s sub plot was my least favorite but 1 thing I liked was how lady Tilley is not shamed for engaging in society because of her widow status. She is shown dancing in balls and is openly courted by Benedict, a younger man. In contrast, we have Benedict slutshaming Violet for pursuing a relationship with Marcus.
I love that Colin calls out toxic masculinity and “locker room talk” when he tells off the lord squad. But I love it EVEN MORE that Colin realizes and does it on his own accord. He doesn’t need to be spoonfed this lesson that men should treat women better. He observes the world around him, actually listens to the women in his life, and all that leads him to be a better person. He doesn’t change himself for his lady or anyone else, he does it for himself. In contrast we have Will, Colin and Sophie herself voice to Benedict how disrespectful it is for a woman to be kept as a mistress. It takes a LOT for him to realize he is selfish in insisting Sophie be his mistress.
I love how they portrayed consent in season 3. I also found it refreshing to see it goes both ways, and Penelope also doesn’t coerce Colin when he does not want to sleep with Penelope while they are arguing.
Women play an important part in the story, and both the leads listen and take advice from the women in their lives (Violet, Genevieve, Eloise, Kate)
Season 3 did not handle feminism with nuance, but I’ll admit it’s really nice to see the female lead have it all, and that she did not have to hide or give up any part of herself in the marriage. And Colin struggling with his self worth because Penelope does not need him to provide for her was quite a realistic topic, even in today’s day & age. I love how Colin embraces his soft & sensitive side and learns to love himself fully at the end.
I love that we had not 1 but FOUR examples of green flag men in the form of Colin, Will, Albion Finch, and Harry Dankworth.
Season 3 was not perfect, but out of all the seasons it’s my favorite one. We did not get near enough of Colin but we got was gold, and I’ll cherish it in my heart forever. Polin’s story is very comforting and empowering at the same time, and I think that’s why I keep coming back to it.
So. I usually ignore Bridgerton stuff that comes up on FB because, first it's FB, and second it's usually things like - rank the seasons or which male lead was hottest - and it usually descends into the 9th level of hell.
But today, someone posed - which mmc was most obsessed with his wife. And, the majority of people answered Anthony. And interestingly, I don't think they're wrong - though I'm not sure I could pinpoint exactly why. But...
Someone wrote - Anthony is the most obsessed but Colin is the most devoted. And I was like, boom - there we go. That's a good observation. the difference being that obsession is about pleasing one's self, but devotion is about pleasing the other person.
And then, of course, someone else commented the tired argument - so devoted that he wanted to marry her cousin first. And, you know, eye roll at the obligatory marina comment. But then it got me thinking that... that's the crux of it, right?
That these people don't like Polin, and don't like Colin -- it's that he wasn't obsessed with her from the moment they met (which, to me, he shouldn't have been since they were literal children). But is that what these people want in a relationship? Obsession isn't healthy. And I guess I'm not big on codependency or loss of individualism. And in fact, one of the disappointing things (to me) about Season 4 was Colin's loss of a personality outside his devotion to his wife.
But also, love is still real if it grows and changes. I just think the idea of needing someone to be obsessed with you from the start to the point that that's their whole identity an immature and unrealistic ideal.
Also, obligatory comment about Anthony being so obsessed that he would have totally still married Edwina had she not called it off. (Another eye-roll)
'ben's the free spirit!' when colin is the one who actually traveled
'ben's the artist!' when colin is the one who actually made a career out of his art and published
'ben's mr. fingerton' when colin was the one who had the viral fingering scene (sorry benny boy, you gave people the MASSIVE ick with yours)
'ben's unconventional' when colin is the one who has an actually unconventional marriage where his wife is a careerwoman and he supports her, as well as how colin is the only brother who rejected male gender roles in general
'ben's violet's favorite son' when colin is the one violet is always gravitating toward and who actually looked out for her
i'm sorry that benedict is basically an anthony lite and doesn't have much that makes him personally unique but that's not colin's problem and i'm kind of tired of pretending like this fanbase doesn't dunk on colin continuously just so they can prop up the dude who ACTUALLY has barely anything of interest to him save being Mayfair's gender neutral bicycle (non judgemental, just saying that's his claim to fame). the show decided to cut so much of colin out so they could give it to ben to make him more palatable and his fanbase STILL decided it wasn't enough
not sorry, but colin is the brother who makes the most sense to be eloise's favorite and the one who actually listens to her
not sorry, but colin is the brother who is the most romantic and poetic
not sorry, but colin is the brother who makes money from his art form
not sorry, but colin is the one who is the most feminist of the brothers
not sorry, but colin is the dependable one who is the glue in his family and is emotionally present and understanding
not sorry, but colin is the one who lives a love story most like his parents
not sorry, but colin is the one known for being good with his hands
not sorry, but colin is the one who has the best relationship with his mum
find things you like about benedict without bringing colin into the conversation. the fact that there's nothing about ben that has stood out to give him a unique nickname of his own is telling enough in and of itself
Colin says he wouldn’t care if Marina loved someone else but his actions later prove otherwise. In Season 1, he never felt real urgency with Marina. He holds back, even when he has the chance.
Then in Season 3, everything changes. He may start off flirting, but the moment Penelope asks for a kiss, he doesn’t hesitate and even goes further. When he thinks she might love someone else, he completely unravels. The jealousy, the intensity, the shift in his behavior, it’s undeniable.
With Marina, it was infatuation.
With Penelope, it’s real love.
And for those saying Colin loved Marina. Colin had no feelings for Penelope and everything in Season 3 was rushed that only makes sense if they ignore Seasons 1 and 2. Their story has been building the entire time.
He literally didn't last a day before sleeping with Penelope after they got engaged because he wanted her so much, when he couldn't even kiss Marina, but sure.
I just re-watched the scene where Colin is telling Penelope "I don't really care if "Marina" had feelings for another, It would be rich if I flirted with half the women in London at a point or another.
It's so interesting thinking about that line. Colin didn't have the urgency to kiss Marina even if he was a virgin in S1. If Colin really had the urgency to kiss her, he would have.
Then we get to Season 3 and Colin comes into town flirting with all these women publicly. When Penelope asks for one kiss he does it and even kisses her again unlike Marina when he stops himself. Colin also DOES CARE when Penelope has found feelings for another he is Extremely Jealous and completely loses himself. He also has no interest in flirting with women anymore they will walk up to him and try flirting but he just looks away. He will talk normally and give advice like "what gave you the courage to be so brave" but he is not flirting with them anymore. There is a stark difference infatuation and Love!
Just for some Bridgerton fans still saying oh Colin loved Marina and only got with Penelope because he couldn't have Marina. It's literally written in the show the difference he felt for both women.
Wow now that I see her trajectory from season 1 to season 4 it’s genuinely sad they are choosing to have Eloise accept marriage by wearing her down rather than her wanting it of her own free will.
And Eloise telling young, teenaged Hyacinth that she helped her see the benefits of marriage when Hyacinth is diving head first into this whole marriage mart thing 😬😬😬
It should actually be Hyacinth who should have been inspired by Eloise’s feminist philosophy.
The other problem is that the switch in s4 came out of nowhere and felt unbelievable to me. I don't think the lead in from s3 was enough. And don't get me started on Violet's line (lie) about rebellion.
i dunno if i get sad or mad at people who are like debling's a better choice for penelope, and it's always the same arguments of well I WOULD CHOOSE DEBLING.
girl guess what you ain't penelope and no one asked for your projections onto needing a loveless sugar daddy
I once said I'd take a marriage of convenience, but I'm not Penelope at all and I've also changed my mind because that sounds like a nightmare, actually.
Pen should have chosen exactly as she did because she always wanted true love AND GOT IT.
