I’m starting to believe that splitting the third season of Bridgerton into two episodes was a wise move. Almost a month after Part 1 debuted on Netflix, Part 2 is now available. The distance helps to digest the multiple turns this part makes, sometimes all at once. Part 2 packs a lot more punch than Part 1, which was just about Penelope and Colin breaking their friend zone for a lengthy carriage make-out session. The supporting cast members show up, a social scandal poses a threat, and there’s even a trio involved. There’s no denying that even while not all of the risks pay out, there’s no doubt this is the most complex and mercurial season of the ton.

Even though Colin (Luke Newton) is still unaware of Penelope’s great secret, they inform the family of their engagement at the start of Part 2. If Penelope refuses to reveal Lady Whistledown’s true identity, Eloise (Claudie Jessie) threatens to do it herself. Penelope must thus make a snap decision regarding her priorities: does she want to maintain the Bridgerton family name or does she want to have her own voice? The main force drawing in the several secondary characters is this fight.

Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) is determined to win Lady Whistledown over in any way she can, and she is offering a financial reward to anyone who can figure out who she is. There’s the scene-stealing Jessica Madsen as Cressida Cowper, whose future doesn’t seem to be looking very well just now. In the meantime, Victor Alli’s character Francesca Featherington (Hannah Dodd) is adamant about her love for Lord John Stirling, the Earl of Kilmartin. Although Benedict’s (Luke Thompson) developing passions add needless spice to the story, these arcs give the narrative plenty of momentum. After a while, it just goes nowhere and seems to lessen the intensity of the other arcs. But with their scorching chemistry, Coughlan and Newton are having the season’s hottest moment.

Part 2 may seem overwhelming and a little bit too long because there is so much more to share and so many surprises in store. Despite this, the play perseveres thanks to its excellent technical elements and captivating desire to amuse. Production designer Alison Gartshore’s work is still astounding, and her efforts are ably bolstered by intricately fanciful costumes designed by John Glaser, especially for Penelope and Queen Charlotte. This drama set in the Regency era, which focuses on issues of female autonomy, motherhood, beauty, and privilege, has a palette that feeds on richness and excess, which has finally matured into the narrative grammar this time around. The programme defies many conventions and frequently plays with imagination, but this season there’s a direct conflict with existing social structures. This clash of two exclusive tendencies in Bridgerton infuse a strength and complexity that was missing in the earlier seasons.

The primary bond between Penelope and Colin is at the centre of all of this. With his pursuit of the truth and a dose of common sense, Newton improves in the second half, but this season’s breakout star is still Nicola Coughlan. In a performance rich in subtlety and intelligence, she inwardly projects a great deal of Penelope’s grief, anxiety, and stress. She no longer only writes about rumours and scandals. Right now, she is the scandal. But how is she going to get over this? The disdain and the terror of being alone persist. Will she make sense to Colin? Bridgerton allows its beautiful lead character the necessary time and room to make her own decisions about what to do next.

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