Tropes Ahoy! Bridgerton’s Polin

Admittedly, it took me a while to get into Bridgerton, the Netflix series based on Julia Quinn’s historical romance novels. I’m not sure why I waited so long; I’m normally a huge fan of the genre. Anyway, that’s not really important. What is important is that I finally sat down over the weekend and binged the series, excited about season 3, which centers around the third-eldest Bridgerton, Colin (Luke Newton), and his friend Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan).

For those unfamiliar with the series, Bridgerton is set in the early 1800s in an alternate London during the Regency era. It centers around the noble Bridgerton family, which consists of eight children. Each book in Quinn’s series, and so far, each season of the Netflix show, focuses on a different member of the family.

Honestly, I’m more interested in season 3 than any other season, primarily because of the excitement of seeing a larger woman as a romantic lead. While I enjoyed the first two seasons, I’ve basically become obsessed with Colin and Penelope’s (aka Polin) story, even though it’s only half-finished. (The first four episodes premiered May 16; the last four episodes will premiere June 13.) I don’t know what it is about the two of them, but I am hooked. 

And now, I’m going to try and convince all of you to be hooked (if you are not already) by cataloging the various tropes that Colin and Penelope’s romance hits. 

Warning: Spoilers for the first four episodes of Bridgerton Season 3.

Friends to Lovers

This is perhaps the most obvious, but if you’re a fan of the friends-to-lovers trope, you simply have to sit down and watch Penelope and Colin. The two have been friends since they were children, and Penelope has spent a great deal of time with the Bridgerton family due to her friendship with Eloise. As such, their relationship has progressed a little faster than Daphne and Simon’s (from season 1) or Anthony and Kate’s (from season 2). Of course, it has also been building since the beginning of the series.

I have not read the books, but apparently, Colin and Penelope are much closer friends in the TV series than they are in the books. In fact, their friendship in the series is highly scandalous, though since very few people consider Penelope to be a viable marriage prospect, no one seems to bat an eye at their behavior. For example, Colin and Penelope are often alone together, even though in season 1 that was something that Daphne was terrified about because it would ruin her reputation.

Their friendship kicks up a notch this season, for obvious reasons, but there are little moments during the first two seasons that show how close they are. Colin affectionately calls her “Pen”, the two corresponded while he was traveling abroad, and they often seek each other out at social events.

X Fell First, Y Fell Harder

This may be one of my favorite tropes, and it’s often misunderstood. Many people seem to think that it’s about one person being more invested in the relationship, but really it’s just about the intensity of their feelings. Basically, the idea is that character X is quiet about their love, usually pining from afar or in silence. And then character Y goes absolutely feral. (Sometimes X and Y are the same character.)

In Colin and Penelope’s case, she fell first. She has been in love with him since they first met, a fact that everyone in the Bridgerton family seems woefully ignorant about. (This is not so in the books.) She is mostly able to act normal in front of him, though there are some moments in season 2 in particular where you can see that she gets her hopes up at something he does.

Colin, on the other hand, definitely falls harder. After he and Penelope kiss in “How Bright the Moon”, he basically loses his damn mind. He starts dreaming about her. He becomes a stammering mess around her. He is constantly staring at her mouth. When he finds out that she is about to be proposed to, he storms the castle, interrupting her dance with her hopeful intended. When the proposal falls through, he chases after her carriage. On foot.

While Simon and Anthony spent ages denying their true feelings and doing everything possible to prevent themselves from being happy, Colin proposes as soon as he realizes that his feelings for Penelope are reciprocated.

It’s All About the Oh

Every fanfic reader hungrily waits for the oh moment, when a character realizes that they are in love. Colin’s oh moment is after his and Penelope’s first kiss.

Until then, Colin had not seriously thought about her as a woman. After a disastrous failed engagement to Penelope’s cousin Marina, Colin announces to Penelope that he has sworn off women. She points out that she is a woman, and he tells her that she doesn’t count.

But the kiss, especially coming after her big moment on the stairs in the previous episode, forces him to confront the fact that Penelope is, in fact, a woman. One that he finds attractive and oh, he might be in love with her.

That’s My Wife

A more recent, but very much appreciated trope, this is about those characters who are so enamored with their partners that it basically becomes their personality. (Think Rick O’Connell in The Mummy series.) Bridgerton does this very well. In fact, the male leads of the first two seasons – Simon and Anthony – exhibit a lot of rakish behavior before they fall in love, and then after they fall in love they become obsessed with their wives. You love to see it.

In the beginning of season 3, Colin’s regard for Penelope is a little more subtle. He always stops her from putting herself down and is frequently complimenting her. When he encourages her to speak with a potential suitor at a ball, she claims that he is a viscount, implying that he is out of her league. Colin fires back with, “And you are Penelope Featherington.”

Then there is the, ahem, infamous carriage scene, where Colin and Penelope have an intimate encounter. In this scene, Colin is entirely focused on her pleasure. It’s sexy as hell, but it’s also refreshing. (Consent is also sexy, and Colin checks with Penelope frequently throughout the encounter.)

And a big aspect of their dynamic this season is the fallout of a callous comment he made at the end of season 2, where he declared to a group of noblemen that he “would never, ever court Penelope Featherington” – and Penelope overheard. She confronts him in “Out of the Shadows”, convinced that he is embarrassed to be seen with her. He comes to her house later to apologize and insist that he is not ashamed of her. However, Penelope is at multiple times the subject of gossip and ridicule, so I imagine a big part of the second half of the season will be Colin loudly proclaiming how awesome she is and how much he loves her.

Glow Up

So many films and series have something like this. (Dual glow ups are the best, though, like in Marry My Husband.) Sometimes it comes in the form of a makeover montage; sometimes a character came back from summer vacation and got ten times more attractive. In the case of Penelope and Colin, it is both.

Colin gets a special introduction in “Out of the Shadows”, where we see him on screen, but we’re not meant to know that it’s him until there is a dramatic reveal later. He went traveling through Europe for an extended period of time and came back “sturdy”, according to his brother Benedict. It’s the 1800s version of coming back to school having gotten hot over the summer.

Penelope, meanwhile, makes a decisive change in order to better her prospects on the marriage market. In the first two seasons, she is constantly dressed in citrus colors, usually yellow, and dresses that don’t flatter her figure. After her mother makes a comment about Penelope always being there to take care of her, she takes it upon herself to get a new wardrobe.

She also gets a dramatic reveal and a slow-motion entrance, which causes everyone to turn their heads and stare. (Colin trails off mid-sentence when he sees her.) It’s a very She’s All That moment; it’s even on a staircase.

Hurt/Comfort

A tried and true trope, and a bit of a stretch for these two but still applicable, particularly in season 3. Most of the season, the “hurt” is emotional and not physical. As I said, Penelope is often the subject of gossip and ridicule, and Colin is forever chasing her down to make sure she is OK.

However, there is a scene in “How Bright the Moon” where Colin cuts his hand on a piece of glass and Penelope bandages it for him. As she wraps a handkerchief around his palm, they have prolonged contact (she’s not wearing her gloves! scandalous!). And at one point, Colin curls his fingers over hers.

What’s great about this is that there are a few scenes that take place after their kiss where Colin is stroking his thumb over his hand where the cut was. And when he gathers up his resolve to confess his feelings and stop Debling’s proposal, it is that moment he remembers, and not their kiss. So while there isn’t much hurt/comfort between the two of them, what is there is very significant.

Height Difference

A personal favorite of mine, this one is self-explanatory. Nicola Coughlan is 5’1″ and Luke Newton is 6’0″, and their height difference makes me feral.

Learn to Love

I knew this was a trope but I didn’t know what it was called, so I had to look it up. This is actually a fairly common trope, where one character wants to learn something and the other volunteers to teach them. They end up falling in love after spending so much time together. For this trope, think of movies like Save the Last Dance or Step Up.

For Colin and Penelope, she is determined to find a match this season, but after her disastrous first attempt where she learns that a new look doesn’t magically make her a different person, she has lost hope again. Colin offers to help her land a husband and to teach her, essentially, how to flirt. Naturally, the lessons work a little too well!

In Conclusion, POLIN

And there you have it! Hopefully, I’ve managed to sway a few of you into checking out the series. While I am hyperfixating on season 3 at the moment, the first two seasons are also quite enjoyable. Bridgerton is one of the more popular series on Netflix, and if you’re a fan of historical romance, you probably have already seen it. But if you’ve been putting off, like I did, I’m hoping this list inspired you to bump it up your “to watch” list.

Bridgerton Season 3 Part 2 premieres on June 13 on Netflix.

Author: Jamie Sugah

Jamie has a BA in English with a focus in creative writing from The Ohio State University. She self-published her first novel, The Perils of Long Hair on a Windy Day, which is available through Amazon. She is currently an archivist and lives in New York City with her demon ninja vampire cat. She covers television, books, movies, anime, and conventions in the NYC area.

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