Warning! SPOILERS about Bridgerton season 3, part 1 and Romancing Mr. Bridgerton ahead.

Netflix’s Bridgerton took some liberties when adapting the book stories in seasons 1 and 2, and that’s also true for season 3 – however, some scenes in Bridgerton season 3 were kept identical, in execution, intention or both. Telling Colin and Penelope’s story, Bridgerton season 3 adapts Romancing Mr. Bridgerton, the fourth Julia Quinn Bridgerton book and the one officially unmasking Penelope as Lady Whistledown after the anonymous writer had reported unchallenged on the ton events for almost a decade. Bridgerton season 3, part 1 might not have approached this story, but it brought other key book moments to the screen.

One big difference between the Bridgerton books and the TV show lies in the focus given to the main couple compared to the rest of the characters, which is all-encompassing in the books, while the series has various characters whose story arcs it follows in any given season that the book doesn’t. This makes it so that some key story arcs in Bridgerton season 3 are entirely nonexistent in Romancing Mr. Bridgerton, limiting the number of scenes adapted directly from the book to almost solely spotlight characters that are already central to the book like Colin, Penelope and Eloise.

10

Colin’s Surprise Return in Bridgerton Season 3’s Premiere

Nobody Expects Colin In The Book, Just Like In The Series

Colin’s arrival to greet the Bridgertons as they went to Francesca’s presentation to the Queen took them by surprise, not expecting his return, just like the rest of the ton didn’t, resulting in plenty of debutantes surrounding him both after the presentation and as he got home. While Romancing Mr. Bridgerton approached the news of his return differently, having Lady Whistledown’s paper be the first to announce it, it was just as surprising as in Bridgerton season 3.

The Bridgertons’ surprise in Romancing Mr. Bridgerton was later relayed by Eloise to Penelope, as Colin went first to his family to surprise them, even offering Violet’s upcoming birthday as a reason for his unexpected return. While Penelope couldn’t reasonably get the news from Eloise due to their massive fight in Bridgerton season 2’s ending, Penelope’s spying on the moment Colin and the rest of the Bridgertons reunited was as close as Bridgerton season 3 could go to the book’s version of his return, only modifying the perspective of the observer.

9

Eloise’s Comment About Her & Penelope Being Spinsters Together

Penelope Is The Comment’s Recipient In The Book, Not Cressida

The timing of Eloise’s comment about saying they would have been spinsters together with Penelope is also affected by her and Penelope’s fight at the end of Bridgerton season 2, as she voiced it to Cressida after telling her about Colin helping Penelope find a suitor in the TV show. However, the story Bridgerton season 3, episode 2 let Eloise share followed Eloise’s same feelings in Romancing Mr. Bridgerton.

Eloise’s shock after learning that Penelope wished to find a husband in Bridgerton season 3 is the same one she had the time to ruminate on in Romancing Mr. Bridgerton after Colin announced his engagement to Penelope. As a result, Eloise grew distant from Penelope, before admitting to her friend that she “had always thought you’d be a spinster right along with me.” Although Eloise repeated the wish to Cressida in Bridgerton season 3, the way the news stunned Eloise was the same, coming from the regret of not doing something with Penelope because they wished for different things.

8

Colin & Penelope’s First Kiss

Colin Visits Penelope For Another Reason, But Her Request Doesn’t Change

Colin and Penelope’s kiss in Bridgerton season 3, episode 2 also follows Romancing Mr. Bridgerton’s first kiss scene verbatim, with Penelope’s request being the same, as well as her emphasis on the “would” before her question and her “thank you” after the kiss. Colin’s answers are also the same, including the quip about Penelope not dying tomorrow, along with his general sense of being left stunned by Penelope’s words, with the only difference in this part of the scene being that his point of view in the fourth Bridgerton book also let his thoughts and feelings on the matter known.

Another difference between the two scenes has to do with the reason why Colin went to visit Penelope. Indeed, while in Bridgerton season 3 Colin ran to Penelope to check on her, Romancing Mr. Bridgerton had him theorize about Eloise being Lady Whistledown, and he needed to share his latest findings in the form of Eloise’s ink stains on her hands to Penelope, as he had already voiced the idea to her.

7

Colin’s Inquiries About Love In Bridgerton Season 3, Episode 3

Colin Has Doubts About Love In The Book & Asks Daphne About It

Daphne not returning in Bridgerton season 3 greatly impacted Colin’s questions about love in season 3, episode 3, as Colin confided in Daphne in Romancing Mr. Bridgerton. Still, despite asking Violet, Colin’s doubts were the same in the show and the book, as he wondered if it was possible to move from friendship to love. While Colin might have asked Daphne well after his engagement to Penelope in the book, the doubt that plagued him was the same in the book, as he wondered in both cases how he would know about his and Penelope’s feelings.

With Violet having more experience than Daphne in the matter of love matches, her answer in Bridgerton season 3, episode 3 was much more helpful and even got her to learn ahead of others what Colin’s plans might have been with Penelope. Still, with the same doubt haunting him and the same question being uttered by Colin, the Bridgerton season 3, episode 3 scene between Colin and Violet undoubtedly transposes Colin’s exchange with Daphne in Romancing Mr. Bridgerton.

6

Portia’s Remark About Penelope Being There To Take Care Of Her

Romancing Mr. Bridgerton Has Portia Uttering Almost The Same Words

Penelope’s resolve to find a husband in Bridgerton season 3 was motivated by her sisters likely becoming ladies of the house if they produced a male heir, but also by one simple sentence Portia said that scared her about her future. As they left the reception after the debutantes’ presentation to the queen and discussed Philippa and Prudence’s attempts to get pregnant, Portia told Penelope that she took “comfort in knowing that you will always be here to take care of me.”

While uttered in different circumstances, the same feeling is shared by Portia in Romancing Mr. Bridgerton, candidly admitting the same comfort to know that Penelope “shall be able to care” for her in her “older years.” While it might not have prompted Penelope to find a husband in the book, it still got her to feel the same dread that prompted Penelope to actively work to find a husband in Bridgerton season 3.

5

Bridgerton Season 3, Episode 4’s Carriage Scene

Colin & Penelope’s Fight Prompts Their Steamy Encounter In The Book

The carriage scene is a key scene in Romancing Mr. Bridgerton and in Colin and Penelope’s story, and its second part is almost identical to the book’s, with Colin and Penelope both so immersed in the steamy encounter to forget about the carriage bringing them back to their houses. Just like in Bridgerton season 3, episode 4, Colin puzzled Penelope by asking her to go with him, proposing marriage using the same words in the episode and Romancing Mr. Bridgerton.

While the outcome is the same, Bridgerton season 3’s carriage scene massively changes Lady Whistledown’s story, as Colin and Penelope only ended up being engaged after the carriage ride because of their fight, prompted by Colin discovering that Penelope was Lady Whistledown and went around London’s seediest parts alone because of it. The change is undoubtedly big, but it will probably mean that Bridgerton season 3, part 2 will focus on the fallout of Penelope as Lady Whistledown, keeping separate such a central story from the likewise key story of Penelope and Colin admitting their feelings for one another.

4

Colin’s Train Of Thoughts About Comfort & People’s Expectations

Penelope Thinks Exactly The Same Thing Of Herself In The Book

Colin analyzing Penelope’s problems when approaching gentlemen of the ton led to his speech about not living for the estimation of others and finding comfort within in Bridgerton season 3, episode 2. The meaning of that speech aimed to inspire Penelope to be free of what society expected her to be so that she could avoid feeling their judgment, as Colin was freed from the same things on his travels abroad.

Penelope came to the same realization alone in Romancing Mr. Bridgerton. Her memories about the masquerade ball that, by hiding her features, let her be more sure of herself, laughing, joking and flirting, indeed prove Colin’s same message in Bridgerton season 3, and even led to Penelope’s resolution to let her true personality come out when in society. Alas, while Penelope tried doing so in Bridgerton season 3, that wasn’t the case in the book.

3

Penelope & Colin’s First Meeting

Penelope Reminisces About It In The Book

Penelope and Colin’s first meeting is also left the same in Bridgerton season 3, with Colin using the tale of how falling in front of Penelope from his horse because of her yellow head covering “assaulting” him to support his thesis that Penelope should try to free herself from the ton’s expectations. While it serves a different purpose, the story is still exactly the same in the book and the TV show.

Romancing Mr. Bridgerton introduces how Colin and Penelope met early on through Penelope’s musings, as the event made her realize that she had fallen in love with Colin. The perspective from which Bridgerton season 3 relays the story might be different, as it was Colin’s, but it still firmly established the event in both the TV show and the book.

2

Colin Being Affected By Whistledown’s Words Despite Saying He Doesn’t Care

He utters “I Couldn’t Care Less About Lady Whistledown” In Both

Bridgerton season 3, episode 1’s ending included Lady Whistledown’s first column since Colin’s return, and greatly focused on him too, in particular on how much his behavior had changed. While Lady Whistledown didn’t write about him in these terms in Romancing Mr. Bridgerton, Colin’s reaction was still the same – a quick retort along the lines of “I do not care what Lady Whistledown writes about me.” While Colin’s sentence said one thing, his demeanor didn’t follow, showing that Lady Whistledown’s comment had probably hit the mark, considering how quickly he lowered his gaze before uttering it.

Colin’s displeasure with Lady Whistledown was a big part of Romancing Mr. Bridgerton, not only because he eventually discovered Penelope was her, but also because he took her comments about how charming he was personally. How Whistledown always commented about his charm and nothing else pained Colin, because he felt as if it meant he had no other quality worth remembering, making him feel utterly purposeless. This hurt especially in comparison with his brothers, as Anthony enjoyed looking after the Bridgertons and Benedict’s art thrived, showing Colin really cared about Whistledown despite denying it.

1

Penelope Tending To Colin’s Injury

Colin Cuts Himself Against A Letter Opener, But Everything Else Is The Same

Although the reason leading Penelope to spy on Colin’s travel journals was different, Colin discovering her and cutting his hand, as a result, was taken directly from the book. Bridgerton season 3, episode 2 didn’t include the most humorous parts of the ordeal, such as Penelope’s queasiness at seeing blood and her saving the carpet by catching the blood with writing paper, rather than thinking first about Colin’s wellbeing.

Still, the poignant moment of Penelope wrapping the handkerchief around his cut and keeping the pressure was just as important in Romancing Mr. Bridgerton. Bridgerton season 3 focused on what the event let Colin and Penelope feel, but in the book, the two spoke a lot more about writing as Colin’s passion, with his need for validation from Penelope about his writing becoming quickly evident. Hopefully, as Bridgerton season 3, part 1 dealt with Colin and Penelope falling in love, part 2 can focus more on Lady Whistledown and Colin’s purpose.