Dearest gentle reader,BridgertonSeason 3 has us buzzing! TheNetflixromance series has returned and turned its focus towards Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) and Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan), taking the baton from Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) and Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley) in the previous season.
While Colin and Penelope’s story fully embraces the friends-to-lovers trope, there’s actually more to their story than meets the eye thanks to a comment from Penelope’s rival, Cressida Cowper (Jessica Madsen). As Colin and Penelope heatedly argue about Penelope’s plans to marry Lord Debling (Sam Phillips)in Season 3, Episode 4, “Old Friends,”Cressida remarks to Lord Debling that they’re like Eros and Psyche battling it out. While at first this might seem random,this reference to these specific Greek mythological characters does have deeper implications, adding another layer toBridgertonSeason 3’s main love story.
Bridgerton
Set in the glamorous world of Regency London, the Bridgerton family maneuvers through the opulent and treacherous landscape of high society. Daphne Bridgerton, the family’s eldest daughter, enters the marriage market, sparking a whirlwind romance with the enigmatic Duke of Hastings.
The Story of Eros and Psyche Is the Stuff of (Greek) Legend
For those who don’t know or just need a refresher,the tale of Eros and Psycheisa beautiful Greek myth about love overcoming the odds. Psyche was a mortal woman, one of three sisters, who became famous for her beauty. According to the myth, the goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite was jealous of Psyche’s beauty and ordered her son, Eros, to kill off man’s desire for Psyche. However, upon seeing her, Eros accidentally shoots himself in the foot with one of his arrows, and he, too, becomes enamored with Psyche.
Although Psyche expresses to her parents that she only wants to marry a man she loves, her parents seek out the counsel of an oracle. Thanks to manipulation from Eros, the oracle tells Psyche’s parents that Psyche will marry an ugly beast whose face she’d never see. Disheartened, her parents accept Psyche’s fate and arrange for their daughter to be wed. The stipulation is thatPsyche can only be with her new husband at night, and she is never allowed to know who he really is; despite this, she is overwhelmed by the amount of love and tenderness her mysterious husband has for her.
Psyche is genuinely happy about her situation until her two sisters start filling her head with doubt about her husband’s true identity, claiming that her new husband really was a beast and, eventually, that he would kill her. Fearing for her life,Psyche intends to kill her husband while sleeping but discovers that it is really Eros. Unfortunately, she accidentally wakes him up when the oil lamp she is holding above him drips, and he flees from her due to her betrayal. Psyche then wanders the earth looking for her beloved husband until she pleads for Aphrodite’s help. Aphrodite then forces Psyche to prove her love for Eros in a series of three tasks.
Eros has never stopped loving Psyche, so when she falls into a slumber from her final task in the underworld, Eros begs Zeus to save Psyche’s life. Not only does Zeus save Psyche’s life, but Zeus also makes Psyche immortal, so the couple will be together forever. Despite the betrayal and the odds, the love between Psyche and Eros was worth fighting for, and it became legendary.
Colin and Penelope’s Romance Mirrors the Myth of Eros and Psyche
Even before Cressida utters the names “Psyche” and “Eros,”the parallels between the mythological couple and Colin and Penelope have been theresince the beginning of the series. Like Psyche, Penelope is one of three sisters who, by all accounts, was going to end up unmarried. Although she insists that she needs to marry to escape her family, Penelope does want love, something she expresses to both Lord Debling and Portia Featherington (Polly Walker). On the other hand, Colin is part of one of the most prestigious families in London society, practically their own pantheon of Greek gods and goddesses. A family born out of a love match, each Bridgerton child has their own legendary love story that the rest of thetonpasses around like ancient myths.
The story of Eros and Psyche is a struggle between the head and the heart, which is something we see play out during the third season ofBridgerton. As much as Penelope wants a love match, she resigns herself to making a smart, secure match. Colin tries to help her find a suitable husband; butlike Eros shooting himself in the foot, Colin realizes, while helping Penelope, that he’s in love with her. If the story parallels weren’t enough, the dance at the ball during Season 3, Episode 4 is indeed a performance inspired by Eros and Psyche. Not to put too fine a point on it, but an early scene between Penelope and Madame Delacroix (Kathryn Drysdale) duringSeason 3, Episode 1, “Out of the Shadows,”transitions to Gregory Bridgerton (Will Tilston) marveling at a bow and arrow that Colin got him during his most recent travels; the bow and arrow are signature to the winged god of love.
If Colin and Penelope are theBridgertonequivalent of Eros and Psyche, then we can expect the famed Greek myth to continue to play out into the next part of the third season. For Eros and Psyche,there is an emphasis on trust between lovers. Eros left Psyche because she broke his trust, while inBridgerton, Penelope has been keeping her Lady Whistledown secret from Colin this whole time. Even though Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie) has known Penelope’s secret for almost a year, it’s only a matter of time before Colin learns the truth. If Eros’ reaction to Psyche’s betrayal is any indication, Colin is going to feel betrayed by his fiancée for keeping this from him. Although she intended her writing to help save her friends from making poor decisions, Penelope has caused damage as Lady Whistledown, particularly towards the Bridgerton family. This is going to cause a rift that threatens to separate the lovers forever.
At the same time,Bridgertonis a romance series where each Bridgerton sibling will get their happily ever after. For Colin, Penelope is going to have to prove her love and earn his trust again before the end of the season. She might do this byappealing to the closest womanBridgertonhas to a goddess: Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel). If that’s the case and Penelope has to confess her identity as Lady Whistledown to her royal adversary, she might end up in danger, which could prompt Colin out of his hurt feelings to save the woman he loves. Regardless of how the Lady Whistledown secret and the rest of the season will play out, Penelope and Colin’s love story has been a fan favorite for a while, and the fight for their love to win out will make their eventual happily ever after all the more divine.
Part 1 ofBridgertonSeason 3 is now streaming on Netflix in the U.S., with Part 2 premiering on June 13.
