Warning: The following article contains spoilers for Bridgerton.
Penelope Featherington is one of the most overlooked, albeit important, characters in the Bridgerton cast, and now that she’s finally getting her moment in the limelight, everyone in the community is finding themselves asking the same question.
As you will already know from the trailers, Bridgerton season 3 is focusing on Penelope and Colin’s will they/won’t they relationship. The young Featherington now finds herself in the awkward situation of having to present herself to society yet again amid this current social season. She’s also desperate to catch Colin’s eye, who has thus far remained oblivious to her feelings. And to make all of this more awkward and complicated, Penelope also has to figure out what she wants to do about her secret identity as the ton’s biggest rumor-monger, Lady Whistledown.
Yes, as I said, Penelope is in a precarious situation, to say the least. But what fans are wondering right now is if the character is only just presenting herself to the ton after three seasons. Well, to know the answer to that, we need to jog your memory as to what went down in the first two seasons of Bridgerton.
When did Penelope make her season debut?
One of the best running tropes — and perhaps running gags — in Bridgeton is the Featherington family’s utter failure to secure a proper match each season. This problem is further exacerbated by Penelope leading a double life. One has her masquerading as an impressionable girl who is always running off with Eloise Bridgerton, and the other handling the pen that haunts Queen Charlotte’s worst nightmares. No one would’ve assumed that Penelope is Lady Whistledown, and perhaps that’s why it was also so obvious from the very beginning.
But regardless of what happens to that cheeky gossip columnist, it’s a sobering fact to realize that Penelope presented herself in front of the queen and to the ton as early as season 1. That’s right; Penelope and Daphne made their respective debuts at the same time, which would be the spring of 1813.
Season 2 took place in the social season of 1814, and season 3 is picking up the story in 1815, which means that it has been almost two years since Penelope made her social debut in the hope of finding a suitable match for the Featherington family.
The first 4 episodes of Bridgerton season 3 are currently streaming on Netflix.