Cressida's Villain Arc to Make Bridgerton S3 Even More Dramatic

We have a lot to look forward to in Bridgerton Season 3, as Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton take the stage in their long-awaited friends-to-lovers story that we know we'll swoon over.

Aside from the central romance, we can expect to read more delightfully devious gossip columns from Lady Whistledown, deal with more Bridgerton family drama, and attend lavish gatherings in the upcoming social season.

These are just a few of the Bridgerton staples, but with Penelope at the center of the third season comes the rise of Cressida Cowper, who has been easily dismissed as unimportant to the story. Until now.

What's the deal with Cressida Cowper?

For the first two seasons, the snarky, better-than-thou Cressida was nothing more than a typical Regency-era "mean girl" who thumbed her nose at everyone, but that has left the wealthy young woman entering her third social season unsuccessful in finding a suitor.

Cressida is beautiful and wealthy, but has yet to find a husband, and it seems that her rather nasty attitude is driving away all potential admirers. This sets her up for a vicious rivalry with Penelope in Season 3, as we can expect Cressida to be bitter, jealous and desperate, as it's no secret that she has had her eye on Colin in the past.

However, in this upcoming season, we're expecting to see her not only trying to mess with Penelope's love life, but also threatening to reveal her biggest secret.

What should we expect in the next season?

The third installment of Bridgerton is based on the fourth book in the series by Julia Quinn, Romancing Mister Bridgerton, so we already know quite a bit about what is to come in the story, and that includes the plot that unfolds after Cressida discovers that Penelope is none other than Lady Whistledown, responsible for the loved and loathed gossip column that is causing a stir in the Ton.

There will be false allegations, reward money offered for unmasking Lady Whistledown, devious blackmail and more as Cressida rises to true villainy and Penelope is forced to make some tough choices and hopefully stand up to her bully.

We can expect love, but we can also expect 'war' as this season delivers everything we love about Bridgerton, along with a whole new level of drama that will have us clutching our pearls - and we can't wait.

In Season 3, we're not just rooting for love, we're rooting for Penelope to come out on top, and the idea of a story with a real villain and rivalry is exciting. There's a lot that could happen between Penelope and Cressida if the show follows the books.

We still don't have an official release date for Bridgerton Season 3, but when it comes, we hope the drama will be worth the wait.