Expect Inevitable Fallout for Lady Whistledown in Bridgerton Season 3
Nicola Coughlan promises an exceptionally scandalous social season for Shondaland's London ton.
Lady Whistledown has been a significant plot driver and powerful narrative tool for the first two seasons of Bridgerton and the prequel series Queen Charlotte. What Bridgerton fan doesn't get a thrill from hearing Julie Andrews' juicy 'Dearest gentle reader' line? It always precedes some hot gossip or sordid revelation.
But what happens when the character behind the Lady Whistledown mask becomes the centre of the show?
So far, only viewers and Eloise Bridgerton know that the nearly invisible wallflower Penelope Featherington is actually the elusive writer who's been terrorising the ton with her gossip column. As the series delves into Penelope's romance with Colin Bridgerton, it seems inevitable that her two lives will finally collide, and a huge scandal will erupt. Nicola Coughlan teased this during Netflix's Tudum event.
‘[Season 3] is the most scandalous one yet, I would say,’ Penelope’s actress told TV critic Wenlei Ma behind the scenes of the event. ‘I mean Lady Whistledown is right at the centre having to deal with all her little secrets and it gets harder and harder for those to come out. And then scandalous love affairs popping up all over the place.’
In Julia Quinn's book, which the upcoming season is based on, Colin is the first to discover Penelope's secret identity, and by the end, the whole ton learns the truth with no major repercussions for the characters. But will the Shondaland creators be able to follow the source material?
The show's Lady Whistledown has stirred up much more trouble than her book counterpart. Colin's own heart was broken by her column, not to mention the constant mocking of the royal family and the ruining of Eloise's reputation.
If Whistledown's identity is at least partially revealed in Season 3, the fallout from her disastrous past actions is inevitable. And it will be much more severe than in the novel. It seems that's exactly what Nicola Coughlan was hinting at when she said her character would have to deal with her secrets. So, all Bridgerton fans better buckle up for the tumultuous ride that is the next chapter of Bridgerton.
Source: Wenlei Ma Twitter.