The Best Character of Bridgerton Season 3 Isn't Someone You Would Expect

Summary

• Colin and Penelope aren't the real highlights of Season 3.
• Bridgerton's most hated character has become the show's best.
• She is still very much herself, but has really changed for the better.

Season 3 of Netflix's flagship romantic drama Bridgerton premiered just a few days ago, but it's already the most-watched show on the streaming service. The highly anticipated third installment of the heated period drama centers on the love story of Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington, who – sorry for the spoiler – end up together at the end of the season's first four-episode part.

And as much as viewers were excited to see Polin's love story unfold, Colin and Penelope's arc isn't the most compelling on the show. In fact, the story of Pen's relationship with Eloise is much more exciting. But none of the characters mentioned are the most interesting of the season. The arc of Bridgerton's most hated character is.

Cressida's Transformation

Since Season 1, which premiered in 2020, Cressida Cowper has been one of the most despised characters on the show. She was mean, spiteful, cruel, and always scheming to elevate herself in the Ton – usually by taking down someone else. Daphne and Penelope were the ones who bore the brunt of Cressida's actions, as she often mocked them and spread gossip about them to damage their reputations.

In Season 3, however, Cressida has shown a nicer side. Apparently, she is quite kind, caring, and insecure about herself, all of which has come to the surface thanks to her forbidden friendship with Eloise (which is not a euphemism, although there are plenty of reasons to ship the two characters). So much so that Cressida's father has forbidden her to see Eloise ever again, which fortunately hasn't stopped the girls.

Cressida the Nice

Cressida has not completely changed her ways. She is still a schemer who will go to great lengths to secure a suitor. For example, she pretended to sprain her ankle when the hot air balloon went off the rails in Episode 3, and she rushed to Lord Debling after Colin's intervention in Episode 4 to ingratiate herself with Debling. But she has definitely become a better person.

Although Cressida and Penelope were competing for the same man, Cressida didn't do anything to hurt Pen like she did in the previous seasons after Eloise told her new friend off for deliberately ruining Pen's dress in Episode 1. In Episode 2, Cressida refused to gossip about Penelope even though she had the juiciest piece of information to share. Last but not least, Cressida helped Eloise realize the privilege of having such a supportive and accepting family as the Bridgertons.

Hopefully, we'll see more of Cressida's transformation in Part 2 of Season 3 when it is released on June 13.