Differences in the love story of Colin and Penelope

Spoiler alert: This story contains details about the first four episodes of the third season of “Bridgerton” on Netflix (now streaming).

Bridgerton is back on Netflix, bringing with it the suspense, twists, and steamy storylines that fans of the series and Julia Quinn’s book series love.

Season 3 is based on “Romancing Mr. Bridgerton,” the fourth novel in Quinn’s series, and focuses on Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) and Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan). The showrunners skipped Benedict’s love story, the third book, and allowed him to continue his debauched ways — for now.

The show stays true to many of the Regency-era novel’s plot points. As in the book, Penelope’s help to Colin after he cuts his hand is a pivotal moment in his changing perception of a longtime friend. Her request to make him her first kiss – “I don’t want to die without ever being kissed” – rings believable, and the carriage scene is absolutely sexy.

But there are also significant differences. The fan-favorite character Queen Charlotte does not appear in the books, nor do the Mondrichs. Lady Tilley Arnold is not Benedict’s lover, and there is no Lord Marcus Anderson, who has his eye on Violet, the matriarch of the Bridgertons. Cressida certainly does not have any good moments in the books.

Here’s a look at the biggest difference between the Bridgerton books and the first four episodes of season three:

Colin does not help Penelope find a husband

In the book and the series, it takes Colin time to realize that his feelings for Penelope have changed. Even after he proposes to her in the books, he struggles with whether he is in love with Penelope and asks Daphne for advice.

What he never does, however, is help Penelope to attract the affection of another man. And although Penelope wants to get married and build a life away from home, she has resigned herself to a life as an old maid due to her age and awkwardness around strangers.

There is no Lord Debling

The series Bridgerton loves love triangles. In season 1, Prince Frederick was the right angle between Daphne Bridgerton and Simon Basset. In season 2, Anthony Bridgerton married Kate Sharma after briefly courting her sister Edwina.

This time, the “other guy” is Lord Debling (Sam Phillips), a sought-after new suitor looking for a wife. However, there is no other suitor in the book, let alone a full-blown love triangle.

Eloise and Cressida are not friends

Cressida Cowper is the worst and Eloise would never be friends with her in the books.

The television Cressida (Jessica Madsen) is a more complex and sympathetic character than the Cressida portrayed in the book, who is essentially evil. In the series, Cressida suffers under the burden of her strict father and values ​​Eloise (Claudia Jessie) as a true friend. In the books, she becomes even more terrifying as the self-righteous wife of Lord Twombley.

Francesca’s admirers

Francesca (Hannah Dodd) is the supporting love story in season 3. The queen chooses Marquis Samadani (David Mumeni) as her suitor, but feels attracted to the reserved and dignified John Stirling, Earl of Kilmartin (Victor Alli).

In “Romancing Mr. Bridgerton,” Francesca is already a widower; her husband died two years after their wedding. Readers don’t find out her full story until the sixth book, “When He Was Wicked,” when she finds a second true love.

The Unmasking of Lady Whistledown

Viewers learn the identity of Lady Whistledown at the end of the first season. It is not until the fourth book that readers learn that Penelope is the author. Then Colin is the first to know and Eloise is surprised and congratulates her friend.

The books present a wonderful challenge in finding out Lady Whistledown’s real name. We will be interested to see how this turns out and whether Colin makes the discovery of Lady Whistledown in the second part of the series, which airs on June 13th.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Bridgerton Season 3: The biggest differences between the books and the show