Dearest gentle readers — did you really think we wouldn’t do this scene breakdown? Polin’s carriage scene was one of the most anticipated scenes for Season 3 of Bridgerton. And, in Bridgerton‘s “Old Friends,” it finally — finally — happened. It’s full of all the tension, longing, and gloriously horny energy we’ve been waiting for. It’s enough, in fact, to perfectly tide us over until Part 2.
(And we’ll never listen to Pitbull the same).
Colin’s Rom-Com Gesture
The first half of Bridgerton Season 3 sees both Colin and Penelope trying to transform themselves. While Colin puts on a phony front, Pen tries to figure out how to let her true self shine through. At the same time, though, they’re struggling with their feelings for each other — feelings that Penelope is trying to get rid of while Colin is just discovering. It is hilarious that Pen has successfully functioned for years while madly in love with Colin, yet a single kiss has Colin turned into a total wreck.
Which brings us to the start of Polin’s carriage scene. Lord Debling witnesses Colin and Pen’s connection during their dance, and he decides not to propose. Devastated by her lost opportunity (and her mother’s cold reaction), Penelope flees to her carriage to go home. In a fabulous rom-com gesture, Colin follows her, banging on the door until she reluctantly stops and lets him in.
And this, friends, is where the magic starts to happen.
Groveling vs. Honesty
Prior to Bridgerton Season 3, a lot of fans hoped Colin would “grovel” to make up for his indiscreet comments about Pen last year. Personally, I prefer how the carriage scene went down. He’s already apologized and has tried to make amends. Now, we get to see him completely undone, leaning forward, full eye contact, kneeling before Penelope Featherington.
I love Penelope’s attempts to put the walls back up in this scene. Colin doesn’t have to “grovel,” necessarily. What he needs to do is be honest, with himself and with Penelope. No more hiding, no more denial, no more burying his feelings beneath the concern of “old friends.” Pen has been disappointed so many times, and here, it seems like Colin finally realizes that if he wants to be with her, he’s going to have to make her believe him. Let’s revisit how he does it, shall we?
“I have spent so long trying to feel less, trying to be the kind of man society expects me to be. And for a moment, I thought I had succeeded. But these past few weeks have been full of confounding feelings. Feelings like… a total inability to stop thinking about you. About that kiss. Feelings like dreaming of you when I’m asleep. And, in fact, preferring sleep because that is where I might find you. A feeling that is like torture, but one which I cannot, will not, do not want to give up.”
This is the unhinged romance we’ve been waiting for! And speaking of unhinged…
A Wild Needle Drop for a Wild Carriage Scene
“An orchestral cover of a Pitbull song plays over a romantic fingering scene in a carriage” is quite a sentence! Even with Bridgerton‘s penchant for creative needle drops, this one has gone viral for its pure, Millennial, chaos energy. Yet the impulsive, driving energy of “Give Me Everything” is perfect for this take on the iconic carriage scene.
From the first tentative-then-crash-together kiss, this scene is a lot without showing a lot. It’s not beat-for-beat the same as the scene in the book; one could argue this scene “goes further” or doesn’t go “as far,” depending on your definitions. There’s very little skin on display for Pen and none at all for Colin. Instead, the steam comes from the expressions and the eye contact. Kisses melt into touches until Colin’s hand disappears up Penelope’s skirts, and their expressions quickly transform to make it extremely clear what’s going on.
We know that Penelope is inexperienced but also that she “knows” enough to write Whistledown’s saucy asides. The carriage scene does such a good job of threading the needle in that regard. Penelope isn’t totally in the dark like Daphne was, so there’s not a “teaching” dynamic. The physical and emotional experience is thrilling and new, but she knows enough to know how she wants Colin’s touch, and, as with the garden kiss, she’s growing confident enough to ask for it and accept it. One of the best moments is when Penelope touches Colin in return — specifically, that moment where she runs his hands through his hair, like she’s been imagining this for ages (because you know she has), and he gets that feral look on his face. You know the one, the GIF is everywhere!
Huge kudos to everyone involved in this scene: Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton, of course, but also director Andrew Ahn and intimacy coordinator Lizzy Talbot. It incorporates consent into the steam; Colin’s silent check-in and Penelope’s eager nod don’t interrupt the pacing of the intimacy but make it even sexier. This is also a scene that thoroughly prioritizes a woman’s pleasure. Colin’s face makes it clear that he’s enjoying how much Penelope is enjoying every moment. Both gentle and passionate, he’s focused on making it good for her, and it’s a deliberate contrast with the emptiness of his casual encounters.
The Laughter of True Friends
All too soon, the carriage arrives at Bridgerton House. In Romancing Mr. Bridgerton, it’s Penelope who wishes aloud that the carriage could keep going. It’s even funnier here, though, because it’s a very flustered Colin who delivers the line. Then, the two giggle together and share a softer, sweeter kiss. Even Colin’s proposal is delivered with a smile and a lighthearted air. Yes, they’re passionate and sexy now, but they’re friends who laugh together, still.
Every season has had a season where the main couple bonds over laughter. For Simon and Daphne, it’s snort-laughing at the Prince’s arrival. For Kate and Anthony, it’s getting stuck in the mud during pall-mall. But Colin and Pen are different. Their laughter isn’t a brief break in the angst but rather familiar ground for them. It’s a reminder that they’re still them, even though their relationship is evolving, and that is phenomenally romantic.
The other viral carriage scene moment, of course, is a tiny detail apparently devised by Newton. Colin fixes Penelope’s sleeve without using his middle fingers, the implication being that he’s being careful not to get… anything on the fabric. The gesture of care and thoughtfulness is tender, intimate, and desperately romantic. It’s also wonderful to see a woman’s intimate bodily functions not treated as gross or a joke, but in a very matter-of-fact way.
Of course, this carriage scene has one big difference from its Romancing Mr. Bridgerton counterpart. Colin doesn’t yet know the truth about Lady Whistledown. That big secret is sure to play a big part in Part 2 of Bridgerton Season 3 when it arrives on June 13. We can’t wait to see how Colin and Penelope get to their HEA!
First Featured Image Credit: ©Netflix