The long-awaited third series of Bridgerton was released in the UK last week, however fans will have to wait for the second half of the show with just four episodes currently available on the streaming platform.
The hit Netflix rom-com follows two high society families as their daughters enter the competitive marriage market in Regency-era London.
Viewers who have already binged all available episodes of the series based on the Julia Quinn romance novels were left frustrated at the cliffhanger ending and are eagerly awaiting its follow-up.
What happened in part 1?
*Spoilers ahead*
In the new episodes, fans watched Colin Bridgerton (played by Luke Newton) and Penelope Featherington (played by Derry Girls star Nicola Coughlan) transition from friends to lovers after Penelope had been pining for him since the beginning of the series.
The final scene sees the pair embrace in a horse-drawn carriage at dusk with Colin suddenly pulling away from kissing Penelope, and he looks as though he’s going to leave as he steps out of the carriage. But instead, to Penelope’s surprise, he turns to her and says: “For God’s sake, Penelope Featherington. Are you going to marry me or not?”
When will part 2 be released?
The first half of the series was released on Netflix on 16 May at 8am. The second half of the show will be released on 13 June at the same time, exactly four weeks from the first release.
Why is the show being released in two parts?
Split releases appear to be on the rise at the streaming platform as a similar format was used for the long-awaited season four of Stranger Things. Some experts believe this allows the platform to extend fan engagement around its biggest programmes. However, the show’s writer says there are creative reasons behind the split.
“We had actually written and produced the entire season before Netflix approached us to split the season into two,” showrunner and writer Jess Brownell told Town & Country magazine. “We did have a choice of where we wanted to split it, and it really worked perfectly to split it into equal parts. We always break the season with a midpoint at the end of episode four, which turns the action on its head for back half.”
She adds, “That moment where Colin asks Pen to marry him is in many ways the completion of the first arc: Pen has achieved her goal in many ways, which was to find a husband. She got a proposal. However, there is a much larger arc hanging over her, which is that she is still Whistledown and Colin doesn’t know. So that’s something to be explored in the back half.”
How to watch Bridgerton
All three seasons of the show are available to watch on streaming platform, Netflix.
