Colin Bridgerton better step up his game if he wants to beat Lord Debling
In the new season of Bridgerton, it’s Colin’s turn to get the leading man treatment. He returns from his time abroad with a new-found swagger – and a sexy coat – and all the ladies of the Ton notice that. (And his brothers tease him for his newfound “solidity.”) He’s not the child-faced idealist from Season 1; no, now he knows how to get dirty, which makes it even sexier when he realizes he’s actually in love with his old friend Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan).
But Penelope, realizing she can no longer bear living under her controlling mother’s thumb, has set her eyes on what she believes is a more viable marriage prospect: Lord Debling (Sam Phillips), a reclusive gentleman who is looking to a woman this season.
Now Lord Debling himself is not exactly popular, although according to Mr van de Ton his greatest crimes are that he is 1) a vegetarian, 2) loves animals so much that he is determined to save endangered species, and 3) he doesn’t love from frolicking in high society and prefers to go on long expeditions to distant regions and leave his estate behind.
To that I say: the gentlemen of Ton are idiots and Lord Debling is an absolute catch!
He has interests in that are not drinking, gambling or having sex with prostitutes. He is passionate and has ambition and drive. He speaks to Penelope when she is herself. They bond, are both shunned by society for completely trivial reasons, and they share meaningful conversations. In practice, a guy who is away for a long time and doesn’t concern himself with Ton’s gossip is one Awesome match for Lady Whistledown. She would have the freedom to build her gossip empire without having to worry about her husband taking her place, or the pressure of producing heirs (as her sisters are currently experiencing).
Photo: Liam Daniel/Netflix
Of course, because this is so Bridgerton, Penelope Featherington wants both her gossip empire and a love that sweeps her off her feet (and she deserves it!). So it is Colin who chases her carriage and confesses his love for her at the end of part one. We’ll have to wait and see how the Whistledown of it all will affect their blossoming relationship, but this is a series full of happy endings (not to mention one that heavily uses Lady Whistledown as a framing and marketing tool), so it’s likely will Penelope finds a way to balance both loves in her life.
There’s still half a season (out in June) where Colin has to prove he’s worthy of Penelope, but as of now he’s only realized she’s beautiful after he kisses her. Of course, he has apologized for the hurtful things he said in previous seasons, and he has helped her in her search for a husband. But just because he got a makeover and is now more confident doesn’t mean he’s a valuable suitor. What are his passions? cAn does he respect Penelope’s own activities? What does he think of her, who is not only “my best friend who is always by my side, and I also realize that she is hot now”? The Lady Whistledown of it all will surely develop over the next half of the season, but Lord Debling already saw Penelope for something more than just a wallflower and the best bud.
But once Lord Debling’s suspicions about Colin and Penleope’s feelings are confirmed, he mercifully bows out of the love triangle. He knows he probably can’t love Penelope the way she wants (or deserves!), and with full confirmation that her heart is elsewhere, he tells her so. Yeah, it’s a bit of a shame at this point, especially since Penelope hasn’t learned yet that Colin is madly in love with her. But it has been clear from the start that Debling will always put his passions ahead of his wife, and that any marriage for him would have been closer to a business transaction based on trust and understanding.
So when he rejects Penelope, it’s not because he’s worried or hurt that she’ll cheat on him with Colin when he’s abroad (honestly, he doesn’t seem like the type of man who really cares what his wife does when he away is). ), but because he has no intention of trapping her in a loveless marriage. He knows she deserves more, and he gives her the chance to get it! Sure, it may hurt in the moment, but the fact that he’s willing to step back says a lot about his character.
I don’t think he wants to find romance, but I hope he gets everything he wants: a nice woman who is more than happy running his estate (Cressida Cowper, this is your chance to dive in) and a chance to save an endangered species. And since this is a work of fantasy, maybe he do save the great auk before it becomes extinct in 1844. If anyone can do it, it’s Lord Debling.
