Bridgerton Season 3s Most Unexpected Romance Is Already Stirring Up Drama

Editor's Note: The following contains spoilers for Bridgerton Season 3 Part 1.

The Big Picture

• Season 3 of Bridgerton introduces new romances, including Violet's potential love interest, adding drama and depth.
• Agatha and Violet's friendship faces tension due to secrets unveiled, setting the stage for potential conflicts and resolutions.
• The potential romance between Violet and Marcus offers a hopeful second chance at love for both characters, bringing emotional depth.

Regency London's high society has seen dazzling couples come and go in the first two seasons of Bridgerton and Season 3 is promising to deliver no less with the tantalizing friends-to-lovers arc between Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin (Luke Newton). In fact, Season 3 actually promises more, as a new comforting couple that is easy to root for but has a tragic storyline in Julie Quinn's novels of the same name graces the screen quietly and peacefully. If that wasn't enough, there is also another even quieter potential romance brewing in the show, yet its implications could become some of the loudest, including possibly breaking up an iconic friendship in the series.

The last time we saw Lady Violet Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell), she was confiding in Lady Agatha Danbury (Adjoa Andoh) about her “garden in bloom,” indicating she was ready to experience romance again after mourning her husband's death. While Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story brought them closer in this scene, it also immediately drove a dagger of tension through their friendship as Violet discovers a secret from Agatha's past. Now in Season 3 of Bridgerton, Violet's garden may be about to bear fruit in the most deliciously dramatic way possible, hinting at further rising tension between the dynamic duo but also a nuanced and well-deserved love story for the supportive Violet.

Bridgerton

DramaRomance

Set in the glamorous world of Regency London, the Bridgerton family maneuvers through the opulent and treacherous landscape of high society. Daphne Bridgerton, the family's eldest daughter, enters the marriage market, sparking a whirlwind romance with the enigmatic Duke of Hastings.

Release Date December 25, 2020 Creator Chris Van Dusen Cast Rege-Jean Page , Julie Andrews , Jonathan Bailey , Ruth Gemmell , Polly Walker , Golda Rosheuvel , Phoebe Dynevor , Simone Ashley , Luke Newton , Nicola Coughlan Seasons 3

What Happens Between Violet and Agatha in 'Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story?'

Though the two matriarchal figures could not be more different, Queen Charlotte sees them strike up a touching and seemingly lasting friendship right until the finale. Throughout the series, we discover that young Agatha (Arsema Thomas) has had a trying life and marriage, and eventually strikes up a friendship that later turns into an affair with the wandering Lord Ledger (Keir Charles). In one instance, the widowed Agatha reveals her fears about an uncelebrated life without a husband, particularly since her birthday was coming up, which led Ledger to gift her a paper crown he would often gift his wife and daughters. Soon after the affair began, Ledger quickly cut it off, but their interactions were profound enough to sincerely impact Agatha and her views on love.

Turns out, Ledger is actually Violet's father, and she had been the recipient of such paper crowns for all her life. So in the finale, when she finds out about Agatha's well-kept secret lover and then sees the paper crown Ledger had gifted to Agatha, there is clear distress and confusion on her face. This is especially compounded by the twisted fact that Ledger took Violet on some of these walks to prevent himself from succumbing to his desires again. Being such a complex, messy, dramatic yet authentic experience that only Bridgerton could deliver, this historical affair certainly threw their friendship off-course for a moment. While little to none of that tension is portrayed between the two in Bridgerton Season 3, Part 1, knowing about it makes Violet’s interest in Agatha’s brother and the potentially messy Part 2 far more interesting.

Violet Meets Agatha's Brother in 'Bridgerton' Season 3

It is such a refreshingly unexpected moment when Violet turns around and lays her eyes upon the devilishly handsome Lord Marcus Anderson (Daniel Francis), hesitantly reaching out for her glove with her eyes constantly darting back at his face. The soundtrack of Sia's "Cheap Thrills" only makes it more of an unexpected moment (while also foreshadowing the potential forbidden aspect), considering this is the first real spark she has felt since her renewed blossoming interest in romance. Though the meet-cute is fleeting, they are drawn to each other again during the same ball and begin bonding over their children, who are slowly but surely leaving the nest. Throughout this conversation, Violet seems absolutely charmed by him, almost reminiscent of the young debutantes of the ton whose eyes sparkle and a smile permanently lingers on their faces as they meet a potential suitor. However, there is still a marked maturity and dignity in the way they converse, not only in their choice of subject matter, but also in the deep eye contact and steady voices.

But this tender moment is quickly dispelled by Agatha, who solidly places herself between them with a clearly displeased smile plastered across her face. Through graceful gritted teeth, she introduces Marcus as her brother, earning a look of polite surprise from Violet and a rolling chorus from us. This intervention quickly spirals the dignity and fluidity of their conversation into a broken mess. Marcus ends up embodying the tone of an annoying brother with his sister around, while Violet suddenly begins to stumble over her words like a child in trouble at school, especially as she hesitantly announces that she is a dowager while painfully glancing between the siblings. Although Agatha may have initially been perturbed by their interaction, she revels in the awkwardness she has caused, clearly opposed to their potential pairing.

Drama Is Brewing Between Violet Bridgerton and Lady Danbury

Close

While Agatha is clearly antagonized by these interactions, it is less clear why. Her conversations with Marcus may hint at his past as a womanizer, as she accuses him of visiting Mayfair to indulge in "raking about the town." However, there seems to be a secret lurking beneath the surface of the sibling relationship that could be the cause of her disapproval. Considering their shared dark history indicated in Queen Charlotte, where Agatha was shipped away to become someone's wife while Marcus inherited their parents' estate, there is a definite resentment of her brother's freedom. Even when Marcus teases her about becoming somewhat of a "molder of society," it seems to have struck the same nerve, where Agatha had to undergo trials and tribulations to reach that point while her brother was given everything.

Either way, Agatha’s unease definitely feels a bit like karma, and if she voices any protests, Violet has the perfect weapon to use against her. After having an affair with her father, does Agatha really have a leg to stand on if Violet wants to pursue her brother (a more age-appropriate and ethical decision on top of that)? While this potential romance and tangled family webdefinitely has the capacity to split the friendship, it also may become a way to uniquely connect the two. After years of feeling caged by her husband and also loving him in a morbid way, Agatha learned of a simpler and softer love with Ledger. In a similar vein, Violet had thought she could only have one great love story, yet may be slowly learning that she could have another one that doesn't overshadow or diminish the former. Through these complex relationships, both women may experience drama and tension but could walk out of it with a newfound appreciation for the nuances and variability of love.

Violet Deserves Her Own Romance in 'Bridgerton'

No matter how the budding romance may affect this friendship, there is no doubt that Violet is well overdue for her own on-screen romance. The decision to create the original character of Marcus, who is not in the novels, has one of the best potentials in the show. Violet is constantly in the background fussing over her children and ensuring that they follow their hearts instead of being lured into the more rational or monetary trappings of marriage in the era. This is particularly emphasized in Bridgerton's latest season, as her daughter Francesca (Hannah Dodd) is content with picking any remotely suitable match just to gain some peace. Being a firm advocate of love marriages, and losing hers too soon, makes Violet a prime candidate for this second-chance love story.

As a more mature couple with children who are getting married and lovers who have passed, Violet and Marcus become the point where Queen Charlotte's anti-Bridgerton romances melt into this more rose-tinted world. Their love story is marked with emotional nuance due to their past, but also due to the expectations placed on people their age, particularly Violet, who is known to have had an incredible love and also still has children she must prepare to bring into society. This romance is a more grounded in contrast to the more frivolous and sultry relationships we have seen so far, but with both of them looking for love in their "second act," this may be one of the most hopeful love stories of the show, claiming that the past cannot dictate the future no matter your age. Between Violet’s steady growth and her past with Agatha, this potential romance is set up for classic Bridgerton drama and heart.

Bridgerton Season 3 Part 1 is available to stream on Netflix in the U.S. Part 2 will premiere on June 13.

WATCH ON NETFLIX

ncG1vNJzZmibn6G5qrDEq2Wcp51kr7O1w6Ccq6yfo3q0scCspqdlY2LDqrvLnqtmpZGnsLa%2FjJ2Yp5qlp8Zw