Bridgerton

As with most of Bridgerton’s stories, nothing about this is particularly subtle. But damn if it still isn’t incredibly affecting. Coughlan and Newton’s chemistry remains sweetly adorable. .... This season largely belongs to Coughlan, who shines as Penelope and runs the gamut from furious to heartbroken to deeply indecisive.

It’s all sumptuous fun. The spectacular balls with the orchestrated pop songs and the old-old-old-school line-dancing continue to dazzle. The supporting characters, including Lady Danbury (the fabulous Adjoa Andoh), her newly returned brother Marcus (Daniel Francis), and mean girl Cressida (Jessica Madsen), continue to amuse.

In Season 3, viewers get to know Penelope better than we’ve ever known any of the show’s characters—and Bridgerton has never been as good as it is with its real heroine in the spotlight.

Penelope’s fractured friendship with Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie) practically steals the show. Penelope’s bubbling romance might deliver the most captivating scenes, but her desperation to win her best friend back after a gross betrayal cuts much deeper. .... This is the most fun Bridgerton has ever been.

The final episode of the four ends with an intoxicating cliffhanger, with Penelope and Colin’s future hanging in the balance. I would usually admonish Netflix for splitting up a series (a transparent ploy to keep viewers subscribed for longer) but, in the case of Bridgerton, it’s somewhat poetic. So far, it’s been worth the wait.

Three seasons in, “Bridgerton” remains silly and winky, sumptuous and fun — despite recycling many a pleasing formula, and even identical beats.

In Season 3 Part 1, familiar faces are spotlighted, new and evolving friendships flourish and blossoming romances infuse an air of freshness into the show. The catalyst for all this change begins with the metamorphosis of Penelope Featherington (a stellar Nicola Coughlan).

By embracing the best moments of Quinn's novel Romancing Mister Bridgerton as well as adding new scenes that create deeper dimensions to the story, the series is in good hands with Jess Brownell taking over from this point on.

As we dive into season three, the show’s delights are still blindingly obvious, its flaws possible to overlook. Just like the besotted couples it follows, Bridgerton’s honeymoon phase is far from over.

Newton may have a good smoldering look, but in most scenes, he gives her absolutely nothing. Less than nothing. Coughlan may as well be putting on a one-woman show, but I'd still buy a ticket.

Once Colin spends significant time with his post-makeover pal, he views her differently, and Coughlan and Newton’s always convivial chemistry grows genuinely electric.

Toss in an invitation to engage in a threesome, and this racier season, which, of course, is resplendent with gorgeous costumes, period details and classical-contemporary music, is just as much of a great escape from wretched reality as, says, a corker of a romance novel.

The whole of it isn't as in top form as the inaugural season, but Nicola Coughlan has firmly established Penelope as the show's best leading lady to date, and sets the pace for most all of its unique triumphs, as well as those to come.

It all combines into a frothy confection. It delights. It is pleasant and pleasurable. It is better at doing those things in this iteration. And that is all.

Once you’ve mastered basic “Bridgerton,” it’s possible to sit back and let each new season predictably wash over you, its level of satisfaction dictated simply by how much one connects with the latest characters to be paired off. Fortunately, the third round (after a “Queen Charlotte” detour) has the highly sympathetic Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) at its core, adding some additional sweetness to the formula.