#bless Eloise she's not quite leading lady

[hopepaigeturner]

Eloise is definitely not ready for her season.

Apologies anon, for not answering this sooner. But I didn't just want to give a short answer like the one above. And over the weeks I've worked out another reason why Eloise shouldn't be S4.

Show Eloise, doesn't have the capacity to emotionally support Phillip and the manifestations of his trauma.

Basically I've been writing this piece about married Benophie that revolves around how Sophie’s trauma manifests itself within their married life, (in big ways and small) and how Benedict copes with this. E.g. Sophie being triggered by dropping something, or her first Christmas with the Bridgertons. For this I’m drawing on my knowledge both personal and professional and something really struck me.

To support someone with trauma you need empathy, patience, emotional intelligence and humility. You’re never going to get everything right, but having such skills will help. (yes empathy/patience etc. is a skill it is not an inherent trait).

You need patience when the one you love is being overwhelmed by their past or their emotions. You need empathy to understand the root to some of their actions, how your loved one might not be lashing out at you but at something that links to their trauma. You need emotional intelligence to work out the best way to emotionally support your loved one. You need humility to realise that you might get things wrong, or that you might be contributing to the problem and need to shift the way you do things to accommodate. And so much more, and in so many other ways.

And bless Eloise Bridgerton—she ain’t got many of these…yet.

Eloise is intelligent, yes, she is passionate and loyal and protective of her loved ones…but not when it comes to emotions. We actually see a lack of this when it comes to Eloise who is impatient, can’t empathise with other’s struggles and always likes to have the last word.

Yet Eloise, like Benedict, is going to love and support not only a traumatised man, but also two traumatised children. She ain't ready for that...But she can be.

Giving Eloise two seasons will allow her to soften, not only become a better feminist who respects all women’s dreams, but also to become someone who will be able to support Phillip. She can learn empathy by trying to put herself in Penelope’s shoes in S3. She can learn empathy from Sophie in S4. She can learn patience when she starts publishing her Whistledown column/novel. Purely having two seasons will allow the writers to quietly show Eloise maturing in general, as one does with age.

Ofcourse during her season this maturing comes to the fore when she is faced with Phillip and the twins. Here shall be the biggest learning curve for her, however, allowing S3&4 to build some groundwork for this will help ensure that viewers do not feel as if ShowEloise is being shoved into a role she does not suit.

And meanwhile…

Benedict has shown emotional intelligence and empathy on the show. Benedict is a classic caretaker-with-a-capital-C. He already has the temperament to help Sophie emotionally heal from her trauma during, and after, their season. Yes, he needs to learn to get into conflict and fight for the one he loves, but ultimately, he’s ready.

So yes, Eloise is not ready for her season because she needs to develop her feminism and to understand the full scale of her privilege. But she also needs to grow emotionally to ensure the viewer can believe Eloise is right for Phillip--and we as a viewer need to be patient for that to happen...

#hope answers #eventually #apologies for the wait! #eloise bridgerton #benedict bridgerton #phillip crane #to sir phillip with love #bless Eloise she's not quite leading lady #yet #bridgerton #is this another petition for benophie s4? #perhaps...

[the-mini-muse]

Formidable - 1/?

Summary:

Colin comes home to find Penelope and Eloise at odds.  It isn't long before he is enlightened to his own thoughtless actions from the previous season.

(This is a Polin Drabbles spinoff. I've decided to post in chapters since the pacing I feel would be better broken up)

-----

Chapter 1/?

COLIN

PRESENT

“Colin. NO!”

The ladies and gentlemen of the Ton was treated to a most peculiar and scandalous sight.

Penelope Featherington had walked in through the double doors leading to the the gardens with Colin Bridgerton trailing right behind her.

The authoritative tone from the resident wallflower was much as surprise to the Ton as it was to the third Bridgerton son. Although a head shorter than he - Penelope looked quite formidable as she turned around and looked at him with aplomb,” I bid you good night Mr. Bridgerton!”

This time her voice carried in such a way that it caused the string quartet to stop playing.

With her face morphing into a shade of red only seen on a tomato, Penelope walked briskly away to stand beside her mothers side. Portia’s eyes flashing as her lips formed a forced smile.

Ignoring the looks and whispers, Colin had moved to follow her but was blocked by his older brothers and new sister in law. Anthony looked furious while Benedict looked sad. Kate, behind them, had her chin up and was looking down at him with narrowed eyes.

He could say no more as he was basically manhandled out and into a waiting carriage.

—

3 WEEKS BEFORE

It was so good to be back on British soil thought Colin Bridgerton as he dismounted on the horse he’s been traveling with. His family’s servants pulling up behind him and promptly started unloading his goods and chattels - his bags filled with not just his traveling garments but presents a plenty for his family and Pen.

Like a whirlwind, he quickly made his way up to the drawing room to see his family. Just like his returns before, his mother and siblings welcomed him with such joy and merriment. Shortly after giving his greeting and hugs, Colin looked around and not finding his witty friend he turned to Eloise and titled his head questioningly, “Has Penelope not come for tea yet?”

Much to his surprise, his sister’s face changed into an icy, unyielding countenance.

“No, brother,” Eloise eyes flashed in quiet anger,” I think we shall be blessed to never have her pay us a visit.”

“Eloise!” His mothers voice chiding but her eyes were full of sadness.

Colin felt Eloise’s proclamation like a punch in the chest. He shook his head with an indignant confusion. Pen and Eloise were two sides of the same coin. Where you find one - you find the other. A tiff between the two is unheard of yes but Eloise need not be so vile. Penelope was their dear friend and whatever occurred between them will surely be settled soon. Eloise must’ve done something to cause this squabble between them. Penelope has always been so sweet and kind, not to mention patient; especially with it came to Eloise and himself. In addition,he could not fathom Penelope doing anything to deserve the intensity of Eloise’s wrath, “Has something happened between you two?”

He saw his sisters face show a hint sadness before it changed into a forced cheerfulness,” Brother, I am so very glad you have found your way home safely! To be sure, you will be regaling us with stories and anecdotes of your travels?”

Before he could further question her, his brothers distracted him with questions of their own. Thoughts of Penelope, like always, was pushed into the back of his mind.

----

Penelope

PRESENT

Thankfully her mother’s chastising words eventually ran its course and their carriage was now filled with nonsensical opinions of the events that transpired on the otherwise ordinary ball that the Weatherby’s hosted this night.

Left alone with her thoughts, Penelope could finally try to put them in order.

The absolute AUDACITY of that man!

He thought to win her over by talking about HIS travels. His interests. His wants.

All about him.

The entire conversation that was forced upon her as she was trying to write down the latest gossip for tomorrow papers.

She could not put them down her décolletage fast enough when she saw Colin Bridgerton on the corner of her eye. He sashayed towards her with that charming smirk on his face.

She could feel herself getting hot and NOT the usual way she was around Colin. Instead of her usual stuttering, shy, and adoring self - a fire deep within her chest felt like it would break out and consume her.

It was like she took on her Lady Whistledown persona and gave him a what for!

In all honesty, she could not begin to recollect her exact words to him but his face… Eyebrows high, eyes wide, mouth open, with not a word coming out.

His shock was gratifying. She had put that look in his face.

Frowning and feeling aggrieved, she couldn’t help but think back on his infuriatingly perfect face. It’s been so long that she almost convinced herself that his attractiveness will surely fade after his despicable actions that night.

Unfortunately his eyes was still that striking shade of green, his chestnut colored hair looked soft and styled wonderfully to enhance his features, his smirk lifting his lips on his right side, flashing her with his pearly white teeth. His voice…god his voice was smooth and silky - she could just listen to him foreve-

She shook her head as she caught herself practically throwing herself into that rabbit hole of her feelings for Colin Bridgerton.

No. No.No.NO.

She will not be going back to her old ways. Not after last season!

Her heart clenched as she forced herself to recollect the events of that night. Her eyes already starting to tear up as the memories assaulted her.

He had looked her straight in the eyes and promised to always look out for her.

“You are special to me”

Then not even a quarter of an hour later he, in his casual cruelness, professed that one would HAVE to be mad to court her.

MAD.

Definition - Incredibly foolish! Ill-advised!

Why???

As if she was so well below his standing in polite society - as if she was lacking in some way and therefore undeserving of love?

What about deserving of her dignity and respect?

Already emotionally hurting from her encounter with Eloise, hearing Colin’s words broke her heart.

Colin who would continue on as he was - dignified, charming, and most of all with no thought of Penelope.

He would not spare any thoughts of how his actions would devastate her.

ABSOLUTELY no thoughts of her tears, her heartbreak.

He knew not of the power he wielded - to make her feel like there were butterflies in her stomach whenever he was near and with the same breath have her completely fall apart.

Now she knew the truth.

She, like everyone, else had thought him a gentleman - charming and kind. Oh but he was far from being a gentleman. His charming facade caused her to erroneously judge him from the very first time she laid eyes on him.

He was liar and a thief!

Like a thief he stole her heart with his smile, his kindness, his witty conversations with her, his dances that she can freely admit was mostly likely forced upon his person by his mother.

Now there was nothing. Where love grew amongst hope and dreams lay nothing but a painful hollowness.

She knew he’s tried to visit her these past couple of weeks and was promptly turned away by the Featherington butler. Even after so many months she still didn’t want to see him.

His words would echo every time she thought of his face.

Then on bad days it was accompanied by Marina’s.

“Your love is an unrequited FANATASY!”

Then her mind would have them holding each other lovingly and laughing at her and her foolishness.

Penelope felt a tear fall from her right eye just as their carriage stopped in front of their home. She discretely wiped that offending trail that the tear left behind and took a deep breath as she followed her sister and mother out of the carriage.

#polin #theminimusewrites:polin #colin x penelope #penelope x colin #penelope featherington/colin bridgerton #penelope/colin #penelope featherington #colin bridgerton #ao3 #netflix

[dragon-kazansky]

Like family

Gender neutral reader

♡♡♡

If there was one thing that Benedict required above his mother's blessing, it was his sister's blessing. Eloise, the sister he was closest to, held an option about everyone and everything.

So, in order for this to work, he would need her approval. Which didn't sit exactly well for you. Nervous did not cover how you were feeling right now.

"You just call yourself."

You glare at him softly. You had been fussing with your clothes, your hair, your hands. This had to go well if you were to continue courting Benedict.

"You said she is highly opinionated. I must do well to impress her, even if doing so is a challenge."

Benedict laughs.

"Eloise will love you, I know she will."

"We shall see."

Benedict leads you into his family home. You stand in the foyer nervously, fussing over your outfit again.

"Stop it, she won't care."

"Benedict, this is important to me. Your mother accepted me so easily. Now your sister..."

"She'll love you, I promise."

Your little chat was cut short by someone coming down the staircase. You stop and look up at the young lady standing on the second to last step.

"You must be my brother's betrothed to be," Eloise says, stepping down from the last couple steps.

The nerves have really set in now.

"Well, possibly," you say.

"Most definitely," Benedict corrects.

Eloise comes over to where you stand. Her eyes look you up and down. You swallow the lump in your throat and wait.

"Though I'm not one for fuss, feathers, and ribbons, I must say, you do look quite spectacular," she comments.

Your shoulders relax a little and you smile.

"Thank you, as do you."

Eloise grins.

"You and my dear brother do look quite the match."

You find your smile growing as you share a look with Benedict. He grind back at you, nudging your arm lightly.

"You seem nervous. I don't bite, I promise."

You laugh softly.

"I'm sorry. Meeting you was very important to me. Benedict has spoken so fondly of you. I did not want to disappoint of you did not take a liking to me."

Eloise smiles wildly. She then continues to hook your arm with hers and drag you away from her brother. Benedict goes to say something, but Eloise is already dragging you up the stairs. You laugh.

"I love my brother dearly, but I think it love you more," Eloise tells you.

You smile smugly.

"Do you think so?"

"Yes. Do you read?" She asks.

"Often."

"Oh yes, we will get along just fine."

Benedict smiled as he watched you with his sister. All those nerves were for nothing. As he watches, he really does feel at home. You're already like family, and the Bridgerton lot know it.

You'll be an exceptional addition to the family.

"You have my blessing."

You turn to look at Benedict, both of you grinning from ear to ear.

"I think, perhaps, I may be more fond of you than your brother," you say, turning to Eloise.

The younger Bridgerton turns to her brother smugly.

"They're mine now."

"Eloise-"

"Too late!"

You can only laugh as you watch the siblings bicker over you.

Yes, this feels like your family.

#benedict bridgerton x reader #benedict bridgerton #Bridgerton

[savemefrommydreams]

*Spoilers* for both the book and the show

Another Bridgerton post because I am still not over it. I absolutely love Kate and Anthony, but many other people have spoken about them better than I could and blessed us with gorgeous gifs, so can we talk about the other characters for a moment?!

I wish Lady Danbury was my aunt, because that woman would call me out if I ever needed it (and let’s be honest, I’d probably need that reality check), she’s supportive, so dang full of sass and wit and poise. She’s such a badass and she is nit afraid to put people in their place, and shes besties with the queen? Can she please adopt me?! I love her relationships with other women, my favourite is her friendship with Lady Bridgerton, and how there’s a bit of a light shed on female friendships of older women who’ve lived life and experienced so much, whether it’s heartbreak, loss, or having to hold their ground and position in respectable society.

Eloise, oh what would I do without her? And I love how in this season, she’s grown into so much more than just joined at the hip with Penelope, because she’s got her own thoughts and it feels more like they’re not sharing a single brain cell anymore, which is fantastic because we get to see them both as individuals, separate from their friendship. I love how she speaks of higher things like Women’s liberation and them being able to make their own choices in society as equal members instead of just gossiping about the ton, and her disdain for rEspEcTabLe society, and I love the feminist icon she is.

I like that the monarch is one, a Queen, and secondly, a woman of colour. She seemed far less silly or power hungry this season, and was just another reminder that women lead this show.

I really loved the moment with Edwina helping the Queen keep her head up high when the King barged in, and soothing his anxieties too. That was probably the moment where I felt the most respect for her, because while she’s great at manners and holding witty conversation and knowing when to do what, and being the perfect little young woman of marriageable age, she came off as a kid until then, the way Kate shields her and protects her, but that was the turning point for me.

I expected better from Penelope though, for such a woman of wit and words, she’s still very much stuck within the confines of society and while Lady Whistledown breaks away a little from this mould, she was reigned in by the very society she criticized and claims to be better than. She lost her power this season, and I hope she gets it back by the next one. That is in no way a judgement of the actress, but the storyline itself.

How I feel towards Lady Featherington is far from pleasant, but I appreciate that in the end everything she did was fueled by her desire to protect her daughters in a society that only saw them as objects with one sole purpose. A far cry from a feminist, or a respectable or honourable woman, but somehow still understandable?

I have to admit though, as much as I enjoyed this season of Bridgerton, as a reader, I couldn’t help but be disappointed by how far removed they were from the original storyline. The whole time I was wondering how they would not cause a scandal after having tread so far away from each other, and to be honest, I did not quite like the way the scandal was “resolved”. The relationship between Kate, her sister and her mother and Kate’s backstory were quite lacking in depth. While I appreciate that not everything can be included in an adaptation, this was so, so important, and was not paid enough attention to. Perhaps what I’m most sad about, though, is that we did not see “capital R rake” Anthony as much as we deserved to 😅 because Kate’s absolute disdain for the man was not petty and she was not just unnecessarily blocking him from courting her sister. And in the book, he was an honest man, he did not lead Edwina to believe he was in love with her, he was straightforward about how his marriage would not be for love because he did not expect to live long like his father and did not want to leave behind a broken woman or family. The build up to his affections towards Kate started out as just pure horniness, before anything more substantial occurred.

Anyway, I feel I would’ve probably enjoyed this season better if I hadn’t read the book first, because I can never stop comparing, but I love reading before because I love imagining the characters and scenes in my own little head before seeing them on screen. The south Asian representation and the above characters definitely helped make up for it to a certain extent.

I’ll probably make another post about the book vs the show another time, but I just wanted to share a few thoughts here and before I knew it, it was a rant/review, so that’s what you get for now!

#bridgerton spoilers #bridgerton #anthony bridgerton #lady danbury #eloise bridgerton #Penelope featherington #lady whistledown #spoilers #the viscount who loved me #bridgerton review #season 2

[romanceromp]

Okay, so I’ve been processing this amazing show, and everything about it for a couple of hours now. I’m going to try to put them into some sort of order, but it’s probably still going to be messy and yeah.... whatever. Gonna cut again, cause it’s going to be long. 

Daphne:

I was not a Daphne fan in the book. I found her very disingenuous, and quite manipulative. She manipulated Simon so much to get him to marry her. And then the dubious consent scene when he was drunk was the nail in the coffin for her...

But, the show did a really good job of rehabbing her character from the book. I actually really liked her. I found that most of the decisions she made were based on the enormous pressure she felt to have a successful debut and the find a worthy husband. She was concerned about her family’s reputation, and setting up her younger sisters for when their time came. I never really thought about that pressure while reading the book. 

Simon:

I didn’t like Simon in the book either. He was way too pig-headed, I hated that he basically abandoned Daphne, it was just all around terrible.

Rege brought such a warmth to Simon’s character. I really felt for him, and while he was still quite pigheaded, HE DID NOT ABANDON HIS WIFE. He still cared enough to stay with her. HUGE IMPROVEMENT ON THE BOOK. I just loved him. I can’t really put it into words. He was wonderful even when he was being a jerk. 

Anthony:

I understand what they were doing with Anthony. Some may view it as character assasination, but I understand it completely. As Siena said, Anthony is lost. He’s trying to emulate what he thought his father would do in every situation, but he just got it so wrong every time. I truly did feel like he thought he was doing what was best, but he just wasn’t listening to his family, which he needed to. I loved the back and forth with Violet. I think by the end he had started to turn the corner, and would be more like book Anthony in caring for his families’ wants and wishes. 

I didn’t hate the love story with Siena. To be honest, it makes more sense to me than the book story of why he didn’t want to love his wife. He had his heart broken, and his pride wounded. The normal reaction to that is to avoid love again (I’ve been there before, I wholly sympathize). But I don’t think he was truly in love with Siena, he was infatuated with her, and I think that he liked he could let down his “head of the family” guard that he always had up. He could be himself around her without being judged. I understand why he wanted to keep being with her. 

It really did set him up perfectly for the next season where he will meet Kate and his whole world will turn upside down, and he will truly understand what REAL love is. I can’t wait to watch that happen.

Benedict:

I liked the introduction to Benedict’s artist storyline. I also REALLY enjoyed the introduction to Benedict not giving a FUCK about society’s standards. It all leads quite nicely to his love story with Sophie, the lady’s maid. 😊 

I also REALLY loved the Benedict/Eloise scenes. I adored them. They are so similar, and I really loved that the show explored that and that they challenged each other. It was wonderful, and I look forward to seeing more of that in the later seasons.

Eloise:

I kinda loved Eloise’s obsession with Lady Whistledown and trying to figure out who it was. I honestly thought in the carriage scene with Benedict and Madame Delacroix that she figured out that it was Penelope, good misdirect there show. Claudia really gave such a wonderful performance. I CAN’T WAIT to see Phillip being super annoyed at her talking all the time. CAN’T WAIT. 

The Peneloise friendship was so wonderful as well. I hated that little part when they were fighting, but of course, they were always there for one another when they needed it. I adored it. 

Colin:

I’ve already mentioned on another post that I didn’t like the Marina storyline. But now, thinking about it, maybe it wasn’t that out of character for him? We all know he kind of makes snap judgments and just goes with it, as in when he decided he wanted to marry Penelope and just essentially ran in to ask for her mother’s blessing within 5 minutes of deciding. 

I did appreciate him being a sensitive soul. He really is. He would honestly do anything to help someone he cared about. 

I suppose the Marina storyline sets up the LW reveal in his and Penelope’s story, as it’s much harsher knowing that Penelope was the one to reveal Marina’s pregnancy publicly. It adds a level of drama that we didn’t have in the book. He was just jealous of Pen in the book, which was a bit weak in my opinion. 

Also, I feel like we can still get the “what is love” conversation with Daphne in his book. I feel like based on this experience he could be confused about what love really is, if he thought he loved Marina, but was wrong. I just really loved that scene in the book, so I hope they keep it.

Penelope:

I ADORED PENELOPE. Except for when she was a jealous bitch and basically ruined her and her sister’s future by revealing Marina’s pregnancy. That was 100% out of character, as we know Penelope wouldn’t have done anything to ruin her family. They will definitely need to do some character rehabbing for that particular plot point in the future. 

But seriously, Penelope’s heartbreak absolutely shattered me. Nicola played it SO WELL. She cried, I cried. It was hard to watch. And to be honest, at the end when she was crying after looking out the window, I thought she was crying because Colin was leaving, and I completely forgot that her father had just died. Lol. I honestly believe she was crying more for Colin than her father. 

Anyways, Penelope still has my heart. I just wanted to hug her for 90% of her scenes. Don’t worry Pen, your time will come. 

Violet:

Violet was wonderful. I also really loved that they had Daphne tell her how terrible it was that she didn’t give a proper birds and bees speech to her prior to her marriage. I think this sets up Violet to prepare the other girls better for their marriages. 

I loved that she went toe-to-toe with Anthony a lot. He needed to be put in his place, a lot, and she did. It was wonderful. 

She was just in general the matriarch that we all came to love in the books. I think she really grew as a mother over the season as well. 

Other thoughts:

Nigel being the villain in the first half was shocking and such a departure from the books. Not sure I loved that choice.

Cressida’s hair crowns were wild, and distracting.

I LOVE QUEEN CHARLOTTE. I NEED A SPIN OFF LIKE YESTERDAY.

I’ve said this in another post, but Prince Friedrich’s storyline was unrealistic, and yes, I know it’s fantasy world, but it still was a reach, and wasted potential Daphne/Simon development time.

I loved seeing Sir Phillip and setting up that story. Are they going to make the twins older though? Are they going to move up Eloise’s story? So many questions remain from that plot point. Also, he is hot and can GET IT. Yum.

Lady Danbury was almost as regal as the Queen, and I LOVED her women’s only gambling party. It is 100% in character, and I wanted to go to that party. I also loved the mother role she took with Simon, and boy did he need her. I’m so glad she plays a role in each book, I need more of her.

Daphne’s speech at the end of the ball in the rain made me cry so much. It was beautiful. Phoebe did such a great job with it. I loved that both she and Simon got a monologue to explain how much they care and love one another, and that they were at different times. 

Overall, I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT. I need season two ASAP. It’s going to suck waiting another year or more for it. I’m still fairly convinced we will see a season two. They just set up so much for future seasons, I don’t see why they wouldn’t continue the show.

#bridgerton #bridgerton spoilers #sorry this is so long #i have thoughts #and feelings