#shondaland did this for ME

[dearabsolutelynoone]

Simone Ashley and Jonathan Bailey for ‘Bridgerton’ Season 3

#oh we’re so back #kanthony stans RISE #GOODBYE ANGST HELLO MARTIAL BLISS #shondaland did this for ME #spring 2024 pls come fast so I can make these two my entire personality #i’m about to be so annoying #bridgerton #kanthony #kate and anthony #anthony and kate #kate x anthony #anthony x kate #kathony #anthony bridgerton #kate sharma #the viscount who loved me #bridgerton season 3 #simone ashley #jonathan bailey #lord bridgerton #lady bridgerton

[beauspot]

there are genuinely valid critiques of polin as couple but you guys don’t use any of them. it’s always how “polin is bland” which is just wrong, they’re one of the most interesting couples because they’ve known each other the longest. I think y’all only think couples are interesting who hate each other and talk to each other like they’re trash, like i love anthony but he was a sexist piece of shit for 75% of the series. do you find him more interesting than colin because he’s a more interesting character or do you just like it when characters are emotionally stunted and angry.

colin’s whole story is about finding his purpose as a third son and making a mark for himself, so he’s been traveling to find himself first so he could become a well rounded person. pen is one of the most interesting girls on the show just by being lady whistle down and the show would not be the same without her. period. she is also a plus size character so her character is still important rep even if she’s white.

penelope and colin’s season will have THE MOST angst out of all the others because they’ve done things to hurt one another (unintentionally but still). pen has contributed to marina being exposed and eloise being exposed(even though she had her VALID reasons) these are both very important women in his life so he will be upset about it, especially about his sister because he doesn’t know pen did it to protect her. Then of course we have mr ‘can’t keep his dumbass mouth shut’ bridgerton giggling with his friends about not wanting to court penelope and this of course hurt her. All of this will have to be resolved next season and all of this is made infinitely worse because they’re childhood friends who love each other and have for years even if it wasn’t always romantic. That’s a kind of hurt the other Bridgertons could never experience because they met their love interests so recently.

Like a valid argument would be Pen shouldn’t be made a last second choice she should be seen and loved immediately like her thinner counterparts, but even still that’s more a critique on fatphobia and not really colin. because as we will see he does find pen attractive (thankfully the writers aren’t making her lose weight cause that would’ve been horrid) it’s because they’ve known each other so long the thought of courting her never even occurred to him as an option. Of course he could have not spoken to his friends in that manner and let them laugh, because regardless of whether she was there or not that’s his friend and it was cruel, but let’s not act like Anthony was not talking about having a woman to breed sons with last season.

so many of you are trying to hide your fatphobia under “critiques” and i won’t let you, you won’t ruin this season for me as hard as you might try.and i swear to god if i see one more kanthony stan crying because the bridgerton accounts aren’t only posting about them i’m going to fight somebody. this show is not the kate and anthony show, they will not be the main focus of season 3 you can either come to terms with that now or next summer when the show is out, but if i see you bitching about polin you will get blocked. cause that’s loser ass behavior

#bridgerton #polin #penelope featherington #penelope bridgerton #colin bridgerton #lady whistledown #kanthony #kate sharma #anthony bridgerton #saphne #simon hastings #daphne bridgerton #the duke of hastings #romancing mr. bridgerton #the viscount who loved me #the duke and i #why did i just now realize the last episode of season 3 is gonna be called romancing mr bridgertona #and i started kicking my feet giggling 🤭 #shondaland #lady featherington #lord bridgerton #romcom #friends to lovers #enemies to lovers

[disneydatass]

Please RB! So I can 👀 the tags

#grey’s anatomy #greys anatomy #shonda rhimes #shondaland #tumblr polls #for me it was when they fired the actresses who played Arizona and April and literally did not give them a reason or notice #like how are you going to get rid of one of the only lesbian reps on the show and they replaced them w two young rando gay guys #like that would somehow makeup for it lmfao #but fr i invested more than a decade of this show… #I haven’t watched it in years but if it ends soon I may have to go back and finish bc imagine a show being with you for two decades crazy #my mother is still watching it I believe #anygays… #I hope ppl reblog I genuinely want to hear the answers in the tags lolol

[buckttommy]

Might watch Station 19 for this lil white man that popped up on my FYP *slaps side* this bad boy looks like he's got So Much Trauma inside of him (it's just a vibe no one correct me)

#now. yes. i did say i wanted someone to line up a shot and shoot me next time i tried to watch a shondaland show #but. consider this. funky little white men #hmm. compelling argument yes?

[tulipsandcorgis]

what does the pr team have against simone… it’s ridiculous at this point.

#fuck shondaland #and before you come for me #yes i know she isn’t the female leaf for s3 #i am not stupid #but guess who wasn’t the female lead for s2 and got just as much promotion as simone did? #oh that’s right… #nicola

[musicalnerd4ever]

Bridgerton fanfic - Season 3 speculative fic. An idea for a scene before the one we just got on Valentine’s Day!

I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE BRIDGERTON CHARACTERS OR STORYLINES. SHONDALAND, JULIA QUINN AND NETFLIX DO.

Follow Me - Penelope fanfic

———————————————

Cressida ripped the bottom of Penelope‘s new emerald green dress, and her shame exploded, as it always did when she attended a ball. Out of the corner of her tear-filled eyes, she saw Colin laughing and joking with the same gentlemen of the Ton who had mocked her in her family estate. They had not seen what happened. Colin was forever blind to her. There was nothing she could do anymore. Their friendship was over, and she needed to accept it.

As a tear finally fell down her fair face, a solid and steadfast voice whispered in her ear. A serious one. A kind one. She recognized it as Lord Debling’s voice. The two of them had a brief conversation earlier in the evening. Awkward and sincere Lord Debling.

“Follow me. We will escape this dreadful environment together. It is alright, I am here. Do not pay them any mind. These people are not worth your tears.” Penelope felt safer and stronger again, similar to how she felt when Eloise and Colin were in her life. It only took one conversation for her to see the goodness in this man. He was like her. An outcast, and he also recognized a kindred spirit in Penelope. She held back her sobs and looked up at Lord Debling with a soft smile as they walked side-by-side. Her feet picked up as best as they could, even with her hand on his arm. The cruel, malicious laughter faded away.

With Penelope’s focus on leaving the ballroom as quickly as possible, she failed to notice Colin Bridgerton. He watched her leave, unaware of what Cressinda Cowper had done. All he saw was Penelope, leaving the ballroom with a man he did not recognize. A quick, unfamiliar twinge of pain struck his heart. After saying his goodbyes to the men, he dipped and dove through the crowds toward his dear friend, hoping to speak to her after months of no communication. Hopefully the man would not be there. He needed to know why his letters went without answer.

#bridgerton #polin #colin bridgerton #penelope featherington #fanfic #lord debling #Debling #pebling #penelope x colin #Penelope #penelope x Debling #speculation #season 3

[newtonsheffield]

They did it to you again they dropped new videos in the middle of the night!

Netflix, Shondaland. I am once more asking you to consider that I look like I haven’t slept in 33 days

This was me at work yesterday. Prada could not make bags that big look fashionable!

[triviareads]

Why the Queen Charlotte Show's Take on Race is Dubious at Best and Harmful at Worst (Also, Was Queen Charlotte Actually Black? An Exploration)

As the promo for the Queen Charlotte show picks up, I'm starting to see a lot of genuinely harmful articles in the news, and they're compounded by Shondaland themselves and the material they've chosen to show the world.

Let's first talk about Shondaland, who decided it was a great idea to double down on the notion that love cured racism, and then proceeded to create a show about Queen Charlotte and King George III, a man who was historically pro-slavery politically, and did nothing about the issue even as abolition sentiment picked up during his reign. Their Valentine's Day event didn't inspire much confidence either; they showed multiple clips that describe this segregated society (their kind don't mix with our kind, or some variation of this, was said a thousand times in each promo clip) where the white people in power (the monarchy) apparently don't engage with the Black nobility until.... suddenly now, when Princess Charlotte is arriving to marry George. Oh also, Corey Mylchreest, the actor who plays George III recommended a book called, The Last King of America: The Misunderstood Reign of George III, written by Baron Roberts of Belgravia, a man who has apparently defended the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and mass internment in Northern Ireland. Lovely. Going back on topic, the clips themselves showed an embarrassingly white-washed portrayal of racism and segregation, and that too, we know it was all magically solved within a generation.

Look, I'm not asking for a tragic POC narrative. But if I'm watching a show where race is a focal point thematically, I want it treated with the respect and consideration it deserves. Not some post-racial-but-not-really fantasy bullshit they're spinning. As my friend @jeanvanjer said, racism isn't simply being "mean" or someone being given the cut-direct. Because here's the thing: Shondaland absolutely had the option of not creating this ridiculous narrative. They could have casted all the same, lovely actors and not explained why this regency fantasy world is diverse! Instead, they decided to bring in race, but then treat it as a fucking joke.

Which brings me to this article:

First of all, for an article that's titled race is "more central" to the Queen Charlotte show, it barely gives us any information as to how. Instead, it gives this quote from Adjoa Andoh:

First of all, "TRUE TO HISTORY"? I'm sorry, is Shondaland and its actors spinning the narrative that Queen Charlotte truly was a mixed-race woman in an effort to legitimize this show's need to create this simplistic racial narrative?

Fine. Lets examine that, shall we? How did Queen Charlotte come to allegedly have a Black ancestor? Let me tell you this: it was not due to love conquering racism. The answer lies in the 1200s. Literally 500 years before Charlotte's birth. Her name was likely Madragana Ben Aloandro, and she was a woman of possibly-Moorish ancestry and a Muslim. She was born in the Algarve when it was still ruled by the Moors, but it was conquered by King Afonso III, who made Madragana his mistress shortly after, had her converted to Christianity, and had her name changed. There are gaps in her story, but if I try to fill them in, I can very well imagine that based on the fact that this man conquered her home by use of military force, and she was around twenty years younger than him, there was... likely a significant lack of consent here along with erasure of identity. This is the woman Charlotte is likely descended from, a woman who was born some 500 years before her, and likely had a negligible contribution to Charlotte's gene pool. But somehow, the show and this article expects us to believe that historical assertions that Charlotte looked like a Black woman, or even counted as biracial, are not racist, but statements of fact.

Indeed, this article relied on disgusting, racist, and obviously biased descriptions from Charlotte's contemporaries including her personal physician Baron Stockmar and Sir Walter Scott as "proof" Charlotte was a mixed-race woman, and then proceeded to tie her to Meghan Markle in terms of the racism they experienced:

These false equivalencies and cherry-picking historical facts have become a hallmark of the Bridgerton show, and now the Queen Charlotte show as well, apparently.

What this show, and Shondaland as a whole, fails to understand is that its take on racial politics is embarrassing and ridiculous for an educated, modern audience. For those of us who are students of history, we cannot accept a narrative like "love cures racism" and simply fly with it, because we know that cheapens not only the romance of this alleged historical romance show, but also the hard-won battles people in history fought in order to freely love who they choose to love.

We cannot accept an even more dangerous potential narrative the show may try to sell us, that segregated societies can be equal by pointing to proof of Black aristocrats in the Queen Charlotte show as an example. Because if there's anything decades of precedent has taught us, a segregated society is inherently unequal.

We cannot accept this Queen Charlotte show than anything more than a thoughtlessly-done portrayal of a segregated society, waiting to magically be fixed by someone— the white man who was historically a racist pro-slaver? A Black woman who wasn't actually Black historically?

Who knows.

#lets talk about charlotte's ancestor Madragana Ben Aloandro #bridgerton #queen charlotte: a bridgerton story #queen charlotte #racism #george iii #shondaland

[costumersupportdept]

oh come on, Shondaland. Did we have to start off the Queen Charlotte Bridgerton with a literal three minute monologue about how awful corsets are (only if they're not fitted correctly/you're not used to them, also in this period they were 100% referred to as stays.) and how the whalebone in them will stab you to death and is EXCEEDINGLY SHARP? (uh, what? whalebone is keratin and 100% softens up when held in contact with a warm body for any length of time?)

Charlotte would have been so used to wearing stays as a woman of that social class in that period that she would have been entirely unphased by that.

(And please don't start me on how she replies to her brother with "yes, the BONES of WHALES" because you and I both know that's also a load of horseshit and the stuff used to stiffen stays was actually the baleen from the roofs of their mouths, not the ACTUAL BONES of WHALES.)

If you need more:

#ye gods and little fishes #costumer problems #dowager costumer of tumblr #Youtube

[thekatebridgerton]

Ok so since having someone walk in and interrupt a couples sexy time is also something Shondaland has a fetish for. Here's the list of people who are my top 5 for catching Polin mid kissing+ groping+undressing

1) Kate

Kate: Oh my gosh! What are you two doing??

Penelope: oh no, Kate, Colin was just helping me...

Kate: helping you find out how kissing works?

Penelope: would you believe me if I said yes?

Kate: nope and if that's your best excuse I feel sorry for you

Colin: Kate just don't tell Anthony

Kate: fine! But My poor eyes! Ugh I need to send Daphne a belated apology gift for what she had to put up with

2) Eloise

Eloise: you asshole!! Get off her

Colin: El I can explain

Eloise: how could you she's my friend you traitor

Penelope: Eloise stop hitting him

Eloise: it's my fist or a duel Colin you choose!

Colin: that's unfair everyone knows you're a better shot than me

Eloise: exactly!

3) Lady Featherington

Portia: I have seen nothing, cero, nada

Penelope: wait what

Portia: he obviously just tripped and fell on top of you. With his lips. That's it, there's been no funny buisness

Penelope: I guess umm, yes, that's exactly what happened

Colin: no, of course not! your mother just doesn't want to let you leave the nest! Lady Featherington come on!

Portia: I've seen cero indication of funny buisness in this room, you two have done nothing. Penelope is still my baby

4) Mme Delacroix

Genevieve: Mon dieu Miss Featherington! Did you have to do that in here

Penelope: oh gosh I'm so sorry Gen

Genevieve: and Mr Bridgerton I expected better from you

Colin: I don't regret anything

Genevieve: I can see that! You're lucky it was me who opened the door

5) Anthony

Anthony: oh sorry, my bad, wrong door, carry on

Colin: ...

Penelope:....okay?

Colin: well that's unexpected

*outside of the door*

Anthony: MOTHER BRING OUT THE CHAMPAGNE COLIN IS FINALLY GETTING MARRIED TO PENELOPE

Violet: finally! I thought he'd never get to it

Anthony: just don't go inside the library, he's trying to make his proposal sound impressive for her

Anthony: YOU HEAR ME COLIN, YOU BETTER BE MAKING YOUR PROPOSAL REALLY REALLY SPECIAL

*inside*

Penelope: now that's more like him

#bridgerton #polin #polin au #Penelope Featherington #colin Bridgerton #kate sharma #Eloise Bridgerton #Anthony Bridgerton

[abovethemists]

I know it's unlikely we'll see much of Anthony, Benedict and Colin after their seasons are over, but I need Shondaland to move heaven and earth to get them all back just for that scene in TSPWL where all the brothers show up to beat up Philip and drag Eloise home. I especially need Eloise being like "why did you bring Gregory, he's a child!" because no matter how old Gregory is he's always a child to me.

Also, speaking of TSPWL, didn't season 2 establish that he lives not far from Aubrey Hall? Because Colin went there to visit Marina. I wonder if they'll change things up so Eloise stays with Anthony and Kate instead of Benedict and Sophie and it's little Edmund who gets hurt. Because chances are Eloise's season will follow closely on the heels of Benedict's and there won't be time for he and Sophie to have a child that old.

#bridgerton #bridgerton spoilers #bridgerton book spoilers

[sea-owl]

Okay, let's talk about it. On Monday, Dec 11th, it was leaked that Bridgerton Season 3 was being split into two parts between May 16th and June 13th.

I'm honestly not that surprised since Netflix has been doing this, especially after the strikes, so they have no lineup and will probably continue to do this for the foreseeable future. They just recently did it to the Crown with part one releasing in November and part 2 releasing on December 14th. It's all a numbers game, honestly.

Taking a look at the lineup for the first quarter of 2024, it seems Netflix is taking a gamble by releasing the anticipated live action remake of Avatar the Last Airbender in February. This doesn't surprise me that Bridgerton, a proven and reliable numbers puller, was pushed back to the second quarter because of this. Also, it seems Netflix has picked up a new habit of releasing big shows in the second month of the quarters.

Now, for my personal feelings on this, it honestly doesn't bug me. I have other shows to watch, and I've got the books and fanfiction too. The shows I watch right now are once a week releases, too, so I'm good. Though I'm surprised, Netflix hasn't tried to pull this yet since I know they've done similar in the past. But again, to me, this is several numbers games that Netflix is playing. They're still a corporation, and they're still gonna try to make the most amount of money possible. They've found a way to get two months out of people for subscriptions if they're like me who don't have a Netflix subscription at all.

I do like, though, that this split does have the potential to the fandom marinate on it a little more and will be talking about it. So that will be a fun time when we get to it.

I do wonder if Shondaland might have shot itself in the foot, though, for any plans of future spin-offs like Queen Charlotte. Queen Charlotte was basically taken on as another season of Bridgerton, and in my opinion it was always meant to be that way due to the fact that they admitted that we would have to watch Queen Charlotte to understand certain things in season 3, rather than what it is, a spin off. Good for Shonda for being able to make her own story in this universe, but now it is running interference with the main show. Which is disappointing because Shondaland knows how to run a main show and a spin-off at the same time. Your spin-off should not interfere with the main show.

We'll see what happens. Plans are already in motion, so it is what it is. I'll just be in my little corner until it's time to rise up from the grave.

#bridgerton #polin #bridgerton season 3 #funny thing is netflix hasnt gotten a penny out of me in almost a year #that aint changing anytime soon #now had things been as normal maybe we would have gotten it sooner but i still find that debatable

[jbaileyfansite]

Interview with 'Bustle' talking about Fellow Travelers, Bridgerton and Wicked

Showtime’s Fellow Travelers explores a star-crossed romance between Tim Laughlin (Jonathan Bailey) and Hawkins “Hawk” Fuller (Matt Bomer) set against the backdrop of America’s Lavender Scare: the persecution of LGBTQ+ government workers in the mid-20th century.

Tim and Hawk, who both work in politics, meet at a party in 1950s Washington, D.C., and quickly strike up an on-and-off relationship, which carries on for over four decades. Their meetings are urgent, secret, and steamy — enough for Out to dub the historical drama “one of the sexiest shows in recent memory,” thanks in no small part to an erotic toe-sucking scene. But the most vulnerable moments between Tim and Hawk have little to do with sex.

“The most intimate scenes are not the physical ones, but the ones where they’re really looking at each other and being kind to each other,” Bailey tells Bustle over Zoom. “Those felt really, really joyful. In those dark periods, that’s what these characters live for.”

In the relationship, Bailey’s character is pious and submissive — a far cry from his brooding, Mr. Darcy-coded character on Bridgerton. The actor is “grateful” that many of those fans will follow him to the new show, which is based on Thomas Mallon’s same-named 2007 novel.

“Doing something like Bridgerton, which is such a populist celebration of a show, what I loved, and probably a reason I was led toward Fellow Travelers,is the opportunity to guide people [to] stories that are slightly more niche,” he says.

As for Bridgerton, Bailey will return as the newly married Anthony when the show returns in 2024, and he’s excited for Luke Newton and Nicola Coughlan (aka Colin and Penelope) to “completely thrive” in Season 3.

Could Season 3 include more LGBTQ+ storylines? “I’m always hopeful for inclusion in that way,” Bailey says. “There’s so much that Bridgerton has achieved in storytelling, and there’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that with the brilliance of Shondaland, everyone’s gonna see themselves in the story at some point, I’m sure.”

Below, the actor opens up about filming Fellow Travelers, his role in the upcoming Wicked adaptation, and the rom-com legend he’d love to work with.

Fellow Travelers depicts more of Tim and Hawk’s relationship than we get to see in the book. What was it like to act across all the decades?

That’s exactly what drew me to it. So much of [what drew me to it] was about talking to [series creator Ron Nyswaner], and understanding how much of his own experience he pulled into it. That really set the bar, I think, for the level of commitment that I was excited to give.

I love Tim as a character. I’ve learned so much from him — about the way he deconstructs the hands that are given to him, and the way he’s constantly searching for truth. He operates in kindness, even though he’s flawed.

What was the most interesting thing you learned?

I’m obsessed with the inclusion of the Frankie and Marcus storyline [and] understanding how the civil rights movement and queer liberation movement really intersected. The queer Black spaces were more robust, and they created a safe haven [for] the white, queer people coming into them — whereas it didn’t work the other way around.

Tim drinks a lot of milk in the show. How much did you go through while filming... and what kind?

My milk appreciation has evolved! I think it was oat milk — but yeah, bless Tim and his milk habit. He’s obviously not calcium-deficient in any way, which is good.

You’ve been open about the busy filming schedule between Fellow Travelers and Bridgerton. I’m sure making each season has to be a little different — so what was most special about Season 3?

The thing that’s special is the overwhelming love that you feel. Every year, it’s a different lead character. So, tonally, it shifts. Even in the way that they market each series, you see the tonal colors, the passion, the different ways in which people can fall in love.

The personal experience of suddenly being exposed on Netflix, it’s life-changing. [Being on the show] makes you feel the need to be stabilized in this industry, but it’s also the thing that gives you [stability].So it’s a really lovely thing to be able to go away and to come back. We’re a tribe.

Speaking of life-changing roles, how did you and the Wicked cast keep up during the SAG-AFTRA strike?

I felt particularly sorry for Cynthia [Erivo]. As we were getting near the end, there were so many big moments that were about to be filmed. So [holding onto those] simmering [moments], it must have been really hard for her. But we’re always in touch and bonded by such an extraordinary experience thus far, and I’m sure that experience will only get wilder and more brilliant.

You’re killing it in these different romantic roles. Is there a rom-com you personally gravitate toward — maybe a festive one at this time of year?

Well, I watch Love Actually every time I do my tax return. That is the ultimate antidote to stress. Richard Curtis’ anthology of incredible rom-coms is basically a grounding for wanting to be an actor as well. I’d be really excited about the idea of a collaboration [with him].

Source

#jonathan bailey #jonny bailey #bustle interview #bustle #fellow travelers #bridgerton #wicked #interviews #interviews:2023 #lgbtq+ #lgbtqia #NEW!

[imthefailedartist]

I realize I'm over the "Case of the Week" police procedural, not every one but most of the new ones. One and done really doesn't interest me anymore. I need a lasting impact, I need an overall story.

I think it's the fault of Hannibal. That show really did case of the week right.

They had two cases, the Minnesota Shrike and The Copycat (Hannibal), that had an impact over the entire show. The audience got to watch Will change and adapt because the case (TMS) really impacted him and infiltrated his mind. While then trying to solve the main case of The Copycat/Hannibal the Cannibal and using everything he was experiencing on the case of the week to solve the Copycat.

Take Found. I like it, but I think it would benefit from Gabi trying to solve a confirmed long-term kidnapping, like hers. It would be much more impactful emotionally and give a better reason for her detaining Sir. Then, in between her looking for the long-term kidnapper, she makes him help her find other kidnappers.

They have the case right there. Margaret's son. That case only being used for her story is irritating. Make it the case of the season. It's so much more interesting than her going to the bus station looking with no real reason other than that's where she chose (maybe that's where he went missing, I might've missed the explanation), and it makes her "super power" less of a gimmick.

To be fair, we haven't seen the episode of how Gabi came to find Sir, so who knows, that could change everything for me, but so far, I'm just not understanding why she chose detaining over turning him in.

Will Trent does killer of the week in a way I enjoy. But again, it's about lasting impact and having something to solve in between cases.

I also think it's a writing thing. I do watch and love police procedurals, and I know the whole point is that a casual or first-time viewer can just hop in whenever. But the writing can be a little too on the nose and never give the viewer anything to interpret themselves can be done in a show with an overarching story.

Imagine this show in the hands of Shondaland!!! My god, it would be off the charts.

#hannibal nbc #will graham #hannibal lecter #found nbc #will trent #thriller #thrillers #murder mystery #mystery thriller #police procedural #shonda rhimes #shondaland

[charlottegeorgesheart]

Young Queen Charlotte, played by India Amarteifio, keeps to innocent pastels in her early scenes, but her colors grow bolder as her power does too.  (Liam Daniel/Netflix)

BY VALLI HERMAN

In the first minutes of the “Bridgerton” prequel “Queen Charlotte,” the namesake character complains heartily how her elaborate gown and its restrictive corset made of brittle and sharp whalebone means that if she moves too much, “I might be sliced and stabbed to death by my undergarments.”

Oh, dearest gentle reader, young Queen Charlotte hasn’t suffered in vain. Her every ensemble, and those of the show’s sizable cast, are crafted with such sumptuous detail, that surely all who view them would gladly have them suffer even more.

Even though period costumes are notoriously cumbersome, Emmy-winning costume designer Lyn Elizabeth Paolo and co-costume designer Laura Frecon dispel notions that the actors suffered much (thanks to light, modern fabrics and stretchy panels in their corsets). Still, the yearlong shoot in grand estates across the United Kingdom overlapped the pandemic lockdown and required worldwide sourcing. It seems that their brand of elegant finery was a tonic for distress, and a cause for celebration. The work, helped by a 220-person costume crew, has earned them a 2023 Emmy nomination for period costumes.

Replica undergarments were crafted from light, modern fabrics and stretchy panels to be slightly more comfortable than the actual period clothing. (Liam Daniel/Netflix)

“This [shoot] was challenging, but also joyful. Every time a piece of a costume would come back, it was, ‘Oh, my God! It looks better than we thought it would.’ There was a lot of joy there,” says Paolo, the longtime designer for other Shonda Rhimes productions, such as “Inventing Anna” and “Scandal.”

The six-episode costume drama on Netflix explores the early days of the difficult marriage of Queen Charlotte (India Amarteifio) and King George III (Corey Mylchreest). The fictionalized story of the actual royals takes place in two time periods — the Georgian era of the 1760s and the later Regency era in which “Bridgerton” is set — and includes key characters from the original show. There are several grand balls, a royal wedding and a coronation to wardrobe. No biggie.

Or so Paolo was led to believe.

“I remember Sara Fischer, who is head of production at Shondaland, called me and said, ‘Shonda has this idea for a small, intimate show. She really wants you to do it.’ And, what are you going to say?” recalls Paolo, who was a consultant on Season 2 of “Bridgerton.”

She invented a time-twisting concept inspired by Monet and Matisse paintings and modern fashion designers who themselves referenced historical costume such as John Galliano, Alexander McQueen, Moschino, Zuhair Murad and Christian Dior in his New Look era. Yet Paolo kept the silhouette appropriately Georgian.

“The pitch was, we kind of want it to look like a Met Ball … but to be slightly more on point with the period. We still wanted to have our own stylistic elements that would make sure that the modern eye understood the costumes,” Paolo says.

Corey Mylchreest as King George and India Amarteifio as Queen Charlotte all but sparkle in their lustrous clothing. (Nick Wall/Netflix)

“For the men, we had images of rock ‘n’ roll icons from the ‘70s and ‘80s. So a lot of images of Prince, the New Romantics and Adam Ant. All those people back then who had that pirate chic going on.”

That vision required a mostly custom-made wardrobe that sourced from London, Los Angeles, New York, Budapest and Spain. Jewelers Joseff of Hollywood, Manhattan’s Larkspur & Hawk and Italy’s Pikkio custom made the period jewelry and other adornments. British manufacturer James Hare supplied traditional fabrics as did a mill hours from London that wove custom fabrics. Smaller artisan shops focused on hand embroidery or a particular character.

“It was sort of a small army,” says Paolo, who relied on the organizational skills of Frecon. A giant calendar and flow chart helped them track the flow of work, particularly of the embroidered pieces, which were outsourced to UK specialists Twan Lentjes Creations, Beth Parry and Hattie McGill, whose Instagram accounts illustrate their handiwork.

Other members of the court stand out in patterned fabrics (on Tunji Kasim as Adolphus) and brightly colored gowns with hats (Arsema Thomas as Agatha Danbury).

“It’s so complicated,” Paolo says, describing a process of sample making, initial embroidery, further tailoring and additional hand embellishing before a pattern piece is ever fitted into a garment. Even fabric-covered buttons were embroidered.

The women’s gowns are especially intensive. The earlier dresses, from 1760 onward, required 13 to 20 yards of fabric and at least four weeks of construction; five if they’re heavily embellished. Each ensemble requires petticoats that can add five to 10 more yards each, plus a corset, a pannier (a cage-like underpinning), a padded bum roll, shoes, stockings and garters. The jewelry sets were matched to each costume and included rings, earrings, necklaces, bracelets and tiara-like hair jewelry that was fitted into fantastical wigs by hair and makeup designer Nic Collins.

With two sets of characters to dress in two different eras, the costume designers were careful to build visual continuity, typically with color. Young Queen Charlotte, for example, keeps to innocent pastels in her early scenes, but her colors grow bolder as her power does too. The designers cannot precisely count the number of costume changes, or quantify the number of pieces they used, only to say “in the thousands.” Paolo says Jeff Jur, director of photography, was on board to capture the spectacle and regularly texted her and Frecon to say, “‘I’m doing a full head-to-toe shot of this one.”

Still, it’s tricky to absorb all of the detail, even though it’s there on the hand-embroidered initials on a man’s handkerchief, or the restored antique jet beading and lace on Queen Charlotte’s mourning gown, or the Easter eggs, as Paolo calls the references she wove into many costumes, particularly those in the final episode, which features an astronomy-themed ball, hosted by the king and queen.

King George loves astronomy, so stars and moons are embroidered and beaded into their clothes. The ball was shot outdoors at night, which usually obscures costume details. Jur expertly lit the scene to illuminate the clothes that were so laden with sparkly bits that they twinkle.

Though the final episode was picked to submit for Emmy consideration, the choice was “brutal,” Paolo said. “It’s a huge group of amazingly talented people who all deserve recognition. If we are lucky enough to win, I would want 220 miniature ones to hand out to everyone.”

#queen charlotte: a bridgerton story #india amarteifio #corey mylchreest #queen charlotte #king george iii #charlotte x george #charlottegeorge #tunji kasim #arsema thomas #prince adolphus #lady danbury #netflix #!

[antipolin]

I just need to have some acknowledgment in s3 from either Anthony or Kate or Benedict or Violet—preferably all of them—that pen being LW is an unpleasant surprise. Even if it’s just a few lines of expressing their shock and disappointment which is sadly all im expecting shondaland to let happen to their princess. I would hate to have Eloise have this huge reaction and then her siblings and mother are like “ain’t no thing but a chicken wing”. Let someone, anyone, say to Penelope “we did not expect this of you”

The writers REALLY wrote themselves into a corner re. Penelope/LW and it genuinely upsets/pisses me off.

Because they'll either have the whole family rightfully pissed at her (which realistically is how it SHOULD go) but then they just forgive her after like one day, despite all the nasty shit she did and said to the whole family.

OR

Have her have Colin lie to his family to keep her secret, despite her constantly talking shit about HIS family in particular.

And frankly, both are shitty options.

#anon #asks #anti Polin #anti Penelope Featherington