Bridgerton: Why Season 2 Needs To Change Lady Whistledown
WARNING: Spoilers for Bridgerton season 1 (including the identity of Lady Whistledown)
Bridgerton needs to change the current trajectory of the Lady Whistledown subplot in season 2. The show's gossip columnist premise allows for sustained suspense during the first eight episodes of Bridgerton, but the character betrays the progressive nature of the Netflix show. Given that the Bridgerton season 1 finale reveals the true identity of Lady Whistledown, there's immense potential moving forward for a meaningful story about the character's true motivations.
Voiced by the legendary Julie Andrews, Lady Whistledown narrates the entirety of Bridgerton season 1. As a powerful journalist, her commentaries establish the overall tone for the Netflix series, with audiences following her lead while tracking the movements of their favorite characters. For example, Lady Whistledown initially praises Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) and Marina Thompson (Ruby Barker), only to cut them down with embarrassing stories that damage their reputations. At all times, it seems like Lady Whistledown is feeling high in her in-step.
Bridgerton season 1 reveals Lady Whistledown to be none other than the youngest Featherington daughter, Penelope (Nicola Coughlan), a girl with an obvious axe to grind. While the revelation does give new meaning to the first eight episodes, it's in Netflix's best interest not to develop the teenage character as the series' villain. For one, Bridgerton can never be a truly progressive series if it hampers (rather than empowering) the emotional development of a young female character who clearly needs some life guidance. Penelope does indeed have extraordinary confidence in her writing skills and ability to acquire valuable information, but she's dangerously close to becoming a sociopathic character who is hell-bent on destroying the lives of people who make her mad. There's certainly room for a such an individual in Bridgerton, but that person would hopefully be an adult.
Lady Whistledown's dishonorable behavior holds everyone back, including herself. She manipulates Daphne so much that the Bridgerton girl literally intervenes in a duel between her brother Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) and Simon (Regé-Jean Page), with the subtext implying that all three of the main protagonists are deeply depressed, or at least deeply upset with how their lives are going. Meanwhile, Lady Whistledown - a teenage girl - essentially ruins Marina Thompson's life after exposing her pregnancy, thus ending her engagement to Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton). In Bridgerton season 2, Penelope needs to be immediately exposed. The character needs to experience some type of epiphany that will provide a sense of clarity, and thus move the storyline forward by easing the minds of Londoners.
As a character, Penelope may indeed resonate with some teenage viewers, but let's hope Netflix will take advantage of the opportunity to highlight the error of Lady Whistledown's ways in Bridgerton season 2. The character has proven that she's powerful enough to maintain societal order, and also that she's smart enough to run her own empire. Still, the fact remains that Penelope has little life experience beyond her comfort zone. As the saying goes, pride comes before the fall, and it will be extremely disappointing if Lady Whistledown doesn't find some type of guidance that will inspire her to reassess her journalistic approach. Penelope has an opportunity to re-write her story, but she sadly may need to hit rock bottom before uplifting herself. Or maybe she'll choose to unmask herself after taking a story too far. That approach would be a more unique way to capture the attention of a Londoner with a love of the written word.