Bridgerton Fans Are Divided Over This Season 3 Scene

Bridgerton Season 3 marks the culmination of Colin and Penelope’s friends-to-lovers journey. But while Penelope’s been pining for a while, Colin needed a little nudging to see the light. Fortunately, his mom, Violet Bridgerton, is very much a #Polin shipper.

“I like the idea that she’s always thought that Penelope was a way forward for Colin, almost as if she’d been waiting for him to wake up and smell the coffee,” Ruth Gemmell, who plays Violet, recently told Bustle.

Naturally, this means there are several scenes where Violet is trying to gently guide Colin toward realizing his true feelings — and one moment, in particular, has fans divided.

Colin Who?

In Episode 4, Violet observes that Colin doesn’t seem himself, and provides a pep talk.

“You have always been one of my most sensitive children,” she says. “Always aware of what others need, always trying to be helpful, or offering a joke to lighten the mood. You so rarely put yourself first. I am proud of your sensitivity, but living to please others? I imagine it can be wearying at times — painful, perhaps.”

Several fans noted that the description, while sweet, seems to be more befitting of a different Bridgerton brother. “Wait a second, when did Kate and Anthony enter the conversation? Wasn’t she supposed to be talking about Colin,” wrote one fan on X (formerly Twitter).

Another viewer said Violet had “the wrong son” in mind, comparing Colin’s frequent travel with Anthony running the family from home.

However, other fans interpreted the scene differently. “She specifies that Colin lives to PLEASE others,” one viewer pointed out. “Not to SERVE others, which is very Anthony.” Another noted that “Colin puts other’s emotions first to make them happy even when his own are not taken into account.”

And as one fan pointed out, Violet’s using a compliment to low-key scold her son into getting to the ball. It makes sense to appeal to his inner sweetheart.

The second part of Violet’s speech makes her mission even more clear, as she acknowledges the “armor” Colin has been wearing (i.e., the rakish vibe he’s been affecting since returning from abroad).

Fortunately, Violet’s guidance does the trick. Terrified by the prospect of Penelope getting engaged to Lord Debling, Colin rushes to intercept her at the ball — and the rest, well, is Bridgerton history.

A Behind-The-Scenes Detail

This scene may be the most obvious sign of Violet’s shipping — but as it turns out, she’s even more of a mastermind than you might have thought. As one viewer pointed out, Violet watched Colin and Penelope’s interaction from afar in the previous episode.

Director Andrew Ahn replied that it was actually Gemmell’s idea to be in the background, “so that Violet could witness this moment.”

So no matter what, it’s clear Violet has been very aware of the #Polin phenomenon.