In The First Bridgerton Season 3 Clip, Colin & Penelope Are Adorably Awkward

Bridgerton Season 3 is still months away, but as an early Valentine’s Day present, Netflix dropped the first clip from Colin and Penelope’s love story on Feb. 1. And, yes, you’ll swoon.

#Polin’s debut was part of the streamer’s Next on Netflix event, but this won’t be the only tease. On Feb. 14, a Bridgerton sneak peek event will feature a closer look at the new season and Q&A with the series stars and creative team.

But first, let’s break down the 30-second clip that gives fans a *lot* to talk about.

Soul-Gazing Sweetness

In the new footage, Colin (Luke Newton) and Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) are hardcore gazing at each other in the Bridgerton family’s drawing room. Their staring contest goes on for what feels like forever, until the tension-filled silence is broken with a comment from Penelope: “Your eyes... a most remarkable shade of blue,” she says. “And yet somehow, they shine even brighter when you are kind.”

Colin is visibly flustered — and is about to respond when Penelope concludes, “I might say something like that if you were a suitor.”

“Well, that was rather direct,” Colin replies.

The reference to Colin’s eyes might stand out to Bridgerton book readers. In Romancing Mister Bridgerton, his eyes are described as “devastating,” and “the sort of eyes that haunted a girl’s dreams.”

It’s a charged scene that sets the tone for Colin and Penelope’s Season 3 journey. According to Netflix, Colin is “eager to win back [Penelope]’s friendship” after ridiculing her to his friends last season. So, he tries to make amends by mentoring Pen “in the ways of confidence,” so she can find a match.

Rom-com lovers know that this, obviously, will not go as planned. “When his lessons start working a little too well,” the official synopsis continues, “Colin must grapple with whether his feelings for Penelope are truly just friendly.” (If the simmering tension in this sneak peek is any indication, they certainly are not.)

A Bonus Bridgerton Surprise

It’s been nearly two years (but it feels like 84) since Bridgerton Season 2, so fans are understandably excited for any #Polin crumbs Netflix has to share. Fortunately, there’s another! In the overall Next on Netflix preview, which teases clips from the streamer’s upcoming film and TV slate, a clip of Colin and Penelope appears about 18 seconds in. It lasts for just a moment — but it’s a nighttime scene, Colin and Penelope are alone, and they’re looking bothered.

Nicola Coughlan, who plays Penelope, told Entertainment Tonight last year that there’s “spicy” goodness to look forward to in Season 3 — even if filming the friends-to-lovers romance with her IRL friend was, well, awkward. “There was one day where we had to sort of do like a very romantic, beautifully written romantic scene,” she said. “And we were just like peeing ourselves with laughter, ‘cause you just have to, like, look into each other’s eyes and we were like, ‘Oh god.’”