Bridgerton – Season 3 Episode 4 “Old Friends” Recap & Review

Old Friends

Episode 4 of Bridgerton Season 3 begins with Lord Debling calling on Penelope. Portia is over the moon as the Featheringtons tease Pen for going from her seat near the window to the centre of the room for once. He is amused and Pen explains that she just likes the view from the window. 

Violet tries to check in on Colin but he claims he is fine. Benedict calls on Tilley and they end up hooking up. Danbury is trying to get Marcus out of her house but he reveals that he feels lonely at home so he plans to re-enter society. Lady Whistledown writes glowingly about Charlotte’s sparkle and the queen decides to throw a ball to show who is boss.

The Bridgertons prepare for the marquess’ visit but it is the quiet gentleman from the previous night who shows up. He is John Stirling, Earl of Kilmartin (a rank below a marquess) and Francesca is delighted as both sit in silence while the rest of the family are confused. 

Meanwhile, 3 more “friends” have warned Will about running a club while some of his biggest customers have stopped visiting. Alice tries to get him to drop the club but he refuses. 

At the day’s gathering, Cressida looks miserable as she may have to marry an old man if she cannot get Debling. Colin is distracted as he watches Pen and Debling flirting. With metaphors, the two agree upon a practical match with Debling travelling most of the time while his wife can stay busy with her interests. A disheartened Colin heads to the nearest brothel but doesn’t hook up with anyone. He is also annoyed when his friends boast about their female conquests.

While Francesca and Violet stroll about town, they run into John. The encounter goes instantly wrong as Francesca is troubled by a street player playing at the wrong tempo. John runs off and the women are confused. Eloise pays Cressida a visit to see that no one has called upon her. Lord Cowper is annoyed and tells Cressida never to hang out with Eloise again as she is taking up her time.

Meanwhile, Debling takes Portia’s permission to propose and she is thrilled. Penelope suddenly starts second-guessing as she realises that she wants love which may not be possible with Debling traveling all the time. Portia tells her it is the best she can get and to simply say yes.

That night, Colin refuses to go to the ball and sulks when Violet lets it slip that rumour has it Debling will propose to Pen. She appreciates his sensitivity and how he puts others first but tells him to think about himself for once.

The ball begins with a romantic ballet that has hearts fluttering. Danbury keeps Alice company but warns her that Charlotte won’t like Will working at the club. Marcus approaches Violet and they talk about their late spouses. He is amused to learn that Danbury is a matchmaker and is also envious that he never had a love match like Violet’s. 

The play gives away to a dance and Debling dances with Pen while the marquess dances with Francesca. Tilley and Benedict continue to banter while Cressida finds Eloise. She apologises for her father and is truly impressed that Eloise doesn’t care about what people think of her. Marcus tries to get Danbury to matchmake for him but she wants him away from the ton because of his womanizing ways. 

While the marquess is getting a drink, John arrives and gives Francesca something. He apologises that he is not good with words but is confident in his gesture. Charlotte is irked by the turn of events as Francesca brushes the marquess aside. At home, Violet sees Francesca playing on the piano. Turns out John rearranged the music they had heard on the street to the right tempo and both women are touched. 

Back on the dance floor, Pen asks Debling if he can ever love and he is not sure as he is a workaholic. They are suddenly interrupted by Colin who realises that he likes Pen and has arrived at the ball. Bored of Eloise’s explanation of empowerment, Cressida rushes to dance with Debling who is confused. Cressida unknowingly shares that Penelope’s window overlooks the house from her street, the Bridgertons’ and everything clicks for him. 

Meanwhile, Pen is furious with Colin for possibly ruining things but he goes on about Debling being the wrong pick for her. She runs off to find Debling only for him to ask if she and Colin like each other. Since he will be away for the majority of their marriage, he cannot have her attention elsewhere. Portia blames Pen who lashes out at her for being heartless. They are interrupted by Prudence thinking she is pregnant and Pen runs off.

Colin follows her and even hails down her carriage. He gets in but she has nothing to say to him as she tells the driver to drop him off at home first. She is bitter that Debling dropped the proposal because he thinks Colin has feelings for her which is untrue. Taking the opportunity, Colin confesses that it is true.

He cannot stop thinking about her and reveals that he has feelings for her. He catches himself and apologises as they are friends but she suddenly adds that she wants to be more than friends. They start making out till the carriage suddenly stops in front of his house. He invites her home and she is confused. At the end of Bridgerton Season 3 Episode 4, Colin asks Pen to marry him.

The Episode Review

And with Bridgerton Season 3 Episode 4, Part 1 comes to an exciting end. It is the perfect mid-season finale with the way we get tons of mini-conflicts at once. Francesca is about to earn Charlotte’s ire by dropping the marquess for Kilmartin. So are the Mondrichs if Will doesn’t do something about his club.

And what’s going to happen with Danbury if Marcus gets with her close friend, Violet? While Eloise and Cressida’s friendship is sweet, Cressida literally leaves in the middle of a conversation when she gets her chance to dance with Debling.

As for our stars of the season, we don’t get much interaction between Pen and Colin in this chapter but when we do, oooo boy! It is everything from tons of angst and drama to intense heat and romance. We finally have our typical Bridgerton-esque confession line for Season 3! And anyone else’s jaw on the floor after the carriage scene? How are they going to top that in Part 2? 

But it does feel like the perfect end for Colin and Pen’s story, doesn’t it? They get their little exposition, the will they-won’t they moments, the angst and finally accepting their feelings. So, what happens now? We have 4 more episodes left with these two on the centre stage. Oh, unless Colin finds out about Whistledown’s identity. That’s not where their story is going, is it?