10 Best Bridgerton Episodes, Ranked (original) (raw)
Anthony Bridgerton and Kate Bridgerton holding hands at Aubrey Hall in Bridgerton Season 2, Episode 8
Published Jun 17, 2024, 6:45 PM EDT
Arantxa Pellme is a Movies & Television Writer at CBR, where she specializes in list articles and features, as well as interviews and resources. A filmmaker and multimedia artist with over 10 years in the film industry, she has been a freelance writer since 2018 and brings both creative and journalistic experience to her work. With a deep love for cinema and literature, Arantxa often explores adaptations and film storytelling. A proud cinephile, chances are she has already watched the movie or series you’re thinking about right now.
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Bridgerton was first released in December 2020 and the romantic drama show has been harnessing passionate fans ever since. Based on the novel series of the same name by Julia Quinn, the show is set in an anachronistic Regency-era London and each season focuses on a different Bridgerton sibling's journey to find love. The first season centers on Daphne Bridgerton and her tumultuous romance with the Duke of Hastings, while the second shifts focus to Anthony Bridgerton and his love triangle with the Sharma sisters. Each new storyline brings a fresh perspective and new characters, which makes each of the show's releases so engaging.
Recently, Netflix released the highly anticipated Bridgerton Season 3 Part 2. This latest season not only introduces new romantic entanglements but also deepens the narrative arcs of existing characters. Penelope Featherington is forced into exposing her identity as Lady Whistledown, Colin Bridgerton finally realizes he loves Penelope, Cressida Cowper becomes an interesting villain, Lady Bridgerton meets a new man in the ton and other events in Season 3 reaffirm Bridgerton's protagonism in contemporary romance drama television. The series has episodes that are so good, they stand out as the best. They feature unforgettable moments like Daphne and Simon having a baby, Anthony and Kate getting married and Whistledown destroying Eloise's reputation.
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10 Penelope and Cressida Fight for Lord Debling's Attention
Season 3, Episode 3: "Forces of Nature"
Bridgerton Season 3 reaches its first highlight in Episode 3, "Forces of Nature." Colin continues to help Penelope in her quest to find a husband, but he's annoyed by her possible match with Lord Debling. One of the best scenes in the episode takes place during a hot air balloon exhibition, when Penelope and Cressida are fighting for Lord Debling's attention. Colin is observing the trio when he notices the balloon is not properly secured by the ropes holding it down, and he's the first to run and stop it from floating away. Screaming for the others to join him, Colin is the big hero of the day. However, the balloon almost hits Penelope and Lord Debling is the one who jumps beside her and protects her.
The episode also features Violet and Marcus Anderson's meet-cute as he grabs her fallen glove for her. Later at the ball, Francesca excuses herself when Lord Samadani comments that he would like eight children. While she's out catching some fresh air, Bridgerton's quirkiest couple — Francesca and John Stirling, or Lord Kilmartin — meet for the first time and share a moment of silence together. Meanwhile, Colin is practically convinced of his feelings for Penelope but can't gather the courage to tell her. He watches as she and Lord Debling dance.
9 Penelope Publicly Admits To Being Lady Whistledown
Season 3, Episode 8: "Into the Light"
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The climatic ending to Season 3 brings a desperate Cressida Cowper turning to blackmail, showing up at Penelope's house to ask for double the queen's ransom to keep her secret. Cressida tells Lady Featherington to test if people will believe her, which leaves Portia devastated. Colin decides to face Cressida and ends up making things worse, as Cressida doubles the amount she initially asked Penelope.
Francesca and John plan to live in Scotland once they're married. Violet and Lord Anderson grow closer, and Lady Danbury and her brother address their feud and resolve the issue. With Lady Danbury's blessing, the episode hints at the romance between Violet and Lord Anderson developing in Season 4. Penelope and her mother make amends and the Featherington sisters throw a ball. The queen crashes the ball to announce she has found out who Lady Whistledown is and points at Penelope, who steps forward and admits to it. With Francesca and John's marriage, Eloise asks to go to Scotland with them. Penelope writes the new Whistledown and signs with her name, while her marriage with Colin finally becomes what she's always wanted it to be. A time jump reveals Penelope, Prudence and Philippa had babies, with only Penelope's child being Portia's desired male heir.
Season 2, Episode 4: "Victory"
Kate and Anthony get close in Bridgerton Season 2
It's time for the staff to prepare for the Bridgertons' annual Hearts and Flowers Ball, and Anthony is trying to keep a distance from Kate while he can't stop thinking about her. Edwina thinks the reason why Anthony still hasn't proposed to her is because he and Kate don't like each other. She asks her sister to get closer to Anthony and encourages Anthony to give Kate a tour of the grounds.
Edwina tells Daphne that Kate went hunting with Anthony so they could learn to get along, which gets Daphne more suspicious of their attraction. Kate gets irritated with the group of men because she thinks they're going in the wrong direction, so Anthony follows her. They're alone when Kate hears something and takes aim, though Anthony says she's holding the gun incorrectly and gets behind her to help her. As he places his arms around her, he puts his hands above her hands and inhales her scent. Later, Anthony shares with Kate that his father died from a bee sting, which justifies his behavior in the previous episode. Their hot-and-cold dynamic reaches a climatic moment when they almost kiss and Daphne catches them, confirming her suspicions. Yet, Anthony proposes to Edwina by the end of the episode.
7 Daphne and Simon Have a Baby
Season 1, Episode 8: “After the Rain”
Daphne and the Duke in Bridgerton
The Bridgerton Season 1 finale brings a satisfying resolution to Daphne and Simon's tumultuous marriage. As they continue to fight over having children or not, Simon decides to leave for London and live his life separately from his wife. Daphne searches the house and finds letters Simon sent to his father, never opened. Lady Danbury arrives and Daphne asks her about Simon's childhood, the opportunity that finally allows Daphne to understand where Simon's stubbornness on the topic of children comes from.
Meanwhile, Marina tries to have an abortion by drinking a specific tea and refuses to marry her dead ex-lover George's brother. Soon, she learns she's in fact still pregnant and regrets her decision. At the Hastings Ball, Simon and Daphne are dancing when it starts to rain. Simon tries to pull Daphne to shelter but she chooses to stand out in the rain. She confesses to knowing about his relationship with his father, which is the first step in Simon's road to accepting he actually wants to be a father. The episode and the season end with the birth of Simon and Daphne's first child.
6 The Bridgertons Take the Sharmas to Their Country Estate
Season 2, Episode 3: “A Bee in Your Bonnet”
The group plays pall mall in Bridgerton
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Bridgerton Season 2, Episode 3 focuses on Anthony's character development by revealing he witnessed his father's death, which was caused by a bee sting. In the present day, Anthony invites the Sharmas to the Bridgerton country estate and asks the help of his family to win over Edwina. Daphne explains the strategic nature of pall mall to the newcomers, highlighting Anthony's competitiveness in the game. With Kate excelling and Anthony struggling, the tension between them grows.
Anthony visits his father's grave, struggling with his unresolved grief. Violet joins him and encourages him to seek love as it's already clear to her that he and Edwina are not a love match, but Anthony insists on a pragmatic marriage devoid of heartbreak. Anthony and Kate share a moment when a bee stings Kate, triggering Anthony’s trauma from his father's death. Kate calms him, but their unresolved tension lingers.
5 Colin and Penelope Get Engaged
Season 3, Episode 4: “Old Friends”
Lord Debling starts to court Penelope and the Featherington women speculate on why Lord Debling is interested in Penelope, suspecting she might have tricked him. At the same time, Cressida Cowper continues paying attention to Lord Debling and trying to take his from Penelope. The queen reads a positive report from Lady Whistledown about Francesca and Lord Samadani, deciding to host a gathering to celebrate. But the mysterious man Francesca shared a moment of silence with in the previous episode visits her the next day, introducing himself as Lord Kilmartin. While he's there, Lord Samadani shows up as well. Despite the ton and the queen's expectations, Francesca is clearly more interested in Kilmartin.
Penelope tries to suppress her feelings for Colin and accept her possible new life with Lord Debling. They discuss the prospect of marriage during a dance when Colin, plagued by his own feelings for Penelope, abruptly interrupts their dance. Penelope apologizes to Lord Debling, who is no longer interested in her at this point because he can tell she has feelings for Colin. Penelope is left conflicted, and the night ends with Colin stopping her carriage to come in and confess his feelings to Penelope. They share an intimate moment in the carriage, which leads to a sudden marriage proposal.
4 Anthony and Kate Get Married
Season 2, Episode 8: “The Viscount Who Loved Me”
Anthony and Kate kissing in Bridgerton Season 2 finale
Kate is in a coma after her accident and Anthony blames himself. When she finally wakes up, Anthony visits her and proposes but she refuses his offer. Meanwhile, Eloise is dealing with the aftermath of Whistledown's pamphlet that exposed her and Theo tells her everything he knows about Whistledown. Eloise and Theo almost kiss while discussing their hunt for Whistledown, but she pulls back before it happens.
Edwina and Kate reconcile from the wedding disaster, as Edwina took the time Kate was in a coma to come to terms with their situation. In another storyline, Colin finds out that Jack Feathington is lying about the gemstone mines in Georgia. Eloise finally finds out Penelope is the real Lady Whistledown and gets understandably angry. Kate keeps fighting her own feelings for Anthony until one encounter in the garden when she finally admits she loves him and accepts his proposal. The Season 2 finale ends six months into their marriage, with the family once again at their country estate playing pall mall.
3 Whistledown Reveals Eloise’s Secret
Season 2, Episode 7: “Harmony”
Eloise looks at Whistledown panflets in Bridgerton
After the scandal at Anthony and Edwina's wedding, Edwina isn't speaking to Kate and Kate can't stop thinking about kissing Anthony. The Bridgertons and the Sharmas are ostracized by the ton, agreeing to the narrative that it was a mutual decision to call off the wedding. The chemistry between Kate and Anthony becomes more evident to all in both families, so they need to keep their distance to avoid further gossip — which is easier said than done. Meanwhile, Queen Charlotte accuses Eloise of being Lady Whistledown and gives her three days to admit and start working for the Crown.
Following Genevieve's advice, Penelope decides to write something that Eloise would never write about herself to prove to the Queen she's wrong about Lady Whistledown's identity. Her next pamphlet reveals that Eloise has been meeting unchaperoned with political radicals, which shocks the Queen less than discovering she was wrong and destroys Eloise's reputation. As for Kate and Anthony, they argue over their feelings while alone in a gazebo and soon are having passionate sex. Anthony heads over to Lady Danbury's to propose to Kate in the morning, but she's out riding her horse. Anthony rides through the rain searching for her and watches as her horse gets startled, dropping Kate to the ground.
2 Daphne and Simon Get Married
Season 1, Episode 5: “The Duke and I”
Daphne and Simon in bed in Bridgerton Season 1 Episode 5
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The highlight of Season 1 comes when Daphne and Simon are finally engaged and seeking a special license to get married as soon as possible, as they can't wait a full month to be married and succumb to their passion. Queen Charlotte is still invested in Daphne and Prince Friedrich's match and finds out about her and Simon through the latest Whistledown. Prince Friedrich is far more understanding of the situation than Queen Charlotte, who only allows for Daphne and Simon to be married after Simon performs the most romantic monologue in Bridgerton to convince her.
One of the episode's most interesting moments is when King George is lucid for a brief moment, so the viewers get a better notion of what Queen Charlotte's personal life is like. While the drama between Marina, Colin, Eloise and Penelope develops, Simon tells Daphne he can't have children. Their long-awaited marriage becomes a bitter and unwanted experience for Daphne as Simon struggles with his inner demons. Headed to their honeymoon, Simon books two separate rooms for the night. Before dinner, the newly-weds get into another fight about what their marriage will be like but end up kissing and making love by the end of the episode.
1 Edwina and Anthony Almost Get Married
Season 2, Episode 6: "The Choice"
Bridgerton Season 2 is full of dramatic moments featuring the love triangle between Edwina, Kate and Anthony. The most entertaining part of the storyline comes when it's time for Edwina and Anthony to get married, while he struggles with his feelings for his fiancée's sister. Queen Charlotte takes a special interest in their wedding, overseeing every detail to ensure it will be a success and it will further cement her status as having an eye for the best matches.
On the day of the wedding, Daphne reaches out to Anthony because she thinks Edwina deserves to know the truth. Anthony says he's gone too far to turn back now and he needs to do his job as the head of the family, but Daphne disagrees and advises him to consider happiness. During the wedding, Anthony day-dreams about marrying Kate instead of Edwina and gets distracted when Kate's bracelets fall off her arm. Sensing his distance and seeing the way he looks at Kate once more, Edwina rushes out of the church. The guests wait outside in the gardens while Edwina ponders whether she should marry Anthony or not. Queen Charlotte is furious and the King briefly appears to ask if there will be more fireworks, a scene that creates a parallel with the spinoff Queen Charlotte. Standing up to everyone else's expectations, Edwina calls off the wedding. Kate is devastated she ruined her sister's life but can't fight her feelings and ends up kissing Anthony in the empty church.
Release Date
2020 - 2026-00-00
Network
Netflix
Directors
Tom Verica, Tricia Brock, Alex Pillai, Alrick Riley, Bille Woodruff, Cheryl Dunye, Sheree Folkson, Julie Anne Robinson
Writers
Abby McDonald, Sarah L. Thompson, Daniel Robinson, Oliver Goldstick, Leila Cohan-Miccio, Azia Squire, Sarah Dollard, Eli Wilson Pelton, Janet Lin
Cast
Luke Thompson
Lady Violet Bridgerton
Ruth Gemmell
Benedict Bridgerton
In Regency-era London, the Bridgerton family navigates the complex world of high society, filled with romance, scandal, and intrigue. The series follows the eldest Bridgerton daughter, Daphne, as she makes her debut into the competitive marriage market, catching the eye of the dashing Duke of Hastings.
Creator(s)
Chris Van Dusen
Seasons
4
Creator
Chris Van Dusen
Streaming Service(s)