“Bridgerton” reveals steamy Polin first-aid scene, new characters, more

A special Valentine's Day fan event brought a sneak-peek of "Bridgerton" season 3, including a ton of photos, a clip, and more.

Lady Whistledown is back with a steaming hot pot of season 3 tea.

On Wednesday, Netflix gifted Bridgerton fans a special Valentine's Day treat, hosting a virtual event that gave viewers a glimpse at everything from season 3 episode titles to a tantalizing tease of a beloved book scene to a host of new images and even a preview clip.

"I think what I'm most excited about for the fans, and for everybody, is that usually we're meeting a new person who's falling in love with one of our regulars," executive producer Shonda Rhimes said of the new season. "This time we know the people who are falling in love, we're already rooting for them, because we already know them."

New showrunner Jess Brownell added, "Colin and Penelope are underdogs in many ways. You have Penelope, who's the perennial wallflower, and you have Colin, who's the third son who hasn't quite found himself, and we get to see these characters step into their power this year, which I think will make a lot of people who've ever had an unrequited crush or feel like an underdog before feel very seen."

The clip features Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin (Luke Newton) at a ball, where Penelope makes a comment about being a spinster, leading Colin to defend her. This leads her to confess that she overheard his remarks about never wanting to court her at her mother's ball. It chastens Colin, while also leaving things tense between the former close friends.

To book lovers' delight, Netflix also confirmed and dropped a photo of a fan-favorite book scene — one in which Colin cuts his hand on a letter opener and Penelope wraps it for him, first with a handkerchief, then a napkin. In the book, this is the first time Colin begins to notice Penelope's beauty and intelligence as something more than platonic.

"It's kind of their first true moment of intimacy, emotionally, but also even just touching," said author Julia Quinn of including the steamy moment. "Touching somebody's hand in regency times was really quite risqué."

Speaking to the "friend-to-lovers" approach to the season, Brownell said, "I'm not changing anything too drastically. But that being said, every season because we focus on a different couple, it's a slightly different tone. And friends-to-lovers allows a little bit more familiarity, a little bit more coziness, and it allows us to lean into classic rom-com tropes. We're playing with these tropes, we're turning them on their head in some cases, and there's a lot of awkward banter, which I personally love writing."

Other reveals included a ton of photos of the ton — the new images include glimpses of Colin and Benedict (Luke Thompson) enjoying a drink together, the Featherington family with Penelope's sisters' beaus, and Eloise (Claudia Jessie) making a nervous entrance of some kind.

We also see Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) and Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh) holding court, Lady Violet Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell) having a heart-to-heart with Francesca (Hannah Dodd), and the Mondrich family making a grim arrival.

Coughlan teased that Penelope is going into this season with a different mindset. "She's decided she's going to find a husband," she said, adding, "She finds some suitors, but one is very, very fond of her."

She's talking about new character Lord Debling (Sam Phillips), seen below. Debling is a promising new suitor for Penelope's hand, a man that Newton joked is "my biggest threat."

But Colin and Penelope aren't the only love story this season. There's also what Rhimes referred to as "the second love story of the season," which is the friendship between Penelope and Eloise.

"They didn't make up off-camera," Jessie said during the event, adding, "The level of the betrayal, I suppose, is quite large so I don't think it's going to be made up quickly."

Lastly, the team also shared the names of the episode titles for all eight episodes of season 3. In order, they are: "Out of the Shadows," "How Bright the Moon," "Forces of Nature," "Old Friends," "Tick Tock," "Romancing Mister Bridgerton," "Joining of Hands," and "Into the Light."

Lots of room for speculation there, so we suggest doing your best Lady Whistledown and gossiping about what any of this could possibly mean.

Bridgerton season 3 will air in two parts on Netflix. Part One drops on May 16 with the first four episodes, and the back four will hit the platform on June 13.

Watch the clip above for more and check out more season 3 photos below.

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