5 Fan Theories About Improper Hand Placement In New Bridgerton S3 Promo

Have you seen the new Bridgerton Season 3 promos yet? It is safe to say that the still featuring Miss Penelope Featherington and Lord Debling in a very questionable position has left many fans' jaws on the floor.

Aren't you gagging, too? Like, really, this is scandalous hand placement in public. In fact, we'd say it's an engagement-provoking hand placement for the Regency Bridgerverse. No one has ever touched our beloved wallflower like that, and no one but Colin Bridgerton should ever have.

The only reasonable explanation for this inappropriate position is that some shocking event has pulled the rug out from under the characters and made them forget that they were living under the strict 'no touching until marriage' rule of the early 19th century.

But what could it be? In the hours since the image was released, Bridgerton fans have come up with some pretty intriguing theories. Here are the top five.

1. Colin's Fall

Picture this: Pen and Debling are on a date in the park (properly chaperoned, of course), Colin sees them while taking a casual ride on his horse and becomes so unhinged that he hits a branch and falls. This would be a cute callback to the Bridgerton book that became the basis for Season 3. As readers of Julia Quinn will recall, the meeting of Pen and Colin began with a very similar scene.

2. Comedic Run

An even funnier scene would be if Colin is eavesdropping on Pen and Debling's rendezvous from nearby bushes (probably explaining it to himself as the interest of a teacher who wants his student to succeed) and a flock of ducks starts chasing him. This would totally explain Pen's horrified expression.

3. Pen's Bully

On a more serious note, the facial expressions and body language of the characters say that some harm or malice has encroached upon Penelope. Pen looks shocked and hurt, and Debling's hold on her reads protective. So many fans have theorized that Miss Featherington may have been pushed by someone in a rage incident. Maybe even her former best friend Eloise?

4. Police Raid

An even darker theory is that the characters watch as the Bow Street Runners, the Regency-era police, raid the park where they are picnicking in search of Lady Whistledown. Queen Charlotte is so desperate to find out who is hiding behind the gossip column that she sends her men to openly interrogate people or even arrest her new suspect. Penelope, seeing someone being blamed for something she did, tries to intervene, but Debling holds her back.

5. Colin's Nightmare

Finally, the craziest theory out there is that the whole scene is just Colin's nightmare. The third Bridgerton is confused about his feelings for Penelope and his sudden anger towards her occasional dance partner, Debling. This confusion is then dramatized in the form of a nightmare. Colin dreams that Penelope is interested in Debling, that they are courting, have a romantic picnic, start breaking the rules of propriety, get caught, and then are forced to marry... Brr. We don't know if this theory is true, but it certainly sounds like our worst nightmare.