Bridgerton Season 3 Teased Edwina's Fate & It Differs From Canon
What fate would you choose for the younger Sharma sister?
Summary
- With all the details and storylines, it is easy to miss some of the nods Bridgerton Season 3 gives to previous chapters.
- For example, Episode 2 mentions the fate of Edwina Sharma, Kate's younger sister.
- To the dismay of Julia Quinn's readers, the reference suggests a different husband than the one Edwina had in the novel.
Even though Bridgerton Season 3 is the first to land on Netflix in two parts (with the second yet to arrive on June 13), the opening four episodes of the chapter were so detail-packed and emotional that casual viewers may have missed some exciting nods to previous seasons.
Thus, the first minutes of Episode 2, How Bright the Moon, briefly mention one of the main characters from Season 2 who is missing from this year's storyline, Edwina Sharma, the younger sister of the new Lady Bridgerton. More than that, the episode hints at the development of her arc, and it seems to be different from the source novels.
The Splendid Match
Bridgerton Season 3 Part 1 emphasized how seriously Queen Charlotte takes her duties to lead and inspire London's high society, especially the tradition of choosing the Diamond of the Season from among the young bachelorettes of the ton.
The Queen feels obliged to arrange the personal lives of the girls she chooses. Given her failures in Seasons 1 and 2 (the Bridgerton siblings stubbornly refuse to marry the people Charlotte picks for them), she is in no hurry this year, and is even teased by Lady Whistledown for it.
However, the Queen herself doesn't think that the fate of Edwina Sharma, who was the Diamond of Season 2, is anything to be ashamed of.
'I hear my choice last year, Miss Edwina, has made a splendid match abroad,' Charlotte tells Lady Danbury, satisfying the curiosity of thousands of Bridgerton fans.
This coded reference makes a lot of sense to dedicated viewers who are sure that Edwina married none other than the Queen's own nephew, Prince Friedrich of Prussia, who was part of the main love triangle in Season 1. After all, in the Season 2 finale, Charlotte came up with an idea to match Edwina and Friedrich, who had both failed to join the Bridgerton clan. And it felt like a match made in heaven.
Deviation from the Canon
The show's Edwina feels perfectly suited to be a princess in Prussia. However, readers of Julia Quinn, who penned the Bridgerton book series, may have a hard time accepting this fact. The thing is, Edwina has a very different partner in the books.
Quinn's Edwina has a much smaller role than her Netflix counterpart. While Anthony initially intends to marry the season's Diamond, his attention soon turns to Edwina's older sister, Kate.
As for the younger Sharma (Sheffield, in the novel) herself, she never falls for Anthony's charm and only sees him as a way to get her family out of financial trouble. She is portrayed as a bright young woman who would rather marry a scholar than a lord.
It is at one of the balls that Edwina meets her perfect match, Mr. Bagwell, who is a scholar and everything she has always wanted except for being a second son and not being able to support the Sheffields financially. When Kate marries Anthony, thus securing the future of her family, it is a happy event for Edwina as well. She is now free to be with Mr. Bagwell, and their wedding follows shortly thereafter.
While Netflix's Bridgerton didn't mention the exact name and left the door open to interpretation of who Edwina might have married, it's more likely that her match abroad is Prince Friedrich than Mr. Bagwell, who, according to the books, lived in England.
To be honest, whoever Edwina's husband is, we just hope the girl is happy. After the dramatic Season 2, she really deserves it.
Bridgerton Season 3 Part 2 premieres on Netflix June 13 at midnight PT.