Heartbreaking True Reason Behind Creation Of Lady Whistledown In Bridgerton

Summary

• Bridgerton Season 3 Part 2 is set to dive deep into the Whistledown mystery.
• Many fans think that Penelope Featherington will have to go through a great journey of redemption to deserve a happy ending.
• However, the reason behind the creation of the gossip column suggests that the Season 3 lead does not need redemption, but something else entirely.

Bridgerton fans can't wait for the second part of Season 3 to see how the creators handle the arc of Lady Whistledown, the enigmatic gossip writer of the ton. Since Season 1, Whistledown has been the biggest mystery and source of drama in the Netflix series, and now that the new chapter focuses on the love story of Penelope Featherington, who hides behind the Whistledown mask, it is clear that the gossip sheet is set to become the main conflict of the season.

Many fans feel that after her disastrous actions as Lady Whistledown (taking down a business as well as ruining and tarnishing some reputations), Penelope deserves to have a social fallout, to go through a redemption arc before she can have the happy ending with the man of her dreams, Colin Bridgerton.

However, there is another opinion on social media: Pen has already been through enough to redeem her for a lifetime of writing gossip, and when you think about it, the creation of Lady Whistledown lies deep within her unhappiness.

The Mother's Influence

Although the Featheringtons successfully serve as the comic relief of Bridgerton, the atmosphere within the family is anything but fun. The matriarch, Portia, has a very consumerist view of life and other people. And this attitude also applies to her daughters.

To her, the two older ones are basically low-quality goods that she must sell at a profit. And the younger one, Penelope, is a safe spinster who doesn't even deserve her attention. She lets Pen spend time with her books as long as she is sure that this girl will be with her forever.

It is only when Pen gets a serious suitor that Portia finally starts to talk to her at all. And even then, she only imposes her own ideas about men and life. At the same time, it is clear that the love and affirmation of her mother is extremely important to Penelope.

And that brings us to the real heartbreaking reason why Penelope Featherington created Lady Whistledown in the first place. She wanted to talk to her mother and be heard, something she could never do in person. Poor baby!

The Journey Ahead

When you think about it, there is a lot of Portia in Whistledown's personality. Both are snarky, resourceful, and self-assured. Both say and do things with confidence. That's probably why many fans theorize that it's Portia who can take over her daughter's business if she gives it up.

However, it seems that Portia is not as interested in Whistledown as her daughter had hoped. While everyone else dreams to appear in the gossip column, the Featherington matriarch sees it as an inconvenience not worth mentioning or using as a reason to improve.

Season 3 shows Penelope's journey of self-discovery. And it has a lot to do with her mother. At the end of Part 1, the girl finally had the courage to stand up to Portia after the breakup with Lord Debling. But it seems the mother will not learn that lesson. In the trailer for Part 2, she is seen telling Pen that ladies can't have dreams, only husbands.

It is clear that neither Whistledown nor direct confrontation can help Pen get Portia's support. So probably the biggest change for her in Season 3 should be accepting that she is enough, with or without her mother's validation.

Bridgerton Season 3 Part 2 premieres on Netflix June 13 at midnight PT.