The third season of everyone’s favorite social season has descended upon us, with the first four episodes of Bridgerton‘s third stroll around the Netflix queues having hit the streamer earlier this week.
In typical Bridgerton fashion, the drama is off the charts; we always knew that any Bridgerton storyline featuring Penelope Featherington as the main character was going to fly high on multiple levels, especially with the one and only Colin Bridgerton happening upon a smattering of peripheral vision so that he may finally see that his true love was right in front of him all along; away with the Regency equivalent of locker room talk, and in with the only acceptable Featherington-Bridgerton union!
It doesn’t end there, of course; Will Mondrich and his family are navigating a new life in society, Eloise seems to have somewhat thawed the icy exterior of Cressida Cowper, and Francesca has followed in the footsteps of her older sister Daphne by winning the Queen’s distinct favor.
Speaking of Daphne, where is Bridgerton‘s legacy heroine to be found this time around?
Where is Daphne in Bridgerton season three?
The Duchess of Hastings returned in the second season to try and knock a bit of feminine sense into her older brother Anthony, who was struggling with his feelings for his eventual wife Kate at the time, but it seems as though she’s elected to stay in Clyvedon—the home estate of her husband Simon and now herself through marriage—with Simon and her son August this time.
This likely wasn’t just a decision from the Bridgerton writers, however; ever since Netflix’s Regency-era juggernaut began dominating the charts, several of its stars have gone on to higher echelons of the entertainment world. Phoebe Dynevor, who plays Daphne in Bridgerton, was one such star, having since gone on to nab one of the leading roles in Emma Meyers’ revered psychological thriller film Fair Play, with other such films as spy thriller The Inheritance, high-concept thriller Anniversary, and—had James Gunn not ultimately went with Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane—the incoming Superman film due for a 2025 release.
Indeed, between motherhood, Duchess duties, and almost falling in love with the Man of Steel (sorry, Simon!), Daphne’s hands are already pretty full, and frankly, Colin doesn’t deserve her help; the third oldest Bridgerton sibling has allowed his Penelope-specific destiny to gestate for far too long, and that’s a hole he should have to dig himself out of all on his own.
The first four episodes of Bridgerton season three are now streaming on Netflix.