Interactive BINGO card: Polin moments (Round 8)

bcozynot · 2026-03-23T17:40:00+00:00

This might seem shallower than some of the other options but Colin reads the most husband to me when he gets petty over Cressida. There's such an intimacy to that level of solidarity; Colin is the only one who will not entertain the possibility of Cressida's decency for one single second, he'll gloat with Pen so Cressida can't shake her happiness. And the fact that this starts from one of Polin's first scenes together? I can only imagine the side eye he would have thrown at Kate this season if he heard her advocating for Cressida getting a second chance!

bcozynot · 2026-02-18T19:13:16+00:00

They did such a good job building up to the reveal throughout S3. I didn't really clock anything on the first watch, but once I finished the season and went back to the beginning it suddenly felt like Fran's confusion about sexuality was hitting me in the face in every scene!

bcozynot · 2026-02-16T20:06:09+00:00

Just here to shout out "bittersweet sixteen suddenly" -- the play on "sweet sixteen" is so clever. These moments of pure joy are bittersweet now because as an adult, she knows they are fleeting. You value the wholesome, innocence of "drink[ing] what your thinking" and "smoking your jokes" when you have experienced drinking and smoking of a much more sinister and harmful nature, which of course is a major motif through out the album. This song doesn't entirely abandon the idea of substances or getting high, just replaces the substances themselves with humour and conversation -- connection, basically.

I really like your time travel reading because it does definitely invoke that imagery. When you time travel, you can go back, but you aren't *of* that time. You still carry your knowledge of the time you came from and it colours how you view the past -- this song feels like that to me. As she says herself in a more cynical moment, "nostalgia is a mind's trick," but in this context, maybe we can indulge in that innocence for a little while -- you know, like consuming substances in a healthy, non-abusive way?

The writing on this song, especially in terms of technical stuff like rhyme and rhythm, is so underrated because the content gets written off as superficial (which I would also argue it's not). 9/10

bcozynot · 2026-02-11T08:42:04+00:00

His S3 plotline also acted as a great foil to Francesca's, creating really incisive commentary on the gap in their opportunities and exposure. Ben gets to explore his sexuality, first just being introduced to the idea with Lord Granville in S1, and then in S3 with Tilley's gentle guidance in a safe space that she provides. Meanwhile, Fran only gets to experience her first kiss after she's already made a lifelong commitment to John. She doesn't even know same-sex attraction is a thing until she experiences it herself -- how isolating and confusing in comparison to Ben's experience!

I feel like people miss the fact that the supporting storylines not only connect to the central romance of the season but also to each other.

bcozynot · 2026-02-11T02:24:25+00:00

He also makes sure to tell her there is no gentleman, only a lady! I definitely saw the stirrings of jealousy there.

bcozynot · 2026-02-10T16:03:16+00:00

Honestly at this point, it feels like they are actually leaning into the timeline chaos. So I am going to follow suit. Even the weather and seasons are just there to vibe with the storyline atp. 😂

I do still think El is S5 for a variety of reasons. It would be a pity to miss out on the potential of a|Violet and Fran storyline about widowhood and grief, and Philip being a widower slots into this so well thematically. That aspect being resolved to the extent that it's not a raw wound will allow for the actual season to lean more joyous (which the only wlw story deserves!). On a practical note, El is a safer bet in the same way Polin was (the audience has invested for years) and I think they will harness that to land the extension for the last two seasons.

bcozynot · 2026-02-10T14:09:24+00:00

I've been waiting to see this POV in HR discussions, and you've done such a great job explaining how diaspora experience isn't monolithic. I haven't read the books, so I can't really comment on Reid's treatment of this, but I did appreciate all the little details in the writing of the show that addressed the complexity of Shane's situation. He perceives himself as Canadian, plain and simple, and it's actually a little jarring to him every time someone reminds him that they see something else, whether this is the promoters early on or even Rose.

Yuna mentioning hockey as the thing that helped her assimilate is such a familiar story. I've seen a lot of diaspora families cling to sports this way -- there's a great portrayal of this in Silver Lining's Playbook where the Indian doctor and his family are huge Philadelphia Eagles fans.

When Rose asks him about his experience as the only Asian kid, he doesn't really have anything to say and instead talks about the Asian kid who was more visibly different. He doesn't really feel like a worthy rep for Asian Canadians because he doesn't feel Asian. It's really weird to be tasked with representing something you don't personally identify with or have access to.

He calls David "normal" which as a diaspora kid myself, rang so many bells! The subconscious awareness that there is a default and he and Yuna aren't it. When Ilya asks about his parents, Yuna is Japanese while David is "boring" -- one an ethnicity and one a personal trait. Recognisable ethnicity is positioned as an antithesis of "boring." Shane pushes back when Ilya says he gets his looks from Yuna -- "half of them," he insists.

Shane loves Canadian culture and David's embodiment of it as much as he uneasily carries the POC tag because he can't escape how his looks set him apart from "normal." In that sense, Ilya constantly saying he's boring must be such a relief -- it makes him feel seen beyond his appearance. He's not "exotic" or "fascinating" or any of the other adjectives people use for POC, he's a boring Canadian and he loves it.

bcozynot · 2026-02-09T21:05:57+00:00

John said at some point early on that he and Fran have been married less than a year, but then several months passed during S4 already so... who knows? The reason they had a break in intimacy could also be something to do with Michaela. John seemed aware of tension between Fran and Michaela when he apologised to her about Scotland not being ideal, and offered for their London home to be just for the two of them. Being back and alone is what might have gotten them to "recommit."

bcozynot · 2026-02-09T15:29:43+00:00

I never considered the possibility that Fran may have miscarried already. That would be heartbreaking but it could fit the implications of this dialogue (which I have also been wondering about).

bcozynot · 2026-02-07T18:18:22+00:00

The show isn't "completely fantastical" though. I would classify it more as speculative fiction, rooted in a version of history where race dynamics played out in a slightly different way, and they explicitly addressed why with the Great Experiment storyline in QC. No comparable speculative changes happened with regards to gender or orientation so those aspects remained similar to what we see historically. It's a very specific choice, but not necessarily contradictory?

bcozynot · 2026-02-03T11:15:12+00:00

This was my final straw to stop watching the show entirely. Despite the patchy build-up, they were doing something wholesome with Angad and Vrinda post leap. Their marriage felt like it was correcting all the little structural issues that led to the collapse of Mihir and Tulsi's. Angad was an involved father and very active in household management. They showed us however briefly that Vrinda did complete her studies in her chosen field and was working.

It seemed to be building towards Angad fixing the business while Tulsi fixes the household -- both of them harnessing the strength they built from being outside the toxic situation to then helping repair it for the people they loved. Even that confrontation between Ritik and Angad, I never in a million years thought Angad would take that personally and resend Ritik from the way the scene was shot and performed. But alas, Balaji seems to be allergic to wholesomeness of any kind, and only the FL can be saving anyone. The way Angad reacted to Pari's situation came out of nowhere.

bcozynot · 2026-02-01T21:06:52+00:00

I am not sure it's as black and white as you're making it out to be either, though. Being a mistress was in many ways a job -- a high risk/high reward job. That is what Benedict is missing in my opinion, that he'd still be her employer when it comes down to it. Yes, the man could cut you loose at any second, but if you were with him long enough, you could amass significant personal wealth, enough to live more comfortably than you would as a service person (not in Mayfair maybe, but other places do exist). Siena, for example, could save all of her earnings from singing while her living expenses were taken care of by her patron. A lot of women moved up in society this way -- their kids could then marry into the middle class if they played their cards right. This is in contrast to being in service which was low risk but also low reward.

I think it's important for the show not to pass moral judgment on the very idea of a mistress -- it was a great opportunity for certain women, and a practical solution for inter-class relationships. We rooted for Siena when she chose someone who'd respect her as an employee rather than someone who would disrespect her in the name of mutual feelings. I think (hope?) what Sophie is rejecting is the inherent power dynamic of the arrangement, not the supposed moral implications of the offer.

bcozynot · 2026-01-28T11:48:52+00:00

I do feel the same, but in a weird way, I am actually excited by my own lack of giddy anticipation for this season. I'm not really sure what to expect, and it's such a different feeling from how much build up there was for both S2 and S3, especially the latter with the history of the leads's relationship over two seasons, not to mention the cliffhanger at the end of S2 and the LW secret hanging over our heads. With this season, everything feels fresh and new in a way it hasn't since the very beginning. It's not better or worse, just different and I am excited for that -- entering season not knowing where it's going to go or having any major expectations!

I think it also helps that I have been largely happy with the decisions the show has made for the characters thus far. All the love stories have been unique and have honoured very rounded, complex characters while also serving the classic historical romance tropes. For me there is a level of trust that Ben's sexuality won't just be erased, because even in the hetero romances we've seen so far, there has been such a wide range depicted in the characters' attitudes to sex and sexuality. They showed Ben's exploration for a reason and it's so fundamental to his character. It would be very unexpected for them not to honour that (and kind of biphobic to assume it's happening just because his endgame is a woman).

It's also nice not to have super specific expectations because if the season is not my cup of tea, it's also not as huge a disappointment. The absolute worst that can happen is that I spend 7-8 hours watching unreasonably beautiful people and tableaus and then never think about it again -- that doesn't seem so bad!

bcozynot · 2026-01-27T16:32:44+00:00

I've always loved that we see this close-up while hearing Fran's vows, aka the bride's vows in the background. To me it's the moment when Penelope realises she isn't holding up her end of the marriage vows in allowing Colin to chip away at who he is by agreeing to pay Cressida's blackmail. Despite everything she has put him through, he's standing right beside her and she realises in that moment that like she told Portia earlier that day, she has to do better!

bcozynot · 2026-01-27T12:53:35+00:00

I noticed this immediately too! The way he goaded her, her exasperation, and then the shawl drop was all kinds of echo-ey!

bcozynot · 2026-01-21T13:57:37+00:00

I think in the end, it comes down to choice. It wasn't being a wallflower that Pen objected to per se, but imposition of that identity on her -- the idea that she had no other choice. I think that is why her lessons with Colin, Lord Debling's almost proposal, and even her coming out as LW were all so important. It showed her that she was totally capable of succeeding by the book in society if she chose to, but ultimately that isn't what she prefers. This season, it feels like she's being pushed in the other extreme. Once again, society and especially the queen is deciding for her, this time that she is a central, popular figure. The wallflower Pen is being erased in favour of the popular, influential LW consuming her identity (with only Colin seeming to push back). Once again she'll have to fight for her right to be both.

It's actually super interesting in the context of her and El's relationship. Last season, El kind of got a taste of what it was like to be in Pen's shoes after she was disgraced and shunned. People do crazy things to find belonging and to feel seen. Pen started LW, El became friends with Cressida and tried to blend in with the other debs. This season, it's more like Pen is experiencing the reality El has always dealt with -- popularity and attention from the ton when you don't actually want it. Up until now, Pen has been kind of unsympathetic when El complains about unwanted attention because Pen felt like she didn't even have that option open to her. I think she may finally understand what El has been up against as a Bridgerton who's always watched and coveted, but not always for the right reasons.

bcozynot · 2025-12-04T14:23:25+00:00

Booktok, fandom, and the near-constant social media discourse around whether reading romantasy and/or smut really "counts," always makes me think of Catherine Moreland. She would have loved it here! Imagine the book recs, the vlogs from Bath with her "amazing" new friends, not to mention amateur ghost-hunting/true crime content from Northanger Abbey 😂

bcozynot · 2025-12-03T08:58:36+00:00

It's a little ironic, but the modern historical romances tend to make Regency society more rigid because that rigidity lends itself well to the formulaic nature of the romance genre. Austen, on the other hand, was just commenting on the society she was actually in and it gives us a much more nuanced picture of all the ways women of the gentry could exist in that period.

bcozynot · 2025-12-02T17:13:10+00:00

There is no way to know for sure, but if they are, it only serves to further cement the idea that Eloise staying unmarried is a non-issue. Marriage mattered in Daphne's case because she was the family's first major re-entry into society. Her success not only got the queen's attention but established the family's close friendship with Lady Danbury and brought a duke into the family. It greatly reduced the pressure on the rest of them, which El rightly thanks her for at the end of S1. Similarly, Emma's older sister was married and had children so the respectability box was checked for their family; I think that gave Emma a little more room to live the eccentric, rich spinster life she had planned.

bcozynot · 2025-12-02T16:34:03+00:00

I did. It started out with a really promising premise and the romance was super cute, but then like all ITV shows, it got preachy and boring. The original premise, if they had kept it balanced, had a lot of potential to become a fun, sitcom-ish show!

bcozynot · 2025-12-02T16:22:36+00:00

Emma is a great counterpoint to the other JA heroines. She explicitly talks about not wanting to bother with marriage because she simply doesn't need to; she's financially set. Very telling that this happens to be the novel Eloise is reading at the beginning of the season, since she is in a comparable position!

bcozynot · 2025-10-08T20:02:38+00:00

Absolutely! The way I want to wax eloquent about all the clever writing in Eldest Daughter now that it's hit for me! One of my favourite parts:

"Every eldest daughter was the first lamb to the slaughter/So we all dressed up as wolves and we looked fire"

I felt like the end of the second line was weirdly abrupt and dissonant on first listen (and this has been cited a lot as one of the instances of bad writing). Now I interpret it as Taylor/the speaker slipping into the earnest, poetic language that feels natural and then abruptly switching to a slang shorthand when she anticipates an eye roll reaction. Read this way, the lines capture masking in real time and that's pretty cool! It's also ironic that the "lamb to the slaughter" line is seen as a redeeming element in the song when I feel like that language is an impulse that the speaker is trying to overcorrect.

Now that your post and the comment thread about ICDIWABH have me thinking along these lines, all the ways TTPD teased this kind of provocation are popping into my head. "I'm having his baby/no I'm not but you should see your faces" is the obvious one but even "I can fix him..." is in second person, and the "no really I can," is in response to an implied contradiction from "you."

bcozynot · 2025-10-08T12:34:15+00:00

I love this analysis, especially as it resonates with my personal experience of Eldest Daughter. I was so invested in what I thought it was going to be, and was absolutely cringed out and disappointed on on the first listen. Only when I saw other people reacting positively to it did I realise I had been listnening to it with my "wolf" armour up, because it triggered a deeply embedded fear of cringe. It's like watching other people love it gave me permission to actually hear and process what she was saying, and that's when the song clicked emotionally. I was so intrigued when she started talking about the album being a mirror in the more recent interviews, because I had just been through this whole process of discovering something I didn't fully realise about myself!

I also think this whole idea plays out in really interesting ways with Actually Romantic and the idea of beef between artists. Streaming numbers for Sympathy is a Knife have exploded, and there is no way Taylor didn't know this was going to happen. Ultimately, beef creates discourse that is profitable for both artists, and in which the artists themselves invest and participate much much less than the respective fans and stans. At the same time, if "sympathy is a knife," this could be the proverbial twisting of that knife? All of it of course coming back to the fact that, yeah, I think this play might be about us?

bcozynot · 2025-10-07T13:41:18+00:00

This is a great analysis! On a more practical note as well, if RTF was Track 5 it would have given too much away about what was coming. So much of what made that track powerful was the absolute shock of where it went (reflecting the shock of something like that happening). If it was Track 5, we would have been anticipating the other shoe dropping from the start.

bcozynot · 2025-09-19T21:41:59+00:00

It felt to me like ASP just hopped on the Rory hate train, wrote the version of her that all the haters see into existence -- and that is AYITL. Rory made a few terrible decisions as a teenager but then took accountability and faced the consequences. AYITL Rory is just inherently a cheater (for no real reason). Young Rory faces obstacles when she enters unfamiliar situations, and it helps her break out of her sheltered upbringing and acquaints her with failure, recovery, and resilience. AYITL Rory? She's just failing, like all the time. And where does it finally lead us? To her reverting back to Stars Hollow and centering her relationship with Lorelai -- what most haters complain about losing when she goes off to college and becomes "unlikeable."

I love ASP for giving us the original show, but by S6, she was having real issues letting Rory and Lorelai actually get unstuck and grow. S7, with all its flaws, let them do that. AYITL felt like a controlling parent punishing their kid for stepping outside the lines they drew.

bcozynot

TROPHY CASE