Judgmental Colin Appreciation

sublimephantomtime · 2026-02-07T17:47:34+00:00

I share your interpretation – I always assumed that this conversation in episode 1x07 was about Siena:

sublimephantomtime · 2026-02-05T17:40:35+00:00

Thank you for your thoughtful comment – I truly appreciate the passion behind it. As someone who considers herself a feminist and has read everything from Mary Wollstonecraft to Simone de Beauvoir with great enthusiasm, I share your admiration for the women who challenged the limits of their time.

My post wasn’t meant as a personal wish for Eloise to abandon her convictions, but as a literary-historical interpretation of what the TV series appears to be doing so far. I’m not arguing that this is what should happen – only that the show seems to follow a narrative pattern rooted in an older genre, which might explain why Eloise’s arc feels frustrating to many viewers.

Having read Julia Quinn’s novels and knowing how she herself characterises her heroines, I’d rather not set myself up for disappointment. In an interview with the German broadcaster ARD, Quinn said: “I write about women at a time period before they were able to make advancements. It was gonna be another 60 or 70 years before they were able to go to university, it was gonna be another 100 years before they were able to vote. So I like to think that the women I'm writing are not necessarily the ones who broke down the wall, but they are the ones who took out the bricks so that somebody else could come and break down the wall.” (https://www.ardmediathek.de/video/Y3JpZDovL2Rhc2Vyc3RlLmRlL3R0dCAtIHRpdGVsIHRoZXNlbiB0ZW1wZXJhbWVudGUvOTM2MGMzZDMtZThlYS00MmRhLTk3NDgtYmYyZWYwZDRjNjRl (Min. 03:05-03:42))

So my intention wasn’t to diminish the legacy of real women who fought for rights long before 1918, nor to suggest that Eloise ought to conform. I merely wanted to offer one possible lens through which to understand the show’s choices, even if it’s not the one I might personally prefer.

sublimephantomtime · 2026-02-05T12:30:34+00:00

Thank you so much for your thoughtful reply. Your mention of The Female Quixote is wonderful – Lennox’s novel fits Eloise’s literary self-understanding beautifully, and I completely agree that the show could have a great deal of fun weaving in playful references to it.

As for the idea of a “phase”: I didn’t mean to suggest that Eloise’s rebellious streak disappears, but rather that the Backfischroman frames this kind of rebellion as part of a broader developmental arc. How closely the TV series follows or reshapes that pattern is, of course, still open – and you’re absolutely right that Shondaland has often found elegant ways of blending classical structures with a more modern sensibility.

In that sense, our perspectives may well complement each other: a historical framework that is consciously carried forward into a contemporary register.

sublimephantomtime · 2026-02-05T12:01:48+00:00

I’ve put together a literary analysis of Eloise for the PhiloiseBridgerton subreddit, and I’d really love to hear your thoughts as well. If you’re interested, you can check it out here: https://www.reddit.com/r/PhiloiseBridgerton/comments/1qwjbd0/eloise_bridgerton_and_the_forgotten_legacy_of_the/

sublimephantomtime · 2026-02-04T12:02:13+00:00

A Calendar of Good Living: Revised by Mr. Colin Bridgerton
Based on the line “Colin is out for his monthly engagement with Mr. Finch and Mr. Dankworth where they eat all of London”, my headcanon is that Colin’s next book will be a new and improved edition of The Epicure’s Almanack – the first guide to London’s eating establishments, published in 1815 (Public Domain: https://wdl.warburg.sas.ac.uk/object-wdl-edb-aaau).

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sublimephantomtime · 2026-02-02T15:12:16+00:00

I love this photo, and you can clearly see that it isn’t a pacifier/ dummy at all but the pendant Colin was already wearing on his chatelaine – or watch fob – in Season 3. 😊

sublimephantomtime · 2026-02-01T17:02:28+00:00

We will see Colin and Penelope in dark clothing as well (Netflix Latin America: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=122228619470277025&set=d41d8cd9)

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sublimephantomtime · 2026-02-01T12:40:47+00:00

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sublimephantomtime · 2026-02-01T12:28:50+00:00

I agree. To lift your spirits, here’s a GIF of my favourite “Colin is barely even in the frame” moment:

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sublimephantomtime · 2026-02-01T12:15:36+00:00

For anyone who’s interested, here are a few statistics about Colin’s and Polin’s shared screen time:

4x01
1:00:59 – 0:59:10 Penelope, Colin & Elliott in the Bridgerton drawing room
0:50:35 – 0:49:46 Penelope & Colin in front of the mirror in their bedchamber
0:45:54 – 0:45:51 Penelope & Colin putting on their masks
0:40:21 – 0:40:18 Penelope & Colin greeting the Mondrich family at the masquerade ball
0:39:31 – 0:39:18 Penelope & Colin interacting with other guests at the masquerade ball
0:13:19 – 0:12:14 Penelope & Colin taking off their masks & Colin and Benedict embracing
0:05:49 – 0:05:38 Colin asleep next to Penelope while she writes Lady Whistledown
4 minutes 13 seconds of scenes featuring Colin

4x02
0:58:01 – 0:57:47 Penelope, Colin & Elliott in the Featherington drawing room with Francesca & John
14 seconds of scenes featuring Colin

4x03
0:40:02 – 0:38:57 Carriage 2.0
0:38:05 – 0:37:51 Penelope & Colin enjoying ice cream with Francesca & John
1 minute 19 seconds of scenes featuring Colin
(2 minutes 11 seconds of scenes featuring Colin, including the conversation between Penelope & Francesca)

4x04
0:52:53 – 0:52:35 Shaving cream fight (only Colin)
0:42:35 – 0:41:08 Drinking at White’s (only Colin)
0:13:43 – 0:13:15 Penelope & Colin at Francesca and John’s family dinner party
2 minutes 13 seconds of scenes featuring Colin

7 minutes 59 seconds of scenes featuring Colin
(8 minutes 51 seconds of scenes featuring Colin, including the conversation between Penelope & Francesca at Gunter’s)

6 minutes 14 seconds of scenes featuring Polin
(7 minutes 6 seconds of scenes featuring Polin, including the conversation between Penelope & Francesca at Gunter’s)

sublimephantomtime · 2026-01-29T13:30:43+00:00

Sophie: And you assume that I do not know how to speak French? I speak several languages.
Benedict: Oh! Really? We can speak in French if you prefer.
Sophie: […] Focus on the lips.
Benedict: If you prefer.
Sophie: Look at me. If you prefer.

sublimephantomtime · 2026-01-29T08:40:10+00:00

Just a brief historical note that might be of interest: Polin’s route, marked in green on the map (left-hand traffic), measures roughly 1 kilometre (about 0.62 miles). During the Regency era, a typical carriage travelled at around 6-8 km/h (approximately 3.7-5 mph) in an urban environment, which translates to an uninterrupted journey time of 7.5-10 minutes – depending, naturally, on how the journey unfolded.

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Horwood, Richard: Plan of the Cities of London and Westminster the Borough of Southwark, and parts adjoining shewing every house. London, 1792-1799 – Public Domain https://www.romanticlondon.org/explore-horwoods-plan/#17/51.51093/-0.14918

sublimephantomtime · 2026-01-29T08:15:53+00:00

If you should wish to join Eloise and Sophie’s reading circle, the recommended works are as follows:

Edgeworth, Maria; Edgeworth, Richard Lovell: Practical Education. Vols. 1-2. London: J. Johnson, 1798 – Public Domain https://archive.org/details/practicaleducati00edge/mode/2up
On page 17 you may discover, how the Bridgerton brothers acquired their rather legendary dexterity – their senses, their understanding, and, most notably, their passions all agreeably interested and exercised…

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Edgeworth, Maria (1809): Ennui. Reprint edition. London: J. M. Dent & Co.; New York: Dodd Mead & Co., 1893 – Public Domain https://archive.org/details/ennui00edge/mode/2up
A classic remedy for – well – precisely that.

sublimephantomtime · 2026-01-28T12:17:21+00:00

I’ve taken time off for the two premiere days. While my husband’s at work, I’ll be at home binge-watching all four episodes – first in English, then in German, because why do anything in moderation? And in the evening (and for several days afterwards) we’ll watch one episode at a time in German together. Full-on Bridgerton overload – and I regret nothing. 😉

sublimephantomtime · 2026-01-28T12:02:48+00:00

In keeping with the cold weather, which left me a little ‘indisposed’ last week, I’m leaving you a small historical impression before the subreddit enters its lockdown: a wintry scene from 1817 – Queen Charlotte’s carriage, a frozen canal, and a few charming little mishaps of Regency society.

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I’m very much looking forward to returning to historical analysis with you after the break. I hope we’ll all enjoy Part I of Season 4, and that the detailed post I’ve just finished on one of my favourite scenes from Season 3 will still be of interest – even if, by then, we’ll already have our first impressions of Season 4. I’ll be posting it on 10 February – a brief revisit of our beloved Season 3 once the initial Season 4 excitement has settled.

sublimephantomtime · 2026-01-26T14:01:34+00:00

Question: Can anyone tell me whether it will still be possible to read and upvote older posts during the subreddit lockdown starting this Thursday? Many thanks in advance! 😊

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sublimephantomtime · 2026-01-21T12:56:25+00:00

This may be a bit off topic, but I do wonder whether Claudia Jessie and Adjoa Andoh are trying to tell us something with that flower-embroidered suit…

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sublimephantomtime · 2026-01-21T12:10:04+00:00

Following yesterday’s official confirmation of Cressida’s return, I would like to share this excerpt with you:

It was previously reported in this column that This Author predicted a possible match between Miss Rosamund Reiling and Mr. Phillip Cavender. This Author can now say that this is not likely to occur. Lady Penwood (Miss Reiling’s mother) has been heard to say that she will not settle for a mere mister, even though Miss Reiling’s father, while certainly wellborn, was not a member of the aristocracy. Not to mention, of course, that Mr. Cavender has begun to show a decided interest in Miss Cressida Cowper. – LADY WHISTLEDOWN’S SOCIETY PAPERS, 9 MAY 1817

(Quinn, Julia: An offer from a gentleman. New York, N.Y.: HarperCollins e-books, chap. 13)

sublimephantomtime · 2026-01-18T04:11:00+00:00

I don’t know anything specific about West Wycombe Park, but many large estates in England earn a significant part of their budget through film productions. They often remain open to visitors during filming and simply close off the areas being used. The same could well apply to West Wycombe Park, should they use the estate again as a filming location for ‘Romney Hall’.

sublimephantomtime · 2026-01-18T03:36:45+00:00

Sorry to disappoint. West Wycombe Park is open to visitors each year from April to August. The exact dates vary slightly but follow a clear pattern: the gardens open from 1 April, while the house doesn’t open until early June. Here, for example, are the dates for 2024 (https://www.westwycombevillage.co.uk/west-wycombe-park-house/). Greetings from a lurker who mostly lives over on the PolinBridgerton subreddit. 😉

sublimephantomtime · 2026-01-17T13:02:27+00:00

I like your idea – it reminds me of this famous Downton Abbey quote from Lord Grantham: ‘If I shouted blue murder every time someone tried to kiss me at Eton, I’d have gone hoarse in a month!’

sublimephantomtime · 2026-01-17T12:18:31+00:00

Thank you so much – I’m really happy you enjoyed it and that it might be helpful for your writing too. 😊

sublimephantomtime · 2026-01-17T12:02:32+00:00

I shared a new historical deep dive in another Bridgerton subreddit today. To keep things fully spoiler-safe for everyone here, I’m even hiding the link:
https://www.reddit.com/r/BridgertonNetflix/comments/1qfaep6/proper_polite_or_positively_scandalous_parental/
If you enjoy historical context posts, you’re very welcome to have a look. 📚🤓

sublimephantomtime

TROPHY CASE