The crux of Bridgerton Season 3 revolves around whether Colin Bridgerton will discover Penelope Featherington’s identity as the rumor-mongering Lady Whistledown. While this third season focuses on the budding relationship of Colin and Penelope from being childhood friends into intimate lovers, Colin’s disdain for Lady Whistledown might throw a wrench into their romance. Spoilers are ahead for Season 3 Part 1 of Bridgerton, so we suggest that you turn back now at your own peril. Otherwise, here’s whether Colin ever finds out about Penelope’s secret in season three of the Netflix romance series.
Does Colin learn Penelope’s secret in Bridgerton Season 3?
Colin has not yet learned Penelope’s secret that she is Lady Whistledown, as least in the four episodes of Bridgerton Season 3 Part 1. But the setup for the reveal is clear for Season 3 Part 2, which releases on June 13, 2024.
Back in the season two finale, Eloise Bridgerton discovered the identity of Lady Whistledown, sundering the friendship between her and Penelope. Thus far in season three, the wounds of this betrayal have only partially healed. Meanwhile, Colin claims near the end of the first episode that he will bring Lady Whistledown to ruin if he ever discovers who she is. This is not only due to what she wrote about him in the episode, but also due to how her words negatively impacted Marina Thompson, now Lady Crane, in the first season.
That said, in the books by Julia Quinn, specifically the fourth book called “Romancing Mister Bridgerton,” Colin does eventually learn that Penelope is indeed Lady Whistledown. He chases Penelope’s carriage out of concern and inadvertently discovers her identity, but in the show, this part of the carriage scene is removed. Instead, the scene has the pair learn their true feelings for each other, leading to a steamy make-out session and ending with a surprise proposal by Colin.
However, looking at the episode titles for the latter half of season three, the sixth episode is called “Romancing Mister Bridgerton.” This suggests that Lady Whistledown’s identity might be discovered by Colin then, perhaps during the middle of their engagement. It’s unclear how this will be revealed, but given that Eloise had already let one of Penelope’s secrets slip earlier in the season, that could be a possible source.
