Splitting the season in two had a clear impact on the pacing and by adding a mid-season break that broke apart the much needed urgency needed to keep the story going and give it any hope of substance. While there was a slightly more serious tone to the latter part of the season, having a romantic leading couple that lacked chemistry and writing that had no clear or cohesive structure has ensured that the third season of Bridgerton is its weakest. Fans of the series already know it has been renewed for a fourth season, one can only hope that the writers and showrunner has learnt from the many mistakes of the third season.

It seems that under the new showrunner, Bridgerton is lost for ideas and is afraid of the spark it had cultivated in past seasons. While Coughlan is a strong lead and propels the story forward, Newton is anything but. Ideals of a more feminist approach and fierier chemistry were promised but left unfulfilled, but the season is saved by the ensemble cast of Hannah Dodd, Emma Naomi, Sam Phillips, and Martins Imhangbe. Thankfully, we still have Featherington shenanigans that keep the plot entertaining through Portia’s repeated desire for survival and security.

Fellow Travelers is an aesthetically pleasing period piece that captures the anxiety and anguish of being a gay person in the 1950s. The show could have easily been a cliched love triangle between Hawk, Lucy Smith, and Tim, but it successfully veered away from that overused plot without taking the emotional hurt that Lucy and Tim endure by loving Hawk. The new additions bring a new layer to the story, but it is the exceptional performances from Bailey and Bomer that drive the story forward in such a way that you will root for the two men to be together while hoping they stay apart, if only for Tim’s happiness.