Bridgerton season 3 part 2: Does Colin finally find out that Penelope is Lady Whistledown? Explained

Bridgerton finally returned with the second half of the tense third season, which was also the first season to be split into two parts. The drama surrounding Colin (Luke Newton) and Penelope (Nicola Coughlan), whose secret identity as gossip columnist Lady Whistledown was a thorn in the smooth love story, takes center stage.

The second half of the season was always going to be a tough road for Penelope Bridgerton, whose love story also got the spotlight in this season of Bridgerton. With all the anticipation surrounding the matter, this season finally brought forward the uncomfortable confrontation between Colin and Penelope over the latter's secret identity. Colin found out about the same at the end of season 3, episode 6, titled Romancing Mister Bridgerton.

This also came under difficult circumstances as Penelope failed to admit the truth herself, leaving Colin to find out, which created further complexity. Still, Colin continued with the marriage, and the couple tied the knot. However, Colin also expressed his disapproval and the pain caused by this secret, which means their relationship will take some time to heal.

This season of Bridgerton delved into the consequences of Penelope's identity with Cressida (Jessica Madsen) using her secret to blackmail her.

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Does Colin find out Penelope's secret in Bridgerton season 3 part 2?

Despite teasing initially that Penelope may not tell Colin after all, the sixth episode's ending saw Colin finding out about Lady Whistledown after he follows Penelope in fear for her well-being when she travels to a poorer part of the town to deliver a final issue of her gossip column.

This comes after Cressida announced that she was Lady Whistledown, and Penelope tried to discredit her. However, while following Penelope, Colin learns about her and reacts with shock and anger. He confronts Penelope about all the terrible things she wrote about him and his family, ending by saying he will never forgive her, which concludes the episode on a dark note.

Yet, they move forward with the wedding as Colin says he is a man of his word and will not back down. However, the tension between them lingers.

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What happens when Colin finds out Penelope is Lady Whistledown in the book?

The series has been quite faithful to the novel series in Colin's reaction to the revelation, which may as well have shattered everything between them. This was the worst that fans had feared ahead of the premiere of Bridgerton season 3 part 2.

In the book, Colin gets highly unsettled when he finds out about Penelope's big secret. He also begins questioning his feelings for Penelope after knowing this. It also impacts Colin that Penelope can't let go of her identity. Later in the book, Colin reveals Penelope's identity to the world with her permission, stopping Cressida's evil ploy.

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How does Colin react to Penelope being Lady Whistledown?

Colin's reaction to Penelope's identity in Bridgerton season 3 part 2 is very accurate to the depiction in the novel. Colin reacts with shock initially and questions Penelope why she would write such terrible things about him and his family. Colin says:

"Stupidly, I blamed myself as if I was undeserving of your love. But you are the one that is at fault."

Colin walks away saying that he will never forgive her. Her column is published the next morning, revealing Cressida's lies.

Colin and Penelope proceed to have a tense period even after Colin says he will go forward with the marriage. Things seem to get a little better the night before the wedding when Penelope talks about her identity to Colin.

Ultimately, the wedding occurs, and the couple moves to a brighter future.

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Bridgerton season 3 part 2 is now streaming on Netflix.