‘Bridgerton’ Season 3, Part 2 Ending Explained—How Does Colin Find Out Penelope’s Secret?

Warning: Spoilers ahead for all of Bridgerton Season 3.

The moment Bridgerton fans have been waiting for is here. The second part of Season 3 is now streaming on Netflix. From Colin uncovering Penelope’s identity to the introduction of Michaela Stirling (yes, Micheala, not Michael), read on to find out how Bridgerton Season 3, part two ends.

In Season 3, Episode 5, “Tick Tock,” the series continues at Bridgeton House following Colin’s proposal. “We are engaged!” he announces to his family. While his mother and siblings rush to celebrate the news, Eloise excuses herself and runs into the hallway. “You cannot marry him!” Eloise tells Penelope. “Does he know… that you are Whistledown?” Penelope pleads, “I just need a little time to find the right moment.”

Meanwhile, the Featheringtons discover the engagement news while reading Lady Whistledown’s column. When Penelope finds her mother alone, she’s upset that Penelope did not accept Lord Debling’s “secure” proposal. As Portia rambles about her disapproval, Colin heroically barges into the room. “Your daughter did not entrap me,” he asserts. “I proposed to her out of love, nothing less.”

Forbes‘Bridgerton’ Season 3, Part 1 Ending ExplainedBy Monica Mercuri

Colin takes Penelope to the building that will become their new home after marriage. She thanks him for defending her, and because they are finally alone, their intimacy takes a step forward. Viewers finally get to see the steamy “Mirror scene” — a moment from Julia Quinn’s book Romancing Mister Bridgerton that fans have been waiting for all season long.

There are multiple times in episode 5 where Penelope plans to tell Colin her secret. Still, she continues to be interrupted, including by the fact that Queen Charlotte is giving 5,000 pounds to anyone who presents legitimate evidence of Lady Whistledown’s identity. Eloise tells Penelope that she has until Midnight to tell Colin the truth, or Eloise will tell him himself. But her plans to tell Colin are disrupted again when Cressida shockingly announces at the couple’s engagement party that she is Lady Whistledown.

However, the ton and the Queen are suspicious whether Cressida is telling the truth. After speaking with Colin, Eloise tells Penelope it’s best if Colin doesn’t find out she’s Whistledown. Now that Cressida has taken credit, she can focus on being a Bridgerton. “You cannot be both,” Eloise tells her. “You had a good run for a while, but it’s just gossip. Let it go.”

At the Mondrich ball, Cressida — uninvited — shows up with her mother and announces she has a surprise for the Queen. Her Majestry previously told Cressida that she needed to produce another issue of Whistledown to claim her 5,000-pound reward. As a result, cressida passes out a short, convincing memo teasing that Whistledown will be publishing her full issue the following morning.

Penelope and Eloise rush to a nearby room. They cannot believe that Cressida actually published. “It is all my fault,” Eloise says, regretting her friendship with Cressida. “Eloise, it will be alright… because I’m going to publish again,” Penelope tells her.

How Does Colin Find Out Penelope Is Lady Whistledown?

Colin discovers Penelope’s secret identity at the end of Season 3, Episode 6, “Romancing Mister Bridgerton.” After seeing Penelope and Eloise run into another room, Colin begins following Penelope. He worries about her well-being when her carriage transports her to a poor part of town (where her publisher’s office is located). Penelope was delivering one last Whistledown issue to discredit Cressida’s claim for good.

When Penelope turns around, Colin is there, and his face is a mix of shock and anger. “You… are Lady Whistledown?” he demands. Penelope finally confesses that she is Whistledown. “All of the lies… you have told me,” he says with tears streaming down his face. “All of the things you have written about me and my family. I knew something was wrong,” Colin admits. “Stupidly, I blamed myself as if I was undeserving of your love. But you are the one that is at fault.”

He proceeds to utter the heart-wrenching words of all. “I will never forgive you,” he says, then walks away. The next morning, Cressida Cowper’s Lady Whistledown column is published — but not before Penelope’s issue is also in the hands of the ton. Quickly, everyone realizes that Cressida is lying.

Does Eloise Forgive Penelope In Part Two?

While promenading, Penelope tells Eloise that Colins knows her secret. Eloise has forgiven Penelope, and they are on good terms. Despite the improvement in their friendship, Eloise says she cannot help Penelope make things right with Colin. She must do that on her own.

Colin finds Eloise at the Bridgerton House after learning of Lady Whistledown’s identity. “How long have you known?” he asks her. Eloise reveals that she did not know until last year and had been trying to convince Penelope to tell him. When Eloise asks if he could ever forgive her, like she has, he stares at her and answers, “I think you should consider yourself lucky. You have have never been in love.”

Do Colin and Penelope Get Married?

After learning Penelope’s secret, Colin tells her that they will still get married because he is a man of honor. Although he is still upset with her for keeping her secret identity from him, they have a breakthrough the night before the wedding.

Penelope meets with Madame Delacroix and asks for advice about what to do. Afterwards, she runs into Colin in the street after he had been drinking at the Gentlemen’s Club. He asks her why she had written those horrible things about Eloise, Marina, and himself. She responds that she was only trying to protect everyone involved. She explains that with his help, she has now found the confidence to be herself. “So, you do not need Whistledown anymore?” Colin poses. “I do not need to hide behind Whistledown,” she answers. “But I am not saying there is not any value in it.” Penelope tells him that she loves him, and they kiss.

Their wedding day arrives, and everything runs smoothly until the very end. Queen Charlotte makes a surprise entrance and orders everyone to leave — except for the Bridgertons (including Penelope). “Someone in this room has something to hide… And I shall not leave until they come forward and reveal themselves,” Her Majesty demands. Francesca steps forward and tells the Queen that she’s been secretly engaged to Lord Kilmartin. The Queen assures her that’s not the secret was referring to. She knows Lady Whistledown is someone in this room. Colin tells Penelope that she has to stop writing the column.

How Does Cressida Find Out Penelope Is Lady Whistledown?

At the end of Season 3, Episode 7, “Joining of Hands,” Cressida’s father has forbidden her to leave her room and is sending her away to live with her Aunt Joanna. Desperate for a way out, Cressida resumes her search for Whistledown. She visits a few publishers until she meets a worker who tells her that his old boss used to print her columns. The boy also tells her the that Whistledown is a redhead.

Penelope is informed she has a visitor and goes to greet them, thinking it’s her mama. Instead, it’s Cressida, and she has a startling discovery. Cressida tells Penelope that she is “simply” visiting the “esteemed” Lady Whistledown. She knows Penelope’s secret and is planning to blackmail her. Cressida is demanding double the Queen’s reward — 10,000 pounds — so she can set up her life abroad. If Penelope doesn’t comply, she will tell everyone that Penelope is Whistledown.

What Happens At The End Of Bridgerton Season 3, Part Two?

Now that Cressida knows Penelope’s secret, Lady Featherington enters the room and discovers the news of her daughter’s secret identity. “Tell me it is not true,” Portia asks her daughter. “For once, Cressida does not lie,” Pen responds. Her mother tells her that Colin must not know about the blackmail, fearing their marriage could lead to an annulment.

At Bridgerton House, Penelope and her mother find Eloise and Colin. She tells them that Cressida knows. Colin assures Penelope that he will do something about it — as he will not let anyone blackmail his wife. Penelope reveals that she has enough funds to pay her. “You are not paying Miss Cowper a single penny,” Colin insists. Instead, he will meet with Cressida and convince her to stop.

Cressida meets with Colin, and he tries to reason with her, but it does not work. Cressida reveals that a printer’s apprentice is willing to corroborate the truth. Now, she is demanding double the money she initially asked for, as well as a column in Whistledown to restore her reputation. Colin and Penelope have until the Dankworth-Finch ball to pay her. If they do not, she will tell everyone the following morning.

How Does The Ton Discover That Penelope Is Lady Whistledown?

Penelope tells Colin that she does not want him to lie to Benedict to retrieve the money he needs to pay Cressida. Instead, she writes a letter to the Queen and Lady Bridgerton and hands a large sum of cash to Varley, who uses it for Prudence and Phillipa’s ball.

At the Dankworth-Finch ball, the Queen arrives and makes a surprising announcement. She reveals that she has received a letter from Lady Whistledown. The author is ready to step out of the shadows and address the ton herself. The Queen points to Penelope, who steps forward.

Penelope explains that initially, she didn’t think anyone would take her writing seriously. “I wrote about all of you because I was captivated by you, living your lives so out in the open.” Penelope adds that she was careless with the power that being Whistledown gave her. She says she can no longer conceal the biggest piece of information that she has. She also thanks the Queen for forcing her out of the shadows with her scheme.

With the Queen’s permission to keep writing, Penelope says she plans to write more responsibly. “She seems humbled. But we will be watching that she remains so,” the Queen generously responds, accepting Penelope’s wish. “What is life without a little gossip?” Philippa signals to Varley to release the bugs, and hundreds of butterflies fly into the air. Everyone begins to clap.

Colin finds Penelope in the ballroom. He tells her that he tried to separate Penelope from Whistledown at first. He has had a change of heart after reading all the letters he had written to him over the years. He has realized they are one, and she is not separated from Whistledown. As for Cressida, she is finally sent away to the countryside to live with her Aunt Joanna.

In the final scene, Penelope, Prudence, and Philipa have all given birth. Penelope and Colin have a baby boy, and their son will officially be the new Lord Featherington. Meanwhile, Colin has written his first book about his travels. Penelope retired her literary personal as Lady Whistledown and is now signing her gossip columns with her new full name — Penelope Bridgerton.

Who Is Michaela Stirling?

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Julia Quinn’s book, “When He Was Wicked.”

In the final episode, Francesca and Lord Kilmartin marry in a small ceremony and plan to move to Scotland after their nuptials. Eloise will join them on their travels so she can explore the world beyond Mayfair and Aubrey Hall.

Before they leave, Lord Kilmartin introduces Francesca and Eloise to his cousin, Michaela Stirling, portrayed by Masali Baduza. In Julia Quinn’s book, “When He Was Wicked,” Michaela Stirling is not a woman, but a man named Michael Stirling whom Francesca marries after John unexpectedly dies.

ForbesWho Is Michaela Stirling? Francesca’s Love Story Takes A Queer Turn In ‘Bridgerton’By Monica Mercuri

This massive twist paves the way for Francesca to have a relationship with Michaela in a future season of Bridgerton, marking the first time a queer romance is set to take center stage in the series. Michaela’s introduction comes after Brownell previously told Pride that she wanted to incorporate more LGBTQ+ storylines storylines in the Netflix series.

“I want to see more queer joy on my screens and that was definitely a priority for me when I stepped into the showrunner role,” the showrunner said. “How exactly that plays out over this season and the next couple seasons, I can’t say specifically, but I will say I’m excited for fans to see that.”

All episodes of Bridgerton Season 3 are streaming on Netflix.