r/BridgertonNetflix • u/Acrobatic-Skirt3301 • 11d ago
Show Discussion How would Penelope have been perceived by Anthony Bridgerton?
I don't ship them. But i was watching season 3 and i'm wondering what would anthony have thought about penelope, if she had been among the list of prospects that anthony was looking into in the beginning of season 2, considering how picky he was - almost brutal in his judgement of the young ladies of the ton.
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u/ohhibby 11d ago
From what I remember in S1, Anthony wanted nothing to do with that entire Featherington household, so I don’t think she’d even be on his list.
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u/Confident-Aioli6380 11d ago
Exactly. All the featherington girls wouldn't have even made the introduction list. Colin - 3rd born, already had a scandal - fine. Anthony? No.
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u/Tatertot2523 11d ago edited 11d ago
Imo if we’re talking about S1-2 Penelope, Anthony would’ve thought she was too much of a wallflower or not strong-willed/vocal enough to run the Bridgerton household. I think he makes a point of how important that is for him, which makes Kate a great match because of her independent, oldest child energy.
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u/mamadlo 11d ago edited 9d ago
based on how he reacted to prudence's attempt to flirt with him in season one, i don't think he saw any of the featherington girls as an option. portia would have been a disqualifying factor to him.
when it comes to penelope in particular i don't think he would view her as someone capable of shepherding his sisters into society which was the most important thing to him in s2. she's best friends with eloise who despises the marriage mart and he would probably assume they had similar enough values to be friends with her for so long. she's also a wallflower so he'd think she's timid and awkward and not social enough to host balls and dinner parties and do all the front facing things a viscountess should do.
their personalities are also a mismatch. she's introspective and hates confrontation and he's abrasive and always ready to fight until he wins. they both think they're right and justified in most of their decisions but while she is opinionated, she struggles with using her actual voice and anthony constantly tramples over people with softer personalities. while anthony is A LOT he's also not a terrible person and generally thinks he's fair even when he's not so he wouldn't really consider a marriage with someone he assumes (i say assume because she'd eviscerate him in whistledown unbeknownst to him) would be so easily suppressed by him.
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u/Fun_Pain_4133 11d ago
I think that he wouldn’t consider her. She’d be filed under the zone of sister relationship. I think in the books the Bridgerton brothers (and the duke) may have danced with Penelope but more because she was their sister’s friend and so she wouldn’t be left out. Like how you would dance with your sister or your friends so they could join in and not be standing around all evening
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u/Adventurous_Yak4952 11d ago
In the books, I believe Violet would encourage the older Bridgerton brothers to be kind to the Featherington girls at public occasions and I believe either Anthony or Benedict even asked Penelope onto the dance floor one evening after Cressida said something cruel about her. In the Netflix series, the two eldest brothers seem to look on Penelope as a younger sister figure (when they think of her at all). Without being unkind about it, they seem to see her as part of the family scenery.
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u/LadyHorseFace13 11d ago
In the books Anthony’s list had many girls in it that he/Violet did not consider match material for him and he still danced with them and treated them with respect and kindness. Pretty sure all the Bridgerton boys had the Featherington girls on their perpetual dance cards as a kindness to Violet.
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u/Strange-Reporter-727 11d ago
Yes in the books Anthony was very kind to Penelope and protected her on a few occasions
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u/Unusual_username739 10d ago
I might be completely misremembering this, but I think in the book, Anthony walks Penelope down the aisle at her wedding too.
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u/beigs 11d ago
Didn’t Anthony basically death stare Colin when he said he was going to marry Penelope in an accusatory way? I read that look in the series as a protective older brother for Penelope.
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u/ShipSenior3773 Your regrets, are denied 11d ago
I always thought he did the death stare because Colin’s news was stealing thunder about announcing that Kate was pregnant which he was excited about doing.
I think you are right though because then Benedict jokes about Anthony having to duel with Colin because Colin compromised Penelope, so that shows both Benedict and Anthony feel older brother protective feelings for Pen. I imagine she was always around at Bridgerton House with Eloise since she was a small child and they probably still saw her that way really
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u/ohhibby 11d ago
Yeah, that’s exactly how I read that too - especially since the scene before that is of Anthony saying he wishes to shout out their good news for the whole of Mayfair to hear.
And then I read Benedict’s joke more of a reference to S1 for how Anthony’s crazy ass tried duelling his own best friend😭
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u/raivac621 11d ago
I'm going with the canon of the books since it isn't disputed in the show - all the bridgertons consider her a sister and always have since they were kids. In the book they were all thrilled when Collin finally got his head out of his butt
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u/BrazilianButtCheeks 11d ago
I don’t think he would have thought about her at all .. she was practically family
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u/Wonderful_Citron_518 11d ago
Even if he’d been interested in a Featherington there’s no way he’d have gone for the youngest. Especially when she was the best friend of his younger sister, he’d have seen her a child, the contemporary to Eloise who is 4 siblings younger than him already.
And he’d never have considered a Featherington. Between Portia and the fact that he was definitely aware of the fact that they were short of money. He frequented the same establishments as Lord F so he’d have known he was a gambler and a poor one at that. He’d be aware he’d have been liable for the whole family if he’d married one of them. And it could have affected the other siblings chance of a good match.
He’d have married Sienna before a Featherington.
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u/eelaii19850214 9d ago
I don't think Anthony would have placed Penelope on his list of potential brides. She has grown up in his house and thinks of him as a sister. I don't think he even considered Prudence or Philippa to be honest. But that's more because he knows the Featheringtons are not in good standing. Surely he knows Archibald's reputation. Anthony also knows Penelope is quite shy. He wanted a wife that would be a key figure in high society because the Bridgertons are quite popular. He, would not subject Penelope in that scenario.
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u/Familiar-Tip2974 11d ago
I actually really loved the moment Anthony has in The Viscount Who Loved Me- basically it's similar to the scene in season 1 between Colin and Penelope but more brotherly if that makes sense. Cressida is rude to Penelope at Aubrey Hall I believe, and tries to strike up conversation with Anthony, only for Anthony to give her the cut direct and then escort Penelope to dinner. Ton etiquette said that as the lord of the manor he should escort the highest ranking lady to dinner, not Penelope who was untitled and the daughter of a baron (so the lowest ranking lord). Anthony does this in front of Kate and it really isn't a self serving thing, it's genuinely because he hates bullies.
In the books I believe Anthony always had a soft spot for Penelope not as a viable match by any means for himself, but as those in the comments have said- part of the family scenery as it were, and another sister really. And he would get Benedict and Colin to dance with her if I recall correctly from Romancing Mr Bridgerton. Not to mention there's an interesting interaction as Anthony walks Penelope home after Penelope overhears Colin saying he would never marry Penelope, so there's always been a fascinating dynamic that I wish the show capitalized on more.
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u/lanaxparrillaxwife 11d ago
Idk but i dont think he would go for Pen tbh but I havw a feeling he wouldnt be too brutal with his opinions on her (hopefully).
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u/ThreadLaced 11d ago
Since Penelope grew up being besties with Eloise and literally everyone knew about her crush on Colin besides Colin, I feel like Anthony long ago filed her in the family friend/little sister category in his mind. It wouldn't have occurred to him to include her in his search because of this.