Oh Hello, Colin Bridgerton, We See Your Leading Man Glow-Up

If there’s one thing we have come to expect from Bridgerton—besides the cinematic string quartet covers of chart-topping tunes, the beautiful anachronistic gowns, and the spicy scenes, as the kids on TikTok say—is that characters will have the glow-up of the century once it’s their turn to be the romantic leads of the current season.

That goes for female characters, of course, but it especially applies to the Netflix show’s male characters. We didn’t exactly notice a glow-up with Regé-Jean Page’s Simon since he’s introduced to us already shining with handsomeness—suggestively licking ice cream spoons and being rakish left and right much to the joy of every eligible young lady in the ton. But we definitely noticed when it was Anthony’s turn to become the leading man of season 2—which meant that Jonathan Bailey could finally say goodbye to those god-awful sideburns he was sporting all throughout season 1. 

And if one is random and two is a coincidence, three is definitely a pattern because wouldn’t you know it, Luke Newton’s Colin also went through a major transformation between the last time we see him in season 2 and his return to the ton in season 3. 

The Leading Man Glowup™ was already evident once promotional material started to roll out, but what really took me out was the fact that everyone in-universe noticed it too. No one had commented on Anthony’s appearance back in season 2, but when Colin appears in front of Bridgerton House in the first episode of this season, his entire family can’t help but comment on it. And you can be sure that Penelope—who then proceeds to go through a pretty major glow-up herself—is also very much aware of it, looking over across the square at the assembled Bridgerton like she has done for most of her life.

When Colin gets in the carriage with his brothers, having to change on the way to the palace since he barely made it in time for Francesca’s debut, that’s when an already shaky fourth wall comes crashing down—both Anthony and Benedict ask Colin when exactly did he acquire his new physique during his trips around the Mediterranean, with Gregory clearly wanting nothing more than to grow up already and be an adult like his older brothers. What can I say except that I simply live for little metanarrative moments like these.

And as if the glow-up itself wasn’t enough, this new season really puts in the work to make all of us on this side of the screen swoon for Colin just like every eligible lady in London seems to do the second he starts winking away during the presentation at court. That wit of his—which really came out roaring in scenes like the infamous season 1 conversation with Eloise and Benedict on how a lady gets to be with child—was bound to turn into Bridgerton charm sooner or later, after all.

(featured image: Netflix)