WARNING: Spoilers for the Bridgerton season 1 finale ahead
Lady Whistledown revealed the biggest scandal during Bridgerton season 1 and the actress who plays her explains why. Regency-era London's own Gossip Girl, Lady Whistledown is both the narrator of the show and an influential presence in the ton. Throughout the show's first season, Lady Whistledown keeps track of everything going on in Grosvenor Square from the comfort of one of the most important houses in the show.
The Bridgerton season 1 ending twist revealed that Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) has been Lady Whistledown all along. One of three Featherington siblings, Penelope and her family are rocked by the arrival of Marina Thompson, a distant cousin, early in season 1. Marina arrives to find her own suitor during the show's inaugural matching season, but it is revealed early on that she is harboring a big secret. Marina is pregnant, making her less than desirable as a woman pregnant out of wedlock in the era the show is set in. Lady Whistledown eventually exposes Marina's secret to prevent her from marrying Colin Bridgerton.
The biggest twist of all, though, comes when it is revealed that Penelope, Marina's cousin, is Lady Whistledown herself. Coughlan explained why her character exposed her family's secret, causing them to be shamed throughout the ton. In an interview with Variety, Coughlan says that the decision was difficult for Penelope, whose own feelings for Colin Bridgerton clouded her judgement. Coughlan knew it was coming, even if she didn't want it to happen, but rationalized it by citing Shondaland's portrayal of complicated women who make questionable decisions. She said:
We didn’t get all the scripts at once so [I could see] it was sort of leading there, but I kept thinking, “Penelope’s never gonna do it. She’s too nice; she’s too kind.” But then, part of the Shondaland [philosophy] is they’re not afraid to write complicated women that are unlikeable and make bad decisions sometimes. We don’t have to present this level of perfection. I was thinking of [Breaking Bad character] Walter White and whether we’d ever see a woman written like that, where they’re so uncompromisingly terrible and yet people still root for them.
I know people are really angry at Penelope, but she’s 17 years old. And she’s someone who’s so ignored in her life. Whistledown is her way to have some power in the world, but she hasn’t realized in Season 1 how much power she actually has. That’s why I hope we get Season 2 because I’d love to see what that does to her. It would have to give her some confidence because, in a way, she’s the most powerful woman in London while being the least important person. That dynamic while playing her was always so interesting to me.
Penelope's decision to reveal her family's secret as Lady Whistledown is a controversial one, confusing fans who saw Penelope as a moral center at Bridgerton's rather dubious core. Coughlan is right, though - people are less willing to accept flawed, complicated women in their television shows, especially when they are influenced so wholly by emotion. Those emotions, though, are exactly why Penelope's decision makes sense when it is revealed during the season finale that she has been Lady Whistledown all along.
Even if Marina doesn't know that Penelope is Lady Whistledown, she forgives her for trying to prevent her from marrying Colin Bridgerton. Marina admits the error of her ways in trying to trick Colin into marriage and the two ultimately reconcile. Penelope still has a lot of growing to do, but that is what will make her journey on Bridgerton in future seasons all the more powerful. Penelope may come to regret her decision to expose her family's secrets, but the Featheringtons would've faced scandal regardless in the potential Bridgerton season 2. Her decision just sped up the process.
Bridgerton season 1 is now streaming in its entirety on Netflix.
Source: Variety