One Polin Scene Will Never Be Okay No Matter How Hard Bridgerton Defends It

I know there are Penelope defenders and Colin apologists marching toward my house with torches even as I type these words. But as much as I want these characters to be happy, there is one scene from this last season that I just can't get over.

Quick, let me explain why before the Bridgerton mob arrives and sets my house on fire.

You already know which scene I'm talking about. In Season 2, Episode 8 (The Viscount Who Loved Me) an already upset Penelope is walking through the crowd at her family's party. When she hears Colin Bridgerton, the unrequited love of her life, say her name, she ducks behind a statue.

(Well, sort of. How does nobody spot that bedazzled lemon dress? Get BEHIND the statue, Penelope. I don't think you know how hiding works.)

Colin tells a coterie of chuckling Regency bros:

Are you mad? I would never dream of courting Penelope Featherington. Not in your wildest fantasies.

Then the Frat Boys of the Ton™ all laugh like the odious jerks they are, leaving Penelope to go cry in her room over Colin Bridgerton. Again.

Did Colin know she was there? No, of course not. Did he mean to hurt her feelings? No, of course not. Does he owe Penelope his love, just because she loves him? No, of course not. But none of those things are actually the problem.

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Even in the decidedly anachronistic world of Bridgerton, Penelope's future hinges on finding a husband. She's already fighting an uphill battle: she has a horrendous family, no dowry, a reputation for being a wallflower, and a mother who insists on dressing her in colors that clash with her hair (see the aforementioned lemon monstrosity).

Colin could have answered the question about his interest in Penelope a dozen different ways, including a simple I see her like a sister. Instead, he made her a punchline. He told a group of eligible bachelors not only that he isn't interested in courting Penelope, but that even thinking of her that way is laughable. Penelope has a hard enough time surviving in the town as it is, and Colin makes her life that much harder.

Penelope does have a secret power as Lady Whistledown, but Colin doesn't know about that. All he knows is that his sweet, shy friend is already laughed at. And he adds to the laughter.

When put in its proper context, Colin's remark isn't just thoughtless – it's borderline cruel. It makes him a bad friend, never mind a bad love interest. I'll watch Season 3, but I'm really not sure I can get over it.

You can burn my house down now.