Discussion of the show Bridgerton on Netflix. This show is based on the Bridgerton book series by Julia Quinn. Each book in this eight book historical romance series features a member of the Bridgerton family. Premiered Dec 25, 2020. Season 2 premiered March 25, 2022.
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Look I understand that she may not be a great mother since she does always pick on them but I was rewatching season 2 and it hit me how much she actually loves her daughters. Maybe she didn’t love her husband and maybe she is always thinking about money but one thing she does love are her children. In her own messy way she loves them and I just really wanted to talk about that. What are y’all’s opinions on her parenting?
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I think she takes her duty as mother to heart, and in her own way loves them. I wouldn’t call her love warm, nurturing, or affectionate however lol.
I remember her line to Marina, that she would “find things to love… [like] your babies” I found that uncharacteristically sweet, and take it that she still sees her grown girls as “her babies”
Very well said. Perfectly describes my thoughts. Bravo!
She loves her daughters fiercely. Few women could be capable of doing what she pulled off in S2. She doesn’t 100% understand Penelope, but it’s clear that she does want her daughters to be happy and taken care of. I’d say in that time period, the only thing a mother needed to do was give birth and teach her daughter manners to marry her off.
I’m really hoping that in s3 Portia will start to understand Penelope better! Penelope obviously got her smarts as well as her gossipy and scheming behaviors from Portia. She just applies them in different ways than Portia does. I hope they can recognize their similarities and appreciate each other more by the end of the season!
I was thinking about that recently. Both of them are cunning (meant positively) and extremely intelligent.
I hope Portia is kinda proud when Lady W is revealed. But I’ll bet she’ll act like she’s not in front of Penelope, especially considering how she was such a fan girl before.
Have been rewatching for s3 coming up! Totally agree. That cunning intelligence, the business savvy, even the love of sometimes cruel gossip, that's Pen being Portia Jr. I love it!!!
I want to see Portia's reaction to the LW reveal for this very reason. Since Penelope inherited her mother's cleverness, I think Portia would be ultimately (if not immediately) impressed by her daughter.
I think so too! I hope we get to see all of their faces because yeah I feel like she would be proud but also the shock of her always knowing everything and then the biggest mystery of the ton has been living under her roof?? She’ll be gagged
This kinda makes me think that Portia-Penelope is weirdly similar to Tywin-Tyrion... just less messed up.
Maybe in that, they were similar to their parents, but Tywin did not love Tyrion at all. He infact hated him. He blamed him for his mother's death. Twin was fiercely in love with his wife. The fact that she died in childbirth hit him hard, and he blamed Tyrion and believed he wasn't his child. How could the great Tywin Lannister sire an imp? But to say it out loud would imply his wife was unfaithful, and he couldn't believe that. I think he believed she had been assaulted and never said anything about it. He never wanted to claim Tyrion, yet he was the most like him of them all.
I believe Portia loves her girls and wants what is best for them. She wants to see them taken care of. She just has horrid fashion sense.
Absolutely agree! She’s one of my favorites. And the whole reason she schemes the way she does is all for her daughters. They have to have money to keep appearances up in order to get husbands with titles who will take good care of them
She redeemed herself in my eyes when she made the you’re screwed speech to the scammer cousin.
This. Up until then I saw her as completely selfish and living vicariously through her daughters. But telling cousin Jack to fuck off showed her true colours, which surprised me.
yes! she had a man show some interest in her and she had the opportunity to run away with wealth with him and she said f*** that this guy doesn’t care about my daughters.
I always kind of saw the tough love from her but that scene solidified everything I was seeing! I cried during that scene, it was so refreshing to see a mother choose their children over lust and money <3
LITERALLY I could watch a spin-off mini series of her outsmarting men, playing dumb “bc she’s a woman” and taking their money lol
Her parenting definitely is hard core. Like if this were today, I could see her kids sitting in front of a therapist saying that she never showed them love or affection. But I think she is juggling a lot right now because the cards that she was dealt with not one but two shitty men. I think in her own roundabout way though it is all love but I think it is mixed in with so many other things.
She is hard on her girls, but she does love them and is fiercely protective of them. I wouldn’t want her for a mother, but I understand why she is what she is and respect what she does. It’s probably an extremely unpopular opinion, but I even respect how she tried to help Marina find a husband. Idk she’s one of my favorites so I may be biased, but she’s a bada**.
I agree with you actually! Like was the man old and horrid? Yes, but he was also old…meaning at the end of the day Marina would have had to put up with it for a few years and then she’d be taken care of because the man had money and a title and no one would have gossiped because they would have believed the fact that they were his children
Yep. It was precarious situation and she was trying to get her out of dodge without a scandal. Can’t fault her for that.
I really hope the Featheringtons dont leave the show i truly love watching Portia and her crazy ass
The main thing I wished the showrunners did is add Felicity back as a Featherington cousin (because Portia said she has three daughters) and a cousin has shown up in every season so far.
I would love that! I feel like adding her could also help bring the younger siblings into the story more as well
I know she was very close with Penelope and a best friend of Hyacinth's. Side Note: If you imagine any actress playing Felicity, who would it be and why ?
Given that I’ll always picture anyone named Felicity as blonde (thank you Arrow) it would have to be a young, blonde actress… and I don’t know if I know of any!
Apparently she died v young
I'm lost. Who died young and what source states that ?
Felicity. Can't remember exactly where u read it though
i love portia and i hope she will continue to be on the show past this season. it’s apparent she loves her daughters but i think that she only knew the world as a place cruel to women, so she wanted to prepare them as much as she wanted to protect them from it. and by getting them married, that was about as good of protection she could get them.
she is by no means a great or even a good mom, but in her own way i think she is a loving mom.
Yes. She's one of my favourite characters! In that time at that societal level, a mother's role was to have kids and prepare the girls to be married. She's such a great foil to Violet Bridgerton who is also pro-marriage for her children but has different much more advantageous circumstances. But Violet will scheme and manipulate appearances (such as when the s2 wedding was called off, spreading rumours about Whatshisface from s1 to get Daphne away from an engagement) to protect her children and family's standing.
Violet is playing with a good hand; sons, wealth. Meanwhile Portia has the opposite cards to play but is fundamentally trying to achieve the same thing in securing her children's and own fortune.
Nigel, nigel burbrooke.. hé is perfection
I’m a lady feetherington stan!!! She will do whatever it takes for her daughters
I think her attitude towards matrimony is pretty realistic to the period. She married someone who squandered their money and has 3 daughters to provide for which, in that era, was going to be getting a good marriage.
I know a lot of people hated her for how she treated Marina but she was correct about the implications for her daughter’s reputations. Also about what Marina’s future would likely look like.
Certainly not a nice person or generally a kind one but a strong woman who is doing her best in a very tough world.
As someone who has only watched the show.. I appreciate her as a mother. She is not an emotional nurturer, but she is a realist. She understands what the expectations of society are and how they impact her family and she tries to strong-arm her way through them. It’s not always the most subtle, but she tends to get the job done.
I think her and Penelope have the most in common of the Featherington women (having only seen the show!!!), ambitious, focused, observant, intelligent, and determined. And.. hate me if you want.. but they are both devious in their own way. It’s actually been very fun to see the growth for both of them in that regard
Nah. Love is not expressed through verbal abuse and neglect and letting one child become the target for the others.
Which is why I said she isn’t a great mom. She may berate them and embarrass them, but she loves them. How do you think she neglects them? She is always with them, securing their futures because in those times that’s all she could do. She takes into account what their futures would be like without money and a titled family to marry into so she would scheme for them. Would she verbally hurt them? Yes but there’s a difference between constant verbal abuse and saying things that are hurtful every now and then. I dont recall seeing Portia tell her daughters something horrible in every scene but if you saw differently I would truly love your input! Thank you for sharing this because I feel like a lot of us love Portia and don’t really see the bad mother side as much as the fighting mother in a society where you are destined to fail over a single mistake!
Almost every scene she has with Penelope is her tearing Penelope down which is verbal and emotional abuse, even when Penelope is not in the scene she sets it up so it’s okay for her to be target of humiliation as when she put the fear of winding up like Penelope into Prudence to motivate her to find a suitor. That’s not love, I’m sorry it’s not. Love is not being cruel to or about your own children.
Neglect is the fact that she cares so little about what is happening in Penelope’s life that she hasn’t bothered to notice her child is running an entire empire and sneaking out at all hours of the night to go to dangerous parts of the city in a time when women aren’t even allowed to leave the house alone. She’s never once wondered why Penelope is not going home with them from a ball because she doesn’t care because she’s already written her off.
Look Portia is interesting because she’s trying to survive but that doesn’t make her motivated by some deep down loving nature, IMO.
I definitely see your point now! I agree she definitely does neglect to care for her daughter’s whereabouts especially in that time. I wonder what her excuse is for leaving Pen behind often and if maybe her attitude towards this is because she thinks her daughter wouldn’t attract a man enough for a man to attack her. Boy thats a sad thought but maybe I am not too far off. I truly appreciate your support to your opinion because it is extremely valid. I also appreciate your perspective on a post that’s contrary to your opinion, I find it refreshing! <3
Her I’m a mother line was one of favorite scenes of the whole season. She’s not the best parent but she does care for her daughters and wants to make sure they are taken care of. She does what she has to do, as a woman in that time period.
I just started my 4th or so rewatch of season 2 and I must say I am thoroughly enjoying the Featherington action this time around. They’re hilarious.
I always thought their comic relief in S2 was a nice break from the constant kanthony angst
I believe Portia loves her daughters more than anything, but she provides "tough love". Most of her craftiness and cunning nature is due to wanting stability for her daughters (although some people might see her as a cruel/tacky woman). Lastly, I have a theory that Portia came from poorer circumstances and only became "nouveau riche" when she married Lord Featherington.
Portia definitely came from a merchant middle class family. Big Mrs Bennett vibes.
YES! portia coming from a less wealthy background makes so much sense. her wanting to show the realities of the living poor in this world to marina (if portia grew up rich how would she even know about how poor people actually lived? most wealthy ton people probably aren’t fully aware of it) to encourage her to secure a marriage for her unborn kid, her scheming to ensure portia’s own daughters can get married to wealthy men, etc. portia is tough love 101 but she is also well aware of how the world works and how cruel it can be. i think it’s very evident that portia does whatever she can to prevent her daughters from having to experience that.
I also theorized that the Featheringtons (especially Portia's side of the family) were Irish 🇮🇪 and originally part of the gentry class 📜. Although this class wasn't poor (Ex. merchants, tradesmen, and baronets), they weren't a part of the peerage system (Ex. baron, viscount, count, marquis, and duke). That's why they weren't as respected. The same thing applies to Irish nobility, which causes them to be creative. Plus, Mrs. Varley has an Irish last name and Penelope knows how to do an Irish accent.
SOURCES: https://randombitsoffascination.com/2019/03/26/joining-the-gentry/ https://regrom.com/2023/03/08/guest-post-ireland-in-the-regency/
that would make a lot of sense!!! in benedict’s book (AOFAG) at the masquerade, penelope dresses like a leprechaun because she just got back from ireland visiting her irish cousins!!!
Cool ! They need to bring up the Irish roots 🇮🇪 of the Featheringtons more in Season 3 , like how Kate showcased South India/Tamil culture 🪷
She's an interesting character for sure, but i would never call her a loving mother, least of all to Penelope. She bullies her own daughter.
I agree she has a sort of tough love kind of parenting style, & I was impressed with how she dealt with Jack at the end of s2. However, it always felt like she cared more about the oldest 2 & ignored Pen. Hopefully we’ll see more of their relationship in s3, bc so far Pen is the forgotten Featherington, even in Portia’s eyes, which is sad 🙁
I don’t think you know what a loving mother is
If that is what you believe from an online post thats okay! I wish you joy in your future <3
It is actually pretty objective; she is a terrible mother
You're talking about series Portia who's treatment of Penelope might be questionable but you still can see she cares about her daughters but book Portia is another person altogether.
Ooo please do tell how the are different! I would love the input!
Don't want to spoil much but almost every interaction is more of a bully and victim type of relationship than a parent and child one.
Oop I forgot about spoilers but yes! I saw a comment earlier from another redditor supporting your comment! Thank you for providing your opinion though, I truly appreciate it <3
When I first watched the show, I found myself waiting for more scenes at the Featherington house, they seemed more intresting to me than the perfect Bridgertons. They had an intresting family dynamic. I wish there is a spinnoff of the featherington family, not solely focused on love stories but also on their relationships with each other.
They do say goodnight to each other, so that's sweet. But I also have no doubt that if she had discovered Pen's secret and stash of money, she would have taken all of it and destroyed Pen's income and career.
Yes! She’s just not the typical cuddly mother. But her focus on money and status is also because she wants her daughters well off, it’s not just being selfish or money hungry.
Portia understands how society works, she’s very intelligent (Pen inherited much of her mother wit) and she knows what one needs to be respected in society. So she does everything necessary to have all of that to her and her daughters.
I would almost say she doesn’t come from much money herself. Would love a spin off about her life (younger years etc)!
Polly is such a compelling actress—Portia does all sorts of appalling things and I absolutely love her
It was never really clear if she was truly going along with her cousin but screwed him at the very end to save herself or if she was playing him whole time. She was very upset after she gave him that speech which let me to believe she actually had feelings for him but had to change course once Collin figured out the scam.
I think she was charmed by him, found him attractive, liked being attractive to someone else. She was likely married off at 18-19 and then in a loveless marriage her whole adult life, so being attractive to someone and having that flirty, fun experience was probably something she hadn't had in her life in decades. But I also think she's very savvy and she already knew he was a scammer, so why wouldn't he scam her too? So I think she was weighing her options for a long time through the scam she participated in, like seeing what the possibilities were, seeing how she could best ensure her family's future. When he suggested fleeing to America I think she made her decision.
To me, she seems like the sort of woman who likes men…but will always like money more. I think she was playing him, but I also think she had fun while she was doing it.
Tbf Lady Fetherington was never betrayed by money but plenty of times by her husband...
I think Portia loves her daughters very much. In that period you needed to concentrate on getting your daughters married. Preferably to a "good match". LW first describes Portia as tactless and tasteless. Portia is not a very warm mother. But she loves her children deeply
I find Portia so interesting. I think on first watch I hated her but on rewatch I grew to like and understand her better. I think my view was colored by book Portia bc she really does not take Penelope into account there.
But Penelope isn’t really afraid of her mom in the show. Portia listened to Penelope regarding Marina’s prospects, because later in the episode Portia basically tells Marina that Rutledge is still on the table. Penelope also knows how to get her mom to respond the way she wants (every time she objected about Marina and Colin’s engagement, Portia never dismissed her out right)
She loves her girls but she trying to get them to succeed in a world that values looks than brains, and she’s not very nice about it.
You are very right! I do think she could use a more loving tone towards her daughters but I feel like maybe Portia didnt have that so she doesn’t know how to be gentle
She may be a flawed character but she did not put her children on the back burner. They were her priority and I love that!
I completely agree!! I loved when she told Marina that you find things to love in an arranged marriage, like your children. Just because her marriage was not filled with love does not mean she's not capable of love.
It is such a contrast to what's in the books, especially for poor Penelope... I hope she is nice to Pen in S3.
I hope so too! I would love to see them talk about how Portia doesn’t have high regard for Penelope although that might make me cry!
Oh, she definitely loves them in her own way. She definitely just wants the best for her daughters. However, what she thinks is best might not actually be best for them. Lol.
She smacked Marina across the face, who was of similar age to her daughters. So either that wasn’t the first time she resorted to physical abuse, or it was the first time and she decided it was acceptable to smack Marina because she’s a racist. Either way, she’s a villain. And she can be a fun and interesting villain at times, but she’s still a bad person. She’s not a loving mother, but a realistic one to the time period who wants to see her daughters taken care of even if they end up miserable like her.
Does anyone know when we might get a season 3?
Part 1 of season 3 premieres May 16th and part 2 June 13th.
Do you know what service it will be streaming on or being shown on?!?
Netflix, have you watched the first two seasons? It’s a Netflix show.
I have but I watched it on Plex so I wasn't sure. I'm just so damn excited and surprised that anyone had an answer to my question.