Why Cressida Deserved a Better Ending on ‘Bridgerton’

The latest in pop-culture news, recaps, and reviews, plus close reads, profiles, interviews, and more from Vulture.com. [Brand Logo]( unhappy endings [Justice for Cressida]( Bridgerton used her as a stepping stone for Penelope’s self-discovery, then tossed her aside. Photo: Liam Daniel/Netflix Bridgerton often feels divided between two impulses. There’s the sexy stuff appealing directly to the romance-genre aficionados who grew up on Mr. Darcy’s hand flex and want to know what happened behind closed doors — the secret make-outs, the [chaise-longue trysts](, Benedict’s bisexual ménage à trois that seems to last a week. It’s risqué. It’s sensual. It’s pleasant to watch two hot people press their faces together. All of that must be balanced, though, by Bridgerton’s guiding philosophy of acceptance and forgiveness. This show isn’t just Regency smut; it’s a fantasy in which people, after a long sequence of miscommunication, finally find common ground and put aside their past grievances. Bridgerton has spent three seasons expanding its big tent (or, say, [its big balloon]() to include all kinds of people who have previously done wrong and give them a second chance at acceptance and even love. So why couldn’t it do the same for [Jessica Madsen’s Cressida Cowper](? [read more]( Devour pop culture with us. [Subscribe now]( to save over 40% on unlimited access to Vulture and everything New York. The Latest TV Recaps • Clipped: [Get Out]( • Below Deck Mediterranean: [Cold Eggs]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( Stories We Think You’ll Like [TIFF Hearts Amy Adams She’s receiving the TIFF Tribute Performer Award for her work in Nightbitch.]( By Jason P. Frank [The 20 Best Movies on Starz 8 Mile, Carlito’s Way, Planet of the Apes, and more.]( By Brian Tallerico [JT Gets DWI Timberlake was arrested and released without bail the next morning.]( By Jason P. Frank [The Most Influential Podcasters Right Now From the “just asking questions” guys to internet hip-hop radio.]( By Nicholas Quah [Kevin Costner Isn’t Sorry for Casting His Beautiful Whispering Boy “We would drive to the set every day and he would whisper.”]( By Anne Victoria Clark [Da Mets Love Grimace The team is on a hot streak after the purple legend threw out a first pitch last week. Coincidence or divine intervention?]( By Devon Ivie [Will Céline Dion Sing Again? Her documentary I Am: Celine Dion shows her fight to return to the stage.]( By Justin Curto [The Bloody, Bawdy History of Henry VIII Onscreen From Richard Burton to Jude Law, the king with six wives frequently plays second fiddle to a more interesting woman.]( By Elle Carroll [Three Seasons of Bridgerton Culminate in One Ecstatic Line Reading “There is only one way to deliver that, and that is with urgency.”]( By Kathryn VanArendonk [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( Vulture Games [Today’s Crossword]( 1-Across, Four Letters: Role for Colin in Bridget Jones’s Diary Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images, Lionel Hahn/Getty Images, Jason Mendez/Getty Images [Today’s Cinematrix]( Can you name a Jesse Plemons movie that was nominated for Best Picture? Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Steve Granitz/WireImage, Aliah Anderson/FilmMagic A newsletter about the perpetual Hollywood awards race, for subscribers only. [Sign up]( to get it every week. [Get the Newsletter]( [logo]( [facebook logo]( [instagram logo]( [twitter logo]( [unsubscribe]( | [privacy notice]( | [update preferences]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Was this email forwarded to you? [Sign up now]( to get this newsletter in your inbox. [View this email in your browser.]( You received this email because you have a subscription to New York. Reach the right online audience with us For advertising information on email newsletters, please contact AdOps@nymag.com Vox Media, LLC 1701 Rhode Island Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036 Copyright © 2024, All rights reserved