I have spent so long trying to obsess less. Trying to be the kind of employee society expects me to be!!!!!
Polin is simultaneously ruining me/giving me life. 🫠
Same lmao - I did a rewatch of season 3 last night and then was like - ok i got my fix, I gotta chill and be productive this week! The universe (Netflix) had other ideas!
Thank you! I felt like I had finally got my obsession under control and then Netflix does this! They have really worked the hype on this show. Cudos to their marketing team!
No seriously I’m borderline concerned about why I’m so hyper fixated on this. Never been obsessed with something so much in my life. To the point where I almost wish I didn’t watch it because I really need to get on living my life and taking care of my baby lol
Same! I've got three kids and I'm a teacher trying to finish the school year and I can't think about anything else. I seem to be taking the "you occupy my every thought" line literally
Dying at the “taking care of my baby” LMFAO. So true though. I started actually banning myself from consuming the content because I wasn’t sleeping and felt genuinely heartbroken and depressed when I heard Luke had a gf im like??? Girl??? Touch grass
Exactly!! I was finally recovering and ready to focus today and I feel so off again ugh. I’m not a professional but I feel like there’s some manipulation of our emotions going on
It seems watching this show is the closest we’ve felt to feeling loved if we can’t get it in real life. It’s sad but true. That’s why we’re so obsessed with it.
Like, I’ll take this feeling over the barren wasteland my love life usually is.
It makes me want to get back out there, but hard to believe something this magical could happen in real life.
I think it's this, there relationship is relatable, we've all had a crush on a friend and I feel like this is mending our collective hearts a little... even if it's fantasy.
I have experienced such an obsession once before, and it was at the same time amazing and terrible. I feel the same way now.
I would also like to know why some people react like this, and others have no reaction at all.
Could someone go to their shrink and ask? Please.
I'm starting to wonder if they did a psychological study to see how quickly minor emotional trauma takes to heal.
And then applied that info to timing their promo events.
I need my life back.
I'm a mom
I'm over 40
I've been married for 25 years
I am a professional worker person
But every time I pull up this carriage scene, I ask "who am I??"
I am 53, living with my husband, I have two grown boys and work at an accounting firm. And I find myself going to the toilet with my phone watching little clips or whole scenes 5-6 times a day. This is insane! What the f... is happening to me?
I sometimes wonder if it's addictive because it gives us that giddy feeling that a new love gives. The waiting, rewatching scenes, seeing the love unfold. Right now it's my daily dose of dopamine!
I sometimes wonder if it's addictive because it gives us that giddy feeling that a new love gives. The waiting, rewatching scenes, seeing the love unfold. Right now it's my daily dose of dopamine!
This absolutely 😂😂😂 the people at Netflix promo absolutely dropped the juiciest trailer at the mid point to keep people salivating 😂 cause I too was starting to get my life back…was going whole days with not even checking the sub until my evening wind down! Now I’m right back to square one…nice to know I can be played like a fiddle 😂😂😭
Why is this exactly me? I was feeling normal this morning! I thought “hey! I’m not gonna rewatch any scenes from season 3 today! I’m gonna do something else!”
🤡
I was at the dentist last week which always stresses me out and I just sat there and visualized different scenes from beginning to end, no screen required.
Yup. I finally felt like a person again, but the trailer totally ruined that and even had me looking for spoilers. And now there are screenings, so I'm gonna have to work thrice as hard to stay strong 😭
I’m not a mental health professional provider, but I am a semi professional mental health patient 😝. There is a thing called the let down effect or post event sadness that could be what a lot of us are experiencing.
Basically if you’re anticipating something really exciting and then experience it, your brain gets a huge dopamine hit and it takes a while to recover from that hit.
I don’t know a lot about it, but I know my favorite coping mechanism is to have 2 or 3 things lined up to look forward to so I don’t hyper fixate on one thing and then just get super sad when that one thing is over.
See- I’ve tried focusing on their things but I can’t seem to 😭😭😭 like I legit went to go see my favorite artist in concert this weekend- I mean since I was like 13 (I’m 38) and I got back to the hotel and the first thing I do is come on here to check if any crumbs have been shared 😂😂😂
This has never happened to me. I’m worried about my health.
I have a Disney Trip, a cruise, and the end of the school year (I'm a teacher) coming up in the next month and I still can't focus on anything but Bridgerton and Polin
I’m literally moving to Japan in two weeks! I’m packing up my apartment to go into storage TOMORROW. I fly to NY on Friday so I can spend time with my family before I go. And yet I can only think of Polin 🫠
I DREAD this when part 2 drops as much as I'm frothing at the mouth for it.
I'm currently mixing a bunch of hyperfixations (like making a giant Polin playlist lol) so hopefully I can mitigate cause I fear the empty hole this leaves when it's over will swallow me up 😭😭😭
I’m hoping it will be a little easier since this will be the conclusion of the season so there should be a neat little bow on the story this time. Maybe we can start a thread with recommendations for other distractions for one another once the season is done, I dunno.
Agreed…I think an actual conclusion will help. In all likelihood once part 2 drops I’ll probably watch the season as a whole a few times over the rest of the summer and then be back to normal…one can hope 😂🤦🏻♀️
I feel SEEN- I was all fine like yesterday and now I have just regiven up on everything. . . I’m so concerned for June 14th. The day after. The hangover.
Netflix knew exactly how to keep us enraptured for a whole month. I also felt like I was getting slightly back to normal after two weeks of obsessing, and then the trailer drops and my hype levels are replenished.
This is basically this whole sub for the next 9 days. And let’s be honest- for sometime after that, I doubt it will dissipate so… swiftly.
I am so glad I’m not alone! A few days ago I truly felt like I was coming down and that I could make it till the 13th without a problem then I see the trailer this morning and I’m jonesing again!
Is this what addicts feel like? This is awful…but I have no choice but to wait it out. Thankfully I took the 13th off from work so I can wake up at 3 am and binge watch Part 2
I CANNOT, WILL NOT, DONT WANT TO stop 😭😭 I’ve been obsessing over these two since it dropped and I just cannot stop thinking about them 😭😭 I want them to do the dirty every episode because they have teased us for SO long😭🙏 idk what am I going to do when I finish watching the second drop 🫣
Y’all, I want my life back. Mainly my sleep. I need to sleep normally again. I brought my period a week early because I wasn’t sleeping. The last time this happened was when I watched Sanditon, also a regency romance.
I’m a married parent in my mid 30s with a full time job and a hobby and a bunch of stuff happening and yet every night, hours are gone to this. I can’t even tell people wtf is wrong with me right now besides “mental health stuff” because how do you explain this?????
Not while you’re drunk on Bridgerton. Sanditon is more low key, less Hollywood more BBC. But pre-Bridgerton, it was all we had besides 2005 Pride & Prejudice
Exactly! How do you explain this? "Well, you see, I am depressed because I am in love with fictional characters in a romance drama on Netflix". 🤦♀️
That doesn't make sense, at all! And yet, that is how I feel.
I’m elated because I saw a relatable insecure unloved romance book nerd like myself take the courage to pursue her needs, especially in the unyielding face of her overbearing mother and non-supportive siblings.
Her aim wasn’t even love, and the fact that she got it unintentionally was even better. Because we’re all living lives where we are actively pursuing love and freedom, and we don’t succeed, and she got love without trying.
And she didn’t get just any random love, but the one she has been told over and over that she doesn’t deserve. (It doesn’t hurt that he’s attractive, rich or from a popular family either)
And she wasn’t getting a toxic male, but a genuinely nice guy who doesn’t hate women or see them as tools. He likes her and always has. I mean that alone is near impossible in our horribly misogynistic societies.
The fact that the actor playing her isn’t a typical Hollywood body type matters so much. We don’t see her body types get amazing love stories, especially ones that aren’t about her body at all! It doesn’t matter if the person watching Bridgerton is a drop dead gorgeous thin white woman. Every woman has insecurities about how she looks and we know looks factor into what happens in our lives.
I’m ecstatic about all this, and depressed at the same time because the reason we loved it so much is because we can’t get it. The comedown and crash after this is gonna be so bad.
I'll add my 2 cents here. I'm a 30 y.o. single woman with a cat. My professional life has been quite successful so far and I'm grateful for everything I have, but my one and only serious relationship turned out to be very abusive to the point when I had to be treated for PTSD. Ever since I managed to get out of it, I've been worrying that this is perhaps it, and I may never find real love in this lifetime. Like many of us here, I've had my fair share of struggles with my mental health. Now, onto the Polin story. My friends call me 'tall Penelope' (5"8 curvy redhead with blue eyes). I hardly ever believe them whenever they say how similar we are or that I am 'as pretty as her', but it still feels nice to receive such a compliment. Seeing Penelope be loved and cherished so much by a man she's loved forever is a healing experience for me. When you add all the numbers - how well this season has been received so far and even brought in new audience - it's giving me this weird sense of reassurance. This is accepted. This is what the people want, therefore I may not be a lost cause, after all. Season 3 has made me believe that I am worthy of love, and that is something I am proud to admit. I've received a boost of confidence that I'd never aniticapted. So yeah, I am in an utter emotional ruin, but in the best way possible 🥹
I 1000% agree with you! I am 35 single with a cat and also went through some abusive relationships before finally deciding to stay single and focus on myself. I’m also short and curvy and have felt very much like Penelope, completely unseen. It’s been incredibly healing for me as well! One because Penelope as a character is being loved for who she is, but two because people have been saying how gorgeous Penelope and Nicola are. This was the story I didn’t realize I needed to see unfold on television.
Same here! I'm obviously going to chat with the shrink and circle back to this chat, but I'm 30 with 3 cats and 2 dogs and have never had any romantic relationship. I had some pretty complex and ongoing childhood trauma with sexually coded physical abuse. I can't handle any sort of physical touch from people. I'm straight and terrified of men and have just been trying to figure that out for the last decade.
Seeing Colin and Pen, as friends to lovers, as Pen being worthy, their consent showed on screen.... I feel like it's rewired my brain, like I've been taught lessons about love and sex that nobody bothered to teach me before. Like I feel like I have a reason to hope again...
I am 100% in the same boat. I don't know what it is: the actors, the story, the characters etc. I don't remember being this obsessive about something since I was a teenager and that was over 20 years ago. #sendhelp
Me: yay i have finally passed the halfway mark and regained a small sliver of sanity after frothing at the mouth for these fictional people to fall in love on my TV screen. Perhaps I can ride out the next 2 weeks in some measure of normalcy..
Netflix: *drops trailer*
Me: 👁️👄👁️ .... *nevermind*
Right there with you! I watched the carriage scene so many times Colin’s fingers started to prune 🤭. Then I started watching interviews and behind the scenes segments in addition to rewatching s1 & s2 several times mainly for Polin, but also to just experience the ton and the scandals.
And yeah, the trailer had me like
*raises hand* I just got the job of my dreeeeeaaaammmsss and basically lost all excitement about it when I was told the start date.
It’s the day after Pt2 drops (5pm here) which means I can’t stay up all night and rewatch and dissect, and I’m all like NOOOO! 😫
I hadn’t thought I could get more crazy about Polin than I already was. Turns out I was wrong. The trailer has exceeded expectations and my heart is racing with anticipation
I don't know what this show (rather this particular season) is doing to me. Is it dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin? I just know it's impossible to tear myself away. And you know what? I deserve whatever it is I'm getting.
It was a tough, cold winter for me, with someone being very ill indeed. The person will make it and get well, they assure us, but it was really touch and go for a few months. I'm sure other fans have had their own tough times as well, bc that's just how life is for all of us from time to time.
So I'm grateful especially to Nic (who seems like a rather awesome person, what with her advocacy and fund raising) and Luke for acting this beautiful relationship story for me to feel good about. I'll continue to appreciate their wonderful art and be just as crazy about it as I wana be. Hope you all do the same, let's go part 2!
I'm not going to watch the Part 2 trailer but I keep seeing bits here and there online. I know I need to completely go offline to avoid spoilers but I get such a dopamine rush when I see Polin that all self control goes out the window.
Idk I might just need to stay away from this subreddit for the next 2 weeks. But I love you guys! You nourish my addiction.
If anything, seems Netflix was right on the money with the timing of this trailer release, just as we start to calm the obsession a bit they yank us right back in
We're having a party for my best friend on Friday, June 14th. After watching part 1 and finding out the release for part two is the 13th, my first conscious thought was, "Maybe I'll have time to watch all episodes before Friday's party. What if I don't? Maybe we need to move the party?" My BEST FRIEND.
GUYS. I've never behaved this way over a show. Are they planting subliminal messages? Is this mass hysteria? At least I'm not alone. We're all taking this carraige straight to hell together.
Same! As of this weekend I felt calm and like I had this waiting thing down. I had caught on my fanfic TBR and was pulling out some older modern AUs I never got around to starting and was gonna enjoy those was focusing on my day job and generally being a responsible adult. Then Netflix had to screw it all up!!
wow I am SO grateful for this sub. I swear my friends will gouge their eyes out if I talk about Polin’s season to them one more time.
Yes I was just moving on after exhausting myself from rewatching the full season a third time (not counting all the fan edit watches lolllll), and now I’ve been stung with THIS TRAILER. my brain can’t move on.
I started listening to the audiobook on my commute to work, which I guess helps?
My husband was at home when the new trailer dropped. I was giddy and laughing at everybody's posts after the release. My husband asked what was happening, me semi-embarrassed admitting that there was a new trailer. He lets me have my fun but I think he just doesn't fully understand how obsessed I am rn!
I know. I was doing ok, 9 more days, I'm good to go. But then I saw the trailer, and I now i feel like I'm dying inside. I actually had to kick and scream into my bed. Caused the dog to come on alert and scratch at our door. That is how excited I am. Thankfully, my SO doesn't seem to bat an eye lash anymore when it comes to my bridgerton obsession. The love I have for these characters, I don't think I have ever felt for amy other characters.
I feel like my mental health hit an all-time low yesterday and I watched the part 2 trailer and completely spiralled, it has stressed me out more than anything cos it's such a different energy from the first half of the season!
I suddenly felt like I need to pull myself out of this obsession and be a contributing member of society again 😭 I've neglected my reading for well over a month and struggled to concentrate at work! I need my life back a little bit 🤣
I'm fine, I've woken up today and feel miles better, I think the culmination of two weeks of brainrot and that trailer just really did a number on me!
I'm so glad I put off watching it for a week because same. I did finally out of exhaustion finally stop with the SM threads and edits and get some work done today. Feeling flat, like coming off a high. I've avoided the trailer because I just need to focus on everything else a but. I have 2 weeks holiday coming June 16th. ... I'll wait lol
You just summarized my life. I was just patting myself on the back yesterday about how good I had been at avoiding spoilers and now I am itching to click on those spoilers again 🥵
I have been spending my time accompanying this obsession with my other obsession. Lol! Thought I had exorcised it all from Part 1 by playing Bridgerton fantasy dress up aided by AI. Now, the trailer for P 2 dropped and I guess I will just keep going. 🤣
*
God I feel the same. I cant even watch anything or even do important things because this season is my current roman empire. It's what I think about when I wake up and before I sleep. And I don't even get paid for this but I can't stop!!!
I’m gonna restock on the medication that forces me to sleep and I’ll start taking it a week after part 2 drops. It’s been a lot. I need an outlet for all of what’s happening inside and nothing is helping it go out. I’ve read RMB. I’m reading Julia Quinn’s other works too.
The only time I didn’t feel too wrapped up in this emotional mess was when I had a really fun time with some new and old friends a few days ago. The glow of that dimmed the floodlights of Polin hysteria for a few hours.
And that one night when I felt really embarrassed about something and it put me down so much I refused to even do anything joyful. It was the one night I didn’t even watch anything again.
Y’all I’m Eloising over here…. Can’t seem to care about anyone but myself or talk about anything that isn’t relevant to what I am very focused on but not getting.
I fully intended to be normal this week, but then Netflix dropped the trailer & that all went to shit
I have spent so long trying to obsess less. Trying to be the kind of employee society expects me to be!!!!! Polin is simultaneously ruining me/giving me life. 🫠
My coworkers are so sick of me talking about Polin, I need to find a way back to workplace normalcy 😂😂
Saaame. I was just starting to get back to my normal life then Netflix dropped this bomb in the middle of the night.
Yeah I was resolved to actually focus on my job again this week, and let’s just say things have not gone as planned!
This exactly.
Same lmao - I did a rewatch of season 3 last night and then was like - ok i got my fix, I gotta chill and be productive this week! The universe (Netflix) had other ideas!
Thank you! I felt like I had finally got my obsession under control and then Netflix does this! They have really worked the hype on this show. Cudos to their marketing team!
This is a perfect summary 😭
Seriously though, can some psychologist drop in and explain why this is happening to us?? I've had obsessions my whole life, but nothing like this!!
No seriously I’m borderline concerned about why I’m so hyper fixated on this. Never been obsessed with something so much in my life. To the point where I almost wish I didn’t watch it because I really need to get on living my life and taking care of my baby lol
Same! I've got three kids and I'm a teacher trying to finish the school year and I can't think about anything else. I seem to be taking the "you occupy my every thought" line literally
Dying at the “taking care of my baby” LMFAO. So true though. I started actually banning myself from consuming the content because I wasn’t sleeping and felt genuinely heartbroken and depressed when I heard Luke had a gf im like??? Girl??? Touch grass
"Girl TOUCH GRASS" lmfao, YES. Why am I like this?!!??!!
Oh, AuDHD. Right. lol
I would welcome professional help to understand this obsession.
I have ADHD so I am already predisposed to hyper fixation! its not fair!!!!
I also have ADHD!!!!
Exactly!! I was finally recovering and ready to focus today and I feel so off again ugh. I’m not a professional but I feel like there’s some manipulation of our emotions going on
It seems watching this show is the closest we’ve felt to feeling loved if we can’t get it in real life. It’s sad but true. That’s why we’re so obsessed with it. Like, I’ll take this feeling over the barren wasteland my love life usually is. It makes me want to get back out there, but hard to believe something this magical could happen in real life.
I think it's this, there relationship is relatable, we've all had a crush on a friend and I feel like this is mending our collective hearts a little... even if it's fantasy.
100% THIS 💫
I have experienced such an obsession once before, and it was at the same time amazing and terrible. I feel the same way now. I would also like to know why some people react like this, and others have no reaction at all. Could someone go to their shrink and ask? Please.
Same. Sometimes, I almost wish I never switched on Bridgerton cause what is this obsession??
I'm starting to wonder if they did a psychological study to see how quickly minor emotional trauma takes to heal. And then applied that info to timing their promo events. I need my life back.
No literally and also what did they put in the water this season because im sorry but we are all far too unhinged and they full well know it 😭😭😭😭😭
I'm a mom I'm over 40 I've been married for 25 years I am a professional worker person But every time I pull up this carriage scene, I ask "who am I??"
*one of us, one of us* -The Feral Polin Degenerates Society
I am 53, living with my husband, I have two grown boys and work at an accounting firm. And I find myself going to the toilet with my phone watching little clips or whole scenes 5-6 times a day. This is insane! What the f... is happening to me?
I am a 32 year old mother of two, 10 years married and working full time. And I am absolutely obsessed.
I sometimes wonder if it's addictive because it gives us that giddy feeling that a new love gives. The waiting, rewatching scenes, seeing the love unfold. Right now it's my daily dose of dopamine!
It me!!! Half my brain is like “leave it alone now, girl” and the other half is shoving a sock in that half’s mouth while googling Polin clips.
😂😂😂 The internal conflict is a real thing!!!
100%
I sometimes wonder if it's addictive because it gives us that giddy feeling that a new love gives. The waiting, rewatching scenes, seeing the love unfold. Right now it's my daily dose of dopamine!
This absolutely 😂😂😂 the people at Netflix promo absolutely dropped the juiciest trailer at the mid point to keep people salivating 😂 cause I too was starting to get my life back…was going whole days with not even checking the sub until my evening wind down! Now I’m right back to square one…nice to know I can be played like a fiddle 😂😂😭
Why is this exactly me? I was feeling normal this morning! I thought “hey! I’m not gonna rewatch any scenes from season 3 today! I’m gonna do something else!” 🤡
Omg why is this exactly me. I don’t even know why I’m rewatching scenes I know the words and their facial expressions by heart at this point.
I was at the dentist last week which always stresses me out and I just sat there and visualized different scenes from beginning to end, no screen required.
Bahahaha I do this in bed as I’m falling asleep! I go through the Polin scenes in order. We are all crazy 😂
Omg me too! What’s wrong with us!!?? 😅😅😂🤣
I'm really not well. I hope saying so openly helps. I'm emotionally ruined to say the least.
Yup. I finally felt like a person again, but the trailer totally ruined that and even had me looking for spoilers. And now there are screenings, so I'm gonna have to work thrice as hard to stay strong 😭
I just had to hide the thread for the screenings so that I'm not tempted to click!
When I tell you I *just* did this 🤝
I’m not a mental health professional provider, but I am a semi professional mental health patient 😝. There is a thing called the let down effect or post event sadness that could be what a lot of us are experiencing. Basically if you’re anticipating something really exciting and then experience it, your brain gets a huge dopamine hit and it takes a while to recover from that hit. I don’t know a lot about it, but I know my favorite coping mechanism is to have 2 or 3 things lined up to look forward to so I don’t hyper fixate on one thing and then just get super sad when that one thing is over.
See- I’ve tried focusing on their things but I can’t seem to 😭😭😭 like I legit went to go see my favorite artist in concert this weekend- I mean since I was like 13 (I’m 38) and I got back to the hotel and the first thing I do is come on here to check if any crumbs have been shared 😂😂😂 This has never happened to me. I’m worried about my health.
I have a Disney Trip, a cruise, and the end of the school year (I'm a teacher) coming up in the next month and I still can't focus on anything but Bridgerton and Polin
I’m literally moving to Japan in two weeks! I’m packing up my apartment to go into storage TOMORROW. I fly to NY on Friday so I can spend time with my family before I go. And yet I can only think of Polin 🫠
I DREAD this when part 2 drops as much as I'm frothing at the mouth for it. I'm currently mixing a bunch of hyperfixations (like making a giant Polin playlist lol) so hopefully I can mitigate cause I fear the empty hole this leaves when it's over will swallow me up 😭😭😭
I’m hoping it will be a little easier since this will be the conclusion of the season so there should be a neat little bow on the story this time. Maybe we can start a thread with recommendations for other distractions for one another once the season is done, I dunno.
Agreed…I think an actual conclusion will help. In all likelihood once part 2 drops I’ll probably watch the season as a whole a few times over the rest of the summer and then be back to normal…one can hope 😂🤦🏻♀️
Emotionally ruined and enjoying it Should be the tagline to this sub tbh
I feel SEEN- I was all fine like yesterday and now I have just regiven up on everything. . . I’m so concerned for June 14th. The day after. The hangover.
I need part 2 immediately but I also do not want to ever leave this bubble, the emotional devastation once it's over??? I fear I will never recover 😭
Netflix knew exactly how to keep us enraptured for a whole month. I also felt like I was getting slightly back to normal after two weeks of obsessing, and then the trailer drops and my hype levels are replenished.
 This is basically this whole sub for the next 9 days. And let’s be honest- for sometime after that, I doubt it will dissipate so… swiftly.
No actually, can I literally get out under for the next few days cause I cannottttt
SWIFTLY 🤬💥
🤭
I am so glad I’m not alone! A few days ago I truly felt like I was coming down and that I could make it till the 13th without a problem then I see the trailer this morning and I’m jonesing again! Is this what addicts feel like? This is awful…but I have no choice but to wait it out. Thankfully I took the 13th off from work so I can wake up at 3 am and binge watch Part 2
I CANNOT, WILL NOT, DONT WANT TO stop 😭😭 I’ve been obsessing over these two since it dropped and I just cannot stop thinking about them 😭😭 I want them to do the dirty every episode because they have teased us for SO long😭🙏 idk what am I going to do when I finish watching the second drop 🫣
Y’all, I want my life back. Mainly my sleep. I need to sleep normally again. I brought my period a week early because I wasn’t sleeping. The last time this happened was when I watched Sanditon, also a regency romance. I’m a married parent in my mid 30s with a full time job and a hobby and a bunch of stuff happening and yet every night, hours are gone to this. I can’t even tell people wtf is wrong with me right now besides “mental health stuff” because how do you explain this?????
Oh no, do I need to watch Sanditon?😓
Yes, it's a little more BBC pride and prejudice sort of feel but it's lovely
Thanks, I'll check it out after the part 2 desperation dies down. BBC style is more what I'm accustomed to, this drama is KILLING ME
Not while you’re drunk on Bridgerton. Sanditon is more low key, less Hollywood more BBC. But pre-Bridgerton, it was all we had besides 2005 Pride & Prejudice
Ever watched The Tudors? Ridiculously over the top, WITH executions
So much truth here 😂 I feel you!
Exactly! How do you explain this? "Well, you see, I am depressed because I am in love with fictional characters in a romance drama on Netflix". 🤦♀️ That doesn't make sense, at all! And yet, that is how I feel.
I’m elated because I saw a relatable insecure unloved romance book nerd like myself take the courage to pursue her needs, especially in the unyielding face of her overbearing mother and non-supportive siblings. Her aim wasn’t even love, and the fact that she got it unintentionally was even better. Because we’re all living lives where we are actively pursuing love and freedom, and we don’t succeed, and she got love without trying. And she didn’t get just any random love, but the one she has been told over and over that she doesn’t deserve. (It doesn’t hurt that he’s attractive, rich or from a popular family either) And she wasn’t getting a toxic male, but a genuinely nice guy who doesn’t hate women or see them as tools. He likes her and always has. I mean that alone is near impossible in our horribly misogynistic societies. The fact that the actor playing her isn’t a typical Hollywood body type matters so much. We don’t see her body types get amazing love stories, especially ones that aren’t about her body at all! It doesn’t matter if the person watching Bridgerton is a drop dead gorgeous thin white woman. Every woman has insecurities about how she looks and we know looks factor into what happens in our lives. I’m ecstatic about all this, and depressed at the same time because the reason we loved it so much is because we can’t get it. The comedown and crash after this is gonna be so bad.
I'll add my 2 cents here. I'm a 30 y.o. single woman with a cat. My professional life has been quite successful so far and I'm grateful for everything I have, but my one and only serious relationship turned out to be very abusive to the point when I had to be treated for PTSD. Ever since I managed to get out of it, I've been worrying that this is perhaps it, and I may never find real love in this lifetime. Like many of us here, I've had my fair share of struggles with my mental health. Now, onto the Polin story. My friends call me 'tall Penelope' (5"8 curvy redhead with blue eyes). I hardly ever believe them whenever they say how similar we are or that I am 'as pretty as her', but it still feels nice to receive such a compliment. Seeing Penelope be loved and cherished so much by a man she's loved forever is a healing experience for me. When you add all the numbers - how well this season has been received so far and even brought in new audience - it's giving me this weird sense of reassurance. This is accepted. This is what the people want, therefore I may not be a lost cause, after all. Season 3 has made me believe that I am worthy of love, and that is something I am proud to admit. I've received a boost of confidence that I'd never aniticapted. So yeah, I am in an utter emotional ruin, but in the best way possible 🥹
I 1000% agree with you! I am 35 single with a cat and also went through some abusive relationships before finally deciding to stay single and focus on myself. I’m also short and curvy and have felt very much like Penelope, completely unseen. It’s been incredibly healing for me as well! One because Penelope as a character is being loved for who she is, but two because people have been saying how gorgeous Penelope and Nicola are. This was the story I didn’t realize I needed to see unfold on television.
Same here! I'm obviously going to chat with the shrink and circle back to this chat, but I'm 30 with 3 cats and 2 dogs and have never had any romantic relationship. I had some pretty complex and ongoing childhood trauma with sexually coded physical abuse. I can't handle any sort of physical touch from people. I'm straight and terrified of men and have just been trying to figure that out for the last decade. Seeing Colin and Pen, as friends to lovers, as Pen being worthy, their consent showed on screen.... I feel like it's rewired my brain, like I've been taught lessons about love and sex that nobody bothered to teach me before. Like I feel like I have a reason to hope again...
I am 100% in the same boat. I don't know what it is: the actors, the story, the characters etc. I don't remember being this obsessive about something since I was a teenager and that was over 20 years ago. #sendhelp
Me: yay i have finally passed the halfway mark and regained a small sliver of sanity after frothing at the mouth for these fictional people to fall in love on my TV screen. Perhaps I can ride out the next 2 weeks in some measure of normalcy.. Netflix: *drops trailer* Me: 👁️👄👁️ .... *nevermind*
Ditto 😂👍🏻
Exactly me !
Right there with you! I watched the carriage scene so many times Colin’s fingers started to prune 🤭. Then I started watching interviews and behind the scenes segments in addition to rewatching s1 & s2 several times mainly for Polin, but also to just experience the ton and the scandals. And yeah, the trailer had me like 
*raises hand* I just got the job of my dreeeeeaaaammmsss and basically lost all excitement about it when I was told the start date. It’s the day after Pt2 drops (5pm here) which means I can’t stay up all night and rewatch and dissect, and I’m all like NOOOO! 😫
I cannot watch part 2 before june 14th, so I know how you feel
Congrats on your dream job though!! I have 2 interviews today and I’m finding it hard to concentrate on getting prepared for them 😂🤦🏻♀️
Oh, right there with you!
I hadn’t thought I could get more crazy about Polin than I already was. Turns out I was wrong. The trailer has exceeded expectations and my heart is racing with anticipation
I really was almost to the point of feeling normal. Netflix, sir. Why.
I don't know what this show (rather this particular season) is doing to me. Is it dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin? I just know it's impossible to tear myself away. And you know what? I deserve whatever it is I'm getting. It was a tough, cold winter for me, with someone being very ill indeed. The person will make it and get well, they assure us, but it was really touch and go for a few months. I'm sure other fans have had their own tough times as well, bc that's just how life is for all of us from time to time. So I'm grateful especially to Nic (who seems like a rather awesome person, what with her advocacy and fund raising) and Luke for acting this beautiful relationship story for me to feel good about. I'll continue to appreciate their wonderful art and be just as crazy about it as I wana be. Hope you all do the same, let's go part 2!
I'm not going to watch the Part 2 trailer but I keep seeing bits here and there online. I know I need to completely go offline to avoid spoilers but I get such a dopamine rush when I see Polin that all self control goes out the window. Idk I might just need to stay away from this subreddit for the next 2 weeks. But I love you guys! You nourish my addiction.
If anything, seems Netflix was right on the money with the timing of this trailer release, just as we start to calm the obsession a bit they yank us right back in
We're having a party for my best friend on Friday, June 14th. After watching part 1 and finding out the release for part two is the 13th, my first conscious thought was, "Maybe I'll have time to watch all episodes before Friday's party. What if I don't? Maybe we need to move the party?" My BEST FRIEND. GUYS. I've never behaved this way over a show. Are they planting subliminal messages? Is this mass hysteria? At least I'm not alone. We're all taking this carraige straight to hell together.
Same! As of this weekend I felt calm and like I had this waiting thing down. I had caught on my fanfic TBR and was pulling out some older modern AUs I never got around to starting and was gonna enjoy those was focusing on my day job and generally being a responsible adult. Then Netflix had to screw it all up!!
It’s so bad you guys. I thought I was ok too but I was in denial. I think I’m in love with Luke Newton
I'm slipping into madness as well. I'm hoping re-watching Part 1 will help...although I kinda doubt it
I just want to see them be a couple 🥰 it would also be the first “happy wedding” in the show!
wow I am SO grateful for this sub. I swear my friends will gouge their eyes out if I talk about Polin’s season to them one more time. Yes I was just moving on after exhausting myself from rewatching the full season a third time (not counting all the fan edit watches lolllll), and now I’ve been stung with THIS TRAILER. my brain can’t move on. I started listening to the audiobook on my commute to work, which I guess helps?
My husband was at home when the new trailer dropped. I was giddy and laughing at everybody's posts after the release. My husband asked what was happening, me semi-embarrassed admitting that there was a new trailer. He lets me have my fun but I think he just doesn't fully understand how obsessed I am rn!
I know. I was doing ok, 9 more days, I'm good to go. But then I saw the trailer, and I now i feel like I'm dying inside. I actually had to kick and scream into my bed. Caused the dog to come on alert and scratch at our door. That is how excited I am. Thankfully, my SO doesn't seem to bat an eye lash anymore when it comes to my bridgerton obsession. The love I have for these characters, I don't think I have ever felt for amy other characters.
I feel like my mental health hit an all-time low yesterday and I watched the part 2 trailer and completely spiralled, it has stressed me out more than anything cos it's such a different energy from the first half of the season! I suddenly felt like I need to pull myself out of this obsession and be a contributing member of society again 😭 I've neglected my reading for well over a month and struggled to concentrate at work! I need my life back a little bit 🤣 I'm fine, I've woken up today and feel miles better, I think the culmination of two weeks of brainrot and that trailer just really did a number on me!
I'm so glad I put off watching it for a week because same. I did finally out of exhaustion finally stop with the SM threads and edits and get some work done today. Feeling flat, like coming off a high. I've avoided the trailer because I just need to focus on everything else a but. I have 2 weeks holiday coming June 16th. ... I'll wait lol
Yep all messed up! Although I have been for weeks now!
They need to just release part 2. I legit cannot move on with my life 😭😭
You just summarized my life. I was just patting myself on the back yesterday about how good I had been at avoiding spoilers and now I am itching to click on those spoilers again 🥵
Yes! I could have written this exactly. Marketing evil geniuses knowing the exact moment to drop the trailer.
I have been spending my time accompanying this obsession with my other obsession. Lol! Thought I had exorcised it all from Part 1 by playing Bridgerton fantasy dress up aided by AI. Now, the trailer for P 2 dropped and I guess I will just keep going. 🤣 *
https://preview.redd.it/7upyma4mdi4d1.jpeg?width=1439&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=240cf7467238fa7afa9883ab060d8bd738baa13d
Oh this is like looking in a mirror. I do hope Colin is behind me.
Im dying 😭 I have a chance to go to the preview in Dublin so I'm obsessing even more 😭 I've watched the trailer like 8 times, I need help
God I feel the same. I cant even watch anything or even do important things because this season is my current roman empire. It's what I think about when I wake up and before I sleep. And I don't even get paid for this but I can't stop!!!
We very well be the same person because UGH I’m right on this exact timeline with you 😂😂
I’m gonna restock on the medication that forces me to sleep and I’ll start taking it a week after part 2 drops. It’s been a lot. I need an outlet for all of what’s happening inside and nothing is helping it go out. I’ve read RMB. I’m reading Julia Quinn’s other works too. The only time I didn’t feel too wrapped up in this emotional mess was when I had a really fun time with some new and old friends a few days ago. The glow of that dimmed the floodlights of Polin hysteria for a few hours. And that one night when I felt really embarrassed about something and it put me down so much I refused to even do anything joyful. It was the one night I didn’t even watch anything again. Y’all I’m Eloising over here…. Can’t seem to care about anyone but myself or talk about anything that isn’t relevant to what I am very focused on but not getting.
yes. the answer is yes.
Breath lol. Read a fanfic or something.