Bridgerton Season 3 scene gets slammed by fans for being “cringe”

Nicola Coughlan as Penelope in Bridgerton Season 3Netflix

The latest season of Bridgerton has given “Polin” fans plenty to talk about, but one dramatic scene hasn’t quite nailed it for viewers, who’ve dubbed it as being “cringe”.

For the most part, the Netflix show isn’t action-packed, but they do love to throw drama our way. Bridgerton Season 3 — which focuses on the budding romance between Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington — contains one such attempt at adrenaline-seeking, featuring a scene with a rogue hot air balloon.

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During the scene, an outdoor party turns almost-deadly when a hot air balloon becomes loose. Colin notices before anyone else, spying it nearing closer to Penelope, who’s unaware. He runs ahead and grabs the ropes with his bare hands while Penelope… runs off very slowly and doesn’t get out of the way at all.

The Bridgerton clip has since done the rounds on social media, with fans and non-fans alike jabbing the anti-climatic nature of the scene. (You can watch it for yourself below.)

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As one X user pointed out: “All she had to do was run sideways btw.”

Other comments jumped on board, calling the scene out for not making any sense and lacking the stakes it clearly aimed to convey.

“It was unfortunately giving marichuy gets hit by a car levels of unrealistic & cringe. And that’s saying something because the show has never been very realistic to begin with. It’s one of their biggest selling points, but this is too much even for them,” said another user.

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“Girl, move left or right! Why does she keep moving backward? Omg,” said one comment, while another added: “Why didn’t Penelope just move two feet to the left im crying.”

“She had 6-7 business days to move,” said one person.

“This scene was so comical to me,” wrote another. “The least urgent emergency.”

If you thought there’d never be a connection between Bridgerton and Austin Powers, you’d be wrong. Fans were quick to make a link between this scene in the Netflix show and the famous Austin Powers steamroller joke.

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For more, take a look at the Bridgerton prequel, Queen Charlotte, explained. You can also take a look at all the best TV shows to watch in 2024.