Bridgerton season 3 landed on Netflix earlier this month, much to the delight of those who have waited two years for the Regency drama to return. Show creator Shonda Rhimes explained why there was such a delay when it came to the third instalment, but the gap in time hasn’t put off longstanding fans of the show. In fact, the first four episodes – which star Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton as the season’s protagonists – pulled in a staggering 25.3 million views in its first week, according to the latest figures.
Granted, Bridgerton season 3’s success was somewhat expected given that it’s one of the biggest shows on the streaming platform, and there are already whispers about what Bridgerton season 4 could be about. The third season, which tells Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton’s love story, has been a huge hit – but there’s one particularly important moment that many people missed on first viewing.
At the end of part one, Polin looks well and truly on. Colin confesses his feelings for Penelope, and the dramatic carriage scene is one that fans have eagerly been waiting for. As the pair finally take the leap from friends to lovers and seal it with a passionate kiss, it’s overlaid with a very familiar song. Pitbull’s iconic Give Me Everything might take you back to the sticky dancefloors of 2011, but with its Regency makeover it actually adds a very sweet hidden meaning to the whole scene.
The orchestral cover of Give Me Everything was a specific choice according to showrunner Jess Brownell, who told Variety: “I didn’t pick a lot of the songs, but I weirdly picked the Pitbull song. I never thought I would pick a Pitbull song for a sexy moment, but the build of it just works perfectly.”
Adding that she feels it’s a ‘really sexy adaptation of the song’, she said: “It’s a tricky balance because you hope that people aren’t taken out of the scene by going like, ‘Wait a second, it’s Pitbull?!'”
However, the lyrics of the song are truly reflective of Colin and Penelope’s relationship, and particularly Penelope’s inner dialogue. The lines, ‘I’ma make you feel so good, tonight / Cause we might not get tomorrow’ are a nod to the pair’s sudden and passionate chemistry, tinged with the feeling that if they don’t cement their relationship now they may miss their chance.
In the book, Romancing Mr. Bridgerton, author Julia Quinn writes: “Tomorrow would be awful, knowing that he would find some other woman with whom to laugh and joke and even marry. But today…. Today was hers. And by God, she was going to make this a kiss to remember.”
Well, that makes the surprising addition of the Pitbull classic even more perfect.
Bridgerton season 3, part 1 is currently streaming on Netflix.