Featured Image Credit: Netflix
Topics: Bridgerton, Netflix, TV And Film, Celebrity
Rhianna Benson
As a die-hard Bridgerton fan, I think it's pretty safe to say that producers gave us all the drama we were hoping for and more when they released the eagerly-awaited second-half to the third series last week.
We'd waited for felt like years to discover whether or not Colin and Penelope would make it down the aisle following their carriage ride romp, or whether Eloise would expose the show's biggest kept secret (the identity of trouble-causing author Lady Whistledown, of course).
And we couldn't wait to find out whether mum-of-eight Violet would give in to her feelings for Lady Danbury's hunky bro Marcus, or whether series 'mean girl' Cressida Cowper would finally get what's coming to her.
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Speaking of Cressida, the actress who plays Netflix's second most elaborately-haired bombshell (with the first being Queen Charlotte, of course) has this week spoken out about what the future has in store for her.
And by the sounds of things, we're in for an emotional rollercoaster.
Gentle readers, be warned: this author may be about to drop a spoiler or two...
As viewers of Bridgerton's most recent instalment will know by now, Cressida plays a pretty central role in the drama that unfolds in series 3.
After fellow spinster Penelope Featherington stole bachelor Lord Denby's attention away from Cressida during the first-half of the season (prior to wooing Colin, of course), her parents continued piling even further pressure onto her to find a hubby, to no avail.
Feeling they were left with no option, the second-half of the season sees a heartbroken Cressida betrothed to a man more than four times her age - who still wanted to have children...
Later, however, in an attempt to survive her harrowing fate, Cressida cunningly claims the identity of elusive author Lady Whistledown (who is actually 'frenemy' Penelope herself), after hearing spectators saying that her high-profile means she has no need to ever marry.
Soon enough, however, Queen Charlotte - who has fronted an investigation into the author's identity from the very beginning - sniffs out Cressida's lie.
She subsequently shames Cressida's entire family, leading her father to send her away in a carriage to the countryside to live with her Aunt Joanna.
Even more heartbreaking was the fact that the character's hair - which is famously styled in an increasingly elaborate style with each appearance - was fashioned in a way that depicted a bird trapped in a cage.
And whilst Cressida has inflicted much of her turmoil onto herself, viewers couldn't help but pity the character, who is simply a victim of her mother and father's brutal expectations.
"God I don’t blame her Cressida bullying people is her trying to survive, I hope someone sets her free," one fan penned on social media this week.
Another went on: "What was the point of her screen time of character development if it was going to end like this ? This whole season makes me sad"
This week, however, Cressida actress Jessica Madsen has given us hope that her character's ending might not be filled with as much doom and gloom as we'd hoped.
"We did shoot a different ending," Madsen told Entertainment Weekly.
"I don't know whether she is going to her aunt's because we actually don't see her aunt in the carriage. So, it could be that she's off somewhere by herself."
She went on to explain: "[In the first ending we shot], Lady Cowper actually came to save her, and got in the carriage with her and they left together.
"I had a caged bird in my hair with a little door and Lady Cowper had the key."
Supporting the idea that we'll be seeing more of the controversial character in the future, the series' showrunner Jess Brownell reveals they went in the direction they did in order to leave the door open for Cressida's storyline.
"We shot an alternate ending where her mother gets in the carriage at the end and actually chooses her daughter," Brownell also told the outlet.
"It was a really beautiful moment. But in the edit, Shonda [Rhimes] and I talked about the fact that it felt like an ending for Cressida.
"It felt like it wrapped up her story and we intentionally wanted to leave it so that we can tell a bit more story with Cressida next season."