TV Watch Lady Whistledown herself set up where Bridgerton season 3 kicks off Lady Whistledown is once again spilling the tea... By Maureen Lee Lenker Maureen Lee Lenker Maureen Lee Lenker is a senior writer at Entertainment Weekly with over seven years of experience in the entertainment industry. An award-winning journalist, she's written for Turner Classic Movies, Ms. Magazine, The Hollywood Reporter, and more. She's worked at EW for six years covering film, TV, theater, music, and books. The author of EW's quarterly romance review column, "Hot Stuff," Maureen holds Master's degrees from both the University of Southern California and the University of Oxford. Her debut novel, It Happened One Fight, is now available. Follow her for all things related to classic Hollywood, musicals, the romance genre, and Bruce Springsteen. EW's editorial guidelines Published on September 24, 2022 01:14PM EDT Dearest gentle reader, a new missive from Lady Whistledown is here! On Saturday, during Netflix's global fan event, TUDUM, a brief clip of the Bridgerton cast gave us the episode title and opening narration of the first episode of season 3. The clip first features Luke Newton (Colin) and Claudia Jessie (Eloise) going head-to-head as they attempt to paint portraits of each other. Newton teases Colin and Penelope's long-simmering romantic tension, explaining their history together since they met as children and Colin's inability to see what is right in front of him. But when the Bridgerton siblings are interrupted by Nicola Coughlan (Penelope), we finally get a glimpse of what is in store for season 3 (and all the Polin fans!). The premiere episode is titled, "Out of the Shadows," perhaps hinting at Lady Whistledown's return (or, gasp, Penelope's reveal as the gossip-monger?). "Dearest gentle reader, we've been apart for far too long," Coughlan begins, assuming her best Penelope voice (though we must assume Julie Andrews will be returning to read this on screen). "At last, London's smart set has made its return, and so to, has this author. As the season begins, the question on everyone's minds is, of course, which newly minted debutante will shine the brightest? The crop this year proves to be rather dazzling indeed. Unfortunately, not every young lady can attract the light." The season 2 finale found Penelope isolated from all those she loves, with Eloise discovering her identity as Lady Whistledown — the ultimate betrayal to her friend. And this blow came only moments after Penelope overheard her longtime crush, Colin, mocking her to his friends in the garden. Season 3 has already been announced to center on Colin and Penelope's love story, but the pair has a long way to go before wedding bells can ring. Nicola Coughlan as Penelope Featherington in season 2 of 'Bridgerton'. Liam Daniel/Netflix We watched as Penelope briefly consider setting aside her poison pen, only to pick it back up again in the season's final moments. "Once she's lost Eloise and she's lost Colin, she's got nothing left and that's the only power she has in the world," Coughlan previously told EW. Still, Coughlan reflected that this was all necessary to get the earned happy ending Polin fans deserve. "Penelope needs to realize Colin is a fallible human being," she said. "He's not a god; he's not an Adonis. If they're ever going to have any type of relationship, it's not healthy for her to see him in that way. She's got to see him flaws and all, and she currently doesn't. In the long run, it's probably a good thing, but it's not going to be an immediate good thing." Watch the clip above for more. Bridgerton season 3 is currently in production. Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more. Related content: Bridgerton begins season 3 production, adds new cast members Will the Sharma sisters return in Bridgerton season 3? What is the future of the Peneloise friendship after THAT Bridgerton finale scene?