Demand for a queer Bridgerton character is nothing new. Since the first season of the Netflix romance show, fans have speculated on certain characters’ identities—is Benedict (Luke Thompson) “artsy,” or does his femininity indicate something else about him? Does Eloise (Claudia Jessie) simply “hate marriage,” or does she only loathe the concept of marrying a man? We’ve wanted a gay character since the show premiered in 2020—and as the series reaches its midpoint in adapting the eight books, there’s never been a better time to twist the stories.
With that in mind, I won’t beat around the bush with my plea to the Bridgerton creators, here: Let the girls be gay! You know, the two that are constantly hanging out and making eyes at each other? The ones that have more chemistry than any other couple that has graced this show?
We’re talking about Eloise and Cressida Cowper (Jessica Madsen) here, people. Colin (Luke Newton) and Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) may be the couple du jour of Bridgerton Season 3, but just like how Season 2 set that friends-to-lovers arc in motion, I’m hoping Season 3 is setting up Creloise for Season 4. Or even Season 5. Just, at some point, please—they really do belong together.
Before we get into all the reasons why they absolutely smitten with each other, let me just say this: I know Cressida and Eloise aren’t the kindest characters. A lot of people hate Cressida; she’s a devilish villain in the show. But, look: When bad people end up together, isn’t that kind of… good? Then all the delightful Kates (Simone Ashley) and Anthonys (Jonathan Bailey) of the world can pair up. Cressida and Eloise are both sneaky gossips who have created a bit of hellfire in the Ton. That makes them perfect for one another.
Alright, so let’s get into the evidence. Eloise and Cressida have become fast friends following the dissolution of Penelope’s friendship with El, which came after Pen tried to pin the Whistledown rumors on Eloise. Bad move from Lady W. herself. Now, El and Cressida follow each other around at balls, whisper gossip into one another’s ears, find each other for daytime saunters—it’s all quite lovely.
In the first episode of Season 3, while on a sweet little walk around the Ton together, Cressida tells Eloise that she’s been trying to befriend the Bridgerton girl for quite some time now, to no avail. “You rejected my suit,” Cressida says—as if Cressida was attempting to make a pass at Eloise as a suitor in prior seasons.
Plus, Cressida just looks at Eloise like she’s in love; she has that dreamy, faraway look in her eyes. This isn’t how Penelope looked at Eloise—it’s how Penelope looks at Colin, the love of her life, not her best friend. The tension is off the charts. While Colin and Penelope soar in their new season, I continuously found myself yearning to see more between Cressida and Eloise.
Near the end of the first half of Season 3 episodes, Cressida drops quite the love bomb. While the pair are out on the Ton, dressed to the nines as they sit from afar at a ball and people watch, Cressida teases Eloise: “You’re unlike many people, Eloise,” she says, complimenting Eloise’s sense of humor. If anyone said that to me? Head. Over. Heels. Later, when Cressida fears she has no male callers, one person shows up at her door: Eloise.
There’s also the fact that, while other future Bridgerton love interests have been teased—like Benedict’s and Francesca’s—Eloise’s male significant other from the books is nowhere to be found. There’s room for her story to be reworked to fit the character she’s blossomed into (i.e., a woman who has no interest in men).
When I initially binged through all the Bridgerton Season 3, Part 1 screeners, I kept thinking to myself, “Wait. These ladies are totally flirting. More than that—they’re, like, in love.” I feared I was alone in this world…until the episodes were unveiled on Netflix and the world agreed with me. The internet has spoken: Every Bridgerton fan wants these two to be together.
Even Cressida herself, Jessica Madsen, spent this past weekend resharing theories that her character would end up with Eloise.
Bridgerton’s showrunner has teased queer storylines coming up in the show. Claudia Jessie said in an interview that, with Eloise’s undefined sexuality, there’s room to “experiment.” Madsen has already been sharing plenty of queer subtext, but she’s also said that she would “absolutely love” if her character ended up with Eloise. To me, this pairing seems clear as day.
With still half of Season 3 left to debut, Bridgerton could blow up this entire connection. One would hope, though, that this connection isn’t all in our imaginations. Bridgerton has the opportunity to do something monumental with Eloise’s love story, and the fanbase is already on board.
