A Refresher On What Is Going On With Penelope Featherington Going Into Bridgerton Season 2

On paper, a period piece about the hot gossip of courting season doesn't sound captivating, but Netflix's "Bridgerton" took the world by storm. The first season was so popular that fans were begging for another season. Nearly a year and a half later, fans are getting what they wanted. The wait likely means that you need a little refresher about where the last season left off. If you're looking for the place to start, it's with Penelope Featherington. Or, shall we say, Lady Whistledown? 

While Penelope, played by Nicola Coughlan, didn't start as the star of "Bridgerton," she ended up being an integral part of the show. On the surface, Penelope seemed like Eloise's shy friend who sat back and watched everything as it happened. However, it turns out that she was very much involved the entire time. Coughlan's character was best friends with Elosie, who's sister married the Duke of Hastings. Basically, she was in the perfect position to know a whole lot more than she let on.

Here's exactly where Penelope's character left off in "Bridgerton," because while some characters won't be back for a second season, Penelope is one that is going to stick around for quite a while. 

Let's start with the very end, shall we? It was revealed during the final episode of "Bridgerton" Season 1 that Penelope Featherington is Lady Whistledown. In fact, the show didn't give fans a whole lot of time to process it at all. During the first season, Penelope was seen as the quiet friend who went to all of the courting events but was never quite involved. Little did everyone know that she was writing about the events the entire time.

There is a good chance that some people caught on early. After all, Penelope does expose her own cousin when she starts to show an interest in Colin Bridgerton — the boy she's in love with. Like mentioned above, Penelope was also at every event written about and was best friends with Eloise, whose sister married the Duke of Hastings. That's some major insider knowledge.

Fans have tons of questions about what will happen with Penelope in Season 2. Will she convince her best friend Eloise to stop trying to find the identity of Lady Whistledown? Will she get caught by the queen? Will she continue to write gossip? The second season will hold all of those secrets and likely plenty more.

Season 2 of "Bridgerton" isn't even out yet and Nicola Coughlan is already looking forward to Season 4 (via E! News). If the pattern continues, each season of "Bridgerton" will be based off one of the books in the "Bridgerton" book series by Julian Quinn. The fourth book, "Romancing Mister Bridgerton," is the one that features Penelope Featherington, so it makes sense that Coughlan would be nervous for Season 4. 

According to E! News, Coughlan is worried about what it will be like to play out a love interest on-screen. "I'm probably more comfortable being awkward and funny, so it's going to be a massive challenge for me," she tells the publication, "because it's not my comfort zone." Running an anonymous newsletter? No problem. Falling in love? Now, there's a little bit of nerves.

Regardless of where the character is heading, there will likely be a ton of twists and turns along the way. After all, Penelope is quite literally the tea keeping everyone on their toes. That means this will likely be a big season for the character.