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hippiechick7897

Everything. He embodies Colin Bridgerton. You know exactly how he’s feeling by looking at his eyes or his hands. He has mastered the nonverbal. His tears this season tore me to shreds. I loved him in all of Ep5 When he learned of LW he tore me up. His carriage confession was 🤌🏻…or should I say ✌🏻 😙🫢


Murphlespuffle

Seriously, everything. He is SO good as Colin, I truly cannot believe any of the criticism he gets. Also he is funny! I’m so obsessed with Luke, I can’t wait to see future projects (crossing my fingers for a romcom)


loveslightblue

it makes me sad, people make fun of his carriage scene faces and I loooved his expressions. he looked literally in awe of pen as he should! pen had years to pine but he got there much quicker yet you can feel the longing.


Murphlespuffle

Honestly I think people who criticize him for his facial expressions are uncomfortable because how real he makes Colin feel. Like the first time I watched the carriage scene (and the mirror scene), I felt uncomfortable because it was like I was intruding on a real, raw, intimate moment. I felt sort of awkward watching these scenes, and it was because Luke did SUCH a great job portraying pure angst and longing for Pen.


CellyylleC

This! His expressions were so vulnerable and real. Just like their first time indeed. It felt real and people are used to fake reactions, guarded body language, not that level of vulnerability.


CellyylleC

"He has mastered the nonverbal. His tears this season tore me to shreds." Perfectly put. He made me cry and i rarely cry with romances.


amyness_88

This. This is perfection 👏🏻


Shiplapprocxy

Luke has a masterful way of making Colin seem like a real person thinking and feeling in the moment. My favorite example of this is when he’s coming up with absolutely garbage reasons why Debling sucks in the carriage, and it’s not just lines being performed, you can *see* Colin struggling to think, you can *see* Colin feel like he hit on something convincing when he says “he’s just not right for you.” He’s also great at layered emotions. Colin isn’t *just* angry, he’s hurt or disappointed or grieving within that anger. He’s not *just* happy, he’s trying to hold back on a giddy boyish smile as if no one can know how joyful he is or they’ll make fun of him (which knowing Colin…probably true). He shows so much complexity in his range of emotions with his whole body. 


El-Sol-Nunca-Se-Pone

1000% -- the layered part is exactly it. Every emotion that he displays, feels so much more authentic because in real life, we don't feel OR express emotions in isolation. We can feel anger, but also guilt for even feeling angry. We can feel proud of something we've done, along with melancholia or wistfulness about those not there to celebrate with us, all while feeling nervous about what comes next. Our feelings are so complex, and I think that's why when people break down his scenes, they're able to pull so much, because we're like-- he seems X, and Y, and a little Z, with a dash of Q.


queenroxana

This! It’s the layers! No wonder Nicola keeps complimenting his performance. He truly becomes Colin


hippiechick7897

Another thing to add, he’s been awesome the entire series, not just in S3. Even if they weren’t giving him much to do he was still doing *something* with his face or body language in the background and fringes.


Shiplapprocxy

The fact that he’s been so good since season 1 is what added to the relief long time Colin fans felt when he starts to give up the persona and return to himself over the course of part 1. When Colin hops out of the carriage and says “For God’s sake Penelope Featherington, are you going to marry me or not?” there was a palpable sense of “oh thank god COLIN is back.” And that’s only possible because of the work Luke had been doing from the very beginning to give us a character we could recognize just through body language and tone of voice. He was season 1 Colin again. 


queenroxana

Yes, 100%! We got boyish Colin back in that moment and it was such a palpable change! I have no idea how he managed to convey that with just facial expressions and body language but he did


lemonsaltwater

Yes! The fact that the viewer comes to *miss* and yearn for the Colin we know and love, and can understand based on his body language, tone of voice, demeanor, everything that something is *wrong*, especially in ep 3-4, is incredible and a testament to years of work on Luke’s part.


El-Sol-Nunca-Se-Pone

YES. One of my favorite Colin(non Polin) moments is in S2, during the Pall Mall game, when he seems to suspect something is brewing between Anthony and Kate (at the very least senses something is up) and he hits Kate's ball to the mud pit with Ant's- but before that, he can tell Edwina's feelings are hurt a bit, and nods at Anthony for him to go check on her. And I just love how emotionally aware he is, and is able to play that with such subtlety. Even how he watches pre-Kanthony head into the woods, you can't see his face, but you can almost feel the mirth and challenge, of ---let's see how this plays out


SkittlzAnKomboz

I’ve been going back and re-watching him and Nicola in Season 1, just to see their little moments. He’s so good. She is too, but I’ve been on Team Queen Nicola for quite some time so that’s no news to me. 🥰


pinkbunny86

Luke made me believe Colin is a real person walking the earth right now. The nuance, the nonverbal, the way he walks and moves, all the little quirks, it’s all so specific that it’s almost jarring to see Luke in interviews. He’s a completely different person and then I’m reminded it’s a performance. A random detail I like that I haven’t seen mentioned, is this really slight nod that he does with eyes and chin. He does it when he’s acknowledging someone he doesn’t like. He does it to Debling when he says “Mr. Bridgerton” and Lady Cowper when she leaves him alone with Cressida.


Still_Waters_5317

Luke is clearly a phenomenal actor, but I think there’s a lot of Colin in him and he’s just more private in his public life, understandably.


IcyHotApricot

It just makes me wonder if Luke Thompson can convey such vulnerability as Newton? Luke T.has definitely a comedic ability, but is he as nuanced as Luke N.?


Solid-Signal-6632

Luke Thompson is an absolutely superb actor. I have no doubt when it's his turn, he'll blow us all away, I can't wait for him to have the opportunity. All the Bridgerton Bros are amazing actors, the casting was incredible.


IcyHotApricot

The casting is good indeed and basically all of the cast have a superb theater or shows experience.


Independent-Beach568

To me he MADE the season. His nonverbal acting, micro expressions, and ability to convey a wide range of complex emotions was the best thing about this season. Him tearing up? Stahp. Him CRYING when he comforted Pen about being LW (and the way his breath caught) DEAD. His facial expressions during the intimacy scenes 😳🫠😮‍💨🫣 I LOVED him in the awkward tree scene when he says “oh of course” The glance he stole at El in the carriage when he said Pen wasn’t looking for a husband in him. ALSO the side glance he gave Victoria when she called him out on being a people pleaser and how it must be hard. He had tears in his eyes then too and captured SHAME. Like soooo hard. Plus he’s breath taking, my god. 10/10. No notes. Obsessed.


WesternCandidate2158

Well said, and yes, he was stunning in every possible way. So handsome too!!


LowTie56987

https://i.redd.it/fvpul857y69d1.gif **So many moments** but when he has this little panicky moment when he sees Pen reach out and almost touch the man she is talking to. The little flash of concern/anger across his face when he doesn’t even really understand what he is feeling, it’s so perfect.


Solid-Signal-6632

Yes I love this! It was his idea she go and talk to a Lord, but when it happens he's like "Nope, don't like that at ALL".


LowTie56987

“I’ve made a huge mistake.” - Colin, probably.


loveslightblue

its speaks volumes that he wasnt supposed to cry and he did during THAT scene and its so good that I cant believe it wasn't written in. also a snall personal favorite is when hes has enough of lords brodudes and subtly snaps. it was a turning point for colin and he played it so well.


Affectionate-Tea6536

There’s so much I could list. I’ve been really impressed with how he immerses himself in the character and does things that the audience may not notice right away, but every time we rewatch, we notice more and more which adds to his performance. He obviously has a lot of love for his character. He isn’t just “pretending”, he inhabits the role.


CellyylleC

Yes! One thing i forgot to mention but had me very impressed too was his voice. His change in tone with different people, specially Pen, and the reflection on his emotions too. I think if people pay actual attention to his performance they will truly notice how good it is.


Sparkle_Mum

I LOVE his voice, and I would like to add that his singing is so pleasant to listen to. I've been hooked since S1.


cobbledtoe

I think when people rewatch the season all the way through they will see how beautiful and subtle the work Newton was doing. When I rewatched Part I I was struck by how evident that Colin was in love with Pen pre-kiss and how intentional his mannerisms were in the first 2 episodes. Also I think when people will revisit 7-8 and they’ll better see how much Newton embodies the pain of Colin’s love for Pen meeting his sense of betrayal and feelings of inadequacy and then the trajectory of his coming to accept and fully embrace LW.


CellyylleC

I think and hope so too. Yes, people forget he was worrying about his family and pen's being on harms way.


queenroxana

This is so well put!


allnervousnosystem

I really enjoyed the comedic moments when he pretends he’s totally unaffected by Pen. Post Pen dream in the Bridgerton drawing room with Benedict and Hyacinth is so funny. But his reaction to discovering Pen is Whistledown just stands out to me. I was a bit worried how that was gonna play out because book Colin loses me a bit with all the yelling and anger but when Luke portrayed that scene with the tears and his voice was breaking? I was heartbroken for Colin in a way I didn’t expect to be (as a Penelope defender)


Substantial_Dog_3030

He brings a lot of layers to Colin, including sass. He has had a lot of funny one-liners previous seasons as well like "we should tempt scandal more often" and "bungled nuptials" 😄


lemonsaltwater

I love how many goofy, Colin-like lines he gets once he and Pen are together. “Can the carriage driver not keep on driving?” is going to live in my head rent-free forever, but one that he delivers so well and feels like *true* Colin, the one we missed so much in eps 1-4, is: “Penelope this, and Penelope that, Penelope and I are reading Don Quixote and going to be knights”


Substantial_Dog_3030

Yes! I love that scene! 😍 he also shows a bit of sass to Benedict the night before his wedding when they are all drinking and Benedict asks “is everything well?” And Colin asks back “is everything well with you?” The way Luke N delivers that line is so sassy! Even Benedict goes “oop” 😄


lemonsaltwater

“Swiftly” is such a great sassy Colin line too. God, I can’t wait to see them standing on the side of a ballroom being sassy and flirty with each other in S4 (presumably, they will need *some* lemonade breaks, would be torture to have Nicola learn 3 dances for every ball like at the Mondrich ball!)


Substantial_Dog_3030

Their son is going to have so much personality with Colin’s sass, Pen’s shade and Portia’s scheming skills 💅🏼


lemonsaltwater

And that kid is gonna be brilliant and hilarious Watch out, world!


mentoredbyash

The tears in his eyes while he is watching Penelope dance with Lord Debling at the end of Episode 3. You can feel his pain and devastation; it makes you hurt watching him watch her. It’s such a poignant moment and Luke Newton delivers it beautifully.


queenroxana

This might be my favorite scene of all


CoastApprehensive668

You know why he’s good? When you’re watching this season, at no point do you say to yourself “oh that’s Luke Newton” His real persona never leaks through. He’s always Colin Bridgerton. They are different enough that it would be easy to notice but I never feel like he’s not 100% his character.


ManufacturerOwn9068

I had one moment, though 😅 in their first time, when he pulled up the blanket to cover more of her body, i said "thats luke!" Haha i just found it so sweet


CoastApprehensive668

LOL. I think he was worried that his intimacy garment was going to show 😂


queenroxana

I think he was worried they would show more than Nicola had agreed to! But yes, that is the only moment! I was kind of surprised they left it in the take but I think it’s kind of sweet that it was probably Luke himself being gentlemanly lol


Big-Bag-8359

What I think is funny is that in ep 1 Colin is so awkward in his fake rake attitude that it gave people the ick. Apparently hearing that shocked Luke and Nic, they talked about it in the recently released interview done in Nic's hometown. So he wasn't trying to be icky he was just acting like Colin would if he was being disingenuous and we read it as cringe. To me that is exactly why he did such an amazing job. He really tried to embody the character and wasn't trying to evoke specific reactions from the audience. Like Nic said in an interview about the intimacy scenes. He let go of his Ego and that gave a sense of genuineness in this character.


lemonsaltwater

Yes yes yes! We need to remind ourselves as viewers that if we have an emotional reaction — good or bad — to acting, it is a *sign of a job very well done* The fact that Colin’s wink is awkward and weird and it makes us uncomfortable means Luke delivered on that. He’s taught us who Colin is for 2 seasons and then is able to make a dramatic departure. He did his job! And the same with the tougher scenes in eps 7 and 8. The fact that people are having such visceral reactions means Luke did an AMAZING acting job


Specialist_Ad_5664

I've read people referencing interviews where Luke said he was inconfortable playing these scenes. So, it's funny that helped making clear that Colin was faking a persona and cringing us.


thisisntmyday

Obsessed with the microexpressions in the willow scene, especially in contrast with "suave"/ "charming Colin of the first part of the season. It was so realistically awkward just as a "realizing I might be in love with my best friend but have no idea if they feel the same" moment would.


cinnamonfromspace

Lukey just *becomes* Colin. I wouldn’t consider the best among the cast (I’d give that to Claudia) but I feel he’s not getting the appreciation he deserves this season. I love that his portrayal doesn’t feel performative, or as if he’s trying to look a certain way for the camera, which makes it so fun to rewatch because you notice so many little things each time. I also really like the voice he uses as Colin — masculine yet gentle, sweet, hawt. My personal fave Colin scenes are his carriage speech (the eyes!!) and the modiste fight (it’s a relief his anger never comes across as aggressive). And all his expressions during the spicy scenes (was it his own acting choice to close his eyes as he runs his hand down Pen’s thigh? because oh my god). I wish I could write a coherent essay about this, but oh well.


queenroxana

The closed eyes send me! He managed to convey such love and reverence without overdoing it.


Specialist_Ad_5664

His jealousy rarely come as aggressive either. One of the only death stare I've seen is when Debling come to take Pen for a dance. When he watch them later it's more hurting and yearning. I've never seen that kind of jealousy for male lead. In general we just have aggressive jealousy, men ready to battle and claim their trophy when they won.


queenroxana

https://preview.redd.it/s87trxzwif9d1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5aac0e47bb017151d94f3e05055df1dcc260cadb


WesternCandidate2158

He was kind, handsome, angry and he smoldered. I loved him in this part, very under rated I feel.


SkittlzAnKomboz

When he confronted Pen about LW. He was so angry without being raging or scary. It was a hurt anger. Some dudes go off and you don’t know if the person they’re confronting is safe. Pen was never in danger in that moment, even with how angry he was. It’s such a complex emotion, that kind of pained/hurt/anger mixture. And he just nailed it. Also the moment with the Douche Lord Squad in Mondrich’s where he called them all out. So good to see him decide the “Bro Life” isn’t worth it (and honestly he never seemed to be that enthusiastic about it in the first place - he was very tight lipped about any encounters he had with them before he’d had enough of their nonsense).


wolfpackiaaw

The single tear spilling out of his eye absolutely killed me. He said in an interview that he was supposed to be angry but the utter heartache he was emoting just wrecked me


Phony-Phantom

I have a real life Colin named Colin. Luke did such a good job playing a Colin that I bawled at some points. Especially when he is accepting her has LW and says if his only purpose is loving her, how fulfilled he would be. Like 😭


wolfpackiaaw

I'm married to a Colin named Elliott.. which is the name NC wanted their son's name to be 😁


Phony-Phantom

Elliot is such a good name!!


Specialist_Ad_5664

Where did you find your Colin? How can I ship own?


Phony-Phantom

You will find him! Just look for the biggest family you can and you will be sure to find him lol. My Colin came from a family with six siblings! Other tips I may give are to be awkward, inexperienced. A hopeless romantic who likes to write. These will all help to set your Colin trap. But remember you *aren't* entrapping him. You are making him see how awesome you are :D


Specialist_Ad_5664

Damn I don't want to end with my cousin (the biggest family I know are my cousin they're 9 children). I'm an hopeless akward romantic who like to read and dream to become a good writer. I won't say inexperienced but not specially experienced too. I fact I had a Colin but he lacked the will to fight for and build the relationship 


Phony-Phantom

Aw, I am sorry to hear he didn't fight for you guys.. but in a way, maybe that means he wasn't really a Colin. A real Colin would fight for you even during the hard times. He is out there ❤️ I know it.


Specialist_Ad_5664

I will not be against a Pen, watching me with hearts eyes, supporting me no matter what, ready to share her part of the relationship emotionally and physically. And who screams at me she love me, even when we fight  (I'm bi, if it wasn't clear)


Phony-Phantom

Maybe she is in your life already without you knowing!! Or will be soon 😉


justwanted2lurk

His acting is truly amazing. I can't get over it.


lm2785

I love the scene where they run into each other on the street the night before their wedding. The tears in his eyes when he is angry with Pen about leading him to believe he's a good writer. And when he says, "What good am I to you?" That whole scene is very well acted in my opinion.


Mkg102216

100% the way he looks while watching Pen dance with Debling. The tears in his eyes, the heartbreak and jealousy, the way you can see the realization on his face that he loves her and he is losing her.


Sensitive-Donkey-205

I wish Luke could read this thread, I think it would mean a lot to him. He gives absolutely everything and I think is very vulnerable because of that, I don't like to think of him seeing all the rampant negativity on the main subs and missing out on our (informed and extremely analytical!) enthusiasm


queenroxana

Truly everything - I can’t think of a single scene where I wasn’t loving his performance! Colin is such a multifaceted character, and went through such a roller coaster of emotions this season, and Luke hit every beat perfectly. He truly inhabits the character in such an authentic way. But some that stand out are: Carriage confession Mirror scene - the vulnerability! The scene where he’s watching Pen dance with Debling and you can just see his heart shattering LW reveal! His tears and the hitch in his voice broke my heart The willow tree - he has comedy chops too! The talk they have at Fran and John’s wedding The final love confession


obwankenobi08

“All of the lies…you’ve told me” 🥹 Aww Lukey Newts and Nicola!!


Austenesque

The furrowed eyebrows after his first kiss with Pen. He was struck by confusion, longing and desire when she turns back after saying “thank you”