The Bridgertons aren't the best family in the ton anymore, are they?

Here’s a sentence no Bridgerton viewer anticipated: The Featheringtons overshadowed the beloved Bridgertons in the show’s four new episodes, which dropped June 13. Look, no one is more shocked than me. Since its debut, Netflix’s period drama has resorted to a frustratingly singular Cinderella-style framing. The lovely Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) suffers under the thumb of her wily mother Portia (Polly Walker) and ludicrous older sisters Prudence (Bessie Carter) and Philippa (Harriet Cains). Which has all kept Penelope’s relationship with them at arms’ length.

To sum it up: They’re background noise. Or so we thought until season three’s second half, which mined their specificities and dynamics for genuine humor and heart. The change occurs because Pen is at the center of Bridgerton’s love story. It means Bridgerton gives her a glow-up, with Coughlan displaying her range as a heroine. Her romance with Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) is the talk of Mayfair, but as pointed out in The A.V. Club’s review of part two, the real story is Pen’s self-acceptance journey. It paves the way for a relatively wholesome, often funny look inside the lives of the Featherington women beyond Portia manipulating a given situation and Prudence and Philippa poking fun at Penelope. And guess what the writers discovered? That in Bridgerton, all the Featheringtons can be MVPs.

A huge part of the reason stems from Penelope finally standing up to Portia, who has often disregarded her youngest daughter’s feelings and dreams. She’s the family wallflower, after all. But their interactions are extra interesting once— spoiler alert—Portia finds out her youngest child is Lady Whistledown. It’s a reality check for her once Pen reveals she’s saved up over £10,000 that can (and does) save the family home. Her secret writing career, the one she’s worried about getting exposed, actually brings Pen closer to her mother. In the process, Bridgerton wisely softens Portia’s personality.

We already know Portia’s scathing nature is a result of her survival instincts as a single matriarch. “You know what’s romantic? Security,” she tells Pen while discussing the concept of true love. Say what you will, but that’s good freaking advice. She still argues with her child, of course, with Colin also facing off against his mother-in-law in a swoon-worthy way. But by the season three finale, they’re believably a happy family.

Don’t think I’ve forgotten about the one-liners Bridgerton lets the Featherington women dole out this time around. They’re unintentional comedy queens, bringing a healthy levity to an otherwise corny (I mean that as a compliment) series. Pen uses her, ahem, pen as Lady Whistledown to get a few slam dunks in. But her sisters are far more eccentric and silly. Sheltered in their cocoon by Portia, their lack of understanding of societal norms is an automatic source of laughs, like Philippa earnestly asking “Inserts himself where?” when asked about her sex life. (She’s been married since early season two.) Her childless state worries Portia, who urgently needs a grandson, per the will. Except Prudence says she doesn’t enjoy sex, and Philippa has not consummated the marriage yet. At least Portia talks to her kids about it, unlike Violet Bridgerton, who avoids the topic entirely when her daughters bring it up.

The credit for these Featherington scenes goes to Walker, Carter, and Cains, who nicely evolve their large on-screen personalities. And Coughlan, in particular, is in top form here as Penelope forms a welcome bond with the women in her life not named Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie). Perhaps that’s why it’s so sweet when Philippa rushes to release the “bugs”—they’re butterflies—at the ball in the finale after Penelope confronts the Queen (Golda Rosheuvel). She gently supports her sister for the first time. It’s a quality previously seen only in the Bridgerton siblings, but they’re not the best family in the ton anymore, are they? Thanks to some much-needed character development, the Featherington family clearly saved the day (and saved themselves from remaining a punchline).