āļø Polin and Fun āļø
I saw a post on IG about how Polinās intimate scenes always end in š„° best friend goofy nerdy giggles š¤, and I think those moments perfectly encapsulate why I connect to their love the most.
I think Polin is the only couple that married each other explicitly for enjoyment. Like, they went into marriage fully expecting to actually enjoy their union, in a way that was very, very rare, especially in that era. The other couples are blissfully happy too, of course, but each couple chose their spouse for a different reason.
Daphne and Simon chose each other for their shared passion and the excitement of their love. Anthony and Kate chose each other for their deep understanding of their flaws and burdens, and for the perpetual challenge. Francesca and John for their unique connection. Colin and Penelope chose each other for the āØfun⨠and honestly, I feel like thatās both the most important and most underrated trope in romance.
We even see it when Colin (not-so) sneakily asks Violet what she hopes Francesca will find. Violet says āpassion, excitement, a love that is thrillingā. She speaks of love through the lens of pure romance, because she knows (and admits) that friendship in love is rare ā too rare for even someone like Violet to hope for, in all her childrenās matches.
Itās why my favorite line of Penelopeās is: āItās you. Kind and feeling, occasionally excitable, good-hearted man that I love,ā because the mention of Colinās excitability is everything. It says āI want us to laugh together, always. I want to spend my life laughing with you.ā Itās why, when Polin dances together, itās different: they never dance when theyāre courting, because dancing was never meant to be displayed as duty to either of them. Theyāre always dancing because they like it. Theyāre always dancing because itās fun. 𤩠(Another dissertation for why the singular angry dance-confrontation was the perfect symbolism for their fight another day!)
And, in a way, the theme of fun, and enjoyment, and laughter is the perfect illustration of why both Marina and Debling were such poor matches for them ā because fun is the exact opposite of practical, and those matches were always rooted entirely in practicality. (Even for Colin, because marriage to Marina was an effort to solidify an undeniable purpose.) Fun is frivolity, especially in Regency marriages, something people cannot afford to want or even fantasize about.
So yes, Netflix! Keep ending our bestiesā sex scenes with giggles, plssss because fun and laughter and play is Polinās thinggggg the sweet little goofs!
I love them so much. š