Is this Bridgerton season 3 moment the most unintentionally funny scene the show has ever done?

It's been almost a week since Bridgerton returned to our screens with its highly-anticipated third season, which tells the friends-to-lovers story of third Bridgerton son Colin and wallflower Penelope Featherington.

The first four episodes have gone down a treat with fans, who have been loving the romantic dance sequences, longing looks and undeniable chemistry between the two leads, Luke Newton and Penelope Featherington. But there is one scene that has sparked an unexpected reaction amongst fans.

Warning! Spoilers for series three, episode three ahead!

In episode three, members of the Ton gather together for the presentation of a hot air balloon by invention enthusiast Lord Hawkins. But when the ties keeping the balloon grounded become loose, it nearly collides with Penelope.

Thankfully, Colin comes to the rescue and after enlisting the help of some other strong men, manages to pull the balloon back into submission, while Lord Debling throws himself in front of Penelope. Watch the scene below.

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While the scene was clearly intended to raise the stakes with some serious drama and give Colin the opportunity to save the day as Peneleope's hero, fans couldn't help but find humour in the moment, with some calling the scene "very unserious".

Taking to social media, one person wrote: "This hot air balloon scene…very unserious lol #BRIDGERTON," while another questioned why Penelope didn't move out of the balloon's path: "The balloon scene on Bridgerton was too damn dramatic. She coulda moved to the side," adding a laughing emoji.

A third person remarked: "Omg the hot air balloon scene in Bridgerton is one of the funniest things I've ever seen," while another agreed, writing: "Penelope not being able to outrun a hot air balloon basket coming towards her at 3mph is the funniest thing I've seen on Netflix in a while."

Speaking about the intention of the scene during a recent interview, showrunner Jess Brownell explained that the writers wanted a "thirst moment" between Colin and Penelope.

"We were in the writer's room and we knew we needed a moment of thirst between Colin and Penelope," she told Entertainment Weekly. "We were thinking about the thirst that was created by Anthony falling into the water and coming out with the wet shirt in season 2. Once you've done that, you have to find a way to top yourself."

"Daniel Robinson, who is one of my upper-level writers, pitched the idea of Colin hoisting an entire hot air balloon with his sleeves rolled up and his forearms rippling," Brownell continues. "We thought that was the only way to one-up a wet t-shirt."

Bridgerton is available to stream on Netflix.