The Summer of the Throuple Is Upon Us
Hot girl summer is over. This year, itâs all about the mĂ©nage Ă trois. Yes, trios have been having a moment across the entertainment landscape this yearâfrom film to scripted TV to reality TVâadding an extra touch of frisson to steamy stories while moving the Overton window for audiences. What is most thrilling is that these new throuples are also marked by power dynamics that may be even more subversive than the sight of three people sharing a kiss at the same time.
Historically in popular culture, threesomes have been a mostly male-dominated enterprise. Frat bro films from the early aughts like EuroTrip, Road Trip, Old School, and American Pie positioned threesomes as the pinnacle of male sexual conquest, where the man was in control and the women (it was always one man with two women, often twins) were objects to be pursued and won. Threesomes were sexy punchlines meant to stroke the male ego.
But not anymore. The most explicit threesome in this new era turns that very notion on its head. Netflixâs Bridgerton steams things up in the latter half of its third season (coincidence?!) with an outrageous and unexpected threesome subplot surrounding the second-oldest Bridgerton brother, Benedict, played by Luke Thompson. Benedict romances the adventurous widow Lady Tilley Arnold (Hannah New), only to wind up fooling around with Tilley and her male friend Paul Suarez (Lucas Aurelio), at Tilleyâs request.
Before the excitement picked up on Bridgerton, the threesome trend was already in motion thanks to Luca Guadagninoâs Challengers and its central triad, tennis phenoms Art Donaldson (Mike Faist), Patrick Zweig (Josh OâConnor), and Tashi Duncan (Zendaya). The overwhelming sexual tension and ever-changing power dynamics between Art, Patrick, and Tashi set the internet ablaze with Challengers-centric throuple memes and helped Challengers, the rare R-rated film not based on any existing IP, crack into the zeitgeist.
While its protagonists never consummate their three-way relationship as explicitly as the Bridgerton crew, the film has plenty of three-way-coded moments, from hotel room hangouts to churros to sauna sessions. And while the filmâs ending may have been intentionally ambiguous, Guadagnino seems pretty clear as to what happened immediately after the credits rolled. âThey go back to the hotel room,â Guadagnino said to Times reporter Kyle Buchanan. We all know what happens in hotel rooms.
Naturally, Luke Thompson can see the parallels between his show and Guadagninoâs film. âChallengers Iâve seen recently, and I think that was really interesting,â the Bridgerton star says in a recent interview with VF. âItâs such an interesting relationship, and the dynamics within it are so interesting.â But he also noted that similar dynamics have been depicted in older stories, like Noel Cowardâs 1932 play, Design For Living. âYouâre saying [threesomes] are having a moment, but I guess what Iâm saying, in terms of Coward, as well, is that theyâve always been there,â says Thompson.
Thatâs trueâbut both throuples and polyamory in general have become much more visible in mainstream culture in recent years. In April, The New York Times went long on a 20-person polycule, unpacking the trials and tribulations of maintaining a massive multiple-person relationship in a post Sam Bankman-Fried society. New York Magazine published its own polyamory-focused issue back in January, around the same time that Molly Roden Winterâs More: A Memoir of Open Marriage became a bestseller. Network comedies traditionally known for more wholesome fare have been pushing the envelope this year as well, with CBS sleeper hit sitcom Ghosts showcasing a spooky threesome of its own.
The experiment of dating multiple people at the same time has been a hallmark of reality television since the genreâs invention (see The Bachelor, for starters). But an explicit focus on trios and polyamory is relatively new. In February, Peacock debuted a reality show called Couple to Throuple that took four couples new to non-monogamy, introduced them to a host of more experienced singles, and left them with the choice to pursue a relationship as a threesome or return to monogamy. While weâve seen almost every possible ending for two romantics looking for love on, say, The Bachelorette, weâve never seen a Bachelorette end the show in a relationship with two of her paramours.
