I am not a big fan of Pride and Prejudice fanfiction books. I did a brief dip stick into that world when I read Death Comes to Pemberley (ghastly) and then The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet (even more ghastly). I just gave up on that, and apparently missed yet another one – The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow. I probably would not have wanted to read it anyway because I am done to death with the Bennets, and I’d never be drawn to a book with such a boring and derivative book title.
But there were a lot of very positive reviews when the TV series came on the BBC, so we all settled in to watch, and ended up finding it really charming.
The first three episodes cover much of the initial Pride and Prejudice story, including that disastrous moment when Mary starts singing at the party at Netherfield Hall. But they are all retold from the point of view of Mary, so this time we see beyond the gentle mockery to her hurt feelings.
Alternately ignored or laughed at by her sisters and father, and constantly abused by her mother for her failure to be more like her sisters, Mary comes into her own after her father dies and she’s sent to the Gardiners in London to help them with their children.
What I love about the show is how a change of scene can so drastically impact someone’s life and perspective. Yes, I know that, but it was great to watch on the show. Mary has a narcissistic nightmare of a mother – very different tonally from the mom in Pride and Prejudice, where she is silly but not mean. The show took her from being worried about her daughters to being a complete demon to Mary for no reason. The hate she had for Mary was palpable and suffocating, and honestly, the actress’s hamfisted acting made it hard to watch.
As a result of this abuse, Mary has extremely low self-esteem, is clumsy and awkward, and does not really read the room in social situations. We were discussing the show while watching, and we all agreed that she comes across as mildly autistic.
When she moves from her mother to the Gardiners, finally finding a home with people who truly love and value her, Mary begins to change.
The Gardiners are such a genuinely beautiful, lovely, and unforgettable pair. Their love for each other and their children was warm and delightful, and the way they cared for Mary lifted my spirits.
The charm to Mary is that she is a little difficult to like many times – she’s often inappropriately pedantic, holier-than-thou moralizing, and a know-it-all. She needs to be forced out of these habits to learn how to be well-read and knowledgeable, and also to interact with others appropriately. The actress Ella Bruccoleri really impressed here, showing how Mary can be such an ass while also letting us love her. Of course, there are portions where Mary is such a wet lettuce, I want to shake her.
But under the Gardiners’ love and acceptance, Mary slowly comes into her own and ends up with two suitors – both very charming, though, of course, it’s pretty obvious whom she prefers – her chemistry with Tom Hayward is crackling.
There is an adorable wet shirt nod to the original Pride and Prejudice mini-series that has already inspired a million internet gifs and reshares, and this series is probably worth watching for that episode alone.
Overall, most enjoyable period drama out in ages, in my personal opinion. The characters had so much depth, were so well written and acted, and the love story was actually something I was rooting for/very invested in. Bridgerton could never! I also think it was a very good depiction of family dysfunction and parentification, which you don’t see depicted much/well (whether or not this was true to Pride and Prejudice, but honestly, who cares- it was amazing in its own right).
