Ella

Note – this review contains SPOILERS for the TV adaptation of The Other Bennet Sister

Before I begin this review it is important for me to state that I have not read the book The Other Bennet Sister by Janice Hadlow. To say I have been a borderline obsessive Jane Austen fan since I was 13 years old, I must have been living under a rock to have missed this novel. I have read all of Austen’s work, watched every adaptation I could get my hands on and am a loyal listener to the What the Austen podcast by Izzy Meakin. To make matters worse, I also wrote my English Literature masters thesis on the use of architecture in Austen’s novels. Yet I had never heard of The Other Bennet Sister until the BBC adaptation aired on a random Sunday evening in March. Therefore I am NOT writing this review to compare the TV adaptation with its source material, but rather to give my honest impressions as a die-hard Janeite going into this show blindly.

I have to be honest, I struggled with the first two episodes of this series. I understand that to ‘set the scene’ The Other Bennet Sister has to cover the events of Pride and Prejudice. As you might have guessed, I am a huge fan of the book. I usually do an annual reread of the novel, as well as a rewatch of the 1995 and 2005 adaptations. Therefore I have no problem with revisiting one of my most loved stories. However, where this adaptation fell short for me in these initial episodes was the presentation of Mrs Bennet. I understand that children can have different experiences with the same parent, all while living in the same house. However, The Other Bennet Sister takes this one step further by making Mrs Bennet a completely unrecognisable character. Mrs Bennet has always been a rather silly, eccentric character who is often the source of humiliation for Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice. This version of the character was lost to me because by presenting Mrs Bennet as calculated and controlling. It does not make sense that she behaves in way that embarrasses Elizabeth and Jane in the novel Pride and Prejudice. If the Mrs Bennet of the novel were calculated, she would not carelessly brag about Jane’s securing Mr Bingley at Netherfield (Mr Bingley’s own house), and in front of his family and close friends. This version of Mrs Bennet seems too socially aware to make such careless mistakes.

One moment in The Other Bennet Sister that fell flat for me was when Mary is dancing with the optician Mr Sparrow in episode one. In this episode Mrs Bennet pulls Mary aside and tells her that she will embarrass herself and her family by dancing with him for a third time. The whole scene felt so out of character. This version of Mrs Bennet is completely at odds with the careless nature we see in Pride and Prejudice. One of the main reasons Mr Darcy is hesitant to propose to Elizabeth is because her mother frequently embarrasses the Bennets with her lack of social
awareness. In taking this away, it removes a crucial part of the conflict from Pride and Prejudice. It removes the inappropriate family that also separates Jane Bennet and Mr Bingley. I feel as though Lydia and Kitty would have been forced to behave better by this version of Mrs Bennet. As for Mary, it would have seemed more in character for Mrs Bennet to ignore her entirely, rather than to be constantly insulting her.

It is here that my ignorance to the novel The Other Bennet Sister shines through. I kept asking myself, ‘is this how Mrs Bennet is written in the book?’

After the first two episodes aired on that Sunday evening I thought, ‘shall I continue watching?’. It was fair to say that they had left me underwhelmed. I knew going into the series that Mary was the forgotten sister, however I was struggling to get past her toxic relationship with Mrs Bennet. When I considered that the following episodes would go beyond the story of Pride and Prejudice and the setting of Longbourn, I decided to continue.

I am so glad I did.

For me, the story of The Other Bennet Sister did not truly start until episode three, when Mary goes to live with her aunt and uncle Gardiner in London. From this episode I was hooked. The home of Mr and Mrs Gardiner felt like a breath of fresh air in comparison to Longbourn. In the novel Pride and Prejudice the Gardiners are a refuge for Jane and Elizabeth. The most notable change I noticed in this series was that in instead of providing a haven of sense and respectable behaviour, where it is lacking in the Longbourn of Pride and Prejudice, the Gardiner home fills a different void and becomes a place of kindness and love. Watching Mary’s journey as a shy wallflower who blooms amongst kindness was wonderful to watch. I loved watching Mary be appreciated by her new family and friends, notably Mr Hayward, Miss Ann Baxter, and Mr Ryder. It was wonderful to watch Mary be pursued by Mr Hayward and Mr Ryder after being made to feel unwanted and undesirable for so long by her own mother.

Another factor of this series that I truly appreciated was how female friendships were presented. Throughout Mary’s struggles she always remained kind, there was no feeling of competition between Mary Bennet and Ann Baxter. As the series progressed I began to worry that Mr Hayward would draw apart Mary and her first friend. It was a relief as the series progressed that their friendship would not be destroyed over a man. Another aspect of female relationships that I liked in this adaptation was the storyline between Mary Bennet and Caroline Bingley. I appreciated how no matter how much Caroline bullied and belittled, Mary did not stoop to the same lows of sabotage and public humiliation to get her own back. Instead, Mary manages to inspire Caroline Bingley to improve her behaviour and become a better person. In honesty the lack of petty drama in this series was refreshing to see, and the power of Mary’s kindness really shone through to me.

Where this series really shone for me was in episodes eight and nine, with a selection of incredibly written comedic moments. From bizarre bird calls, falling into lakes, and stretching in regency attire, I was left in fits of laughter at the situations these characters find themselves in. The trio of Miss Mary Bennet, Mr Hayward and Mr Ryder acted as a comedy trio in these final episodes that was wonderful to watch. I would have particularly liked to have seen this version of Mrs Bennet watch Mary’s boat be pulled to shore by a swimming Mr Hayward and Mr Ryder.

Therefore I would have to give The Other Bennet Sister an 8/10. A testament to how brilliant episodes 3-10 are considering my initial impression. I am very glad to say Mary’s story in London pulled me around and changed my opinion entirely.

I am interested to hear from anyone who has read the novel The Other Bennet Sister. Is Mrs Bennet written this way in the original source material? I can give no critique on the acting in the series, as my ignorance to the source material leaves me unable to give a fair opinion. I did not like this version of Mrs Bennet, however Ruth Jones could have done an absolutely fantastic and faithful presentation of the character depending on how she is written in Janice Hadlow’s novel.