Finally, An Austen-ish Adaptation Worth Watching | Defector

"Mary Bennet, middle of five, has few virtues to recommend her. Unlike her eldest sister, Jane, she is not beautiful. Nor is she witty, like second-eldest Elizabeth. Her younger sister, Kitty, may be frivolous but at least she is good-humored and has a fun nickname. Youngest daughter, Lydia, meanwhile, is disastrously reckless, but you can't deny she has spirit."

"Although one might think Jane Austen, bookish and unwed as she was, would draw Mary with some degree of sympathy, she describes her in Pride and Prejudice as having "neither genius nor taste; and though vanity had given her application, it had given her likewise a pedantic air and conceited manner, which would have injured a higher degree of excellence than she had reached." Ouch."

"It opens with the familiar announcement that Netherfield Hall has been let to someone named Mr. Bingley. Over the first two episodes we see the events of Pride and Prejudice played out through the eyes of Mary, before she, and the show, really blossom upon re-locating to London under the loving and encouraging care of her aunt and uncle."

"Ella Bruccoleri imbues Mary with warmth, tenderness, and real curiosity. Blessedly, the show does not have h"

Mary Bennet is described as lacking beauty, wit, and genius, with vanity leading to a pedantic, conceited manner. Despite this, a BBC adaptation, The Other Bennet Sister, uses Mary’s viewpoint to retell events from Pride and Prejudice. The story begins with Netherfield Hall being let to Mr. Bingley and follows the familiar plot through Mary’s eyes for the first two episodes. The series then shifts to London, where Mary is supported by her aunt and uncle, allowing the character to develop. The performance brings warmth, tenderness, and curiosity, and the show’s format delivers short, weekly episodes across ten total installments.

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