I will be the first to admit I was very, very wary when The Other Bennet Sister was announced. Based on Janice Hadlow’s novel of the same name, it follows the plain, prim, and bookish Mary Bennet (Ella Bruccoleri) through the events of Pride and Prejudice and in the years to follow.
If you’re an Austen purist, this take might make you wary, as it did me. In Austen’s novel, Mary is not unfairly overlooked for being nerdy. She is as pretentious and poorly-mannered as her flighty sisters and mother, just in a different direction; she is an object of satire in the narrative, not heroic sympathy. Mary isn’t the only beloved Austen character whose characterization is radically reimagined in The Other Bennet Sister (Charlotte Lucas, I’m so sorry, girl). If you’re watching the show through the lens of Austen’s textual accuracy, this isn’t the show for you.
But if you can take a step back and view it as the latest entry in a rich canon of Austen-adjacent works, it becomes a thoroughly delightful piece of storytelling that touches on many of those core Austen themes: familial strife, social and economic pressures, flawed characters coming into their own, and, of course, unexpected love triumphing. Whimsical at times and heartbreaking at others, it’s a worthy period drama in its own right.
The Other Bennet Sister Avoids “Not Like Other Girls”
Never fear — The Other Bennet Sister is no “ugly duckling makeover” story. Nor is Mary left adrift against a backdrop of frivolous mean girls. Instead, she finds both supporters and enemies along the way. After two episodes that mostly retell P&P (including the oft-repeated fanon theory that Mary would have been a better match for Mr. Collins), Mary heads off on her own journey. Her story kicks into gear when her aunt and uncle, Gardiner (Indira Varma and Richard Coyle), ask her to fill in for their absent governess.
Mrs. Gardiner couldn’t be more different from her sister-in-law, Mrs. Bennet (Ruth Jones). Rather than the silly woman of most P&P adaptations, this Mrs. Bennet is pure venom. You can’t help cringing as she berates Mary over and over for the crime of simply being different. Mrs. Gardiner, in contrast, is warmly maternal and no-nonsense, encouraging Mary to learn to be herself. There’s also Ann Baxter (Varada Sethu), Mary’s first real friend, and even Mary’s sister Elizabeth (Poppy Gilbert), her champion within the family.
A lesser story would have given Mary a makeover, made her more “authentic” than her peers, or both. The Other Bennet Sister, fortunately, avoids this trap. Mary’s “makeover” consists simply of choosing her own clothes. When she feels comfortable, she simply glows. As for her interests? Her quirkier hobbies (she’s a Regency true-crime girlie! She loves trivia!) earn her interest and fondness, not mockery. I appreciate that it doesn’t try to make her an underappreciated genius, either; she’s more the girl you want on your trivia team than your valedictorian. Mary — and the rest — are well-rounded characters, thank heavens. Even our villains are, it seems, trying to make their way in a limited world.
Austen References with a Light Touch
One of the smartest decisions in The Other Bennet Sister is to dispense with P&P early on. Its strength is in evoking and playing with beloved Austen moments, rather than mimicking them. Mary combines a bit of Fanny Price with a touch of Anne Elliot (and some Elinor Dashwood for good measure). One love interest feels like a Frank Churchill mixed with Captain Benwick; the other, more like Henry Tilney meets Edward Ferrars. Minor plot elements supply Easter eggs, but not in a screaming “look over here” way.
And, yes, we get wet white shirts. Two of them, in fact.
Most of all, The Other Bennet Sister balances Mary’s journey of self-discovery with a sense of capital-R romance. Like Austen, the show is just as interested in Mary’s becoming — flaws and all — as it is in her romantic pursuits. Of course, it doesn’t quite land the social satire (a tall task for a modern writer), but it has the right spirit. When a suitor praises Mary for the very things she has been made to feel small for (or, let’s be honest, when his hand lingers over adjusting her shawl), we feel that real frisson. And when Mary and her true love finally overcome all obstacles and misunderstandings, it’s impossible not to feel their joy. Are there a few extra plot contrivances? Of course there are. Does it really matter, in the end? Not a bit.
A Pitch-Perfect Cast Elevates Everything
The Other Bennet Sister simply would not work without the talents of an exceptional cast. At the center of it all is Bruccoleri, who is both hilarious and luminous as Mary. Even the smallest gestures or expressions hint at Mary’s deep and often conflicting emotions. As the show goes on, those same small moments gain richness as they convey Mary’s evolution without resorting to over-the-top, dramatic moments.
For our leading men, we’ve got gentlemen any Austen adaptation would be proud of. As good-humored lawyer Tom Hayward, Dónal Finn gets to flex his comedic, dramatic, and romantic (and forearm) muscles. He’s nerdy but not entirely lacking confidence, and he is a gold-standard yearner, without irony and with his heart on his sleeve. It’s unsurprising, given Finn’s stage chops. (Go ahead, we’ll wait while you watch him as Orpheus in Hadestown). Laurie Davidson, meanwhile, plays Hayward’s rival, the carefree William Ryder, with gleeful abandon. It would be easy for the impulsive Ryder to come across as a villain; instead, he’s just another character trying to make the best of things.
Other standouts among the cast include Varma and Coyle, who imbue the Gardiners with humor and warmth. Tanya Reynolds plays Caroline Bingley in a similar manner to her Emma antagonist, but with less silliness and more calculation (and hidden pain). And P&P fans will love seeing Lucy Briers (Mary from the 1995 miniseries) as the Bennets’ wise housekeeper, Hill.
The Other Bennet Sister, at heart, feels like a love letter to all the “odd” girls who found something to love in Austen. Perhaps it’s not a true-to-text depiction of Austen’s biting social observations. Instead, it’s a simpler message: don’t make yourself smaller to fit into any one box. Indeed, forcing yourself into those boxes can be painful and counterproductive. “Be yourself” seems like a trite message on paper, but when it’s delivered with such charm, how can anyone resist?
The first three episodes of The Other Bennet Sister are available now to stream on BritBox.
First Featured Image Credit: ©BritBox