The world has no shortage of Pride and Prejudice adaptations.
On top of screen adaptations like the 1995 miniseries and the 2005 film (as well as Netflix's upcoming movie), Jane Austen's enduring novel has spawned several spin-off books, like P.D. James' Death Comes to Pemberley, Amanda Grange's Mr. Darcy's Diary, and Janice Hadlow's The Other Bennet Sister. The latter is the source material for a miniseries that aired on BBC One earlier this year to critical and public acclaim. Now, The Other Bennet Sister has made its way to U.S. audiences via BritBox, and it's the perfect watch for any Austen head. If you love Pride and Prejudice (either the novel or its many reincarnations), then here are five reasons to make The Other Bennet Sister your next binge.
1. It revisits Pride and Prejudice through a fresh set of eyes.
The titular Bennet sister is Mary (Ella Bruccoleri), the Bennet family's bookish, occasionally scolding middle child. Her family, especially her mother (Ruth Jones), finds her plain and uninteresting, and therefore have all resigned themselves to the fact that she will never find a suitable match. Because of this, Mary spends much of her time as a wallflower. It's through her wounded eyes that we witness the events of Pride and Prejudice play out anew, from Lizzie's (Poppy Gilbert) first anger at Mr. Darcy's (Victor Pilard) rude comments to her rejection of Mr. Collins' (Ryan Sampson) marriage proposal.
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Thankfully, The Other Bennet Sister doesn't just offer up a Pride and Prejudice rehash. (In fact, it speedruns the book in its first two episodes.) Instead, it gives Austen fans just enough hints at the broader story they know and love, while still centering Mary's outsider perspective. This approach leads to several moving reframes of book scenes. Remember when Mary sings horribly at a ball, much to Lizzie's disapproval? The Other Bennet Sister dives into why she's so intent on singing at this moment, and how awful she feels after Lizzie cuts her performance short. Scenes like these make you consider the book differently, while also letting the original stand on its own.
2. It will make you think differently about certain Pride and Prejudice characters.
The Other Bennet Sister won't just make you reevaluate the oft-shunned Mary's role in Pride and Prejudice. It will also prompt you to reconsider your ideas of some of the novel's most ridiculous or villainous characters.
Take Mr. Collins, for instance. He's often an insufferable source of comic relief, and while The Other Bennet Sister still plays his fuddy-duddyness for laughs, it also proposes that he's fully aware of how much others disdain him. On top of generating empathy for him, The Other Bennet Sister also spends extra time on Charlotte Lucas' (Anna Fenton-Garvey) choice to marry him, and even tries to get inside the head of the icy Caroline Bingley (Tanya Reynolds). Could these reappraisals spark a new appreciation for these characters on your next Pride and Prejudice read-through?
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3. It features a charming lead performance from Ella Bruccoleri...
In Bruccoleri's hands, Mary Bennet surges from the margins of Pride and Prejudice and into the spotlight with resounding success. She wrings heartbreak from the Bennets' constant dismissals of Mary and manages to turn Mary's pedantic corrections of the most minute details into timid moments of rebellion. When Mary corrects her mother on whether someone is coming "up" or "down" from London, she's really trying to assert power over the person who puts her down the most. Bruccoleri delivers each correction as if it's a surprise even to Mary, the words flying out of her before she's had the chance to think them through. (Granted, the character's most grating tendencies have been sanded down a bit for the adaptation, and I do sometimes wish they had let Mary be more conceited.)
Bruccoleri especially shines as The Other Bennet Sister moves to London, where Mary meets up with people who see her true value. Here, she undergoes a metamorphosis. Not a rom-com-style glow-up, but an opening of her mind and heart to others. It's a sweet arc that Bruccoleri charts with a winning openness, even when Mary herself struggles to close herself off.
4. ... and a swoon-worthy love interest in Dónal Finn's Tom Hayward.
One of the people who sees Mary's virtues immediately is Tom Hayward (Dónal Finn), a lawyer with a penchant for poetry. He may not be an actual Austen character, but he does make a fine addition to the canon of Regency romantic heroes.
Tom always appreciates Mary wholeheartedly and is willing to meet her at her level no matter the circumstance. In one serious scene, the pair discuss a potential future before Mary begins imitating the bird calls she hears around them. Undeterred, Tom joins right in. Their earlier conversation can wait! He also seeks to broaden her horizons. When she admits she doesn't like poetry because she can't feel the meaning of the words on the page, he organizes a private poetry performance in a secret garden dripping with lilacs. It's official: Romance isn't dead thanks to Tom Hayward, as well as Dónal Finn's charismatic performance in the role.
5. It's a more grounded Regency romance than Bridgerton.
No hate to Bridgerton, especially its spectacular fourth season, but sometimes you just want your Regency romance without the string quartet pop covers or fantastical costumes. Enter The Other Bennet Sister.
While I'm no expert on "historically accurate" aesthetics (nor do I believe a show needs accuracy to be good), The Other Bennet Sister's less elaborate balls and quieter costuming nicely match Mary's practicality. This isn't to say there is no fantasy. After all, one scene late in the season riffs on Colin Firth's Darcy's infamous lake scene. Yet for the most part, The Other Bennet Sister and its central romance succeed in their restraint: in Finn's longing delivery of each polite "Miss Bennet," in each lingering shot of Tom's forearms as he rolls up his sleeves. There's yearning to spare here, and The Other Bennet Sister weaves it expertly into Mary's tale of self-discovery to create a sweet spring TV treat.