I managed to watch this while visiting my friend in the UK. Sadly, Americans must wait until May 9th for this to come out on BritBox. (If you’re like me, you can get a free 7-day trial and binge this well before it runs out.) It’s 10 episodes, each about a half an hour, so it’s a
A Fresh Take on a Jane Austen Spin-Off
This lovely show was based on a novel by Janice Hadlow that I absolutely plan to read and is available on Kindle Unlimited. As a fellow Romance novelist, I always try to recognize the tropes, and was surprisingly stumped with this one. The novel and beloved movies/shows it was based on, Pride and Prejudice, is the OG ‘billionaire’ enemies-to-lovers novel. (Obviously, Mr. Darcy wasn’t a billionaire in the Regency Era, but he mega rich, so the same vibes apply: rich dude falls for poor but irresistible lady) . (Check out this silly article to see exactly how rich he would be in modern times.) But this lovely show had no major tropes that I could decipher. It had a wonderful, happy ending and was deliciously satisfying. But it did No friends to lovers, enemies to lovers, and no billionaire boss hero swooping in and saving her from abject poverty. There are a few tropes, but I am putting them at the end of this because they are Spoilers***
Refreshingly, one thing this show did not do was the ugly duckling trope, despite the obvious opportunity for it. Mary is lovely, but she’s unconventional in how she dresses, does her hair, and wears glasses, to the extreme frustration of her mother. And although she discovers her own style and becomes more comfortable in her own body, she does not magically conform and become a twin to her more conventionally attractive sisters or anything.
She Finds Happiness On Her Own Terms
What makes this so lovely and satisfying is that her hero’s journey is about her accepting and embracing herself, standing up to her cruel mother, and being loved and accepted by others because of it. It’s sweet and lovely and so very different from Pride and Prejudice and I really appreciate it for that.
It Assumes You’re a Pride and Prejudice Junkie Like Me
I’m sure you could enjoy this show without having watched or read Pride and Prejudice, but you would miss out on some of the references about Lydia, Mr. Collins, Mr. Darcy, and more, so if somehow you live under a rock and haven’t at least watched the 2005 Kiera Knightley Pride and Prejudice, or better yet, the 1990s Colin Firth version, then I recommended watching it before you watch this show. They show Bingley and Mr. Darcy for about two seconds (and I’ve got to say, if Mr. Darcy is the actor I think he was, they did not do him justice. But maybe that’s the point? We’re seeing him through Mary’s eyes, as an ugly scowling random dude she had zero interest in and who had zero interest in her.)
The Redemption of Mary and Mr. Collins
In the 2005 movie, there’s a moment that’s super easy to miss where Mary looks sad at Mr. Collins leaving after Lizzy rejects him. This show takes that moment and runs with it in a way that turns the caricatures of Mr. Collins and Mary into complex people you find yourself surprised to be empathizing with and rooting for. The author saw this little moment and really ran with it. Clearly, Janice Hadlow is a bigger Pride and Prejudice fan than I, which is REALLY saying something.
It’s Not Bridgerton-y/Yassified
I’m no expert, but as far as I can tell, the costumes, hair, and makeup are period-appropriate. There are no instrumental versions of pop music and no crazy hot love scenes (not that I don’t enjoy those of course). It’s a show I believe Jane Austen herself would approve of.
A Mother’s Day Treat
This show premieres the day before Mother’s Day, which makes it the perfect thing to binge after brunch with the family. Tell your hubby to take the kids out, grab a mug of tea or a glass of non-alcoholic wine, and get ready to watch it for five hours straight (because you probably will). Bravo to this show for being such a surprising joy.
*Spoiler: There was, however, a bit of a love triangle/found family vibes, golden retriever hero.