And now we come to what would be the most famous adaption of Pride and Prejudice. Even before I’d ever read Pride and Prejudice or watched Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, I knew that Colin Firth played Mr. Darcy.

“The 1995 BBC adaptation of “Pride and Prejudice” is a six-episode miniseries based on Jane Austen’s novel. It follows the Bennet sisters, particularly Elizabeth, as they navigate societal expectations and the search for love in 19th-century England. The arrival of wealthy, eligible bachelors, including Mr. Darcy, disrupts the provincial life of the Bennets, leading to misunderstandings, social clashes, and the development of complex relationships.”

If you have never read the book, it will not matter one jot. This thing is the most actuate adaptation of this Jane Austen book. Most of this work is word-for-word from the book. For anyone who hasn’t read my Percy Jackson TV show review, I will be talking about my thoughts on each episode.

Episode1. In the first two scenes, we see a few ways that this show does the setup, which is a good example of show don’t tell. Firstly, seeing Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy looking at Netherfield Park, secondly, is when we first see the Bennets, in the first minute, we get a good idea of all of their characters. There is the added conversation between Lizzie and Jane about what they are looking for in a marriage partner, but also bringing up that they need to marry for money and love is secondary.

Episode 2, the first thing I want to start with is the way that the show adapts the multiple letters that are throughout the book. The way that they do this is we shift from Mr. Bennet to Mr. Collins. This is a great way to give us the letters, but not just watching one person reading the letter aloud.

Now I would like to talk about Mr. Collins. While reading the letter, we see an example of how he is just interested in Catherine de Burgh, pushing others out of the way to see her. The actor who plays Mr. Collins just looks greasy. Also, it is interesting that this version of Mary seems to have a crush on Mr. Collins. This suggests that if Mr. Collins had looked for compatibility instead of beauty, he may have married a Bennet after all.

Next Mr. Wickham. For those who have read the book and know the truth about what happens with Georgiana Darcy and what will happen with Lydia Bennet, you can see the seeds of that here from the interactions that Wickham and Lydia have and the fact that when Wickham is talking about Georgiana, he refers to her as 16, the same age as Lydia. If you have read the book, you can see the foreshadowing in the fact that he will go after Lydia. Regarding the ball, we see an interesting example of the dancing of the time, but in this part we see how embarrassing most of the Bennets are. Also the room is just small enough that everyone can hear Mrs. Bennet talking about her daughter’s marriage prospects.

In Episode 3, we deal with Charlotte and Mr. Collins, as well as Lizzie’s disgust over this marriage. When we get to the letter from the Binley’s we can see the look Miss Binley gives when Mr. Bingley is meeting Georgiana Darcy, it is obvious Miss Binley wants this marriage. Lizzie seems to want her sister to marry for love and not just for conscience, this is revolutionary for this time. After all, if they don’t marry rich, then their standard of living will be in the toilet the moment Mr. Bennet dies.

When we visit the Collins’s, Mr. Collins feels like a little kid showing everything off. The fact that Cathrine de Burgh advises extends to putting shelves in a closet. Cathrin de Burgh seems to have all the emotions. It is certainly an interesting acting choice. The proposal. Even with that, the actor who plays Lizzie is so perfect with the controlled anger.

Episode 4. I find it so interesting that in the direct aftermath of the proposal, what was said keeps coming back to Lizzie and Mr. Darcy. This is a great example of a book to show adaptation. In the book, Lizzie keeps remembering lines from Mr. Darcy’s proposal.

In this episode, we have a letter from Mr. Darcy where we see what happened in it. But I find it interesting that this version of the letter starts with Wickham and ends with Bingley and the Bennets. Throughout all the second half of the letter the flashbacks show things we have already seen. This means that if you have read the book, you will recognize these things when first watching the mini series.

In this show, Jane is a sounding board for Lizzie in order to let her thoughts be said.

Ok, we need to talk about Mr. Darcy coming out of the water. This was one of the things that I knew about before ever reading the book. This was more awkward than I thought.

In Episode 5, here we meet Georgiana Darcy. It is interesting because in the book, we never hear her speak, but it is sweet that she is so shy. I enjoy the fact that there is no suspense over the fact that Mr. Darcy is going to rescue Lydia.

In the letter from Lydia, you can see how furtive Wickham is being. He obviously knows the consequences if they get caught. This is interesting that instead of Mr. Collins’ letter, it changes into a visit from the man himself. In the show, it is a lot more explicit about the damage that Lydia has done. We understand that if Lydia doesn’t get married, she will be a ruined woman and that will drag her family down with her.

In Episode 6, Lydia seems so childish, and she doesn’t realise the life in front of her. After all, she is now married to a poor man who has a gambling problem.

I like the fact that we see Mr. Darcy tell Mr. Bingley what he did.

The ending is spectacular with the double wedding and the camera focusing on different characters. It is the perfect ending for this series as a look at all the couples.

Thank you for sticking with me, next week the 2005 movie.

Happy reading to all and to all a good night.