The BBC has come up with a little gem: an eight-part series based on a book by Janice Hadlow called The Other Bennet Sister. Anyone who is remotely familiar with the works of Jane Austen will instantly recall that the Bennet family crops up in her novel Pride and Prejudice, and, indeed, this story is a continuation of that book.
The first two half-hour episodes basically recap [zusammenfassen] the tale that Jane Austen wrote. It's as of episode three that the story gets really interesting and answers the question of what happened to the unmarried, plain Jane [Mauerblümchen] sister called Mary. Bookish, a bit gawky, not at all girly, she doesn't fit in with her sisters, and doesn't sparkle like they do - much to the despair of her mother, brilliantly played by Ruth Jones.
The actors in each role are credible, just right for their roles, the costumes are wonderful and the sets have been dressed to perfection. You can almost imagine that it was filmed on site in the past. Almost. Two things didn't seem quite in keeping with the rest. One was the scene at a gathering in a private house when everone chants "Sing, sing" over and over again. I didn't think people would do that in those days. Secondly, we sometimes see the London street she ends up living in: it's too clean. In those days, it would have been filfthy, what with all the horses for one thing. As it is, there's not a speck of dirt or a scrap of waste. Too unbelievable. But those are minor faults and, overall, the effect is pleasing.
But it's the blossoming of the little "ugly duckling" that is so wonderful. From an awkward and gauche young woman lacking any kind of confidence, unaware that people are actually on her side or interested in her, we see that she finally grows comfortable in her own skin and realises that she is likeable and welcome and even lovable. That sounds very serious, but, believe me, there are plenty of laughs along the way.
What makes me so fascinated by the story is that I can identify with the main character so well myself: nose in a book all the time, socially awkward, believing no-one could put up with her and with an overbearing [herrisch] mother who never failed to indicate when she was disappointed in her daughter.
This is why I cheer Mary on, why I want her to come out on top in the end. I want her to have a happy ending, and, without wishing to give anything away, a happy ending is what she gets. Hurray! At least there's some good news on the small screen these days.
Is it any wonder that I'm watching it for the third time already?
