The Other Bennet Sister Caught Me Off Guard

After a TV drought that felt like forever, I turned on The Other Bennet Sister, and it caught me off guard…

Honestly, when I saw the trailer, I wasn’t sure if I’d watch it. The jokes fell flat, and the whole thing looked a little blah. But! I decided to sally forth, as they say, and five minutes into the first episode, I was hooked.

The story follows Mary Bennet, the middle of five sisters, whom Jane Austen described in Pride and Prejudice as “the only plain one in the family” who “had neither genius nor taste.” (Harsh!) But in the show, after Mary’s four sisters get married and move away, she heads to London to be a governess and look for happiness herself — and maybe even love.

Reader, I was SO charmed. I loved the actress Ella Bruccoleri, and the empire-waist dresses, and the stunning landscapes when they took a trip to the Lake District. But, most of all, it felt shockingly good to watch a character who is so loved for her mind. People fall for her — as friends or hopeful lovers — because she speaks honestly and directly, shares her insights on books and marriage and society and geology, and loves people not despite but because of their idiosyncrasies. “There is no one I long to talk to as I do you,” a love interest tells her.

I’m 47 and pretty chill with myself at this point, but even so, watching this show felt like a new experience for me. It’s so easy as a woman to watch something and catch yourself thinking, even in the back of your mind, Could I pull off that dress? Is my skin even one tenth as dewy? Should I try a little harder with my hair? If a character’s goal is to look pretty — and it usually is, either explicitly or implicitly — you almost can’t help asking yourself these questions, as the viewer; it’s a reflex. But while watching Mary Bennet, I kept thinking to myself, Oooh, what books do I love most? What questions can I ask to bring people out of themselves? What friends and relatives do I love having juicy conversations with? What fun animal facts might I know?? And what refreshing questions! It makes me inordinately happy to imagine girls watching this series and asking themselves these things, instead of, as ever and always, am I pretty?

Will you watch The Other Bennet Sister? I’d highly recommend! What else are you watching these days? Any new shows, or beloved old series? xoxo

P.S. Our ultimate TV guide, if you’re looking for something great, and what are your favorite under-the-radar TV shows?

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