The Other Bennet Sister Is A FANTASTIC Pride & Prejudice Spin-Off

Added: 2026-05-05

[00:00:00]For those that follow this channel, I think it's pretty obvious I have a massive soft spot for period dramas.

[00:00:04]It's just the way I was raised. I love the costumes and the settings and the storylines. There's just something about them that really draws me in. And of course, it all started from watching the 1995 BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. All roads lead back to that series, I swear. This in turn leads us to my latest obsession, The Other Bennett Sister, which is a Pride and Prejudice continuation that follows the off-for-gotten character of Mary Bennett, the middle child of the family.

[00:00:26]I think this is one of my favorite things about being a fan of the Jane Austin bibliography and world. It's that her works are all public domain since they're so old and thus anyone in their dog can produce works in that universe.

[00:00:36]You can write sequels or alternate tellings or retell the original story through a different lens by using other characters points of view. Obviously, as with all fanfiction, as that's what it is in the end, some are going to be better than others and be far more compelling. For me though, I think the best ones are when you take the original work and you put a little bit of a spin on it and follow through on that. To me, this is exactly what the other Bennett sister does. It shows the world and characters of Pride and Prejudice according to Mary, which in turn allows you to interpret events and characters differently to how you'd normally see them. I have to say that I felt pretty much every aspect of the show was so much fun, and it does seem as if the world at large agrees with me. It's not like it's the highest profile show ever made, but it seems to have gotten good reviews, and apparently it even got enough viewership that they seem to think it increased tourism to Jane Austin associated historical sites in the aftermath of its release. So, there's that. Now, though, I think we'd better get stuck into the details, right? And I'll be honest, I've never really been all that big on the costumeuming and styling side of things when it comes to a good period drama.

[00:01:28]And don't get me wrong, I'm not saying it's not to my taste or anything, but more I'm an extreme casual when it comes to this type of thing. I know nothing about fabrics and dress styles. I don't know what type of headwear wears period accurate or what colors, patterns, or whatnot make sense. I've always been in awe of people that do know about that type of thing, and I find it very impressive. I'm just not that type of person at all. All I can ask for is that it looks good and impresses me visually, and I think it does just that. I wasn't wowed by the grandeur of everything like some productions in the past, but at the same time, I can also acknowledge that not every show or film is going to have the same budget available, and they have to work within the confines of that.

[00:02:01]That being said, it looked good and accurate enough to fool a casual person such as myself, and that's really all I need from this type of story at the end of the day. As for the music, I'll also admit that I'm not somebody that really remembers those sorts of things easily after a film or show's over with, unless it's really impressive. That being said, I will say that though it was short, I enjoyed the theme tune for the show.

[00:02:19]There's that. So already we're looking good, but I think all of the merits of the show are largely dwarfed by the characters and story. In the end, the narrative elements are going to be the ones that are the most important for this type of show. It's not going to be carried by epic visuals and wild action sequences. You can't try to hide things under a layer of steamy smart. Instead, the show's utterly reliant on good casting and performances, and of course, good writing and dialogue. Without this, the show would have fallen flat in its face, and nobody would care about it at all. Thankfully, that's not the case, and the show was truly incredible in that regard, though. I don't think there's a single performance I'd consider to be bad or out of place. I think the majority of the minor cast, the sisters and various other characters who only appear for an episode or two every so often are well played and compelling. I especially love the portrayal of Elizabeth and how she goes from a character who seems to look down on Mary, giving her pitying looks and somewhat condescending comments in the early episodes before shifting through the later appearances into a sister who truly cares and starts to understand her more by looking at the world through her eyes. It's a different Elizabeth to what you normally see, but I think it's also a version of the character that makes a lot of sense once you divest the audience of that Elizabeth POV. By doing so, I think you're able to view things, including her own actions and personality, in a different way, and you get to keep that good core whilst having a bit of nuance, too. The love interests were both a lot of fun. What I liked is that they were both imperfect, and their portrayals were frustrating and compelling in equal measure, whilst also bringing out different things in Mary's personality. Mr. Haywood's a kind man who has a lot in common with Mary overall. He's a warm and stable presence for her who makes her feel good about simply being Mary. That being said, he's also clearly a bit of an idiot and makes decisions that can be eternally frustrating, like how he's clearly vibing hard with Mary and keeps hanging out with her enough to develop feelings for her despite already having an arrangement with Anne Baxter that he's going to marry her when he has enough money. Then he keeps on getting salty that other men are taking an interest in Mary. And when he's finally free to confess his feelings, he chooses not to because he thinks that Mary has a better offer on the table. And so he'll gracefully bow out to ensure she's set for life. When she smacks him during their love confession, it is welld deserved, I'll tell you what. However, despite those pretty annoying traits, I couldn't help but find him so sweet and sincere in their love story extremely romantic. When they do things like compare their terrible drawings by the lake and stuff like that, it was just so cute. Then there's Mr. Ryder, who's your typical Regency side romance. He's fun and exciting, but in the end, he has a character flaw that makes him unsuitable to be the endgame romance for our heroine. This becomes clear when he's seemingly caughting Mary at Pembley and he tells her that he wants to be with her and run away to Italy but also not be married to her. Whoopsie. Not exactly an ideal scenario in that day and age and so he's no good. However, what I did like about this is that unlike the likes of a Mr. Wickcham, for instance, Mr. Ryder isn't viewed as some horrible piece of He's simply a flawed person who made the wrong choice and it ended up costing him. He missed his shot and when he returns to tell her that he does want to get married after all, he gets rejected. He's just a young man who made a silly mistake. And I like that the story doesn't punish him further or reveal he has other undesirable or toxic traits beyond what we saw. And honestly, that's something that's present in so much of the show to tell you the truth.

[00:05:09]The characters all have depth and nuance. Nobody's wholly good and nobody's wholly bad. They're simply going about their lives as best they can. And it's spectacular writing in my eyes. Then we can come to the portrayal of Mrs. Bennett. This is the one I think has people up in arms about the show because let's be honest with ourselves, Mrs. Bennett is the main antagonist of the story if you want to frame it in those terms. She's openly cruel to Mary and treats her like in pretty much all of their interactions. She tells her she's lesser than her siblings and that without beauty and grace, she can't hope to find something for herself. She controls her life in major ways. First forcing her to go and live with her aunt and uncle after Mr. Bennett's death. And then after Mary makes friends and a life in London, she orders her back to stay at Pembley for no other reason than wanting a companion to order around and be at her beck and call like a servant without being paid, of course. Now, clearly people can point out that this is extremely different to the way she seems to behave in Pride and Prejudice, but I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility for her to act this way to the daughter she views to be the least of the lot. The one that she feels as a failure and will never have any prospects, the one that she views to be a bit of a burden. It's not out of the realm of possibility that a character that is viewed as a silly source of shame to one sister could be a source of pain and fear to another. That's often how it plays out in real life, after all. In the end, it's in service to the narrative and to Mary's story arc, and it works out very well. Having this dynamic makes Mary into this sad underdog figure and makes it very easy to get behind her as a character as a result. Ultimately, I think this was a valid choice in the direction they took the character, and it worked out for the best. Do I think she has to be horrible like this in every single adaptation of her character? No, I don't think so.

[00:06:34]That being said, I don't think it's some sacrilege for her to behave this way either. It works for what the story is trying to achieve, and that's all you need. Even then though, I do think the show gives a bit of nuance to her character beyond just being horrible in that she had a terrible marriage and it probably warped the way of interacting with her family as a result. Like I said with Mr. Ryder, the show gives everybody some nuance. We see that playing out again and again with characters that were framed in an overwhelmingly negative light in the original story. We have Mr. Collins getting some sympathetic depth where we explore how a person who knows that everybody thinks he's ridiculous would feel about himself and his place in life. We explore a more negative side of Charlotte Lucas' mentality of marriage over misery, where she discovers you can have both at the same time. Caroline Bingley is a typical mean girl with a whole host of insecurities lingering under the surface that showcases the reasons behind her overly cruel behavior. The gardeners are treated as pretty much the kindest people ever with few flaws, but I suppose that's fair. All they do is extend basic kindness and love to their niece, which in turn helps her flourish.

[00:07:28]They essentially adopt her as their own child by the end of the story, and they love her as such. In the end, there's so much depth on display here with the writing and the different portrayals.

[00:07:36]It's just a home run in every respect.

[00:07:38]Of course, this then leads us to Mary's character. I won't go too much in depth here because Mary's story is the one we follow the whole way through the show, and we'll get to that in just a moment.

[00:07:46]But the actual character herself as a heroine, I found her to be absurdly compelling. I mentioned earlier she had this excellent underdog quality, and it's true. She has an excellent kicked puppy dog face when she's wronged or feels beaten down by the world. On top of that, I think the most compelling part of her character is that she struggles. She doesn't just decide that her mom can stuff it up her ass one day.

[00:08:04]She has to work up to that. She stumbles many times and finds herself back under her thumb. And it makes you root for her even more. It makes you want to see her stand up for herself every time somebody challenges her worth. And to me, that connection and care for the character really helps you buy into the story being told and elevated everything. She can be quirky and she has difficulties with expressing her feelings and finding her place in the world, which sometimes leads to her almost making mistakes or walking the wrong path. I just find it so fun to watch. Nobody needs a protagonist who's loved by all and the best at everything and who never puts a step wrong. It's hard to invest in any drama if that's the case. This in turn brings us to the overall story being told. Now, coming into it, you might be tempted to think this is a romance story, and indeed, romance does play a big part in it. However, I think it's more than that. This is a story of Mary coming into her own as a woman and finding her place in the world. And I think her love story with Mr. Hwood is only a part of that overall story. A big part, no doubt, but only a part nonetheless. We see in the early episodes that when she lived at Longorn with her whole family, Mary never quite fit in. Her dad was distant. and her sisters were paired off leaving her the odd one out and her mother seemingly couldn't stand her and found her to be a disappointment. The only major emotional connection she has in life is the housekeeper Mrs. Hill, a paid employee.

[00:09:12]Also, side note, but I love that she was played by Mary Bennett from the 1995 version was so sweet to see. All in all, this opening is bleak and it goes a long way in establishing that world and making you really feel for Mary. You feel bad that she's mocked for wearing glasses and that the only real romantic connection she has is scorned by her mother for being in a trade, forgetting, of course, that her own father was a trades person, too. As is her brother, but okay. Honestly, these first two episodes are premium cringe and misery porn. Just watching this poor girl get slapped down again and again and again, failing to earn the love and admiration she craves from her parents. struggling to get out from under the shadow of her sisters. She tries to make friends with Charlotte, who seems to be in a similar position as her, only to be thrown under the bus and convinced to sing in front of everybody at the netfield ball and crash and burn. I will say that this was something that did get me to raise my eyebrows a little bit at first. To see Charlotte engaging in this sort of behavior and sabotage somebody's chances. I wasn't sure it fit with the character that exists in the book, but then again, we barely know that character, and what we do know is filtered through the Lizzy lens. Thus, I decided I could understand why they went in that direction. All in all, by the time their absentee dad dies and her mom shuffles her off to live with her aunt and uncle and work as their governness, you're just sad for the character and you want to see good things come to her.

[00:10:21]I think that's why the next three episodes are some of the most compelling to me because they're the episodes where she begins to come out of her shell.

[00:10:26]Despite the prompting of her aunt and uncle she initially struggles, but the more time she spends with them and then with Mr. Haywood and eventually the likes of her new friend, Miss Baxter and Mr. Ryder, the more confident she grows.

[00:10:36]These episodes are so happy and wholesome, and whilst there are clear setbacks, like discovering Tom has an understanding with Anne and the continued bullying of Caroline Bingley, there is an undercurrent of hope to everything going on in her life. She feels like she's turning a corner as a person, only for her mother to summon her back to Pembley under the guise of a deadly illness, which turns out to be a total lie and excuse to have a personal servant at her beck and call. This emotional roller coaster is so compelling. Just as you get accustomed to her story line in London and meet her two obvious competing suitors, it all gets ripped away from you and you restore the old status quo of Meek Mary being beaten down by her overbearing mother. However, this time instead of being sad for her, you get angry. Angry at this horrible woman with a desire to see Mary break out from under her control and live her own life. The whole Pemly arc in that way is quite masterful emotional manipulation by the writing.

[00:11:20]It takes you on such a journey and you have these mini triumph moments like her being able to see another side of Mr. Collins or reconnecting with her sisters, particularly Elizabeth.

[00:11:28]However, the good thing is she still struggles. She can't throw off her mother just yet, and when Mr. Ryder comes around, she's clearly so beaten down by life and her lack of opportunities, she almost accepts being his mistress simply because she feels like there's no other path available to walk. However, at the last minute, she decides that's not who she is. And when given the lifeline of going to the Lake District with her aunt and uncle, she jumps on it. The roller coaster continues, and we go from wretched lows to soaring heights as Mary is once again freed from the burden of having to deal with her mother. Now she's on an adventure with her family again, and you start to creep towards this romantic endgame. We learn that Tom and Anne are no longer an item, and we have some of the most compelling courtship scenes between Tom and Mary, where they're just so cute and sweet. If the cringy office of being his mistress for Mr. Ryder hadn't signaled this was the endgame pairing, then these sequences would have. However, what I enjoyed was that it wasn't all smooth sailing either. Tom keeps wanting that perfect moment to propose and keeps losing it because of Mr. writer who turns up and injects himself into proceedings and has decided he loves Mary too much to let her go and is now willing to marry her. How generous of him. Meanwhile, Caroline's also there being her usual self and it all goes ary. This is where the show goes full soap opera and it's in the best of ways. You have two gents competing for Mary's attention and affection. Tom suddenly rescending his hint at proposing without explaining his reason. The four getting lost in a rainstorm and Mary saving Caroline from being stuck and left behind. Mary gets sick from being in the rain too long which I guess weakened her immune system with Mr. rider leaving straight away whilst Tom stays outside the door until she wakes up before he gallops off to parts unknown. It's all extremely overdramatic and I just loved every second. It had me on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next before we got a four-part cathosis to wrap up the story. She meets the eye doctor from episode 1 and learns he lived his dreams and he encourages her to do the same. She rejects Ryder's proposal as she doesn't love him, but he doesn't flip out and he takes a heartbreak very well indeed. She tells her mom where to shove it and Caroline gets her own redemption where she makes her piece with Mary and writes to Tom to return to London where we have the romantic conclusion. What I loved most about this is that she doesn't accept his martyr and before they have their love story hit its emotional climax, she gets to yell at him for trying to take the choice of who to marry away from her. She proves she's grown as a person and is no longer the meat girl who let others choose her path for her. She'll decide her place and thus they marry as equals and it's all very compelling and beautiful. Honestly, when I came into this, I was not expecting it to be this good. Based on the first trailer, I was actually expecting to be some sort of comedy, but what we got was so much more than that.

[00:13:43]It's funny, yes, but it's dramatic, tragic, and romantic. It took a character I'd never really cared all that much for and breathe life into it into a way I'd never seen before, weaving an extremely compelling tale along the way. More of this sort of thing, please. It's right up my alley.

[00:13:56]Of course, though, with all that being said, these have just been my opinions.

[00:13:59]And now, I'd like to hear yours. What did you think of The Other Bennett Sister? If you've seen it, did you like it? Hate it? If you haven't seen it, will you give it a try? I'm curious for your thoughts, so make sure to like, comment, and subscribe. Then let me know.