Jane Austen Month: Review of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries
I did not expect this web series to be what it is. I expected a cheesy, low budget series that I would find painful to watch. Instead, I got a sometimes cheesy, low budget series that is filled with charm and true love of the original source material, Pride and Prejudice. I binge watched the first forty-four out of one hundred episodes at once, watching the rest of them the very next day. I never binge watch. There is something just so irresistible about this series.
I think that the best way to summarise this show to you is to explain the characters to you. If you know the plot of Pride and Prejudice, then you know the plot of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. The only real difference here is the modern day setting, and I am very pleased to reveal that it very much works.
The characters:
-Lizzie Bennet (based on Elizabeth Bennet) is our protagonist, just as Elizabeth was in the book. Like all of the characters in the show, Lizzie is American and I'm fine with this. The show takes Pride and Prejudice and makes it its own, so I fully believe in the world of these characters lives. Their nationality is mere coincidence (although there are a couple of jokes regarding the change of nationality in the series that are just a couple of the shows beautifully meta moments). The Bennet parents do not appear in the show, but are usually acted out in "Costume Theatre", with Lizzie seemingly invested in portraying her mother. She is played by Ashley Clements.
-Jane Bennet (based on the character from P&P with the same name) Jane is actually the most similar to her book counterpart out of our four main characters. She is very helpful, kind and overwhelmingly sweet. I never truly realised Elizabeth's fascination with Jane and Bingley's love life until this series either. She's a lot more involved in it that I think she is in other adaptations. She is played by Laura Spencer.
-Lydia Bennet (based on the character from P&P with the same name) I never thought I would say the following, but here it goes: I love Lydia Bennet. I do. She's one of the shows most loveable characters and if you don't believe me, then check out her own spin-off web series. In the book, Lydia is the foolish youngest sister whose open flirtations with men make her feel as though she is the most mature of the Bennet sisters. She was an annoying obstacle put in the place to eventually bring Darcy and Elizabeth together. Lydia is played here by Mary Kate Wiles, and I personally think she is one of the web series best actors. She spent a lot of the earlier episodes as a great comic relief character (there is an ongoing joke about a list Lydia made of reasons why Lizzie is single, which is carried out wonderfully), yet she had me crying in episode eighty-seven as I felt so much empathy for her. I won't spoil anything in particular here, but let's just say that there is a part in the story where Lydia is often made to look like a fool, stuck with a long life decision. This is the only Lydia who I (and I think most people) would be able to feel sorry for in her mistakes.
-Charlotte Lu (based on Charlotte Lucas) This is a smart Charlotte, who is not romantically involved with Collins but is instead his business partner, which is a nice way to update the source material. Her friendship with Lizzie is definitely more important here than it has been in most other adaptations and certainly the book itself. She is played Julia Cho.
Before I list the other characters, I would like to note once again that the above four mentioned characters are our main players in this series. Yes, I stand by this, and will now justify this fact with:
-William Darcy (based on Fitzwilliam Darcy), who is referred to as simply 'Darcy' by all of the characters for the majority of the show. I would not say that Darcy is a main character in this series. The main reason behind this is that he doesn't officially appear until episode sixty out of one hundred episodes, (although he does speak and appear from the neck down in episode fifty-nine, which would be his true first appearance technically speaking). Until episode sixty however, Darcy is referred to frequently by the onscreen characters and is often played out in Lizzie's "Costume Theatre" segments, frequently by Lizzie herself. Therefore, I would say that Darcy is a key feature of the show, but not a key character. He is played by Daniel Vincent Gordh.
-Bing Lee (based on Charles Bingley) A lovely character, but far too easily influenced by others. His overcoming this to save his relationship with Jane makes for nice character development, yet you can tell that this character still has a little more growing to do even after we last see him in the series. He is played by Christopher Sean, who luckily has very sweet on-screen chemistry with Laura Spencer who plays Jane.
-Caroline Lee (based on Caroline Bingley) This series takes the unusual turn of having Caroline becoming Lizzie's friend, only to show her manipulative side a little bit more with each passing episode. She is delightfully sinister and played perfectly by the beautiful Jessica Jade Andres.
- George Wickham (based on the character of the same name) This cast consists of a group of gorgeous people, but Wes Aderhold as Wickham really takes the cake. The show itself confirms this by having him go shirtless after Lydia "accidentally" spills a glass of water on him. While I think Aderhold did a good job as Wickham, I think I need to watch Lydia's own blog videos (which I know he appears in prominently) to fully appreciate what I am hoping he can do with that character.
-Mr "Ricky" Collins (based on Mr Collins in the book). Mr Collins keeps his name from the book, but only Lizzie calls him Ricky because they went to school together. Mr Collins doesn't like this. An ongoing gag in the show with Mr Collins is that he is engaged in this version, but we never see his fiance, so there is doubt surrounding this apparent engagement from Lizzie's end. The creative modern twist in this version IS having Mr Collins be engaged, so he cannot advance on Lizzie romantically. However, he does try to hire her for his business which Lizzie refuses, and Charlotte manipulates Collins into giving her the job. He is portrayed by Maxwell Glick.
-Georgiana "Gigi" Darcy. A sweet character with some nice comedic moments, I would have liked to have seen more of her in the show and understand her experience with Wickham a bit more. She is played by Allison Paige.
-Fitz Williams. (based on Colonel Fitzwilliams in the book) Sadly the most forgettable character for me in the series, but he was still pleasant enough for the episodes he appeared in. Darcy's impression of him in episode 83 was my favourite thing about this character to be honest. He is played by Craig Frank.
-Mary (based on Mary Bennet in the book). In this version she is the cousin of the Bennet series. Hey, she doesn't have it the worst. Kitty was demoted to being Lydia's cat who follows her around everywhere.
My favourite episodes (the top three are first, the rest are in no particular order):
-Episode eighty-seven: One of three of my all time favourite episodes in the show. The portrayal of Lydia here as a girl heartbroken by a first love she trusted too much, too soon, is not only played out magnificently by Wiles and Clements, but it actually affected me. This episode got to me in a way the others didn't quite. I know the key focus for the majority of the audience is the romantic relationship between Darcy and Lizzie, but an emotional core is set here with Lizzie's view of her sister. The pair love each other, but neither Lizzie nor Lydia really knows each other that well. Lizzie's prejudice of Lydia, one of the people in her life she should be closest to, is what Lizzie truly need to overcome so that she can accept others, notably Darcy. If I should ever be in a situation where I need to cry on demand, I shall just skip to the end of this episode where Lizzie comforts Lydia as she cries: "Why didn't he love me Lizzie? I love him so much."
-Episode ninety-eight: This is the episode where we see the climax and Darcy and Lizzie's relationship. The amount of care put into this episode by cast and crew is evident and the chemistry between the two leads has been subtly built enough for us to believe that this is the right time for them to get together (and not just because the book says so).
-Episode sixty: In which we finally meet Darcy. Although I'm sure this was more exciting upon initial release when everyone could buzz and fangirl over it together, I was still so excited for this moment. It was beautifully executed, and Daniel Vincent Gordh who plays Darcy perfectly captured the character we had been teased in previous episodes, while still adding his own take on the character. He wasn't what I was expecting, but I can't think of what I would have changed him for now. I'm not showing any screenshots of he and Lizzie together because I want you to anticipate him to.
-Episode ninety-two: Jane and Bing are reunited and (spoiler!) set to live happily ever after together, in a realistic way in which we see a stronger Jane than we do at the start of the series. Her character's growth was very subtly yet nicely handled and it is fully shown off here. She acknowledges that while they still have feelings for each other and want to make a relationship work between them, they have both changed a lot since they first met and compromises must be made. It's nice to see two characters be aware that they need to make an effort in order for their relationship to work and be comfortable with that. It's more romantic to see two characters be optimistic while ready to work at their relationship like this, rather than the usual "we kissed and now yayloverainbowsoffintothesunsetwegoforeverafter."
-Episode seventy-eight: The setup for this episode is delightfully comic and it's nice to see Gigi captain the ship known as Dizzie. It's also nice to just see more of Gigi, who becomes more likeable with each episode.
-Episode six: If only for Lydia's attempt to impersonate Bingley, which gave us one of the best quotes ever, "This dance is super slammin'! So is that Jane Bennet. I'm wanna bang the sh*t out of her. Are there any hot chicks you'd like to slip your man-banana into, Darcy my homie?"
-Dr. Gardiner's Seminar - Bonus 2. Okay, this one isn't an official episode, but it's a follow-up bonus piece filmed a little over a year later. It's just Lizzie and Darcy answering fan questions, but it's very sweet and it's nice to feel like these characters really have just been getting on with their lives off camera. There is a definite growth in their relationship. My favourite moment is just before the title card, when Lizzie laughs at how she is still bad a video intros to which Darcy softly replies that she is just "out of practise." They are so cute. Why don't I seem to find real, high-budget chick flicks where the romance feels as authentic and delightful as this?
The Lizzie Bennet was to become the first web series to win an Emmy award, and I can very easily see why. It has stayed truthful to the source material, but has updated it enough for it to be relevant now and even become its own product. It is a joy to watch from start to finish. Do I need to sing the praises of this show even further? Just go and watch it already!
