The Other Bennet Sister episode 7 recap

We begin immediately after we left off in the last episode, with Mary waiting for William to propose.

William launches into a whole speech about how great he thinks Mary is for speaking her mind and not conforming to society’s ideals (which seems like a bit of a backhanded compliment there, at best). He says he’s developed a ‘great affection’ for her.

The rest of the Bennet women gather at the door to listen in. Mrs B, of course, manhandles one of them for absolutely no reason at all.

Back in the library, William makes a proposal to Mary: he plans to go to Italy and wants Mary to go with him. As his… mistress, apparently? Companion? Not wife, that’s for sure, and, once she realises, poor Mary’s face freezes faster than an extra in the Day After Tomorrow.

From this...

...to this in about a second flat

It is so ludicrous that he’d even suggest this to her, of all people. Mary, who told him quite plainly that a lot of women do value marriage and it’s the only way for some of them to survive. It’s certainly one of the few ways she could survive, since she has no fortune of her own. Mary, who memorized Fordyce’s Sermons.

For a man like him to even suggest such a thing to a respectable young woman like her, whether he thought she agreed with him or not, would have been seen as a profound insult to both her and her family. And, again, her sister is his cousin’s wife! Mary is family. William’s family is also her family. This is so nuts. Darcy would have, at best, kicked him right the hell out of the house. Lady Catherine probably would have cut him off together. Remember how mad she was when she heard about Lydia and Wickham?

William sneers at the idea of women wanting to be ‘owned’, because apparently he’s not done insulting her sisters without thinking.

William sneers at the idea of women wanting to be ‘owned’, because apparently he’s not done insulting her sisters without thinking. And while, yes, married women’s rights were extremely few in this day and age, at least they were afforded some small protections which a mistress was not. It’s a lot harder for a man to walk out on his obligations to a wife than it is to dump a mistress. If he tired of Mary, he could have thrown her out onto the street and she’d have had no recourse at all. Even her family probably would have cut her off.

Mary, somehow, does not slap him right across the face and tell him to get lost immediately. She doesn’t know what to say, so he urges her to sleep on it, and if she accepts they can be on the road by tomorrow, and in Italy soon after that!

At the mention of Italy, Mary does start to look pleased. Don’t do it, Mary!

Look busy! Again!

He leaves and the other ladies crowd around Mary, who tells them he didn’t propose. Mrs Bennet is wroth. She tells Mary she’ll choose her daughter a dress for supper.

The front doorbell rings and they all go into the hall as Charlotte and Mr Collins are shown in. There’s a pretty hilarious chorus of, ‘Ugghhh’ from several of the Bennets. Lizzy’s delighted to see her friend and also seems a little surprised. Did the Collinses just show up without any kind of warning or invitation? That’s not how things were done. You didn’t just drop by and stay for several days or weeks. What’s going on here?

Mrs B is really rude to them, and I can’t blame her, honestly, considering how unfeeling Collins was about turfing her out of Longbourn when her husband wasn’t even cold in the grave yet.

The dress Mrs B has picked out for Mary isn’t bad, but the 80’s hair sure is. Mrs B forces William to compliment her daughters and Mary gives him a, ‘you don’t have to do this,’ look. Both Lizzy and Jane try to distract their mother, but it’s no use.

William drops that he plans to move to Italy for the rest of his days. Or for as long as he feels like it. See, that right there should be a giant red flag, Mary. It is a red flag. He only sticks with a thing for as long as it interests and amuses him. He’s flighty as hell. Do NOT put your future in his hands!

It's giving Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman vibes, no?

He waxes rhapsodic about the joys of Italy, which Charlotte thinks sounds perfect. Collins points out that she can’t even handle draughts, so mountains would be rough on her. ‘I’ll never know, will I?’ she says, a bit nastily. Woah.

William murmurs that he’s really looking forward to the peace and stillness of a foreign land. Tell me you’ve never been to Italy without telling me, there, William. Mary agrees that would be most welcome.

Lizzy visits Lydia in her room at bedtime and commiserates over how stressful it can be when Mrs B’s trying to marry you off. She tells Mary that engagements can sometimes take a little while. She would know!

Mary tells her that William asked her to go to Italy with him and Lizzy’s both shocked and (called it!) incredibly offended on her sister’s behalf. She tells Mary that this is a serious insult, which Mary doesn’t agree with. Mary, come on! You know it is! Sorry, but the Mary of Pride and Prejudice would have never entertained this, and you can’t convince me that a few months in London would have changed that. She saw the Lydia-Wickham situation unfold and she had THOUGHTS. She knew how bad it was, Lydia going off with him. She knew what that meant for their whole family. Just because her sisters are married now doesn’t mean they can’t be tainted by scandal.

Lizzy points out that this arrangement is super convenient for William and nothing but downside for Mary, if he tires of her. Yes, Lizzy! We agree! And you shouldn’t have to tell Mary this, she would absolutely know it, because, again, she’s not a time traveller, she’s lived in this world, with its rules and structures, her whole life and knows how things work. She’s explicitly mentioned it!

The Mary of Pride and Prejudice would have never entertained this, and you can’t convince me that a few months in London would have changed that.

Mary latches on to the idea that Lizzy thinks he might tire of her and Lizzy tries to backpedal, but then tells Mary that marriage is the only protection a woman has.

Astonishingly, Mary’s seriously considering this, because she doesn’t think she’s well suited to conventional life. See how suited you are to conventional poverty, Mary. She says she knows the scandal would be huge and her mother would be mortified (that’s putting it mildly. She’d probably have a stroke.). But this is an opportunity for her to escape. Can’t blame her for wanting that, but this is not the way to do it, Mary. And Austen’s character would have never considered it. This isn’t growth, it’s just stupidity.

Lizzy tells Mary she deserves better than this shameful offer.

Mary starts talking about how their life experiences were different, because Lizzy had all kinds of possibilities available to her (suitors-wise, I guess) whereas Mary was just the one everyone dumped on. Lizzy says she’s trying to protect her sister and Mary accuses her of trying to protect herself from the shame Mary would bring on the family. Can’t it be both? Lizzy, hurt, asks how Mary could think such a thing. She asks if Mary loves Mr Ryder and Mary can’t answer, which is an answer in itself, I guess.

You're welcome

The next morning, Mary tells William she’s really enjoyed their time together, but she can’t go to Italy with him. He’s baffled by her refusal. He’s pretty, but dumb, isn’t he?

He gathers his things and leaves, looking sad.

Mary repairs to the drawing room, where even Darcy’s made an appearance. Hey, Darcy! I was starting to think you didn’t live here! (Also: doesn’t it feel strange that Bingley, at least, hasn’t come with Jane, considering he and Darcy are close friends?) Mr Collins joins them and Darcy sinks down behind a newspaper. Hee!

Mr Collins also brings the unwelcome news that William’s left. Mrs B demands to know if he proposed to Mary and Mary informs her that she will not be marrying Mr Ryder, or anyone else. Of course her mother blames her and says everything with Mary is relentlessly disappointing. This character is relentlessly disappointing, I’ll tell you.

Charlotte shoves past her husband (literally) to come in and declare it a beautiful day. Talk about not reading the room.

Mary, ever the glutton for punishment, goes to her mother later and says she’s sorry if she disappointed her. Mrs B snits that she thinks Mary delights in vexing her. Yes, you make it so enjoyable. She tells Mary to write to William and beg his forgiveness for whatever Mary did that drove him away. She gets extra nasty, hissing that no man like him will ever want Mary again, and the Gardiners won’t want her back when they hear what she’s done. She doesn’t know her brother and sister-in-law well at all, does she?

I’m not sure why Mary doesn’t come clean here and tell her mother what William actually proposed. Is she protecting him? Maybe? Does he deserve protection? No.

Mrs B goes on to say that if Mary doesn’t write to William and beg for him to take her, she won’t be allowed to go back to London at all.

The non-resident Bennet sisters depart (hey—there’s Kitty’s baby! I’d almost forgotten she had one!). Life for Mary is dull and repetitive and she’s drowning in it. Her mother endlessly harangues her, until Lizzy can’t stand it anymore and goes to write a letter, presumably to the Gardiners.

Also, the Collinses seem to be fighting a lot.

Mary heads to the library and finds Mr Collins there. He notes that she’s been a bit subdued of late and, a little begrudgingly, offers to help in any way he can. She takes him up on the offer and starts to speak, but he interrupts to tell her how much his wife avoids his company. He knows he tends to frustrate her, and that she’s not alone in this. Oh my God, are we going to get some character depth with a secondary character? How refreshing!

Collins goes on to say that his father used to call him worthless (yikes!) and he thought about turning himself into someone easy and obliging, but you can only be as God made you, right?

Mary says she, too, has often felt like she always struck the wrong note with people. He jumps to his feet, apologising for burdening her with his troubles, but she says it’s fine. Ryan Sampson, who plays Collins, is doing an excellent job of seeming a bit like a child that’s been shouted out so many times the spirit’s been chased right out of him. The way he avoids looking at her, twitchily fidgeting with the wall, the desk, whatever else he can get his hands on, it’s quite affecting, really.

She asks what he’s reading and he tells her it’s a bit of light Aristotle. He’s looking into the question of happiness. (Watch the way he keeps jiggling his finger as he answers her, like a nervous tic or a stim.) She asks him to show her what he’s found and that really starts to bring him out of his shell. He makes eye contact and everything. He explains that only when you know yourself—your strengths, your weaknesses, your desires—can you truly be happy. Mary extrapolates that this means everyone’s happiness is in their own hands. What an incredibly sweet scene this is.

The Gardiners have arrived, surprising Mrs B, who thought it was going to be William. Mary greets them with smiles and literal open arms while Mrs B glowers and rolls her eyes.

Over tea, the Gardiners announce that they’re taking a holiday in the Lakes and they want Mary to join them. After the Lakes, they intend to take Mary back to London. This is Lizzy’s doing. She’s a good sister.

Mrs B doesn’t think Mary would dare leave her and tries to guilt her into staying because of course Mrs Bennet is dyyyyyying and Mary would like nothing more than to spend this precious time at her side. Mr Collins shoots Mary a GREAT side-eye.

Lizzy turns to her mother with the fakest of fake smiles and tells her that she’s arranged for her to have a new companion. Named Susan. Is that a Lady Susan reference? I’ll take it.

Mrs B still forbids Mary to leave, because she wants nothing more than for this daughter to be utterly miserable, I guess. Mary accepts the Gardiners’ invitation. Hurrah! Mrs B can’t believe it. Both Aunt G and Collins compliment Mary on having made an excellent decision. Aww. Mrs B snaps at Collins to be quiet, and he jumps to his feet, shouts, ‘Well done, Mary,’ and applauds her. Hee! I love this Collins, I really do! I want to hug him and give him a puppy or something.

I like that detail of the button front on Charlotte's dress!

As Mary’s on her way out of Pemberley, she runs into Charlotte, who admits she’s envious of Mary. After all, Mary gets to go to the Lakes and London while Charlotte’s just stuck in the countryside, just as she’s always been. You could probably go to the Lakes or London at some point, Charlotte, it’s not like your husband’s poor or anything. She commends Mary for making a bold decision and tells her she thinks it’s the right one. Nobody who’s ever met Mrs Bennet would recommend someone stay with her.

Mary decides to do one bolder and observes that Charlotte seems unhappy. Charlotte nods and makes it clear that she is, in fact, both married and miserable. This doesn’t fit with the Charlotte from Pride and Prejudice, who had clearly and very quickly found ways to make her marriage work for her and seemed quite content with her life. She was also pregnant at the end of P&P, which means she should have at least one child by now, and motherhood probably would have occupied a lot of her thoughts and time and, I imagine, would have been fairly fulfilling for her. This probably wouldn’t bother me so much if so many characters didn’t feel utterly unlike the people we know from the original novel. I mean, create new characters if you must, or write a historical fiction that’s not based on another author’s work, but this, as I said before, feels a bit disrespectful to the original work. I don’t mind certain characters, like Collins, being a bit more developed, but I do mind characters having complete personality overhauls.

Mary urges Charlotte to scratch the surface on Mr Collins and maybe she’ll find a bit more there.

Mary says goodbye to her mother, who flings a bunch of attitude at her and yells for Susan. Lizzy bids her farewell with far more feeling, telling Mary how proud she is of her and giving her a big hug. Mary admits she’s scared she made all the wrong decisions.

‘Mary, you will flourish,’ Lizzy tells her firmly. Good sister!

Mr Collins comes running after her and gives her the Aristotle book. Inside, he’s left a little note: Our happiness is in our hands. Aww! So many feels this episode, it’s nice! Also, it feels like they packed quite a lot into just 30 minutes.

As the carriage drives away, MayVO says she hopes the Lakes will be a chance for some peace and reflection.

And then Mrs G tells her that Tom Heywood’s going to be joining them. Welp, so much for that!