The Other Bennet Sister Episode 4 had me on the edge of my seat because I thought our adventure in London was over. Over the course of three episodes we’ve gotten to know Mary Bennet, what has crushed her spirit, and a spark of light and hope in the form of her aunt and uncle taking her in. And I was so worried that Mary wouldn’t get a full chance to realize her potential thanks to her mother.
Our parents have a profound effect on us. They teach us morals, how to face challenges in this world, and help us find our way. In the case of Mary, her mother has affected the way that she perceives herself. Mary is consistently thinking that she’s a bother or not worthy of exploring things like poetry or love because her mother taught her that that wasn’t for her. Thank God that moving to London happened.
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Mary’s aunt and uncle are exactly what she needed, the aunt in particular. Because love and romance is great and all, but what Mary is learning from being with her extended family, that’s going to change Mary on a fundamental level. Because here are these two people who are helping Mary deconstruct the distortion filters that she is looking at life through. And these distortion filters were ingrained in her by her mother.
With her aunt and uncle, we also get to see a version of Mary that is liberated. Because when you grow up feeling small, you don’t really get an opportunity to discover who you are. Instead you’re masking most of the time. In London and especially that sequence at the end, we got to see a Mary that was awkward, witty, and able to see that just because she experienced her first heartbreak, doesn’t mean that she should not give London a chance. Or more importantly, herself a chance.
Nevertheless, we can’t talk about The Other Bennet Sister Episode 4 without talking about Tom.
He’s Mary’s first heartbreak in London. And at this moment, I don’t know where the show is going to go. While I find that to be delightful, because TV is so formulaic nowadays, there’s an itching part of me that wants to just Google how it all ends since this aired in the UK first. But I’m holding on and not spoiling myself, because yes the story is partially a romance. But it’s mainly a story about Mary. And if I spoil myself, I’ll be depriving myself as a viewer from the journey that leads Mary to the decision she’s going to make in the season finale.
Outside of not spoiling myself, major props to Mary for how she dealt with the whole Tom being engaged thing. Because Tom made her feel seen and appreciated in a way that she’s never experienced before. But at the end of the day, he’s engaged. And with Mary on the cusp of just discovering herself, she deserves better than someone who is already coupled up with someone else. Heck, even Miss Baxter deserves better than being with someone who has eyes for someone else.
The new contender for Mary’s affections as she comes into her own appears in episode 4 in the form of Will. While Tom is giving a little bit more bookish, Will is this bright and loud personality that likes Mary for her wit and candor. And of course he’s the most eligible bachelor in the city. That bit feels a little bit cheesy and on the nose. But isn’t every romance a little bit on the nose? Either way, we accept this new suitor and hope to see him again.
But more than the suitors or Mary’s aunt and uncle, we hope to see Mary finding a place of her own. By that we mean gaining the confidence in herself to try the things that she wants, creating a community of friends that see and support her for who she is, and realizing that she is more than just her mother’s dog companion. And if that means staying in London longer, then so be it.
The Other Bennet Sister new episodes premiere each Wednesday on BritBox.
