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| AHHHHH. I love this moment, but I completely forgot to cite it before I closed the tab, and now I can't find it again. FORGIVE ME, INTERNET! |
I now consider Lydia and her story to be my favorite part of the whole series.
In modernizing Pride and Prejudice to the 21st century, the creators obviously take a lot of liberties with the text to present it in a way that will resonate with the audience. By far, the best update was the reconstruction of Lydia's ending. The original text doesn't give Lydia growth. Everything Elizabeth says about her is true, and Lydia gets stuck in an unhappy marriage with a mess of a man for the rest of her life.
Here, the way Lizzie insults Lydia is so painful to watch because we can see how much Lydia cares about her and wants to have a positive relationship with her sister. LBD also showcases the extent of Wickham's manipulation. The creators do not use Lydia's story to caution women against a lifestyle or falling blindly into love; they use it to send a message about emotional abuse.
I am very okay with that choice. A lot of times, I can be bothered when an artist tries to take the original text into their own hands and make significant changes to the plot. But, in my opinion, the changes are warranted in Lydia's case. It takes the focus off romantic love and emphasizes family and personal growth instead. Additionally, using media to call out unhealthy behaviors in relationships is really satisfying to me, especially when executed with such care.
I was also happy to see Lydia's story line differ from the novel. Maybe it's because we see more of her in LBD than P&P, but she is much more real, albeit obnoxious, in the series. I think this discrepancy is why we are fine with accepting Lydia's fate in the novel - we don't worry about her too much because we never really got to know her, other than the fact that she made a few bad decisions. LBD's Lydia, however, is present for the entire series. We get pretty familiar with the character (we even have the option of watching her own vlog), and see her struggle with the repercussions of her and Wickham's relationship. So when she gets a happier ending than the Lydia of P&P, we're happy to see her vindicated and in good standing with the rest of her family.
ReplyDeleteSuch a good point on our greater investment developing not just from plot but also from our time commitment to the characters. Lydia's vlog especially encourages the audience not to just look at her as a part fitting into the bigger picture but as an individual in her own right. There's a lot of good points already about this under Payton's thread. Just in how well the series navigated the relationship between the sisters. In the novel, Jane and Lydia serve as a representation of different paths for women in the Regency era. But I love that the series pushes them beyond that. That they have more depth to them than depictions of societally-viewed good/bad behavior for women.
DeleteThis is a relationship that also called to mind Little Women, especially the relationship between Jo and Amy. Like Lydia, Amy is kind of unlikable and annoying, but a lot of that obviously stems from being younger, being "left out," and wanting attention. There's a degree of a "cautionary tale" in Lydia's story - what can happen when women don't exercise the appropriate degree of discernment in their choice of men, maybe?
ReplyDeleteABSOLUTELY. I already commented on this on Payton's post, but I totally agree. I love that she actually LEARNS something. That is one of the best updates they have made in this update, because Lydia deserves more than to just be stupid or laughed at or ashamed of. ALL WOMEN DO, and it was only after watching this series that I realized how frustrated I have always been that Jane Austen lets Lydia be just a bad moral lesson instead of redeemed in, frankly, any way.
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