- Did you find the characters worth your time?
- Did you find the modernization to remain compelling through all 100 episodes?
- Did the lack of "man time" in the show make this more about the Lizzie story instead of about Darcy? Or is Darcy still the typical male character that drives the narrative in a romantic story?
I know how I would answer those questions, and it's not positive at all. I found the series completely lacking in believable characters that I would want to spend any time with. I also understand the show has its fans, so I would love to know if what I saw as deficiencies are actually positive to the intended audience and why?
The series is worth your time if you have a lot of time to spare. I found the book to be my best supplement though. The series puts a decently accurate depiction on the characters if they lived during present time. The series, like the book is focused on the Bennet sisters. It only makes sense that the mini series is too.
ReplyDeleteWhile I didn't think all of the characters were necessarily "worth my time," I felt that way in the novel as well. I think each character served a purpose, although I definitely could have done without the whole George/Lydia storyline - and George as a character in general. I kind of just take that with a grain of salt, though, I can't remember the last time I really liked EVERY character in a text/movie.
ReplyDeleteI definitely did not like the modernization for the first 40+ episodes, and to be honest, it was difficult for me to watch at first. However, once Lizzie went to San Francisco and started "working on her independent studies," I thought it was much more compelling. I was into it from that point until the last five episodes or so... It got so incredibly corny that it was very difficult for me to finish watching.
think the lack of "male time" is really due to the fact that: 1. This is supposed to be Lizzie's diary - so there should be a lot of talking about guys and not so much seeing the guys, if that makes sense. 2. I think the lack of men is supposed to increase the romance of the story... kind of like a "hard to get" type of situation. After all, doesn't the heart grow fonder with distance? The more we're separated from the male characters, specifically Darcy, the more we're supposed to long for him and Lizzie to be together. That's just my assumption, anyway.
Well I have to admit I think the series is geared toward Austen fans, fans of the novels or fans of modern-day adaptations like the 2007 Pride and Prejudice. I think the vlogs are a lot for someone who doesn't already appreciate her work, and I can fully see where they would be annoying or hard to relate to; the charm of The Lizzie Bennet Dairies for me was seeing how they adapted it to modern day scenarios.
ReplyDeleteFor your second question: yes, I personally feel it remained compelling; however, I agree with Jera's comment that the "spin-offs" with Lydia and Georgina and Charlotte's sister were beyond annoying and frankly unnecessary.
Now the lack of "male time" is an extremely interesting point that I hadn't considered. I feel like less time with Darcy, dare I say it, made me like him more? In the vlogs, I had an easier time seeing him as simply and awkward/shy character as opposed to a stuck-up jerk. I also think the best part of the series is the role-playing of other characters as it lightens the overall story.
I'm very interested in your final question, especially after reading the article Dr. MB posted. Having Darcy not even show up until more than halfway into the series certainly forced us to focus our attention on the protagonist, Lizzie, which is what Austen originally intended. In many other adaptations, Darcy has become a heavy point of interest among viewers, and these same viewers often forgo Lizzie's personal story to interlace it with Darcy's. The case however, is that the story is about Lizzie and her growth as a character. So in having less "male time" we are able to focus more on who we are meant to focus more on, that being Lizzie.
ReplyDeleteI agree 100 percent, and for that I applaud the creators! Anytime a remix can capture the ideas presented in the original text, particularly if they relate to gender ideas in a text, I think it is worthy of being aware!
DeleteOMG, the whole Darcy not showing up thing was a huge point when the show was airing. I thought it was an interesting choice/update. Good comments already made on that point above, so I won't elaborate more on that. But I will say that based on several posts, I do feel bad about the challenge of trying to watch this show in big chunks as opposed to 5 mins every week. Let me tell ya, that was addictive at the time! ;-)
ReplyDeleteThe problem with trying to watch them all in one sitting is you can't help but COUNT to 100 as you watch each one. I am glad the creators purposely kept Darcy away from Lizzie's story. I think it makes the story more authentic to the original purpose of the book. That's always a positive.
DeleteMike,
ReplyDeleteI found your second question about did you find it interested through all 100 episodes to be interesting because my interest definitely faded. I'm not sure if it was due to the topic or because there were 100 episodes... I can't think of too much that would grab my attention for 100 episodes in a short time frame. Admittedly I am not much of a "binger" though. Personally speaking, I felt like Lizzie drove the story more than Darcy. More so Lizzies thoughts about Darcy drove the story where as I feel like other romances have the male characters actions and decisions contributing significantly more than were present here.
After reading the articles, I now know that the creators were interested in creating a story that was told almost exclusively from Lizzie's point of view. The were interested in bringing the story back to its main focus: Lizzie. I applaud that. Nothing against Colin Firth's chest (I'm sure it's quite lovely), but let's get back to the original!
DeleteI found the show entertaining in a reality tv way. Like Payton said above, I agree that the show is more geared towards Jane Austen fans or fans of one of the Pride and Prejudice adaptions. As it said in the one article that we had to read on the Lizzie Bennet diaries that there were some spin-off vlogs and twitter feeds from Lydia, Caroline, Darcy etc. Another point to note was that some Indian software companies were watching the show because they thought there was a suggestion of a new app or software through Pemberly Digital.
ReplyDeleteI read that as well, and found it quite humorous! This show is definitely geared towards fans of Jane Austen, not towards new fans. The whole show felt like an "inside" wink to all of the people who already know the show.
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