Jane Austen fans are always fortunate, because we traipse through life with excellent taste, but we’re luckier than normal this year, because we have a few heavy hitters to look forward to. Before 2026 is over, a new Sense and Sensibility and a new Pride and Prejudice will join the pantheon of Austen adaptations. To whet our appetites is The Other Bennet Sister, which, while perhaps more Jane-ish Austenesque than the more strict fans among us might enjoy, is so delightful that I can’t find it in me to mind too much that the miniseries comes to us less from Austen’s work, and more from the hearts of people who love her stories.

I’m perfectly happy with a simple premise posing the question “What if Mary Bennet was the main character?” when the answer is this good. The world of The Other Bennet Sister has been tilted slightly on its axis away from the pages of Pride and Prejudice, and — excepting Mrs. Bennet, who is more odious than she’s ever been — asks us to alter our perspective not only in our view of Mary, but those who surround her as well.

Every actor who’s played Mr. Collins in a Pride and Prejudice adaptation has always performed with all cylinders firing, and that grand tradition continues in The Other Bennet Sister. From the first moment he sticks his foot out of the carriage at Longbourn, we’re ready to laugh and cringe along with the Bennets at his clumsy pomposity. After the first few episodes, Mr. Collins could have slipped out of the story entirely. Mary has begun living her own life and finding herself in the process, so there’s presumably no longer any use for him. But he returns in Episode 7, and in one of the best scenes of the series, Mr. Collins and Mary talk about happiness.

Mary comes across Mr. Collins poring through Aristotle, looking for guidance on how one might be happy. While it may seem strange to turn to academics for such a thing, we’re presented with a profoundly miserable man desperate for any answer he can get. It turns out Mr. Collins had a browbeating parent of his own — a father who convinced him that he was worthless. So here he is now; a religious leader in his community looked to for guidance by others, while utterly lost himself, as the inevitably disappointing future that lay in wait for him and Charlotte has already become their present. Mr. Collins is frantically stumbling through a world full of people who, it seems to him, are all speaking a language he was never taught.

That’s a feeling Mary Bennet knows well. When you’ve never been listened to, it’s hard to trust your own voice, so it’s only natural to turn to the words of others. Using Aristotle, Mr. Collins and Mary talk their way to a conclusion: the freeing and terrifying notion that our happiness is up to us. Mary gets to put this into practice immediately when she jumps at the opportunity to escape the unbearable role as her mother’s companion to go explore the Lake District with the Gardiners. Everyone (apart from Mrs. Bennet, of course) is pleased, but especially Mr. Collins, who jumps to his feet and claps in celebration at Mary’s boldness. It’s awkward and mildly uncomfortable — this is still Mr. Collins after all — but charmingly tender, too. If Mary is capable of taking Aristotle’s words to heart and changing her life, who’s to say Mr. Collins can’t do the same? He sees Mary off as she departs Pemberley, with a note to remind her of their joint resolve:

“Our happiness is in our own hands.”

Caroline Bingley doesn’t know that yet. She’s arguably more of a nemesis to Mary in The Other Bennet Sister than she is to Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice. We can see the humor in Mr. Collins’ bumbling aloofness, but there’s nothing funny about Caroline’s bitter cruelty. Unsatisfied with making Mary’s life miserable when they interact personally, Caroline goes out of her way to try and humiliate Mary publicly. If this series does anything, though, it’s ask us to take another look at these characters and remember that appearances can be deceiving. That’s a big ask in this case, but Caroline does undergo a metamorphosis all her own, thanks in large part to our heroine Mary Bennet.

In one of the most satisfying moments of The Other Bennet Sister, Mary decides she’s had it with being picked on, and swipes back at Caroline with sharp words of her own. It’s not just a triumph for Mary, but a shift in how Caroline is presented for the rest of the show. Having been properly cut down to size, she’s shown to be as pitiable as every insecure bully. Every interaction Caroline and Mary have after that night is markedly different. Caroline still tries to cause trouble, but nothing she does has any real bite and is sometimes played for laughs. Miss Bingley can no longer look down on poor, sad, and tragic Mary Bennet — she’s forced to acknowledge her as a rival, and even something of a savior. When Caroline is trapped, injured, and alone on a stormy mountainside during an ill-advised hike, it’s Mary who comes to her rescue. There’s nothing worse than having to begrudgingly respect someone you’ve always hated, but Caroline ends the series the better for it.

Both the writing and Tanya Reynolds’ performance work in tandem to keep this Caroline a believable foe for our heroine without being a flat caricature. Caroline’s never going to be a beloved fan favorite — This isn’t The Other Bingley Sister — but she does change and grow in her own way, and while she and Mary don’t end the series as friends, they part ways as…something. Even if it’s just as women who understand one another a little bit better. So after learning that Caroline sent Tom Hayward back Mary’s way, I found myself wishing her luck in her pursuit to ensnare Mr. Ryder, even if only because two annoying people deserve each other.

I try not to be a purist, so I love that I came away from The Other Bennet Sister looking at characters in a new way. Really, there’s little point in continuing to tell stories from Jane Austen’s world if nobody is ever willing to try anything new. Look at what this show was able to accomplish by daring to be different. Fostering a sense of fondness for Caroline Bingley? Understanding towards Mr. Collins?! Truly, wonders never cease.

The Other Bennet Sister is streaming now on BritBox, and a newly announced three-episode Christmas special (ahhh!!) will be coming in December.

Source:  https://ladygeeksmedia.com/2026/06/29/the-other-bennet-sister-makes-unexpected-characters-shine/