Death Comes to Pemberley

I am sorry to disagree with the many fans of this. The dialogue is terribly anachronistic and a million miles from the style of Jane Austen. "Let's not overreact" from Darcy, for example, and worst of all from Lady Catherine de Bourgh, the world's most supercilious and conservative woman of her age, who says to Lizzie, "We need to talk". Need I say more?

I'm not an expert on legal procedures through the ages, but I strongly suspect that the court scenes were anachronistic, too. Others can probably give better information on this.

Also, I noticed very little chemistry between the Darcys, despite what some have claimed.

I've always been an Austen fan since I first read Pride and Prejudice at age 9. Since then I've read Pride and Prejudice in two different languages and my favorite adaptation of it is the BBC mini series in 1995. I tried to avoid the "when death comes to Pemberley" as long as possible since first I didn't want to spoil my fondness of the original book, and second the characters on the screen shots just mortifies me. I finally watched it and although the production is good, but like another viewer has mentioned, the script is anachronistic, as if someone is trying to write a Victorian time period drama but struggling with modern and even Hollywood terms. But this is not the worst of it, to me, the worst is the casting. This is a version with finally a handsome enough Wickham, but other main characters are just good actors with great voice performance and way too disappointing and falling far short for such iconic roles. Even supporting characters are rather odd choices, I had to re-watch some of it to understand what their positions, roles and characters in it. I'm sure it's not the worst portrait for Elizabeth and Darcy (and even colonel Fitzwilliam and Georgiana), but they sort of ruined it.

Had this pvr'd so didn't get to watch it until recently. The main characters were mis-cast. Rhys as Darcy just didn't work, but he would have made a great Wickham. Matthew Goode should have been cast as Darcy, and not as Wickham. And seriously, who would have thought to cast AMM as Lizzie? Her presence was paper-thin, and had difficulty carrying the role and the dialogue to make Lizzie spring to life and be the object of Darcy's adoration. And by the end of even the first episode, I was seriously tired of seeing her in the same, ugly blue dress. I was beginning to think it was the only one she owned until they came up with the same dress in episode two, but this time in green. And that little bolero jacket, and the pickle-barrel bonnet was just too much for me. For a woman of means, after 6 years of being married to a wealthy man and representing the estate, you would think she had more than two daytime dresses, that she wore everywhere. Did she get them at the church jumble sale or the bottom of the missionary barrel? And Rebecca Font as Mrs. Bennett? Really??? That was just too painful to watch.

Okay I know this is a piece of fan fiction, and I did enjoy it. It does keep you guessing til the end and it's worth watching. But....

When you use well known and loved characters from something as famous as Pride and Prejudice, they should at least stay faithful to their original characters. Which it does, mostly, but the portrayal of Elizabeth Bennett was just really off. She's supposed to be beautiful, witty and fun loving, whilst perceptive. In this she comes across as a plain, almost miserable woman. I did not like this portrayal at all and it did ruin it for me a bit.

This would have been a good series if it had not appropriated Jane Austen's characters and settings. I was surprised at the casting of Darcy and Elizabeth, who were both dour and unattractive. The plot was interesting, but rather than being an homage to "Pride And Prejudice", which, like "Gone with the Wind", should remain intact and untouched by those with less imagination. The production was excellent, with beautiful costumes and sets, as always for British period dramas, but the leads playing the Darcy's were too old. Elizabeth looked like a worn out servant of at least 45, when Elizabeth Bennet would have been 27 at most, with wit and sparkle. They could not rise to the performances of Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle, who will always be the only Darcy and Lizzy. And why is the beautiful Georgiana so much taller than her own brother, who looks nothing like her? The mystery was a competent one and the performances of the supporting actors well done. But it does no justice to Jane Austen. This series would have been much improved as a period murder mystery with completely fresh characters.