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The Lizzie Bennet Diaries

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The Lizzie Bennet Diaries
GenreDrama
Created by
Written by
  • Jay Bushman
  • Margaret Dunlap
  • Hank Green
  • Rachel Kiley
  • Kate Rorick
  • Daryn Strauss
  • Bernie Su
  • Anne Toole
Directed byBernie Su
Starring
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes100
Production
Executive producers
  • Hank Green
  • Bernie Su
Production locationsLos Angeles, California
Running time2-9 minutes per episode
Original release
NetworkYouTube
ReleaseApril 9, 2012 (2012-04-09) –
March 28, 2013 (2013-03-28)

The Lizzie Bennet Diaries is an American drama web series adapted from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice[1] where the story is conveyed in the form of vlogs.[2] It was created by Hank Green and Bernie Su[3] and stars Ashley Clements, Daniel Vincent Gordh, Mary Kate Wiles, Laura Spencer, and Julia Cho. It premiered on YouTube on April 9, 2012[4] and concluded when the 100th episode was posted on March 28, 2013.[5]

Presentation

While Pride and Prejudice has been adapted numerous times in movies, television, and books, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries is the first attempt at a modernized internet-based retelling of the story. The series is told in vlog-style by the eponymous character as she narrates the trials and tribulations of her family life. As in the original work, Lizzie's mother is all too eager to marry her and her sisters off to rich men, although her motives are suitably updated: the entail featured in the original is replaced by unspecified financial problems as a partial explanation for Mrs Bennet's desperation. When wealthy medical student Bing Lee moves into the neighborhood and woos the eldest Bennet daughter, Jane, it changes the entire dynamic of the family. It isn't long before Bing's even wealthier friend and heir to an entertainment corporation, the mysterious William Darcy, makes his way into the Bennets' lives as well.

Lizzie, Charlotte, Lydia and Jane are initially the characters most likely to appear in the videos. Other characters appear infrequently or—in some cases—not at all: since Lizzie is attempting to keep the video diary semi-private, she can scarcely ask the other people in her life to sit down in front of a camera with her. This results in the four main characters donning costumes to portray/create caricatures of the other characters: Bing Lee, Caroline and Darcy were all introduced in this way before appearing in their own persons, and Lizzie's father has never been seen on-camera at all. Though Charlotte and Jane (to a lesser extent) attempt to provide a counterbalance, this allows the diaries to present Lizzie's judgments of the characters as gospel fact, much as the original novel did. Additionally, each character's opinions of the others can be expressed through the way they portray each other.

Format

Each episode is two to five minutes long and is presented as a video blog, told by Lizzie and (in the realm of the story) filmed and edited by her best friend Charlotte, though she occasionally takes over the editing when Charlotte is unavailable. All events are recounted and reenacted by Lizzie, Charlotte, Jane, and Lydia within the confines of Lizzie's bedroom, making for a very different experience than previous full narratives. There are also semi-frequent questions and answers videos (about one in every ten regular episodes) in which Lizzie and other characters answer questions from their audience. Starting with episode 25, the series started moving locations and introducing new characters, such as Mr. Collins, Bing and Caroline.

In addition to the video blogs, all the characters also have various social media accounts through which they interact and reveal portions of the story and perspectives that are not necessarily represented in Lizzie's vlogs.[6]

Spin-offs

In addition to Lizzie's vlogging, other characters also released videos which provided access to alternate perspectives and story elements.

The Lydia Bennet

This spin-off chronicles the adventures and mishaps of the youngest Bennet sister, Lydia.[7][8] The blog is only maintained whenever Lizzie and Lydia are separate from one another and Lydia cannot appear on the main blog.

Lydia begins the videos when Jane and Lizzie are staying at Netherfield. Lydia goes to live with her cousin Mary Bennet (Briana Cuoco), who at first is unhappy with Lydia's presence but the two bond as friends.

Lydia resumes the blog when Lizzie is visiting Charlotte at Collins and Collins and has several adventures with Mary and Jane. After Lizzie and Lydia's fight in episode 73,[9] Lydia uses the blog to vent her frustration at Lizzie as well as chronicle her adventures while Lizzie is at Pemberley, including a trip to Las Vegas on New Year's, where she runs into George Wickham. Kitty Bennet is also introduced, who instead of being their sister, is an actual cat.

Maria of the Lu

Charlotte Lu begins her new job at Collins & Collins. Her younger sister Maria Lu (Janice Lee; Maria Lucas in the novel) begins a video blog to record her internship with the company.[10][11]

Collins and Collins

Mr. Collins's company produces instructional videos in the series "Better Living with Collins and Collins."[12] The first video in the series is "Troubleshooting your Illumination Regulator," in which Maria Lu shows how to operate a light switch and how to fix potential problems with light switches. The second video in the series is called "Changing Illumination Globes," and features a new hire named Kelsey Geller.

Pemberley Digital

Featuring Darcy's younger sister Gigi Darcy as host, Pemberley Digital posts demo videos to unveil and promote their new prototype application entitled "Domino."

While Gigi films the demos, the Domino application's recording system auto-edits, auto-updates, and auto-uploads all the videos,[13] making the audience privy to William Darcy's efforts to track down George Wickham. Demonstrating Domino's phone, message, and video chat features, Gigi is seen in the videos contacting William Darcy and Fitz. The first episode, entitled "Demonstration," reveals the new "Domino" application with Gigi using the application to video call with her friend Fitz.

Welcome to Sanditon

Taking place after the events of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries,[14] "Welcome to Sanditon" follows Gigi Darcy as she spends her summer in Sanditon, CA to run a beta demo of the Pemberley Digital Domino application. The residents of Sanditon have all been invited to join in the test, and discover how this “life-revealing” app performs.

The mini-series is a modernized adaptation of Jane Austen's unfinished novel, Sanditon. One notable difference from the source material is Gigi replaces the unfinished novel's original heroine, Charlotte Heywood (as Sanditon is actually not connected to Pride and Prejudice in any way).

Cast

  • Lizzie Bennet (Ashley Clements;[15] Elizabeth Bennet in the novel) is the middle Bennet sister and the narrator of most of the vlogs. She is a graduate student studying mass communications and, like her original counterpart, believes women should be highly educated and do more with their lives than simply pursue husbands. She is very close with her best friend, Charlotte Lu, who was born on the same day as her, as well as her older sister, Jane, while appearing to have a more strained relationship with her younger sister, Lydia. While it is clear that she cares for her family and friends, she can also be fairly prejudiced and quick to judge people who she perceives as condescending or a threat to her way of life, such as Darcy and, at first, Bing Lee.
  • Charlotte Lu (Julia Cho;[16] Charlotte Lucas in the novel) is Lizzie's best friend and often the director/editor of her vlog. Charlotte wants to be a filmmaker and convinced Lizzie to start her vlog as part of a school project. While the original character of Charlotte Lucas from the books is a minor character, Lu's role in The Lizzie Bennet Diaries has been greatly expanded; she appears in many of the beginning episodes, and, according to both Lizzie and Jane, practically lives at the Bennet house. Charlotte and Lizzie have a falling-out after Charlotte accepts Ricky Collins' job offer (which Lizzie originally turned down), but the two soon reconcile.
  • Jane Bennet (Laura Spencer[17]) is the eldest of the Bennet children, and an overworked, underpaid merchandise coordinator in the fashion world. She is incredibly polite, sweet and, according to Lizzie, "practically perfect in every way."[18] When Bing Lee moves into town, Jane is immediately smitten with him, much to the absolute joy of her mother. Jane is devastated by Bing's sudden departure. She moves to Los Angeles for both a new job and the hope of reconnecting with Bing. She later returns to her home to support her sister Lydia through her difficulties. After this is resolved, Jane is offered a new job in New York City and reconciles with Bing.
  • Lydia Britney Bennet (Mary Kate Wiles[19]) is the youngest Bennet child, currently attending community college. She is "feisty, energetic, and unapologetic."[20] Lizzie, somewhat less kindly, describes her as "too old to be on any reality shows about having babies in high school."[18] She has also created a series of her own videos starring herself, her cousin Mary, and her cat, Kitty.[21] On the occasion of her 21st birthday in December 2012, she and Lizzie get into a bitter argument about Lydia's perceived immaturity, and Lydia makes plans to vacation in Las Vegas for New Year's Eve, where she meets George Wickham.
  • Bing Lee (Christopher Sean;[22] Charles Bingley in the novel) is a young, wealthy Asian-American medical student who has moved into The Netherfield House in the same neighborhood as the Bennets. He quickly falls for Jane Bennet and begins to date her. Bing abruptly leaves Netherfield and Jane by returning to Los Angeles, breaking Jane's heart, after Darcy suggests that Jane is only engaging in a relationship with him for his money and Caroline tells him that Jane flirted with another guy at his birthday party. However after a run-in with Lizzie during her time at Pemberly Digital, he makes a return, having quit medical school to pursue his own passions. He and Jane move to New York together in episode 92.
  • Caroline Lee (Jessica Jade Andres;[23] Caroline Bingley in the novel) is Bing Lee's sister. She is aware of Lizzie's vlog diaries and appears to help Lizzie keep Bing and Darcy from discovering them during Lizzie and Jane's stay at Netherfield. She has a romantic interest in William Darcy, although her feelings aren't reciprocated. She is later revealed to have attempted to manipulate events to keep Bing and Jane apart, as well as (to a lesser extent) stymie Darcy's feelings for Lizzie.
  • Ricky Collins (Maxwell Glick;[24] William Collins in the novel) is a former classmate of Lizzie and Charlotte's, who asks that he be addressed only as Mr. Collins. He has formed an alliance with venture capitalist Catherine de Bourgh, to attempt a foray into the world of web video. Mr. Collins stays with the Bennets for a while and near the end of his stay offers Lizzie a lucrative job at his company, Collins and Collins. Lizzie turns him down, so he offers the job to Charlotte, who accepts. This decision causes a brief but bitter argument between the two best friends, but they reconcile after Charlotte invites Lizzie to visit Collins & Collins (in the fictional town of Hunsford, California), where Lizzie also learns to tolerate Mr. Collins.
  • William Darcy (Daniel Vincent Gordh;[25] Fitzwilliam Darcy in the novel) is Bing Lee's best friend and the wealthy heir to an entertainment corporation called Pemberly Digital. He stays with Bing and Caroline at Netherfield until they all leave for Los Angeles. He first meets Lizzie at a wedding, and she overhead him telling Bing that she was "decent enough", which is when her dislike towards him starts. He is described by Lizzie as a snobby and condescending robot, and Jane has difficulty coming up with a flattering descriptor of him, beyond "tall";[26] Charlotte, however, believes that Darcy has a crush on Lizzie.[27] For a long time, second-hand characterization is all the audience has to go by, as Darcy is referred to but never seen, making his first appearance in episodes 59[28] (only from the neck down) and 60,[29] where he confirms Charlotte's suspicions by confessing his love for Lizzie.
  • George Wickham (Wes Aderhold[30]) is the coach of a university swim team who forms a short-lived romantic attachment with Lizzie. He claims that though he and Darcy were childhood friends, Darcy ruined his life by withholding money Darcy's father had promised, thereby ending George's hopes of a college education.[31] He leaves town for work, eventually re-entering the story after New Year's Day, where he meets and becomes romantically involved with Lydia, as chronicled in her spin-off videos. At the same time, Lizzie learns that George gambled away all the money the elder Darcy left for him, and then took advantage of Gigi Darcy, William's sister, for more. Finally, he attempts to exploit "YouTube Star Lydia Bennet" by releasing a sex tape of the two of them online.[32]
  • Fitz Williams (Craig Frank;[33] Col. Fitzwilliam in the novel) is Darcy's friend and colleague. Lizzie meets him while dining with Catherine de Bourgh, Darcy's aunt and Charlotte's boss. He has a boyfriend, Brandon, whose name was officially confirmed on Fitz's Twitter, and is particularly good at making care-packages.
  • Georgiana "Gigi" Darcy (Allison Paige;[34] Georgiana Darcy in the novel) is William Darcy's younger sister and a graphic designer at Pemberley Digital. Her first appearance in The Lizzie Bennet Diaries was Episode 77. She is aware of the video diaries, and claims to like them. She and George Wickham were romantically involved, but this ended when William proved that George was taking advantage of her for the money. Twitter posts between Gigi and Fitz suggest that she actively tries to push Lizzie and Darcy together. She is also instrumental in helping to end George's money-making plot: though the website itself did not list his name and George had stopped returning calls, he answers Gigi when she calls him, allowing Fitz and Darcy to track him down. Thereafter Darcy bought out the company which owned the rights to the sex tape, preventing it from ever being released.
  • Mrs. Bennet is Lizzie's mother. She appears to be a traditional Southern woman, eager to see her daughters married and interested in little else besides neighborhood gossip. She is often impersonated by Lizzie.
  • Mr. Bennet is Lizzie's father. He appears more calm and levelheaded than his wife, though one of his favorite activities, according to Lizzie, is winding her up.[35] He is often impersonated by Charlotte and Lydia.
  • Catherine de Bourgh (Lady Catherine de Bourgh in the novel) is Darcy's aunt and an extremely wealthy venture capitalist who is the primary investor in Collins & Collins, the new media firm run by Mr. Collins, where Charlotte accepts a job offer after Lizzie rejected it. Catherine is very attached to her sickly dog who she calls Annie Kins. She is quick with her opinions and judgements. Charlotte said that Catherine is "on Team Caroline," meaning that she wants her nephew to be with Caroline. She is impersonated by Lizzie, and Ashley Clements says her impression is a combination of Julia Child, Miranda Priestly and Dolores Umbridge.[36]
  • Mary Bennet (Briana Cuoco[37]) is Lydia, Jane, and Lizzie's cousin who has appeared sporadically in Lydia's vlogs and once in Lizzie's. She becomes better friends with Lydia while Lydia is staying at her house despite their opposing personalities. She is often the "forgotten" character and her twitter reads, "I am Mary, never forgotten." Mary also has a boyfriend by the name of Eddie.

Reception

The Guardian called The Lizzie Bennet Diaries "the best Austen adaptation around" at the 200th anniversary of Pride and Prejudice.[38]

Video release

A DVD set containing every episode of the series and its spinoffs was launched on Kickstarter on March 22, 2013; the initial pledge goal of $60,000 was met within six hours.[39] As a reference back to the series, the set's production company is calling itself Pemberley Digital.

Awards and nominations

Awards and nominations for The Lizzie Bennet Diaries
Year Award Show Category Result Recipient(s)
2013 3rd Streamy Awards Best Writing: Comedy Won Bernie Su
Best Female Performance: Comedy Nominated Ashley Clements
Nominated Julia Cho
Best Ensemble Cast Nominated
Best Comedy Series Nominated
Best Interactive Program Won
Audience Choice for Series of the Year Nominated

References

  1. ^ Hasan, Heba (April 24, 2012). "Pride and Prejudice, the Web Diary Edition". Time. Retrieved August 16, 2012.
  2. ^ Koski, Genevieve (May 3, 2012). "Remember Pride And Prejudice? It's back, in vlog form!". The A.V. Club. Retrieved August 16, 2012.
  3. ^ Matheson, Whitney (May 4, 2012). "Cute Web series: 'The Lizzie Bennet Diaries'". USA Today. Retrieved August 16, 2012.
  4. ^ "Episode 1: My Name is Lizzie Bennet". The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Retrieved 2013-05-07.
  5. ^ "Episode 100: The End". The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Retrieved 2013-05-07.
  6. ^ "The Full Story". The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. LizzieBennet.com. Retrieved May 5, 2012.
  7. ^ The Lydia Bennet!! at IMDb
  8. ^ The Lydia Bennet's channel on YouTube
  9. ^ "Episode 73: 2 + 1". The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Retrieved 2013-05-07.
  10. ^ Maria of the Lu at IMDb
  11. ^ Maria Lu's channel on YouTube
  12. ^ CollinsandCollins's channel on YouTube
  13. ^ "Domino: Episode 3 - Tracking". The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Retrieved 2013-05-07.
  14. ^ http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgOlD8TImVB4xalJTiO6eqQ
  15. ^ "Ashley Clements". The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Retrieved 2013-03-30.
  16. ^ "Julia Cho". The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Retrieved 2013-03-30.
  17. ^ "Laura Spencer". The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Retrieved 2013-03-30.
  18. ^ a b "Episode 2: My Sisters – Problematic to Practically Perfect". The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Retrieved 2013-05-07.
  19. ^ "Mary Kate Wiles". The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Retrieved 2013-03-30.
  20. ^ "Lydia Bennet". The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Retrieved May 5, 2012.
  21. ^ "The Lydia Bennet". YouTube. Retrieved July 13, 2012.
  22. ^ "Christopher Sean". The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Retrieved 2013-03-30.
  23. ^ "Jessica Jade Andres". The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Retrieved 2013-03-30.
  24. ^ "Maxwell Glick". The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Retrieved 2013-03-30.
  25. ^ "Daniel Vincent Gordh". The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Retrieved 2013-03-30.
  26. ^ "Episode 12: Jane Chimes In". The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Retrieved 2013-05-07.
  27. ^ "Episode 15: Lizzie Bennet is in Denial". The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Retrieved 2013-05-07.
  28. ^ "Episode 59: Staff Spirit". The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Retrieved 2013-05-07.
  29. ^ "Episode 60: Are you kidding me!". The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Retrieved 2013-05-07.
  30. ^ "Wes Aderhold". The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Retrieved 2013-03-30.
  31. ^ "Episode 45: Wickham Story Time". The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Retrieved 2013-05-07.
  32. ^ "<Default Title>". We're sorry. Due to reasons beyond our control, we are no longer able to offer this product. The website consists of a single page with the quoted message and a "NE" logo
  33. ^ "Craig Frank". The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Retrieved 2013-03-30.
  34. ^ "Allison Paige". The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Retrieved 2013-03-30.
  35. ^ "Episode 3 - My Parents: Opposingly Supportive". The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Retrieved 2013-05-07.
  36. ^ "Is Catherine modeled on anyone in particular?". Ashley Clements. Tumblr.
  37. ^ "Briana Cuoco". The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. Retrieved 2013-03-30.
  38. ^ Welsh, Kaite (28 January 2013). "Pride and Prejudice at 200: the best Jane Austen small-screen adaptations". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
  39. ^ Green, Hank. "THANK YOU OH MY GOD!". The Lizzie Bennet Diaries DVD...and More!. Kickstarter. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
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