Read my review of Sense and Sensibility (the book).

General thoughts

My overall impression is that this is a simple and faithful adaptation of a wonderful book. Sticklers for historical accuracy may have some complaints about behavior and wardrobe details, but other than physical affection (added to many Austen adaptations), nothing stuck out to me. While several changes and additions were made, most were minor, and all still fit both the plot and the messages and themes of the book. Characters were represented accurately. The pace carried on screen well. A quite enjoyable show.

My partner watched the first episode and commented that he likes this miniseries much more than the 1995 Pride and Prejudice adaptation we watched a few months ago. I think the P&P production itself was of a higher caliber, but I stand by my statement in the Sense and Sensibility book review that this is the Austen story with the widest audience appeal.

Watching the screen adaptation, it becomes clear that Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice have many elements in common. Several characters seem quite similar, and certain plot points also bear resemblance. We have Colonel Brandon and Mr. Darcy, Willoughby and Wickham, heros rescuing the heroines, all manner of romantic tropes. This adaptation really leans into those similarities and includes others — like Edward’s wet shirt scene — clearly pulled from the 1995 P&P miniseries. I’d guess we have Andrew Davies, screenwriter of both, to thank for that, whether you like the additions or not.

I found some of the excitement I felt reading the book diminished while watching the adaptation, probably because now I knew all the twists and the ending. But I loved recognizing so many faces in such a well-cast production. (It is a BBC work, after all; I think they’re contractually obligated to include Mark Gatiss and at least one or two actors from Doctor Who in every production.)

Episode One: our story begins; cast introduced

The show opens with a sex scene, which confused me until I realized it was probably Willoughby with Eliza. Odd choice for the first scene. It felt disorienting to a viewer who expected a proper period drama.

Mark Gatiss as John Dashwood does an excellent job portraying the half-brother who could have been a kind man, had he married a better woman. Claire Skinner’s Fanny Dashwood is just as insufferable and manipulative as on the page.

Elinor’s mature, reasonable manner and voice of reason — and the way her steadiness sometimes appears to her sisters and mother as coldness — is suited by Hattie Morahan’s performance beautifully. Marianne’s youthful romanticism and beauty shines through Charity Wakefield.

Margaret, forgettable in the book, has a lot more personality as precocious young Lucy Boynton with her wild curls. The addition of her dream of being a writer fleshed out her character well.

I was thrilled to see Dan Stevens as Edward Ferrars. Andrew Davies’ expansion of his beginning as a character immediately endeared me to Edward. In the book, all we see as an introduction to the character is a conversation between Elinor and Marianne. In the miniseries, Davies gives us several new scenes which show why Elinor (and her family) are so fond of him.

Edward shows deference to Mrs. Dashwood where his sister does not; he defends and protects the love of the Norland estate to his greedy, selfish sister; and he shows a great deal of happiness with Elinor. They have much in common, both in previous hardships and dreams for the future. His interactions with spirited little sister Margaret are one of those classic, heart-warming romance scenes displaying how wonderful the hero is with children.

Elinor and Marianne’s conversation about Edward, when it does come, establishes the sisterhood and their contrasting and complimentary personalities. There’s an addition of Margaret eavesdropping in a tree, ensuring she is not forgotten as the third sister.

Janet McTeer’s Mrs. Dashwood is much more grounded than I pictured her on the page. I like it. In the book, she is much more like Marianne than Elinor; in the miniseries, she has a balanced personality that resembles both her older daughters.

Edward and Elinor’s quietly emotional farewell is so in character. It sets up the reality of Elinor’s uncertainty of their ever having a future, while also being sure of his heart. He gives her the present of a small book of flora with his signature inside, which I don’t believe was in the book.

Mark Williams, aka Harry Potter’s Mr. Weasley, was the perfect choice to play simple but sociable Sir John Middleton. He dotes on everyone and fills the room with his easily-pleased personality.

I was worried the series might give Mrs. Jennings the “Mrs. Bennet treatment” and exaggerate her gossipy nature over the kindness she showed the girls in the book. Linda Bassett’s banter with Sir John and good-natured teasing of the Dashwoods got the balance just right, I think. (Although her first bonnet reminded me too much of a cupcake wrapper.)

David Morrissey as Colonel Brandon captured the serious but not severe manner of the book’s character. While my partner called book Brandon a “Mr. Darcy type,” his unique person was more clear on screen. The basis of Marianne and Brandon’s eventual relationship at the end is foreshadowed well by the adaptation’s early focus on their shared appreciation for music.

The age difference between Brandon and Marianne was a little more uncomfortable when seen so clearly on screen. The actors themselves have 16 years’ difference between them, the characters 18. I think the wardrobe department may also have played up Brandon’s age in his appearance, since that’s such a point of contention with Marianne in the book. I can see why.

The music Marianne plays is as beautiful and memorable as that of the Pride and Prejudice 1995 miniseries. It matches the importance of Marianne’s musical talents and interest throughout both the book and the series.

Marianne’s fall and subsequent rescue was a minor adaptational change: instead of turning to go home as it rains and tripping on the way back, dramatic Marianne insists on staying out in the rain but falls off a ledge. (Margaret’s report to their mother of how Marianne was hurt still matches the book instead of the series’ event. Whoops?)

Dominic Cooper’s Willoughby was… okay, I guess? I feel like the casting director knew how the story ended and was seeking a scoundrel rather than a romantic hero. He just didn’t charm me (or Mrs. Dashwood, I think) as much as the Willoughby in the book does at the start.

Willoughby and Marianne’s romance matched the book quite well, as did Elinor’s concern for their impropriety and their mother’s encouragement of the relationship. Colonel Brandon and Mr. Willoughby’s tense, standoffish relationship — so similar to Darcy and Wickham’s in Pride and Prejudice — makes more sense now that I know the end of the book. While reading, it seemed at first that Brandon and Willoughby were just competitors for Marianne’s affection. In the show, it seems clear from the framing and music that there is something more sinister there.

Side note: after finishing episode three, I realize that Brandon isn’t supposed to actually know about Willoughby and Eliza yet. I guess the show used the love triangle rivalry to amp up the foreshadowing of that later conflict.

Episode Two: some changes made for screen

I don’t know enough about fashion history to speak to the costumes’ historical accuracy, but I did notice throughout the series that Elinor and Marianne’s wardrobes displayed their personalities. Marianne wore her hair in romantic curly styles, and her dresses were cheery and decorated. I loved the bright colors. Elinor’s hair was plain, her dresses dark, and both practical.

When Marianne asks Elinor about her feelings for Edward, Elinor responds in a characteristically reserved way. The narration in the book that let readers into Elinor’s private thoughts and confirmed her feelings for Edward is replaced by scenes of Elinor quietly pining and treasuring the book he gave her.

A sensual moment passes between Willoughby and Marianne in which he asks for a lock of her hair. According to Google, it was once popular to wear jewelry holding locks of hair as tokens of love or mourning, including pieces with secret compartments if relationships were being kept secret. Many characters in Sense and Sensibility assume at this point that Willoughby and Marianne are secretly engaged. Edward is also seen wearing a ring with a lock of hair later, which he claims is his sister’s but the girls believe is Elinor’s, gotten through mysterious means. It turns out, much later, to be a token of his secret engagement.

An added non-book scene occurs in which Margaret crawls into bed with Elinor and talks about their new life at the little cottage. None of the added Margaret scenes (of which I’ve mentioned only a few) felt long, forced, or out of place. Most of them were snippets of conversation or similar little details. No one addition felt major, but having these all sprinkled through the series created the end result of a wonderful character, much better fleshed out than the book.

As in the book, mysterious, unexplained business takes Brandon swiftly away. In his absence, Willoughby takes Marianne alone to his aunt’s estate, which he expects to inherit. Like most Austen adaptations, this is an example of events related to characters after the fact in the book but portrayed as they happen on screen. Seeing this scene gives the audience the advantage of better understanding the impropriety of their behavior — wandering alone together through an empty house that was not yet his — and also hints that Willoughby, despite his later scandalous behavior, does indeed love Marianne in this moment. He and Marianne share a kiss before leaving.

In true Austen adaptation fashion, when Edward briefly visits the Dashwoods, our leading hero is given a sexualised scene chopping wood in a thin white shirt in the rain. Very Colin Firth Darcy-esque.

At a Middleton-hosted dinner party, the Dashwoods meet Anne and Lucy Steele. The poor manners and unlikable nature of these sisters, immediately clear to Elinor in the book but not as much to the reader, comes across much better through the performances of Daisy Haggard and Anna Madeley, respectively.

Lucy tells Elinor she has been secretly engaged to Edward for four years. Hattie Morahan’s facial expressions and stilted dialogue do a decent job of conveying Elinor’s shock at the news and attempts to hide her own dismay.

Elinor and Marianne travel to London with Mrs. Jennings, where they attend a ball. The sisters run into Fanny and her and Edward’s younger brother, Robert Ferrars, played by Leo Bill. Every Austen novel seems to have some variety of Collins-esque character; while Robert is not nearly as improper, he is certainly as self-centered and fussy. Neither Robert nor Colonel Brandon were at this ball in the book, but it makes sense in the adaptation. Introducing Robert was streamlined, and Colonel Brandon gets to be a hero when Willoughby rejects Marianne and she faints.

Episode Three: it all comes together

Brandon and Willoughby engage in a passionate duel of swords. Brandon cuts Willoughby and wins. Was this over Eliza’s honor? Marianne’s? It’s not clear. Was this even in the book? I don’t remember. I don’t think so. The beginning of this episode feels as questionable a creative choice as the sex scene in episode one.

Willoughby’s mistreatment of Brandon’s ward Eliza, and his current engagement to a wealth London woman, comes out. Marianne is miserable. In the book, Elinor wrote to their mother to explain everything and request instruction on whether they ought to come home. In the series, we skip her letter to Mrs. Dashwood writing that they should stay in London. This features another added bit with Margaret in which she declares that, if she were a boy, she would fight Willoughby and kill him.

The Dashwood sisters are invited with others to visit Mrs. Ferrars. Edward and Robert are absent, but their mother and sister Fanny talk pointedly of various wealthy, well-connected engagements they have heard of or expect to arrange. Most of this evening in the book has been cut from the adaptation. In the book, we received a lot more detail on the slighting and snubbing of Elinor all night (whom Fanny and her mother believe Edward to favor) and showing favoritism to the Steeles (since they have no idea of Lucy’s secret engagement).

Lucy visits Elinor the next day to gush about Edward’s mother and how much she seemed to favor Lucy. Elinor warns her to remember that Mrs. Ferrars has expectations for Miss Morton, but Lucy insists that Edward will be hers. Lucy’s manipulative, jealous behavior became more obvious with time in the book. On screen, it seems generally toned down overall. She’s not likable, but she’s not as conniving as in the book.

Lucy’s sister lets slip to Mrs. Ferrars and Fanny that Edward and Lucy are engaged. They are enraged. Edward and Lucy arrive at the house together. Mrs. Ferrars fiercely attempts to sway Edward, promising that all his fortune will go to his brother if he follows through on this marriage, but he maintains his loyalty to Lucy. They are sent away.

It’s worth noting that in the book, Edward has this confrontation alone; he reports back to Lucy after and offers to break the engagement now that he is penniless. She affirms her love for him and refuses to break it off. I think this was changed not only for time, but due to the adaptation’s altered treatment of Lucy. In the book, while she was a selfish and simple character, she did seem to love Edward. I got the impression that her affections did genuinely change to favor his brother as she spent more time with Robert. The series makes it clear that screen Lucy was just after the Ferrars fortune, no matter which brother that meant marrying. This change also means that Robert and Lucy are now the wealthy Ferrar heirs; in the book, Mrs. Ferrars is equally outraged with Robert’s marriage and leaves all the inheritance to Fanny.

Sadly, my favorite part from the book was cut out. On the page, Colonel Brandon and Elinor discuss a living that Brandon has to offer the newly disowned Edward. Mrs. Jennings overhears bits of their talk and assumes Brandon and Elinor are engaged. Two whole conversations then pass between Mrs. Jennings and Elinor in which one believes to be discussing an engagement, the other a favor between friends. It was hilariously entertaining.

Instead, on the screen, we cut straight from Mrs. Jennings’ comment that Brandon wants to talk to Elinor, to Edward’s reaction to the offer. I get the impression that at least some of the book conversation may have been filmed but been cut for time.

One night, Elinor and Marianne comment on the strange, cruel behavior of men like Willoughby to women like Eliza and Marianne. “Perhaps they see us not as people but as playthings,” Marianne remarks.

While staying with Mrs. Jennings’ daughter and son-in-law, Marianne falls terribly ill. A man visits and asks for Elinor. She walks downstairs to find Mr. Willoughby. Unknown to either of them, Marianne eavesdrops from the staircase — this was not the case in the book.

Willoughby’s speech matches that from the book fairly well. He’s not as bad as they think, he did love Marianne, he hates his new wife, yada yada yada. I still don’t care, don’t like it, don’t forgive him. Elinor is more harsh and less forgiving on screen than she was in the book. After all, how could modern audiences feel any pity for a grown nobleman who impregnated a 15-year-old, abandoned her for a 17-year-old, and then ghosted her to marry for money? I’m with screen Elinor on this one. Get out, Willoughby.

On the Dashwoods’ ride home, Marianne watches Colonel Brandon riding alongside and speaks admiration for his loyalty to his late love, calling him “the true romantic.” The maturity of thought and speech that Marianne developed over the course of her illness in the book is portrayed well by the subtle changes in voice and mannerisms on screen.

Marianne visits Brandon’s library and plays his piano, then watches him do some sort of tricks or show with a falcon (I don’t know birds, sorry). These are additions to the miniseries that better build up to this couple’s ending.

Edward’s proposal fit one of the best romantic novel tropes, in which a misunderstanding led to horrible misery but was cleared away for tremendous joy. The Dashwoods hear Lucy is now Mrs. Ferrars and assume Edward is lost to Elinor forever, but Edward comes to visit and explains that Lucy has married his brother Robert.

Elinor runs from the room in tears, Edward close behind. She busies herself with housework, facing away and unable to speak, as he pours out a profession of love. “Can you forgive me?” he asks. “Can you love me?” She is quiet, still turned away. “Will you marry me?” Finally, she turns, smiling and still crying. They embrace and kiss passionately (oh, how Austen would shudder to see).

Marianne is shown being carried by Brandon from a floral-decorated wedding carriage into their new home together. Elinor stands in a simple dirt yard watching Edward chase after chickens and laughing.

Everyone gets their happily ever after.

(Except Willoughby. Screw him.)