**Spoilers**
If you have not yet seen this episode, please go and do so before proceeding.
"My youngest sister has left all her friends, has eloped, and has thrown herself into the power of Mr. Wickham."
To a modern audience, Lydia's infamous elopement and the havoc it causes might seem a bit melodramatic. People live with each other before getting married all the time now. It's no big deal in the eyes of society. However, we must take ourselves back to another time period where this was very much a big deal. Virtue in a woman was irretrievable and if one sister from a family had behaved indiscreetly, it usually meant that the others were all considered tainted by association. This may not seem fair, but that was the way it was.
Lizzie spends the episode getting to know the Darcy family better, and seeing that Darcy is quite a different creature at home with his sister and friends. Georgiana Darcy is not proud and full of herself at all. Instead she is almost painfully shy. Lizzie sets about drawing the girl out and encouraging her in a way that she never had to the chance to do for her younger sisters. Mr. Darcy is not oblivious to this and the two of them share smoldering looks over Miss Bingley's head. I think one of my favorite moments of all is whenever Caroline Bingley tries to abuse her rival to Mr. Darcy and he snaps back at her that it has been many months since he has considered Elizabeth the most handsome woman of his acquaintance. That was quite satisfying.
Mrs. Bennet was the highlight of this episode. The actress described the role as like looking at a big vat of chocolate that you just couldn't wait to dive into, and it's obvious that she was having the time of her life. Mrs. Bennet is taken ill with the hysterics and proceeds to weep and wail and require smelling salts, all while demanding that Lydia consult her about wedding clothes before anything else. I'm quite sure that Mr. Bennet was slightly grateful to get out of the house and go to London to search for Lydia.
One thing I really love about this episode are the additions. Just as Mrs. Bennet groans out about her "...poor, poor Lydia!" the episode cuts to Lydia sitting idly by a window in London, bored and lazy but decidedly not miserable. The added scenes with Lydia and Wickham help to enhance the story a lot and it is interesting that we are clearly shown how Wickham has already tired of the silly girl.
Mr. Darcy becoming a white knight in shining armor and riding to Lizzie's sister's defense was a great part of the episode too (really, there are no bad parts) as he doesn't really think anything will come of it. He isn't doing this for his own benefit. He is quite sure that Elizabeth will never accept his proposal and that he is doomed to forever admire her from afar. He does it because he wants to help. That is the biggest change in his character of all and it is what will eventually turn Lizzie's heart around.
5/5
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