S01.E01: Episode 1

[Snazzy Daisy]

Quote

1830. A letter arrives at Chawton Cottage, where Cassandra Austen has lived alone for many years since the death of her sister Jane. The letter is from Kintbury, once the home of Jane and Cassandra’s dearest friend Eliza.

Cassandra, now in her fifties, travels back to the village of her youthful memories to tend the deathbed of Eliza’s husband, the Rev Fulwar Fowle. Once there, and despite a cool reception from sister-in-law Mary, she soon forms a strong bond with Eliza's daughter, Isabella. But it soon transpires that Cassandra has an additional motive for having returned to Kintbury – the retrieval of some mysterious and important personal items that she knows are held somewhere inside the vicarage...

Air Date: Feb 02, 2025 (BBC iPlayer & BBC One)

 

Edited February 5 by Snazzy Daisy

[Snazzy Daisy]

It’s a slow start. There’s nothing much going on in 1830 — Cassandra rushes to Kintbury and searches for Jane’s letters to Eliza. Isabella is asked to leave the vicarage asap after Fulwar’s passing.

Clearly, there’s a history between Dr. Lidderdale and Isabella.

The character of Dinah (Isabella’s maid) doesn’t make sense. In 1830, a maid wouldn’t dare speak to a guest the way she spoke to Cassy.

Flashbacks:

Tom Fowle should’ve proposed to young Cassy after returning from his West Indies expedition with Lord Craven.

[voiceover]

Sigh.

Proof that while I’ll *watch anything with even a whiff of Jane Austen (Lost in Austen, Becoming Jane, Miss Austen Regrets), I won’t *love everything with a whiff of Jane Austen (Death Comes to Pemberley).

I don’t like anything about the series so far; it’s flat and dull; and WTH Keeley Hawes??  She’s suppressed all her vivid charm for this one.  I guess Matthew is the one in the family, meant for period romance. 

[Haleth]

I’m confused about the relationships. Eliza was married to Cassie and Jane’s brother but then later was married to Tom’s brother? Is that right?

[howiveaddict]

Mary LLoyd , who is Eliza's aunt, was married to Cassandra and Jane's brother.  Eliza was Tom Fowle, who had died engaged to Cassandra's sister in law.   Mary LLoyd was also Eliza's sister.  I just googled it all, having forgot from previous books I've read on Jane's history.  So far enjoying this mostly true stories.   Mary's other sister Martha was Jane and Cassandra's good friend.  She may even have lived with them for a while, if I remember correctly.  

[jschoolgirl]

The house and grounds look like Longbourn in the 1995 Pride and Predjudice. 

[OlderThanDirt]

In this story, Elizabeth and Mary are sisters. Eliza was married to Rev. Fulware Fowle who was dying at the beginning of the story. His brother Tom Fowle proposed to Cassandra who was Jane Austen's sister. Jane and Cassandra have a brother James who marries Eliza's sister Mary. Jane and Cassandra were friends and correspondents of Eliza.

In the beginning of the first episode, only Cassandra and Mary, who are sisters in law, survive from Jane Austen's generation. The young woman whose father is dying is Isabelle, Eliza and Fulware's youngest daughter. Mary is her aunt and she has older sisters.

I wrote this out  to help me get the characters straight in my mind.

Edited May 7 by OlderThanDirt