As with all the others except for the MP (have I mentioned that I hated it–ha!) I enjoyed them all, and they made me re-engage with Austen’s stories and themes. There were things that bugged, but I’m with you–I’m a happier Austen fan for having watched them.

Usually Marianne’s character grates on me, but I didn’t mind her this time. I also loved Elinor, but thought they did a nice job of showing how she is different from Marianne in her expressions, though not necessarily better. Maybe it’s my own birth order, but I’m usually overly sympathetic to Elinor and overly critical of Marianne–this time, however, I saw different aspects to each character.

However, I have to agree about that whole scene with the hawk which was over done, heavy handed, and annoying. It’s bad enough to accept Marianne has learned her lesson and will go with the much older, much more reserved Brandon–but do we have to equate her with an animal? It was particularly annoying because I was touched by her conversation with Elinor where she asked if men knew women were people too–or do they think women are just playthings. I thought it was a nice moment between the two sisters, and then they undercut it by saying, “actually, yes, you are a plaything like a hawk.”

But, still, on the whole, I’ve enjoyed my Sunday evenings with Austen.