I don’t claim to hit all the high points, but these are the ones that come to mind…This is part one of however many it takes to get through the book.

-We come out of the passage of time montage mentioned a couple of posts ago to find Mrs. Bennet telling Mr. Bennet that Netherfield Park is let at last. Their conversation proceeds more or less as in the book, although her remarking that it would be a fine thing if Bingley were to marry one of the girls is Mr. Bennet’s cue to drop a really bitter version of “A single man of good fortune…” She tries to get him to call on Mr. Bingley, he blows her off, insisting that he cannot call on Mr. Bingley at this time. Cue hoofbeats, and a servant announcing Mr. Bingley. “…Because it’s about time for Mr. Bingley to return my call on him!” Mr. Bennet says.

-We cut away to the daughters of the family walking back from Meryton. Kitty and Lydia are squabbling about their purchases, Jane is playing peacemaker, Lizzie and Mary are gossiping about the Netherfield tenant with Charlotte Lucas. Mary is all disdainful sour grapes about the guy, saying he’s probably a frivolous idiot, Charlotte asks “Does it matter?” and Lizzie says it doesn’t do to judge people too prematurely. (Famous last words.) They see a horse riding away from Longbourne as they reach it, and on coming inside discover that they have just missed Mr. Bingley, who mentioned his plans to go up to London and bring back a party of friends.

-Assembly Ball. The 2005 version, with all its crowd and noise, is considered a pretty authentic version of an assembly ball. Our version has more authentic music and choreography: people standing in a line until it is their turn to do the dance moves as a couple, people ducking out of line to chat with someone or grab a bit of refreshment and then hustling gracelessly into place moments before it’s their turn to do the dance moves. The male to female ratio here is about three to five. Our introduction to the Netherfield party is Lizzie and Charlotte watching a tall, dour-looking man plowing through the crowd with two men and two women in his wake. Charlotte identifies each member of the party by name with Lizzie providing commentary. They watch as Jane and Bingley are introduced and dance. Partway through the dance, Bingley breaks away and tries to get Darcy to dance. The room is very noisy; a good lipreader can tell that the two men are using the dialogue from the books, but we and Lizzie are only catching words here and there. Bingley nods in Lizzie’s direction, Darcy looks directly at her, with an expression that hardens after a moment. He says something to Bingley, of which we only catch the word “tolerable.” The conversation proceeds, and “to give consequence to young ladies who have been slighted by other men” comes out loudly, in a relatively quiet moment. Darcy seems embarrassed, but also the angrier for it. Charlotte sympathizes with Lizzy, who makes light of the incident. Only, whereas before she allowed that Bingley’s richer friend was at least handsome, now she calls him disagreeable-looking.

-The fine eyes conversation takes place at a party at Lucas Lodge, as in the book. The Lodge is less extravagantly furnished than Longbourne, but also smaller, and the party is a sad crush.

-trip to Netherfield: we get more back and forth between the parents about how Mrs. Bennet constantly commandeering the horses for carriage work is bad for the home farm. The rainstorm, when it bursts, is more spectacular and apocalyptic than most versions; and Mr. Bennet’s line about Jane dying while in pursuit of Mr. Bingley “and under your orders,” is more disgusted and possibly shaded with genuine concern; Mrs. Bennet’s dismissal of the danger is less cutesy and more callous. Lizzie taking off for Netherfield when she hears Jane is ill doesn’t quite have the fourth movement of the Willian Tell overture going in the background, but it’s much less of a quaint but muddy country stroll and much more of an odyssey of her fighting her way through mud and rough country to her sister’s side. Darcy is tossing some comment over his shoulder to Bingley about going out riding when Lizzie enters the house and runs almost bang into him. Her bonnet is crooked, her hair is escaping in strands all over the place, she is flushed and her eyes are sparkling. Both she and Darcy are mutually embarrassed, and in his face, we see some stronger emotion for a moment, but he pokers up again almost immediately.

-Visit to Netherfield covers all the conversations one version or another tend to sweep under the rug. Some of the more arcane jokes are spelled out a little, like Lizzie saying that Darcy and the Bingley sisters are charmingly grouped together. In this version, Darcy explains that it is a rule of the painters of the picturesque that cows should only be grouped in threes. Caroline asks indignantly: “Was she comparing us to cows then?” “So it would seem,” Darcy says, quietly amused. The conversation about poetry has Lizzie making it clear that she sees poets as rather flirty people who are always falling in and out of love, rather than dismissing poetry altogether. Bingley somewhat notices Darcy paying attention to Lizzie towards the end of the visit, and when he talks to Darcy about it, Darcy says that he-Darcy needs to not raise her-Lizzie’s expectations, and we get him pointedly ignoring her in the library and only bowing silently to her when she and her sister leave Netherfield for home.

-Mr. Collins shows up according to schedule. The entail, which we’ve gotten somewhat fragmented references to before now, is explained in full. Mr. Bennet and Lizzie find Collins somewhat amusing in small doses, Mary says he would be acceptable if he would let himself be molded by her. I don’t think he’s as hilarious as most people, so I’m inclined to shorten his speeches and screentime, and have more of people reacting to him. Wickham also shows up according to schedule. He and Darcy first cross paths in all the pandemonium of a Phillips family party, with only Lizzie noticing them glaring at each other across the room. Wickham’s account of his grievances is punctuated by random goofy moments with Collins or the younger Bennet sisters, to make it more suspenseful.

-Netherfield ball: both the oldest sisters look particularly fabulous here, with Mrs. Bennet putting more effort than usual into Jane on Bingley’s account and also more than usual into Lizzie on Collins’s account. We get the first flicker of something like compassion or concern for Darcy’s feelings when Lizzie is annoyed with Collins for encroaching on him. It’s important that Darcy be present for the following: Jane doing some mildly unreasonable thing her mother asks her to; Jane being particularly reserved and enigmatic around an increasingly insecure, slightly frustrated Bingley; Mr. Bennet taking Mary down a peg unnecessarily (partly because he is genuinely embarrassed for/annoyed with her) about her musical performance; and of course Mrs. Bennet bragging about Jane’s conquest of Bingley. We possibly see some interactions between Collins and Charlotte as well. Lizzy is of course pretty snarky with Darcy when she dances with him, but it should still come off as charming, and Darcy should seem rather amused in a superior way until she brings up Wickham.

-Mr. Collins’s proposal to Lizzie: I think it’s important that she try to be civil to him initially, maybe even slightly amused, but getting more and more impatient with him as the conversation goes on. Mr. Bennet’s intervention should seem sterner initially, until he gets to his punch line…unless the actor or director comes up with something better.

-Mrs. Bennet hears about Charlotte accepting Collins’s proposal, laments Lizzie fouling up, but says “at least Jane has made a great match.” Cut to Darcy persuading Bingley to leave Netherfield while he can still honorably withdraw from the entanglement with Jane. He argues that Mrs. Bennet is pushing harder for this marriage than Jane is, and why should Bingley and Jane both be made unhappy for the sake of something Jane’s mother wants more than she does. Bingley appeals to Caroline: has her friend Jane ever mentioned him-Bingley to her-Caroline. Not in the way you mean, brother, she answers. Mrs. Hurst calls Caroline away about something. Bingley asks Darcy if he-Darcy has any strong reasons for wanting to leave, clearly sensing that something is going on. Darcy denies it. End of episode, to be followed by a bit of a timeskip.