7 Careful What You Wish For – Taylor Hartman

A scene that still shocks and surprises new readers to this day is Mr. Darcy’s first proposal to Lizzy. After multiple run-ins with one another throughout the novel, with small hints given to the readers that Mr. Darcy may be somewhat interested in Lizzy, Austen has the brooding love interest of her protagonist abruptly and begrudgingly confess his love for Lizzy and propose​ (107)​. Although in-depth readers might notice the lingering conversations and unprovoked visits that Mr. Darcy bestowed upon Lizzy previously, Austen had not confirmed whether this was to fulfill societal expectations or explore a potential interest until this particular scene; and no one is more shocked by this course of events than Lizzy herself. Her own prejudice against Mr. Darcy had blinded her to his romantic interests, though his lack of forthright courtship is also to blame. While Austen displays Mr. Darcy’s wit and civility upfront, her readers are not entirely privy to his inner thoughts and emotions, just as Lizzy is unable to notice them as well ​(Seeliger)​. Coke’s television series takes this concept of “mystery” to heart, and Mr. Darcy’s actor, David Rintoul, takes it ten steps further than necessary. Rintoul keeps his character’s emotions and thoughts close to his chest, by showing no emotion at all. Impersonating a robot, Rintoul “remains unvaryingly flat and cold” ​(Seeliger)​ by giving nothing away with his deadpanned expression and monotonous tone. Even when faced with his deplorable nemesis, Mr. Wickham, he displays nothing more than the unyielding contempt he imparts to every other character ​(“Part Two” 00:13:22-00:14:05)​.

During his first proposal’s scene, Rintoul bursts into the Hunsford Parsonage’s drawing room, similar to his novel counterpart. He speaks hurriedly and paces about the area, conveying a similar unease and agitation that Austen had created within this scene. However, the tension begins to lag as soon as Rintoul opens his mouth, flatly droning out his confession. It is not until Garvie gently rejects him that there is a hint of anger in his voice as he demands to know why she won’t accept his proposal. Tensions start to slowly rise again as the two characters argue over who is more insulted: Mr. Darcy for falling in love with someone of a lower class than him or Lizzy for being given a backhanded proposal. Rintoul’s voice grows louder and sharper with anger, but as soon as Garvie stands from her seat and defends herself, he returns to his default monotonous and expressionless performance. This withdrawal causes the rebuilding strain to lag again, and Garvie’s docile and soft-spoken voice continues to hinder replicating the tension Austen had created within the conversation. The audience is finally provided a crack within Rintoul’s robotic disposition when Garvie scolds him for his treatment of Mr. Wickham. Despite taking part in a mutual stare-down since her rejection, Rintoul’s eyes fall and turn to the side, pained by the accusations being placed upon him. He continues to appear downcast as he asks if this is how she views him before looking back up at her when he scolds her for being blinded by pride. When Garvie scolds him in return for his initially poor behavior towards her, he looks away again, this time with guilt and reproach ​(“Part Three” 00:34:53-00:39:03)​. This passive and docile demeanor is not presented within the novel, as Austen uses the dialogue tag “cried” for both Lizzy and Mr. Darcy during their argument, has Lizzy speak “with energy” and anger, and Mr. Darcy “start” with surprise when she reprimands him for his initial behavior towards her​ (109)​. Austen’s scene stokes the tension with Lizzy and Mr. Darcy’s dialogue and actions, while Garvie and Rintoul’s more somber approach drags the scene and fails to create the small climax Austen had intended. Mr. Darcy’s hasty retreat after apologizing only adds to the suspense created in the novel, leaving Lizzy to cry over the onslaught of emotions she is now faced with ​(Austen 109-110)​. Rintoul’s apology, on the other hand, is subdued and creates a closing finality when he leaves, rather than stranding the readers on a type of cliffhanger as Austen had done. The solemn yet conclusive scene’s ending is more akin to the tone of a couple’s break-up rather than a heated argument.

While Garvie and Rintoul failed to maintain the tension originally created within the scene, Wright’s film adaptation sets the scene perfectly for the tension ladened argument, even while being less literal. Though Austen’s novel has the scene set in Hunsford Parsonage’s drawing room—when Mr. Darcy comes to check on Lizzy after noticing her absence at Rosings Park—Wright places Matthew MacFadyen’s Mr. Darcy and Knightley’s Lizzy outside during a thunderstorm after church, under the small protection of a mausoleum’s overhang, with the diegetic sound of thunder and rain “to convey torment and agony” ​(L. Kaplan)​. Fighting to be heard over the pounding rain and each other, their argument grows louder and the electric tension becomes near suffocating as the two characters step closer and closer ​(Wright 01:08:42-01:11:56)​. This tension, supported in part by the storm, is not an exact replication of the novel. In fact, the setting is nowhere near the same as Austen had written, but the scene’s suffocating strain is further aided by the feeling of being trapped as MacFadyen and Knightley, already confined under the mausoleum’s meager overhang by the rain, push themselves closer together as they argue. The emotions of this scene run rampant in both the novel and the adaptation, where “there is no means of emotional relief—except for Darcy to leave”​ (L. Kaplan)​. While Wright’s decision to use nature to convey tension rather than the characters themselves may be considered a cop-out by the novel’s fans, that is not the case. Austen’s novel is primarily focused on the constraints of marriage and the societal expectations that go along with it, but Wright’s film leans more towards the societal constraints of sensual interest and sexual attraction ​(Ailwood)​. The use of a smothering room that refuses to allow Lizzy a chance to escape Mr. Darcy’s insults and his begrudging proposal is ideal for Austen’s theme, just as the natural and unbridled chaos of the storm trapping the two characters is perfect for Wright’s as they crowd into each other’s spaces. The cracking thunder after each devastating verbal blow underscores the tension, but the final, rolling rumble at the argument’s end nearly breaks the building pressure as Mr. Darcy seems to make a decision and leans in to kiss Lizzy before hesitating ​(Wright 01:11:56-01:12:09)​. Though hardly any parts of this scene were derived from the novel, the breath-wrenching tension and climax within it are, once again, successfully recreated for modern audiences by Wright.

While MacFadyen’s Mr. Darcy brims with emotions as he stutters and awkwardly stumbles over his feelings throughout the film, Rintoul’s version of the same character finally begins to make progress in stepping away from his robotic façade after his initial failed confession. Upon meeting Garvie at Pemberley, Rintoul’s facial expressions become softer and a subtle smile can be seen during certain moments when he is beside her. His tone is also more upbeat and expressive with his pleasure in seeing Lizzy during her visits ​(“Part Four” 00:28:26-00:29:41)​, as well as his concern for her when she frantically appears at Pemberley after learning that Lydia, her youngest sister, and Mr. Wickham had run away together ​(00:40:36-00:41:11)​. However, despite these changes, the audience still receives whiplash after witnessing his emotional transformation succeeding his second proposal.

When Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy return to Longbourn in Austen’s novel—shortly after Lady Catherine’s uninvited visit—Lizzy, Jane, Kitty, Mr. Darcy, and Mr. Bingley all decide to go out on a walk together. Jane and Mr. Bingley eventually lag behind the group and Kitty departs for Lucas Lodge to visit her friend, Maria, leaving Lizzy and Mr. Darcy alone together. Lizzy decides to thank Mr. Darcy for helping convince Mr. Wickham to marry Lydia, after having heard the full story from her Aunt Gardiner. Mr. Darcy, though he had not meant for Lizzy or her family to know about his involvement in the matter, admits to having done it with her in mind. The scene’s lingering tension grows during a short pause in their conversation before Mr. Darcy confesses that, while he still has feelings for her, if Lizzy did not reciprocate them, he would drop the subject entirely. The tension blooms into relief when she admits that she has had a change in her perspective and now fully returns his feelings. Austen makes Mr. Darcy’s excitement at this revelation mirror the reader’s, and the climax of the novel reaches its completion ​(Austen 195-196)​.

Part of what creates the satisfying stress and release of this scene is the build-up of tension through pauses and delays in the characters’ conversations and actions. Despite having five episodes to delve into minor characters and minuscule details, the 1980 television series rushes through the climactic final proposal. Coke decides not to have Jane, Mr. Bingley, and Kitty accompany Garvie and Rintoul on their walk. Also, rather than apologizing that Lizzy had found out about his assistance with Lydia and Mr. Wickham’s marriage, Rintoul immediately responds to her thanks by stating he had only thought of her when he had decided to help. Without even a second’s pause to allow this information to sink in for Garvie or the audience, Rintoul then confesses that he still loves Lizzy, but will drop the matter if she does not feel the same. The lack of suspense preceding Garvie’s own readily available confession results in an anticlimactic admittance that leaves the audience dissatisfied and craving more ​(“Part Five” 00:47:11-00:48:07)​.

During Garvie’s disappointingly quick reciprocation, Rintoul stops walking to look at her. When she is finished speaking, he holds out his arm to her with an ineffectually smothered smile before they continue walking on ​(“Part Five” 00:48:08-00:48:16)​. This reaction would be on-par with Rintoul’s interpretation of Mr. Darcy, but the scene has, unfortunately, not reached its end, yet. As the pair walk arm-in-arm, and Rintoul admits that he had returned to Longbourn after hearing about Lady Catherine’s sudden visit, he takes off his top hat and broadly grins at Garvie while she replies—a complete transformation from the cold smirks and imperceptible smiles he’d displayed throughout the earlier episodes. When Garvie promises that she did not speak ill of him to his aunt, Rintoul merrily laughs aloud rather than emitting the conceited scoff or low chuckle that he had used before on rare occasions ​(“Part Five” 00:48:17-00:48:43)​. This sudden change to a “relieved, warm, and friendly Darcy is too stark a contrast to what we have seen in the previous four episodes…” ​(Seeliger)​. By utilizing a flat, unyielding tone and stony face throughout the entire series, then ending the final scene with an abrupt outward expression of unhindered joy, Rintoul yanks the audience out of their suspended belief with his “ultra-stiff attempt” at conveying this beloved character, as quoted by Devoney Looser ​(Seeliger)​.

While Rintoul has trouble consistently providing and maintaining emotions for his character throughout Coke’s series, MacFadyen does not struggle with this issue in the 2005 adaptation. Without fail, he unwaveringly portrays Mr. Darcy as an awkward and socially inept man who charmingly fumbles over his infatuation with Lizzy. Though MacFadyen’s rendition of his character has been deemed “far too nice and transparent” by certain critics​ (Alvarez)​, his interpretation of Mr. Darcy perfectly matches the romanticism of Wright’s adaptation, with a prime example being the scene of his second proposal. Wright’s decision to place MacFadyen and Knightley in a fog-ladened meadow at dawn, rather than a walking path like in the novel or the 1980 series, may be a turn-off for Austen’s fans at first. However, similar to MacFadyen’s first proposal scene, the breaking of dawn—a universal signal of fresh beginnings—and the nature surrounding the two characters signifies the more sensual interpretation Wright had decided on taking. After being trapped and encumbered by the expectations of his class and stature, MacFadyen finally allows Mr. Darcy to become “a man driven by passionate feeling” ​(Ailwood)​ as he adoringly lays bare his love for Lizzy.

This is, possibly, the largest step Wright takes away from the original novel, but it works flawlessly with his interpretation. Instead of a peaceful walk together during a pleasant afternoon, as Coke had replicated from the novel, Knightley wanders outside in her sleeping clothes preceding a stressful and unprecedented nocturnal visit from Lady Catherine. Dawn is slipping into the air and Knightley happens to look across a mist-covered meadow to behold MacFadyen marching toward her in his own night clothes. The non-diegetic piano music swells as the diegetic sound of birds chirping fades away with Knightley’s soft gasp of surprise. The piano music continues to crescendo as MacFadyen draws nearer, layering the suspense of the scene. The music fades away into a quieter rendering of the morning’s diegetic sounds once Knightley speaks, claiming she could not sleep​ (Wright 01:51:51-01:54:07)​. Similar to Coke’s 1980 series, the scene and dialogue are condensed compared to the novel, but rather than appearing as though the characters are rushing due to the film’s time constraints, Knightley and MacFadyen’s hushed and near breathless conversation creates a desperate drive to lay worries and queries to rest, echoing the eagerness for answers the audience is experiencing. MacFadyen speaks softly to Knightley as he confesses that he still has feelings for her. He even stutters when he expresses his love, a trait that has been unfailingly present in his endearing awkwardness throughout the film. When he finishes speaking and awaits a response, there is a breathless pause as the two characters stand watching each other ​(Wright 01:54:40-01:55:16)​. It is clear that they are both emotionally bare, unguarded, and vulnerable in this moment, but the scene is also undoubtedly intimate, as expressed by their modest and exposing night clothes. Though Knightley does not verbally reciprocate to Mr. Darcy like her novel and 1980 counterparts, she does grasp his hands and places a tender kiss on one, providing a well-awaited answer for both MacFadyen and the audience ​(Wright 01:55:26-01:55:35)​. In her novel, Austen had directly written that Mr. Darcy is so ecstatic over Lizzy’s returned affections that he can hardly contain himself with his joy, and Lizzy, overwhelmed and nervous about having to admit her own romantic feelings, cannot properly formulate her sentences and even has trouble looking at him ​(196)​. Wright has the characters take a completely different approach for this scene’s ending. Instead of bursting with delight as Austen had written and Rintoul had tried to force in the 1980 television series, MacFadyen’s Mr. Darcy is quiet and openly relieved over Lizzy’s acceptance and reciprocation of his love. The rising sun in the background and MacFadyen and Knightley’s contently relaxed facial expressions as they rest their foreheads together creates a gentle and satisfying conclusion to their love’s triumph over their pride and prejudice—the exact opposite outcome of their first proposal’s stormy tension ​(Wright 01:55:30-01:55:56)​. With this finale of proposals, Wright does not strive to recreate the original shock or tension for modern audiences like with the previous two proposals. Rather, the immense satisfaction the viewers experience after the climax is quite similar to what Austen’s readers still feel to this day once Lizzy and Mr. Darcy are finally able to confess their mutual love.