It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man, in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.

Don’t shoot me, but I wasn’t the biggest fan of Pride and Prejudice the first time I read it. To be fair, it was the abridged version and I was 12 – I just didn’t understand this whole I-hate-Darcy-but-wait-I-love-Darcy thing. I’m now 20, and while I adore Pride and Prejudice, I’m not exactly into Jane Austen’s writing. (I’m sorry, I’m sorry!) I had to read Northanger Abbey in English R1B a year ago and I got so bored. And Emma, well, she just annoyed me. Maybe I’m just uncultured.

But back to Pride and Prejudice. I can see how it would be incredibly hard for a… younger audience to appreciate. It requires an understanding of social norms and etiquette back in the day, when class and wealth mattered a whole lot more than it does now. This is back in the day when eloping was a big deal and looking down one’s nose was common. How relatable is that now? Not very.

This is where the collective genius of Bernie Su and Hank Green comes in. Together, they created The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, an online vlog-style mini-series. But it is SO much more than just a few three minute videos on YouTube.

You may have heard of Hank Green, especially if you’re in any way involved in the YouTube culture (I myself am a proud nerdfighter). He is one half of the VlogBrothers (the other half is his brother – go figure – John Green, author extraordinaire), and together they created a vlog series in order to keep in touch, deciding that videos were better communicating mediums. Hank Green is one of the executive producers of the show. Bernie Su comes on as the co-creator, head writer, executive producer and director of the series. Su is well known in the web-series world, having won the Streamy Award for Best Writing in a Drama Web Series in 2010. Together, what these two envisioned and brought to life is pure, solid gold.

The Lizzie Bennet Diaries is a modern day adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, and man, are those some big shoes to fill. How does one create a relatable, contemporary and engaging version of Pride and Prejudice using only social media and the power of the Internet? The answer lay in an incredible writing/production team and a stellar cast. Ashley Clements plays Lizzie Bennet, a 24 year old grad student studying mass communications and the protagonist of the series. Her older sister Jane (played by Laura Spencer) and younger sister Lydia (Mary Kate Wiles) complete the Bennet trio and believe me, these three will make you want to be a Bennet so bad. Christopher Sean plays Bing Lee, the extremely eligible bachelor studying medicine, with Daniel Vincent Gordh as his best friend, Fitzwilliam Darcy. And let us not forget Julia Cho as Lizzie’s best friend Charlotte.

Now that I’ve given you all these names that don’t really mean much, let me tell you why you need to watch this series. First, the cast (and their acting) is amazing. Every single one of them manage to convey such complex emotions despite being limited by the frame of the camera. Small, subtle things, like the way in which Lizzie’s room is decorated, or how the video is cut lead you to believe that these are real people and that what you’re watching is not a pre-written story, but rather someone’s life playing out in front of you. In today’s day and age, where vlogging has become so easy and so common, the Lizzie Bennet Diaries takes full advantage of this relatability and runs full steam ahead with it.

Secondly, the way in which Su and Green (and their team) have adapted Pride and Prejudice is genius. They take plot lines, such as Collins asking Elizabeth to marry him, and turn them into totally plausible 20th century proposals, like Collins offering Lizzie a job at his company. There are others, but I don’t want to ruin it for you. And suddenly, the plot lines and the drama of Pride and Prejudice no longer feel archaic.

Third, their use of social media. What started as a YouTube mini-series evolved into Facebook pages, Twitter accounts and Tumblrs. Su described it as a way for extremely invested viewers (and there are plenty out there) to interact with the series at a whole new level. You can tweet Lydia Bennet and tell her what a mistake she’s making with George Wickham, and she may even reply! Or ask Jane on her Tumblr for fashion advice, and she’ll tell you where she got her dresses from. This is not just watching a series with actors anymore – they transcend that and become real people, people you want to meet and be friends with.

Fourth, the adaptation of the cast and the minor characters. Charlotte Lucas as Charlotte Lu and Mr. Bingley as Bing Lee are both big, big changes in the main characters (and well received, might I add). They made Kitty Bennet an actual cat! Even the simple change of Elizabeth to Lizzie makes all the difference. Mary Bennet becomes a cousin, heavily included in Lydia’s spin-off ‘The Lydia Bennet’. Gigi Darcy is introduced as the lovable Darcy sister showing Lizzie around ‘Pemberley Digital’, Darcy’s entertainment corporation. Her Twitter account lets the viewers be privy to a budding romance between Fitz Williams (Col. Fitzwilliam in the novel) and Gigi, simultaneously showcasing their matchmaking efforts towards Lizzie and Darcy.

Which brings me to my next point: Darcy. He wears a bow tie, is incredibly attractive and is full of restrained emotion. His interactions with Lizzie (shown only from Ep. 60 onwards!) are truly something else. What’s not to love? He is arguably my favorite on screen adaptation of Darcy. Yes, he even compares to Matthew Macfadyen and Colin Firth. Viewers were teased by only a neck down view of Darcy for 60 episodes before we finally got a look at his face… it was well worth the wait. Not only does Darcy look good, Gordh manages to showcase Darcy’s growth as a person in the subtlest ways. In my opinion, he’s got Darcy down pat.

The series hasn’t actually ended yet (the last video is set to be broadcast on March 28th… NOOOOO!) and I won’t reveal what exactly the Lydia/Wickham twist was, but let me tell you this: it was awesome.

Well, I’ve raved enough about the series and there is so much more I want to say and want to discuss but I’ll give you the chance to catch up with me first! If you are remotely interested, have a little bit of spare time or just want to see some incredibly attractive males and females, click here. That is the first (out of 90 so far) episodes and believe me, you’ll soon be hooked.

If you love Pride and Prejudice (or even Bride and Prejudice), I highly recommend you giving the LBD a shot. It is creative genius and really deserves all the adoration, praise and exposure it can get.

If you’re at all interested in the VlogBrothers and nerdfighteria, I also recommend checking out their channel. And if you just like to read, I suggest you try out The Fault In Our Stars by John Green. It is truly one hell of a book.

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