An under-thirty-minute Pride and Prejudice adaptation in which Mr. Darcy is played by a dog? Oh yeah, I'm in.
The three human protagonists of Wishbone are Joe (Wishbone's owner) and his friends Sam and David. In this episode, Joe feels uncool after a bully insults his clothes; Sam and David fight with each other over rumors about who asked who to the dance; and Joe, caught in the middle of the fighting, struggles to restore the peace. Wishbone teaches the viewers at home that it's okay to be nervous about social situations, you shouldn't listen to rumors, and sometimes communication is hard. He demonstrates these points by entering the story of Pride and Prejudice, "a juicy, meaty book about people and parties."
What's different
First and foremost, Mr. Darcy is played by a dog named Wishbone. And honestly, I'm here for it.
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| Look out, Colin Firth, you've got competition. |
PBS actually managed to cram a lot of the main plot into this tiny format. Lydia's entire plot line with Wickham is missing, but that's not surprising considering the short timeline and the fact that this is a children's show with an aggressively positive slant. Also notably missing is Mr. Bennet, who is neither seen nor mentioned.
There are some relatively small and meaningless differences, like making the first ball take place at Netherfield instead of in Meryton. The later, canonical Netherfield ball takes place later, so it's not a case of two events being combined into one.
There are some relatively small and meaningless differences, like making the first ball take place at Netherfield instead of in Meryton. The later, canonical Netherfield ball takes place later, so it's not a case of two events being combined into one.
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| And isn't Netherfield lovely? |
There are bigger, weirder differences, though. To make a point about people who spread rumors, Wishbone tells us that Caroline Bingley makes up a rumor about Mr. Darcy liking Elizabeth — which she tells to Darcy. This has the unintended effect of making Darcy consider Elizabeth in a new light and actually start liking her. So according to Wishbone, Darcy's crush on Elizabeth came from Caroline teasing him, not the other way around.
Another Wishbone inaccuracy comes when Darcy and Elizabeth meet again in Hunsford. "Darcy knew he should come clean about breaking up Jane and Bingley, but he never got around to it." Colonel Fitzwilliam doesn't exist in this version, of course, so the only way Elizabeth knows about Darcy's un-matchmaking is by her own instincts. But that doesn't explain Darcy's sudden guilty conscience. In the book, he's quite proud of saving his friend from a bad marriage, but Wishbone would have you believe otherwise.
Another Wishbone inaccuracy comes when Darcy and Elizabeth meet again in Hunsford. "Darcy knew he should come clean about breaking up Jane and Bingley, but he never got around to it." Colonel Fitzwilliam doesn't exist in this version, of course, so the only way Elizabeth knows about Darcy's un-matchmaking is by her own instincts. But that doesn't explain Darcy's sudden guilty conscience. In the book, he's quite proud of saving his friend from a bad marriage, but Wishbone would have you believe otherwise.
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| Did you even read the book, Wishbone? |
Wishbone (as Darcy) does propose to Elizabeth at Hunsford, but there's no second proposal at the end. They already implied that a dog and a human might get married, so I'm not sure what the point is in ending it without them being engaged. Instead, the Pride and Prejudice story ends lamely with Bingley and Jane engaged and Darcy and Elizabeth agreeing that they "could learn more about each other, in the future." Wow, so moving.
What I liked
The episode was so much fun to watch. I mean, it's a show about a talking dog who imagines himself as characters in classic literature, what could be better?! I also had a great time laughing at the 90s fashion during the "real life" parts.
My favorite lesson was about being nervous in social situations. Wishbone makes the point that Darcy is so nervous at parties that he comes off as rude. I think this is a pretty good summation of Darcy's complaint that he never feels comfortable among strangers and finds small talk difficult.
Caroline Bingley is hilarious in Wishbone's version of events. There's a lot of great physical comedy by her, and most of it is just her throwing things. She throws a used napkin that lands on someone's back, she tosses an empty teacup over her shoulder to a servant, and a pearl necklace that she chucks across the room lands in Mary Bennet's punch.
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| I want to reach through time and tell Joe that it gets better, and by it, I mean his hair. |
My favorite lesson was about being nervous in social situations. Wishbone makes the point that Darcy is so nervous at parties that he comes off as rude. I think this is a pretty good summation of Darcy's complaint that he never feels comfortable among strangers and finds small talk difficult.
Caroline Bingley is hilarious in Wishbone's version of events. There's a lot of great physical comedy by her, and most of it is just her throwing things. She throws a used napkin that lands on someone's back, she tosses an empty teacup over her shoulder to a servant, and a pearl necklace that she chucks across the room lands in Mary Bennet's punch.
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| Also, this is how she yawns. |
I was impressed by Wishbone's skills on the dance floor. The dance choreography for the human characters is simple enough that a dog can mimic it pretty well, and on the one or two occasions when there's a move Wishbone can't do, the camera cuts to Lizzie in a way that feels natural. Throughout the episode, it's delightful to see Wishbone doing his tricks, and the camerawork that makes it look like he's interacting with people is very well done.
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| Wishbone tearing up the dance floor. |
What I disliked
Has Wishbone's voice always sounded like that? I guess it has, and I just forgot. It's kind of high and a little nasally, definitely more of a comedic voice than a dramatic one. I got used to it pretty quickly, but it's definitely not a great sound for Mr. Darcy.
I was irrationally annoyed by the random pocket door on the set, which we're forced to focus on because Elizabeth slowly closes it in Darcy's face and then kneels in front of it. Why is there a pocket door?! Wouldn't it make more sense for it to be a normal door? It would be a more satisfying shut-the-door-in-Darcy's-face moment with a normal door. She could still kneel in front of a normal door. Was the pocket door already part of a set that was just being reused for this episode? If so, what set of circumstances necessitated the pocket door originally? I can't stop thinking about the damn pocket door!
The pocket door is my biggest concern, obviously, but there's one other loose thread I think is weird. In the wrapping-up of the Pride and Prejudice story, Wishbone tells us that Elizabeth "found out" that Wickham was a liar, but there's no hint as to how she found out. Why not just say that Darcy explained it to her? Nothing would be lost by it that I can see, and it would be an accurate simplification of what actually happens in the book. But instead, we have a loose thread that's more annoying for how easily it could have been tied up.
I was irrationally annoyed by the random pocket door on the set, which we're forced to focus on because Elizabeth slowly closes it in Darcy's face and then kneels in front of it. Why is there a pocket door?! Wouldn't it make more sense for it to be a normal door? It would be a more satisfying shut-the-door-in-Darcy's-face moment with a normal door. She could still kneel in front of a normal door. Was the pocket door already part of a set that was just being reused for this episode? If so, what set of circumstances necessitated the pocket door originally? I can't stop thinking about the damn pocket door!
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| This fucking door will haunt my dreams. |
The pocket door is my biggest concern, obviously, but there's one other loose thread I think is weird. In the wrapping-up of the Pride and Prejudice story, Wishbone tells us that Elizabeth "found out" that Wickham was a liar, but there's no hint as to how she found out. Why not just say that Darcy explained it to her? Nothing would be lost by it that I can see, and it would be an accurate simplification of what actually happens in the book. But instead, we have a loose thread that's more annoying for how easily it could have been tied up.
Adaptation wish list
- Is Elizabeth sassy? — No.
- Is Elizabeth silly? — No.
- Does Darcy undergo real and significant change after being rejected? — Unclear. He does apologize, though.
- Are Darcy and Elizabeth each guilty of both pride and prejudice? — Yes.
It doesn't make a lot of sense to hold an episode of Wishbone up to my adaptation wish list. Predictably, the characters are over-simplified, and the story is cut down to its barest bones. The only plot points that remain are the ones that Wishbone can turn into teachable moments. But even so, it was very fun to watch. And Mr. Darcy is a dog! It doesn't get better than that.
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