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After Bridgerton fans had strong opinions about the show’s mistress offer, The Other Bennet Sister just introduced its own version.
During the Wednesday, June 3, episode of the BritBox period drama, Mr. Ryder (Laurie Davidson) offered Mary (Ella Bruccoleri) the chance to travel with him. Mary initially assumed them going away together meant they would get married — until Mr. Ryder clarified he wanted them to be together but with no strings attached.
“At the time and in the moment, Ryder thinks that he’s the ultimate modern feminist of that time. He’s like, ‘Well, marriage is a complete patriarchal shackle and of course, you would want to do away with that,’” Davidson, 34, exclusively told Us Weekly. “I don’t think he’s fully realized that the actual realities of that are very, very different.”
Davidson pointed out that Mr. Ryder wasn’t considering Mary’s perspective.
“The cost of it is very different for Mary. It’s very idealistic but he can genuinely see why she would want to do that. I think they would have a great time. But I don’t think he’s thought it through probably beyond the next two or three weeks,” the actor continued. “There’s a line where he says, ‘You have the courage of my convictions.’ It’s almost like he has an idea that he’s trying out in his mind. He says it out loud and then it’s now out in the air.”
Davidson continued: “When Mary sort of doesn’t push it away completely, he’s like, ‘Well, brilliant, now we’re doing it.’ It’s sort of this idea vomit, which then he wants to follow through with.”
Mary ultimately declined Mr. Ryder’s invitation, which made Bruccoleri “really intrigued” by what would have happened if she agreed to the dynamic, adding, “I’m intrigued to know whether he would have stuck around or whether either of them would have been happy long term.”
In response, Davidson suggested that Mr. Ryder would have encouraged “a freedom of relationships” for both of them. Bruccoleri, 30, meanwhile, was thrilled to hear that Mr. Ryder likely “wouldn’t have left” Mary.
“I don’t think so. That’s the thing, I think it’s genuine love,” Davidson added. “There’s nothing disingenuous about Ryder. It’s just what I suppose people would probably call ADHD — or you’d give it another label — but it’s big ideas and and he is thinking very fast. But I like to think he wouldn’t do a complete 180.”
Based on the novel by Janice Hadlow, The Other Bennet Sister follows the events of Pride and Prejudice from Mary’s point of view. The story then departs from that to follow Mary as she travels to London and the Lake District, and the overlooked sister from the big Bennet family has a romantic adventure in Regency England.
While Mary is currently figuring out her future, her connection with Mr. Hayward (Dónal Finn) has yet to be addressed again. Finn, 30, weighed in on the mistress offer of it all during the joint interview with Us, telling Davidson, “You feel pretty true to yourself [on the show].”
Davidson couldn’t help but agree. “It’s very spontaneous,” he added. “So in his mind, it’s the most romantic thing in the world.”
New episodes of The Other Bennet Sister air Wednesdays on BritBox.
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