The Miss Austen TV Adaptation: Episode Two Review

Love is in the air, dear Janeites! Whether you have read all of Jane Austen’s novels or you are just joining the Jane Austen fandom this year, in honor of her 250th birthday, we can, one and all, enjoy watching episode two of PBS Masterpiece’s Miss Austen. Based on the novel written by Gill Hornby, episode two of Miss Austen shows Cassandra Austen leaving behind her mourning togs and finding a new love interest.

Summary

The episode opens with Mary Austen charging into the Fowle’s home. She is there to take care of business and help make sure they have vacated the premises by the assigned date. She is also there for her own purposes. She wishes to find the correspondence that was written by Jane Austen to her own sister, Eliza. When Mary asks Cassandra directly if she has found any of these letters, Cassandra does not hesitate to tell a lie. She claims not to have found a single one.

Once Mary bustles to begin her own sort of search, Cassandra divides her time between sorting and re-reading the letters, as well as visiting with Isabella’s sisters who live elsewhere in town. She first ventures to the home of Mrs. Mary Jane Dexter. The ladies spend a few slightly awkward moments together because it seems that Cassandra is uncomfortable in Mrs. Dexter’s cramped and cluttered household. There are taxidermized animals all over the place and Mrs. Dexter addresses Cassandra’s concerns in an abrupt manner. She says of course Isabella will come and live with her because she could not possibly survive on her own.

When Cassandra walks into town so she might try broaching the same subject of Isabella’s comfort and well-being with Miss Beth, Isabella’s other sister, she is sent away immediately. Miss Beth and Mr. Lidderdale are treating a patient for diphtheria and cannot risk having Cassandra exposed to the illness. When Cassandra insists upon taking just a moment of Miss Beth’s time for a conversation about Isabella, Miss Beth is put out by the matter. She says this topic has been discussed regularly and vigorously over the years. And it seems that she is rather tired of going over the matter.

The highlights of the episode take place when Cassandra returns to her own bedroom and reads through the correspondence that was once penned by her sister, Jane. Through the letters, she is transported back to her more youthful days.

There is an instance, not long after Tom Fowle passed away, when Cassandra went to stay with her brother Edward’s family at Godmersham Park. While there, she served as something like a nurserymaid, aiding her brother and sister-in-law by taking care of their children. She leaves Godmersham and travels to the residence of Fulwar and Eliza Fowle. There she helps Eliza through her confinement period and the birth of her daughter, Isabella, but the scene is much happier, and Cassandra appears to be contented when she is reunited with her friend, Eliza, and her sister, Jane. It is through Jane that the viewer, and Eliza, learn that the Austen family is going to take a trip to the seaside.

The Austens have not settled long in their new abode when Cassandra and Anna, James’s daughter, make the acquaintance of Mr. Henry Hobday. They first meet him when he and Cassandra lock eyes and touch hands in a dress shop. Later, Mr. Hobday proves to know a thing or two about fossils and spends time with the Austens as they collect seashells.

Mrs. Austen and Jane alike do not have to stretch their imaginations very far to see that Mr. Hobday is drawn to Cassandra and she, likewise, seems to be attracted to him. But, when Cassandra is asked outright about her feelings for this newcomer, she tells Jane she feels sorry for him. She is incapable of returning his love because the only man she could ever marry, Mr. Tom Fowle, has already died.

As the scene returns to the present, Cassandra is running about outdoors, reading the part of Jane’s letter where she told Eliza all about Cassandra’s loving feelings for Mr. Hobday. Then, as she stumbles back into the house, Cassandra collapses and is attended by Isabella and Dinah.

First Impressions

When I read the book, the parts that snapped and crackled the most for me were those when Cassandra and Jane spent time together. I loved reading Jane’s dry witticisms and seeing the interplay and connection between the sisters. But, in this film adaptation, I find myself most enthralled with the other relationships that develop. There is a scene, a very small one, where Isabella and Mr. Lidderdale speak to one another on the street. He is concerned with her safety and comfort. And even though he dances around the topic, carefully making sure never to announce his true feelings for her, it is evident that he cares deeply about her happiness.

Screenshot Captured from PBS Masterpiece's: Miss Austen, Episode Two

Then, the introduction of Mr. Henry Hobday’s character is a delight. Without ever doing much more than going for a walk with her and sharing a pleasant conversation, he manages to draw Cassandra out of her lengthy mourning period and help her smile again. The chemistry between the pair, played by Synnove Karlsen (Young Cassandra) and Max Irons (Mr. Hobday), is palpable.

Screenshot Captured from PBS Masterpiece's: Miss Austen, Episode Two

Let’s Watch Together

There are two remaining episodes in this mini-series with each premiering on Sunday nights throughout the month of May. Tune into your local PBS station or find Miss Austen on PBS.org. The series can also be streamed, one episode at a time, on the PBS app.