The Miss Austen TV Adaptation: Episodes Three and Four Review

It is a wonderful time to be a Janeite. Not only is the whole world celebrating Jane Austen’s 250th birthday, but PBS Masterpiece has released both episodes three and four of Miss Austen this week. Based on the novel written by Gill Hornby, episodes three and four of Miss Austen show Isabella Fowle leaning into her happily ever after moment and Cassandra Austen making peace with her past. Grab a box of tissues, dear friend, and join us as we review what happened in these episodes.

Episode Three Summary

The episode begins with Cassandra Austen struggling. She’s in a delirious state and her fever has spiked. While Isabella and Dinah tend her, Cassandra begs them to find the letters and hide them. At the mention of the letters, and after taking a quick sip of laudanum, Cassandra welcomes relief by falling asleep and remembering the days she spent with Mr. Henry Hobday and her family members at Sidmouth.

Cassandra enjoys being with Mr. Hobday but struggles when her family members tease her about him and his growing affections for her. When she and Jane discuss the matter, Jane implores Cassandra to let her own feelings grow and flourish. If she loves Mr. Hobday and he should offer to marry her, Jane wishes that Cassandra would accept him. But that is not to be. When Mr. Hobday falls to his knees, professes his love for Cassy, and asks her to be his wife, she cannot and does not accept him. She recollects the vow she once made to Tom Fowle, promising never to marry anyone other than him. Jane is confounded by this rejection. She does not understand why Cassandra insists upon denying herself the pleasures of living a full life.

Shortly thereafter, the Austen sisters learn that Mary Austen is coming to visit, and they escape to Manydown, to a grand estate owned by the Bigg-Wither family, where friends of theirs, sisters also, Catherine and Alethea, reside. Jane is extraordinarily happy there, surrounded by Cassy and their friends. When Catherine and Alethea’s brother, Harris, asks Jane to be his wife, she accepts his proposal. She is sure that by marrying him, she can secure the happiness and safety of all those she holds dear. Plus, if Jane marries Harris Bigg-Wither, then Cassandra will be free to marry Mr. Hobday. Cassandra helps her see the errors in this thinking. First and foremost, Cassandra has no intention of marrying Mr. Hobday. But more importantly, she does not want Jane to tie herself to someone she does not love. She will be miserable—even if her comfort is secured. Jane breaks off her engagement the very next morning and she and Cassandra leave Manydown.

Throughout the rest of the episode, the sisters, as well as their parents, become caught up in coming, going, and traveling. This wandering attitude is not prompted because they are pleasure seekers but because James and Mary Austen wish for Mr. George Austen to resign his post as the rector of the church and allow James to assume the role, as well as move his own family into the vicarage. Jane is desolate when she is forced to leave Steventon. Cassandra has always felt the need to take care of others, but her concerns for Jane intensify when they move and after they lose their father.

At the conclusion of episode three, while having a conversation with Miss Beth, Isabella Fowle’s sister, back in the present, Cassandra learns that she has been misreading the entire situation. Beth is not in love with Mr. Lidderdale. It is Isabella who has feelings for him.

Mr. Henry Hobday/ Photo Courtesy of PBS.org

Episode Four Summary

Mr. and Mrs. Dundas are at the vicarage when this episode begins, measuring the walls and preparing for the day when they may call the home their own. Mrs. Dundas bears a striking resemblance to Mrs. Elton, from Jane Austen’s book Emma, but since she is a minor character, her antics are soon forgotten. Cassandra rushes into the room, hoping to discuss matters concerning Mr. Lidderdale with Isabella at once. The two women go for a walk together and that is when Isabella explains that there was a time when she and Mr. Lidderdale were in love with one another. He asked her to marry him, but she refused because her father demanded she do as much. It is clear she still loves Mr. Lidderdale, but she says he is a proud man, and it will not be likely that he will ever propose to her again. (This is, of course, reminiscent of the way Elizabeth Bennet felt about Mr. Darcy, in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, after her feelings grew for him and she considered how she had already rejected his first proposal.)

It is settled that Isabella will go live with her sister, Mrs. Mary Jane Dexter, and the women begin searching for a suitable house to share.

When the adaptation returns to the past this time, the Austen women (Cassandra, Jane, and their mother) are grieving. They have moved again and are not able to afford very fine lodgings. Jane is inconsolable. But then, Mr. Henry Hobday arrives and wishes to speak with Cassandra. It seems for one bright sparkling moment that through his love, he can rescue them all, but Cassandra still cannot accept him. Now, she is utterly devoted to her sister and does not think Jane will be able to survive without her.

The Austen women, especially Jane, do not see happiness again until they move to Chawton and live in the cottage there that is owned by their brother, Edward. (His own wife, Elizabeth, died during childbirth. He wants Cassandra to stay with him and his family, so she might help take care of the children, but she recommends moving to Chawton instead. When his family is in residence there, she, their mother, and Jane may all lend a hand and support Edward and his brood.)

Back in the present day, the time for saying goodbye is upon them. Cassandra and Isabella run into Mr. Lidderdale on the street, and he tells them he will be leaving Kintbury soon. He has been offered a position as a surgeon elsewhere. When the ladies arrive back at the vicarage, Isabella begs Cassandra to finish reading Persuasion aloud, because she should like to know how it ends before Cassandra must also conclude her visit. They are going through the pages, talking loudly to one another, and Dinah eavesdrops. When she hears the passage about Louisa Musgrove falling off the Cobb, Dinah gets an idea. She flings herself down the staircase, hoping that the ladies will find her and send for Mr. Lidderdale. Dinah’s scheme works. Isabella fetches Mr. Lidderdale and after treating Dinah, he confesses his feelings remain unchanged. He will always care for Isabella. They will be married—at last.

Before Cassandra leaves the vicarage, she is given one final letter that Dinah says she found lying around the place. It is the last letter Jane ever wrote to Eliza and as Cassandra departs, she tearfully reads it. She learns of how much her sister adored and cherished her and just how grateful Jane was to have Cassandra by her side always. As the story winds to its own final scenes, Cassandra remembers all the good times she shared with her beloved sister and burns the letters.

Mr. Lidderdale and Miss Isabella Fowle/Photo Courtesy of PBS.org

First Impressions

Even though I’ve read the book twice, I still sobbed during those closing minutes. The bond between Jane and Cassandra was lovely and this series truly endeavored to show the audience just how important the Austen women were to one another.

This story is devoted to the people Cassandra loved and lost—Tom Fowle, Henry Hobday, her father, George Austen, Eliza Fowle, and Jane. For Cassandra, no love was greater than that which she held for her sister. While Cassandra sits at the fire, burning the letters, it should be noted that she does this because Jane requested as much. She did not say, point blank, “burn my letters”, but she did wish for her readers to only know her by what she wrote in her books, rather than what her personal correspondence might reveal.

Earlier in episode four, Mary Austen once again pressured Cassandra to produce the letters because, for her, she thought by reading them she might be able to better remember what happened in the past and share with others what came before. But for Cassandra, she argues that they do not need the letters. They will share their own stories—doing so in the most truthful way possible, while also preserving that which they hold dear. It is this idea that carries most in the end because Cassandra does not need the letters to prompt her memories, nor does she want other people to read what were once her private thoughts. She will be in control of this one aspect of her life. And her legacy, as well as Jane’s, will be preserved in the way they both wished.

Thanks for Watching with Us

It’s been a pleasure watching this Austenesque adaptation with you all.  If you missed one of the episodes, 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.