"Death Comes to Pemberley" - SPOILER ALERT

I am continuing my quest to eventually watch everything remotely related to "Pride and Prejudice" and there's no better time than Halloween month to watch "Death Comes to Pemberley".

Not surprisingly, this is a very dark mini series (consisting of three 1 hour-long episodes). It is a murder mystery, after all. Mr. Denny is, as you may recall from "Pride and Prejudice", a friend of Mr. Wickham's. His best friend, in fact. They don't always get along, though. One thing led to another and as they are on their way to the Darcys' ball with Lydia Wickham (uninvited), Mr. Denny is murdered. Of course, the prime suspect is Mr. Wickham. He has a reputation, a motive, and no alibi.

That would be way too obvious, though. Mr. Wickham desperately pleads his innocence throughout the series, to no avail. Of course, in true dramatic fashion, he is saved just seconds before he was to be hanged. There are some twists and turns in the series that lead us and mislead us, as any good mystery does, and even though his fate is somewhat predictable, it was interesting to see how it all unfolded.

Lizzy is able to get a signed written confession from the man who really did commit the murder (not a main character from the original "Pride and Prejudice") and she races to submit it in time. The real murderer was already ill and died just a few minutes after he signed the confession. Whew! It was clear he didn't mean for any of this to happen to Mr. Wickham and he was sincerely sorry for what he did. He died in peace surrounded by those who loved him.

Thanks to Lizzy's quick thinking and quick running, Mr. Wickham is saved. The man has a reputation, but I believed him when he continuously denied any wrongdoing in the murder. It's a side of him that we did not see in "Pride and Prejudice", though it's evident he's still greedy as can be. Kudos to the filmmakers who gave him more depth without ruining the side of him "Pride and Prejudice" fans are familiar with.

Imbedded in this movie is also the unfolding of Georgianna's future. Who will she marry? Her cousin, who Mr. Darcy insists is the right man for her or jovial, Mr. Bingley-like Henry? I was rather annoyed at Mr. Darcy for meddling in their business, especially after what he and Lizzy went through with their relationship. Eventually, Mr. Darcy came to his senses and encouraged Georgianna to marry for love. If only he had listened to Lizzy's advice all along, this mess wouldn't have happened, but I'm glad he (once again) cleaned it up. There are echoes of Jane and Mr. Bingley in how Mr. Darcy handled this situation. Hopefully now he really has learned his lesson. While we never actually witness Georgianna's and Henry's wedding, it is clear that they will be happy together.

I must say, for the most part, these characters stayed true to the originals. Lydia is my favorite character in this series. Her personality is easily recognizable. She is...well...Lydia. She added some much appreciated comic relief to this dark series. Georgianna is her sweet, innocent, and gentle self, just a bit older. I also really liked the actor who played Mr. Darcy. He is also easily recognizable. Mrs. Bennet looks younger in this series, which I found odd, but she has the same feisty and worrisome personality that we all love. Or do we?

Sadly, the only character I was uncomfortable with in this series was Lizzy. The movie takes place six years after the end of "Pride and Prejudice", but she looked like she aged at least 10 years. She was also made to be much more serious than she was in previous films. Her character in "Death Comes to Pemberley" just didn't vibe with me. For much of the mini series, Mr. Darcy didn't respect her either and she seemed unhappily married until the end of the series. By the way, they do have one son in this movie, but he isn't on screen much. He is simply there to serve the purpose of reminding Mr. Darcy what's really important. The final scene in the mini series is reminiscent of "Pride and Prejudice". Mr. and Mrs. Darcy are outdoors happily discussing the fact that Lizzy is pregnant again. This is where the series ends.

Overall, I really liked this follow-up to "Pride and Prejudice". It stayed surprisingly true to its predecessor, while still taking it to the next level. I have not read the book, but on its own, "Death Comes to Pemberley" mini series is an engaging murder mystery (and so much more). And if they dare, I think there's even enough to work with for another follow-up.