You’re recommending the Paltrow Emma (admittedly, with qualifications)? Have you seen the Beckinsale version? Or the WONderful miniseries with Romola Garai that came out a few years ago? I haven’t read the novel, but, since the miniseries is, like three or four hours long, it definitely FEELS like the novel has the room to breathe. It shows so much more…stuff…than the other versions, and…well…it just seems to make a lot more sense. There’s especially a lot more time to explore the characters and their arcs, and that’s kinda like the biggest part of the story (and most of the other Austens, actually…). It blows the other versions out of the water. It’s…probably my second-favorite Austen film adaptation. Even over S&S, which also had a miniseries, which felt, again, more substantial and…room-having than the Thompson version. Just, obviously, without that dynamite cast. Still worth a look, and not just to completionists.

Obviously, as I’m a huge fan of the P&P miniseries (it’s just about the most perfect viewing experience), it stands to reason that I’d be a big fan of another Austen miniseries. It’s…just…the perfect format for ANY story. But…still…big recommendation, to anyone who likes P&P ’95. And I didn’t think the characters were annoying at all in it. I guess they smoothed out the rough edges same as the earlier (shorter, inferior) versions. Like everyone agrees with you on the novel. Maybe I’m better off not having read it.