Magpie X

It wasn't as terrible as I was expecting based on the flood of dismembering reviews, but it completely failed as a drama (zero plot tension) and the romance had as much sizzle as a plum pudding. On the positive side it looks gorgeous, a love letter to the English countryside, natty tailoring and why Henry Golding should be in everything, but as a heartbreaking exploration of the pain of lost love and the second guessing of the heart it falls flat. Some of the casting was incomprehensible and the rip off of Fleabag is inexcusable, but I stayed for Mary's one liners and a glimpse of Bath. And if they can't give us what we actually want, this silly, fun (mercifully short) confection will do while we wait for something that rips your heart out and makes you stop breathing while the tears flow, just as Austen intended.