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Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe by Melissa de la Cruz & Hallmark
101 Plays2 months ago
What if Pride & Prejudice was set at Christmas in small town Ohio? What if the main characters are gender flipped so Darcy Fitzwilliam is a proud woman instead? But what if…..she just isn’t?
Melinda and Stefanie discuss inconsistent character adaptations, a mind-melting amount of drama for one family, and what is up with a tradition forcing people to kiss under mistletoe, in Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe by Melissa De La Cruz and its companion Hallmark movie.
Links & Mentions
Get into the festive spirit and watch the trailer for Pride, Prejudice & Mistletoe. If you'd like to learn more about the freaky festive parasite mistletoe, listen to this episode of Branch Out. The Smithonsian magazine has this article on the history of mistletoe. You can also see photos of Australia's Christmas tree mistletoe on the ABC.
If you need subtitles or a transcript, these are available through Apple Podcasts. Please note, they are auto generated so we apologise in advance for it not correctly understanding our accents on certain words.
As always you can find us (and our memes) on Instagram @janeaustenremixed and you can contact us via janeaustenremixed@gmail.com.
Join us every second Monday to hear all about a new adaptation of our favourite classic novel. We're taking a break for Christmas and will be back on January 5. Next episode we will be reading Stuck Up & Stupid by Angourie Rice and Kate Rice. If you're reading along, we encourage you to buy second hand or support your local independent bookshop, where possible.
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Transcript
Introduction to Jane Austen Remixed and Gender-Swapped Pride and Prejudice
00:00:00
Speaker
Hey Stephanie! Hey Melinda! What if I told you that Pride and Prejudice is a drama-filled Christmas rom-com where our Darcy and Elizabeth characters are gender-swapped, drink too much eggnog and meet under the mistletoe?
00:00:14
Speaker
Well, I do love eggnog and i kind of enjoy Christmas stuff, but I feel like I'm not going to enjoy where this one goes.
00:00:36
Speaker
Welcome to Jane Austen Remixed, the podcast where we examine the holly and jolly world of Pride and Prejudice adaptations. I'm Melinda. And I'm Stephanie. And Merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates, or Happy December if you don't.
00:00:51
Speaker
Today we are looking at Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe.
Book and Movie Discussion: Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe
00:00:54
Speaker
It was written by Melissa de la Cruz and was published in 2017. It has a companion hallmark movie called Pride, Prejudice and Mistletoe, released in 2018 and directed by Don McBrary. Here is the blurb that Stephanie will read out if you want to read it before listening to this episode.
00:01:12
Speaker
Darcy Fitzwilliam simply doesn't have time to fall in love. But this Christmas, a kiss under the mistletoe will change everything. As a partner at a major New York hedge fund, Darcy's only serious relationship is with her work cell phone.
00:01:28
Speaker
The truth is, she's too busy being successful and making money to have time for romance and Christmas cheer. But this year, Darcy is coming home to Pemberley, Ohio for the holidays.
00:01:42
Speaker
There she runs into her old neighbour and high school foe, Luke Bates. Bennett, the oldest of five wayward brothers. When Darcy's enmity with Luke is reopened, along with a hefty dollop of sexual chemistry, well, sparks are sure to fly.
Skepticism of Gender-Swapped Tropes and Hallmark Comparisons
00:02:01
Speaker
Can Darcy fall in love? Or will her pride and Luke's prejudice against big city girls stand in their way? This sparkling retelling of Pride and Prejudice will warm your heart over the festive season.
00:02:17
Speaker
So I already have thoughts. Why is Luke Bennett the oldest of five Bennetts? It's brought up and never addressed. Great, great. Yeah, I guess my other thought is i know that this is meant to be like a gender-flipped version, but we've already seen this trope play out multiple times. Like Sweet Home Alabama comes to mind, like she's the big city girl who goes back to her country town and falls back in love It's basically that.
00:02:46
Speaker
It's the setup of every Christmas Hallmark movie that exists in book form. Yes, it is. It does remind me of that meme that I will post on our Instagram at Jane Austen Remix that says, watch out ladies, when you visit family over the holidays, there will be a charming flannel wearing men who never left your hometown who will attempt to swindle you into quitting your high paying city job and into a relationship.
00:03:10
Speaker
Stay vigilant. It reminds me of that tweet that went mega viral a few years ago. This woman says, i am a successful brunette and this Christmas I am going home to meet my boyfriend's family for the first time and I've just realised I'm the villain in the Hallmark movie.
00:03:25
Speaker
Yes, I've seen that too. yes And did you see, i saw just this week, I don't know whether it's from this week, but she sent a follow-up tweet where she's like, by the way, this went mega viral and my boyfriend's parents saw it before I met them and they will never let me live it down. That's great. ah But funnily enough, this blurb does not describe what happens in this book.
00:03:48
Speaker
Oh, really? This story was an adventure. I'll be wrapping up the non-spoilers section now. So if you like Christmas romance books or Hallmark movies, maybe check this one out.
00:04:01
Speaker
Or if my enthusiasm or lack thereof is an indicator to you, maybe skip this one and get ready to listen to Stephanie and i lose our minds and here's some fun facts I learned about mistletoe I'm so excited for this hit me time for the spoiler chat as someone who enjoys Christmas I'm the has put my Christmas tree up in October kind of person i was really hoping that this one would be fun but I was not a fan of either the book or the film Before we begin, something I want to stress.
00:04:31
Speaker
This author has had her book published and sold the rights to have a movie made by Hallmark. That is an incredible achievement. I want to be clear, i in no way want to go after an author for executing and achieving their vision.
00:04:43
Speaker
and Just because I didn't like it doesn't mean that you won't. This isn't normally what I read. Let's start
Character Analysis: Darcy Fitzwilliam vs. Original Darcy
00:04:49
Speaker
with the book. This is a gender-flipped Pride and Prejudice taking place in the week before Christmas.
00:04:55
Speaker
Darcy Fitzwilliam is a 29-year-old hedge fund partner who lives in New York. The blurb makes it sound like she's a workaholic girl boss, but the only work we see her do during the novel is fumbling an important meeting and losing a client because she has a hangover.
00:05:09
Speaker
This is a Christmas romance, so usually the female character is a bit of a reader self-insert, right? So how do you make a likeable female main character when she's supposed to be the Darcy?
00:05:22
Speaker
Well, what you do is you inconsistently apply the Darcy characteristics so she's still an every woman. Her main Darcy trait is that she and her family are super rich. The opening chapter as she arrives home to the Fitzwilliam mansion sounds like Mr Collins describing Rosings Park.
00:05:40
Speaker
Then every few pages we get descriptions of the expensive brand she's wearing. Gross. What about Darcy's pride? I hear you ask. The pride that was mentioned in the blurb? Well, we do get some...
00:05:52
Speaker
Hints that Darcy might be proud and self-centered? According to her narration, people in New York think she's cold-hearted, but we never see it. In storytelling, a common piece of advice is show, don't tell.
00:06:05
Speaker
You shouldn't tell your readers that someone is cold-hearted. You should show your character being cold-hearted in their actions and their dialogue. This book does a lot of telling, which we're going to return to again and again in this discussion.
00:06:20
Speaker
Unfortunately, it leads to mixed motivations, incomplete character arcs, and some absurd plot twists. All I can think is we should have just had a scene of her like kicking a puppy.
00:06:33
Speaker
Tick. Done. Before we get to the story, I have a better pitch for this book that is a little bit formulaic, but that's why people love Christmas romances, because they know exactly where the books are going.
00:06:45
Speaker
My pitch, Darcy Fitzwilliam should have been Ebenezer Scrooge. We should have seen her at the beginning being greedy and proud and inconsiderate to people before learning through the magic of Christmas that maybe there's more to life than chasing money.
00:06:59
Speaker
Yes. And maybe the handsome carpenter known in this book as Luke Bennett, who she thinks is super hot because he's creative, could show her that the people in her life, both her romantic and non-romantic relationships, are important.
00:07:14
Speaker
It would have been a festive way to see the Darcy character transformation as Pride and Prejudice progresses. I love it. That would be amazing. You should write that one. I would really encourage you to also like make it a full on Dickens mash in as well and just have the ghosts of Christmas past come and knock down her door. That would be great. Could be the ghosts of boyfriends past.
00:07:34
Speaker
wasn't that a movie? No, no, it was The Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. oh That was the movie. yeah Of course, it was about a dude. Now to the plot. This book does adapt to many Pride and Prejudice story beats, but in a very unhinged way.
00:07:50
Speaker
This book is only 225 pages long and it is jam-packed Here is a list of some of the events that happen in this book. There is a fancy Christmas party, two tipsy make-out sessions under mistletoe, two relationship ultimatums, three relationship breakups, three relationship reconciliations, two engagements, a wedding being planned for New Year's Day, a wedding being called off, a relationship damaging spa day, family caroling, several binge sessions of the Gilmore Girls, lots of eggnog,
00:08:24
Speaker
a privacy breach of a school phone tree, a heart attack, a separate hospitalisation, friendship reconciliation, a Christmas present exchange where someone unwraps eight years worth of Christmas presents, and a shopping trip to Tiffany's.
00:08:39
Speaker
I'm so sorry? What? How many pages? Is this like one page per story beat? There's 225 pages and that's only a list of some of the things.
00:08:50
Speaker
who If all of these things happened around me during the week before Christmas, I'd be in the fetal position under a blanket listening to the sounds of the ocean and trying to stop an anxiety spiral. I would simply have a breakdown.
00:09:03
Speaker
Sadly, we will only talk about these things as they relate to the Pride and Prejudice adaptation elements because otherwise we'd be here for three hours. This sounds a lot like me and Mr Darcy with all the things I had to cut out.
00:09:16
Speaker
So on that, slight peek behind the curtain. When Stephanie and I were discussing this podcast, particularly the rating system, we came up with a category called Unhinged. We loosely promised each other this rating would come out very rarely, mostly once per season.
00:09:31
Speaker
And we've already used this season's Unhinged. And as soon as I read this book, I told Steph that I found a book that might be more unhinged than me and Mr. Darcy. And this is my thesis statement. Let's see, shall we?
00:09:43
Speaker
I'm very excited for you to convince me that this is more unhinged than our interdimensional time-traveling Darcy book. Bring it on. So, Darcy Fitzwilliam is called home to the small town of Pemberley, Ohio, when her mother has had a heart attack.
00:10:00
Speaker
She hasn't been home in eight years thanks to a fight with her dad, where he cut her off from the family's money. This is a whole subplot that we just don't have time to discuss in detail. It is completely absurd.
00:10:11
Speaker
Some relevant info on the fight, though. We learn one of the reasons her dad disinherited her was that she refused to marry her high school and college boyfriend, Carl Donovan, who I think is our Caroline Bingley.
00:10:24
Speaker
Darcy moved away to New York, but continued to see Carl on and off once he moved there too. Funnily enough, Carl Donovan is one of the most stable and mature people in this book because he actually makes sense most of the time and points out the absurdity around him. Ha!
00:10:40
Speaker
Great build. Why are we making Caroline the only unhinged person in this story? The only not unhinged person. Sorry, the only not unhinged person in this story. The Fitzwilliams host their annual Christmas party.
00:10:52
Speaker
Darcy is living her worst nightmare, and mine, making small talk with people from her past. But at the party, she runs into Bingley Charles, her best friend from high school and college. He moved to LA to become an actor after college, and they haven't spoken since.
00:11:10
Speaker
Bingley Charles. Okay. Yeah. Look, it's no bungles, but I'll go with it. So yes, this book has a Bingley, which means we need a Jane. These two besties, being Darcy and Bingley, start reconnecting and get tipsy on eggnog.
00:11:26
Speaker
Bingley accidentally spills his drink on someone's jacket. When Bingley looks up and locks eyes with Darcy's neighbor, Jim Bennett, it's seemingly love at first sight.
00:11:38
Speaker
Jim, I can't take this seriously, that's my dog's name. These lovebirds don't even notice Darcy slipping away and bumping into Jim's
Romantic Scene: Darcy Fitzwilliam and Luke Bennett
00:11:48
Speaker
older brother, Luke Bennett.
00:11:50
Speaker
So, Luke is Darcy's high school rival. They often debate against each other or something. There's some tipsy, witty banter. Darcy calls Luke small town, then Luke realises they're standing under mistletoe.
00:12:03
Speaker
Luke blurts out, for the sake of tradition, they should kiss. They do, but the makeout is interrupted by Carl Donovan, who is also at this party. Oh. What? No.
00:12:14
Speaker
They're just having a fight and then they make out because they're standing on a mistletoe? oh wait for it. Oh, good. Darcy and Carl meet the following day for coffee, where Carl gives Darcy an ultimatum.
00:12:28
Speaker
We have been on and off again for ages, but I want to settle down. If we get back together, I want us to commit. But if we break up, that's it. I'm done for good. This is sadly relevant for later, but Carl here is being mature and saying exactly what he wants.
00:12:43
Speaker
Yes, good. This is excellent communication. Good work, Caroline. Darcy and Bingley get invited to go caroling with the Bennett family. There, we are introduced to the other two Bennetts, not three like the blurb said.
00:12:57
Speaker
Luke and Jim's younger twin brothers, Lyle and Kit, who are 14. They're wearing grungy shirts, burp loudly, and are generally teenage boys. Luke is embarrassed by them and their behaviour, just like Elizabeth at Netherfield.
00:13:12
Speaker
Oh, sorry. Did you say Lyle? Lyle. Excellent. It's just, you definitely meet 14-year-old boys called Lyle these days.
00:13:23
Speaker
Kit is a great name, though. We're going to skip forward a bit. There's a bit of drama, but it's not relevant. Darcy Bingley meet up and discuss how they've both been making out with Bennett brothers. And here we get this story's version of Darcy interfering in Bingley's relationship.
00:13:38
Speaker
It's been two days and Bingley is strongly considering packing up his life in LA and moving home to be with Jim. Darcy is shocked. Hang on, buddy. It's been two days of honeymoon phase and you want to move interstate?
00:13:52
Speaker
We both left Pemberley because we wanted to do more. Do you really want to throw that all away? Maybe you should get to know each other a bit better first. I mean, that is sensible, but also we're in a rom-com.
00:14:04
Speaker
Pack it up. Jim seems great. Let's go. you're right. This sort of works in the context of Pride and Prejudice. In the original, Fitzwilliam Darcy encourages Charles Bingley to break the connection because he thinks Jane is indifferent and the match isn't practical.
00:14:20
Speaker
And Darcy Fitzwilliam is offering that same practical advice to Bingley. But you're right, we're in rom-com land. It's actually good advice. It's not mean or bad-natured. Which again, plays into your original comments.
00:14:32
Speaker
When are we seeing her being callous and cold-hearted? Where is the character growth? Bingley agrees with Darcy's advice, but instead of talking this through with Jim like adults, he tells Jim he feels sick and cancels their date that night.
00:14:45
Speaker
And instead of staying in to keep up the ruse, Darcy and Bingley decide to go out. And they run into Jim, who can't understand why Bingley thought he had to lie. Jim leaves and Bingley rushes after him.
00:14:57
Speaker
This leaves Darcy alone and we're ready for the introduction of another Pride and Prejudice character. Please tell me it's Mr Collins. I'm going to get Stephanie to read some of the highlights here.
00:15:08
Speaker
For context, this person arrives at the bar with Luke Bennett. To Darcy's surprise, Luke was with somebody. Darcy squinted through the dim lighting and saw that it was Charlotte Collins, a girl who had also gone to their high school.
00:15:23
Speaker
Darcy had always thought Charlotte was a spineless teacher's pet and she had gotten on Darcy's nerves. "'Luke! Luke seemed to turn white upon seeing her. "'You're Darcy Fitzwilliam, aren't you?' Charlotte asked with a plastic smile. "'You went to high school with us.' Sure did, replied Darcy.
00:15:44
Speaker
Charlotte slapped Luke's arm playfully, causing the diamond on her ring finger to twinkle in the dim tavern light. Oh my god, thought Darcy in a panic. Is he engaged?
00:15:55
Speaker
Wow, Darcy sat back composing herself. That's a beautiful ring. yeah Thank you. Charlotte beamed and gripped lovingly onto Luke's arm. We're getting married on New Year's Day.
00:16:10
Speaker
Luke's forehead was starting to sweat. Is that so? Darcy asked. Well, congratulations. We just decided.
00:16:21
Speaker
Luke blurted out awkwardly. It wasn't planned or anything. Oh, I have thoughts and feelings, Melinda. I knew you would. Oh, my God.
00:16:34
Speaker
He's cheating on his fiancée. he is not a catch. Okay, so in the timeline of this story, this is about the 21st of December and they're getting married on New Year's.
00:16:48
Speaker
Charlotte excuses herself and Darcy eyes Luke with incredulity. What is going on? It's not what you think, he says quickly. I'm no cheater.
00:17:00
Speaker
Okay, buddy. Charlotte and Luke were on a break when he made out with Darcy, but when Darcy pointed out in their banter that he was a small town guy, he decided it was time to commit to his small town life and Charlotte.
00:17:12
Speaker
It's still gross. Okay, that's disgusting and I do believe we already prosecuted this point ad nauseam in the 90s in all those episodes of Friends. It doesn't matter if you're on a break.
00:17:27
Speaker
You're still in a relationship unless the two of you have agreed mutually that the break means you can go and grope other people under the mistletoe.
00:17:40
Speaker
Also, how are they organising a wedding in that, oh, I'm going to commit to my small-time girlfriend. Let's get married in a week. Yeah, I have no idea. This is rom-com land. I organized a wedding very quickly. In less than six months.
00:17:55
Speaker
You cannot organize a wedding in a week. Not a wedding you'd want to have.
Character Exploration: Luke Bennett's Motivations
00:18:00
Speaker
Apologies to anyone who eloped and had a nice time doing that on short notice. This is not meant to denigrate that.
00:18:06
Speaker
Charlotte seems like the kind of person who would want a big wedding. Absolutely. So now it's time for a brief character study of our gender-flipped Elizabeth Bennet. So other than Luke experiencing some of Elizabeth's plot points, he is no obstinate headstrong guy.
00:18:21
Speaker
Because Darcy gets those qualities instead, so we can relate to her. According to his brother Leda, we find out that Luke has had a crush on Darcy since high school, so he has no prejudice against her.
00:18:33
Speaker
He's driven by his crush for Darcy, his raging insecurities, we'll get into some of those, and his weird relationship status. And that's all we know about him. We know he's a carpenter from what Darcy says, but we never see him working. We don't get to know Luke very well, so it's hard to form a really solid opinion of our male lead here. Other than that, he sounds like trash. Other than that, it's very strange.
00:18:59
Speaker
Back to the story. The next day, Darcy goes to see Bingley. Bingley is heartbroken because Jim broke up with him. Jim agreed that they were moving too fast, and it was better to stop now before they both got hurt.
00:19:11
Speaker
Darcy doubles down and says, maybe Jim's right. They got intense in three days and who wants the heartbreak of long distance? But Bingley still wants Jim. So Darcy interferes again, and despite what she just said, decides to rematch make the Lovelorn Men.
00:19:27
Speaker
They reenact a rom-com and throw rocks at Jim's window. Darcy yells up it's her fault that Bingley acted weird. Bingley declares his love and the two guys are back together. Oh my god, did the author decide to throw in a sideline of Elizabeth slash Darcy slash is actually Emma?
00:19:46
Speaker
It sounds like a reworking of Emma at this point. Darcy gets very excited early on that she match made the two guys originally, so definitely has some Emma vibes about her.
00:19:57
Speaker
The three of them then head to an ice skating rink and Darcy runs into Carl. She decides it's probably better to get the ultimatum conversation over and done with, even though she openly admits she doesn't know what answer she's going to give.
00:20:12
Speaker
Somehow, Darcy manages to talk herself into getting back together with Carl. Carl then proposes on the middle of the ice and to everyone's surprise, including Carl's, She says, yes.
00:20:25
Speaker
Carl knows that she made out with Luke. He even says to her, is she sure she's thought this through before accepting? And Darcy's response is, let's tell my parents. Where's the practical Darcy who was giving sound relationship advice a mere moment ago?
00:20:41
Speaker
Why are you proposing to someone if you don't think they should be saying yes? What is happening? Excellent question. Like, I don't know. I feel like when you get down on one knee in front of someone and say, will you marry me? And then they say yes immediately. Your first response shouldn't be, huh?
00:20:58
Speaker
Maybe you want to think about it for a minute. Even though I've just proposed to an incredibly public place, one of my absolute pet hates. Yeah, look, Carl is still the most sensible person in this book. He at least questions and goes, are you sure? Like, we've just had this conversation. And Darcy goes, whee!
00:21:16
Speaker
just like I believe it. Yep. Carl slash Caroline doing God's work in this, honestly. And now it's time for proposal one. Yes, we still get proposal one.
00:21:29
Speaker
Oh my God, I thought the Caroline proposal was going to be proposal one. Okay, I'm ready. Tell me. I don't think I'm ready. After telling her family she's engaged to Carl, Darcy has to fly back to New York. On her way to the airport, she has a heart-to-heart with Edward, who is one of the Fitzwilliams staff. She finally says out loud what her narration has been saying all along. She doesn't really love Carl, even though they're a good match.
00:21:54
Speaker
But there is someone in her life that she does love. Two make-out sessions do not equal love, but this is a Christmas rom-com, so we roll with it. This is a love-actually-level relationship. I love that movie, but those relationships are deeply flawed.
00:22:10
Speaker
So in the middle of the Bennett family living room, Darcy tells Luke she loves him, even though he's not her usual type and has no ambition, which we haven't seen from him.
00:22:22
Speaker
Luke rightly points out he's engaged. So is Darcy. Luke's takedown is brutal, calling her selfish. She's got no idea what love is because she's clearly not thinking of Luke and his relationship or Carl at this moment. She's just thinking of herself. She thinks she's better than everyone else and her pride is off the charts and she needs to leave.
00:22:44
Speaker
When your head stops spinning from the drama in that proposal, It's not a bad adaptation of Proposal 1. Darcy seems to expect that Luke will say yes, even though they're both engaged. Given how practical Darcy was earlier with Bingley and Jim, this turn is something.
00:23:03
Speaker
The part that doesn't work for me is that we haven't seen the behavior they accuse each other of in the book, so the name calling feels unearned. It's all just words.
00:23:14
Speaker
Yeah. I think, unfortunately, there is a bit of a societal prejudice playing into Luke is a blue-collar worker, so therefore he must be unambitious. Because, like, he iss designated in a blue-collar job, that would be seen as an unambitious thing because if he did have ambition, he would have gone to college, got a degree, be a hedge fund manager. So I think that's maybe what is doing the heavy lifting on the unambitious, which is frankly ridiculous. And I am not into that at all. To me, that sounds like that's is being heavily implied. Along with like, he lives in a small town and he's a blue collar worker.
00:23:58
Speaker
Alright, so Darcy flies back to New York, and instead of writing a letter to Luke, she does the next best thing. She, quote, buries herself in her luxurious Egyptian cotton linens and under her $3,000 European goose down comforter, end quote, and spirals, leading into our Darcy character growth.
00:24:19
Speaker
I'll let you be the judge. Luke called her self-centered. According to her, heaps of people have called her that before. Again, it would have been nice if we'd seen it.
00:24:29
Speaker
But Luke's words are challenging her self-worth. So on Christmas Eve, she goes to work as a distraction.
00:24:40
Speaker
And to prove she's not selfish, she decides to stop at Tiffany's to buy her assistant the most elegant necklace she can see. Because would a self-centered person do that?
00:24:53
Speaker
Well, actually, they might. They would, actually. That is the most self-centered way of buying a person a gift. You haven't asked them what they wanted. You don't know anything about them to know. You just think, oh, you know, it's expensive, so therefore they will be grateful.
00:25:10
Speaker
That is the most rich person, self-centered thing you could possibly do. Yep. She arrives at work and gives her dedicated assistant, Millie, the Tiffany necklace.
00:25:21
Speaker
Darcy also signs the Christmas card from, wait for it, the Darcy Cuda. Darcy says in her narration that she was flattered. Millie had given her a fun nickname, but Millie is embarrassed.
00:25:33
Speaker
Darcy's supposed to be smart. How does she not realize that being called barracuda is an insult? Yeah. Oh my god, I'm dying of secondhand embarrassment for this character. yeah it's wild. If someone called me like the Steph Cooter, I would die. Just, oh no.
00:25:53
Speaker
Darcy then apologizes for not giving Millie a Christmas present in the three years that she's worked for her. Millie gives Darcy her gift, a scarf she's knitted herself. Darcy is floored by Millie's creativity, but Millie points out that she's given Darcy a handmade present every year.
00:26:10
Speaker
Darcy is shocked she never noticed. So maybe in this one scene we can actually see that Darcy is self-centered? Yep, yep. This is selling it for me, actually. Oh my God, what did she even do with the other gifts? Did she just throw them in the bin without opening them? But the problem with this is it's too little too late.
00:26:27
Speaker
her slow realisation that she needs to change feels on brand for the original Pride and Prejudice. But I think the issue is here that we haven't seen her being proud or self-centered until now. Where's the scene at the start of her at work and saying something insensitive to her assistant? That she sees Millie react but doesn't understand why she's reacting?
00:26:48
Speaker
Where's Millie venting to the other assistants and calling her the Darcy Cooter and Darcy somehow thinking it's fun? So we have some growth, but not really.
00:26:59
Speaker
Yeah, like that scene that you've just described, that would be a perfect way to introduce the character. And then she's like, you know, flounces out the door off to the airport. And maybe you could even see her like discarding the gift from her assistant unopened.
00:27:14
Speaker
Something like that. But this is the show don't tell missing, right? Yeah, yeah. So Carl and Darcy meet up and do some wedding planning, but none of that matters. Darcy's brother James calls with news about the Wickham scandal.
00:27:26
Speaker
More on that in a moment. Carl is sensible again. Why do you suddenly want to hear about life in Pemberley, specifically the Bennetts? Why did you agree to marry me so fast after so long?
00:27:38
Speaker
Carl says he knew Luke liked Darcy. Did Darcy only agree to marry him because her make-out buddy was no longer an option? Darcy says Luke hates her because he called her self-centered, and Carl looks right at her and says maybe he's right. Okay, I just... What do you mean make-out buddy? That doesn't make any sense.
00:27:58
Speaker
That would make more sense if they'd been, like, macking on for, like six months, not a week. I don't know. i can't give you an answer. At least he's asking the question though, which is sensible.
00:28:11
Speaker
Man Caroline continues to be the MVP of this story. Yes. So Darcy goes on to prove how self-centered she is. She creeps out of her apartment that night, leaving Carl in bed with a note breaking the engagement.
00:28:28
Speaker
Great use of the Darcy letter there. And just like Santa working hard on Christmas Eve, Darcy takes the red eye back to Pemberley. What is happening? Also, you're not getting that flight with no ticket. Those flights are all booked out. Maybe she bribes someone at the airport, I don't know. Ha! just walked up to some poor person who was like, you, I'll give you $10,000 if you give me your ticket to the flight.
00:28:51
Speaker
Also, the fact that there are direct flights from New York to Pemberley, Ohio, given it's a small town, seems very strange. But, you know, rom-com land. There are three airports in New York. I can believe it. There are three airports and they fly to so many weird places. Okay. Well, there you go. She's jumping on a LaGuardia or something. Exactly. Exactly. She's definitely not going out ah out of JFK, I can tell you that much.
Subplot Introduction: Kit and Lyle's School Trouble
00:29:14
Speaker
Okay, Wickham scandal time. Are you ready for this book to take a sleigh ride off a cliff? I'm so ready. Darcy learns on that phone call that Kit and Lyle are on the verge of being expelled from their school. They were caught vandalising school property and they are already on their second strike.
00:29:33
Speaker
You know, the twins who sang carols with their family and were burping loudly are vandalising bullies. According to Bingley, their next stop is Juvenile Hall, which is like a youth detention facility. Where was the indication of this earlier in the book? What?
00:29:52
Speaker
What? So, in pursuit of her self-betterment, Darcy decides to help Kitten Lyle and goes to the school to meet the principal. Now, this is the day following her flight.
00:30:03
Speaker
What day did she fly to Pemberley on? Oh my god. She went to see the principal on Christmas Day? Yes, so this poor principal and her PA are working on Christmas Day. I don't think so.
00:30:15
Speaker
And they are meeting with a random stranger who is determined to help two troubled kids. Okay, fine. According to the principal though, these kids have a massive list of offences against them.
00:30:27
Speaker
They have been terrorising the school, vandalising property, starting fires, and bullying students and staff. And Darcy, with all her vast experience with children, tells a high school principal that they're just being boys and acting out.
00:30:44
Speaker
Surely this is just a phase. The principal says they're clearly troubled and this is harmful and borderline criminal behaviour. And so, like our other Darcys, Darcy decides to throw money at the situation.
00:31:00
Speaker
oh my god. What if she just pays for the damage to the school, the stuff they've already done, and pay for any future damage they might cause? o The principal rightly points out this isn't really a solution because the boys need help. They should be going to therapy. Darcy agrees and says she'll pay for that too. the principal says that the other parents at the school won't like this because the boys are awful and want them gone.
00:31:28
Speaker
So Darcy says to give her their numbers and she'll call every family and talk to them. What is happening? What is happening? These will be boys their way out of- Oh my god. Oh no. I'm sorry. I know I've mentioned this before, but as the mother of a son, that makes my blood hurdle.
00:31:48
Speaker
We have to be teaching all of our children to take responsibility for their actions, not teaching them that some rich rando will swoop in out of nowhere and fix all of their problems for them every single time they decide to be a dirtbag. Oh my god, you're going to turn them into sociopaths!
00:32:07
Speaker
Okay, you feel the same way about this that I do. i have so many questions. Not only because the boys will be boys is not at all a permissible excuse for teenagers destroying property and hurting staff and students.
00:32:20
Speaker
This was their last strike. They need to face consequences and take responsibility for the things they've done wrong. What is throwing infinite money at the situation teaching them? This book was published in 2017, so eight years ago, so this attitude was more common, but it feels gross reading it today. I'm also not advocating for them to go to whatever juvenile hall is, but how are they being helped? But more importantly, where was any indication that these two kids were this destructive earlier? Was it their grungy skating T-shirts? Yes. Because that's all we get. So this scandal does not feel earned. I do appreciate that the boys' mental health is being considered, but this is a completely wild swing for the scandal when we've seen nothing destructive from them prior to this.
00:33:08
Speaker
I reckon you're right. I think the outfits were meant to convey that they were dirtbags and terrible people in the same way that being a small town carpenter is meant to imply that old
Fashion as Characterization
00:33:19
Speaker
mate is unambitious. The background information that is trying to do the heavy lifting here, but no. It's like when you watch like a teen film and, you know they go around, they introduce all the characters and they're like, that's the stoners or like that's the whatever, stay away from them. And you're supposed to identify them by their outfits, right?
00:33:36
Speaker
Yes. But I think in that case, you're actually being told that they're troubled. Like yes they have this whole conversation where Darcy is reintroduced to the boys. She spends the night walking around with Luke. Surely it comes up in conversation. i don't know. don't want to overanalyze this. This is what we have.
00:33:56
Speaker
Next, there is a left turn into sentimental town, which we don't have time to discuss. Darcy learns, though, that Luke and Charlotte have moved their wedding up from New Year's. The rehearsal dinner is now on that evening, which is Christmas, and they're getting married tomorrow.
00:34:13
Speaker
What? Who has a last-minute rehearsal? People have plans. People have plans, especially Christmas. Christmas. Christmas Day!
00:34:25
Speaker
Darcy is invited to the rehearsal dinner and decides to go at the last minute. She turns up at the venue to find it empty. With Luke standing outside, he's called off his wedding because he's realised he's in love with Darcy.
00:34:40
Speaker
Oh, God, they deserve each other. Though promising anonymity, the principal told Luke what Darcy had done for Kit and Lyle, and Luke is floored she did something so selfless. He apologises for calling her a snob, they reconcile, make out, and...
00:34:56
Speaker
You think that would be the end of the book, right? Oh, God. Oh, my God. I just have to say, like, he just accused her of being, like, self-centered, short-sighted, and, like, blinded by her richness. And then she goes and does the most short-sighted, blinded by her richness thing possible. And he's like, oh, my God, it made me realize I love you. yep So this isn't the end of the book.
00:35:20
Speaker
We're only on page 162. What do you mean all of that happened in only 162 pages? So there are 63 pages left in this book. Excellent. But why? Giddy so there are sixty three pages left in this book books lie giy up There's all this stuff with her family we're not going to go into. But Darcy and Bingley decide to go for a spa day, which becomes the spa day of doom.
00:35:43
Speaker
After Darcy sabotages his relationship, Bingley seemingly decides he should sabotage us right back. Get it, girl. Bingley brings up that he can't stop thinking about how rude Luke was to Darcy during the first proposal.
00:35:59
Speaker
Darcy says that Luke apologised, so it's okay. But it's clearly not because Darcy starts to spiral about what Luke really thinks of her. Bingley suggests talking to Luke to sort it out.
00:36:10
Speaker
But lol, why would she do that? This sets off one of the worst romance book tropes. Manufactured conflict and refusing to talk about it. Yep, yep.
00:36:21
Speaker
Luke is emotionally intelligent enough to figure out something is wrong, but Darcy refuses to talk and storms out. She ends up having a heart-to-heart with her mum, who says, talk to Luke.
00:36:32
Speaker
So they meet back up for drinks. Oh my god. Darcy says she's worried Luke still thinks she's snobby. Luke again apologizes for everything he said that night. And then he drops some absolutely absurd exposition about his relationship with Charlotte, which is sadly relevant.
00:36:56
Speaker
Incredible. Luke and Charlotte had been going out for three years and Charlotte gave him an ultimatum just before Christmas. Are they moving forward with their relationship or are they breaking up?
00:37:08
Speaker
They mutually decide to take the break and then Darcy shows back up. Luke's crush from high school reignites and he wants to pursue Darcy, but Charlotte wants to get back together.
00:37:20
Speaker
Charlotte plays on all of Luke's insecurities. Darcy's a successful New Yorker. Why would she go out with someone like you from a small town? She could go out with anyone.
00:37:31
Speaker
So Luke listens to Charlotte and they get back together. but but That's deranged. And then...
00:37:41
Speaker
Oh boy, Stephanie, I'm going to get you to read out some highlights from this next section so you can discover this bonkers twist in real time. yeah my God, I'm so excited. For a context, this is Luke talking about the first proposal scene.
00:37:59
Speaker
But then you came to our house that day. I was with Charlotte. In my room. Jim came upstairs and told me. Us. You were there. Charlotte told me that if I didn't go down there and tell you that you're selfish... Tell you that you're a selfish, heartless snob and to never talk to me again, she'd leave me.
00:38:18
Speaker
my god, Darcy gawked. That's psychotic. Maybe, he agreed. But the really psychotic thing was that i listened to her, Darcy. I went down there and I gave you every reason to never talk to me again.
00:38:31
Speaker
i had to really push you away, give you a good reason to hate me. And it wasn't hard to fake it. I just channeled that inner part of me that always thought I didn't deserve you.
00:38:42
Speaker
That made me mad enough to be able to say what I said. Nonsensical. Oh my god, said Darcy again. So you didn't actually mean any of that? That's what I'm saying, he said.
00:38:54
Speaker
Not one word. I mean, that doesn't make it okay, Darcy. I still said it. And that's unforgivable. What? Oops. Why? I think my brain just snapped in half.
00:39:09
Speaker
Why didn't Charlotte just go down the stairs herself and be like, hey lady, here's my fiancé. There are so many different things that could have happened here that would have made more sense than what happened.
00:39:23
Speaker
I just, I can't even process this. So does me sending you those voice memos when I finish this book saying I am speechless and I don't know where to go suddenly make sense?
00:39:34
Speaker
Yes. Yes. So what this means is... Luke was never prejudiced against Darcy. The proposal one scene that inspired Darcy's half a character arc where she bought one necklace and funded thousands of dollars of school repairs to be less selfish.
00:39:54
Speaker
And Charlotte manipulated him to say those things. It took me till I was writing these episode notes to realise that Charlotte's last name isn't Lucas.
00:40:06
Speaker
It's Collins. So instead of an adaptation of a gender-flipped Lizzie and Charlotte relationship, we get Lizzie with a Mr Collins. But I don't think Mr Collins would ever be that manipulative.
00:40:19
Speaker
He's not smart enough. So eventually Luke gets his act together and after learning what Darcy did for kitten Lyle, he calls off the wedding. Luke doesn't think Darcy's a snob and they reconcile. The story has an epilogue. There's a time jump forward two years.
00:40:33
Speaker
Luke and Darcy are married and living together in New York with their baby, Millie, named after the woman Darcy admires most, her assistant. And the book finishes. I mean, she could have just given Millie a pay rise.
00:40:47
Speaker
I named my baby after you. Can we agree that we've found a book more unhinged than me and Mr. Darcy? but think they're equally unhinged. i will stand by me and Mr. Darcy until the day I die because of all of the stuff that I left out of the episode.
00:41:08
Speaker
I'm never reading it. It wouldn't take long. It's only 225 pages. Given the psychic damage i I've received listening to you recap it, I think I'll be giving it a miss.
00:41:21
Speaker
So the sad part about this is this book feels like it should appeal to me. It is chock full of millennial references. There are mentions of Taylor Swift, Hamilton the musical lyrics, her comfort show being the Gilmore Girls,
00:41:36
Speaker
Even Darren Criss gets name dropped and I've followed him since Star Kid, but sadly even Harry freaking Potter couldn't save this mess. For those of you who get that joke, you're very welcome.
00:41:49
Speaker
Now that's the book. What about Pride, Prejudice and Mistletoe? Note, the and is missing from the movie title. Oh my God, it is. What?
00:42:00
Speaker
I'm not sure what I did to end up on Santa's naughty list having to watch two Hallmark movies so close together, but here we are. Just lucky. So lucky. I've mentioned before, I'm not a massive fan of Hallmark movies. To me, they just feel too fake, too overly sentimental and sweet.
00:42:18
Speaker
The same goes for most Christmas movies because it's Hallmark sentimentality amped up. If you like them, that's totally fine with me. But this again will shade how I view this movie. Two pieces of good news.
00:42:29
Speaker
One, the movie's short. It's under 90 minutes. And two, this film's plot is very different to the book. It's given the full Christmas hallmark treatment.
00:42:42
Speaker
The main plot driver is now a Christmas charity gala and auction that the Fitzwilliam family are trying to organise last minute. But there are all the usual tropey obstacles.
00:42:52
Speaker
What? I had to actually Google and check that these are the same... adaptation. So how well does the movie adapt the plot of Pride and Prejudice?
00:43:03
Speaker
Well, to put it simply, it doesn't. The most Pride and Prejudice thing about this is the title.
00:43:12
Speaker
It is a very loose frenemies to lovers plot with two characters named Darcy and Bennett. Darcy Fitzwilliam and Luke Bennett are here. Jim Bennett is here and he's going out with Darcy's best friend, but her name is Kayleigh.
00:43:27
Speaker
Of course. Darcy doesn't interfere with their relationship at all. Carl Donovan is also here, sulking around because he and Darcy are on a break and he wants to get back together.
00:43:38
Speaker
Don't touch Man Caroline. Leave Man Caroline alone. Yeah, Man Caroline has a bit of a downgrade in the movie. Darcy Fitzwilliam is still our super rich everywoman, but she's very kind.
00:43:49
Speaker
She likes helping people by making them money. Okay, Darcy isn't proud, she just likes doing things her way and being in control. She comes from a rich family and wants to earn people's respect through her hard work.
00:44:04
Speaker
She cares for her clients and works with integrity. I tell you this because while the film has nothing to do with Pride and Prejudice, there is a final reference that is a choice.
00:44:16
Speaker
Darcy is still a hedge fund partner, but in the film she wants to reform the company and reduce their minimum investment level. She wants to support smaller investors, but one of the other partners wants to keep the company focused on the rich big fish.
00:44:32
Speaker
You may want to mic down for this, Stephanie. And her name is Austin. No! No! Stop putting Jane Austen in his stories!
00:44:43
Speaker
Leave her alone. Yes, a character named Austin is actively working against the Darcy character who is in trying to empower everyday people.
00:44:54
Speaker
Just let that sit for a bit. I will not sit by and listen to this slander. Oh my you would leave jane austen alone It's just so bizarre. They could have named this person anything.
00:45:09
Speaker
Literally anything. i think it's supposed to be a reference, but why? it has to be, but why There are so many names. There are so many names, Melinda.
00:45:20
Speaker
Yes, there are. And after Darcy stands up to Austin, she starts poaching Darcy's clients to try and drive her out of the company. Just call her Caroline. Exactly.
00:45:32
Speaker
What's Mrs Hurst's first name? Louisa. Call her Louisa. That's a deep cut for the Austin fans. You could call her Wilhelmina so she's a William Collins or like Wickham. Yes, Wickham. She could be Wickham.
00:45:44
Speaker
Okay, so our other main character? Luke Bennett has just bought the local tavern. His character is a massive golden retriever, which is far more a Bingley than an Elizabeth.
00:45:56
Speaker
He's the only caterer in Pemberley not booked for Christmas at the last minute. Oh my god, he's a caterer now? Well, they're planning an event and they need a caterer who all of a sudden starts planning the whole thing alongside Darcy. Yeah, it's a whole thing. Okay. I have organized so many events in my professional life and I can tell you from experience, caterers will show up, they will leave the food and then they will go away.
00:46:21
Speaker
And they will, if you were hired plates, they will come back and they will collect them later and they will expect them to already be washed. Unless they are a full service agency, they are not doing anything else. This is hallmark rom-com land, Stephanie. It doesn't make sense. Just make him an event manager. Just make him a freelance event manager.
00:46:41
Speaker
No, that's Darcy's job in the whole thing. I don't know. i can't, I don't know what to tell you. The amount of drama that happens around this event, every single possible event movie cliche that you can think of happens for this event.
00:46:56
Speaker
Does someone go face first into a cake? Oh, actually, maybe not that one.
00:47:02
Speaker
And now, Melinda, does this Darcy dive into a cake? Sadly, Darcy physically does not go head first into a cake.
00:47:15
Speaker
But the family persevere for the sake of raising money for the town's youth drop-in centre and supporting the children. I'm not making fun of the cause here. i am making fun of the gala auction, just to be clear. Yes, at least the gala was for ah actually a good cause.
00:47:33
Speaker
Yes. So because this is a Pride and Prejudice adaptations podcast, I feel like I should stop the discussion of the movie right here. There is literally nothing here that relates to Pride and Prejudice other than the character names and the Darcy, Luke, Carl love triangle.
00:47:48
Speaker
There is one recurring bit in the film that I'll use as our transition. Darcy and Luke end up under mistletoe three times, only kissing the final time. Darcy quizzes Luke the first time on why mistletoe is a Christmas tradition.
00:48:01
Speaker
He eloquently replies, it's mistletoe. It hangs there. People kiss. It's Christmas. Oh. No joke, that is the quote from the movie.
00:48:11
Speaker
Oh my god. But it would be so easy to... Yep. I'm sorry, if I asked a man that question and that was his response, that would be it. i just would just be like, I don't know, man.
00:48:23
Speaker
I've got a smartphone. Let's look it up. That sounds really interesting. Oh, it just hangs there and it's Christmas. Thanks, genius. By the time they get to the third time under the mistletoe, Luke is prepared and starts sharing the info.
00:48:37
Speaker
But Darcy doesn't want to hear that answer now. She just wants to make out. And by this point, all I wanted to do was learn about mistletoe. Yes, I mean, flip that over. Exactly what I said before, but in reverse. He should have been like, no, I'm sorry. I researched this. You're going to listen to it. Or this isn't going anywhere.
00:48:54
Speaker
Nerd central over here. Absolutely. So here are some fun facts about mistletoe for you. Yes. Mistletoes are actually parasites that grow on other trees and steal their nutrients to live.
00:49:08
Speaker
Oh my God, I did know this one. I didn't. I love trivia. Many of them never touch the ground since they hang off other trees, which explains why mistletoe sprigs are hung up. Okay, that's really cool.
00:49:20
Speaker
While the famous one with the white berries talked about at Christmas is from the European family of mistletoes, Australia is home to at least 90 species. Yeah, mistletoe is an Australian thing as well. Oh my God, I need to get some.
00:49:33
Speaker
And the oldest surviving mistletoe is actually located in WA, Western Australia, for those outside Australia. That's cool. Snutzia floribunda is known colloquially as the Christmas tree and has bright orange flowers.
00:49:48
Speaker
It has been called a bushfire without smoke because of how all the orange flowers grow all over the tree and can look like flames when they bloom around Christmas, which is peak bushfire time for Australia. That sounds beautiful. The pictures are gorgeous.
00:50:02
Speaker
Also, fun fact about Christmas tree mistletoe, it attaches itself to the plants roots. not the branches like other types of mistletoe, in order to get nutrients. It has blades on its roots, sharp enough to break skin and slice through the roots of other plants so they can get nutrients. And other things like underground cables. Apparently when the first telephone cables were being run underground from Perth to Geraldton, the Christmas tree kept cutting the cables trying to get nutrients. Okay, that is a horror movie that needs to be made, like Day of the Triffid style, but it's like Day of the Mistletoe. Yep, that's great. And Mistletoe also relies entirely on birds, specifically the mistletoe bird, to spread its seed onto other trees.
Cultural Context: Mistletoe's Norse Mythology Origins
00:50:45
Speaker
The origin for kissing under mistletoe seems to come from Norse mythology. The god Odin and his wife Frigg, the goddess of love and marriage, had a son named Baldor. Baldor was prophesied to die, so Frigg went to all the animals and plants and asked them to promise not to harm him.
00:51:01
Speaker
But Frigg forgot to ask mistletoe. So Loki, not Tom Hiddleston's version, made an arrow from the plant and gave it to someone to kill Baldor. In one version of the story, Frigg cried over her son, her tears turning into the mistletoe berries, and Baldor came back to life. Frigg said mistletoe was a symbol of love and would kiss anyone who passed under the plant.
00:51:24
Speaker
How this got linked to Christmas is not super clear. I couldn't find a source I felt comfortable referencing. There is a mention in a poem from 1784 about kissing under mistletoe, but how that links to Christmas might be lost to history.
00:51:39
Speaker
One article I've linked in the show notes from the Smithsonian Magazine says one historian thinks a boy wanting to kiss girls made it up, which kind of wouldn't surprise me. That doesn't surprise me at all. I would say as the person in the recording with the archaeology degree and a pretty solid working knowledge of mythology,
00:51:58
Speaker
It would have been a tradition related to something with some sort of Norse festival at the same time as Christmas in those areas. And then when the Christians came in, they kept a lot of those pagan traditions and built them into their new Christmas time and celebration in order to keep that continuity and to help the locals who they were converting to Christianity become more familiar and more comfortable with those, like Yule logs and things like that in the UK. That was a pagan tradition that came from like the midwinter festival that came into Christmas. So I'd say that's probably how it built in.
00:52:31
Speaker
And if you would like to learn more about mistletoes, I learned most of these facts from an episode of Branch Out, which is a podcast run by the Botanic Gardens of Sydney. I will link this episode and the article in the show notes. I will be listening to that immediately.
00:52:45
Speaker
And now it's time for our rating. With Stephanie's permission, the book Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe is unhinged. Woo-hoo! There is the start of a good idea here.
00:52:57
Speaker
To the book's credit, it does a great job with the Bingley-Jim romance and Darcy interfering. The first proposal is well executed too until you realize it was all a lie and there wasn't much character growth as a result.
00:53:10
Speaker
To me though, the characters just aren't developed enough. You needed to see the characters acting proud or prejudiced at the start so they could have character arcs. This should have been a reforming Ebenezer Scrooge story, but it's hard when your main female character needs to be a reader self insert for the romance book premise to work.
00:53:29
Speaker
The rest of the plot is also not great for me. There is so much extra drama in these pages, it made my head spin. And I think the Bennett scandal needed some work. It was of its time in 2017, but it feels gross now.
00:53:43
Speaker
And the movie? Pride, Prejudice and Mistletoe? It's not actually Austin. An adaptation we enjoyed, but doesn't really resemble Pride and Prejudice. Half of that's wrong. I didn't really enjoy this. But I feel like that's because I don't like Hallmark
Conclusion and Listener Engagement
00:53:57
Speaker
movies. But this is not an Austen film.
00:54:00
Speaker
It is a stereotypical Christmas movie with Pride and Prejudice in the title. That doesn't make it a bad movie. It's just not for me. We hope you enjoyed this episode of Jane Austen Remixed.
00:54:10
Speaker
We love exploring this wonderful corner of the literary world with you. Please share the podcast with your friends, family, literary fans, and other Janeites. And we would love it if you could leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you are listening.
00:54:23
Speaker
This helps us reach other fans of Pride and Prejudice and build our community. You can also follow us on Instagram at janeaustenremixed. And if you have a question or a suggestion for a book or a movie or something you'd like us to review, drop us a line.
00:54:37
Speaker
You can email us at janeaustenremixed at gmail.com. Join us in two weeks where we examine Stuck Up and Stupid by Angarry Rice and Kate Rice. And now, Melinda, the most important question for our podcast.
00:54:52
Speaker
Does this Darcy dive into a lake? No. Darcy Fitzwilliam does not dive into a lake in either the book or the film. Lake diving in winter in Ohio?
00:55:02
Speaker
No thanks. I mean, then there could have been like a cute Christmassy sauna scene afterwards. Another miss. See you next episode.
00:55:46
Speaker
you