Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
Undeceived by Karen M Cox
44 Plays9 days ago
What if Pride & Prejudice was set during the 1980s in Cold War Europe? What if Elizabeth Bennet and William Darcy were American spies in the CIA? How is a Walkman used to advance the plot? Join Melinda and Stefanie as they infiltrate a world of clouded allegiances and international intrigue with the book that inspired the podcast: Undeceived: Pride & Prejudice in the Spy Game by Karen M Cox.
Links & Mentions
If, like Stefanie, your bent runs more to Ancient History, you can read more about the Cold War here. And find out more specifically about the Bay of Pigs invasion here.
You can make yourself a London Fog to sip while you read Undeceived with this recipe here.
If you need subtitles or a transcript, these are available through the Apple Podcasts app. 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. Next episode we will be reading Me and Mr Darcy by Alexandra Potter. If you're reading along, we encourage you to buy secondhand or support your local independent bookshop, where possible.
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to 'Jane Austen Remixed'
00:00:00
Speaker
Hey, Stephanie. Hey, Melinda. What if I told you Pride and Prejudice was set in the Cold War, that Elizabeth and Darcy were spies in the CIA, and one of them is suspected of being a double agent?
00:00:14
Speaker
Ooh, I would say that sounds very scandalous.
Introducing 'Undeceived: Pride and Prejudice in the Spy Game'
00:00:31
Speaker
Welcome to the first official episode of Jane Austen Remixed, the podcast where we examine the intriguing and thrilling world of Pride and Prejudice adaptations. To hear all about what this podcast is and why we're here, have a listen to our introduction episode in the feed.
00:00:48
Speaker
We share why we love Pride and Prejudice and what we're going to be doing. It's a short episode, so definitely check it out. And we are your hosts. I'm Melinda. And I'm Stephanie. Our first adaptation is Undeceived Pride and Prejudice in the Spy Game.
00:01:02
Speaker
It was written by Karen M Cox and was published by Meryton Press in 2016. I found this book in one of my semi-regular internet searches for Pride and Prejudice adaptations back in 2022.
00:01:15
Speaker
I think I may have squeed when I found him and then immediately messaged you, Steph, with all caps, it's about spies. And I was immediately on board with this concept.
00:01:30
Speaker
Yes. And you actually bought me the book as a gift. Yes, I think. This is one of the few adaptations that we've both read. So yes, normally we will be only one of us will have read or seen the adaptation that we will be talking about.
00:01:45
Speaker
But ah for this one, both of us have read it.
Setting and Plot Overview
00:01:49
Speaker
So I bought myself a copy of this book when I found it and devoured it in a weekend away when I was supposed to be being social. And then bought Steph a copy and we started chatting over text about how Undeceived translates the plot and the themes of Pride and Prejudice into the new setting, which is where the idea for this podcast came from.
00:02:09
Speaker
Seriously, guys, our group chat, well, our chat, just the two of us is like really lit. We're not at all completely nerdy about it. Never, not at all. so Steph, I'm going to get you to read the blurb from the back of the book for anyone interested in maybe reading it before listening to this episode.
00:02:28
Speaker
Elizabeth Bennet, a rookie counterintelligence officer, lands an intriguing first assignment, investigating the CIA's legendary William Darcy, who is suspected of being a double agent.
00:02:40
Speaker
Darcy's charmed existence seems at an end as he fights for his career and struggles against his love for the young woman he doesn't know is watching his every move. Elizabeth's confidence dissolves as nothing turns out like she planned, and the more she discovers about Darcy, the more she finds herself in an ever-tightening web of danger.
00:03:01
Speaker
Dun, dun, dun, dun! but So I love fictional spy stuff. The twists, the turns, the misdirects, the double crosses, the melodrama.
00:03:13
Speaker
If you love spy movies or novels and Pride and Prejudice, this book is for you. It's absolutely for you. But this is the type of where a character literally says, good God, man, does this go all the way to the top?
00:03:30
Speaker
Your reaction to that line will indicate whether this is for you or not. It's also worth noting that this is a spy book, but it's not the type of spy fiction you get the men in your life for their significant holidays or airport fiction.
00:03:46
Speaker
This is more of a romance novel in a spy setting. So here's your warning. There are some adult scenes in this one. Undeceived does take some liberties with the original plot.
00:03:57
Speaker
So if you are even thinking about reading this one, pause this episode now and read it first. And that's the end of our intro. So it's time to spoil some things. Yes.
00:04:07
Speaker
If want to get off now, do it because it's worth reading. Trust me. You can always come back and listen to this later. We will not be going anywhere. So given this is the book that inspired Jane Austen Remixed, you can probably guess the both of us really liked this one.
00:04:24
Speaker
The book's title comes from something Elizabeth says in Chapter 40 of Pride and Prejudice. It's right after Lizzie tells Jane about Darcy's first proposal and the content of his letter regarding Mr. Wickham.
00:04:35
Speaker
Jane asks Elizabeth about whether they should tell the people of Meryton about Mr. Wickham's true nature. All right, Steph, it is time for you to give us your best Jennifer L. Elizabeth replies,
00:04:49
Speaker
that it ought not be attempted. Mr Darcy has not authorised me to make his communication public. On the contrary. Every particular relative to his sister was meant to be kept as much as possible to myself, and if I endeavour to undeceive people as to the rest of his conduct, who will believe me?
00:05:06
Speaker
The general prejudice against Mr Darcy is so violent that it would be the death of half the good people in Meryton to attempt to place him in an amiable light.
Character Dynamics and Development
00:05:15
Speaker
And in that undeceived title, we get one of the main themes of Pride and Prejudice, first impressions, disguises and reputations, which works really well in a story about spies.
00:05:27
Speaker
So first point, this book leans heavily into the spy setting with both actual historical events and fictional stuff. And it works really well. Here's the setup.
00:05:38
Speaker
It's the 1980s and Elizabeth Bennett has just finished her training with the CIA. She was inspired to join the American spy organization by her father. Tom Bennett had worked for the CIA and had died in the line of duty earlier in the Cold War, during the Bay of Pigs invasion.
00:05:55
Speaker
So that's a real event from 1961. And I just want to throw in here, as i know you have like a pretty strong background in modern history from having studied it, I am not that well acquainted with this period in time and it didn't affect my reading of the book.
00:06:10
Speaker
whatsoever. It was still really enjoyable and it was still really fun. And I feel like they deal with the historical stuff really well. So it's not too heavy in case anyone is worried about not understanding the context.
00:06:22
Speaker
And also I think what they do as well is the historical stuff is handled respectfully. So it's not just thrown in there as a random reference or, oh we're just going to exploit. You know how some books you read and you're like, okay, you're just exploiting the fact that this was a moment in history.
00:06:37
Speaker
yeah think how they handle these, it's it's actually done quite respectfully. so I agree. I think it's done really well. Elizabeth is recruited by another agent, George Wickham, into a counterintelligence operation.
00:06:52
Speaker
Ooh. He's investigating a potential double agent and wants Elizabeth to spy on decorated senior officer William Darcy.
00:07:08
Speaker
That's to be my favourite sound for the entire episode. It's dramatic. think there's going to a lot of them. Watch out. Basically, Wickham believes that Darcy is a traitor and sold out one of their informants on their last mission in Czechoslovakia.
00:07:22
Speaker
Wickham was in love with the informant, which is a no-no, and believes that Darcy allowed her to walk into a trap and get arrested. In the aftermath, Wickham got demoted and returned to the US to a desk job.
00:07:37
Speaker
Elizabeth's mission is to work with Darcy and follow him to gather evidence that he's a traitor. So what's different about this adaptation is that George Wickham tells Elizabeth Bennet his, and I'm using air quotes here, version of his dealings with Darcy straight away.
00:07:54
Speaker
Yes, Darcy was rude to Elizabeth earlier during a training lecture, so her judgment was already skewed. But right out the gate, those very first impressions, the nature of her mission and Wickham's story, inform Elizabeth's prejudice against William Darcy.
00:08:09
Speaker
It comes in really quick on this one. Like I was surprised, like straight out of the gate, we're into the Wickham storyline. And I get how that works sort of in the spy thing, because you've got to set her up pretty early on as like investigating the double agent, which then all of the other story falls out of.
00:08:25
Speaker
But it was very quick. Like I remember not being that many pages and it being like, oh God, yeah, okay, we're here already. We're doing this. We're right out of the gates on this. Yeah. And what it does do is sets up that prejudice angle really quickly.
00:08:39
Speaker
Like we are there, we are in. The other great thing this scenario immediately sets up is something that clouds the clear communication between Elizabeth and Darcy. The author brings this up in her book club questions at the back of the book.
00:08:52
Speaker
Those are always fun. Always read those. In the original Pride Prejudice, societal rules meant that Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet couldn't communicate openly about how they felt about each other.
00:09:04
Speaker
It's why the first proposal comes as such a shock. As readers, we know how Darcy feels. Austin drops hints and also, come on, Charlotte picks it up. But it's out there immediately.
00:09:17
Speaker
Yeah, and I find it's a really good translation of that sort of like societal clouding and like having to like keep your emotions to yourself that we get in the original. I know that in a lot of the versions that we've read, it is really hard to explain why Darcy can't be more open with his emotions and why the proposal comes out of the blue.
00:09:37
Speaker
I was reading Lindsay West's newsletter and she had watched Bridget Jones's diary for the first time. And she had this really great explanation of how, because there's none of the there's societal aspects to why Mr. Darcy can't be open with his emotions, he just comes across like a bit of a bit of an arse in every version of it because there's no way to properly explain why he can't be more open and why the proposal suddenly comes out of the blue. And it was when I first read that, I was like, aha, yes, that is a point of tension that is really hard to create in an adaptation.
00:10:14
Speaker
And we'll see that as we get more into some of the others as well. But yeah, it's it's handled really well in this one again, which is why we love this adaptation so much. And I think the key thing here is that once you translate the story into a modern context, that changes everything.
00:10:30
Speaker
Sure, Darcy and Elizabeth couldn't talk to each other in Regency England because that's not what you did. But as soon as you bring phones or you know, the internet anything that isn't the rigid societal structure of Regency England, Darcy's inability to express his emotions and communicate clearly becomes a big problem.
00:10:55
Speaker
But from the start of Undeceived, William doesn't know what Elizabeth's true mission is. and Elizabeth has to play along to spy on him. You can't trust anything either of them says to each other.
00:11:07
Speaker
And as readers, we get some of the characters internal monologue as they narrative switches perspectives, but they're playing roles on roles on roles. There's themselves, there's their cover stories, and it makes the communication a nightmare, which is great in this context.
Adapting Spy Elements and Themes
00:11:26
Speaker
It adds some excellent tension. And these aren't the only spy shenanigans in this book. We have the meet cute at the gala event where everyone is in tuxes and ball gowns and Darcy and Elizabeth have to dance together to avoid suspicion.
00:11:40
Speaker
By the way, Elizabeth's code name here is Fine Eyes, which is a fabulous reference to the original text. There are some good Easter eggs in this one. I really like it. There are also multiple cover stories, more code names, narrative flashbacks, double crosses, safe houses, smuggling people across borders to safety, shootouts, car chases, villain monologues, hidden agendas, an actual mole, secret spy gadgets,
00:12:09
Speaker
Dead drops, some twists I genuinely didn't see coming, which we're going to get to, and so much more. Oh, and one of the best cliche-ridden interior monologues where William Darcy reveals one of his codenames is the London Fog.
00:12:24
Speaker
Which, I'm sorry, i cannot take that one seriously. i mean, it's meant to be silly, but also it's the name of a drink that you can order in a cafe. Really? What's a London Fog?
00:12:36
Speaker
It's like steamed milk and Earl Grey tea. It's kind of like chai tea, but like with Earl Grey instead. Yes, you can actually go into some cafes and order a drink called the London Fog. So I doubly cannot take this seriously.
00:12:50
Speaker
Oh, this needs to happen now. I need to go order a London Fog, even though I don't drink well grey tea. it's going It has to happen now. We'll have to find a cafe where you can get one. Amazing.
00:13:02
Speaker
So as well as the spy stuff, both real and fictional, it's also a really solid adaptation of the main plot points of Pride and Prejudice. William Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet meet undercover in Hungary.
00:13:14
Speaker
They are introduced by Ambassador's wife, Cara Bingley Hurst. Oh, i see what you did there. Darcy's undercover personality is Darby Kent, a womanising businessman, so he's rude and flashy and keeps hitting on Elizabeth.
00:13:32
Speaker
But Darcy himself is also attracted to Elizabeth, like, straight away. Like, it's so fast. But I suppose in good news, Elizabeth is also attracted to him. It's fast, but it's also a little creepy.
00:13:46
Speaker
The power differential in this relationship is not equal. No, and I think it's trying to replicate the class dynamic, which happens in a lot of these adaptations. I think they're trying to, the Darcy character is either older or from a higher class or has a job that seems like it's in a higher class and Elizabeth is younger or something like that. But yeah, it can get a bit icky. Yeah.
00:14:12
Speaker
In the spy world, Jane Bennett also gets sick, though in this case, Jane Bennett is Joanna Bodnar, and she is the daughter of an important intelligence asset. Joanna is unwell, and her father is insisting she gets treatment in the US.
00:14:26
Speaker
William asks Elizabeth to help because she has some medical training, which is... Very nebulous. It's not really explained, but it's a plot mechanism to get Elizabeth with Jane.
00:14:42
Speaker
I'm sure in her training she had to open a first aid kit. William whisks Elizabeth away to Ambassador Hearst's house, which is called Are You Ready to Hear Me Butcher Some Hungarian?
00:14:54
Speaker
I'm ready. apologizing in advance. I'm going off what Google Translate told me, which is not super reliable. Sketchy at best. Yes, but this is what we have to work with, so apologies. So Ambassador Hearst's holiday home is called Arshalmizu.
00:15:09
Speaker
Now, the name of the house was mentioned too many times in the book to be just a name. You know when something just keeps getting dropped you're like, why are we why are we mentioning this again?
00:15:20
Speaker
Yeah. according to Google Translate, Ashomazoo means bottom field or for the Austin fans, nether field.
00:15:31
Speaker
No. Yeah. So this is nether did not pick up on that. Yeah, it was only that I was reading this book for like however many times I read it. Yeah, something like that. but was like, why does this keep getting mentioned? And then i was like, hang on a second. So I Googled it.
00:15:50
Speaker
It's Chekhov's Hungarian. Absolutely Chekhov's Hungarian. So when I Googled it, I was like, let's find out some more info. It might actually be a real place, but I couldn't. Look, I'm not sure.
00:16:06
Speaker
The page was in Hungarian and I obviously can't read Hungarian and there wasn't an English translation, but there was weather for Arshomazoo, which makes me think it might be a real place. But anyone from Hungary, please chime in because I'm genuinely not sure.
00:16:23
Speaker
This is the best. Does this mean we have to go to Hungary? Look, maybe. Maybe we can podcast excursion to Arshomazoo in Hungary.
00:16:35
Speaker
Of course, at Arshalmizu, we have William, Elizabeth, Joanna, Kara, and we're introduced to Kara's lazy author brother, Charles Bingley.
00:16:47
Speaker
He's finally here. Charlie, he's arrived. He has. And in this section, we get all of those bonding moments that make the Netherfield arc so critical in Pride and Prejudice.
00:16:59
Speaker
We get the walks, the playful banter, Elizabeth tending to Joanna, Joanna and Charles getting closer, Darcy and Elizabeth working side by side while falling harder and harder for each other, and Elizabeth spying on Darcy.
00:17:13
Speaker
I just wanted to throw in that I know I keep saying that this book adapts the parts of the story really well, but it does because another thing that is really hard to set up is the whole instance of Jane being sick and having to stay at Bingley's house.
00:17:26
Speaker
And I saw this great tweet ages ago and it said, rereading Wuthering Heights is a good reminder that a few, a few hundred years ago, if you broke your ankle, you just lived at your neighbor's house for months until it healed.
00:17:40
Speaker
And I'm like, yes, it's really, that's a hard setup to, to put into a book. Like, how do you make that happen in the modern day? How do you make them stay at the same house? Yeah, we've got too many ways that we can actually get around or change things.
00:17:56
Speaker
Though, the Netherfield arc in Undeceived does reveal something that I don't love about this adaptation, and it's kind of important. And it's the depiction of William Darcy, which you might be thinking, Melinda, why are you bringing this up now?
00:18:12
Speaker
Surely this is pretty critical. And it is. In Pride and Fitzwilliam Darcy treats Elizabeth like dirt. His rudeness and behavior is atrocious, albeit while speaking the truth, we'll get onto that later.
00:18:26
Speaker
His pride stops him from seeing how rude he is. I think, though, that when Darcy's pride is translated into the 1980s, it turns William Darcy into a misogynist.
00:18:38
Speaker
It's a fine line. Darcy's cover in Hungary is a rich womaniser who is chasing after Elizabeth. But he continues it even when they're at the holiday house and they're on their own. Yeah, it's not great.
00:18:50
Speaker
And i agree with you, the misogyny, while in keeping with a lot of attitudes, especially i imagine in high powered places like the CIA and the FBI, I imagine it they were absolutely rife with misogyny. But the big F-boy energy that he has in this book is really off-putting.
00:19:13
Speaker
It's not, he's not like the strong silent type or like Matthew McFadden's like awkward lobster kind of vibe. He's just a jerk. And I really, really don't like it.
00:19:25
Speaker
Yes, case in point, when they're at this holiday home, he uses the line, you did well for a girl at one point, and then makes some really awful comments about women in the workforce.
00:19:40
Speaker
Elizabeth calls him out at one point saying his ideal woman is a fantasy. Kind of like that section in Netherfield where Darcy starts lifting off his characteristics. And William Darcy replies with, then it's a good thing I can still enjoy the less than i ideal, which is i gross. oh It's awful.
00:20:00
Speaker
I hate it. It's really bad. And sure, this happens in the book, but Fitzwilliam Darcy remains quiet. William Darcy snaps back and it's very icky.
00:20:13
Speaker
Maybe this sits with me wrong because it cuts way too close to reality, that Fitzwilliam Darcy's pride might translate to William Darcy's arrogance and misogyny. His comments do seem quite on brand for the 1980s, but sadly, even now, continuing.
00:20:28
Speaker
I don't love how this is interpreted, which probably proves that the author got it exactly right. Yes, absolutely. I agree. I think she has really nailed it, and that's why sucks.
00:20:40
Speaker
Because, eight yeah, it cuts way too close to the bone. Mr Darcy is this fantasy of so many women, of this, like, strong, silent type who changes his ways because of the love. He wants to, like, achieve the love of this woman that he thinks is the perfect woman in the end.
00:21:00
Speaker
And to have him start from such a low place though, he's not a good person whose pride has run away with him. He's actually just an awful misogynist who really needs to learn a lesson.
00:21:13
Speaker
And we have so many of those in day-to-day life. Do we really need Mr. Darcy to be another one? And I think the hard part is that because you've got the levels of they're undercover, that's his personality.
00:21:27
Speaker
We get in Pride and Prejudice, Fitzwilliam Darcy, you get the hints that he is actually kinder from his perspective. But because all we get from William Darcy is the flashy, rude, sexist version, we don't see the real Darcy underneath. And we're going to get into it, but there's some interesting...
00:21:46
Speaker
ah interior monologue choices later that kind of prove William Darcy may not actually know who he is anyway, which, wait for it. Our Netherfield arc ends with an information leak from the Mole, leading our heroes to a dashing escape across the border into neutral Austria.
00:22:04
Speaker
Of course, we all know that William Darcy will be the good guy, not from his character in this book, but because he's a Darcy. The book takes a bit of a detour here from the arc of Pride and Prejudice, but instead we get lots of characters and references.
00:22:17
Speaker
William Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet end up on the next assignment in East Berlin. William and Elizabeth's colleague from Hungary, Bill Collins. Side note, it took me way too long when I first read this to realise this was Mr Collins and he even has the same name. So, you know.
00:22:35
Speaker
the same name. It's the same name and I didn't even pick it. And Bill is short for William. I know. I'm aware it was a very big fail, but it's kind of funny. but Bill Collins has set up a new contact with Annalise Vandenberg.
00:22:51
Speaker
Get it? Anne de Burgh? And we meet William's friend, Richard Fitzwilliam, who's in MI6. So many references.
00:23:02
Speaker
So many. And the other fun one, Fun? Let's call it fun. To throw in here is that George Wickham is, let's say, canoodling with a local in West Berlin named Lydia.
00:23:14
Speaker
So that's another fun reference. Elizabeth reports to Wickham that she doesn't think Darcy's a traitor. She doesn't like the guy. but she thinks that he might be okay, and that makes Wickham angry. In the end, there's another leak, and despite claiming to be an informant, Anneliese Vandenberg is revealed to be a Soviet spy.
00:23:32
Speaker
And she corners Darcy. There's a shootout, and Elizabeth and Richard have to evacuate a seriously injured William across the border to safety. In the aftermath of the shooting, they end up back in the US s and are called in to the Deputy Director of the CIA's office.
00:23:49
Speaker
Elizabeth's a bit nervous to meet someone so high up, but it turns out the deputy director is Charles Bingley. Which I thought was a really nice touch. Really good touch, really solid twist that I genuinely did not see coming the first time.
00:24:05
Speaker
You just get the kind, affable Bingley in the Netherfield arc, and then to be like, oh, his cover is kind. Of course that makes sense. Yeah.
Pivotal Moments and Twists
00:24:15
Speaker
I thought it was a really good use of his character because I was initially disappointed that that was all we were going to get from Charles. Like he's such an interesting character to weave in throughout this, to have him sort of like thrown in for the never Netherfield arc and then gotten rid of.
00:24:30
Speaker
Would have been really boring, but it's it's really fun to have him as like the deputy director. And have him reappear because what it means as well is we actually get a Charles-William relationship, which some of the adaptations do, some don't. But in this one, you actually get the relationship.
00:24:47
Speaker
Yeah, which is nice. We like some bromance. So for William Darcy's recovery from his injuries, we get the equivalent of the Rosings arc. William and Elizabeth are hiding in a safe house on Hunsford Street.
00:24:59
Speaker
Get it? Get it? There's no Lady Catherine de Bourgh in this adaptation, but we do get a very brief introduction of Charlotte. Now, I'm sure you've all been wondering where Charlotte is.
00:25:10
Speaker
She appears briefly at the start of the story on Elizabeth's voicemail, asking for her to go on a pub crawl with her. But now she turns out and we find out she works for the FBI. And Elizabeth asks for her help to try and find out information about the mole.
00:25:24
Speaker
We should have had more Charlotte. That is one of the downsides of this adaptation. So because it's the Rosings arc, it's time for the first proposal. The setup to the first proposal is fairly similar.
00:25:37
Speaker
Elizabeth overhears Darcy and visitor Richard Fitzwilliam talking and realizes that William broke up Joanna and Charles. That gets briefly mentioned earlier. i didn't need to go into details, but that plot point still happens.
00:25:51
Speaker
So Elizabeth fakes a headache and goes up to her room. And wow, what a first proposal it is. This is wild. As wild as the original. Elizabeth is reading in her bedroom when there's a knock at the door.
00:26:05
Speaker
Now first, Darcy, my man, do not interrupt a woman while she is reading. Nuh-uh. Especially to insult her and declare your love out of the blue.
00:26:17
Speaker
Real smooth. Real smooth. The 1980s version of the proposal is half personal, half business. Darcy shares he's been called into a big meeting tomorrow and believes he will be promoted, an important step in his career.
00:26:31
Speaker
And he wants Elizabeth to transfer with him so they can work together. but also start a relationship. Then because Darcy's going to Darcy, he starts explaining that she's a long way behind him career-wise and that people will gossip about them getting together.
00:26:47
Speaker
He's tried to forget her multiple times but can't, and it's only when he leans forward to kiss her Elizabeth finally has a moment to respond. Now this is the first mention of Darcy.
00:27:00
Speaker
anything in this story. Now, sure, there has been flirting because they're undercover and blah, blah, but there's been nothing real. It's literally whole kind of like the first proposal, right?
00:27:12
Speaker
Like out of nowhere. Yeah. My man is living inside of his head and he is paying no attention to what is going on around him because, hey, he's William Darcy. you know, he's the, he's the man.
00:27:25
Speaker
He's the one that everybody wants. Yes, except not Elizabeth. She responds pretty much the same way she does in the book. She gets mad. William says that since they are spies and live in disguise, he keeps his personal life really honest.
00:27:39
Speaker
Uh-huh. Sure, Darcy. Sure. Which... Like, it's a cool take on the I'm just being honest part of the proposal where, you know, he does insult her family. So it's a cool take.
00:27:50
Speaker
But given we don't see the real Darcy really prior to this, comes across as a bit icky. It's so gross. the Yeah. The, oh, you're my junior, but you should move with me and people are going to gossip, but that doesn't matter.
00:28:05
Speaker
You know, who cares about your career and how it'll be ruined and you'll never be able to work here if we break up? You know, I'll get what I want. So Elizabeth decides to drop the bomb, that the meeting tomorrow isn't about being promoted.
00:28:18
Speaker
It's letting him know that he's been cleared of being a traitor and that she's been spying on him the whole time.
00:28:30
Speaker
The following day, Darcy storms into his meeting with Deputy Director Charles Bingley. William feels hurt because this investigation has challenged his loyalty, his service, his integrity, everything that makes him William Darcy.
00:28:47
Speaker
Okay, how do we know that, guys? Like... How do we know this? Charles acknowledges William has been cleared by Elizabeth and Wickham is furious. Turns out William does actually get a promotion, but it's not into the heart of the Cold War.
00:29:01
Speaker
It is to Port of Spain, which is the capital of Trinidad in the Caribbean. Before he leaves, William asks Charles if Elizabeth can be given security clearance to view the files from Operation Ramsgate.
00:29:15
Speaker
References. Now, the undeceived version of Darcy's letter involves a dead drop, a cassette tape hidden in a book, and some declassified files. Elizabeth picks up a book ordered for her from the Park Cafe, which is a cafe and a bookshop they've visited a few times, to find a cassette tape inside.
00:29:34
Speaker
Seriously, Darcy, why are we cutting up books to put cassette tapes in there? I don't care how cool it is. No cutting up books. No. Never. Elizabeth pulls out her Walkman and begins to listen to the cassette I forgot about the Walkman.
00:29:51
Speaker
The 1980s references are great. Yeah. It's perfect. Now the letter pretty much goes exactly the same as the original text. Darcy broke up Charles and Joanna because he felt like he needed to protect Charles, especially because he's got a powerful role as deputy director, which Joanna knows nothing about.
00:30:09
Speaker
So that is a pretty good translation of the original. But when sharing about Wickham, William refers Elizabeth to a classified CIA file. So Elizabeth heads off to headquarters to read up.
00:30:21
Speaker
She's taken to a viewing room and given access to files and debriefing videos, where William Darcy is interviewed by senior officials about what happened in Czechoslovakia. Long story short, Darcy was, of course, not to blame for the arrest of their informant, Jarena Saboto.
00:30:38
Speaker
Wickham was in charge of her well-being, and on the day she was arrested, he forgot to check for a last-minute change of plans. It was Wickham's carelessness that blew the mission, and the fact that he was dating Jarena, which is a big no-no. yeah He was considered a potential target to be recruited as a mole, so was reassigned to the US.
00:30:56
Speaker
In an extra development, we learn that Jarena was in fact rescued thanks to Richard in the MI6, but her whereabouts are a secret to protect her safety. I liked the way they did this.
00:31:06
Speaker
It was a fun version of the Wickham storyline and him being a loser rather than like the gambling debts and stuff. I liked the crossing the line with a with a line report and with a source.
00:31:20
Speaker
Perfect. So on brand for him. Absolutely believable. After reading up on the files, the story flashes forward about six months. Elizabeth is still looking into the mole, but it's an unsanctioned mission now.
00:31:32
Speaker
George Wickham and Bill Collins are still working at the CIA in the US s and send her to Trinidad and Tobago to investigate a new contact. Of course, that's where William Darcy now works.
00:31:45
Speaker
He's been looking into the mole too and is convinced that it's Wickham. William has been pining after Elizabeth, like, a lot. It's like his entire thought process in this section of the book.
00:31:57
Speaker
It's become his personality. Absolutely. He wants to show her who the real William Darcy is, whoever that is. That's his internal monologue saying that, so how are we supposed to know who the real William Darcy is if he doesn't know?
00:32:15
Speaker
My man, get a grip. If your internal interior monologue is I've got to win the woman I love back by being myself, I don't know who I am, get a grip. Have therapy.
00:32:26
Speaker
I feel like there are a lot of Darcys in these adaptations who would benefit from therapy. And what would you know? of course, there was another meet cute and Elizabeth and William run into each other.
00:32:38
Speaker
This is what we'd probably call the Pemberley arc of the story. There's a meeting at a local market, lots of talking, flirting, walks on the beach, and it's followed up by the two of them having sex.
00:32:51
Speaker
It's quite common in adaptations set in modern contexts for the Elizabeth and Darcy characters to sleep together once it's time for the Pemberley arc. Instead of Elizabeth seeing Fitzwilliam Darcy and learning that he's been working on himself and is kind and is growing, it often translates instead into this massive romantic payoff.
00:33:14
Speaker
Yeah, and sometimes it works well and sometimes it is just like the author's just like, oh, I'm running a romance, time to shoehorn in some smut. And, you know, this one worked.
00:33:27
Speaker
I think it's what it's pretty well written. It's not too heavy handed. But yes, I just, it is odd in some of them. You're like, oh, I wasn't expecting that.
00:33:39
Speaker
We're definitely going to read some of those. Wait for it. After a few days, William takes Elizabeth on a trip to Barbados to introduce her to Jorina Saboto. In another massive twist, William and Jorina are half siblings.
00:33:54
Speaker
Over there, she goes by the English version of her name, Georgina. Georgina likes to play the piano and rather handily likes to invent spy gadgets. I did really enjoy in this one Georgiana's like rebirth as a deus ex machina.
00:34:13
Speaker
That was quite a fun touch. she She really is. it's It's quite funny. But it also works. um There's a whole stack of other detail that I haven't gone into, but it's never really telegraphed that Jorina is actually Darcy's sibling.
00:34:30
Speaker
ah To be fair, he doesn't actually know when she is – the informant, that they are related. It becomes clear later. So having the Pemberley arc where you get the Georgina relationship and you get to see that kinder Darcy or the more attentive Darcy, it does fit, but again, it's kind of too little too late.
00:34:50
Speaker
And of course, Elizabeth is pleased to see the attentive older brother version of Darcy, this person that's kind and the big brother and is caring and is obviously looking after Jarena.
00:35:03
Speaker
She admits that she still doesn't know who the real William Darcy is. Join the queue, Elizabeth. But she really likes this version, despite saying earlier that in Essentials, he is as he ever was.
00:35:16
Speaker
Okay, line from the book. Yeah. He is brave, clever, strong, passionate, has integrity, and is hot on the ground.
00:35:28
Speaker
We all know that being hot is the most important thing. I mean, his original selling point was that he was hot and rich, so, you know. Same with this Stasi, apparently. ha.
00:35:40
Speaker
They return to Tobago so Elizabeth can meet her contact. Lo and behold, Wickham shows up and Elizabeth accuses him of being the mole. He denies it, of course, but as Wickham's tend to do, he absolutely botches the mission that they're on and ends up being killed, which is actually quite another good twist, right? It's a great twist.
00:36:01
Speaker
Great twist. We're all the mole. Yeah. Absolutely. And turns out he isn't. ah We will discuss that in a moment.
00:36:12
Speaker
It's clear that when Wickham was shot, the bullet was meant for Elizabeth. She's in danger, so she must be getting close to discovering who the mole is. So William Darcy jumps into action and sends Elizabeth to Barbados to stay off the grid with Jorena and keep her safe.
00:36:28
Speaker
William heads to Washington and thanks to Jorena's spy gadgets, takes photos of all her classified files and brings them back to her. Deus Ex Machina. Deus Ex Machina.
00:36:39
Speaker
So given the timing of this plot point, this is Undeceived's answer to the Wickham scandal. In Pride and Prejudice, this scandal is one of the major pivot points of the story. Elizabeth realises she's in love with Fitzwilliam Darcy, that this scandal destroys her reputation, and the association with Wickham means that Darcy would never renew his addresses.
00:37:00
Speaker
But it's also the point in the story where Fitzwilliam Darcy puts his pride on the line and deals with a man he despises in secret to save Elizabeth's and the Bennet family's reputation.
00:37:11
Speaker
It's a selfless act. In Undeceived, there is no risk to Elizabeth's reputation here. Her life is in danger, so sure, that's not good. But there's no opportunity for Darcy to grow as a character.
00:37:23
Speaker
it seems quite clear that he'd already protect a colleague if they were in danger. And he's not selfless. It's very obvious that he's saving the day because people know what he's doing.
00:37:34
Speaker
And he's working for the good of the mission to uncover the mole. And it's in his interest to do so. I feel like the author missed like a good opportunity to have it somehow twisted around. So then someone thought that Elizabeth was a mole.
00:37:48
Speaker
Because then if he had to like prove that Elizabeth wasn't a mole and save her reputation that way, that could have been a cool adaptation because you're right. It's a really, it's a really difficult thing to bring into the modern day.
00:38:00
Speaker
And I feel like some of the adaptations that have more stronger like cultural elements for the protagonists handle this a lot better because it translates better than like an Anglo-Saxon background.
00:38:13
Speaker
Completely agreed. ah We will cover some of those both for good and for bad. Like you said, to be fair, the Brighton Lydia Wickham arc is one of the hardest to translate into a modern setting.
00:38:24
Speaker
The scandal makes sense back in Regency England. But how do you translate Lydia and Wickham's allotment into a modern day setting where it doesn't feel patronizing? Or to a world where phones and the internet exists?
00:38:38
Speaker
It's a really difficult balance to get right and it's something I always applaud the authors for for actually having a go. And if it mostly works, I'm kind of all for it because they've given it a shot.
00:38:49
Speaker
This is one of the elements that my enjoyment of an adaptation rides on. Some do it well, some don't. And it's going to be fun to discuss those as they come up. Yes, it is going to be really fun to discuss those.
00:39:01
Speaker
And the way he some of them handle it is insane, frankly. And often that makes them even more enjoyable. So the story is nearing its end, but we have a few more spy twists in store.
00:39:15
Speaker
Has anyone got a guess on who the mole might be at this point? Wickham's dead? Who else in the story left? Is now a good time to point out that I definitely worked it out?
00:39:29
Speaker
ah I didn't. mean, I did. Like once Wickham died, I was kind of like, there's kind of only one option left. So I did kind of figure it out eventually.
00:39:41
Speaker
i figured it out quite early because I felt like she kind of telegraphed it a little bit. You explain and then I'll say how I managed to figure it out. There are definitely a few telegraph moments. I just, yep, on subsequent readings, I'm like, this is obvious, but I was clearly caught up in the spy melodrama and did not pay attention.
00:40:01
Speaker
So thanks to Elizabeth's investigations with Charlotte, they have a list of 24 possible suspects of people who had been lurking around the edges of all of Darcy's investigations, but they eventually land on a name, Bill Collins.
00:40:19
Speaker
Bill has been on the edges of their missions the whole way through the story, but he blends in and knows enough to compromise their work. Yes, he does.
00:40:30
Speaker
And what is his codename as a spy, Melinda? Yeah, it's Wilhelm, which is German for William. The German version of William, which is absolutely how I figured it out.
00:40:42
Speaker
They used the Wilhelm angle to try and pin it on Darcy, but there's a couple of other things like obviously Darcy gets cleared, so who's the other Wilhelm left in the story?
00:40:53
Speaker
Bill Collins. Yeah, it is a bit of a bait and switch if you're not perhaps looking that much because Bill being short for William This is also a really fun way to use the Mr. Collins character.
00:41:06
Speaker
He takes much more of an active villain role in this adaptation, but also he becomes a villain that is quite unhinged and kind of keeps bumbling in and ruining things, which is completely on brand for Pride and Prejudice's William Collins.
00:41:22
Speaker
We've had these mole sections throughout the story where the character seems to be in control, but then he slowly starts unravelling and becomes more and more reckless. That this character thinks that they know the best course of action and what's going on, which is a perfect fit for Mr Collins.
00:41:39
Speaker
It's done well. He is insufferable. Yeah, it's it's very good. After a few more spy misdirects, Bill Collins ends up cornering Elizabeth at gunpoint in Barbados.
00:41:50
Speaker
He does this amazing villain monologue for way too long, typical Mr. Collins, and then he gets taken out by a tag team of Elizabeth, Georgina and Darcy.
00:42:02
Speaker
With that resolution, you'd think that would be the end of the story. But there's still another 20 pages left in the book. And it's time for another solid twist. While Bill Collins is dead, there is the matter of his handler.
00:42:16
Speaker
He couldn't have been working alone. All book, Bill's mission was to turn William Darcy into a double agent. And now William realises that he could play a final role and capture Bill's handler.
00:42:29
Speaker
In his final mission for the CIA, William meets the handler at the Park coffee shop. Turns out he's the owner. Every time the characters met at this cafe, one of the men serving coffee was mentioned as being slightly older and having blue twinkling eyes.
00:42:48
Speaker
Chekhov's old man, if you will. Chekhov's blue twinkling eyes. Exactly. It was clear that he was going to become important at some stage. I think when I first read it, I assumed that the old man was going to be Darcy Sr. Same.
00:43:03
Speaker
Yeah, right? It made sense. Blue eyes. They keep going on about blue eyes. And i was like, oh, well, maybe Darcy Sr. is not dead at this point.
00:43:15
Speaker
And it turns out it's another character that we thought was long dead, Tom Bennett, Elizabeth's father.
Critique of Character and Relationship Depth
00:43:22
Speaker
This was such a good twist. I did not see this coming. Again, solid adaptation work, like really well done.
00:43:30
Speaker
It turns out that Tom was rescued by Darcy's father after the Bay of Pigs invasion and brought home. Tom was angry with the US government at the handling of this debacle, so decided to betray his country.
00:43:42
Speaker
The anger makes sense. This is a really bizarre event in the Cold War. There is a link to more information in the show notes if you'd like to read up on what actually happened. It's wild. Darcy says he won't spy for Tom, and Tom tries to blackmail Darcy by threatening Elizabeth.
00:43:58
Speaker
There's been a small time jump here, but Elizabeth and Darcy are now married and expecting a baby together, so... That happened quickly. Darcy says no, and in his final act, he gathers evidence with Georgina's spy gadgets and hands the info over to Charles Bingley.
00:44:14
Speaker
He leaves the CIA and becomes the CEO of his father's company. Elizabeth is still working in counterintelligence, and Charles and Joanna are back together and due to be married soon. All in all, a fairly happy ending.
00:44:28
Speaker
Everyone's having a great time. They're all in love. It's wonderful. So the story could have ended with Bill Collins dying, but instead it continues and we find out that Tom Bennett was alive and evil all along.
00:44:41
Speaker
Elizabeth certainly idolizes her dad in Pride and Prejudice, but comes to realize he has major flaws too, like the other members of her family. that his sarcastic remarks and inaction caused great harm to their family.
00:44:54
Speaker
Undeceived's Elizabeth doesn't know her father. He died, in air quotes, when she was three, but she idolizes what he stood for. So Tom has an influence over Elizabeth and her decisions, even though he isn't around for most of the book.
00:45:08
Speaker
I found this to be a really interesting adaptation of the Elizabeth relationship with her father. In both aspects, she idolizes him and doesn't see – the first, she doesn't see his flaws because she idolizes him, in the second, she can't see his flaws because – She's idolizing a memory, a star on a wall, basically. And I thought this was quite well handled.
00:45:33
Speaker
It sets up the twist really nicely. the That adaptation of the relationship is done really well. But it is also a little disappointing that we miss out on Elizabeth coming to terms with the fact that her father is irresponsible in his dealing with their family.
00:45:48
Speaker
Yes, it kind of just ends like it's the twist. Darcy interacts with him and that's the end. So yes, agreed. We don't get any of the fallout of her finding out that her father is still alive, which is a choice. I know that would extend the book a lot, but she's the main character. Where's her part of the ending?
00:46:06
Speaker
Before we wrap up, there is one element of the story that I'd like to discuss that's missing, and we've kind of hinted at it a couple of times, and it's Elizabeth's sisters and her in-depth female relationships.
00:46:18
Speaker
These relationships ultimately get dropped to focus on the spy shenanigans and the Elizabeth William romance angle. Lots of the modern adaptations do this. People just want to see Elizabeth and Darcy get together, which don't we all?
00:46:32
Speaker
Yeah, fine, fine. That's what we're here for. But also there's many other aspects to the book that are what makes it not just another romance. Exactly. So in Undeceived, we see Georgina interacting with Elizabeth the most.
00:46:46
Speaker
Charlotte helps Elizabeth with her mole hunt in a couple of chapters, but she ultimately gets sidelined because she's attacked by Bill Collins. Joanna as Jane is mostly a plot device to get the Netherfield arc moving.
00:46:58
Speaker
Joanna is kind and shy and humble like Jane, and her and Elizabeth are friendly, but ultimately Joanna is an asset. It would be risky and unethical for the two of them to become close friends.
00:47:10
Speaker
The other three sisters are name-dropped as references during the story, but that's it. It's just worth noting that the female relationships are missing. I enjoy Pride and Prejudice for more than just the romance between the two flawed leads.
00:47:22
Speaker
100%. And it's such an important aspect of the book because it's really what keeps the plot moving along as well. You know, Elizabeth is incensed on behalf of her sister because of Darcy's meddling.
00:47:35
Speaker
Lydia's betrayal of all of them kicks the plot along again and it's all those relationships and the webs of all those relationships and along with societal pressures that makes the story so deep and so interesting. and It was really rare for books around this time to focus so heavily on women and I think it's something that is really missing from a lot of the adaptations, unfortunately.
00:48:00
Speaker
Having said all of that, you can't include everything in an adaptation, so I completely understand why they're missing. But I still love this version of the story, and I know, Steph, you do too But it's always worth pointing out that they are missing and it does change the focus of the story.
Final Thoughts and Ratings
00:48:16
Speaker
It's a great book. It's a great adaptation. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. It's, um yeah, like you say, it's important to, like, discuss these things and point them out, but it's it doesn't detract from how enjoyable the book is.
00:48:28
Speaker
To sum up our discussion, we have invented a Pride and Prejudice-inspired rating system. So here are our five review tiers from lowest to highest. They are, in the solemn words of Lady Catherine de Bourgh, our lowest level is most seriously displeased.
00:48:45
Speaker
This is reserved for the adaptations we really didn't like. The next level up is barely tolerable, like Darcy's first thoughts of Elizabeth. This just isn't our cup of tea, but it might be yours.
00:48:57
Speaker
Next is not actually Austin, a level for something we enjoyed, but it doesn't really resemble Pride and Prejudice. And our top two levels are Austin Approved, where it seems to be on brand, the adaptation works, and it explores some themes.
00:49:11
Speaker
And the top of the top is Fine Eyes. Named after our heroine herself, Fine Eyes represents the best of the best. And then finally, there is a super special sixth category that we're calling Unhinged.
00:49:25
Speaker
This will apply to only the most incredible adaptations and spinoffs that we have come across. The truly wild, how did this happen adaptations. This one will come out only for the truly outrageous and egregious.
00:49:38
Speaker
We have some of those, so get ready. So in terms of undeceived, look, for me, this book is fine eyes, just like Elizabeth's code name. It ticks a lot of boxes for me in what I want to see in an adaptation.
00:49:50
Speaker
The main gist of Pride and Prejudice is there. There are tons of references to locations, characters, and quotes of dialogue that we just couldn't get into in this episode. But those elements are adapted well or left behind to suit the nineteen eighty s setting.
00:50:05
Speaker
I think the creative license the author takes with some of the characters and plot works well. It keeps Pride and Prejudice readers on their toes, because I'm sure that everyone thought Wickham was going to be the mole until he ended up being killed.
00:50:18
Speaker
but the changes still make sense with the new context. The spy setting is used in all of its glory and those spy tropes fit well with Pride and Prejudice's themes.
00:50:29
Speaker
There's the clouding of communication between Elizabeth and Darcy, that Wickham is a villain, but Bill Collins and Tom Bennett are too. My main criticisms are with the characterization of Darcy and the absence of more rounded female friendships.
00:50:43
Speaker
Undeceived adapts the spirit of Pride and Prejudice. Sure, it's got its flaws, but I'm prepared to overlook those for how much fun this book is.
00:50:54
Speaker
I have read this book so many times since I first got it. Sure, I had to read it a few extra times to prep for this episode, but on each reread, I enjoyed myself. The twists obviously don't hit in the same way, but it still works.
00:51:08
Speaker
I agree. I think it's a fantastic book. I am really looking forward to being able to read it again now because I've been avoiding doing a reread once we decided to do this podcast. And so it's just been sitting on my shelf, staring at me.
00:51:21
Speaker
longingly and now I get to read it again and I am going to really enjoy it and I feel like there's a lot of it that I have forgotten. It's fun. It's so much fun. It's so much fun and I think there are some of these adaptations they're not all fun.
00:51:35
Speaker
Some of them are serious some of them aren't but some of them are a little bit of a slog and yes this got some big flaws like how Darcy is represented is a pretty big flaw, but it's still fun. And ultimately he does become kinder. Like we get the character growth, but it's hard when most of the book, he's not very nice.
00:51:53
Speaker
Yes. We get the man we're looking for in the end. And that's the most important thing. So that's it. We hope you have enjoyed episode one of Jane Austen Remixed. If you enjoy this episode, please share Jane Austen Remixed with your friends, family, literary fans, and Janeites.
00:52:09
Speaker
We're so excited to continue exploring this wonderful corner of the literary world with you. And rate our podcast on the app platform where you listen. You can follow us on Instagram at janeaustenremixed.
00:52:20
Speaker
That's the only social platform we're on. And if you have a question or a suggestion for a text, movie, or something you'd like us to review, drop us a line. You can email us at janeaustenremixed at gmail.com.
00:52:33
Speaker
Join us in two weeks when we examine Me and Mr. Darcy by Alexandra Potter. And finally, just before we sign off, Melinda, the most important question for our readers.
00:52:44
Speaker
Does this Darcy... dive into a lake? Sadly, to start off the podcast, the answer is no. William Darcy, master spy and the London fog, does not dive into a lake or any other body of water.
00:53:00
Speaker
See you next episode. Music Music Music
00:53:35
Speaker
you