The Other Bennet Sister’s Mary Argues With Mr. Ryder About Marriage Amid Love Triangle Tension (Exclusive)

The love triangle at the center of The Other Bennet Sister is only getting more complicated.

In Us Weekly‘s exclusive clip from the Wednesday, May 20, episode of BritBox’s The Other Bennet Sister, Mary (Ella Bruccoleri) and Mr. Ryder (Laurie Davidson) discuss societal expectations.

“I find these occasions really quite intolerable. All these poor young ladies parading about and bearing the weight of their parents’ expectations,” Ryder tells Mary. “It’s not in the least romantic.”

Mary, however, disagrees with Ryder’s point of view.

“I think these occasions mean a great deal to many young women and for good reasons,” she says. “None of them wants to fail.”

In response, Ryder elaborates on his perspective. “Doesn’t it seem to you, Miss Bennet, that most people give far too much weight to the idea of marriage?” he asks before Mary replies, “Because for some people, that is their only means of survival.”

Ryder suggests that men and women should only follow their heart.

“I believe we should sweep away these tired, old rules and follow our inclinations as we wish,” he tells Mary, who argues, “I think you will find, Mr. Ryder, that the liberty in such situations tends to be enjoyed by the man while the consequences are born — quite literally, in many cases — by the woman.”

Based on the novel by Janice Hadlow, The Other Bennet Sister follows the events of Pride and Prejudice from Mary’s point of view. The story then departs from that to follow Mary as she travels to London and the Lake District, and the overlooked sister from the big Bennet family has a romantic adventure in Regency England.

In addition to Bruccoleri, The Other Bennet Sister stars Ruth Jones, Richard E. Grant, Indira Varma, Richard Coyle, Róisín Bhalla, Reggie Absolom and Jasmine Sharp. Davidson, Dónal Finn, Varada Sethu, Aaron Gill and Maddie Close also appear on the show.

Poppy Gilbert, Molly Wright, Grace Hogg-Robinson, Tanya Reynolds, Anna Fenton-Garvey, Ryan Sampson and Lucy Briers round out the cast.

“I was definitely encouraged to break the rules somewhat,” Davidson previously told Us about his approach to the show. “That was part of the role, which was fun.”

He continued: “In a period drama, it felt very naughty in a way. Like, ‘I don’t think I’m supposed to be doing this.’ That was part of the joy of playing that part.”

New episodes of The Other Bennet Sister air Wednesdays on BritBox.