Lizzie Bennet Diaries #90: A Wild Bing Lee Appears!


Editor
02/21/13 11:30am
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Hi, friends! It’s Emily (aka Wahlee from the comments) filling in for Melissa while she jets off to climes unknown! Has it been the longest two days EVER for anyone else? The lack of Lydia and Domino videos has made Tuesday and Wednesday absolutely crawl. Ugh. Anyway, While we’re waiting for the video to go up (please oh please let us have some discussion of Lizzie’s love life pleaseohpleaseohplease), let’s review what has happened off of YouTube since Monday.

Jane posted on Tumblr (crossposted on Twitter) for the first time since January 1 with a super cute new look:

The LBD Official Twitter acknowledged that the LooksByJane and TheCharlotteLu YouTube Accounts are owned by the LBD, but that there are currently no plans for spinoffs. :(

Aaaaand, that’s all. Seriously. Worst. Tuesday and Wednesday. EVER.

So what can we expect from today’s video? Well, at this point in the book, Lizzy (yes, her name is spelled with a Y in the book, so I will, now and forever, refer to Book!Elizabeth as Lizzy and LBD!Elizabeth as Lizzie) has long figured out that she loves Darcy:

She was humbled, she was grieved; she repented, though she hardly knew of what. She became jealous of his esteem, when she could no longer hope to be benefited by it. She wanted to hear of him, when there seemed the least chance of gaining intelligence. She was convinced that she could have been happy with him, when it was no longer likely they should meet.

[. . .]

She began now to comprehend that he was exactly the man who, in disposition and talents, would most suit her. His understanding and temper, though unlike her own, would have answered all her wishes. It was an union that must have been to the advantage of both; by her ease and liveliness, his mind might have been softened, his manners improved; and from his judgment, information, and knowledge of the world, she must have received benefit of greater importance.

But no such happy marriage could now teach the admiring multitude what connubial felicity really was. (Pride and Prejudice, Volume III, Chapter 8)

Poor Lizzy. :( I will be very surprised if we don’t get at least some hint of Lizzie’s feelings in today’s video. She may be more reticent than above– after all, in the book, Lizzy didn’t even tell Jane about her change of sentiment until after she and Darcy were already engaged, and here Lizzie has the added problem of Darcy probably (and Gigi definitely) watching her videos. But we desperately need at least some of her inner thoughts.

I’m also hoping to get a little more from Jane about her feelings toward Bing, having caught up with the videos.

Okay, video. You can post now. Really. Any time. It’s here!

Watching now. . .be right back. . .

(The below are updated live as I watch)

OH MY HECK IT’S BING!!! He watched the videos! PLEASE EXPLAIN YOURSELF, BING, I WANT TO BELIEVE IN YOU!!

He doesn’t know what Jane’s “indiscretion” was. That means that he listened to Caroline and Darcy (mostly Caroline, I’m guessing), but didn’t actually see what happened, right?

“I don’t know what happened that night, because I haven’t asked her.” Awww, that’s so sweet– he’s acknowledging that he might not know the truth, because he doesn’t have her side of the story.

Oh, wow. Jane won’t see him. WOW. That’s New Jane, all right.

Aww, she relented! The look on Lizzie’s face!

AAAAAAAGH! We didn’t get to see what they said!!

YAY!! Jane will tell us!!

They can’t go back to where they were. . . so they’re going to try a fresh start as friends. Anyone want to lay bets on how long THAT will last?!?!?

“Not until after I kick it first.”

HE MADE HER SNICKERDOODLES. THAT IS THE CUTEST THING EVER!!!!

Okay, on second viewing:

I love that Lizzie addressed our concerns that Bing’s, apparently, the worst medical student EVER.

Analysis:

First off, I wonder if this is just because of Bing’s watching the videos, or if he’s here at Darcy’s instigation as well (or if he watched the videos on Darcy’s recommendation. Hmm. Good thought there– what if Darcy told him which ones to watch? He’d point Bing to all the ones that related to him and Jane, surely)? In the book, Bingley and Darcy both arrive at Netherfield, but Darcy doesn’t apologize for his past interference until after Bingley and Jane have met several times. So how much of this is Darcy’s trying to “make amends,” hmm?

They’re messing with continuity a bit here, too. Like I said above, Darcy comes with Bingley, and they don’t arrive until AFTER Lizzy learns who it was that arranged Lydia’s marriage. So meeting Darcy was doubly awkward for her– she knows she loves him, and she knows that her family are indebted to him for the restoration of Lydia. I’m guessing that, despite Bing showing up, we won’t see Darcy again until after that revelation has occurred, to preserve that awkwardness (and increase her love :) ). They have to misunderstand each other at least once more before they get together, right? :D

I’m really curious, now, as to whether Caroline has been keeping up with the videos. She’s been incredibly (almost unbelievably) silent, if she has, and I’m inclined to believe she hasn’t been. We’re not done with her part of the story yet, though. That I’m sure of.

I also want to know just what Jane and Bing said during their “nice chat.” Surely if Bing had explained what Jane’s so-called “indiscretion” was, that Jane would have told us. So obviously that explanation is yet to come.

Tomorrow is Monday, right? RIGHT?!?

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  • http://twitter.com/JeskuhBS Jessica BS

    I already started refreshing at 11 am because I AM SO SAD SO VERY VERY SAD.

    • Wahlee

      It has been very difficult to concentrate on work. VERY VERY DIFFICULT.

  • Judith

    It’s also her first look book entry since Bing left. :)

  • booboo15

    I have two theories, that I have been ruminating on for a while, that don’t necessarily relate to the above assessment (although I do think that we will have to see glimmers of either Jane’s or Lizzie’s feelings about their respective gentlemen today). (1) Bing Lee – We obviously need a huge explanation of his behavior over the past several months in order to feel good about him being with Jane; I definitely think Caroline has planted some nefarious seeds, but I’ve been thinking that it’s got to be more than that. Especially with all the hints to him being able to travel and visit with friends when he’s supposed to be in medical school. So my theory here is that he either chose or was forced to take a semester off medical school, perhaps distracted by lovesickness/brokenheartedness due to separation from Jane? This would give him his own reasons to avoid reconciling with Jane: He is ashamed of himself and feels less confident that she would be interested in him. The good news is that this would put them on equal footing, in a sense. Both having bruised hearts and lost occupations. (2) George Wickham – I have no idea what Darcy did to him, although I am super excited and anxious to find out! But I have been reflecting for a while on what else may have happened as a result of his involvement with Gigi. I have no idea how restraining orders or things like that work, but is there any chance Darcy took legal action like that after he scared George away from Gigi? I feel less confident about this theory, but the snippets of evidence I am basing this on are: (a) Darcy just leaving Carter’s bar when Wickham arrived, (b) Darcy declaring with confidence “There is no way that man will show up here tonight”, and (c) Darcy forbidding Gigi to be involved. (a) and (b) could be explained by Darcy and Wickham being uncomfortable being around each other, and obviously (c) could really just be Darcy (and Fitz!) trying to protect Gigi. But maybe there’s something else going on? Anyway, just theories. Can’t wait to see the new episode, and read about it here!

    • laura

      I don’t think that Darcy got a restraining order from Wickham for Gigi, because he didn’t do anything illegal to her. He’s just a douche bag who used a girl’s feelings for money, but didn’t mess with the law.

  • http://twitter.com/JeskuhBS Jessica BS

    Snickerdoodles. The Many Edits Of Bing Lee were perfection. “Oh, this is a dis-aahs-ter…”

    • par_parenthese

      I just howled at that section. Bless.

      (See also, Lizzie’s Awkward Faces At Crotch Level)

      • Tiffanie Ing

        The Awkward Faces at Crotch Level were HYSTERICAL. I could not stop laughing at all of Ashley’s faces in this ep. Priceless.

  • http://twitter.com/imarielle Arielle

    I was really hoping we’d get to see Jane call Lizzie out on her love for Darcy today after catching up on her videos, so seeing Bing was very unexpected! But it seems like he came to the decision on his own to come back to Jane which kinda throws away the theories that Darcy reconciling Jane and Bing’s relationship is how he is going to win Lizzie back. Which leaves me back at square one theory-wise. Also how have they still not found the Domino videos??? We need another spin-off soon because these long waits are killing me!

    • Wahlee

      Yeah, their fiddling with the book continuity has really messed up my theorizing! I still expect that Lizzie will find out about what Darcy did on Monday’s video, though.

      • http://twitter.com/imarielle Arielle

        I was really hoping for a video of Jane teasing Lizzie about her feelings for Darcy after watching the videos before she finds out though. Because then at least she can start to think about how she really feels before she finds out what he did and gets mad. It’ll be harder for her to stay mad at him if she’s started to let her guard down and stop denying her feelings for him!

        • Wahlee

          You think she’s going to get mad at him for what he did? I don’t see that at all. I mean, yeah, she might get a little irritated that he didn’t tell her, but that can’t last long. It’s much more likely that she’ll understand his motives for wanting to keep it a secret, and that it will reflect even better on him– old Darcy would have wanted to show off, gain her favor, while new Darcy is more humble and doubting, and doing it because he loves her and it’s the right thing to do, even if it doesn’t result in getting her back. Not wanting her to know just proves how pure his motives were.

          • http://twitter.com/imarielle Arielle

            I don’t think she’ll get mad about what he did, I think she’ll get mad about not telling her and going behind her back to fix her personal family problems, and Lizzie tends to exaggerate things. I don’t think it will hurt their relationship and she will realise his intentions were pure in the end, but it will be something that comes between them getting together for a little.

        • http://twitter.com/TrillianBlack Trillian Black

          My new theory for Lizzie sharing her feelings is that she’ll see Bing’s and Jane’s eventual happiness and tell her viewers about this – doing that would create a perfect opportunity to show how happy Lizzie is for her sister but also how she regrets what she left behind. I agree with Wahlee that she will not be able to outright admit to her feelings. We all know that Gigi still watches these videos and if Lizzie would even say something lukewarm like “I might have considered going to the theater with Darcy” Gigi would basically put a gun to Darcy’s head, highjack a plane and force her brother to show up on Lizzie’s doorstep again.
          (Which I would thank her for, but it would make CdB’s involvement superfluous and I am having to much fun imagining that conversation to just have it be cut from LBD).

      • http://twitter.com/TrillianBlack Trillian Black

        I was so surprised to see Bing! I’m kind of grateful that they messed with the continuity here though. It keeps us on our toes. :) And it would have been difficult for Bing and Darcy to come back together as they do in the novel. There would have been no way for all of them to end up in front of the camera at the same time and this way we got to see Bing on camera again. They’ve sort of moved away from Costume theater (as a way to tell the story – they’ve kept it around as a reason for people to be on camera). I’m looking forward to a bit of costume theater on Monday, but I think we’ll get to see all major plot developments play out live on camera (Lizzie finding out/Darcy coming back/not sure about the Catherine de bourgh part though).

  • Tiffanie Ing

    Ok, I’m sorry, I know I should be with New Jane on this…but he made her snickerdoodles!!!!

    Ok, I’m done. I’m sure Jane got more of the story than we did. At the very least, we know that Bing has to explain two things 1) Jane’s “indiscretion” (probably Caroline) and 2) how he’s still a med student. The rest will take care of itself, I think.

    And as for Darcy, I think Wahlee is right when she says that Lizzie needs to find out about Darcy’s involvement with taking down the website/Wickham first before he can come back.

    Does anyone else think they’re going to end at 100 episodes?

    • http://twitter.com/imarielle Arielle

      I think they are going past 100. Actually I vaguely remember either an interview or a Q&A with Bernie that they have already planned out more than 100 episodes. There is still way too much to happen to fit it all in to 10 videos!

      Speaking of Q&As though, we should be getting a Q&A this weekend so that should break up the wait until Monday a bit!

      • Wahlee

        Ooh, yes, I had a theory about that. Someone needs to ask her if she’s seen the Domino videos! Then she can admit she hasn’t, and then she’ll watch them. . .

        • http://twitter.com/imarielle Arielle

          I thought of that too, but I don’t know if that breaks Bernie’s rule that nothing that happens outside of the main episodes drastically affects the story line. Although then again, people who only watch the episodes have no idea about Domino so simply asking if she’s watched those videos doesn’t break that rule. I still really want to see it be the fans who tell Lizzie about Darcy!

          • http://twitter.com/TrillianBlack Trillian Black

            I don’t know if they’d advance a plot point in the Q&A though. Technically the Q&A’s aren’t part of the official episodes (they are numbered seperately and are not in the official playlist). Although Gigi did ask Lizzie to go see San Francisco with her and William in a Q&A. But they simply brought that up again as Gigi’s reminder to Lizzie in one of the regular episodes. Talking about Domino would be a revelation that I think might be too big for the Q&A.
            I was actually wondering when they shoot those Q&A’s. The tweet obviously implies they do it rather short notice – but is it possible that they use questions from “real” viewers that were not intended for that specific Q&A (older questions)? Especially with Q&A’s that require more than one actor I just don’t see them being done just a couple of days before they are uploaded.

            • lollifant

              I remember that they did once plotted a question in the Q&A, it was said in an interview. But I’m sure this question will pop up, so if they want to address it, they will.

              Like Wahlee, I also want to know about Lizzie’s feelings now, but I guess she realizes Darcy could be watching this, and maybe she’ll see this as pathetic, begging for him… I don’t know… We’ll see.

              Also thanks for the Pride and Prejudice bit, I love that part :)

  • http://www.facebook.com/christenlogsdon Christen Logsdon

    “Glad they’re getting a fresh start.” Anybody else detect the slightest touch of envy in Lizzie’s voice?

  • lollifant

    Have you seen what they posted on Pemberley’s tumblr?

    “Pemberley Digital touts ground breaking story and communication application. Seeks new partners.
    San Francisco, California – February 22, 2012 – Pemberley Digital’s Domino application completed its alpha demo to rave reviews and big viewership.

    After
    a three week demonstration by spokesperson Georgiana “Gigi” Darcy,
    Pemberley Digital’s Domino storytelling and communication application
    debuted with a revolutionary interface as well as an intuitive algorithm
    capable of documenting and presenting a compelling narrative.

    In just three short weeks, the demonstration pilot roared to over 1 million total views spread out across six videos.

    “Despite
    some initial doubts about the personal subject matter regarding the
    demo participants, the uniqueness of this application makes our
    potential almost limitless,” said Anne Reynolds, General Manager of
    Pemberley Digital. “We believe that Domino presents an exciting and
    dynamic channel of narrative documentation and communication. We will be
    seeking new partners aggressively and immediately.”

    “Given the
    progressive nature of Pemberley Digitial, we are not seeking a mass
    quantity of partners, but will rather be making selective quality
    alliances where we can both benefit mutually in the long term.””

    What do you think this means? Will Lizzie become the business partner? But then why would darcy do this if he didn’t want Lizzie to know about Domino? It will be inevitable, but… And Gigi will have to move? (see the Figi twitter conversation)

    • http://twitter.com/BrynThousand Bryn Thousand

      Maybe this is how Dr. Gardener will confirm Darcy’s participation in saving Lydia’s reputation. She’s the one who directed Lizzie to her shadow companies.

      • lollifant

        I’m still hoping Lydia knows and will tell Lizzie before she finds out through the videos… Or that Charlotte tells her.

  • http://twitter.com/theitgirl theitgirl

    Have you seen what’s going on at Pemberley Digital?

  • http://twitter.com/TrillianBlack Trillian Black

    Have you guys all seen the Q&A? How do these people always know to come in whenever Lizzie is filming? Actually I don’t care, as long as all this good stuff happens on camera. And Bing’s looks at the camera! So good.

    • http://twitter.com/TrillianBlack Trillian Black

      Though LIzzie was way too happy and not at all awkward when talking about Pemberley Digital. Why did she unfollow them on twitter if she has no emotional reaction to any of this?