The Lizzie Bennet Diaries is over, and it’s time to celebrate the series that was. Here are our favourite 10 episodes of the 100 episode run.

Every episode of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries had the potential to make us cry a few new rivers, or snort our drinks out our noses. But as with everything, we always have our favourites. This list is solely taken from the regularly scheduled Lizzie Bennet Diaries videos (but you should still watch all Lizzie’s Q&A videos, The Lydia Bennet, Maria of the Lu, and Pemberley Digital’s Domino videos).

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And just to clear, we would call this list half-celebration, and half-coping mechanism for those (like us) who don’t want to accept that The Lizzie Bennet Diaries is all over. What can we say, we just have a whole lot of feelings.

Special Mentions: Episode 37: “Lydia vs. Mr Collins”, Episode 92: “Goodbye Jane”, Episode 32: “Turn About the Room”, Episode 72: “Party Time”, Episode 56: “A New Buddy”, and the other 85 episodes that didn’t make it onto this list.

“Are you fake texting?” “It’s super important”

This may seem like merely a solid comedic episode, but it wasn’t just that. While this episode was hilarious, it also gave us insight into many of the characters. Most importantly to the story, we see that Lizzie really is an unreliable narrator, and that maybe we have to question everything that we are shown in the vlogs. The essential point is that the videos are inherently subjective, and that as viewers, we must be aware of that.

In anticipation of other upcoming plot lines, we see Charlotte’s slightly manipulative streak as she gets Jane involved. The costume theatre by Charlotte (Julia Cho) and Jane (Laura Spencer) is some of the most memorable of the season, and gives us some hilarious insight into Caroline Lee and William Darcy. Finally, Jane Bennet wins the all of our hearts by a) unapologetically standing up for Lydia, and b) fake texting. Yes, in that order.

“I believe an appropriate response would have been: ‘What letter?'”

Episode 63 epitomises the conflict between Lizzie and Caroline. We loved the development of Caroline (played by the wonderful Jessica Jade Andres) throughout the series which allowed her to be a more central character, as demonstrated through the Netherfield and Collin & Collins arcs. This episode is the first time Lizzie truly sees through Caroline’s manipulations and lies, which have been evident to the viewer from her first appearance.

Caroline puts on the same act we saw at Netherfield, but there are cracks beginning to show in her facade. While the following confrontation episode, “C vs C”, was highly gratifying viewing, this episode was necessary to demonstrated Lizzie’s change of heart. This episode was also a large deviation from Pride and Prejudice, but it was highly effective and proved that an adaptation doesn’t need to be letter-for-letter.

“The hills in this city can be quite unforgiving”

While hilarious and adorable, Gigi’s bizarre social skills are not what put this on our list. Certainly, this episode demonstrates to the audience that the Gigi we are seeing is a different Gigi than has appeared in any other Pride and Prejudice adaptation. This is a Gigi who takes charge of both herself and her brother, who is very forward, and who meddles. A lot. Understanding the dynamic between Darcy and Gigi also gives us further insight into his character.

And of course, the episode marks a large turning point for both Lizzie and Darcy. We see the softening of Lizzie’s feelings towards Darcy, and the subtle changes she has brought about in him. Both are very different characters from those seen during the proposal scene. As epitomised by the awkward arm touch at the end, the episode is instrumental in highlighting the gradual development of Lizzie’s feelings, and her maturity.

“My name is Lizzie Bennet, and this is my life”

We couldn’t choose our favourites without including the episode which started it all. From episode 1 we fell in love with this Pride and Prejudice adaptation, an embarked on a journey we did not anticipate. Lizzie’s voice captured us immediately, with the short episode managing to incorporate her sense of humour, her family frustrations and her friendships. And unlike many of the later instalments, this episode was incredibly fun.

Episode 1 effectively set up the entire series, introducing us to Lizzie, as well as to Charlotte and Lydia who are arguably the two most important secondary characters who aren’t called Darcy. The decision to highlight Charlotte and Lydia in this way was a large departure from the source material, and demonstrated that the creators weren’t afraid of making these decisions. We also got our first taste of costume theatre, a staple to the entire series.

“The only reason I know she’s alive is because she keeps pinning sad pictures on Pintrest”

Oh, “Snickerdoodles”. What can we say, the emotional episodes just really get us. Instead of presenting us with the aftermath of Bing’s departure, the creative team took the harder road by allowing us to see Jane’s breakdown itself. Laura Spencer played every layer of Jane absolutely beautifully, from slightly manic to completely heartbroken, and all of the degrees in between.

And this episode also demonstrated the level of transmedia immersion available to fans. While for some, the throwaway line about Pintrest was just that, those in the know could also head over to Jane’s in character Pintrest account and find those sad pictures. The episode also includes the modern interpretation of Jane going to see Bing. This marks the beginning of the salient ‘people leaving Lizzie’ plot line, which is a major focus in the second half of the series.

“I didn’t mean it the way you took it”

Episode 74 gave us another episode of difficult viewing. At three quarters of the way through the series, viewers have grown to empathise, if not like, both Lizzie and Lydia. The fight between the sisters was a plot device, used to rationalise Lizzie and Lydia being out of contact, but it was presented as so much more. This episode put the previous 73 in context, finally showing the viewers two sisters that really do not know each other.

Mary Kate Wiles and Ashley Clements made it very difficult for the viewers to choose sides. Lizzie’s insistence that Lydia was misinterpreting her good intentions highlights her own prejudices, while Lydia’s emotional response demonstrates the depth to which she feels betrayed and misunderstood by her sister. Suddenly their respective videos become the only way they can communicate their own hurt and outrage with each other, which is a horrible revelation.

“You’re not listening to me, and at least they will”

This episode was a confronting, and a daring one. The production team decided to make the Lizzie/Charlotte fight more realistic, and by doing so, more devastating. Lizzie’s emotions lead her to physically restrain Charlotte, to use her videos as a crutch and defence mechanism, and to abuse her friends new boss to the entire internet, showing us a very different character from the one we have seen until this point.

The conflict between Lizzie’s idealism and Charlotte’s pragmatism makes for compelling viewing, but also challenges the viewers. It’s suddenly not as easy to love Lizzie, who tells her best friend that she is making a terrible life decision. And having just seen Charlotte essentially manipulate her way into Lizzie’s job offer, it isn’t so easy to accept her outrage over Lizzie’s sense of abandon. That the confrontation leaves both characters hurt and alone makes the resolution all the better.

“Your arrogance, pride and selfishness make you the last man in the world I could ever fall in love with”

No list would be complete without Darcy Day. This was a brilliant modernisation of one of the most famous scenes in English literature. Daniel Vincent Gordh’s first appearance as Darcy was a show stealer, as he effectively incorporated all of the costume theatre impersonations of Darcy, while still managing to be his own fully realised character. He makes is perfectly easy to understand why Darcy illicites such a negative reaction from Lizzie.

This episode showcases the pride and prejudice of both characters (there’s a reason it’s the title). And Lizzie’s opening statement that the videos have become bigger than her is an idea that is reflected again and again as the series progresses. Most crucially, this episode informs Darcy about the existence of Lizzie’s videos – and in doing so affects change in many of the characters lives.

“I thought you were Chinese” “I can understand the confusion”

It’s time to get some love on this list, before we have an angst overload. This episode was the endgame for many fans, who had been holding their breath since episode 60. The deliberate mirroring of the proposal scene forces the viewer to remember how these characters at the beginning. And before anything (read: making out) has even happened in the episode, we see, through the brilliant acting of Ashley Clements and Daniel Vincent Gordh, just how much this means to both of them.

Both expose their vulnerabilities, as they navigate through a situation that both are unsure of. The kiss itself, while satisfying, marked the culmination of this storyline, and the major developments of both characters. Again, this is an incredibly difficult scene to translate, particularly as Austen gives us very little about it. This episode was delicately navigated, and satisfied the majority of fans, who were finally able to breath out.

“I love you, do you hear me? I love you. You are not alone”

This episode is arguably the the emotional climax of the series. Yes, ultimately Lizzie and Darcy have to get together, but is that resolution more emotional than the beginnings of the incredibly slow healing of a relationship between two sisters who have never really known each other? If Lizzie hadn’t been able to overcome her own prejudices regarding Lydia, she wouldn’t be the person she needed to be in order to be with Darcy.

And this episode sees some of the best performances of the entire series, with no exceptions. The sex tape scandal was precarious, but Mary Kate Wiles absolutely brought it home with her raw, open, portrayal of a young girl destroyed by first love, and too much trust. She also addresses what could be a persistent criticism of the show – that the characters problems are fixed too episodically. Well here is a problem that can not be fixed, and yet the careful treatment by the team and the actors still ensure this episode is unforgettable.