One of the biggest obstacles facing any remake is whether it can successfully justify its own existence. The debate about which adaptation of Jane Austen‘s Pride and Prejudice is superior will likely persist ad nauseam, for example, with fans eternally divided over which version of Mr. Darcy is actually the most swoonworthy of them all. While it’s possible that no one was remotely anticipating another take on My Brilliant Career, Miles Franklin‘s 1901 novel, it’s been almost 50 years since Gillian Armstrong‘s Oscar-nominated film was released — so one could argue that the story was well overdue for a second screen adaptation.
Enter showrunner and co-writer Liz Doran, responsible for developing this new interpretation of the classic romantic drama for Netflix, which certainly bears shades of similarity to some of its more recent contemporaries in the genre. A soundtrack infused with modern pop and rock songs serves as a gentle echo of shows like Bridgerton or The Buccaneers, while the show’s unapologetically headstrong heroine, who has bigger dreams of becoming a successful author, shares parallels withLittle Women or Dickinson. Yet Doran’s adaptation of My Brilliant Career masterfully carves out its own niche within the period drama by both embracing the original novel’s best aspects and incorporating thoughtful updates into the text, ultimately resulting in a remake that manages to feel both timeless and refreshingly modern.
What Is ‘My Brilliant Career’ About?
Sybylla Melvyn (Philippa Northeast) comes from humble origins, but has greater aspirations for her future than anyone would expect from a young woman in 1900s Australia. While her rural surroundings have given her plenty of inspiration for her writing, she also finds herself wondering whether she needs to leave her home — and her family — to experience more of what life has to offer. What she isn’t expecting is for her grandmother, Winifred Bossier (Anna Chancellor), to suddenly invite Sybylla to stay with her at her estate, Caddagat. Sybylla’s first instinct is to reject her grandmother’s summons, especially since her mother, Lucy (Mirrah Foulkes), has been estranged from the rest of her family for years. Despite learning that Mrs. Bossier intends to find her a husband, which automatically clashes with her ambitions to be a professional writer, Sybylla decides to use her time at Caddagat to expand her horizons, outwardly conceding to her grandmother’s plan while secretly working on the perfect novel that will give her true independence, financially and otherwise.
Sybylla’s arrival at Caddagat, however, instantly sparks a push and pull between societal expectation and her own free-spirited nature. She’s much more likely to risk embarrassing her grandmother with a rollicking dance during a formal party at the estate, or reciting an intensely sensual poem in front of her potential suitors. Yet, even while Sybylla’s various forms of rebellion threaten to upend Mrs. Bossier’s attempts at matchmaking, her unconventional behavior results in her earning several new friends — and possibly even a love match. Her quiet but kind aunt, Helen (Genevieve O’Reilly), as well as Mrs. Bossier’s non-conforming neighbor, Augusta Beecham (Kate Mulvany), quietly encourage Sybylla to pursue her dreams, while Augusta’s handsome nephew Harry (Christopher Chung), as well as the Bossiers’ English foreman, Frank Hawden (Jake Dunn), both find themselves in a position to potentially win Sybylla’s heart.
Philippa Northeast’s Fearless Performance Leads ‘My Brilliant Career’s Fantastic Ensemble
It’s hard to say whether the success of My Brilliant Career lives or dies on the shoulders of its lead, but what watching all six episodes provided for review proves is that Philippa Northeast was born to play the role of Sybylla Melvyn. Her wonderfully expressive performance perfectly suits the characterization of someone who has largely run free in the early years of her life and now finds herself chafing beneath society’s restrictions — or sometimes more literally, courtesy of uncomfortable shoes. She’s forthright in her opinions and unapologetic in her judgments, but her creative soul couldn’t exist without a heart that has the potential to be bruised if she’s too open with it. As the anchor around which the entire miniseries is rooted, Northeast creates an absolutely winsome heroine, and it’s a joy to watch her deliver both Sybylla’s biggest experiences of ecstasy and her lowest moments of melancholy.
With Northeast’s performance leading the charge, as Sybylla comes to Caddagat like an utter force of nature and upends every existing structure in place, the rest of My Brilliant Career‘s ensemble serves as perfect foils or allies, depending on the situation. As Mrs. Bossier, Chancellor inhabits the character with a precise mix of domineering authority and hidden warmth that gradually emerges the more her granddaughter wins her over alongside everyone else. O’Reilly, arguably one of Andor‘s biggest standouts over its two seasons, brings that same presence to all of her scenes as Helen, couching it in a reserve that ultimately gives way to more powerful emotion. Harry Beecham might be the romantic hero that Slow Horses‘ Roddy Ho would like to think he is, but Chung puts his own entirely dreamy spin on the character Neill first inhabited — and could easily become the internet’s next boyfriend in the process. By contrast, Dunn’s Frank Hawden adopts a convivial dynamic with Sybylla at first, one that slowly makes room for less platonic feelings and unexpected vulnerability.
‘My Brilliant Career’ Is a Refreshingly Modern Period Drama Remake
It doesn’t take long for the more contemporary elements of My Brilliant Career‘s identity to assert themselves. From episode titles splashed across the screen in bold font to a soundtrack made up of Australian artists from Isabella Manfredi to Thelma Plum — both of whom actually appear in the show as in-world performers — this remake, like its leading heroine, proudly and unflinchingly declares itself to the viewer from the very first frame.
Other book-to-screen changes are clearly treated with care in terms of their impact on the story; My Brilliant Career‘s inclusive casting choices, specifically, aren’t just narrative window dressing. First Nations characters, like Caddagat’s horse trainer and aspiring foreman, Nell (Sherry-Lee Watson), and her housemaid sister Betty (Miah Madden), both of whom work for Mrs. Bossier, are perpetually aware of the fact that they both have to work doubly hard to earn half the recognition from their wealthier and inherently more privileged employer. Similarly, Harry’s Chinese heritage, on his mother’s side, sits in constant conflict with the status of his fortune, and often no amount of money can paper over the uglier prejudice that persists in certain society circles. The show doesn’t revel in the suffering of its marginalized characters — there’s just as much attention paid to their personal joys and triumphs, which include some lovely romantic sideplots, as well as their setbacks and disappointments. A period drama that thoughtfully considers how every character would be reasonably impacted by the story’s colonial era is a breath of fresh air among others of its kind.
Clocking in at a smooth six episodes, My Brilliant Career could never be defined as overstaying its welcome, striking a balance between period authenticity and character-forward changes for a miniseries that grasps the original novel’s enduring power and somehow transforms it into an even more relevant tale for a new generation. Northeast gamely infuses Sybylla with all the fire and passion that the role deserves, and she’s buoyed by a charming ensemble, each of whom brings something equally crucial to the character’s moving journey of self-discovery. By the time you’ve reached the end of Sybylla’s story, with all of its unexpected emotional detours along the way, the only thing you’ll want to do is jump right back to the beginning and watch it all over again. What more could a remake ask for than that?
My Brilliant Career is now streaming on Netflix.
- Network
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Netflix
- Directors
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Alyssa McClelland, Anne Renton
Cast
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Philippa Northeast
Sybylla
- Philippa Northeast gives an utterly fearless performance as Sybylla.
- Christopher Chung and Jake Dunn are equally charming love interests in their own ways.
- The series makes inclusive book-to-screen casting changes that actually engage with societal and cultural ramifications for characters like Harry, Nell, and Betty.
- The six-episode count serves as the perfect length for the story.
- The finale’s structure does drag down the show’s pacing a bit before its conclusion.
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