'The Other Bennet Sister' creators explain Mary's shocking final decision

The Other Bennet Sister ended on a happy note but the people behind the show say Mary's story was never just about finding love.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, writer Sarah Quintrell and actress Ella Bruccoleri explained that the finale was really about Mary learning to value herself after spending years feeling ignored and misunderstood.

In the final episode, Mary accepts Thomas Hayward's marriage proposal.

Before that, she surprises viewers by punching Tom after he admits that he stayed away because he believed she would have a better future with another man.

Bruccoleri said that she laughed when she first read the script because she did not expect Mary to react that way.

"Did I just punch him?" she remembered thinking.

Quintrell, however, added that the scene was important because Mary was finally standing up for herself.

She was angry that someone else had decided what was best for her without asking what she wanted.

The writer went on to explain that the show was never trying to say a husband would fix Mary's life.

Instead, it wanted to show that she first had to believe in herself and understand her own worth. Finding love simply became part of that journey.

Bruccoleri also sharef that the ending would still have worked even if Mary didn’t marry Tom because the biggest change was that she finally found confidence in herself.

The both of them also talked about small references to older Pride and Prejudice adaptations and said a three part Christmas special will continue Mary's story.