Pride and Protest

4 stars for cleverly adapting the Pride & Prejudice characters, themes, and events to modern day Washington D.C., where the titular conflict is portrayed through the relationship between a Black activist trying to save her neighborhood from gentrification and a wealthy Filipino developer who needs to make Netherfield Court happen so his board will approve his philanthropic initiatives.

2 stars for the over-the-top lust between Liza and Dorsey, which reads like an Old Skool bodice ripper. The “I hate you but all I can think about is f*cking you” trope is non-stop in their inner monologues, usually accompanied by bizarrely purple prose.

She was alternately lush and lean, full and hollow. The shimmering brown of her skin reminded him of the warm, tropical riverbanks he fished from as a child. Would she be that warm and wet? Could he submerge himself and let her wash over him?

Pride and Protest's