"Howzat?" asked Mr Davies
Sep. 24th, 2019 07:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shallownessSanditon – ep 5
It was almost a surprise that some characters didn’t know there was going to be a cricket match.
In the battle for silliest person this episode, Georgiana mostly won. I’d had quite enough of Otis’s love letter after one sentence. She seemed more like thirteen than nineteen, but Charlotte was going to play chaperone so that’d be all right. Except Sidney was coming to play, along with Babbington the suitor, but no, they were going to stick to their plan.
I note that Sidney is a hugger, which I hadn’t noted before.
Meanwhile, we learned that Young Stringer has a proper name – James. Unfortunately, James and his fellow workers had not been paid. And they were to make up the team that would play the toffs. Ruh-roh, although as it turned out it wasn’t Poldark-style fights, just the frantic, lying Tom getting unmasked.
Charlotte is not an observant secretary, is she?
Mary was cross, understandably so, but I don’t think her intervention much helped Tom think clearly and become a more capable version of himself to solve the crisis.
Actually, ugh, the most emotionally resonant bits involved Babbington and Chin. He was so clearly sincerely head over heels that even she, half-resigned to her fate, had to notice and start to respond. And ‘He made me laugh, I had forgotten how to laugh’ was actually touching. She clearly replied to the proposal with an ‘I’ll think about it.’
But events had been set in train before Clara gloated (to give her something to do other than set up that Lady Denham was feeling unwell?) Forehead clearly didn’t like the thought of Chin marrying someone eligible and liking him, anyway. So he clicked his fingers, and poor Esther said ‘how high?’ (And I don’t get where you think you can look down at anyone when you’re going around snogging your stepbrother) and poor, poor Babbington.
There were three or even four actual good lines in the episode.
Charlotte knows cricket! Sidney tried patronising her (more because mens mansplain, although of course he was their team’s best bowler and batsman) and Stringer gave her an easy ball to win. Again, as his mate noted, she doesn’t have a clue and won’t until he tells her, but he’s not been paid for a few weeks and on what is he going to propose to her or go beyond very light flirtation? Still, the unspoken triangle added a little something to the cricket bits.
And then silly Georgiana’s absence was noted and Charlotte realised she’d done a big oopsie, because it sounded like Miss Lamb, the heiress, had been abducted. But mainly I was left aghast (get me the vinagrette AND the burnt feathers) that Charlotte thought she could make up for it with the kind of social solecism that has me growling at bad Regency romances. She couldn’t just go on the coach to London and look for Georgiana at this one address herself. And okay, Mary framed it as ‘you can’t rely on my husband’, but she also forbade her and Charlotte’s just had a brilliant example of why you might want to listen to people forbidding certain things. I mean, I don’t think she’s going to end up being tied up and beaten up (though you never know), but just the damage to her reputation. Stepping up to play cricket is one thing (if eye-rolling, because there were gentlemen extras milling about) that I wouldn’t expect a Jane Austen heroine to do, but rushing to London alone. I mean, in a bad Regency romance where servants and contemporaneous social mores are handwaved away, I’d expect her and Sidney to be forced to marry for reputational cover next, but I’m meant to be watching Sanditon not Scandal and Seduction at Sanditon by Andrea Davies.
Meanwhile, Lady D looks like she’s going to be glad there’s a doctor in the town.
It was almost a surprise that some characters didn’t know there was going to be a cricket match.
In the battle for silliest person this episode, Georgiana mostly won. I’d had quite enough of Otis’s love letter after one sentence. She seemed more like thirteen than nineteen, but Charlotte was going to play chaperone so that’d be all right. Except Sidney was coming to play, along with Babbington the suitor, but no, they were going to stick to their plan.
I note that Sidney is a hugger, which I hadn’t noted before.
Meanwhile, we learned that Young Stringer has a proper name – James. Unfortunately, James and his fellow workers had not been paid. And they were to make up the team that would play the toffs. Ruh-roh, although as it turned out it wasn’t Poldark-style fights, just the frantic, lying Tom getting unmasked.
Charlotte is not an observant secretary, is she?
Mary was cross, understandably so, but I don’t think her intervention much helped Tom think clearly and become a more capable version of himself to solve the crisis.
Actually, ugh, the most emotionally resonant bits involved Babbington and Chin. He was so clearly sincerely head over heels that even she, half-resigned to her fate, had to notice and start to respond. And ‘He made me laugh, I had forgotten how to laugh’ was actually touching. She clearly replied to the proposal with an ‘I’ll think about it.’
But events had been set in train before Clara gloated (to give her something to do other than set up that Lady Denham was feeling unwell?) Forehead clearly didn’t like the thought of Chin marrying someone eligible and liking him, anyway. So he clicked his fingers, and poor Esther said ‘how high?’ (And I don’t get where you think you can look down at anyone when you’re going around snogging your stepbrother) and poor, poor Babbington.
There were three or even four actual good lines in the episode.
Charlotte knows cricket! Sidney tried patronising her (more because mens mansplain, although of course he was their team’s best bowler and batsman) and Stringer gave her an easy ball to win. Again, as his mate noted, she doesn’t have a clue and won’t until he tells her, but he’s not been paid for a few weeks and on what is he going to propose to her or go beyond very light flirtation? Still, the unspoken triangle added a little something to the cricket bits.
And then silly Georgiana’s absence was noted and Charlotte realised she’d done a big oopsie, because it sounded like Miss Lamb, the heiress, had been abducted. But mainly I was left aghast (get me the vinagrette AND the burnt feathers) that Charlotte thought she could make up for it with the kind of social solecism that has me growling at bad Regency romances. She couldn’t just go on the coach to London and look for Georgiana at this one address herself. And okay, Mary framed it as ‘you can’t rely on my husband’, but she also forbade her and Charlotte’s just had a brilliant example of why you might want to listen to people forbidding certain things. I mean, I don’t think she’s going to end up being tied up and beaten up (though you never know), but just the damage to her reputation. Stepping up to play cricket is one thing (if eye-rolling, because there were gentlemen extras milling about) that I wouldn’t expect a Jane Austen heroine to do, but rushing to London alone. I mean, in a bad Regency romance where servants and contemporaneous social mores are handwaved away, I’d expect her and Sidney to be forced to marry for reputational cover next, but I’m meant to be watching Sanditon not Scandal and Seduction at Sanditon by Andrea Davies.
Meanwhile, Lady D looks like she’s going to be glad there’s a doctor in the town.
no subject
Date: 2019-09-24 06:54 pm (UTC)I really wanted Babbington and Chin to get together - but no, she's under Forehead's thumb. (or something).
A true Jane Austen heroine would use her head and not just rush around causing chaos, which is the role of younger sister/dreadful cousin.
And we still don't know why Sidney is Georgiana's guardian - there has to be something yet to be revealed, don't you think?
no subject
Date: 2019-09-26 06:50 am (UTC)TROPETASTIC!
Er, I've given this a lot too much thought, and I'm torn between thinking it'd be okay if Sanditon was far enough in London that they had to stay in an inn on the way. But I'm presuing he has a house or rooms in London with more than one bed. However, I could see a scenario where they share a roof which ought to be scandalous enough. However (2), I genuinely don't know if this show has any commonsense which complicates things. All that I can confidently predict is there won't be enough servants.
Kem>I really wanted Babbington and Chin to get together - but no, she's under Forehead's thumb. (or something).
Me too! He's an escape route she might like! I don't think it's entirely over yet, and I will admit that Esther has probably been in this pattern with Forehead for years.
A true Jane Austen heroine would use her head and not just rush around causing chaos, which is the role of younger sister/dreadful cousin.
Marvellous point, and pinpoints why I was flapping about, failing to make comparisons.
And we still don't know why Sidney is Georgiana's guardian - there has to be something yet to be revealed, don't you think?
Absolutely. We also need to know what his exact position is on slavery and what past mistakes he was referring to. Do you think he or Arthur is the youngest brother?
no subject
Date: 2019-09-26 09:16 pm (UTC)Yes, I agree, Esther's really under Edward's influence, which is convenient for him. And she did seem genuinely upset when refusing Babbington.
I think Sidney was the middle brother in the original story, although whether that's remained the case I'm not sure. Have we seen much interaction between him and Arthur?
no subject
Date: 2019-09-24 07:58 pm (UTC)Georgiana is indeed a very silly young lady and acting about 10 years younger than she is.
And Tom... let's see what he's going to do now that everyone knows the truth about having not paid his workers for weeks.
no subject
Date: 2019-09-26 06:53 am (UTC)Esther should, but as I was saying in answer to another comment, she's been in this toxic relationship with Forehead for years. I can understand it not being easy to walk away from him.
As for Tom, will he do something desperate and daft or sensible? Will Charlotte and Sidney cross paths with him and Georgiana's abduction give him a better sense of perspective, as Old Stringer's injury did?