Sanditon, Sanditon, Sanditon...
Oct. 15th, 2019 07:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shallownessFirst smallhobbit wrote ‘Disapprobation’, a hilarious drabble in response to episode 6 for me.
Sanditon ep 8
There I was sitting down, looking forward to some resolution, certain there would be no sequel-baiting. And…lo and behold, many things were not resolved, which feels like sequel-baiting to me, but I don’t believe the ratings have been excellent (there was no reassuring ‘Sanditon will return’ as I sat there going ‘Huh?’) I was left thinking that this was commissioned before Vanity Fair was a flop. Who knows? There are some things I’d like resolved, some things (Esther/Babbington) I don’t want spoiled for drama and lots that could be improved on. Further thought makes me wonder if they could do a Christmas special if they can’t get up the funds for another series.
For one thing, I feel strongly that if Charlotte had slapped Sidney during two of their last three conversations, she would have been well within her rights. Even before his last, unhelpful goodbye, I thought he was giving Edward Ferrars a good name, Edward who had youth to excuse him. He was also bordering on Willoughby’s lines.
Yes, it was for Tom and the family, but Sidney didn’t just sacrifice his own happiness, he sacrificed Charlotte’s, and it’s sophistry to argue that he wasn’t committed to her at this point.
So if she’d kicked grieving!Young Stringer up the backside (metaphorically in this case) and told him to get to London and away from Tom’s bad employerness and then married him once he was a proper architect, found happiness there, that would have been acceptable!
And I suppose I’m chagrined because I was getting more and more ‘and u r going to propose WHEN?’ to Sidney, who kept declaring his feelings but not proposing, which is very disreputable – like, he took her walking the cliffsides away from everyone, showed her the life of bliss/stilted conversations (I know, both were feeling awkward) he could offer her, snogged her…but failed to propose. Okay, returning to a spot that is meaningful to them (first fight!) speaks of wanting to pick the right time and place. But as it became obvious that fate/the scriptwriter was conspiring against them, I just expected an anachronistic Charlotte proposes moment and a proper ending, which is not what transpired.
As it is, I’m left thinking ‘Huh, Esther was the sneak!romantic heroine’ all along,’ though I don’t know if going back and rewatching the time she was Chin would support that. Because what has Charlotte gained? Blue shoes, a mysterious ballgown and a broken heart. A few more correspondents, but she returns home possibly having grown up a little, but not changed.
The moment of highest drama for me was when Forehead turned up at the ball and proved that he didn’t know what love was, or as Esther observed, loved her, because he trashed her reputation in front of so much company on what was meant to be her comeback.
She’s the one who grew, learned and changed, although we were back to Lady Disdain when Babbington first turned up, but he seems to like that. And then HE LET HER DRIVE. Reason 42 why he’s a keeper. Lady Denham managed to talk of something other than lucre, and like, trust and laughter seem like a decent foundation for a marriage. After he stood up for her, Esther clearly thought so too and we had a proposal accepted, marriage and JANE NEVER WOULD HAVE WRITTEN THAT SCENE (but I don’t mind because symbolic loose hair and happy!Esther, and I’ll take what I can get.)
Otherwise, Tom was THE WORST, and it felt so bad because he’d already let everyone down. (Wondersecretary Charlotte failed to nag him about the insurance bill.) Mary forgiving him – because he was very contrite - was lovely. The Parker brothers and sister coming together would have been more powerful if, as I’ve had cause to mention before, Arthur and Miss Parker had been properly developed beyond the fools they were introduced as.
I mean…he’s gay? Where did that come from? I’m genuinely not miffed about the end of Georgiana/Arthur, but I feel like this should have been set up better. And if he does stay under his sister’s care, he’s going to die before he reaches Tom’s age because she won’t let him exercise.
Georgiana rather disappeared and is one of the unresolved plotlines. She continued to be a brat and to show a tendresse for Otis, although kissing Arthur’s hands in public !?!? Even if she sensed he was a potential gay best friend… Of course, her line about Charlotte not trusting Sidney did not land as well as it could, because it was what he wasn’t saying that was the problem. Well, that and admitting he wasn’t in love with his fiancée. Not honourable, that.
And someone tell Andrew Davies that men didn’t break engagements without causing huge scandals, just like nobody divorced if he does get a second season and has to write himself out of this hole. Mrs Campion looks a bit dim, Sidney dumped her last week, and whatever he said to her, she ought to be able to look in his eyes and see he didn’t care for her the way he did ten years ago. Indeed, from what he said about caring – not letting himself be in someone else’s control – for someone was instructive.
Meanwhile Young Stringer continued to be a Hardy hero in the wrong adaptation as he had class war with his father, the awful, inevitable parting in anger before Old Stringer died. (Well done everyone for not pretending he wasn’t a stubborn old so-and-so, because even if you could understand his feelings of rejections at his son’s ambition, he was narrow minded.)
Oh, and then there was the Vicar finding unexpected depth and stopping leching over the young girls to ask their chaperone to dance. Again, I ask: where did that come from? I know she, like all the ladies at the ball, looked good, but huh?
We were cheated of Charlotte and Esther’s convo, although that’s when I thought they were both going to be married to best friends.
There was more proof that Sidney and Charlotte are the best in an emergency, and Mary finally twigged about Charlotte/Sidney – I always felt she should have become a matchmaker ages earlier.
And I think I saw a servant do a thing once.
So, will it return or will be left to cling to Esther and Babbington’s happy ending? I can see the appeal of the setting and the unfinished nature of the source material, but I’d have been quite happy with no deaths, some growing up (I include Tom in that) and a double wedding. As it is, Sidney looks waaaay compromised as a romantic hero and our main character is down and out, which is always a downer. I strongly feel I shouldn’t be thinking of the Divergent film adaptations petering out, but I am.
smallhobbit wrote ‘Disapprobation’, a hilarious drabble in response to episode 6 for me.Sanditon ep 8
There I was sitting down, looking forward to some resolution, certain there would be no sequel-baiting. And…lo and behold, many things were not resolved, which feels like sequel-baiting to me, but I don’t believe the ratings have been excellent (there was no reassuring ‘Sanditon will return’ as I sat there going ‘Huh?’) I was left thinking that this was commissioned before Vanity Fair was a flop. Who knows? There are some things I’d like resolved, some things (Esther/Babbington) I don’t want spoiled for drama and lots that could be improved on. Further thought makes me wonder if they could do a Christmas special if they can’t get up the funds for another series.
For one thing, I feel strongly that if Charlotte had slapped Sidney during two of their last three conversations, she would have been well within her rights. Even before his last, unhelpful goodbye, I thought he was giving Edward Ferrars a good name, Edward who had youth to excuse him. He was also bordering on Willoughby’s lines.
Yes, it was for Tom and the family, but Sidney didn’t just sacrifice his own happiness, he sacrificed Charlotte’s, and it’s sophistry to argue that he wasn’t committed to her at this point.
So if she’d kicked grieving!Young Stringer up the backside (metaphorically in this case) and told him to get to London and away from Tom’s bad employerness and then married him once he was a proper architect, found happiness there, that would have been acceptable!
And I suppose I’m chagrined because I was getting more and more ‘and u r going to propose WHEN?’ to Sidney, who kept declaring his feelings but not proposing, which is very disreputable – like, he took her walking the cliffsides away from everyone, showed her the life of bliss/stilted conversations (I know, both were feeling awkward) he could offer her, snogged her…but failed to propose. Okay, returning to a spot that is meaningful to them (first fight!) speaks of wanting to pick the right time and place. But as it became obvious that fate/the scriptwriter was conspiring against them, I just expected an anachronistic Charlotte proposes moment and a proper ending, which is not what transpired.
As it is, I’m left thinking ‘Huh, Esther was the sneak!romantic heroine’ all along,’ though I don’t know if going back and rewatching the time she was Chin would support that. Because what has Charlotte gained? Blue shoes, a mysterious ballgown and a broken heart. A few more correspondents, but she returns home possibly having grown up a little, but not changed.
The moment of highest drama for me was when Forehead turned up at the ball and proved that he didn’t know what love was, or as Esther observed, loved her, because he trashed her reputation in front of so much company on what was meant to be her comeback.
She’s the one who grew, learned and changed, although we were back to Lady Disdain when Babbington first turned up, but he seems to like that. And then HE LET HER DRIVE. Reason 42 why he’s a keeper. Lady Denham managed to talk of something other than lucre, and like, trust and laughter seem like a decent foundation for a marriage. After he stood up for her, Esther clearly thought so too and we had a proposal accepted, marriage and JANE NEVER WOULD HAVE WRITTEN THAT SCENE (but I don’t mind because symbolic loose hair and happy!Esther, and I’ll take what I can get.)
Otherwise, Tom was THE WORST, and it felt so bad because he’d already let everyone down. (Wondersecretary Charlotte failed to nag him about the insurance bill.) Mary forgiving him – because he was very contrite - was lovely. The Parker brothers and sister coming together would have been more powerful if, as I’ve had cause to mention before, Arthur and Miss Parker had been properly developed beyond the fools they were introduced as.
I mean…he’s gay? Where did that come from? I’m genuinely not miffed about the end of Georgiana/Arthur, but I feel like this should have been set up better. And if he does stay under his sister’s care, he’s going to die before he reaches Tom’s age because she won’t let him exercise.
Georgiana rather disappeared and is one of the unresolved plotlines. She continued to be a brat and to show a tendresse for Otis, although kissing Arthur’s hands in public !?!? Even if she sensed he was a potential gay best friend… Of course, her line about Charlotte not trusting Sidney did not land as well as it could, because it was what he wasn’t saying that was the problem. Well, that and admitting he wasn’t in love with his fiancée. Not honourable, that.
And someone tell Andrew Davies that men didn’t break engagements without causing huge scandals, just like nobody divorced if he does get a second season and has to write himself out of this hole. Mrs Campion looks a bit dim, Sidney dumped her last week, and whatever he said to her, she ought to be able to look in his eyes and see he didn’t care for her the way he did ten years ago. Indeed, from what he said about caring – not letting himself be in someone else’s control – for someone was instructive.
Meanwhile Young Stringer continued to be a Hardy hero in the wrong adaptation as he had class war with his father, the awful, inevitable parting in anger before Old Stringer died. (Well done everyone for not pretending he wasn’t a stubborn old so-and-so, because even if you could understand his feelings of rejections at his son’s ambition, he was narrow minded.)
Oh, and then there was the Vicar finding unexpected depth and stopping leching over the young girls to ask their chaperone to dance. Again, I ask: where did that come from? I know she, like all the ladies at the ball, looked good, but huh?
We were cheated of Charlotte and Esther’s convo, although that’s when I thought they were both going to be married to best friends.
There was more proof that Sidney and Charlotte are the best in an emergency, and Mary finally twigged about Charlotte/Sidney – I always felt she should have become a matchmaker ages earlier.
And I think I saw a servant do a thing once.
So, will it return or will be left to cling to Esther and Babbington’s happy ending? I can see the appeal of the setting and the unfinished nature of the source material, but I’d have been quite happy with no deaths, some growing up (I include Tom in that) and a double wedding. As it is, Sidney looks waaaay compromised as a romantic hero and our main character is down and out, which is always a downer. I strongly feel I shouldn’t be thinking of the Divergent film adaptations petering out, but I am.
no subject
Date: 2019-10-15 07:21 pm (UTC)Yes I agree! Delighted about Esther and Babbington - don't care that the final scene wouldn't have been written by Jane, they were happy and I felt they deserved it.
I continue to like Arthur - Georgiana can come and find him and tell him he'd be far more fun as a guardian than Sidney, who is clearly living up to her expectations.
It was such a blatant 'now you need to give me a second series' ploy and as you say I doubt there's sufficient financial interest for it to happen. They wouldn't be able to do a Christmas special this year, and whether the interest would last to make one worthwhile next year is, I think, questionable.
I think it was the same servant twice, whose role is to announce Lord Babbington's arrival.
Overall I was simply disappointed, and I'm not sure I really care what happens to the characters anymore. I was forced to drabble again: Loyalties
no subject
Date: 2019-10-18 05:05 pm (UTC)So do I, but I think he could have been written better at the start of the series.
I've been thinking more about 'the second series ploy', and I agree it's not likely there'll be one. A feature length wrap-up or a truncated second series could do it, but you make good points about the practicalities.
It's good to know I'm not alone in my disappointment. As I detailed in my post, there are so many holes that Davies would have to dig himself out of, and one of them is redeeming the hero. Or admitting there's no way, and giving Stringer a chance.
no subject
Date: 2019-10-15 10:15 pm (UTC)As much as I thought Charlotte and Sidney would eventually hook up, at least Davies didn't make it a perfect happy ever after so it's a bit more realistic? Maybe?
And I've stopped pitying Tom; this whole insurance thing was the last straw. He doesn't seem to have any business sense whatsoever. I even prefer Sidney over him by now, and well, who doesn't love Arthur? :-)
Esther at least got a happy ending and can finally be someone who treats her well.
And I think Stringer should've just gone to London for that apprenticeship, especially since there really wasn't anything left for him to stick around for in Sanditon.