Sanditon 2.6

[shallowness]

I would like to think that if I’d rewatched the last two episodes a few days earlier and sat on my query about the relative who legally challenged Georgiana’s inheritance turning up for longer (or been more invested in this ship or the mystery of Sidney’s trip to Antigua), I might have got there. As it was, I only suspected a few seconds before Sidney’s letter named the Artist. Durr.

Oh, well, Georgiana got stopped before eloping (with her cousin. Cue snide remarks about the Bertrams, and how Austen did write that) by the sincere and honest Parkers who then joined Georgiana in encouraging Alison to break a promise and eavesdropped at her and Fraser’s private conversation. What did we learn about eavesdropping in the previous episode? I suppose I’m meant to be swept away by ‘At least they’re not racist!’

The two big things that stood out for me are: the kids were all right, I would have been Very Cross Indeed if Leonora had been harmed worse, and George got the best possible outcome. I obviously have Heybourne feelings, but they’re adults and can work through things if they don’t wreck their lives and others' in the process. The other is that I knew going in that not only would there be another series, but they’ve already filmed it (so presumably all the actors in this series were available and are unlikely to be spitefully killed off.) My reaction to this finale was coloured by the ending of the first series, I don’t think they’ve written themselves into quite such a hole, but still, they’ve given themselves a bit of unnecessary work, and despite trying to bring in all of Sidney’s last words, we all know what you did at the start of this series, writers/producers. So, my expectations weren’t high, and they didn’t cross my red line.

A lot of things were turbocharged to their detriment, most of all the Alison/Fraser resolution, but everyone had a tumultuous 24 hours of so. Some things were dropped - Carter turning into an Alison/Fraser shipper? At least Lennox’s sting in the tail for Charlotte/Alexander was consistent. With the company, Alison/Fraser and potentially Esther, George and Clara gone, that’s a big vacuum to fill characterwise: where are your antagonists, along with Edward? I demand a love interest for Augusta! And the 2 months later revelations? Really?

There was a point when, unlikely as it was, I’d have loved to see Georgiana, Arthur and Charlotte go off to Antigua to find Georgiana’s mother (I daresay that someone will write that fic and may throw in Sidney not really being dead on the basis that Georgiana’s mother canonically wasn’t really dead.)

As it is, I am feeling very, very sorry for Ralph Starling (I could pity Eliza Campion, remember!) although he must have had a clue when Charlotte refused him because of Sidney and even became a governess briefly rather than marrying him, but if he wants to delude himself about why she suddenly agreed…

Until the engagement reveal, I had a lot of sympathy for Charlotte. Granted, she was only playing at being a governess – still living with the Carters and being able to take time off to have a young lady’s social life, which she probably couldn’t in any other position. On the upside, if she had found another job as a governess, she’d be unlikely to fall in love with her boss again, as it clearly wasn’t a kink. On the other hand, she’d probably be treated worse in different ways, but it would be taking the high road.

In order, our three young ladies had a brief post-ball debrief. Alison had conveniently realised overnight what her true feelings were, and totally demoted Georgiana for all her friendliness towards her because she was so in lurve that Fraser was who she’d miss most about Sanditon. Georgiana was not offended because she was pondering her proposal.

I couldn’t help feeling for an actual onscreen Parker servant trying to do his job and open the door, but getting usurped by the Quality. Oh well, if they pay your wages and do your job for you, being underemployed isn’t as bad as some Santidon workers’ plight!

Now that Alison was ready to accept him, Fraser chickened out of telling her how he felt to her face and gave her the gift. Not a surprise that it would be the book of poetry, although did it merit their making such a big deal of it? I had hoped that there was a letter or something as he urged her not to open it until she was home. She was crushed.

We saw the completed portrait and as far as I could tell, it was great, and Georgiana and the Artist shared a secret hand-holding that suggested what she had decided to do.

More importantly, Charlotte returned to her workplace. (Be grateful, I’ve deleted a paragraph of speculating about how and when Charlotte got back to the Parkers the previous night.)

And so the emotional illiteracy of Alexander Colbourne was laid bare (srsly, he makes Fitzwilliam Darcy seem positively in touch with his feelings) because he started off his first talk with Charlotte wanting to backtrack on his oversharing of the previous night. Eh, dude, she was entitled to a full explanation then, and it was probably healthy for you to talk about it with a sympathetic listener. And you both enjoyed the making out.

He also asked her not to spread the whole story around, and she agreed, although she’d already told G and A quite a lot, and Tom knew about Lennox’s proposal.

Charlotte countered with her experience of loss and pretty much raised marriage in a way no Austen heroine ever would (borderline Mary Crawford would blush, and I don’t think MC blushes) and he wanted to kiss her so much that he did and forgot all about his repression, embarrassment and whatever else was driving him back into his old ways. Until Ms Wheatley interrupted them to tell them that Leonora was missing (my first response is that a well-run household ought to have noticed this about two hours earlier. Come to think of it, all the other early morning interactions we’d already been shown the morning after A BALL are ludicrous.) Off they dashed to search the house, and Charlotte found Augusta being conflicted on a staircase. I was rather touched that Leo had come to her crying in the middle of the night. Augusta broke a promise (quite right too when it’s a matter of child safety, less so when it’s curiosity about a gift, ALISON) and told them Leo had gone looking for Colonel Lennox. Even though it turns out she’s eight and slightly younger than I thought, that’s a slow walk to the camp. But on second thoughts, Leo probably left after breakfast and I was too harsh on the servants because Augusta was probably distracting them on purpose.

But I can’t be too sarcastic, it was heart breaking to see her all dressed up in her soldier clothes, looking for the Colonel, her birth father. And she carried herself with aplomb and was the closest thing to a knife cutting through all the layers of self-satisfaction and lies Lennox has been carrying when she charged him with whether he was her father. For once, he did the right thing i.e. to lie, although a part of it was not wanting to take on the responsibility.

Oh, and as they were haring through the camp after Leo, Charlotte and Colbourne had a sweet little bit of hand holding of their own. There was then a nice moment when Alexander told Leonora she was his daughter and she should be too for all intents and purposes hereafter for her sense of self and hugged her. Was it necessary for him to go back and thank Lennox? Although he was clearly pondering consequences – rare for him - Lennox got to be a little vindictive, and a Colbourne who we’d already seen was unsure of how to proceed (er, marry the woman you love and who loves you and see how it goes and become a family, you dolt). Instead of seeing how differently he’s responded to Charlotte, he focused on his own weaknesses. And yeah, not the best husband to Lucy, but she wasn’t the best wife either. He even had an ansgty horse ride on the beach (if this was the first series, I expect he’d have gone for an angsty dip in the sea.) He really needs to talk to more people.

Meanwhile, the Parkers were faced with Sidney’s last effects and the debt problem. Sidney’s words about Tom following his vision for Sanditon made me roll my eyes, but not as hard as the whole business about gambling to recover debts. (That’s a terrible idea for anyone, let alone a problem gambler like Tom.) Oh well, Tom seemed to be listening to my advice to listen to Mary and Arthur on top of believing in himself, and came roaring into the camp with Arthur as his second to ream out Lennox for treating the town and Charlotte shabbily and challenge him to Sidney’s card game.

Fraser had already been ticked off for cowardice by Captain I Should Know What Cowardice Looks Like and was witness to all this. At one point, I thought Lennox would try to cheat, although how could he when they were playing with Sidney’s cards? Tom won thanks to strategizing like Sidney or something and could pay all the shopkeepers and big up Arthur.

Arthur took his due responsibility for stanning the Artist, and all his interaction with Georgiana was lovely if confusing. Remember when I said I could ship them, but then Arthur seemed to be coded as gay, although they didn’t really play that up this series as they could have ? I don’t know what the endgame for Georgiana is – surely it has to be a love match because she’s a secondary Austen heroine? But Otis let her down – but it can’t be Arthur, can it? He seems more avuncular/fraternal, and TBH their platonic love gives me the warm and fuzzies.

ANYWAY, the shell necklace was sweet, and Georgiana breaking down in Mary’s arms because her mother wasn’t dead after all, probably, was touching, but the implication is that Mr Lambe set his (black, former slave) wife aside, which isn’t very nice, is it? I presume she’ll turn up in a British city down the road for ease.

Colbourne came home to ask Charlotte for another talk, and she was hopeful that they could continue with the kissing. Oh, Charlotte, did you learn nothing from the first series? Don’t kiss until after the engagement, as your sister did. And then Alexander spouted what he’d decided, because he thought he’d make a terrible husband and wanted to spare her that, I suppose, which is gubbins, because it’d be far better if he let himself love her enough to love her. What he actually said was terrible, using the whole Employer taking advantage of his Employee line. There was some truth in that, except as Charlotte said, it was consensual, and she had plenty of agency. But no, he steamrollered on, pretty much implying that the only thing he’d been feeling was lust (and there was a sense of a man who didn’t get any for some nine years about him) and making it all rather tawdry – six month pay off!? Charlotte flew up at that, and I was entirely rooting for her as she told him he could lie to the girls about what was going on, she wouldn’t, and left him to deal with that mess.

Sorry, I’ve totally forgotten to discuss the Denham drama. A woozy Esther was threatened with the asylum, Clara was told to give her one extra dose of laudanum, but she couldn’t do it, and turned on Moustache, formerly Forehead AKA Edward. When she said all that they’d done to Esther this series out loud, it sounded awful. Clara took more than her share of blame, as she was more a reluctant accomplice than a co-conspirator, and I loved Esther for seeing that and saying as much. Anyway, Edward was unmasked, and Esther got to read her letters (I am a bit bitter that they couldn’t get Babbington onscreen for any scenes) and talked it out with Clara, who had been offered an Edward-free future.

Lady D manouvered Edward into a course of her reform after he became the butt of Colonel Lennox’s very bad, no good 24 hours. Heh. Even if Lennox lecturing anyone else on being dishonourable is ridiculous. She’s probably being over confident, but at least Edward won’t be able to pay off her servants any more.

Clara proved her fierce mother love by entrusting George to Esther who we all know will love him to bits and be able to bring him up properly. (Again, could have stood to have seen a loving Babbington have to accept an adopted son who makes his wife light up.) Stealth heroine of Sanditon remains the stealth heroine of Sanditon despite all this series’s melodrama! I don’t see them being able to justify both Esther and Clara returning for the whole of the next series, but who knows what thin crazysauce the writers may produce to do so.

Augusta learned that Colbourne had packed Charlotte off and lectured him quite accurately for being too afraid to be a human being. Too right, Augusta! So he did come a-calling and muffed his apology (again) and was still unable to talk about his feelings, and the whole business of having employed Charlotte as a governess got in their way, although it was clear to the viewer that Charlotte was leaving the idiot an opening to invite her back as his wife, but he took it the wrong way and got shouty and she understandably enough went ‘up with this I shall not put’ because she was getting whiplash from every talk that they had this episode.

So, Alison went on a Dash to the camp to find the remnants packing up because the company was conveniently going to India. Crestfallen, she came back to the Parkers’ to find…Fraser, who got to do a proper proposal (best this season, because I liked the whole rank of loving husband line although the writers might also have wanted to do something with the couple’s precious poetry) with swoony camera work for the kiss afterwards. It turned out he’s a farmer’s son and definitely Irish, and one can only wish them well (and try not to think of the upcoming famine in Ireland. Maybe they’ll stay in England, although I very much doubt they’ll return.)

As if enough hadn’t happened this episode, we jumped ahead two months to learn that Colbourne, who had not been wrong about the house feeling like less of a home because Charlotte wasn’t there (but whose fault is that?), was packing off Leo and Augusta (still quite rightly in a huff with her uncle) somewhere they didn’t want to go. Plonker. (How are they going to write them back to Sanditon in time for Charlotte’s return there?)

And then I was confused about where Alison was getting married. I’ve come to assume it was in Willingden, even if they used the Sanditon church for budgetary reasons and the Willingden rector or curate was indisposed. The Parkers and Georgiana talked up Sanditon to Charlotte, and presumably Charlotte will return for Georgiana’s coming-of-age party. But looking very pretty with her hair surprisingly down, she introduced them and us to her first ever fiancée WHO SHE DOESN’T LOVE, Poor Ralph Starling.

Phew.

I mean, it wasn’t very good. A few moments landed emotionally, but the subplots varied from being tied up too quickly and handily to being left flapping about loose in the wind, leaving me thinking, ‘Why did you do that?’

Well, who am I to talk? Sanditon has been a summer fling who I knew was no good the first time we hooked up, but the sun makes you do crazy things. Oops, I did it again. There’s a massive sense of well, any old random Regency romantic drama tosh would be better than this. Presumably Bridgerton is miles better than this.

[Edited for typos 31/1/25.]