Return to Sanditon
Aug. 21st, 2023 04:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shallownessI think this is currently just available on ITVX, and will be aired on ITV later.
3.01
The event of the episode would be Georgiana’s twenty-first, when she’d come into her inheritance, which meant even more unwanted attention from fortune hunters for Georgiana. She was all about making her mark in society and finding her mother (no luck on that, but my pet theory remains valid.) Arthur was the party organiser.
And Arthur is what I’m most confused about in a show that you wouldn’t call subtle, especially given that Georgiana agreed to pretend to get on with the new Duke of Buckingham whose first name I don’t remember once she twigged he was gay and needed a beard to stop his mother pressurising him. (He’s still going to need to marry someone rich or stand up to his mother and tell her they need to ECONOMISE.) Arthur, not knowing this, was confused about how Georgiana was suddenly getting on so famously with ‘the peacock’ when she’d been super frosty with him when he’d presumed to introduce himself, as is her wont. Tom and Lady Montrose (AKA the peacock’s mother) were basically being tween girls in the way that they jumped on one date as meaning ‘practically engaged’.
But I’ve always been confused as to whether Arthur was gay and I should see his really supportive friendship with Georgiana in that light. But I suspect that the show is going for chunky = asexual and letting him be the comforting teddy bear for Georgiana (and Charlotte to a lesser degree) who sublimates by organising for Tom and Georgiana. But trying to get invested in a new more physically attractive love interest in Georgiana who then goes and lets her down is tiresome, especially when there’s someone who clearly cares for her and supports her is right there. So, I’m left shipping them, rather!?
The episode started with Charlotte and Ralph in a carriage, coming to Sanditon for Georgiana’s party, which worked effectively enough. Charlotte had to introduce her new fiancé to Sanditon and Sanditon to her new fiancé. And, yeah, she was clearly not in love with him, and he didn’t like poetry (though wasn’t that more Alison’s jam?) but he was trying for her. Until he started getting possessive and grumpy when introduced to the poshest people, worst of all Lady Susan (yay, Lady Susan returned! I didn’t remember she was so tall!!) She seemed to be all about how great Charlotte is as a person, totally setting class aside, but he kept bringing it back in. And yeah, I get that hanging about with the leisured classes would annoy a (gentleman?) farmer. Oh well, basically the problem is that she capitulated and consented to marry him because of circumstances despite having feelings for someone else and the season 2 finale was very badly written for the sake of dramah.
Meanwhile, Colbourne and family had been in Bath, but were on their convenient way back home after a very few weeks. I was disappointed: why not the Continent??? (Also, if the Montroses had just come from Bath, wouldn’t they have met already? Wouldn’t he have heard about the financial position thanks to the gambler father?)
As soon as Augusta knew Charlotte was back (and Charlotte deliberately didn’t tell her, Leo and Mrs W about her engagement), she was all about the matchmaking, setting up a sorority of sorts with Leo (who was very excited about this shiny new grown-up idea of people being in love, and, obviously, all for the idea of Charlotte as her stepmother) and Mrs Whately, who was slightly more world weary about it, but whose relationship with the girls has shifted. (Partly because Charlotte isn’t coming over to the house, but the girls were now hanging out in the kitchen. I’m going to pretend that was the servants’ staircase Leo was sitting on.) Georgiana and Lady Susan are unofficially members of this matchmaking sorority, and I think Mary could be persuaded.
Colbourne was easily manipulated to go to the party to have EPIC EYE CONTACT with Charlotte. But no dancing, only talking, because of the engagement. And Colbourne never really had a chance to fully apologise, but calling her ‘irreplacable’ and hoping Ralph was worthy of her? Well played! But he seemed to be willing to turn to Lady Lydia (who I actually quite like. She and her brother were witty by this show’s standards) in his hurt.
The big oh dear is that Forehead (Edward) was showing an interest in Augusta (and her fortune.) Yeah, she was spirited, but not really taking in the warning about him, and she feels younger than Charlotte, Georgiana or Allison (all of whom have been young and stupid on this show) because we’ve seen her come out, essentially, and thus even more vulnerable. She really has no idea of how awful he is (dare I hope for Esther to return, as her telling her story might be the best enlightenment?)
There was some amusement to be had from Lady Denham’s punishment regime for him and that she wasn’t buying his repentance act. There was some Man of the Cloth vs Man of Science tension between Simpkins and Fuchs but the big development was some flirting between Miss Simpkins (who was good to Esther last season) and Dr Fuchs. I have chosen to be delighted by an unproblematic comic romantic subplot for more mature characters, yay! I am all for her making her own mind up and not taking orders from her brother (who, let’s be real, has been one of the most inconsistently written characters on the show.)
Anne Reid and James Bolan had fun as the grumpiest elders with A History. Mary seemed to have forgotten to be dubious of Tom’s plans (although getting investment to build a hotel when Sanditon seems thriving doesn’t seem that risky by his standards) and took Charlotte to visit the poor and show off her social conscience and how much she doesn’t want twelve babies with Ralph.
Obviously, there was always going to be a scene at Georgiana’s party (kudos to Arthur and the production design team, and also I really liked Georgiana’s gown), but it wasn’t one of the many I was expecting. Lockhart turned up! (Huh, he’s hotter than I realised) to serve Georgiana with a writ contesting the inheritance. My main thoughts were ‘Doubtful it worked like that in Regency England’ – even if anachronisms are inevitable on Sanditon – and ‘I hope that her lawyer is hot, then.’ Good best friending from Charlotte to follow Georgiana out there.
I am here for the Heybourne ship (and I love that Charlotte’s influence from the last season has brought Alexander, Leo and Augusta closer together. Leo was adorable.) There were moments that made me chuckle on purpose and Edward provides real threat. It’s still daft, sub Austen (e.g. once you start debating whether the Montroses are more like Henry and Mary Crawford or Henry and Eleanor Tilney, you realise how far short this falls) though.
3.01
The event of the episode would be Georgiana’s twenty-first, when she’d come into her inheritance, which meant even more unwanted attention from fortune hunters for Georgiana. She was all about making her mark in society and finding her mother (no luck on that, but my pet theory remains valid.) Arthur was the party organiser.
And Arthur is what I’m most confused about in a show that you wouldn’t call subtle, especially given that Georgiana agreed to pretend to get on with the new Duke of Buckingham whose first name I don’t remember once she twigged he was gay and needed a beard to stop his mother pressurising him. (He’s still going to need to marry someone rich or stand up to his mother and tell her they need to ECONOMISE.) Arthur, not knowing this, was confused about how Georgiana was suddenly getting on so famously with ‘the peacock’ when she’d been super frosty with him when he’d presumed to introduce himself, as is her wont. Tom and Lady Montrose (AKA the peacock’s mother) were basically being tween girls in the way that they jumped on one date as meaning ‘practically engaged’.
But I’ve always been confused as to whether Arthur was gay and I should see his really supportive friendship with Georgiana in that light. But I suspect that the show is going for chunky = asexual and letting him be the comforting teddy bear for Georgiana (and Charlotte to a lesser degree) who sublimates by organising for Tom and Georgiana. But trying to get invested in a new more physically attractive love interest in Georgiana who then goes and lets her down is tiresome, especially when there’s someone who clearly cares for her and supports her is right there. So, I’m left shipping them, rather!?
The episode started with Charlotte and Ralph in a carriage, coming to Sanditon for Georgiana’s party, which worked effectively enough. Charlotte had to introduce her new fiancé to Sanditon and Sanditon to her new fiancé. And, yeah, she was clearly not in love with him, and he didn’t like poetry (though wasn’t that more Alison’s jam?) but he was trying for her. Until he started getting possessive and grumpy when introduced to the poshest people, worst of all Lady Susan (yay, Lady Susan returned! I didn’t remember she was so tall!!) She seemed to be all about how great Charlotte is as a person, totally setting class aside, but he kept bringing it back in. And yeah, I get that hanging about with the leisured classes would annoy a (gentleman?) farmer. Oh well, basically the problem is that she capitulated and consented to marry him because of circumstances despite having feelings for someone else and the season 2 finale was very badly written for the sake of dramah.
Meanwhile, Colbourne and family had been in Bath, but were on their convenient way back home after a very few weeks. I was disappointed: why not the Continent??? (Also, if the Montroses had just come from Bath, wouldn’t they have met already? Wouldn’t he have heard about the financial position thanks to the gambler father?)
As soon as Augusta knew Charlotte was back (and Charlotte deliberately didn’t tell her, Leo and Mrs W about her engagement), she was all about the matchmaking, setting up a sorority of sorts with Leo (who was very excited about this shiny new grown-up idea of people being in love, and, obviously, all for the idea of Charlotte as her stepmother) and Mrs Whately, who was slightly more world weary about it, but whose relationship with the girls has shifted. (Partly because Charlotte isn’t coming over to the house, but the girls were now hanging out in the kitchen. I’m going to pretend that was the servants’ staircase Leo was sitting on.) Georgiana and Lady Susan are unofficially members of this matchmaking sorority, and I think Mary could be persuaded.
Colbourne was easily manipulated to go to the party to have EPIC EYE CONTACT with Charlotte. But no dancing, only talking, because of the engagement. And Colbourne never really had a chance to fully apologise, but calling her ‘irreplacable’ and hoping Ralph was worthy of her? Well played! But he seemed to be willing to turn to Lady Lydia (who I actually quite like. She and her brother were witty by this show’s standards) in his hurt.
The big oh dear is that Forehead (Edward) was showing an interest in Augusta (and her fortune.) Yeah, she was spirited, but not really taking in the warning about him, and she feels younger than Charlotte, Georgiana or Allison (all of whom have been young and stupid on this show) because we’ve seen her come out, essentially, and thus even more vulnerable. She really has no idea of how awful he is (dare I hope for Esther to return, as her telling her story might be the best enlightenment?)
There was some amusement to be had from Lady Denham’s punishment regime for him and that she wasn’t buying his repentance act. There was some Man of the Cloth vs Man of Science tension between Simpkins and Fuchs but the big development was some flirting between Miss Simpkins (who was good to Esther last season) and Dr Fuchs. I have chosen to be delighted by an unproblematic comic romantic subplot for more mature characters, yay! I am all for her making her own mind up and not taking orders from her brother (who, let’s be real, has been one of the most inconsistently written characters on the show.)
Anne Reid and James Bolan had fun as the grumpiest elders with A History. Mary seemed to have forgotten to be dubious of Tom’s plans (although getting investment to build a hotel when Sanditon seems thriving doesn’t seem that risky by his standards) and took Charlotte to visit the poor and show off her social conscience and how much she doesn’t want twelve babies with Ralph.
Obviously, there was always going to be a scene at Georgiana’s party (kudos to Arthur and the production design team, and also I really liked Georgiana’s gown), but it wasn’t one of the many I was expecting. Lockhart turned up! (Huh, he’s hotter than I realised) to serve Georgiana with a writ contesting the inheritance. My main thoughts were ‘Doubtful it worked like that in Regency England’ – even if anachronisms are inevitable on Sanditon – and ‘I hope that her lawyer is hot, then.’ Good best friending from Charlotte to follow Georgiana out there.
I am here for the Heybourne ship (and I love that Charlotte’s influence from the last season has brought Alexander, Leo and Augusta closer together. Leo was adorable.) There were moments that made me chuckle on purpose and Edward provides real threat. It’s still daft, sub Austen (e.g. once you start debating whether the Montroses are more like Henry and Mary Crawford or Henry and Eleanor Tilney, you realise how far short this falls) though.
