This season, Charlotte is a bit of a self-insert character, and I don’t hate it. “What? As I try to forget my tragic lost love, a dashing soldier and a moody man of means with a grand estate are vying for my affections? Why, this is completely unexpected! What to do!â€
Sanditon is a silly show, and as long as we keep that in mind, we can just go with everything. It is our Austenian melodrama and no one shall take it from us. With this episode, we’re already halfway through the season (WHAT!), so events have to develop fairly quickly. With that in mind, though, the writers are building the relationships with small moments between the characters.
Charlotte isn’t really torn between Colonel Lennox and Alexander Colbourne, or at least not yet. She’s more just wandering around in a state of reflection. Well. I immediately backtrack that and say that she’s into Alexander (who will now be Alex). But that’s because he is perfectly calculated to appeal to her. So brooding! And yet, he loves horses. (We’ll get into that.)
The town of Sanditon is preparing for the Midsummer Fair, the main attraction of which is an elephant. The townspeople wonder if you can ride the elephant or if it is merely to be admired. This is an excellent opportunity to remind people not to ride elephants. It is very bad for them! But it’s a moot point here because someone outbids Tom for the elephant, and he scrambles to find a replacement draw. Arthur runs off to make urgent inquiries about a cow that can moo “God Save the King.â€
Georgiana is still being aggressively pursued by Mr. Lockhart, who I like more and more. I hope he doesn’t become one of those sneaky villains like Willoughby. Is Willoughby a sneaky villain? I feel like yes. Lockhart sends Georgiana a drawing of her he did from memory, which is a bold move. Georgiana visits him in his studio and yells at him (yes, good, this builds your relationship). They discuss how people see you vs. how you wish to be seen, and Georgiana is intrigued. Remember last season when she was just shut up in her room the whole time when Sidney wasn’t yelling at her? This is so much better! I’m so happy she has her own storyline with a tempestuous artist who is very into her and maybe also into Arthur. We’ll see!
Speaking of aggressive pursuit, Colonel Lennox is all in on Charlotte. He sends flowers to the Parkers’ and invites her to the fair, which is nice, I guess? Only now there are all these rumors in town of the soldiers being in debt to the shops. Tom ignores the rumors because he wants the barracks built nearby. Tom! You are being much more careful with money this season, but listen to the gossip your wife heard!
The cliffhanger last episode was Clara showing up and saying she’s pregnant with Edward’s baby. Lady Denham calls Edward in to verify this, and his immediate reply is that Clara’s probably slept with lots of people. You’re looking like a real sack of bilberries right now, Edward. Esther remains suspicious of both of them and thinks this is all part of some master plan. I would also think this! Edward and Clara burned an old lady’s will and then had sex on her floor to celebrate! Clara sucks, but also I like her. Watching the fair-to-middling acting on The Gilded Age has made me appreciate all these people. Everyone here is doing a great job.
Meanwhile, at the Colbourne estate, Charlotte has lost Leo, who is somewhere on the thousands of acres of grounds. She runs around looking for them when she sees Alex trying to tame a very upset horse. It charges out of the stables, and Charlotte walks right up to it, which I was aghast at, but then remembered she grew up on a farm. She rubs its muzzle and it’s all very “she has tamed the wild stallion†as the rude and moody Alex looks on. This particular scene is very Tina Belcher friend fiction, except there’s nothing to do with butts. Alex literally touches his forehead to the horse’s like he’s Viggo Mortenson or something. Are we supposed to have any mystery left about whether Charlotte will pick this grumpy-but-doesn’t-scream-at-her-in-the-street man who feels a spiritual connection with his horse and still carries pain about his dead wife? We know she will, barring melodramatic interference! That being said, I enjoy the journey.
Alex helps her find Leo after they stand under a tree in the rain (laying it on a little thick, guys), and then they and Augusta have a picnic. Leo does that It Takes Two (does anyone still watch that movie?) thing where the kid looks at the two adults and is silently like, “hehehe, my plan to get them together is working.†I don’t know if it bugs anyone that Charlotte frequently has her hair down and flowing like some romantic heroine, but my friend specifically called me to complain about it. But it’s Sanditon! They might as well pioneer the “What Happens in X, Stays in X†formula, only instead of wild moral profligacy, it will be like, “I wore my hair down and walked on the beach with a gentleman!†Alex gives Charlotte cornflowers that Leo picked after Charlotte says they’re her favorite flower. Later, she stares at them while standing in front of the large bouquet sent by Lennox. Again, the writers are really telegraphing their message pretty clearly, but it’s fun, so I accept.
I don’t know how people feel about Alison, but I love her. She is exactly how I was at her age before I realized I was hella gay. She’s trying to create a romantic narrative for herself and has determined Captain Carter is the protagonist when it’s clearly Captain Fraser. But, as with most period pieces, she can’t be blamed for this because that trope was not a trope then. Carter has Fraser add poems to his letters and lies to Alison about heroic soldierly escapades. Fraser tells Carter that Alison deserves better and oooooh. Say more about what Alison deserves, Fraser. I hope they kiss under a tree.
The fair happens! The soldiers provide a hot air balloon instead of the elephant, and it almost flies away with Lennox and Charlotte in it, but Arthur rescues them (yay, Arthur!). Lockhart gives Arthur a giant hug, and I am so happy Arthur is appreciated more this season. He is the best.
Did anyone expect that Clara and Esther would get such a dramatic scene only halfway through the season? Clara goes into labor, and there’s a very intense, shouty, funny scene of Esther trying to get her up the stairs. “Stop being so dramatic; you have proven your point!†Esther tells her. Clara calls her a cold, unyielding shrew. Esther calls her a scheming vixen. This whole scene is so much, I don’t know how the actresses got through it without laughing. Esther almost leaves, but Clara begs her to help her, so she does. And she has a baby boy! This feels like a door opening for Esther, but also a massive opportunity for extortion for Edward and Clara.
Lennox tells Charlotte not to trust Alex and says Alex stole Lennox’s ladyfriend (Alex’s late wife Lucy) from him and then “destroyed her.†I don’t TRUST you, sir. Instead of Willoughby, this is Wickham vibes. Charlotte seems to retain some skepticism, which is excellent.
Tom owes the soldiers one hundred pounds now because Lennox manipulated him into gambling. Granted, he didn’t try very hard. So now Tom will have a hard time pressing them to pay their debts. The Lennox plot thickens!