'Sanditon' Recap: Episode 3

Previously on Sanditon: Farmer’s daughter Charlotte Heywood ends up in the seaside town of Sanditon after she helps rescue charming oddball Tom Parker and his wife from a carriage accident. (Just go with it.) Once there, she meets a wide assortment of interesting and bizarre people, including Tom’s handsome and arrogant brother, a wealthy black heiress from the West Indies, the local rich Violet Crowley-esque widow and the seemingly endless parade of relations competing to inherit from her, including a V.C. Andrews-ish pair of stepsiblings, a poor cousin, and Tom himself, who wants her to fund his investments in improving the town. It’s kind of a lot. If you need more detail, see our recap of Episodes 1 and 2.

After an opening pair of installments that left some of us (i.e. me) wondering if I could or did actually enjoy this show, Sanditon’s third episode felt a lot closer to what we normally expect from a Jane Austen drama. Sort of. (At least it focused more on the things I cared about than the things I didn’t.) There are still several narrative elements that will likely leave you sort of blinking in disbelief – the slapstick nature of much of Dr. Fuchs’ visit, Arthur’s continued existence, and the basically made up doctoring effort that keeps Young Stringer’s dad alive. (It also probably didn’t help that I couldn’t stop thinking of him as Old Stringer, just saying.) But, on the whole, there’s a lot to like in this episode, and if this is the general form Sanditon wants to adapt to going forward, count me right in.

There are many things I turn to a Jane Austen story for – deft language, class commentary, female characters of depth and richness, despite the circumstances in which they may find themselves, and, yes, romance. I’m hear to swoon over the Lizzies and Darcys, the Marianne Dashwoods and Col. Brandons, the Emmas and Mr. Knightleys. And now, finally, Sidney and Charlotte.