'Sanditon' Recap: Episodes 1 and 2

One of the most intriguing aspects of Sanditon, the new Masterpiece drama adapted from the existing scraps of a would-be Jane Austen novel, is that we have no idea where it’s going. Like, at all. Austen only wrote 11 chapters of this story before she died, which was barely enough time to introduce the major characters, let alone give us any sense of what she had in store for them. On some level, this show is simply very expensive fanfiction. On another, it’s an exciting communal journey we’ve all never shared before – experiencing an Austen story together for the first time.

Well, sort of anyway. For that sort of lofty vision to work, you have to accept that the bulk of this story doesn’t come from Austen, but from writer Andrew Davies, the guy that’s given us multiple iconic adaptations of her work over the past three decades. (Seriously, sir, thank you for Colin Firth.) You kind of have to be okay from jump with the fact that he’s making something like 95% of this story up. Sure, he uses tons of twists and tropes that Austen loved (oh wow, how weird that Sidney Parker is a rude jerk with a huge heart hidden underneath!), but we can’t guarantee that they’re the same ones she would have chosen had she gotten the chance to finish her novel.

But there are certainly enough pieces here to wonder – and to make some observations about how this story does differ from her other work. Though Sanditon is in many ways a standard tale of class and manners, it’s not about a woman trying to find a husband for herself or her friends. Nor is it a story that’s exclusively taking place among the landed – or the genteelly poor – gentry. Instead, it’s a broader tale; one that incorporates aspects of community and capitalism and the roiling social changes of the time. The Parkers are entrepreneurs overtly trying to make money! Charlotte hunts with a gun! Women are going sea bathing! It’s all very exciting and industrial!