'Sanditon' Season 2: Episode 3 Recap

Sanditon rolls merrily along this week, seemingly eager to tick as many stereotypical period drama boxes as possible in the name of pushing its story forward. There's a charming midsummer fair! A stoic man expresses emotion due to the mention of his beloved dead spouse! An unwed mother fears for her future and that of her illegitimate child! A farmer's daughter has a secret way with horses! A different man lies about his personal exploits to impress a woman!

As was evident in the last episode, nothing about this season of Sanditon is particularly subtle. And in some ways, that's a good thing. There's something strangely comforting about how utterly predictable so many of the series' plot points are, and it certainly feels much more overtly Jane Austen-esque than much of last season did. (I will truly never get over the snake floor sex. Sorry not sorry.) But the downside to that is, because the show is so clearly telegraphing every move it's going to make, the series as a whole doesn't exactly feel all that propulsive or compelling.

In many ways, it's sort of like the period drama version of candy floss: Beautiful, sweet, and utterly impermanent. It's nice to look at and pleasant enough, but so far it's also largely forgettable. And I can't imagine an online campaign springing up in support of the relationship between heroine Charlotte Heywood and either of Season 2 beaus. (But, hey, at least the men are easy on the eyes.)