'Sanditon' Season 3's Penultimate Episode Prepares for the Series' Endgame
The penultimate episode of Sanditon begins to wrap up its many storylines with purpose this week. Still, like much of the rest of this season, even its most significant emotional moments feel rushed and unearned. Plot developments arrive with little warning or set-up, and major conflicts are resolved in little more than a conversation or scene. There's so much happening that the show struggles to focus on any singular narrative thread long enough for anything about it to feel impactful. This isn't a new problem for this season, but I suspect you will be disappointed if you wanted stories that wrap up with more than the perfunctory ticking of various plot boxes.
Despite the dramatic ending of last week's episode, in which Edward and Augusta sneak off from Georgiana's engagement party to elope, the pair are tracked down, thwarted, and the entire incident is resolved before the episode has even reached the halfway point. Not only do Colbourne and Charlotte find the missing duo with ridiculous ease, Alexander suddenly decides he's fine with his niece marrying a possible reprobate if she genuinely thinks it's what will make her happy. Instead, Edward suddenly decides he can no longer be with Augusta and breaks her heart to let her go. Why? Shrug emoji. I mean, maybe he feels bad after everyone else's heartfelt speeches about love and being true to your heart. Perhaps he realized he was in no way good enough for her? Who knows!
Jack Fox deserves serious praise for his ability to turn Edward's snakelike qualities on and off like a switch. Eloise Webb truly has a bright future as a tortured period drama heroine (her ability to still look pretty while crying is top-notch). But because Edward Denham is who he is — and Sanditon has had precious little time to show him genuinely regretful or reformed for his past behavior — his supposed dramatic sacrifice for Augusta's happiness isn't as emotionally impactful as the show seems to want us to think it is. After all, most viewers were probably questioning his motives for running off with Augusta until his grand gesture of performatively embracing his worst self to free her. After all, we've seen little reason before this moment to believe all the dark motives he's ascribed to himself weren't actually true! Some of them might still be! Augusta, you dodged a bullet, girl.
