Sanditon

Sanditon is the only novel by Jane Austen to feature a black character. But given the diversity of late Georgian society, wouldn't her contemporary readers have assumed people of color were there anyway?

The fallout from Georgiana’s abduction continues this week on an action-packed Sanditon that pretty much leaves us all wondering how in the world all of this story is going to get wrapped up in two episodes

As Sanditon continues, it’s time to dive into the most British of all traditions: Cricket. This week’s installment revolves around the annual town cricket match, which serves as both an actual game and a social occasion, as well as the reason for most of the characters to be in the same place at the same time. Drama!

In all honesty, we probably should have known that there was no way that Sanditon was going to just let us watch Charlotte Heywood and Sidney Parker banter adorably for the rest of the season and live happily ever after. What is a surprise is how dark and awful this particular setback for their nascent love story turns out to be, as by the end of this hour it seems as though they’re more at odds than they’ve ever been before, with no real resolution in sight.

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.