Sanditon ITV

[JaneJeffer]

Anyone watching?

If Jane Austen wrote soap operas...

Im confused. Did charlotte carry an evening gown to london in her teeny bag?

God the writing is painfully bad

So young stringer is not getting paid, has a boss who patronises him & nicks his ideas passed there off as his own, is struggling to better himself in a class ridden society, and has a father who doesn’t encourage him and thinks he should know his place

But apparently we should all feel sorry for Sidney cos he got dumped once

Right.....

Well that was about as subtle as being hit over the head with a brick!

Sidney was once unlucky in love and now is head over heels with our protagonist, but oh, wait! His previous love has been widowed, what luck! He will no doubt decide that as she dumped him he’s not interested in sloppy seconds and end up with Miss Heywood after all - but not before two episodes of no one just getting to the bloody point! Oh, and in incest news, roll in the hay on a cold marble floor anyone?

Can ITV not afford anyone to give them a bit of advice on historical accuracy, Downton was bad, but it was more soap opera than historical drama. I mean I don’t mind a bit of dramatic licence, but they’re taking liberties on this surely?

Ha I absolutely loved Edward and Clara writhing about on the snake floor.

Did anyone else assume the woman Charlotte spilled her guts to was going to turn out to be the elusive Eliza? I was quite glad when that proved not to be the case. I am trying so hard to like Charlotte but she will insist on acting like a bit of a ninny...although I will guiltily admit to enjoying watching her and Sidney make eyes at each other on the dance floor

Also high speed carriage chase was amazing/ridiculous. 😂

@MouseBatMummy yes, the carriage chase was ridiculous, Sidney saving Charlotte down a back alley was ridiculous too! And Big Suze!

I have to be honest I’m getting to the point of deciding Sidney & Charlotte deserve each other. I mean I think he’s been a dick to her am & I’ve no idea what she’s meant to see in him other than how he looks

But honestly I’ve no idea what he’s meant to see in her either. They’ve made her so much Not Like Other Girls that she’s rather irritating & never seems to learn

Campaign for Young Stringer to tell them all to shove it & be taken up by a rich older woman who funds his architect dreams & broadens his “horizons”

Did Charlotte have no sense that blabbing to a stranger about a friend being abducted could ruin her reputation anyway, even if they did rescue her (in an entirely unbelievable chase scene) in the nick of time?

I know Charlotte and Sidney will end up together, and I know I am going to watch to the end, but Gad, it's shit writing.

I was curious about big suze appearing. Charlotte certainly spilt the beans on all the scandal and I wander if it will backfire a bit. I went on imdb during the break and the character was called 'lady susan' and is in for 2 episodes so we will see more of her.

Also the actress playing eliza is married to sidney in real life.

I think it might have jumped the shark tonight. It's both ludicrous and predictable. The carriage chase

I'll keep watching because I'm really hoping to be surprised next week as the rug is pulled from under the viewer. We'll see.

I suppose all you can say is that it’s living uk to all the fanfic tropes 😆😆😆

I think "Lady Susan" will turn out to be someone very rich and influential who will take a personal interest in the regatta and encourage all her friends to attend it. It will be a big success and Sanditon will be saved and Tom and Mary will be reunited hurrah.

I assume the regatta will also be the scene of this big rowing showdown between Stringer and Sidney. Couldn't really care less if Charlotte ends up with Sidney now, and I am angling for Miss Lambe to snap Stringer up instead.

I think Lady Denham will undergo a miraculously recovery and then find out about her will, and she'll formally disinherit everyone. Clara will turn out to be pregnant and she and Edward will have to get married. They're cousins, so it's just about ok. Esther will throw herself on Lord Babington's mercy and they'll get married too.

I’m hoping lady denham left that as a decoy will - she seems too wily not to know what a bunch of sharks they are, and yet she expects it so my money is on a second will.

It’s set at the level of the preposterous historical romances I’ve read far too many of, very little realism! Charlotte blabbing to someone she didn’t know about the abduction would’ve indeed ruined her friend.

Its laughably bad writing in places not at all.historically accurate and definitely not Austen. but I will watch it to the end..

I think Lady Denham will make a miraculous recovery which she will attribute to the sea water she's drinking and people will flock to Sanditon for its healing properties. Not that Tom deserves any success because he's a flipping disaster.

This is getting as treacly as downton - molyneux such a fool that he got his love sold for his debt and has a gambling addiction - let’s all give him a second chance then! I did find it frustrating that Charlotte didn’t try and point out his complete inertia to her friend when confronted with what he had caused, he hardly insisted on being in on the rescue.

I’m enjoying it - I have low standards for anything involving historical costumes and big houses.

The stringer/Charlotte ending seems more realistic to me too - Sidney marrying his now even richer first love also seems like it would feel more authentic but then we’d be in hardy and not Austen take offs.

It's far too light and fluffy for Hardy. There would have to be a lot more misery. Has Andrew FmDavies ever done Hardy?

Just Andrew Davies. I wouldn't object to autocorrect quite so much if it substituted actual words rather than random collections of letters.

I’ve been googling - Davies hasn’t done Hardy that I can see. Can you imagine?!? I might dust off my copy of far from the madding crowd.

The Far From the Madding Crowd film a couple of years ago somewhat upgraded the bit in the woods where Captain Troy kisses Bathsheba. That was almost Davies-esque, but tbf, Hardy might have included stuff like that if he'd been allowed to.

I’m enjoying it - I have low standards for anything involving historical costumes and big houses

Yep me too.

I have mocked this weekly (poor CGI, unauthentic speech, stereotypical characters, Charlotte’s flowing hair) but am secretly enjoying it immensely. I am also a sucker for big houses and a bonnet and found myself going quite gooey eyed when Charlotte and Sidney were dancing last night. (Someone else mentioned the music - I LOVE the music in this). I was on Team Stringer but I’ve realised that I’m looking at it all with a 21st Century Head. If Jane Austen had finished the book, of course Charlotte would have wanted to marry Sidney. Farmer’s daughter, living on the kindness of others - he offers comfort and security and that’s what girls of her class longed for. Stringer’s house didn’t look too cosy to me!

Anyway it’s fairly predictable (as most JA plot is) so I look forward to a long carriage ride back to Sanditon, with Charlotte sitting as far away from Sidney as possible, while he looks confused, wondering why their previous bonhomie has disappeared.

Then Young Mr Stringer will be rejuvenated by his payday and decide to take his friend’s advice (If you don’t tell her, how will she know?). He’ll propose - “I can’t offer you much now but...” and she’ll ask to think about it - “I’m terribly flattered”. Then Sidney will watch Stringer’s look of adoration and glower. Then Stringer will observe Sidney’s look of adoration and glower. Then they’ll row, row, row their boats - it’ll be down to the two of them. The serfs won the cricket so the aristocrat will win this one. Charlotte will look confused.

Then Sidney will clear up any misunderstanding about Eliza. “I was simply greeting an old friend, there is nothing between us. We were but children.”

“Oh but I thought...”

And a lightbulb will go off in Sidney’s brain (or perhaps a candle as lightbulbs have yet to be invented). She’s jealous, hurrah! “Could I possibly hope...? Would you do me the greatest honour?”

And so it is sealed. Rejoice. Sidney decides to reside in Sanditon for Charlotte’s sake, making the odd journey to London for business). Pretty wedding. (Will her family be allowed to attend? She’s not missing them it seems, she never mentions them!)

Surely old Lady Denham will have left a copy of her will with her solicitor? She recovers, dispenses with Clara and Edward. Esther marries Lord Babington (those two have grown on me enormously). Sidney brings the masses to Sanditon. Lady Denham gives Tom an advance for Phase Two of his building plans.

And then. I hope. Young Mr Stringer is rewarded with a promotion and we finish with him saying “Why Miss Lambe, I didn’t know you were interested in Architecture...”

Sorted!

Lady Susan acted Charlotte off the screen in just a few minutes. The actress who plays Charlotte is so bad - all she does is squint her eyes.