Following two episodes that established the setting and character dynamics the third picks up a gear as it builds upon these building blocks.
Tom Parker (Kris Marshall) is desperate to make Sanditon into the go-to destination for the wealthy. His latest action is to bring in Doctor Fuchs (Adrian Scarborough), an expert in hydrotherapy and help turn Sanditon into a spa town. But the feud between Clara (Lily Sacofsky) and Esther (Charlotte Spencer) is heightened during Doctor Fuchs’ demonstration.
During an accident at a building site Charlotte (Rose Williams) proves herself in front of Sidney (Theo James) and relations between the two start to thaw.
The most dramatic storyline in this episode was the rivalry between Clara and Esther as they battle for Lady Denham’s (Anna Reid) favour. The previous episode focused on Esther and Sir Edward (Jack Fox) who plan on ruining Clara. This episode is pretty much Clara fights back. Clara has a sweet and innocent persona but this is a facade.
In previous episodes, Clara has revealed she was abused when she was younger and this episode showed a more manipulative side to her. She deliberately injured herself so she could discredit the doctor and gain sympathy from Lady Denham. When Esther threatens Clara she doesn’t back down, showing the abuse she has suffered has hardened her. The storyline looks like it could be similar to The Favourite where Emma Stone’s character, Abigail Hill, had a similar backstory and ruthlessly rises up the ranks. Clara’s storyline is the most interesting so far.
Charlotte has shown herself to be observant and had knowledge of finance, architecture and administration and this episode she adds first aid to her field of expertise. When the accident happened she took charge with Sidney and allowed sparks to fly between the two. Yet a potential issue becomes presence in the form of Young Stringer (Leo Suter), the handsome builder with his own ambitious and was clearly attracted to her.
Compared to her Austen protagonists Charlotte feels lacking. She’s a Mary Sue who is pretty much perfect at everything she does. Other Austen protagonists have a flaw like being stubborn and one of the draws of Austen adaptations is the back-and-forth the romantic leads have. There’s mental sparring as they warm to each other and Charlotte and Sidney lacks this.
Even Georgiana Lambe (Crystal Clarke) has a more minor role in this episode which was more interesting. She’s trapped in Sanditon because Sidney controls her money so unable to escape. Georgiana’s trapped with watchers and two girls (Kayleigh-Paige Rees and Mollie Holder) who have much younger personalities. The end of the episode shows she is set to have a bigger storyline in future episodes.
Out of all the episodes so far this one was the most comedic. It starts with Georgiana making a lewd painting, showing it off to her caretaker (Elizabeth Berrington) and a bemused priest (Kevin Eldon) and it continues from there. Diana (Alexandra Roach), the female member of the Parker siblings, was a fun presence because of her hypochondria. However, Doctor Fuchs was a stereotype of a bumbling German and plays the role really broadly. It was unfunny and his shower invention felt out of place in this type of period drama.
The third episode had parts that worked, particularly the drama involving Clara and Esther. Yet the central relationship, that part of the series that’s meant to stay close to Austen’s work, is dull in comparison.
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