One of my most anticipated upcoming shows is season three of the PBS Masterpiece show Sanditon. The series is an adaptation of Jane Austen’s unfinished novel of the same name. Taking that foundation, the show has grown from a series that was controversial, in the first season, for being too sexy, into one that exemplifies the best of what modernizing Austen can look like.
Now, Masterpiece has released some images of our leading ladies and some new men (and one returning gentleman).
Due to cast changes concerning the male lead, season two of Sanditon had our leading lady, Charlotte, dealing with the grief of losing a love. Following that, she decides, rather than jump into a new relationship, she wants to work for a living and becomes a governess to a Mr. Colbourne, the town recluse. She slowly gains the trust of his two young wards. Slowly, she falls in love with Mr. Colbourne, but circumstances and miscommunication keep them apart, in true Austen fashion. She returns home and announces, at her sister’s wedding, her own intention to marry a local farm lad, Ralph. Mr. Colbourne has some fighting to do.
Our other lead, Miss Georgiana Lambe, also had a stressful season two. As the only non-white person in Sanditon, her presence is both magnetic and ostracizing. When she attempts to set up a boycott on sugar to protest slavery, the local rich woman Lady Denham uses it as an opportunity to mock and paint Georgiana as a hypocrite. As the daughter of a slave owner and an enslaved person, we see that she struggles with that conflict. Using her money to further independence for other Black people is how she reconciles it.
She is told that a distant cousin is trying to steal her wealth by implying that her parents’ marriage was not valid. Love comes into her life, but it leaves in a dark way. I won’t spoil it because it is a good twist, but Georgiana comes out of it with a new purpose: a desire to find her mother.
It has already been announced that this season will be Sanditon’s last, which means we will get our Happily Ever After. Like most Austen, part of the fun will be getting there, especially since Charlotte’s intended, Ralph, seems like a nice guy. I am especially excited to potentially see Georgiana’s mother, since we didn’t have any other characters of color last season. It will be a fun ride, and I’m excited to get on it.
(featured image: PBS)
