It’s a scenario that would make Jane Austen smile. In early 1817, when she began writing the first chapters of her newest novel about brothers trying to set up a seaside town, Jane did not know her first 11 chapters would be her final piece of writing. But here we are, more than 200 years later, and Jane Austen’s final novel, called Sanditon and later completed by “Another Lady,” is now an eight-episode series made by Red Planet TV for ITV and broadcast in the U.S. by Masterpiece PBS.
The Plot (with Spoilers)
When we first meet our heroine Charlotte Heywood (Rose Williams) she is rescuing Tom Parker (Kris Marshall) and his wife Mary (Kate Ashfield) from a carriage accident. The Parkers are rushing through farm country to get to Sanditon, a seaside town that Tom plans to transform into a high-class destination resort. As an offer of thanks, Charlotte, the eldest of 12 children, is invited to join them. Sanditon is filled with people and activity she has never before encountered. She meets Lady Denham (Anne Reid), the wealthy widow who is financing Tom’s project (and never lets him forget it). She is also caretaker to her impoverished niece Clara Brereton (Lily Sacofsky) who privately schemes to get a piece of her aunt’s estate. However, Clara has competition, namely Lady Denham’s nephew Sir Edward (Jack Fox) and his stepsister Esther (Charlotte Spencer), the two of whom appear to be unnaturally close. And then there’s the handsome Young Stringer (Leo Suter), the buildings’ foreman, whose attraction to Charlotte cannot be denied.
Meanwhile, Tom’s siblings Arthur (Turlough Convery), Diana (Alexandra Roach), and Sidney (Theo James) descend on Sanditon to offer support. In Sidney’s case, he not only brings his wealthy ward Miss Lambe (Crystal Clarke), but also his well-heeled friends Mr. Crowe (Matthew Needham) and Lord Babington (Mark Stanley), to draw interest to Sanditon from the “beau monde” London crowd.
When Sidney and Charlotte meet, there is immediate discord. He considers her young, naïve, and opinionated; she finds him churlish, distant, and opinionated. Their dislike for each other is cemented at the season’s first ball at the end of Episode 1, when Sidney asks for her opinion of his family and she gives an earnest account of them, which offends him greatly.
Slowly, the ice between them thaws and they become civil to each other – until Sidney asks Charlotte to watch over Miss Lambe while he goes to London and returns to find his ward in the company of Otis Molyneaux (Jyuddah Jaymes), whom he considers a cad. Later, when Miss Lambe disappears to London to meet secretly with Otis, Charlotte admits that she is responsible, further angering Sidney.
Charlotte takes the carriage to London by herself to search for Miss Lambe. There, she encounters Sidney and the two work together to find the missing woman, with only a clue or two to guide them. Despite rancor between them, their adventure ends in success. Charlotte and Sidney realize there is more to the other than first imagined and they begin to see each other in a new light, which becomes apparent at a London ball, invitations to which were secured by Lord Babington. At the ball, Charlotte meets Lady Susan (Sophie Winkleman), a close friend of the Prince Regent who immediately detects Charlotte’s love for Sidney. But the ball ends badly for Charlotte when she sees Sidney in the company of Mrs. Campion (Ruth Kearney, Theo James’ real-life wife), his one-time true love who, ten years previously, threw him over for an older, wealthier man. Eliza is now a widow and has her eye on revitalizing her love affair with Sidney.
Back in Sanditon, the town is excited about the Regatta, which will feature seaside activities all day. While the event begins slowly, it ramps up quickly when Lady Susan arrives, specifically to see Charlotte and to inquire about her budding romance with Sidney. Charlotte forlornly admits there is nothing to it after all. Sidney escorts Mrs. Campion through the events but he is clearly torn because he realizes he no longer loves Eliza; in fact, he loves Charlotte. By the end of the Regatta, he tells Charlotte that he has sent Mrs. Campion back to London because he would rather be with her.
In the series’ final episode, Sidney is on the verge of proposing to Charlotte at the Midsummer Ball when a fire breaks out and many of the buildings are destroyed. Worse, the brothers learn that Tom has not insured his investment (and that of Lady Denham and Sidney). None of them have the money to rebuild the town so it’s up to Sidney to travel to London to see what can be done.
When he returns, he tells Charlotte that the only way he can help his brother is to marry Eliza. Sidney and Charlotte are both heartbroken as they realize they will not be able to fulfill the love they have for each other. With Charlotte in the carriage on her way home, it stops suddenly; it’s Sidney, who rushes back to give Charlotte one last goodbye. He admits that he does not love Eliza but Charlotte tells him that he must give his marriage a try. They separate, perhaps forever.
About that Ending…
But this is the problem with Sanditon. The eighth and final episode ends in what the fans see as a clifftop cliffhanger (or, “CliffAnger” as they have called it), as Charlotte and Sidney separate in a sad, tearful goodbye. Separating these two who, it is made abundantly clear, are (finally) in love, while standing opposite each other on a beautiful, windy clifftop is akin to Mr. Darcy never learning of Elizabeth’s denial of Lady Catherine de Bourgh’s demand; to Emma leaving Mr. Knightly’s proposal up in the air; to Elinor hearing but never confirming that Edward’s brother was the Mr. Ferrars who had recently married; to Fanny never realizing Edmund’s love; to Capt. Wentworth never understanding Anne’s true feelings for him; to Catherine being sent away by Gen. Tilney because he never learns the truth about her. In a more recent BBC-Masterpiece example, it is akin to the ending of Poldark’s first season, when Ross is separated from his beloved Demelza (also on a clifftop!) and we are left to speculate about his/their future.
About Sanditon
Sanditon was created by Andrew Davies, who is arguably as much a national treasure in the UK as Jane Austen, having brought five of her seven novels to the screen (Sense & Sensibility, Northanger Abbey, Emma, Sanditon, and Pride & Prejudice…yes, that Pride & Prejudice, complete with Colin Firth coming out of the lake, dripping wet). Mr. Davies knows and understands Miss Austen’s novels and treats them with respect. For Sanditon, he wrote episodes 1, 2, and 8, and cowrote (with Justin Young) episode 3. Mr. Davies is also one of the three Executive Producers of the series (along with Belinda Campbell and Theo James). Translating Sanditon to the screen was a different experience because of its unfinished status. He had license to develop the story the way he saw fit.
When the series first aired in the UK, reaction was mixed and many UK Austen fans thought Sanditon was not what it should have/could have been. The Guardian said it was “as enduring as an ice-cream cone” and a “sexed up TV version of courtship in Regency England.” The Hollywood Reporter said the show “does fluff and stretch Austen’s original 11 chapters into oblivion.” Some viewers were rankled by the sexual content and the male nudity, claiming Jane would never sanction those moments. Some didn’t love Sidney, finding him grumpy and taciturn. The Vulture said of his character: “He broods. He is gruff and patronizing, even though his family swears that he’s actually quite loyal.” (I ask you: what male lead in any Austen novel is not grumpy and taciturn when we first meet him? Under this parameter, we would never have met Mr. Darcy or Col. Brandon or Capt. Wentworth, for example).
By the time the series came across the pond to the U.S., reviews were a bit more positive. The Wall Street Journal proclaimed, “One can imagine her [Austen] being tickled… There’s always intrigue in Austen, but in ‘Sanditon’ there are also the elements of virtue rewarded and opportunity knocking and being let in.” Indiewire said, “James is an executive producer as well, and it’s a consistent joy to see how much fun he’s having playing Sidney in full Byronic mad, bad, and dangerous-to-know mode…Sanditon is beachy escapism, and this version offers a swoony take that should enrapture modern audiences.”
Alas, the show was canceled by ITV before it began airing in the US.
Meet the Sanditon Sisterhood
However, a funny thing happened after that surprising ITV cancellation: U.S. fans fell in love with Sanditon, disregarding any critical reviews. A look at Rotten Tomatoes shows the critics giving it a 59% but the audience, in a complete reversal, gives it a 94%! In addition, 94% of Google users “like this TV show.” Parrot Analytics tells us that demand for the show is 16.2% higher than that for the average television series.
And then there’s the “Sanditon Sisterhood.” I was first tipped off to this phenomenally passionate group of ladies when I innocently tweeted about the show and PBS SoCal responded:
Late to the party but really enjoying #Sanditon on @masterpiecepbs @PBSSoCal
— Janna Wong Healy (@JannaWongHealy) February 4, 2020
Please don’t overwhelm her, #SanditonSisterhood! https://t.co/SQVUYQlok7
— PBS SoCal (KOCE) (@PBSSoCal) February 4, 2020
Suddenly, I was a member of a group of ladies who are committed, organized and earnest in their desire to get this show a second season (at the least!).
Through Twitter, I could see that this sisterhood was avid and dedicated: they are banding together with one goal in mind: to keep this show going beyond these first eight episodes. They have thrown their passion for the show into a concerted and organized effort to bring it back for a second season which would, at the very least, give Charlotte and Sidney their “happily ever after” ending.
They organize “Tweet Storms” every Sunday night (the night the show originally aired on Masterpiece PBS). They coordinate letter-writing campaigns. They call out the show’s popularity to any streaming service that might be remotely interested in co-financing more episodes. They tweet and retweet every, single day. They parse messages from ITV, Red Planet and Masterpiece PBS with a fine-tooth comb. They seek any kind of positive note that will give them hope for more and they cherish any optimistic words about the show that come their way. For example, they tweeted and retweeted Executive Producer Belinda Campbell who reportedly said, “We would love the opportunity to give people [a happy ending]. Of course, Sidney is going to find a way around it! He’s our hero!” They tweeted and retweeted Andrew Davies saying, “Well, really…we were rather banking having a second series…If we get a second series, we’re certainly going to eventually give Charlotte an ending she will like.”
When Theo James, who was recently seen on stage in London’s revival of the musical City of Angels, was quoted as saying he was happy with Sanditon’s ending, angry hell broke loose. And when he told a fan that he never said that, happy hell broke loose.
The Sisterhood will not be deterred. This group of ladies is dedicated to the goal of bringing us more episodes of this show and they are working overtime to succeed in that goal. They have been circulating a petition demanding more episodes and it has now reached close to 50,000 signatures. Shows with far fewer signatures have received reprieves (Lucifer had around 8,000 signatures and it got extended). So what is keeping ITV from commissioning more episodes? That’s the mysterious question.
There are some glimmers of hope. Mr. Davies believed the show would be commissioned for a second season, hence the cliffhanger ending. He is quoted in Town & Country before the show’s U.S. debut saying, he “feels a bit guilty about Sanditon’s shocking ending.” Also in this interview, Davies said, “I think everything depends on how warmly the American audience receives it. It’s all up to you guys, really.” And, in a Radio Times interview, he said, “We haven’t had much chance to talk about it yet, but yeah, I do have a few ideas. And in fact the way we end series one, I hope we then get to a point where an audience says, ‘You can’t leave it at that!’” The Hollywood Reporter, in addition to its criticism, also complimented the series, saying, “The show’s refreshingly gut-wrenching ending has already had fans abroad clamoring for a second season.”
Yes, fans of the show, including and especially the Sanditon Sisterhood, are clamoring for more. One season of Sanditon is just not enough. To be fair, there are many loose ends that a second season would complete and many more that future seasons could explore. [SPOILERS COMING] For example, does Sidney really marry the wealthy widow, Mrs. Campion, to bail out his brother Tom; does Young Stringer find success as an architect; does Tom get his comeuppance for not protecting his investment; does Miss Lambe find love; do Lord Babbington and Esther discover happiness in marriage; does Lady Denham go broke; do Edward and Clara receive their just rewards; what of the other two Parker siblings Arthur and Mary; and what will be the role of Lady Susan in the resurrection of Sanditon because we know Lady Susan must be part of future seasons.
Finally and importantly, we must know there is a happy ending for Charlotte and Sidney. It’s a truth universally acknowledged that Jane Austen’s heroines receive their Happily Ever Afters!
I’d like to believe that ITV now realizes the error of its ways. So, I appeal to ITV, Red Planet, Masterpiece PBS or any other service with co-financing capability: give the Sanditon Sisterhood the peace they need (tweeting all day, every day is more tiring than you imagine). Give them, or should I say “us” a second season of Sanditon!
Are you a member of the Sanditon Sisterhood? How much would you like a second season?
Twitter Hashtags: #Sanditon #SanditonPBS #SaveSanditon #SanditonSisterhood
ABOUT THE AUTHOR – JANNA WONG HEALY
Janna has spent her entire life around the written word, editing books, writing magazine articles on a variety of topics and working in the film industry on such movies as “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” and “The Day After.” She spent years as a story analyst for studios and production companies and has written more than 150 menu decks for movies and television series on DVD for Universal Studios Home Entertainment. She wrote about casual gaming for The Clik/Character Arcade, is a featured blogger on Blogher.com and a professor of Business Communication in USC’s Marshall School of Business. Her novels, “Mariana Wong’s Summer of Love” and “Let’s Get Lost,” are available on Kindle.
