On last week’s episode of Sanditon, Charlotte (Rose Williams) literally got closer to Colonel Lennox (Tom Weston-Jones) when their balloon ride went astray. Before they could fly off to Oz, Arthur (Turlough Convery) stepped in, albeit unintentionally, to save the day. Charlotte’s young charges, Leonora (Flora Mitchell) and Augusta (Eloise Webb), are starting to warm to their new governess and so is Alexander Colbourne (Ben Lloyd-Hughes)—Leo’s father and Augusta’s uncle and guardian. Intrigued by the eccentric artist Charles Lockhart (Alexander Vlahos), Georgiana (Crystal Clarke) allows him to paint her portrait. Is he truly interested in her or is he more interested in her wealth? Should she trust him? A melancholy Esther (Charlotte Spencer) hopes for a miracle cure to bring her out of her doldrums and back on the mend so she can carry a child to term. Her stepbrother, Edward (Jack Fox), returns and pleads his innocence and changed ways though it seems unlikely this zebra has changed its stripes. Esther does have one of the best lines so far this season when she tells a laboring Clara (Lily Sacofsky), “You cannot bear this child on the stairs given it was conceived on the floor! That would hardly be an auspicious beginning!” Meanwhile, a smitten Alison (Rosie Graham) sees rainbows and stars whenever she sees Captain Carter (Maxim Ays) but she is unaware that his words and deeds are not his own. Carter’s fellow soldier and confidante, Captain Declan Fraser (Frank Blake) is Cyrano to Carter’s Christian and Alison’s Roxane. The battle-scarred captain secretly admires Charlotte’s sister but remains quietly in the wings as he helplessly watches her fall for Carter’s good looks and charms. Captain Fraser and Alison have a tendency to verbally spar with one another whenever they find themselves in each other’s company. Will Alison ever take off her rose-colored glasses to see her real knight in shining armor? In this week’s episode of Sanditon, tension mounts for Charlotte when Colbourne and Colonel Lennox finally reunite at Lady Denham’s (Anne Reid) annual Garden Party. Never to be outdone, Lady Denham orders a grand cake and plenty of sweets for the festivities even though Georgiana and others are boycotting sugar in protest of the slave labor in the sugar trade. Georgiana also learns a vital piece of information about her inheritance and why Sidney (Theo James) was down in Antigua, and Alison’s much desired proposal nearly ends in tragedy. Edward attempts to exploit Clara’s predicament for his own ends as the army’s true colors are revealed. New episodes of Sanditon premiere on Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on PBS. Next, Theo James On Playing a Jane Austen Romantic Hero in Sanditon
