Did you notice how Alexander apologizing for the garden party was mirrored in the last episode. His first attempt goes rather poorly and leaves them both more upset than before. His second attempt he is more plain but still cryptic. In the first instance, Charlotte easily forgives him, though she still doesn’t understand. In the second, she cuts him off and pushes him away. In S3 I hope we see Colbourne develop the ability to speak more plainly and apologize simply.
Mr. Colbourne bet Mrs. Wheatley that Charlotte wouldn’t last the week. Is that just because he didn’t have faith in Charlotte or does that speak to his own insecurities?
Nobody stays. Nobody thinks the Colbourne family worth putting up with. The pretty, forthright Miss Heywood will be gone just like the rest…
The thing about love is that what you think it is or what it feels like can vary depending on your experiences with it. Not to get too deep into attachment theory but our past relationships and experiences can influence our ability to recognize our own feelings. I feel like both Charlotte and Alexander are dealing with this in S2 and it’s something they will both have to resolve in S3.
Let’s look at Charlotte first. Her first love was Sidney. A man who was abrupt and judged her harshly in the beginning. At first, she was never quite sure of his motives or her own judgment around him. He confounded her and excited her.
She wasn’t at all sure of herself with him. It took Lady Susan insisting that she was in love for her to really examine her feelings. Sidney’s about-face towards Charlotte certainly helped those feelings along. But I think there was a lot of her feeling unworthy of him, not refined enough, not experienced enough, not rich enough, just not enough in general.
When Sidney confesses that he thinks she brings out the best in him and begins to really open up, I am sure the insecurities faded but not for long. When they separated and she was left heart broken all those doubts came back.
So still smarting from all that she has Ralph starting to court her. Things with Ralph are comfortable and easy but she doesn’t love him and that keeps her from saying yes. She likely thinks that she will never feel like she felt with Sidney again. But I gotta wonder should she?
Back in Sanditon she meets Mr. Colbourne and as that relationship develops it is very different from what she had with Sidney. Her feelings for Alexander grow in a different way. They have their conflicts but where Sidney tended to say exactly what he thought, Colbourne is guarded and speaks in illusions and circles around his points. “The house feels your absence” I mean DUDE!
I think Charlotte started to fall for Colborne long before the dance. BUT it is at the dance that she finally recognizes the feeling as love. She feels something like what she felt at that last dance with Sidney. And it’s almost like she is thinking “Wait is this LOVE?” This is why she demands to know Colbourne. She must know who he is if she is going to give her heart to him.
I also think her past with Sidney is why she rejects Colborne at the end of the season. She has learned to value herself (“I know exactly who I am”) and realizes she doesn’t want to be in a relationship with a man who makes her feel less. I think Sidney often made her feel less but Alexander never did until that moment in his office.
I like this growth for her. I like her demanding more from Alexander. But at the same time I understand why Alexander struggles to speak plainly (and that is obviously another meta). I am excited to see them build an equal relationship in S3.
Listen Ben Lloyd-Hughes is an actor that gets Austen. He understands that subtext is king in these kinds of stories. Love hearing him talk about how acting a scene is about saying one thing with words but another with the eyes or body language. And boy does this understanding shine through in his scenes.
Take the argument about the spinet. Alexander enters and gets upset about Charlotte playing it. This could have been a simple one note emotional scene. AC is angry. But instead we get this really rich nuanced series of emotions.
He comes to the door and looks surprised and confused. He doesn’t immediately stop her. Then he seems to remember himself and takes a hesitant step forward. He says “Stop” but not in a commanding shout. It’s this half-strangled thing. As if he is choked with emotion and he needs her to stop because he doesn’t want to keep feeling that emotion.
Then he is in the room, the music stops, he is still talking in that lowered tone. Until he turns to Augusta, then it grows stronger and stronger still when Leo comes racing in (goodness I love those girls!). Now we get the grumpy, angry guardian but not for long.
Then we jump to the library and there is more bickering but Charlotte is more upset than he is (and this isn’t about Rose Williams but she also does amazing!). Indeed it’s like he can feel her slipping away, he has had this conversation with many other governesses before.
But this time he wants her to stay. He doesn’t want her to leave and it’s so clear in the way he asks her if she wishes to leave. Like there were so many ways to say that line and he picked the one that makes him sound just a little bit scared at the thought.
And THEN we get three syllables that probably weren’t meant to become some kind of fandom call but GUYS. “Tomorrow then” is gonna be on shirts and stickers because it’s ICONIC. And that is a 100% down to the way he says it. Just. YEah.
Listen Ben Lloyd-Hughes is an actor that gets Austen. He understands that subtext is king in these kinds of stories. Love hearing him talk about how acting a scene is about saying one thing with words but another with the eyes or body language. And boy does this understanding shine through in his scenes.
Take the argument about the spinet. Alexander enters and gets upset about Charlotte playing it. This could have been a simple one note emotional scene. AC is angry. But instead we get this really rich nuanced series of emotions.
He comes to the door and looks surprised and confused. He doesn’t immediately stop her. Then he seems to remember himself and takes a hesitant step forward. He says “Stop” but not in a commanding shout. It’s this half-strangled thing. As if he is choked with emotion and he needs her to stop because he doesn’t want to keep feeling that emotion.
Then he is in the room, the music stops, he is still talking in that lowered tone. Until he turns to Augusta, then it grows stronger and stronger still when Leo comes racing in (goodness I love those girls!). Now we get the grumpy, angry guardian but not for long.
Then we jump to the library and there is more bickering but Charlotte is more upset than he is (and this isn’t about Rose Williams but she also does amazing!). Indeed it’s like he can feel her slipping away, he has had this conversation with many other governesses before.
But this time he wants her to stay. He doesn’t want her to leave and it’s so clear in the way he asks her if she wishes to leave. Like there were so many ways to say that line and he picked the one that makes him sound just a little bit scared at the thought.
And THEN we get three syllables that probably weren’t meant to become some kind of fandom call but GUYS. “Tomorrow then” is gonna be on shirts and stickers because it’s ICONIC. And that is a 100% down to the way he says it. Just. YEah.
