At the beginning of the episode, Lord Babington (Mark Stanley) and Mr. Crowe (Matthew Needham) poke fun at Sidney because Charlotte saw him naked at the cove. Sidney got drunk and told them. Now, he regrets it. Meanwhile, Charlotte (Rose Williams) is jumpy. Mary Parker (Kate Ashfield) asks her about going to the shore and finding shells. Charlotte explains she came back empty-handed. Moments later, Charlotte gets trapped when Tom (Kris Marshall) and Sidney enter the room. She hides but they soon find out that she is there. Charlotte makes a quick exit before Sidney tells Tom he is having a tough time convincing people to move to Sanditon.

Charlotte goes for a walk with Mary. Mary says she is worried that the project is driving Tom to his death. She doesn’t believe her husband will accept any help. Tom tells Mary he is going to leave moments later but he doesn’t tell her where he is going. Meanwhile, Miss Lambe paints with Miss Beaufort and Mrs. Griffiths. Mr. Hankins (Kevin Eldon) preaches to the women but Georgiana is not thrilled with the idea of his god. Miss Lambe’s painting is not like the others and it incites a few gasps. Moments later, Charlotte runs into young Stringer (Leo Suter) on the streets. He explains he has come to see Tom but he isn’t there. Charlotte offers to help but Stringer needs to speak directly with Tom so there is nothing she can do.

Sidney finds out that he cannot leave just yet. He admits to Babington and Crowe that Georgiana is becoming a thorn in his side. Edward (Jack Fox) and Esther (Charlotte Spencer) arrive and Babington sees that as an opportunity to flirt with Esther. He does but she doesn’t show any interest in him whatsoever. Sidney sits down to speak with Georgiana. He explains that he will be her guardian until she turns 21. He grabs his stomach and claims she is ailing him. When Sidney prepares to leave, he runs into Charlotte. He leaves and Lambe tells Charlotte that Sidney says she is a bad influence. Charlotte isn’t sure what to think of Sidney since she has never met anyone so confounding.

Tom goes to Lady Denham (Anne Reid) to tell her that he has found a physician for Sanditon. The lady doesn’t seem impressed that the man is a specialist in hydropathy. She doesn’t like his name, Fuchs, either. Tom tells Mary about the doctor moments later and he intends to change Lady Denham’s mind. Dr. Maximilian Fuchs (Adrian Scarborough) arrives and introduces himself to Mary Parker. Charlotte runs into Sidney again and he doesn’t want her to disturb him. Tom interrupts their bickering so he can tell them that Fuchs is going to give a demonstration. Arthur (Turlough Convery) and Diana (Alexandra Roach) walk with Charlotte while Diana complains about her health problems.

When they arrive at the doctor’s show, her complaints continue. Dr. Fuchs tells everyone about his work but they’re not interested. Also, Clara (Lily Sacofsky) uses the event to flirt with Edward. Eventually, Fuchs wants to show off his new shower system and Clara agrees to test it out. Meanwhile, old Stringer (Rob Jarvis) nearly gets injured while trying to work. His son approaches him and helps. He tells his son that he is foreman so it isn’t his job. His son replies that it isn’t his job either. Old Stringer says there is no one else to do the job since they have been unable to get more men. Clara gets partially undressed so she can experiment with the shower.

Clara enjoys the bath until she comes up with a devious plan. She intentionally burns her arm on the heating tank before screaming out. Everyone comes to her aid while Dr. Fuchs is shunned and sent away. Esther is not happy that Edward fell for Clara. She believes Clara hurt herself so she could get attention from Edward. Young Stringer receives a letter from Charlotte moments later. Stringer is not happy that Parker isn’t going to meet him in person. Then, he asks how Charlotte is enjoying her time in Sanditon. She loves it. Stringer says he would like to design and build a town of his own. Stringer tells Charlotte about his father. Their conversation ends when old Stringer injures his leg.

Charlotte, young Stringer, and Sidney tend to the man’s wound. Charlotte proves to be very beneficial and this impressed Sidney. The man is rushed to Dr. Fuchs before he can leave town. Before too long, Charlotte tells young Stringer that he should be hopeful and that the leg has been saved. He thanks her. Sidney exits and tells Stringer he can see his father. Sidney tells Charlotte she gave a good account of herself today. They apologize for dismissing one another. Charlotte explains Sidney is always reluctant to help Tom and she hasn’t been very sympathetic to Miss Lambe. Sidney tries to make excuses for both. This time, he says he actually places little value in what she has to say.

Then, their conversation turns to the naked encounter. They end up laughing it off before Sidney goes his own way. Lady Denham and Esther check on Clara. The lady is worried about her but Esther believes she burnt herself on purpose. Esther offers to read to Clara for a while. When they’re left alone, Esther confronts Clara. In return, Clara tells her to prove she did this on her own. She doesn’t believe Lady Denham is going to believe them. She also says Edward is too easy to lead. Esther calls her a dirty name before scratching her wound with her fingers. Clara doesn’t seem to be in any pain. She says Esther doesn’t know what she went through before she arrived nor what she’ll do to stay.

Esther isn’t willing to let her get away with this. Charlotte watches as Young Stringer confronts Tom saying they need more men. His father’s accident is the consequence and things would’ve been far worse if Fuchs hadn’t been around. After that, Charlotte hangs out with Lambe. Charlotte tells her friend about the day’s events while Lambe speaks about everything she left behind in London. Tom goes to Lady Denham to convince her to let Dr. Fuchs stay. He reminds her that they need visitors and Dr. Fuchs might be able to change things. He might be their greatest hope. Lady Denham tells him that he’ll have to live with the consequences. Stringer catches Tom outside and apologizes.

Tom admits he was right and the accident has opened his eyes to certain things they can change. Tom goes home and tells Mary that everything has been remedied but she believes something is worrying him. Esther tells Edward that Clara is a rat. Charlotte spends time with Sidney and the kids. Sidney rushes over to Tom moments later since Charlotte has come up with an idea. She says Sanditon needs an event to draw people to the place. With Charlotte’s help, Tom comes up with the idea of holding a regatta in Sanditon. They give Charlotte credit for the idea. Tom asks Sidney to spot by the bank in consider and see if they’ll consider extending his loan.

Sidney doesn’t want to but eventually agrees and asks how much Tom had in mind. He says 2,000 or 3,000 at the most. He wants to step things up for the regatta. Tom’s smile has returned and Mary is happy about that. Sidney asks Charlotte for a favor. He asks her to keep an eye on Georgiana while he away. Sidney returns to Lambe and tells her about his future absence. She apologizes to him for behaving so badly recently. She watches him leave before finishing a letter. She has a picture of a man in her locket.

 

Sanditon Review

I am starting to like Sanditon a bit. The characters are growing on me and the story is picking up. It has gotten better over the past few episodes. We can see where things are going but it’ll be interesting to see how the side stories play out. I think the most likable character at the moment is young Stringer. I have developed a bit of an interest in Charlotte and Sidney too. I am sure they’re going to get together soon enough.

Who will get Lady Denham’s money? Will it be Clara or Esther? Will someone else swoop in and win? This episode was pretty entertaining. I’d give it a 7 out of 10. Previous recaps of Sanditon can be found on Reel Mockery right now.