Ep. 32 - SANDITON Wrap Up! (Part 1) Marriage, Love, and Friendship

Apr 11

*SANDITON* Season 3 cast: Lady Susan (Sophie Winkleman), Samuel Colbourne (Liam Garrigan), Charlotte Heywood (Rose Williams), Georgiana Lambe (Crystal Clarke), Alexandre Colbourne (Ben Lloyd-Hughes), Augusta Markham (Eloise Webb). Photo credit: PBS *MASTERPIECE*

“I do think that it is ending on a right note, it doesn't feel abrupt. It feels like if this is going to be the final season, then yes, it has ended on a cadence, or if you will, an uplift that I think will be satisfying”
Sharon D. Johnson, Story and Script Consultant for SANDITON and MASTERPIECE

The Boston Sisters welcome back SHARON D. JOHNSON, Ph.D. script and story consultant for the PBS drama series MASTERPIECE and SANDITON. In part 1 of a 2-part conversation, we focus on the themes of Marriage, Love, and Friendship between new and familiar characters over the past 3 seasons. SANDITON is based on Jane Austen’s unfinished novel written a few months before her death in 1817. It’s the story of independent-minded women making their way in a world where a woman’s social and economic status centers on making a good match in marriage. SANDITON is available on PBS MASTERPIECE.

Listen - Episode 32 + Transcript

Head shot of Sharon D. Johnson, a black woman with crinkled salt-and-pepper hair pulled up. Smiling and wearing cowrie shell earrings and a cowrie shell charm on a strand of beads (necklace) — Guest: SHARON D. JOHNSON

In addition to being a Script and Story Consultant for *SANDITON*, Sharon D. Johnson, Ph.D. is a depth psychologist, screenwriter, journalist, and scholar of television, film, and African American arts, literature, and culture. Sharon has joined us on *Historical Drama with The Boston Sisters* in previous podcasts for discussions about *SANDITON* (Episode 13) and *THE WOMAN KING* (Episode 21). Also, listen to our podcast with actress **Crystal Clarke** (Episode 11) who plays Georgiana Lambe in SANDITON. Georgiana is our topic for part 2 of our conversation with Sharon D. Johnson (April 25, 2023).
Connect with Sharon D. Johnson: Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | Instagram

Book cover "The World of SANDITON" Sara Sheridan with Season 1 characters - Charlotte in the foreground, Lady Denham, Tom Parker, Georgiana Lambe, Sidney Parker in the background

Purchase book titles related to this and previous podcasts on the MBGLtd affiliate page on bookshop.org. Your book purchases support independent booksellers and a small commission supports Historical Drama with The Boston Sisters.

SANDITON Season 3

SANDITON Season 3 series trailer PBS MASTERPIECE

Season 3 Recap

SPOILER ALERT - You may want to opt out if you haven’t seen any episode from any season of the SANDITON series. More information including recaps of the previous 2 seasons are available on the MASTERPIECE SANDITON webpage. Catch SANDITON on PBS MASTERPIECE on Sundays (check local listings). You can also stream the series on PBS Passport, the PBS MASTERPIECE Prime Video Channel and for free for 14 days from broadcast on pbs.org/masterpiece.

In SANDITON’s 3rd and final season, the theme is women controlling their own destiny. Yet, marriage is still critical for women to secure their financial and social standing. And new arrivals to Sanditon are providing potential prospects and competition.

After a second heartbreak of leaving Alexandre Colbourne’s (Ben Lloyd-Hughes) estate where she was governess, Charlotte Heywood (Rose Williams) is engaged to Ralph Starling (Cai Brigden), a family friend from her childhood. But Ralph doesn’t recognize that this is a new Charlotte, not the farm girl from Willingdon.
Georgiana Lambe (Crystal Clarke), after defending her inheritance in court, is willing to make a marriage of convenience to fend off fortune hunters and gain a title.
Lady Denham (Anne Reid) connects with a first love, Rowleigh Pryce (James Bolam), and has to decide if marriage is worth sacrificing her title and property.

Tom and Mary Parker (Kris Marshall and Kate Ashfield), a long-time married couple have a conflict of values about building a profitable business versus building community.

Alexandre Colbourne’s brother, Samuel (Liam Garrigan), a confirmed bachelor, and Lady Susan (Sophie Winkleman) find friendship as their pathway to love.
After escaping social shame in Bath, Lady Montrose (Emma Fielding) is pressuring her two children, Harry (Edward Davis) and Lydia (Alice Orr-Ewing) to marry advantageously for the sake of the family’s fortune and reputation.
Tom’s brother, Arthur Parker (Turlough Convery), awakens to same-sex love at a time when such alliances between two men are criminalized.
AND We have a love conversion theme involving the scandalous Edward Denham (Jack Fox) and the spirited Augusta Markham (Eloise Webb), who is Alexandre and Samuel Colbourne’s young niece.