The Past Is Never Dead: A Tribute to Sanditon's Charlotte & Sidney

"The past is never dead. It's not even past."--William Faulkner

Requiem for a Nun is the source of one of Faulkner's most well- known quotes: “The past is never dead. It's not even past.”  I've been thinking about this quote a lot as I think about the concept of "moving on." 

In April, just a few weeks before we got the incredible news that Sanditon had miraculously been renewed, I wrote an essay imagining how Sidney Parker would propose to Charlotte Heywood, and after all the promising crumbs we were getting online I held a glimmer of hope this would actually come to pass. I was filled with joy writing this essay because I truly believed I'd be seeing the proposal on screen and seeing this beloved story finally fulfilled. The show had taken on a life of its own for me. 

On the early morning of May 6th, I was over the moon when my friend shared the news about the renewal. She's on the east coast and I'm on the west coast so I was bleary-eyed as I took it all in online and then I was overjoyed. We'd been participating in the fan campaign for almost a year and talking about Sanditon in one way, shape, or form nearly every day.

There was one aspect of the renewal notice on PBS that left me ill at ease. The press release focused entirely on Charlotte Heywood with no mention of the co-lead, Sidney Parker. I tried to explain it away but given the fact the actor portraying him hadn't expressed any desire to return to the show since the cancellation, I couldn't shake this one ominous cloud hovering overhead. I remembered how Rose Williams also hadn't mentioned her co-star's name or even written the name Sidney during her turn at a Twitter episode re-watch earlier in the year. With so many pivotal scenes between them in the episode, I found it odd and even rude at the time she didn't acknowledge him. How could she dismiss her co-star? But deep down I knew something was off.

The next day, on May 7 we got the dagger in the heart news in a separate press release that Sidney Parker wasn't returning. I can't even convey how devastated I was. I won't get into the callousness of the press release, the bumbling PR move of doing the good news/bad news back to back, or the arrogant statement from the actor clamping shut the door on Sidney's journey as if he owned a character invented by Jane Austen. I know it's not logical, but I was so invested in the story I felt like I'd just been informed a loved one had suddenly passed. At a difficult time during the height of the pandemic in 2020, this fictional love story had affected me so deeply that the news felt like a punch to the gut. I was sad and low energy in the days that followed. I knew I should process my feelings by writing about what had happened but I couldn't even bring myself to write.

So finally, nearly 5 months later, I'm trying to process it all. It hurts knowing I wrote all these Sanditon-inspired blogs in vain for a story that will remain unfinished in my eyes. I had put so much energy into trying to wish the show back by sheer willpower. It was like wishing for something as a kid and really expecting it to happen the tighter you squeeze your eyes shut in anticipation. I don't know how I feel about Sanditon 2 or 3 as I haven't viewed them yet and don't know much aside from the reveal of the new cast and a brief synopsis. I was underwhelmed by the replacement love interests who seem more like background players. None of them made an impression on me just based on headshots and character descriptions. It all feels very bland, generic and forced. It's not fair to judge them without seeing them act first but I can honestly say I felt as if I was reading about an entirely different show being launched. It doesn't seem connected to Sanditon at all and in some ways the show seems to have gone the way of other doomed TV series by having "jumped the shark". I know the showrunners tried hard to stay relevant but they've lost the essence by burying the original narrative. I can only view it as an entirely separate spin-off. 

Sanditon was intended to be the love story between opposites Charlotte and Sidney interwoven with the development of a new seaside resort built by entrepreneurs and industrialists. Let's remember Austen's original title for her novel in the making was "The Brothers". She wanted to explore this industry and entrepreneurialism and Sidney "a man of affairs" was her original character. Now there's a heavy emphasis on the military, a strategy also known as: "bring in the boys". I don't feel excited thinking about Charlotte with a new guy, truthfully it makes me feel nauseous. I have a visceral, physical reaction against it which is why it's unlikely I'll be able to watch S2 at least when it's first out. It's just too painful.

Though I want to root for the cast and crew and appreciate the hard work that went into resurrecting a canceled show, I am coming to terms with the fact that the magic is gone for me. I only speak for myself here--the light went out for me. Lightning doesn't strike twice in the same spot. And what we had with Charlotte and Sidney was a massive lightning bolt of electricity that left our skin smoking from the spark.

I still remain on the fan discussion boards on social media as I will always love Sanditon 1. I've found friends in real life as we've bonded over the show. But I also see a great deal of negativity online from fans who wish to block any opposing viewpoints.  They have a relentless, soulless and exhausting mantra:  "Move On". "Forget Sidney." "Don't discuss the main storyline of Season 1, the thing that brought us all here and united thousands of strangers all over the globe". For over a year, we shared a common vision, sharing a petition on Change.org specifically asking for Charlotte and Sidney's story to be resolved with an HEA yet now we're told to suddenly forget them even by the very same fans that supported them for so long.  It's illogical. I understand that for some fans this is their coping mechanism—look forward, don't look back. 

But the constant badgering to adhere to this new party line seems like an indoctrination from some pretend governing force. This politicization of a story has been mentally and emotionally draining. Some fans demand a sort of group think: we must all in unison think and say only happy thoughts about Season 2 and 3 and fawn over the new cast. I'm not a lemming and I've never mindlessly followed what anyone told me. I think and reason for myself.  As we all should. Sanditon 2 feels like an imposter to me and I need to allow myself to feel that and sit in it.  It's okay to feel it and still love Sanditon.  I don't care who tries to force down our throats that Jane might've intended Sidney as Charlotte's Willoughby. This is a bait and switch and I'll never buy it.  I know my own mind and how a story impacts me. This badgering won't help in making viewers invested in Sanditon 1 feel welcome in returning and giving 2 a chance.

The powers that be and indeed many fans have attempted to gaslight and rewrite the narrative of Season 1, trying to suggest that the intended hero of Sanditon, Sidney Parker was somehow a cad who was unworthy of Charlotte's love. We know full well the story was stopped midway and the intent was always to bring them back together. It’s a ludicrous revisionist history. In an interview after the show was canceled, Executive Producer Belinda Campbell stated: "Of course Sidney will find a way, he's our hero." Likewise, the original PBS show description noted that "Sanditon tells the story of the joyously impulsive, spirited and unconventional Charlotte Heywood and her relationship with the humorous, charming (and slightly wild!) Sidney Parker." And then the great Sanditon show creator, Andrew Davies stated afterward: "Sidlotte must happen." Charlotte and Sidney. Clear as day they are a team. These two are the heart of Sanditon.

Some fans now aim to bury this love story and pretend it never existed. It's absurd to me and also terribly, terribly sad that after so long of trying to save a beautiful show centered around a timeless love story, the same people now try to obliterate it. They also aim to manipulate the storyline to make it seem the hero was not really worthy of Charlotte because he chose money over love, or that perhaps the two characters didn't even really love eachother after all.

How absurd to try and pretend the thing you loved never was, how truly sad. This is a strategy that will never prevail. The past can't be buried or changed and you can't silence it. 

The other strategy used to vanquish Season 1 is suggesting that now we have the opportunity for a more realistic conclusion, where Sidney is forced to marry for money and Charlotte doesn't end up with the man who first took her breath away. To this notion, I can only shake my head in dismay. When reading novels or watching films, I'm not demanding to be immersed in hard doses of reality. Especially with romance, I'm looking to be lifted up high for a chance to see everything my heart could desire and imagine. I want the sun, moon and stars. I want fireworks. In short, I want everything possible in the universe-- because there are no limits with fiction. We can dream as big and bold as we wish and fly right next to the sun. Why should our wings be clipped solely for a technicality?  Why on earth should we ever have to settle with fiction? I won't--I'd rather not read the story if it means settling. There are countless others to read. 

Fate wasn't on the side of Sanditon as we know from the get-go ITV bungled its release and promotion and canceled it before it even aired in the US. By creating the tragic cliffhanger that failed, the showrunners took a gamble to string out what could've been a one-shot season, true to form for other Austen adaptations with an HEA.

Yet none of this changes the fact that both Sidney and Charlotte are essential to Sanditon. Sanditon the show was intended as the love story of these two opposite but kindred spirits challenging each other, finding common ground, bringing out the best in each other and falling in love along the way. Now there's a whole army of new men, quite literally being thrown at Charlotte and being thrown at us viewers. Yes, it takes 5 men to try and fill Sidney's shoes and let’s be honest, they all pale in comparison. Our Charlotte and Sidney are still trapped in amber, waiting for someone to properly finish their story. I'll wait for it. Because true love never dies.

It hit me suddenly when I realized that in everyone's attempt to bury Sidney Parker-- from the actor playing him to the showrunners and fans spinning revisionist history-- they're all trying to do the impossible. You simply can't erase history.  Perhaps some may hold residual anger toward Theo James for derailing the story by dragging away our beloved character. They conflate him with Sidney. But the actor, while brilliantly bringing Sidney to life and hooking so many of us (and I'll always appreciate that) isn't the character.  Once created, a character lives on. Characters live in our hearts and minds because books and films bring them to life. Therein lies their magic. Once read, a story can live in your mind's eye forever. Certain life moments will make feelings and memories rush back and we can envision other possibilities and ponder them.

Some realists are happy to never discuss Sidney again. They may feel stronger or more well-adjusted emotionally by jumping into the new series without looking back. They mock others for "clinging to the past" and say to get over it.  As someone who has been fascinated by history, old photographs, documentaries, museums and books since I was a child, I have one response.  When driving you still need to look back in the rearview mirror to keep things in perspective as you move forward.

There is no expiration date on grief. You do move on, but you don't ever forget. Moving on from grief often is not a straight line. It's a circuitous path, and years later you may find yourself feeling emotions as fresh as the day of your loss.

***

In arguments for the re-booting of Sanditon in the upcoming season, some cite how Downton Abbey lost the character of Matthew Crawley when Dan Stevens walked away and the show pivoted successfully. But Downton was much more of an ensemble show than Sanditon, which was designed more as a singular love story. Look at Downton's promo cast picture, 20 deep and compare it to a Sanditon series promo shot of just Charlotte and Sidney dancing in golden light or walking on the beach at dusk. Still, I say the lifeblood drained from Downton after Matthew's departure. It was never the same but Downton could evolve because it was designed as a large ensemble show. I watched the remaining seasons out of curiosity but I wasn't emotionally invested at all. It's a franchise that generates an enormous amount of money and I'm sure Sanditon would like to follow in those footsteps. The formula is: Erase Season 1 + start from scratch with a plethora of new men= attract new viewers. Bingo. So they rewrite the show copy and eliminate any images of Sidney. One dagger after another.

As many devoted Sidlotters have mentioned in their own posts, Sidney's transformation was actually the most important development of the show or at least equally important to Charlotte’s development. I completely agree. Now we're told by PBS and showrunners that it was always Charlotte's story.  But we know better. It was always both of their stories about how they spurred each other to grow, but shown through Charlotte's eyes as all Austen stories are told through the female protagonist. Another one of my favorite quotes about history is from Cicero: “To remain ignorant of history is to remain forever a child." We're not kids here. We know what we saw with our own eyes. 

***

In an interview, Rose Williams imagined what she hoped for Charlotte after the abrupt and heartbreaking conclusion of Sanditon. She imagined her character much like Rose from the film Titanic, looking back at the beautiful moments of her life, all her accomplishments, all she was able to go on to do, because Jack Dawson the love of her life helped set her free. She survived and was grateful for the life she lived.

Well, I realized that Sidney is like Jack Dawson then in that he changed Charlotte's life forever. And no one can pretend he didn't exist or diminish the impact he had on her. It wasn't just a summer romance or fleeting first love. What a shallow, reductive way to view it.  Some people touch your life forever and alter its course irreversibly even if it's only a brief connection to them. Those can be the most powerful relationships of our lives. Love doesn't die, it transforms.

At the end of Titanic, as an old woman reflecting on her life and experience on the doomed ship, Rose is asked if there's any trace or remnant of Jack Dawson and she says: "No, there wouldn't be, would there? And I've never spoken of him until now. Not to anyone. Not even your grandfather. A woman's heart is a deep ocean of secrets. But now you know there was a man named Jack Dawson, and that he saved me in every way that a person can be saved. I don't even have a picture of him. He exists now only in my memory."

When I think of this quote, I always get chills. There is power in acknowledging someone's impact on your life even if they are no longer there.  It reminds me of Charlotte and Sidney. Did Sidney save Charlotte from living a trapped life? Perhaps not, but he did physically save her life in London and that's equally important. Charlotte was already a brave, spirited young woman, but Sidney spurred her to grow to become a stronger, more creative, and confident woman and to also become her best self.

She was unsure of herself despite her beauty and talent and she was naive, too blunt and even childish in her judgments before. He showed her not to make snap judgments and to get to know people fully. It's a huge life lesson and alters the course of her life. Upon leaving, she calls her time in Sanditon the greatest adventure of her life and says she has no regrets. She opened her heart to love and she was changed for the better.

***

Though my 12-year-old self waited for it for so long, squeezing my eyes shut as tight as could be to wish on that star, Season 2 just isn't my thing. I can't feel genuinely excited about something that looks like a synthetic shell that's lost its inner essence.  I can't promise that I won't watch at some point. But I don't feel compelled to. I'm not excited about Sanditon 2 and feel no calling towards it. The spell has been broken. I accept that Season 1 was the show that touched me and that despite my many years working in the publishing business, it was the show that inspired me to write creatively again and to truly connect with fiction again and lose myself in a story. This is precious to me because I thought I'd lost that spark due to the daily grind of working for a major publisher, the constant pressure of working on books trying to make them bestsellers and in the day to day busyness of becoming a mom. I'll always appreciate Sanditon for this, for sweeping me away creatively.  The show helped me also connect with like-minded strangers over the internet, as I re-watched it countless times. There was magic in it.  In fact, as the months have gone on I've become less and less interested in watching Sanditon 2 and the contrived, brow-beating campaign by a core group of S2 cheerleading fans has only pushed me further away rather than convince me that it's worth watching. It just seems like one big, sad exercise in the act of settling for less than all our hearts desired. I'm sure I'm not alone here. 

Where do I go from here? We know there is a whole new entourage entering Sanditon and that they will attempt to placate the largely female audience. Throwing "new hotties" at Charlotte isn't what I had in mind for Season 2. I have zero interest in looking at head shots of different actors.  To be perfectly honest, I don't even find any of the new romantic leads attractive. Just my opinion here, but I see them as fillers. I was interested in the traditional Austen love story and that's what I was campaigning for. I wish the new cast and production well and maybe I will visit with them from time to time, but my passion, my obsession has most likely run its course. I've never uttered "Sanditon is Saved" because it doesn't feel genuine for me. It wasn't really saved because it's missing the heart and soul of its primary narrative. For all intents and purposes, Season 2 is an altogether different period drama--one that is a bit Frankensteinian in how it was patched together. I admire their grit in trying against all odds, but I must accept they couldn't revive the Sanditon I fell in love with. 

But some form of the show goes on, so to me it will be an alternate universe version of Sanditon. It's an offshoot.  I will never accept it in my heart or mind as the conclusion of the story and frankly had I known Sidney wouldn't return I certainly wouldn't have campaigned for a year. I was motivated by that particular story. It was never just about Charlotte or the town for me.

It doesn't matter how the surrounding logistics--ITV's cancellation, the Covid pandemic, the lead actor abandoning the character of Sidney--dealt this fatal blow to the continuation.  Characters in stories live on through time. So we can always keep discussing Sidney and Charlotte. There is no cut-off point on talking about something you love.  There are endless layers still to be explored in a timeless love story and I put Sidney and Charlotte in the canon right along with Darcy & Elizabeth, Captain Wentworth & Anne, Rhett & Scarlett, Romeo & Juliet. Some had tragic ends but the key word here is timeless. They are soulmates.  They live on in our imaginations. 

***

I looked for some solace to deal with the sad Sanditon news and picked up a novelization published in the 70s. When I finished reading Another Lady's continuation of Sanditon it was like a balm. Her novel is joyful and light. The anonymous author made several excellent points in her post script. 1. Charlotte is the heroine. 2. Sidney is the intended hero. 3. Austen didn't depict deaths . 4. She didn't include calamities. To ensure "the integrity" of Austen's work and ensuring an HEA, Another Lady knew Sidney and Charlotte had to be united. She doesn't focus so much on plot but on the intended end goal. There is less action in the book than the PBS show and Sidney is markedly different, charming and confident, not brooding or needing to evolve. Charlotte seems more mature and not quite so plucky as she is in the show.

But I didn't mind and now think it'd be exciting to see this version adapted to film perhaps with extra plot for dramatic effect and weaving in some characteristics from the show, such as showing Sidney evolve and more of the push and pull between him and Charlotte.  But I realized I don't need the extra character of Eliza or the last minute fire just to throw in chaos.  It seems evident that any adaptation would naturally bring Charlotte and Sidney together and it's heartbreaking that Sanditon the show which started with such promise will veer off in such an unnatural way due to a technicality. It is now the exception and very Un-Austen like. So much for preserving the integrity of her spirit. 

I know my blog might ruffle feathers with certain fans in the "move on" camp but I didn't write it for them--I wrote this solely for me. I'm not trying to insult season 2 or bring anyone down. This is my way of processing and perhaps it's helpful for someone else standing at the shore of season 1 waiting for their ship to come in too.

Memory is a powerful thing.  Even if there is trauma in your past you have to deal with it, talk about it, and acknowledge it to move forward. Burying it doesn't work.  And when a loved one dies (who knows what they are planning for Sidney's departure at this stage--I dread thinking about it), we know that love doesn't die. It might change form but it’s present like the air. It encompasses us. It's a warm embrace on a cold day. 

I stay in the Sanditon community because of my love of Season 1 and because I've made good friends here in real life through talking about the show. I value that so I wouldn't let anyone tell me or anyone else to get off fan chat groups because some of us still want to talk about the primary story which was the catalyst for all of this passion.

I still hope for an 11th hour miracle to save the direction of the Masterpiece show, but yes perhaps the sun has truly set on PBS's Sanditon and that ship has sailed. I'll always treasure Season 1 as a standalone work of art and I'll wait for my ship to come in. One day another determined and creative team will bring the story of Charlotte and Sidney to life and show us their reunion. I'll grieve that it wasn't Andrew Davies' and Justin Young's vision and performed by the incredible original cast, starring Theo James and Rose Williams. But my true love is storytelling and I will embrace a new vision for Sidney and Charlotte. Surely another adaptation will come as the works of Austen have proven to be massively commercially successful and they keep generating new interest. As of this blog writing, I know of another published author Rose Servitova working on her own Sanditon adaptation and promising an HEA for Sidney and Charlotte. 

As Stephen Hawking said, “The past, like the future, is indefinite and exists only as a spectrum of possibilities."  The story of Charlotte and Sidney wasn't finished and so endless possibilities remain. That still excites me.

Charlotte and Sidney will always be the beating heart of Sanditon. They are the two wings of the dove--both needed for flight. They will in time circle the sun together. Preserved in amber, they are timeless and just waiting to be released by our own imaginations. 

In Tribute to Charlotte & Sidney 

"I'll Never Love Again." 

-Sung by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper from the film Shallow 

Wish I could, I could've said goodbye

I would've said what I wanted to

Maybe even cried for you

If I knew it would be the last time

I would've broke my heart in two

Tryna save a part of you

 

Don't wanna feel another touch

Don't wanna start another fire

Don't wanna know another kiss

No other name fallin' off my lips

Don't wanna give my heart away

To another stranger

Or let another day begin

Won't even let the sunlight in

No, I'll never love again

I'll never love again,

 

When we first met

I never thought that I would fall

I never thought that I'd find myself

Lying in your arms,

And I wanna pretend that it's not true

Oh, baby, that you're gone

'Cause my world keeps turnin', and turnin', and turnin'

And I'm not movin' on

 

Don't wanna feel another touch

Don't wanna start another fire

Don't wanna know another kiss

No other name fallin' off my lips

Don't wanna give my heart away

To another stranger

Or let another day begin

Won't even let the sunlight in

No, I'll never love

I don't wanna know this feeling

Unless it's you and me

 

I don't wanna waste a moment,

And I don't wanna give somebody else the better part of me

I would rather wait for you,

Don't wanna feel another touch

Don't wanna start another fire

Don't wanna know another kiss

Baby, unless they are your lips

Don't wanna give my heart away

To another stranger

Don't let another day begin

Won't let the sunlight in

 

Oh, I'll never love again

Never love again

Never love again

Oh, I'll never love again