Sanditon Character Review: Alexander Coulbourne

The schedule for the Character Review posts will be changing to Friday (or Saturday at the latest from now on).

*Warning: This post contains spoilers about the characters from the book and the television show Sanditon. Read at your own risk if you have not watched the show. There is something to be said about a well-written, human character. They leap off the page and speak to us as if they were right in front of us, as flesh and blood human beings, instead of fictional creations.

When we lose the one we love, getting used to the fact they are no longer is not easy. Some are able to eventually move on and open their heart again. Others remain lost in their memories and can only see through the lens of grief.

In Sanditon, Alexander Colbourne (Ben Lloyd Hughes) is introduced to both Charlotte Heywood (Rose Williams) and the audience as a reclusive widower who is in need of a governess. After saving his tomboy daughter Leonora (Flora Mitchell) from being run over by a horse, Charlotte is offered the position. She is also in charge of his rebellious teenage niece, Augusta Markam (Eloise Webb). Instead of mingling with his neighbors and enjoying all that Sanditon has to offer, he keeps to himself.

Their relationship starts out as employer and employee. Alexander has not yet gotten over the loss of his late wife. Charlotte is still missing her late first love Sidney Parker (Theo James). It is nothing more than a business relationship. Charlotte is determined to remain single and earn her keep. Alexander’s main concern is his estate and the young ladies in his charge. But, as time goes on, they begin to open up and understand one another.

This opens the door to an attraction that becomes undeniable. It also reveals a secret and a previously unknown and scandalous connection to Colonel Francis Lennox (Tom Weston Jones). After they finally admit their feelings for one another, he pushes her away, leaving Charlotte heartbroken for the second time. Though Alexander has the opportunity to take back his decision, he chooses not to.

To sum it up: It takes courage to live again when the person you thought that you would be with forever is gone. It takes an equal amount of courage to love again. Unfortunately, Alexander chooses another route, breaking both his and Charlotte’s heart at the same time.

Which is why he is a memorable character.

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Republican Fuckery XIIII: Randy McNally (TN Republican Hypocrite), TX Sued for Abortion Law, & SVB Woke Accusation

No one is perfect. We all have our flaws and mistakes to recover from. But there is a difference between knowing your imperfections and pretending that they don’t exist when it is convenient.

In Tennessee, Lt. Governor Randy McNally was accused of making adult comments on the Instagram page of a younger man who is in various stages of undress (otherwise known as a thirst trap). The young man whose images he responded to is gay. These Republican hypocrites claim to be for “traditional family values“. They talk a good game, but never walk the walk.

INTERESTING: Tennessee @LtGovMcNally has been liking and commenting on this young man’s Instagram page for an extended period of time—the most attention from @BillLeeTN’s second in command going toward the racier photographs. We’ve reached out to the Lt. Gov for comment. pic.twitter.com/mOgItZWeHS

— Walter Murphy (@WMurphyNews) March 9, 2023

In Texas, five women have sued the state over its abortion ban. They are suing because they believe that the ban puts their life and the lives of their fetuses at risk. These women are my heroes. They are not just standing up for themselves and their families. They are speaking for all of us who are affected by arbitrary legislation that has more to do with the beliefs of a few than reality.

And finally, one of the major headlines of the last seven days is the collapse of the Silicon Valley Bank. The most disconcerting offshoots of the story are the accusations that “wokeness” was the cause of the bank’s downfall. Instead of zeroing in on the real problems that were the cause, the right once again chooses to pick the answer that suits them.

Two major points have been part of the discourse around the bank. The first is the repeal of the Dodd-Frank Act by the former guy. Like the accident in East Palestine, all of this might have been prevented had the regulations remained as is. The second is the irony that the organization received financial assistance from the federal government. However, when they wanted the government to be hands-off, they got what they wanted. They can’t have it both ways. Either there are structures in place to head off a collapse or it is the wild wild west.

Just another day in America.