Misty Krueger

Kisses! So many kisses! Let’s start with Georgiana and Charles Lockhart’s.

I love that Georgiana let her hair down–physically and metaphorically. She wanted Lockhart to paint her how she wishes to be seen, and she clearly wishes for him and everyone to see her unconfined. With her hair down, she can be seen with “the hair [her] mother gave her.” (FWIW, her father gave her education and an inheritance, she says, which is “both a blessing and a curse.”) When Lockhart started talking about what he would do with money (travel, eat, drink, be a libertine basically–minus the sleeping around I guess), I was a little concerned that maybe he was trying to get Georgiana’s money. Then he said he wasn’t painting her for the money, but for love, and as she rushed to him and kissed him we all oohed and aahed, did we not? It was so dreamy.

And their dancing at the ball was a joy to watch! But whoa that scene on the veranda. Lockhart wants Georgiana to go away with him to Europe. “As your concubine?” she asks, and he says “As my wife!” Hmm. Really?

Then there’s the awful, forced kiss by Colonel Lennox at the ball.

Sure, he’s a fine dancer, but he’s also a liar, cheat, mansplainer, and prick. Why does he want Charlotte to be his wife? Is it because he actually thinks she will make a suitable
companion? Does he even like her? Or is this about stealing her away from Colbourne? I like how this episode repeats the visual imagery of Charlotte and Lennox chatting at the top of the stairs/balcony, like we saw in season 1 with her and Sidney, but I hate that it’s with the vile Colonel who practically forces himself upon our heroine as he pretty much says she will marry him. She says she does not wish to marry, and he says, ok, girl, it’s time to stop playing games–as if she does not mean what she says. Hate that shit. He also talks down to her about her job and her “squalid” life, and we are having none of that! What an ass. “Be sensible of my rank,” he says, and as she pulls away from his kiss, I breathed a sigh of relief. Thank god that is over!

When Colbourne enters the ball and he and Charlotte make eye contact, the gazing is ripe with all of that sexual tension. Then their dance. Sheesh. The camera angles, the breathing, the hands touching. This was like a sex scene. Charlotte says she felt more alive dancing with him than she has in a while. I can see why!

It’s so wonderful when Colbourne finds Charlotte at the bottom of the stairs after she flees Colonel Pushyface because we want to see her with Colbourne! I’m glad Charlotte and Colbourne finally had it out–finally, he tells her the truth instead of bottling it up and putting on that stern facade. And, wow, I didn’t see it coming that Leo is Lennox’s child. I should have seen it coming with the fact that Leo was obsessed with the military and all, but nope. Missed that. And poor Leo overhearing it while eavesdropping!

But oooh when Charlotte grabs Colbourne’s hand (without gloves one, I might add), and then they kiss. Fireworks! (well, not literally) What a way to end the episode.

I gotta say that I’ve been on Team Captain Fraser the entire season, and it was nice to see him and Allison get cozier and dance. Again, so much cuteness in this episode. So much tension, but in a good way.

And it was nice to see Captain Carter watch them dance, but kinda weird because he didn’t seem to mind it. Did he give a rat’s ass about Allison ever? He obviously could see that Fraser is in love with her the whole time, even though she has been blind to it.

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But there’s more than kissing and dancing in this episode that is worth discussing. I’m amazed by the crazy-ass poison plot that is going on in this episode with that evil Edward Denham. He is such a bad guy–absolutely no redeeming qualities. At least Clara has been rehabilitated this season. Edward has gotten worse. But the stupid Dr. Fuchs says that Esther’s behavior is a sign of hysteria. OK, Dr. Freud. Let’s not go there. And the crazy woman holding the baby scene reminded me a bit of Jane Eyre again–very Bertha Mason.

I want to conclude by saying how much I have loved Arthur getting more screen time this season. When he tells his brother I told you so about Colonel Lennox, I was like, yup! When Mr. Parker tells Arthur he is no replacement for Sidney but a wonderful brother who has been there all along, I got a little teary-eyed, and if you didn’t: what’s wrong with you?

Speaking of Lennox–what a jerk. He’s such a Wickham to Captain Carter’s Willoughby. Captain Fraser is our Colonel Brandon. Good job, writers, for giving us some of Austen’s characters, even though they have different names. FWIW, Colbourne is such a Darcy.