In our latest episode of Poldark, we find people rebelling all over the place as Ross gets into smuggling and Demelza gets into boats.
After a double episode of courtroom drama and a single episode mostly dedicated to partying and humor, this week, Poldark got back to what it does best: hats. The headgear this week was superb, from the lowered expectations of Francis, to the pricey-beyond-her-status feathers on Elizabeth to the always delightful George Topper vs Ross Tricorne (Spoiler alert, tricornes will out.)
"Demelza: “You think you can do as you please while I always do as you bid me? Well, think again.”"
Ah yes, the smuggling for pounds. It’s a little like dialing for dollars, but the only charity it’s paying for is to keep Demelza’s hats as good as Cousin Elizabeth’s. Despite Ross’ new money making scheme, Demelza is feeling rather abandoned. Ross’ eye kep roving to Elizabeth’s more attractive… hats, shall we say? (And those hairdos. My god, Elizabeth’s hair this week in that scene with George.) He also continues to be obsessed with a vein of copper that seems determined to wait out the season, or at least until the season finale. If I were Demelza, I’d recklessly go hang out in boats at 8 1/2 months preggers as well. It’s apparently the only way to get attention around here. Maybe she might even get a more believable baby bump from the costume department as well.
Image via BBC – Photographer: Adrian Rogers
With a husband more preoccupied with the residents of the greater houses of Trenwith and Place, Demelza is left to make choices on her own. And those choices include being on boats, while pregnant, against gorgeous Cornwall backdrops, until she pops. And pops she does, just in time for Ross to come riding up to the rescue. (“Let’s discuss my failings at a more convenient time”, indeed!) I’m sorry Colin Firth, but when it comes to the wet poet shirt contest in period drama’s you’ll have to eat your heart out. After all, this one rescued his wife in time for Enys to deliver her baby.
"Caroline: “This is a new kind of gambling, Uncle! And I have a fancy to indulge the whim.”"
Speaking of Enys, let’s not leave out his budding relationship with Caroline Penvenen. Caroline’s hat indulgence and spoiled little rich girl is the best source of intentional comedy of the hour. Her continuing flirtation via borderline Munchausen Syndrome with Enys is the most reliable humor in every episode. If the season would just pause to take a breath it might become slightly tiresome, but considering the breakneck pace of event every week, we can almost guarantee them married and spawning by month’s end, we can just laugh over an era where text flirtation was by quill, and asking for fingers in the throat was the biggest sexual tension to be had.
Screengrab Image via BBC
Even if she ruined it by being clueless about oranges, and the poor in general. She sounded Scrooge-esque in her noting that Enys’ entire career dedicated to saving their lives, “they’ll only multiply”. Enys should try taking her to the stores under the Poldark floorboards and explain that oranges don’t keep well in such conditions. Who says that’s not a splendid first date? They can take Horace the Pug! At least she made up for it with oranges upon oranges. Gambling on humanity is indeed a new game for her. Let’s hope she’s back from London soon.
"Ross: “I took a dislike to his neckcloth.”"
If it had just been hats, babies and oranges winning out the day, that might have been enough on its own, but once again, that whole plot thing had to inject itself and at even higher speeds than last year. I had hoped that the extension of the Poldark season from Series 1’s eight installments to Series 2’s ten full hours (as many as Game of Thrones!) would allow the writers to feel as if they have more breathing room. But once again it is obvious that the plan is to make it through two full Graham novels in a season, and that meant pouring in quite a bit of the back half of book three, Jeremy Poldark, into the first half of this episode.
Image via BBC – Photographer: Adrian Rogers
For those who are vaguely bored by the ins and outs of the shipping trade and are really here for the ripped shirts and the headgear, suffice it to say that the point of all those engineering discussions was all in the service of getting Francis and Ross into the concept of the business of Poldark and Poldark Ltd, which stands as the ultimate threat to our CEO of the 1790s version of Evil Corp, George Warleggan. With no mustaches to twirl (it’s 2016, everyone’s growin’ them, man!) we had to content ourselves with him sporting his top hat as evilly as possible as he arrived in town for the Wheal Leisure shares meeting. Personally, I was quite tired of Wormtail doing his bidding at these meetings anyway. George thought he was striding in to break up this bromance between cousins, with the reveal that it was Francis who last year ratted out all the Wheal Leisure shareholders. Instead he got left holding the bag of the tapped out mine, while Francis and Ross went off for a new one.
"Warleggan: “All my business is urgent.”Ross: “Does that include assault-by proxy?”"
Who knew George’s boxing lessons were also coming from the same choreographers as Game of Thrones, as he tried to pull a Mountain on Viper eyeball move. The beauty of Ross’s “you can’t see me” of a response was WWE worthy. Also, I really hope those boxing lessons George bought are fully refundable. Get on that, Wormtail!
Image via BBC – Photographer: Jon Hall
It wasn’t just Ross doing forgiveness via violence. Once he had forgiven his cousin his tresspasses it was time for Francis to do the same for…Verity! Yes, Verity came back, yet again, this time with Blamey in tow, and some step children, one of whom is about as pleased with her marriage as Francis was. But with Francis given the chance to reunite the family, and Elizabeth turning down George’s all-but-obvious offers of an affair, everything is coming up roses. A little sweet talk, a little guilt thwack, a little seltzer down the back and all the Poldarks are friends again, and in a beautiful hat line up worthy of a family portrait. Knowing how this show works tragedy had to be around the corner.
Next: Poldark Season 2 Episode 2 Recap: Back To Reality
Next week: Betrayals! Tragedies! A new excuse for an entire new set of hats! And Ross Poldark naked in bathtub. If you’ve not managed to keep yourself spoiler free for next week (since the BBC is three weeks ahead of us now), do those who have a favor, and keep it out of the comments.