Poldark Season 2: 10 Changes from the Books to the Small Screen

Ross Rescuing Demelza

Unfortunately, one comes to find that many of the more dramatic or romantic scenes of Poldark have had changes made to them. Here’s one of them. If you’ll recall, Demelza takes to fishing in order to make ends meet, never minding the fact that she’s heavily pregnant while she does it. One time, she goes out, and her labor begins. Ross, coming back to his house only to find his wife missing, jumps into the water, fetches his wife, they argue a little bit, and then we meet baby Jeremy Poldark.

Apparently, this scene needed more romance instead of the high drama the source material provides. In the novel, Ross doesn’t actually show up until after Demelza reaches the house. Yes, she actually gets back to shore while dealing with labor pains and a rough sea all by herself, then starts heading back up to the house. Graham cuts to Verity’s first meeting with her stepkids, and she receives a letter detailing the birth of Jeremy.

(Yes, James Blamey is pretty much as adorable on the page as he is on screen.)

Somehow, we think the scene would have worked just fine without Aidan Turner needing to get his shirt wet, because it shows Demelza’s own strength and resilience.