Poldark review: Money can buy a lot of things, actually

It’s a bank failure that sets up the events of Poldark this week, but none of these events seem like much more than circling down to the final two episodes.

Politics are slowly starting to suit Ross Poldark, because he gets a meeting with the Prime Minister to effectively open this episode. To be fair, he’s not making the sort of rapid progress he would like in helping the poor across the country, but he’s at least capable of helping people in Cornwall. He’s less capable of helping young Geoffrey Charles, though, who drinks (and does so in the presence of Monk Adderley).

Meanwhile, George’s goal of destroying Pascoe’s bank runs afoul of Elizabeth. With Nat Pearce dead, the bank — which is the one the Poldarks use — might not last forever, but Elizabeth is, of course, paying attention to all of this, even as her health starts to deteriorate. Demelza does the same, though, and she actually takes out a loan from Lord Falmouth to put money in (and pay wages). Naturally, George has alternative schemes — and sees Ross leaving even as he arrives to tell Elizabeth of the failure.

George, however, seems to have forgotten that Ross Poldark hates to lose, but also pushes particularly hard with Francis Bassett. He almost causes a complete scene at the dedication of an infirmary, but it still pays off: he becomes a partner in Bassett’s bank, as does Pascoe. Moreover, this news reaches George just as he learns Elizabeth is pregnant.

Fortunately, there’s some more straighfoward happiness in this episode, because Caroline comes back to Cornwall (and Dwight). Dwight understands Caroline in a way that Ross still doesn’t always understand Demelza. While the Enyses are still not the main couple, they still add a sweetness to the show. Their exchange, later in the episode, where she asks “Am I so obvious?” and he returns “Only to me,” might actually be the cutest pair of lines of the season.

Sure, Ross telling Demelza she’s “worth all of Westminster,” then taking her to London, is nice and all, but that doesn’t really show much of a growth necessarily. Sure, she did want to go, but Ross and Demelza having a passion for each other, even though there are still issues (Demelza’s worry that he still likes keeping her in Cornwall most of the time), is not necessarily new.

Though there’s hope of sweetness with Drake and Morwenna, she tells him she’s pregnant and sends him away. At some point, this has to stop. There’s not much more to say there.

This episode feels like it’s effectively laying the groundwork for episodes 7 and 8. For example, Drake and Morwenna still keep circling around each other, and we all know that something will give. Ross and Demelza having left for London looks like it’s a recipe for something to go horribly wrong in Cornwall, and George now has an even bigger chip on his shoulder because his schemes have literally made Ross a banker like him (which Demelza even comments on).

Additional thoughts:

• Drake gets the wet and shirtless scene of the episode, because he’s still in his feelings (pun very much intended) about his generally awful love life. What is up with the women setting the dudes straight, though? Because it’s Rosina who tells him off.
• Also, Ross asking Demelza if it’s her role to hold him back ends up being mildly discomfiting. Four seasons in, we know that Ross is effectively the worst, but it’s unpleasant to be reminded of it.