Poldark and, less importantly, Revenge
Apr. 27th, 2015 09:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shallownessPoldark - episode 8
So this final episode of the first series left me verklempt because of the content, but amused by the Beeb. The show was introduced with an apologetic spoiler (really) that it was going to end on a cliffhanger and an assurance that the show would be back from the continuity announcer. You can trust the continuity announcer more than the final screen, where it can be wishful thinking, but Auntie was tripping all over itself to assure us it would be back. Honestly.
(I’m probably going to buy the DVD the way I’m feeling now.)
Yes, it’s ridiculous – we had another slo-mo in town shot, and I wondered if it was tradition or padding, or an attempt at cranking up the atmosphere. As if the show didn’t have plenty of atmosphere.
I mean, that was the worst few days of Ross Poldark’s life, right there, probably. The smelting company gone, having to get a loan with 40% interest (cue the obvious joke about a certain lender), oh, and then his wife and daughter are seriously ill, his infant daughter dies, he has to bury her (the coffin that he could carry on his shoulder!) and there’s a riot on his beach and more dead bodies. And his wife still might die, and when she doesn’t, he has to tell her their daughter is gone. Gulp (and sigh, because he was still smouldering when haggard. If that crew had been all-female, I think there’d have been less hesitation about following him anywhere!!) I didn’t cry, because this didn’t quite make the list of things that make me cry, but I was almost surprised at myself. I certainly felt for Ross and Demelza.
He may be the main character, but Demelza is the heart of the sjow for me. Well, she got to be the voice, didn’t she? Was that a bit of Cornish in the opening song? Closing on her singing, after everything, was rather beautiful.
I think Ross had mostly forgiven her before the letter, anyway. Partly because he couldn’t help it and he could see why she’d done what she’d done – and I can’t see how you could blame her for underestimating Francis. But yeah, the letter showed that Verity was happy, which was pleasing. Later on, when the great-aunt blamed Veriry for not being there, I got a little steamed, because while I don’t think anyone would expect a ninetysomething to take care of a sick household, it wasn’t Verity’s absolute duty to skivvy for all of you. I’m glad she’s enjoying Lisbon and being married.
DEMELZA WENT AND PULLED A BETH MARCH. Pretty much.
Of course, she wanted to make amends and help, and her instinct is to roll up her sleeves – granted, I did wonder if protecting Julia would be enough to dissuade her - and maybe she should have told Ross before getting a lift on the horse for quarantine’s sake, but you HEROINE, Demelza. But oh, the results of going to Trenwith - heart-wrenching, especially the manner of it.
I almost wished they’d done more with her delirium e.g. the not wanting to drink or not had it at all. She seemed a more competent or active nurse than Ennis (and Ross). Oh, and I found myself wondering if Ennis/Ginny could be a thing. This is totally based on proximity and nothing else, which makes me worse than Matchmaker!Demelza, but they’ve both lost a lot. Of course, she still looks like she’s just turned fifteen.
I loved how the tit-bits from the trailer played out, because most of them were what I hoped rather than feared as a shipper: that the image of Ross and Elizabeth was delirium, that ‘the love of my life’ line was about Demelza, and that Demelza was worried about Elizabeth taking Ross away, when of course she couldn’t.
And the way both their grief played out. I know it was a different era for child mortality, but it is interesting that it would have been losing Demelza that would have broken Ross, not Julia, and that although Demelza’s grief was huge, she could see that Jeffrey Clark’s survival had value. And, for me, that makes it all sadder, because they weren’t wallowing.
Guh, the ‘I wish’ moment was awesome, because you knew Ross thought Demelza was going to say ‘I wish we’d never met’ because of his I’m cursed! funk. I thought it was more likely to be wishing she’d never gone to Trenwith, but it was rather an acceptance of what had been. Of course he had to let her say goodbye, and of course it was on the Cliffside, not at the churchyard. I’d have probably chosen the Cliffside as the most likely location for the episode’s end if offered a choice, even without knowing about the cliffhanger. And from the body language, you were minded to think that there will, eventually, be more Poldarklets.
(All I want is for them to have curly hair. Sorry, Julia, but you did have oddly straight hair.)
George approached some humanity in this episode. Some. Declaring himself to Elizabeth like that (setting aside the fact that the subtext is all about his feelings for Ross) was tacky. I had hopes that Francis – at his best on his sickbed! – was starting to appreciate the more important things, but on second thought, his unwillingness to face George was a sign of typical weakness (compared with Ross who’d suffered more), even if being at Julia’s funeral and knowing what had happened to Demelaz made him perhaps think about appreciating his wife. Though if he did the man would have a lot of ground to cover. ANYway, does Elizabeth have the wit to see through George as clearly as Ross does?
I mean, she’s not got a great track record with reading men. I hoped that her tending to Demelza was chiefly about, as she said, the fact that Demelza had saved her child, so it was the least she could do. But it must have bruised her pride, if not her heart, for Ross to make his feelings for Demelza so clear (but we needed that after the nonsense of two episodes ago and in the extremity of the situation). And hey, Elizabeth, we come back to the fact that you dropped him (twice). Demelza has always chosen him. Well, if not him, then love and love as influenced by her love for him.
But the contempt Ross had for George (and Matthew) at the beach, while understandable, even justifiable from the audience’s POV, having seen George pay off the soldier, and part of the Warleggans’ belief that they own everything, was dangerous. Ironic that Ross said that Jud’s tongue would get him into trouble, when it is Ross’s attitude to the law (as separate to his attitude to justice and right) that has finally got him into trouble.
I have to say it’s not the cliffhanger as much as what came before that got to me, although I’ll be interested to see how he gets out of jail to restore the family fortunes/be back by Demelza’s side.
The ‘cliffhanger on the cliffside’ thing was pointed out to me by Digital Spy’s review of the first series finale here, which was written by a man - like, yeah, Demelza is beautiful, but I’d be shocked if more of the millions of viewers were men than women. And the fact that the show must know it’s pandering to a female gaze (adapted by a woman from books written by a man) has always fascinated me. Also that review/recap really underlines what a melodrama it is. There’s nothing wrong with that; apparently the UK needed it right now (with added hissable bankers and a patrician take on social justice).
Revenge 4.13 Abduction
Jack convinced Officer Ben to help them quite easily by mentioning Alvarez, even if he had, understandably, issues with all he’d found out. Not least with the amount of history with Emily/Amanda that Jack was revealing, my shipper side insists.
Nolan would surely have come in handy, but he was too busy having a plot with Louise and Mama Ellis. I do like Nolan around Louise and vice versa, though.
Er, yeah, Victoria’s argument for Margiaux staying schtum was pitiful from Margiaux’s perspective. (Did she know that? The final conversation suggests not.)
And Emily really showed her cards/feelings over Jack’s safety.
The Emily-Victoria stuff did not get interesting, not even after Emily exaggerated David’s desire to kill Victoria in retaliation for Victoria’s betrayal until Victoria claimed she’d killed Kate to save Emily’s life and called out to protect her. But it turns out that they were conspiring in secret (we might as well have seen that flashback as any other.) I liked how competent they showed Emily to be in the circumstances – even using a childhood game with Jack for code, no wonder he has belief in her! -
A sudden marriage – of course! Except it is ridiculous that plot meant that Emily (and Jack) knew nothing of this. I really hope Emily pulls a ‘Wait...what?’ on Nolan in the next ep. And have the two new chums thought through what a marriage of convenience means? I mean, would a divorce not mean that the conservatory thing would revert to Mama? So...and yes, that’s an aside to whatever happened to Louise’s father. I suspect she didn’t kill your father, although it could be a bluff.
Anyway, we ended with a truce between Victoria and the Clarks (for now – the really healthy thing would be for her to grieve for Daniel with Charlotte) and Margiaux now vowing revenge, with the help of that guy from Eureka.
Saddest line of the episode: David saying he hadn’t spent even a day with his grown-up daughter. Aww.
I saw Avengers Age of Ultron tonight and am processing.
So this final episode of the first series left me verklempt because of the content, but amused by the Beeb. The show was introduced with an apologetic spoiler (really) that it was going to end on a cliffhanger and an assurance that the show would be back from the continuity announcer. You can trust the continuity announcer more than the final screen, where it can be wishful thinking, but Auntie was tripping all over itself to assure us it would be back. Honestly.
(I’m probably going to buy the DVD the way I’m feeling now.)
Yes, it’s ridiculous – we had another slo-mo in town shot, and I wondered if it was tradition or padding, or an attempt at cranking up the atmosphere. As if the show didn’t have plenty of atmosphere.
I mean, that was the worst few days of Ross Poldark’s life, right there, probably. The smelting company gone, having to get a loan with 40% interest (cue the obvious joke about a certain lender), oh, and then his wife and daughter are seriously ill, his infant daughter dies, he has to bury her (the coffin that he could carry on his shoulder!) and there’s a riot on his beach and more dead bodies. And his wife still might die, and when she doesn’t, he has to tell her their daughter is gone. Gulp (and sigh, because he was still smouldering when haggard. If that crew had been all-female, I think there’d have been less hesitation about following him anywhere!!) I didn’t cry, because this didn’t quite make the list of things that make me cry, but I was almost surprised at myself. I certainly felt for Ross and Demelza.
He may be the main character, but Demelza is the heart of the sjow for me. Well, she got to be the voice, didn’t she? Was that a bit of Cornish in the opening song? Closing on her singing, after everything, was rather beautiful.
I think Ross had mostly forgiven her before the letter, anyway. Partly because he couldn’t help it and he could see why she’d done what she’d done – and I can’t see how you could blame her for underestimating Francis. But yeah, the letter showed that Verity was happy, which was pleasing. Later on, when the great-aunt blamed Veriry for not being there, I got a little steamed, because while I don’t think anyone would expect a ninetysomething to take care of a sick household, it wasn’t Verity’s absolute duty to skivvy for all of you. I’m glad she’s enjoying Lisbon and being married.
DEMELZA WENT AND PULLED A BETH MARCH. Pretty much.
Of course, she wanted to make amends and help, and her instinct is to roll up her sleeves – granted, I did wonder if protecting Julia would be enough to dissuade her - and maybe she should have told Ross before getting a lift on the horse for quarantine’s sake, but you HEROINE, Demelza. But oh, the results of going to Trenwith - heart-wrenching, especially the manner of it.
I almost wished they’d done more with her delirium e.g. the not wanting to drink or not had it at all. She seemed a more competent or active nurse than Ennis (and Ross). Oh, and I found myself wondering if Ennis/Ginny could be a thing. This is totally based on proximity and nothing else, which makes me worse than Matchmaker!Demelza, but they’ve both lost a lot. Of course, she still looks like she’s just turned fifteen.
I loved how the tit-bits from the trailer played out, because most of them were what I hoped rather than feared as a shipper: that the image of Ross and Elizabeth was delirium, that ‘the love of my life’ line was about Demelza, and that Demelza was worried about Elizabeth taking Ross away, when of course she couldn’t.
And the way both their grief played out. I know it was a different era for child mortality, but it is interesting that it would have been losing Demelza that would have broken Ross, not Julia, and that although Demelza’s grief was huge, she could see that Jeffrey Clark’s survival had value. And, for me, that makes it all sadder, because they weren’t wallowing.
Guh, the ‘I wish’ moment was awesome, because you knew Ross thought Demelza was going to say ‘I wish we’d never met’ because of his I’m cursed! funk. I thought it was more likely to be wishing she’d never gone to Trenwith, but it was rather an acceptance of what had been. Of course he had to let her say goodbye, and of course it was on the Cliffside, not at the churchyard. I’d have probably chosen the Cliffside as the most likely location for the episode’s end if offered a choice, even without knowing about the cliffhanger. And from the body language, you were minded to think that there will, eventually, be more Poldarklets.
(All I want is for them to have curly hair. Sorry, Julia, but you did have oddly straight hair.)
George approached some humanity in this episode. Some. Declaring himself to Elizabeth like that (setting aside the fact that the subtext is all about his feelings for Ross) was tacky. I had hopes that Francis – at his best on his sickbed! – was starting to appreciate the more important things, but on second thought, his unwillingness to face George was a sign of typical weakness (compared with Ross who’d suffered more), even if being at Julia’s funeral and knowing what had happened to Demelaz made him perhaps think about appreciating his wife. Though if he did the man would have a lot of ground to cover. ANYway, does Elizabeth have the wit to see through George as clearly as Ross does?
I mean, she’s not got a great track record with reading men. I hoped that her tending to Demelza was chiefly about, as she said, the fact that Demelza had saved her child, so it was the least she could do. But it must have bruised her pride, if not her heart, for Ross to make his feelings for Demelza so clear (but we needed that after the nonsense of two episodes ago and in the extremity of the situation). And hey, Elizabeth, we come back to the fact that you dropped him (twice). Demelza has always chosen him. Well, if not him, then love and love as influenced by her love for him.
But the contempt Ross had for George (and Matthew) at the beach, while understandable, even justifiable from the audience’s POV, having seen George pay off the soldier, and part of the Warleggans’ belief that they own everything, was dangerous. Ironic that Ross said that Jud’s tongue would get him into trouble, when it is Ross’s attitude to the law (as separate to his attitude to justice and right) that has finally got him into trouble.
I have to say it’s not the cliffhanger as much as what came before that got to me, although I’ll be interested to see how he gets out of jail to restore the family fortunes/be back by Demelza’s side.
The ‘cliffhanger on the cliffside’ thing was pointed out to me by Digital Spy’s review of the first series finale here, which was written by a man - like, yeah, Demelza is beautiful, but I’d be shocked if more of the millions of viewers were men than women. And the fact that the show must know it’s pandering to a female gaze (adapted by a woman from books written by a man) has always fascinated me. Also that review/recap really underlines what a melodrama it is. There’s nothing wrong with that; apparently the UK needed it right now (with added hissable bankers and a patrician take on social justice).
Revenge 4.13 Abduction
Jack convinced Officer Ben to help them quite easily by mentioning Alvarez, even if he had, understandably, issues with all he’d found out. Not least with the amount of history with Emily/Amanda that Jack was revealing, my shipper side insists.
Nolan would surely have come in handy, but he was too busy having a plot with Louise and Mama Ellis. I do like Nolan around Louise and vice versa, though.
Er, yeah, Victoria’s argument for Margiaux staying schtum was pitiful from Margiaux’s perspective. (Did she know that? The final conversation suggests not.)
And Emily really showed her cards/feelings over Jack’s safety.
The Emily-Victoria stuff did not get interesting, not even after Emily exaggerated David’s desire to kill Victoria in retaliation for Victoria’s betrayal until Victoria claimed she’d killed Kate to save Emily’s life and called out to protect her. But it turns out that they were conspiring in secret (we might as well have seen that flashback as any other.) I liked how competent they showed Emily to be in the circumstances – even using a childhood game with Jack for code, no wonder he has belief in her! -
A sudden marriage – of course! Except it is ridiculous that plot meant that Emily (and Jack) knew nothing of this. I really hope Emily pulls a ‘Wait...what?’ on Nolan in the next ep. And have the two new chums thought through what a marriage of convenience means? I mean, would a divorce not mean that the conservatory thing would revert to Mama? So...and yes, that’s an aside to whatever happened to Louise’s father. I suspect she didn’t kill your father, although it could be a bluff.
Anyway, we ended with a truce between Victoria and the Clarks (for now – the really healthy thing would be for her to grieve for Daniel with Charlotte) and Margiaux now vowing revenge, with the help of that guy from Eureka.
Saddest line of the episode: David saying he hadn’t spent even a day with his grown-up daughter. Aww.
I saw Avengers Age of Ultron tonight and am processing.
