Poldark catch-up double bill.

[shallowness]

Poldark 5.6

Plenty happening, and lots of wind-swept Demelza hair – with that hair, she’s about as bad at spying as Ross would be on current form. Again, I cared more about what happened in Cornwall than London. We got proof that Morwenna and Drake’s conjugal relations were fine and dandy, so much so that Demelza should stop worrying about getting her kids off to school. Of course, she was worried about bigger things too, with suspicions about who was carting off the mine’s ore and about Tess (who I suspect is involved in the latter because she has the leisure to skulk about and plot).

Rosina (have they recast her since seasons past?) was a little forward with Sam on the subject of loneliness, but he didn’t seem to mind, and indeed seemed to have made up his mind…when Tess came along playing the penitent. Sadly, Demelza did not go and shake her big brother for Rosina’s sake. Maybe Prudie could shout at him?

Otherwise, most of the action was in London – there was a nice bridge with Jeremy, son of Demelza too, singing, to the execution scene. Before that, Ross did everything he could in public and trusted the wrong magistrate. The court case went badly, with Ross not getting the message of how much the odds were stacked against them, as he stood up and gave his glowing description, I mean testimony in favour of Ned, who had, actually, said the king was mad. Poor, honest, noble Ross. Even the hail Mary of ‘No, Ned’s mad!’ didn’t work, although I then wondered if all those blows to the head had affected Ned’s self-control or lack thereof.

Also, George thinks that a trial for a hanging offence is a good lesson for his son.

I thought we were going to have something more convoluted involving the medical experiments on prisoners, because Ross particularly seemed like he was in a proto A-Team. Dwight wasn’t having any of it, until he was over-ruled by Caroline. Heh. (That actress would look amazing in 1920s/30s garb.) (Also, Dwight and Ross rocked the brown.)

But Ned did the noble thing, and Kitty was A1 in the role of supporting wife, sharing the pregnancy news to her previously oblivious husband as a comfort, though I’m sure the stresses she’s been through won’t help the pregnancy.

Were they trying to make out that the crowd come to see a hanging were secret liberals? Because I wasn’t buying it.

I wouldn’t have left the elopement to Geoffrey Charles, myself, but Cecily and GC were both naïve. However, they stumbled on the right weapon to stop the marriage (I couldn’t see why her disagreement wouldn’t be enough, or was she too young for it to count?) George clearly hadn’t thought beyond spiting GC as to what role Cecily would play in his life – what would she be meant to do but play hostess and look after his children? But Cecily seemed surprised at her punishment from her father. His nastiness may not have been directed towards her in the past, but had she not noticed he was a nasty piece of work?

Meanwhile, Merceron dropped the mask around Ross (who had started exercising caution around him, at least). Ross rushed home to what I think was symbolically if not actually the Julia Poldark Memorial Cliff, for the balm of Demelza. Gorgeous sunset scene, ending with Ross pondering what a waste most of this season has been for him, apart from proving he’s anti-slavery (Dwight and Demelza’s loyalty and Ross’s superiority over George are not new). Then thwack, lights out for Ross.

5.7

Possibly shouldn’t have watched the trailer for the finale at the end of this.

Heroine of the week: Rosina. That’s virtue, telling the woman who nabbed the first Carne to snub you that the woman nabbing the second Carne to snub you is colluding with your father on something no good.

Sam was an idiot (don’t pray with your eyes closed in such circs!) and I couldn’t believe Demelza had waited so long to have the ‘I don’t trust Tess’ conversation with Sam. I’d have thought she’d have had it before inviting Tess over to her house as a guest, when she doesn’t buy her change of heart, although Tess has smartened up these days.

Aww, Morwenna and Drake be having a baby. Smiles all round, and I’d point out again that my investment in these characters is not being rewarded by screentime.

Valentine has a spurt of Rossian speaking up, and then continued having a rubbish childhood. I kept expecting him to wander over to Namparra when everyone was armed to the teeth and get shot. That says more about me than the show.

Hanson and Merceron being half-brothers was almost unnecessary, except over Cecily, I guess. So, Ross had heard something while he was conked out and left in a less impressive hole in the ground than we and Merceron thought. I mean, leaving a Cornish miner with a teensy concussion in a Cornish mine and then bragging about it…Even if he wasn’t The Hero, he’d escape.

George did have qualms of conscience all on his own, but Caroline PWNING him was so enjoyable.

Poor Caroline. I’ll be honest, the whole Caroline/Dwight thing does not track – have they literally stopped communicating except in sniping as we saw onscreen as they went from Cornwall to London to Cornwall as if it was the twenty-first century? I can see that Dwight was caught up in loyalty to Ross (who truly had a terrible lack of plans for ‘holding Merceron to account’ and got schooled about Merceron and his relative usefulness to the Crown, while still proving he’d be a terrible spy), Ned and thus Kitty, whom he admires, and taking Caroline for granted. She reacted badly. Dwight was on the verge of realising she was jealous in London, Kitty overheard and then the three of them returned to Corwnall (with Ross) in silence, after Caroline had been pretty awesome at using social nous to Get Things Done.

Honestly, Ross, just let Caroline and Demelza arrange everything.

There was a bit of unhelpful protectiveness from Dwight to Caroline, but mainly he started reading everything she did in the worst way, and she didn’t tell him that no, the horse scaring wasn’t an accident or that she saw a stranger around Horace. I wish Kitty had knocked their heads together, because she must have realised some of what was going on. But then her goodbye to Demelza was noticeably warmer than to Caroline’s.

What I was trying to say in that ramble is that though the tension between them picked up steam, the fuel hadn’t quite been fed in regularly.

George and his uncle dimly realised this mahogany business was expensive and not great for the Warleggan reputation.

Then privileged young gent GC turned up at his uncle’s with Cecily for Fleeing Part 2, which went even worse this time, because Hansen was just doing this for pride and spite. Ross totally loved the part where he was planning their escape, but of course the Frenchies (TM Demelza) spoiled that. And the missus took up the slack, but let’s all assume Tess informed on the young couple. I only wish Sam had seen how beaten up GC was.

Being more au fait with this trope than GC (sweet idiot) it was fairly obvious Cecily had done a deal to spare him with her dad and everything she said after GC regained consciousness was a lie to protect him. I’m not sure why Hansen let her go to Jamaica. Anyway, Kitty is going to have to put up with a whole lot of crying on their voyage. Demelza (who married her first love, as did Caroline) comforted GC that he was probably going to have a huge love affair in the later books.

Meanwhile, Ross – who had been suffering from Flashbackitis all episode – found out that Le Frenchman was Hot French Spy I’d Forgotten. To save his life, Ross lied convincingly (I muttered stuff about true Cornishmen at this point) and I presume began an era of double agenting because he was asked to provide proof about the French plot, but this is obviously going to cause Demelza more grief. Urgh. (Suddenly, I’m thinking I should have basked in all the Ross/Demelza hugs.) And I don’t know if it will mean Dwight is too distracted to make things up with his wife, whose blackmail move has not been as successful as it deserved to be.