We start off tonight's Poldark certainly happy right? There's copper in that there mine! (Try reading that previous sentence with your best old prospector accent) Ross and Demelza confess their love and she's pregnant with his baby! I mean, obviously it's good times right? What could possibly go wrong? Unfortunately, as it always is with a great drama, the happy endings are almost always short lived.
As usual with an hour of no commercials, several things of note happen in this episode. It starts off sweet enough with Demelza having a little girl. Watch Ross hold his daughter is one of the sweetest things I've ever seen. He's in awe of his little girl, perfectly happy with her, not disappointed that she isn't a boy. It's truly a fairy tale for him and for Demelza.
This episode really allows for Demelza to grow a bit more. Most of the attention has been on Ross and in this episode we get to see a lot more of Demelza coming into her own. I also love what they have done with her hair, having it flowing and long like that makes her look truly beautiful and she looks like a brand new mother with a certain glow. Job well done make up and hair team. Applause all around.
While Ross is dealing with his investors (who are selling out and dropping like flies), Demelza notes that her cousin in law, sweet Verity, is truly miserable with her situation and obviously lacking in love. At the christening and after, you can see the cogs in her head turning. She's going to do something about it, and that means going to see Captain Blamy.
Obviously it's been quite a long time since Verity and Blamy parted (thanks to Francis, a.k.a. Sir Dickbag), and when Demelza first arrives there, Blamy is very harsh with her and tells her that he's only married to his ship and does not think of Verity. I called bullshit because this is a TV show and there is no way in hell that that man hasn't just stopped thinking of her. My bullshit meter, was of course, right on the spot because later on in the episode Verity and Demelza are shopping for a cloak and he comes up behind them and in the midst of a riot, their true feelings came to be known.
As stated before, Ross is having to deal with his investors dropping and tries to buy them out but to do so is truly to much of a financial risk considering that to do so would be staking his entire property and house on the line and with a wife and child, that can't happen.
The most pivotal part of the entire episode is when Ross and Francis go to one of George's parties. You know, those parties where there are only men and whores, gambling, drinking and of course, talk of business. This is the 18th century after all, and those manly parties are almost always about business in one form or another. While there, Sir Dickbag is gambling and drinking with a friend of George and after a bad hand, he stumbles out, obviously angry. It turns out, that he gambled away his mine and lost. What does this mean exactly? Ross explains the situation to Demelza and therefore to us. By gambling away the mine, he has made himself destitute, losing his only source of income. The people who work for that mine, are now out of a job. It was the equivalent of a modern day corporate take over.
The final scenes of the episode involve Elizabeth, Verity and Sir Dickbag going to the mine to close it but he ends up writing a word in chalk on the mine. I don't know the exact word but it's meaning was clear. "We will rise again."
It is this episode that I finally find some respect for Elizabeth. She's pulled herself up by her bootstraps, not a child any longer. She's really coming to her own. She chose this man, money over love, and now she has no money but it's not bringing her down. She tells Ross that there are less fortunate people than herself and Francis and she'll make it work. She will do what needs to be done because obviously, Francis is not going to do anything except lick his wounds and feel sorry for himself.
What really surprises me, is how little Ross' cynicism has lessened. Here he is, in love with his beautiful wife, a father to a beautiful daughter, and when Demeleza makes that comment, after the christening, about how she believes "love conquers all" he responds that he didn't believe that. That love shouldn't disrupt the lives of others, or something like that. Crazy right? Ross, you can say, is definitely consistent in his behavior, level headed and not above mistakes but he certainly doesn't have a very bright view of the world around him.
It was the best thing, seeing Demelza truly start to shine and I'm hoping that next week, Verity and Blamy damn well run away together, but it looks like Ross is going to be gambling with the same cad that gambled Francis out of his livlihood. Well, here's to hoping anyway. Until next week. :D
Monday, July 20, 2015
Friday, July 17, 2015
Falling Through the Stones: My Outlander Love Affair
I was introduced to Outlander a couple of years ago. I never had liked time travel romance. It was always so unrealistic, so wrong, so...just...blah. These stories all sounded the same to me. So when my best friend told me to read them, I was skeptical. I mean my thought process was pretty simple.
Time travel? Uck!
A married woman, going back in time? Double uck!
First person point-of-view? Gross!
Her being OLDER than her lover? What is this madness!?
Needless to say, the only reason, and I mean ONLY reason I decided to pick up Outlander and read it, was because of my love for Scotland and history and romance. I figured, one book wouldn't hurt and if I didn't like it, I would shrug it off and move on. Until that point, the only book series I had ever read were Harry Potter, Anne of Green Gables and Twilight, and Twilight wasn't exactly high end reading material. Most of my casual reading involved old classic novels like Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights or (as a personal favorite) Pride and Prejudice. When not reading classic novels, I was reading Harlequin Romance Novels and Hannah Howells (because the Murray Clan are awesome-sauce). I hadn't found an adult book series that had really peaked my interest and love for my ancestry (as a Scot and an Irishwoman). It all changed by the time I finished reading the first in the then, seven book series. It blew me away. What was normally typical of the female tropes in romance novels, were switched on their heads.
The woman was the sex ed teacher, the older and more experienced of the two. The woman, was married and in love with her first husband. The woman was take charge, protective, a true fighter. Claire Beauchamp Randall-Fraser was by no means the meek lass. She was headstrong, stubborn, more than willing to go toe to toe with her brawny highlander husband. And despite her situation, she was never really a damsel in distress. In romance novels, it's almost always the man's job to sweep in and save the woman and this novel was completely different.
Jamie, the handsome hero of the story, was every bit as stubborn as his older bride, but full of honor and an inherent nobility and sense of right and wrong to match no other. He was powerful and strong, but also in several instance, completely and utterly at her mercy, and emotionally laid bare. In some instances, truly vulnerable with Claire coming around to pick up the pieces. He was the untried virgin, the one scared most of the first night, scared he'd muck it up. After all, a man is supposed to come to his marriage bed as a man who knows what he's doing and yet, he doesn't mind it at all that Claire is teaching him.
Their relationship is truly one of equality where as even heroes in romance novels, are usually the ones still holding all of the power, even by the end of the novel. It's not the same here. I think that's why the novel resonates so well with people, and with me. The characters are human, imperfect, and more realistic. Despite this crazy premise, I can see this as an actual relationship between two people. About the only thing I couldn't see is having a man speak as eloquently to me as Jamie does sometimes. That's just some Nicholas Sparks shit. Or maybe, I just haven't found the right man yet, who is willing to say those sweet things to me, and to treat me as well as Jamie treats Claire.
Their relationship is the kind of relationship that most people envy. They are equals. They are soulmates. They are the other half of each other, both with good qualities and bad but still so utterly perfect for one another. Diana Gabaldon has certainly given people a super high standard to live up to so far as romance in their life don't you think?
So I read the first book, I fell in love with the characters, the setting, the truly near perfect historical accuracy. And so I picked up Dragonfly in Amber and was thrown for a loop by how it started and then I read further and I was sobbing at the end of the book. It was as emotionally affecting to me as when Dumbledore dying in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Up until that point, no other book had made me sob. And so the cycle continued. I read Voyager and it turned out to be my favorite book in the entire series. And then Drums of Autumn where I found that I would truly love to have Roger for a husband (oh if only I were a six foot tall redhead), or at least someone like him. I had two men to love, two men to admire, and two heroines to love and get frustrated with.
I found respect first, and then admiration for young Lord John Grey, and for William and a love for Fergus and Marsali and Young Ian. Each of these small characters became family to me. They were all imperfect and human. It turned from a story of romance to one of faith, honor, familial love, and that no matter the mistakes, no matter the heartbreak, there is still a reason to be alive.
I fell in love. That's all there was to it. I fell in love with the people, the setting and the words that Diana Gabaldon so eloquently put to page, ruining me for the typical romantic storyline. Thanks to her, no other fictional man measures up to the flawed but wonderful Jamie Fraser. No other woman is the perfect mix of strength and vulnerability that most women are. Claire's strength of character, and mind are truly the foundation for most of these books and I've read in interviews that Claire pretty much wrote herself into the story and there was no turning back. I think it's safe to say that Claire and Herself have much in common.
So I was into it. Hook, line and sinker. And then I found out about them turning it into a television series and was worried that the integrity of the books would be lost in translation and in August of 2014 I watched as Claire, Frank, and Jamie came to life on the screen and I was mesmerized by how my new beloved book series was so well transitioned. Yes there were things I didn't like, things I missed, things I thought could of been changed, but overall, I was just so glad to see Claire and Jamie come to life for me the same way Sam Heughand and Caitriona Balfe brought them to life. They were perfect casting choices and while the show itself was not perfect, I do believe it showed great respect to it's source material in ways other book to show adaptions have not.
Even now, a few months after the final episode, I'm still reeling, about to start the sixth book A Breath of Snow and Ashes, and I find myself truly enraptured in this world of time travel that Diana has created and loving every minute of it. No other book series since I turned eighteen, has effected me quite like this one and I'm so glad that my best friend managed to pick up a book I would of otherwise avoided. So Aislene, thank you. Thank you so much. And thank you Diana Gabaldon for creating a story I never thought I would ever enjoy but now adore.
Time travel? Uck!
A married woman, going back in time? Double uck!
First person point-of-view? Gross!
Her being OLDER than her lover? What is this madness!?
Needless to say, the only reason, and I mean ONLY reason I decided to pick up Outlander and read it, was because of my love for Scotland and history and romance. I figured, one book wouldn't hurt and if I didn't like it, I would shrug it off and move on. Until that point, the only book series I had ever read were Harry Potter, Anne of Green Gables and Twilight, and Twilight wasn't exactly high end reading material. Most of my casual reading involved old classic novels like Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights or (as a personal favorite) Pride and Prejudice. When not reading classic novels, I was reading Harlequin Romance Novels and Hannah Howells (because the Murray Clan are awesome-sauce). I hadn't found an adult book series that had really peaked my interest and love for my ancestry (as a Scot and an Irishwoman). It all changed by the time I finished reading the first in the then, seven book series. It blew me away. What was normally typical of the female tropes in romance novels, were switched on their heads.
The woman was the sex ed teacher, the older and more experienced of the two. The woman, was married and in love with her first husband. The woman was take charge, protective, a true fighter. Claire Beauchamp Randall-Fraser was by no means the meek lass. She was headstrong, stubborn, more than willing to go toe to toe with her brawny highlander husband. And despite her situation, she was never really a damsel in distress. In romance novels, it's almost always the man's job to sweep in and save the woman and this novel was completely different.
Jamie, the handsome hero of the story, was every bit as stubborn as his older bride, but full of honor and an inherent nobility and sense of right and wrong to match no other. He was powerful and strong, but also in several instance, completely and utterly at her mercy, and emotionally laid bare. In some instances, truly vulnerable with Claire coming around to pick up the pieces. He was the untried virgin, the one scared most of the first night, scared he'd muck it up. After all, a man is supposed to come to his marriage bed as a man who knows what he's doing and yet, he doesn't mind it at all that Claire is teaching him.
Their relationship is truly one of equality where as even heroes in romance novels, are usually the ones still holding all of the power, even by the end of the novel. It's not the same here. I think that's why the novel resonates so well with people, and with me. The characters are human, imperfect, and more realistic. Despite this crazy premise, I can see this as an actual relationship between two people. About the only thing I couldn't see is having a man speak as eloquently to me as Jamie does sometimes. That's just some Nicholas Sparks shit. Or maybe, I just haven't found the right man yet, who is willing to say those sweet things to me, and to treat me as well as Jamie treats Claire.
Their relationship is the kind of relationship that most people envy. They are equals. They are soulmates. They are the other half of each other, both with good qualities and bad but still so utterly perfect for one another. Diana Gabaldon has certainly given people a super high standard to live up to so far as romance in their life don't you think?
So I read the first book, I fell in love with the characters, the setting, the truly near perfect historical accuracy. And so I picked up Dragonfly in Amber and was thrown for a loop by how it started and then I read further and I was sobbing at the end of the book. It was as emotionally affecting to me as when Dumbledore dying in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Up until that point, no other book had made me sob. And so the cycle continued. I read Voyager and it turned out to be my favorite book in the entire series. And then Drums of Autumn where I found that I would truly love to have Roger for a husband (oh if only I were a six foot tall redhead), or at least someone like him. I had two men to love, two men to admire, and two heroines to love and get frustrated with.
I found respect first, and then admiration for young Lord John Grey, and for William and a love for Fergus and Marsali and Young Ian. Each of these small characters became family to me. They were all imperfect and human. It turned from a story of romance to one of faith, honor, familial love, and that no matter the mistakes, no matter the heartbreak, there is still a reason to be alive.
I fell in love. That's all there was to it. I fell in love with the people, the setting and the words that Diana Gabaldon so eloquently put to page, ruining me for the typical romantic storyline. Thanks to her, no other fictional man measures up to the flawed but wonderful Jamie Fraser. No other woman is the perfect mix of strength and vulnerability that most women are. Claire's strength of character, and mind are truly the foundation for most of these books and I've read in interviews that Claire pretty much wrote herself into the story and there was no turning back. I think it's safe to say that Claire and Herself have much in common.
So I was into it. Hook, line and sinker. And then I found out about them turning it into a television series and was worried that the integrity of the books would be lost in translation and in August of 2014 I watched as Claire, Frank, and Jamie came to life on the screen and I was mesmerized by how my new beloved book series was so well transitioned. Yes there were things I didn't like, things I missed, things I thought could of been changed, but overall, I was just so glad to see Claire and Jamie come to life for me the same way Sam Heughand and Caitriona Balfe brought them to life. They were perfect casting choices and while the show itself was not perfect, I do believe it showed great respect to it's source material in ways other book to show adaptions have not.
Even now, a few months after the final episode, I'm still reeling, about to start the sixth book A Breath of Snow and Ashes, and I find myself truly enraptured in this world of time travel that Diana has created and loving every minute of it. No other book series since I turned eighteen, has effected me quite like this one and I'm so glad that my best friend managed to pick up a book I would of otherwise avoided. So Aislene, thank you. Thank you so much. And thank you Diana Gabaldon for creating a story I never thought I would ever enjoy but now adore.
Monday, July 13, 2015
Droughtlander Get Through It Initiative: Poldark Part Four, A Recap
Hello all and welcome once more to the weekly recap of Poldark, as part of the "Get Through It" Droughtlander Initiative. It certainly has made the last month go by a wee bit faster, having something to look forward to each week. When we last left our hero and heroine, they had gotten married after two years of swirling rumors that they were lovers. Not long after Demelza pretty much seduced him, Ross came to the conclusion that he could not let her be his servant any longer and so she became his wife. This episode, focused on their relationship as a growing married couple, and also Ross' decision to marry someone considered "beneath his station." After all, he is very much a gentleman and she is a mere kitchenmaid. And so, that's exactly what this episode explores.
Demelza's character in this episode goes through quite a transition. She thinks of herself still as a kitchen maid, slipping up and calling Ross sir, and dealing with the servants who are just as confused as she is about her new station in society as Ross' wife. There truly is a playfulness though, to the relationship between Ross and Demelza that I thoroughly enjoy and it's this episode that really makes me wish we saw more than a bit of kissing and then seeing them wrapped up and laid in bed together. Verity certainly helps Demelza along in this episode, training her to be a bit of a proper lady and this is all tantamount to the Christmas party where they first attend as a couple. It's the first time I've seen a seasonal change in this entire freaking show. With Ross as a guiding hand, Demelza hires the wife of Mr. Carter (the poacher who was sent away for two years), as the new kitchen maid as a means of trying to adjust as Lady of the House. Watching her go from uncertain to more sure of herself as the episode wears on.
Ross is dealing with the mine and it's lack of copper, as well as the repercussions of his decision to marry Demelza. Already considered reckless, the men who had invested in his mine begin to drop like flies because they consider his marrying Demelza, truly a reckless thing indeed. His "lack of judgement" is what causes several of his investors to leave him. He also has to deal with the death of his Uncle and Francis just being a dumbass. Can we all agree that Francis is just a jealous wanker? I mean really, he is. That's his whole character arc. Mondo-doucehbag. And of course, Elizabeth wants to treat Demelza like a pet. I don't trust her. She's been far to jealous of Ross and far to dissatisified with Frances to be nice to Demelza. No. Francis certainly sees through that. At least Sir Douchebag and I can agree on something.
I have to say, the thing I truly love about Ross' character is that he comes off as a hard ass but you can see in the way he treats Demelza and Verity and even his Uncle, that he really does have compassion but has a hard time showing it openly. His actions certainly speak more loudly than his words. Even though he speaks roughly as Demelza admits her pity for Verity (who still pines over her Captain), he says gruffly that she must get over it, but his earlier actions about Verity and the Captain prove that he does care for his cousin's happiness.
The truly great moment for all of these characters is the Christmas party where Demelza is finally introduced to her husband's peers, and to his family (aside from Verity) and she manages to hold her own and while Elizabeth is a fine harp player, Demelza's voice is one of the angels. That whole entire scene while she sings is truly the most wonderful thing, especially watching Ross' face. He's entranced by her like a sea captain to a siren's song. You see their admiration for each other and their enjoyment of each other's company, morph in that moment and Ross comes to realize he does love her and she manages to get plenty of the uppers to find her more attractive, just because she can sing.
The episode ends with the mine striking copper, and Demelza admitting of her pregnancy and all in all, it is the best episode so far. The take away from this episode is that I find myself growing even warmer to Ross' character. After all, he really has proven how steady of a character he is. Perhaps a bit impulsive and rash, but ultimately a man of good character and a strong sense of what is right and wrong and in his own words has quite an "indifference" to the standards posed by society, in a time when society is everything.
Demelza's character in this episode goes through quite a transition. She thinks of herself still as a kitchen maid, slipping up and calling Ross sir, and dealing with the servants who are just as confused as she is about her new station in society as Ross' wife. There truly is a playfulness though, to the relationship between Ross and Demelza that I thoroughly enjoy and it's this episode that really makes me wish we saw more than a bit of kissing and then seeing them wrapped up and laid in bed together. Verity certainly helps Demelza along in this episode, training her to be a bit of a proper lady and this is all tantamount to the Christmas party where they first attend as a couple. It's the first time I've seen a seasonal change in this entire freaking show. With Ross as a guiding hand, Demelza hires the wife of Mr. Carter (the poacher who was sent away for two years), as the new kitchen maid as a means of trying to adjust as Lady of the House. Watching her go from uncertain to more sure of herself as the episode wears on.
Ross is dealing with the mine and it's lack of copper, as well as the repercussions of his decision to marry Demelza. Already considered reckless, the men who had invested in his mine begin to drop like flies because they consider his marrying Demelza, truly a reckless thing indeed. His "lack of judgement" is what causes several of his investors to leave him. He also has to deal with the death of his Uncle and Francis just being a dumbass. Can we all agree that Francis is just a jealous wanker? I mean really, he is. That's his whole character arc. Mondo-doucehbag. And of course, Elizabeth wants to treat Demelza like a pet. I don't trust her. She's been far to jealous of Ross and far to dissatisified with Frances to be nice to Demelza. No. Francis certainly sees through that. At least Sir Douchebag and I can agree on something.
I have to say, the thing I truly love about Ross' character is that he comes off as a hard ass but you can see in the way he treats Demelza and Verity and even his Uncle, that he really does have compassion but has a hard time showing it openly. His actions certainly speak more loudly than his words. Even though he speaks roughly as Demelza admits her pity for Verity (who still pines over her Captain), he says gruffly that she must get over it, but his earlier actions about Verity and the Captain prove that he does care for his cousin's happiness.
The truly great moment for all of these characters is the Christmas party where Demelza is finally introduced to her husband's peers, and to his family (aside from Verity) and she manages to hold her own and while Elizabeth is a fine harp player, Demelza's voice is one of the angels. That whole entire scene while she sings is truly the most wonderful thing, especially watching Ross' face. He's entranced by her like a sea captain to a siren's song. You see their admiration for each other and their enjoyment of each other's company, morph in that moment and Ross comes to realize he does love her and she manages to get plenty of the uppers to find her more attractive, just because she can sing.
The episode ends with the mine striking copper, and Demelza admitting of her pregnancy and all in all, it is the best episode so far. The take away from this episode is that I find myself growing even warmer to Ross' character. After all, he really has proven how steady of a character he is. Perhaps a bit impulsive and rash, but ultimately a man of good character and a strong sense of what is right and wrong and in his own words has quite an "indifference" to the standards posed by society, in a time when society is everything.
Monday, July 6, 2015
Outlander Season 2 Cast: Master List (update 12/14)
Actor: Caitriona Balfe
Character: Claire Beauchamp/Randall/Fraser
Actor: Sam Heughan
Character: Jamie Fraser
Actor: Tobias Menzies
Character: Black Jack Randall / Frank Randall
Actor: Richard Rankin
Character: Roger Wakefield/MacKenzie
Actor: Duncan Lacroix
Character: Murtagh Fraser
Actor: Laura Donnelly
Character: Jenny Fraser-Murray
Actor: Steven Cree
Character: Ian Murray
Actor: Grant O'Rourke
Character: Rupert MacKenzie
Actor: Stephen Walters
Character: Angus Mhor
Actor: Graham MacTavish
Character: Dougal MacKenzie
Actor: Gary Lewis
Character: Colum MacKenzie
Actor: Finn Den Hertog
Character: Willie
Actor: Claire Sermonne
Character: Louise de Rohan
Actor: Laurence Dobiesz
Character: Alexander Randall
Actor: Marc Duret
Character: Monsieur Joseph Duverney
Actor: Margaux Chatelier
Character: Annalise de Marillac
Actor: Andrew Gower
Character: Bonnie Prince Charlie
Actor: Rosie Day
Character: Mary Hawkins
Actor: Dominique Pinon
Character: Master Raymond
Actor: Romann Berrux
Character: Young Fergus
Actor: Audrey Brisson
Character: Sister Angelique
Actor: Robert Cavanah
Character: Jared Fraser
Actor: Stanley Weber
Character: Le Comte St. Germain
Actor: Frances de la Tour
Character: Mother Hildegarde
Actor: Lionel Lingelser
Character: Louis XV
Sunday, July 5, 2015
Droughtlander Get Through It Initiative: Poldark Part Three, A Recap
What I learned watching this episode of Poldark? Quite a few things actually. And to be honest, it was a bit of a whirlwind of an episode. Phwew! Okay then. When we last left our hero, he had asked Demelza if she wished to go home and she had told him that her home was there with him and his two lazy ass servants and that he was planning to reopen the mine.
Several things happened this episode. So much stuff got crammed into it and the time went from Elizabeth being barely pregnant, to having a child, to having a child that was several months old so that she and Francis could re-engage in sex but Elizabeth ain't in the mood for that. So much time passes that when Ross speaks to Demelza at the end of the episode, he tells her that she's been his servant two years. Two years! And it looks like spring the entire time. Two fucking years happens in the space of two episodes mmkay? Just let that sink in.
Demelza, in that two years, has gotten really good at judging Ross' moods and he's so predictable, she's memorized his daily rituals. She loves her life there but there are several rumors by upstanding men, the priest, and a few others, that she is trading favors for her employer's kindness. Of course none of it is true but the rumors are certainly swirling about the pretty redhead and her dark and brooding employer.
Ross opens a mine, and is part of the workforce in that mine, which makes his men respect him. His Uncle admires him for it, and after a stroke, tells Francis that maybe he should follow his cousin's lead but Francis (for whom I shall now call Sir Dickwad) is more about getting some tail than he is about actually working for his living. He's a pompous pain in the ass, selfish and jealous of the affection that Elizabeth still shows Ross despite bearing his child and never showing any signs of being unfaithful.
Demelza's father, in this time, get's married and tells Demelza he's going to make things right with Ross so he can bring her back. After all, he's a man of the lord, no longer of the drink, and Demelza is living in sin, everyone says so. Armed with this knowledge, Demelza is sure her life as Poldark's servant is over and you can see in that scene that she truly does have feelings for him, and as a woman in love, saying over and over again how she can't leave him.
Ross, aside from dealing with Elizabeth's drama, tries to save his stable hand Mr. James Carter, from getting the death penalty or sent off to Australia, after he is caught poaching. Apparently, poaching pheasant is a really bad thing in the 18th century. He pleads the man's case, saying that he's a newlywed, a father that very day and that he needs to return to his home and his wife, that he also suffers from harsh asthma. The judge's idea of leniency is merely two years imprisonment. Not to harsh at all. Honestly though, I think being sent off to Australia would of been better.
So Ross returns home from that in a sour mood, catches Demelza in a pretty blue frock, loses his temper and then quickly apologizes for it, telling her to go to bed. He's pretty tore up about Carter being imprisoned and feeling as though he's failed the boy, despite having warned him to quit poaching. Demelza cries a bit and then we see her take charge for the first time. What's she up to?
Turns out, she goes to Poldark's chambers and asks him to unlace the dress and he mentions that if they act like this, they are only confirm the rumors, and she tells him that they should "let them be true." And so, they make love, though we don't see it (Outlander has ruined me for good love scenes). Demelza, the next day, is in a dreamy state of mind and lethargic and in love and beautiful and who should come along to ruin her day but Elizabeth, who implies upon perhaps wanting to start an affair with Poldark. That's at least what I get from the conversation, and then she is noticeably haughty and rather bitchy to Demelza, for whom Ross is still treating like a servant, despite their lovemaking the night before.
Demelza, knowing that she can no longer live as his servant, leaves, and Ross tracks her down and admits that no, she could no longer be his servant, and then in a great plot twist, they get fucking married. They elope. Holy hell what a ride.
I mean, not a lot happens, but at the same time, a lot does. The pacing on this show is really really fast but the acting is wonderful. As compared to Outlander, I still find Outlander to be superior but this is Masterpiece Classic Theater. It's not going to be as great a production as Outlander is. Even so, the performances are stellar and I really hope to see more of Eleanor Tomlinson on screen as Demelza. She's really doing a great job and needs her shining moment. Aiden Turner is certainly on point and he's like Heathecliff crossed with Mr. Darcy without all the child abuse and sexual abuse that Heathecliff is known for, and not so damned uppity as Darcy. An even mix indeed.
It was a great episode, despite the rushed feeling. It felt weird to see Elizabeth super pregnant after just announcing her pregnancy in the last episode and then seeing James Carter marrying a girl and her birthing a child before the episode ends. Just crazy and whirlwind-ish but most certainly rushed. At times like these, I truly wish that I had read the books or watched the original 1975 version but I digress.
Next week's episode looks like it's going to be quite a bit of fun, what with Demelza and Ross dealing with the repercussions of their marriage vows. After all, marriages of that time period usually remained within classes. Servants married servants, Men of means married women from good families, or ladies, and nobility stuck with nobility. Ross is a member of a great family and name alone is enough to get him quite a few suitable brides but instead of marrying a woman of good family and name, he marries his kitchen maid. I can tell you that is not going to go over well for a hierarchal society like 18th century Cornwall.
Well then, until next week Sassenachs. And thanks for reading these truly paltry recaps.
Several things happened this episode. So much stuff got crammed into it and the time went from Elizabeth being barely pregnant, to having a child, to having a child that was several months old so that she and Francis could re-engage in sex but Elizabeth ain't in the mood for that. So much time passes that when Ross speaks to Demelza at the end of the episode, he tells her that she's been his servant two years. Two years! And it looks like spring the entire time. Two fucking years happens in the space of two episodes mmkay? Just let that sink in.
Demelza, in that two years, has gotten really good at judging Ross' moods and he's so predictable, she's memorized his daily rituals. She loves her life there but there are several rumors by upstanding men, the priest, and a few others, that she is trading favors for her employer's kindness. Of course none of it is true but the rumors are certainly swirling about the pretty redhead and her dark and brooding employer.
Ross opens a mine, and is part of the workforce in that mine, which makes his men respect him. His Uncle admires him for it, and after a stroke, tells Francis that maybe he should follow his cousin's lead but Francis (for whom I shall now call Sir Dickwad) is more about getting some tail than he is about actually working for his living. He's a pompous pain in the ass, selfish and jealous of the affection that Elizabeth still shows Ross despite bearing his child and never showing any signs of being unfaithful.
Demelza's father, in this time, get's married and tells Demelza he's going to make things right with Ross so he can bring her back. After all, he's a man of the lord, no longer of the drink, and Demelza is living in sin, everyone says so. Armed with this knowledge, Demelza is sure her life as Poldark's servant is over and you can see in that scene that she truly does have feelings for him, and as a woman in love, saying over and over again how she can't leave him.
Ross, aside from dealing with Elizabeth's drama, tries to save his stable hand Mr. James Carter, from getting the death penalty or sent off to Australia, after he is caught poaching. Apparently, poaching pheasant is a really bad thing in the 18th century. He pleads the man's case, saying that he's a newlywed, a father that very day and that he needs to return to his home and his wife, that he also suffers from harsh asthma. The judge's idea of leniency is merely two years imprisonment. Not to harsh at all. Honestly though, I think being sent off to Australia would of been better.
So Ross returns home from that in a sour mood, catches Demelza in a pretty blue frock, loses his temper and then quickly apologizes for it, telling her to go to bed. He's pretty tore up about Carter being imprisoned and feeling as though he's failed the boy, despite having warned him to quit poaching. Demelza cries a bit and then we see her take charge for the first time. What's she up to?
Turns out, she goes to Poldark's chambers and asks him to unlace the dress and he mentions that if they act like this, they are only confirm the rumors, and she tells him that they should "let them be true." And so, they make love, though we don't see it (Outlander has ruined me for good love scenes). Demelza, the next day, is in a dreamy state of mind and lethargic and in love and beautiful and who should come along to ruin her day but Elizabeth, who implies upon perhaps wanting to start an affair with Poldark. That's at least what I get from the conversation, and then she is noticeably haughty and rather bitchy to Demelza, for whom Ross is still treating like a servant, despite their lovemaking the night before.
Demelza, knowing that she can no longer live as his servant, leaves, and Ross tracks her down and admits that no, she could no longer be his servant, and then in a great plot twist, they get fucking married. They elope. Holy hell what a ride.
I mean, not a lot happens, but at the same time, a lot does. The pacing on this show is really really fast but the acting is wonderful. As compared to Outlander, I still find Outlander to be superior but this is Masterpiece Classic Theater. It's not going to be as great a production as Outlander is. Even so, the performances are stellar and I really hope to see more of Eleanor Tomlinson on screen as Demelza. She's really doing a great job and needs her shining moment. Aiden Turner is certainly on point and he's like Heathecliff crossed with Mr. Darcy without all the child abuse and sexual abuse that Heathecliff is known for, and not so damned uppity as Darcy. An even mix indeed.
It was a great episode, despite the rushed feeling. It felt weird to see Elizabeth super pregnant after just announcing her pregnancy in the last episode and then seeing James Carter marrying a girl and her birthing a child before the episode ends. Just crazy and whirlwind-ish but most certainly rushed. At times like these, I truly wish that I had read the books or watched the original 1975 version but I digress.
Next week's episode looks like it's going to be quite a bit of fun, what with Demelza and Ross dealing with the repercussions of their marriage vows. After all, marriages of that time period usually remained within classes. Servants married servants, Men of means married women from good families, or ladies, and nobility stuck with nobility. Ross is a member of a great family and name alone is enough to get him quite a few suitable brides but instead of marrying a woman of good family and name, he marries his kitchen maid. I can tell you that is not going to go over well for a hierarchal society like 18th century Cornwall.
Well then, until next week Sassenachs. And thanks for reading these truly paltry recaps.
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