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.