S01.E02: Episode 2

[Llywela]

 

Ross resolves to reopen his family mine with Francis. Demelza struggles to fit in at Nampara, and Verity makes an unsuitable match.

Since there was no thread yet for this episode, I thought I'd start one.

 

After the scene-setting first episode, a lot of plot started to really kick off in this one - there was a lot crammed into the hour, between Verity's ill-fated love affair and her family's reactions to it, Ross's efforts to raise the capital needed to re-open Wheal Leisure, Warleggan scheming, Francis's gambling, Margaret the prostitute, Jim Carter starting work at Nampara, Demelza on the slow road to civilisation, and even time for a spot of skinny-dipping.

[VegetasMom]

Poor Verity.  And I hate that Warleggan guy.  Always creeping around in the background, always with the snide comments and the scheming.  I'll be happy when Ross knocks the crap out of him...hopefully. 

[SonofaBiscuit]

There's some gorgeous scenery and lovely music in this show (the theme at the start is wonderful).  It must have been pretty enjoyable filming--like being on a vacation.

 

I think they did a great job casting Demelza.  Watching her fiddle with her brand new cloak was adorable.  It must be the nicest thing she's ever owned.

 

I'm not very fond of Jud & Prudie (watching them sit on their butts while Demelza does her work plus theirs makes me angry), but I did have to laugh at the guy in the duel asking Jud if he can count.  "Aye, sir.  One, two, four, seven."  Oh, that cracked me up.  I mean, he didn't lie.  He can count, just not in the proper order.

[Brattinella]

The opening scene, with the sky roiling and the clouds is just WONDERFUL!  I wish it lasted longer.

 

On a more carnal note, YE GODS is he a pretty thing!

[Neurochick]

Ross, you're stupid, you shouldn't have saved your asshole cousin. Let the douche bleed out since he was dumb enough to choose pistols.

[Primetimer]

Francis learns the hard way that there are some methods of solving disputes he should not engage in.

Read the story

[Auntie Anxiety]

 

On a more carnal note, YE GODS is he a pretty thing!

Distractingly gorgeous.  

Oh, there's a plot?  

[Lindsey]

The saddest part is that Francis is more upset that Blamey called him names than he is that his sister is dating a guy who went to prison for killing his previous wife. At least it explains how a grown man keeps getting played by Warleggan and his eighth grade mean girl tactics.

[KR Vermont]

Plain girls get no respect. Verity seems rather independent and intelligent...then she's summoned to hurry up and serve the tea and I'm reminded of her "place" in the house.

 

Elizabeth has outward beauty, but I don't like the push-pull going on with Ross and look forward to him moving on. I wouldn't tell him no. Just sayin'. (Same for Jim, ha).

 

I still don't like Jud and Prudie.

 

Is every ep going to include so much galloping across the countryside? I love horses, but there are obvious gaps in the PBS edit that could be somewhat filled in by cutting some of the superfluous mucking about.

[not Bridget]

Concerning the need for Charles to build a nursery, as mentioned in the review: Elizabeth told Our Hero that she was "with child" near the end of the episode.

That's an old-time way of saying "knocked up."

 

Quite enjoying this. Never got into the earlier series. This isn't terribly deep, but there's so much pretty....

Edited June 29, 2015 by not Bridget

[Greta]

I actively want bad things to happen to Ross and cheer for George* pretty much everytime he's on screen, yet I will continue to watch.

 

*I think it's the American in me that reflexively recoils from the idea that making money and improving your lot in life is declasse and that old blood/family makes you intrinsically better.

 

Also I did like that the Verity's family actually had a pretty legitimate reason for not liking/trusting Captain Blamey, even if it was also convenient for them that she stay at home. "No, mom, dad, you've got it all wrong!  His wife's beating death was a total accident!" has begun many a Lifetime movie.

 

Also, Demelza's awkward shuffling and staggering around  was supposed to represent characterization or growth or something?  It looked to me like a hilariously literal drama student's interpretation of rode hard and put up wet.

[AuntiePam]

Also, Demelza's awkward shuffling and staggering around  was supposed to represent characterization or growth or something?  It looked to me like a hilariously literal drama student's interpretation of rode hard and put up wet.

 

Good point.  The shuffling is for contrast, when her movements become graceful later on.

 

I didn't get the point of the picnic at the mine but I liked it.  At least three of those people had been working hard and deserved a break.

 

I kinda like George.  He so desperately wants friends, and respect.  Ross could take advantage of that, but I don't think Ross uses people, and maybe he doesn't recognize that quality in George.

 

Also, duels were stupid.

[DHDancer]

Some big misses in this episode for me.

Characters:

Am I the only one having trouble with George looking too much like Hugh Grant?

Demelza is just too tall: that's why she's stooping: she appears (the actress) to be nearly as tall as Aidan...

I wasn't sure I could buy into Ruby Bentall being Verity but she's actually doing a good job of convincing me.

Elizabeth is just not working.  Another actress who seems to have too many teeth for her mouth so that closing her mouth is hard work.

Other stuff

The whiny violin music is annoying me....

 

OK, the cloak is way too skimpy to be functional.  And I guess the cloak came with new skirt and top.

 

And what's with that insolence with Elizabeth at the door: Demelza was always always respectful, and fearful of people above her station.  If she was trying to display shy deference, it was a big miss...

Edited June 29, 2015 by DHDancer

[jjj]

There's some gorgeous scenery and lovely music in this show (the theme at the start is wonderful).  

 

[snip]  but I did have to laugh at the guy in the duel asking Jud if he can count.  "Aye, sir.  One, two, four, seven."  Oh, that cracked me up.  I mean, he didn't lie.  He can count, just not in the proper order.

Was the counting cut out of our edited episode?  I did not hear those lines, and I had read this comment before watching the episode.

 

So. Much. Galloping.  I am waiting for the HD version to go online from this point forward (I did tonight), because the cliffside galloping is so beautiful.  

 

Wow, the pace really is moving along -- Verity's courtship was one of the quickest I've ever seen.

[Irlandesa]

Am I the only one having trouble with George looking too much like Hugh Grant?

I don't have trouble with it, per se, but I do think of how much I think they look alike every time he comes on screen.

 

Demelza is just too tall: that's why she's stooping: she appears (the actress) to be nearly as tall as Aidan...

I haven't noticed any stooping but I do think her posture is reflective of where she is supposedly from.  She isn't refined at this point.  I don't care how tall an actress is as long as she works in the role and I think this one does.

This adaptation doesn't do a good job at all with the characters, but the reason Ross dislikes the Warleggans so intensely isn't that they've improved their lot in life, it's the way they go about it. Their one goal is to make profit by any means. They will buy up six functional mines and close four of them, so that the remaining two have a monopoly on production and push prices up, increasing profit - and to hell with the entire communities left to starve because their one source of employment has been removed. There are others within the story who also improve their lot in life, without censure; what makes the Warleggans stand out is that they do it at the expense of others and don't care.

Thank you for this clarification.  I actually think the show has done a decent job showing that their greed comes not only at the expense of well-off owners but their employees as well.  Ross explained to his investors why he was choosing a bank other than that of the Warleggans and it had nothing to do with class.  Plus, it seems like every time George and his father share a scene, they're discussing calling in a bank loan.

 

I kinda like George.  He so desperately wants friends, and respect.

 

He has a friend and yet I felt like he was manipulating his friend...or at least starting to. I think George wants the upper hand.

 

I wasn't sure I was going to watch this show but now I'm glad I did.  In fact, I'm liking it so much that I wish I could just binge the whole thing.

[BooBear]

Plain girls get no respect. Verity seems rather independent and intelligent...then she's summoned to hurry up and serve the tea and I'm reminded of her "place" in the house.

I kind of took Francis' rush to get Verity away from that guy as nothing to do with her, he just realized that if she got married there would be no one to take care of his dad and distract Elizabeth from Ross.

 

If anything else was on I probably would watch it over this. I am having trouble following the story and also, find the entire production choppy. I can't tell if it is because of the cuts or what.

 

Ross definitely should have let his cousin die. That guy looks like he will do nothing but bring grief to everyone around him for the rest of his life.

[Llywela]

I kind of took Francis' rush to get Verity away from that guy as nothing to do with her, he just realized that if she got married there would be no one to take care of his dad and distract Elizabeth from Ross.

 

If anything else was on I probably would watch it over this. I am having trouble following the story and also, find the entire production choppy. I can't tell if it is because of the cuts or what.

 

Ross definitely should have let his cousin die. That guy looks like he will do nothing but bring grief to everyone around him for the rest of his life.

This is one of my biggest regrets about this adaptation - it gives such a horrible presentation of Francis, exaggerating all his faults while showing none of his strengths to balance them out. This storyline is a good example, because the Poldarks have really good reason to be afraid for Verity's future with Blamey, yet the story is so rushed there is no opportunity to explore all the nuance, the way all these different personalities and perspectives play off one another to end up in this huge mess.

 

The production is very choppy, even without any cuts - it is beautiful to watch, but relies heavily on visuals to tell the story, with a bare minimum of meaningful character interaction, which makes it very hard to get to know the characters properly. Francis isn't the only one who suffers in that regard, although his is one of the worst cases.

[graybrown bird]

The scenery is pretty, but I am finding the writing and directing pretty sketchy.  Scenes are about six seconds long, there's perhaps two short lines of dialog, then on to the next scene.  Luckily I know the plot already (from watching the Robin Ellis version).  This seems like Poldark for Dummies.

[eleanorofaquitaine]

This adaptation doesn't do a good job at all with the characters, but the reason Ross dislikes the Warleggans so intensely isn't that they've improved their lot in life, it's the way they go about it. Their one goal is to make profit by any means. They will buy up six functional mines and close four of them, so that the remaining two have a monopoly on production and push prices up, increasing profit - and to hell with the entire communities left to starve because their one source of employment has been removed. There are others within the story who also improve their lot in life, without censure; what makes the Warleggans stand out is that they do it at the expense of others and don't care.

 

That seemed pretty clear to me. It is also fairly clear to me that Ross isn't relying on his ancient name to make his way in life, he is actually fine being someone who has picked up a trade to improve his life and the lives of people around him.  To me, that reflects a far more American sensibility than people who are trying to bankrupt the people around them - including a lot of lower income people who otherwise have no economic prospects but to work in the mine - in order to improve their own financial position. (Except, of course, for the predatory practices that led to the Great Recession).

 

Aidan Turner is very handsome, no doubt, but I am actually finding the business plotting to be the most interesting part of this whole thing.  Both of the love interest plots are kind of predictable.

[Driad]

 

How many episodes does this adaptation have?  How many did the 1970s adaptation have?

[Llywela]

How many episodes does this adaptation have?  How many did the 1970s adaptation have?

Eight episodes in this season, covering the first two books of the series. It's actually roughly the same length as the '70s adaptation (so far), in terms of screen minutes, they just each use that time rather differently, placing the focus and emphasis in different areas.

Edited June 29, 2015 by Llywela

[Neurochick]

*I think it's the American in me that reflexively recoils from the idea that making money and improving your lot in life is declasse and that old blood/family makes you intrinsically better.

 

I don't think that's why Ross doesn't like George, it's probably because George acts like a bully and uses the excuse of, "We had to MAKE something of ourselves."  Yeah, by cheating people and being a greedy bastard and gossiping.  I just want someone to smack the smirk off his face.

[eleanorofaquitaine]

Well, I thought it was made reasonably clear, as well, but the comment I was replying to indicated that perhaps it wasn't.

 

I'm not sure it's true that Ross has picked up a trade, so much - not if it's the mine you're referring to, since mining has been in the family for generations. He is, however, a much more natural businessman than his cousin, as well as being far more hands-on by nature. Both Ross and Francis belong to the paternalist tradition of local squires, the old social contract between landowner and tenant, wherein the tenants work for the landowner, who in turn looks after their best interests - an imperfect system but one that has existed for centuries and that most of the community is comfortable with. The Warleggans represent the impending industrial revolution, which is just about to turn that old social order upside down - more welcome to some than others!

 

But I mean, even though mining was in his family, he is deliberately restarting it - essentially, he is going into trade in a business he has some knowledge of.  As a gentleman, he could have picked some other, non-trade way of being to survive.  Stayed in the military, gone into the clergy, etc. (keep in mind, most of what I know of the era is what I read in Jane Austen).  But he is choosing to go into actual business, and that, to me, is going into trade.  As an American, I have no problem with that, though I realize it represents a challenge to the older order in a different way than the Warleggans do.

 

As I said, I haven't read any of the books or seen the previous adaptation, so I don't know if we're supposed to see Ross as some sort of social order in-between or not.  But it strikes me that he is neither reinforcing the older social caste nor throwing his lot in with the newer way of life.

[NumberCruncher]

Was the counting cut out of our edited episode?  I did not hear those lines, and I had read this comment before watching the episode.

Yet again another example of PBS hacking the show to death. Jud's ridiculous counting is hilarious and took up 0.5 seconds but apparently PBS found it unnecessary and cut it out. Another scene that was stupidly cut was the aftermath of Ross's encounter with the prostitute because you see his regret at letting his drunken frustration lead to such shallow "love" (just like in the book). Apparently character development isn't as important to PBS viewers as the endless number of galloping along cliffs scenes.

Edited June 29, 2015 by NumberCruncher

[LuciaMia]

 

Plain girls get no respect.

And to have your father state  it so bluntly. I.e. the only reason any suitor would be interested in her would be for her money.

[Tara Ariano]

Concerning the need for Charles to build a nursery, as mentioned in the review: Elizabeth told Our Hero that she was "with child" near the end of the episode.

That's an old-time way of saying "knocked up."

 

ha! I obviously care so little about Elizabeth that I forgot. Fixing!

[Milz]

But I mean, even though mining was in his family, he is deliberately restarting it - essentially, he is going into trade in a business he has some knowledge of.  As a gentleman, he could have picked some other, non-trade way of being to survive.  Stayed in the military, gone into the clergy, etc. (keep in mind, most of what I know of the era is what I read in Jane Austen).  But he is choosing to go into actual business, and that, to me, is going into trade.  As an American, I have no problem with that, though I realize it represents a challenge to the older order in a different way than the Warleggans do.

 

As I said, I haven't read any of the books or seen the previous adaptation, so I don't know if we're supposed to see Ross as some sort of social order in-between or not.  But it strikes me that he is neither reinforcing the older social caste nor throwing his lot in with the newer way of life.

 

This version is addressing 18th century class systems in a 21st century egalitarian way. It's kind of hollow when Jud warns Demelza to stop having ideas that she's one of Poldark's class when the miners call him "Ross".

 

Another thing I found ironic is that Francis hates that Blamey treated his wife cruelly , kicking her, and killing her, while backhanding Verity to the point that she falls on the ground when she tries to stop him from dueling.

[eleanorofaquitaine]

 

Another thing I found ironic is that Francis hates that Blamey treated his wife cruelly , kicking her, and killing her, while backhanding Verity to the point that she falls on the ground when she tries to stop him from dueling.

 

It was pretty clear that, save for Ross, none of Verity's male relatives care that much about her life.  That duel had zero to do with Verity and her safety, and everything to do with Francis proving that he was better than Ross.

 

That being said, even though Ross does care about Verity, I can't say I thought he was totally right in sanctioning the relationship with Blamey.  I'm just really suspicious of a guy who says, "but my wife hit me first!" to explain how said wife ended up dead.

[Nidratime]

That being said, even though Ross does care about Verity, I can't say I thought he was totally right in sanctioning the relationship with Blamey.  I'm just really suspicious of a guy who says, "but my wife hit me first!" to explain how said wife ended up dead.

 

 

I'm going to have to rewatch that part of the episode, because there's more to it than that but I'm not sure if it's been brought up yet in the show.

[eleanorofaquitaine]

This is something they should not have rushed through. In the book, Ross and Verity are very close like brother-sister-BFF. Verity is the only Trenwith Poldark who visits Ross with any regularity. So Ross knows Verity more than Charles or Francis. When Verity tells Ross about Blamey's past, Ross takes her word for it  that Blamey has reformed. He also has the attitude that Verity is so much in love with Blamey that it doesn't matter if he was a drunk and  wife killer.

 

Actually, I think that all came through in those scenes.  I'm just saying, no matter how much he trusts Verity's judgment, he should be much more skeptical of Blamey.  I don't think that my disagreement with his sanctioning of the relationship has anything to do with the adaptation, but with the decision the character made to support the relationship.  Like I said, I haven't read the books but given Blamey's past, I doubt that any further explanation on either Verity's or Ross's part would make me think it was a good idea.

[AuntiePam]

Maybe I'm reading too much into Ross's facial expressions, but he seemed okay (glad, even?) that Elizabeth was so upset when she thought that Francis was dead.  "Oh, well then, you really do love him.  All right."  Then he's angry when she reveals the pregnancy.  Did he think she wasn't sleeping with Francis?  Or did it just finally sink in, and he realizes that there's no hope for him?

 

I liked the bait and switch, the writers having us (me anyway) think that the talk about disgraceful behavior was about Ross and Elizabeth.

 

I think some of the story is getting short shrift because the writers are speeding us toward Ross and Demelza getting together.  That's a big part of this kind of historical/romantic drama -- getting the lovers together.  Not to mention the makeover aspect -- the Cinderella story, Demelza finally brushing her hair.

Edited June 29, 2015 by AuntiePam

[Neurochick]

Regarding Verity, I didn't sense that her father was concerned about her and that's why he didn't want her to marry Blamey.  I sensed it was because of Blamey's reputation.  He didn't want other people to think bad on their family, didn't give a shit about Verity at all.  At that time, women were seen as property.  

[jjj]

I liked the bait and switch, the writers having us (me anyway) think that the talk about disgraceful behavior was about Ross and Elizabeth.

It was very effective on ME!  I had to go back and watch that scene again later to understand what really was going on!  So, Elizabeth came back (somehow beating Ross at a full gallop) and discovered it really was about Verity when Ross burst in -- tense for Elizabeth!

 

 He didn't want other people to think bad on their family, didn't give a shit about Verity at all.  At that time, women were seen as property.  

Totally agree -- and marriages at this level were about property (families holding onto their estates and their fortunes, or combining them), so thinking about Verity's worth was actually in tune with the times.  And she would not have been worth much in terms of inheritance, compared to Francis and his children, who would be the primary heirs.

[eleanorofaquitaine]

One of the themes of the books is putting the past in the past and getting on in the present and future. Mostly the women do this in the books while the men are stuck in the past, especially Ross and George.

 

That's fine, and I can see where they are going with it.  But I would then say that the writer perhaps went a bit too far in using this particular plot to make that point. Obviously, there may be more information about Blamey that comes out, but in the 21st century, what we know about men who abuse women is that they tend to blame their victims a lot, and they tend to claim that they have been reformed when they really haven't.  So, as a 21st century viewer, I am looking at the fact that both Verity and Ross are taking Blamey's word for it that he has reformed and his wife's death wasn't his fault with a huge grain of salt.

 

The reality is that Verity would be a spinster at her age, and she clearly wants to get out of her brother's house because - like Mary Kate Danneher in the Quiet Man - she is treated as a servant as opposed to the lady of the house. So, from that perspective, it's understandable that she would buy what Blamey was selling. I would still hope she'd be more skeptical, though. And since Ross does care about his cousin and her well-being, I would hope that he would also be skeptical of Blamey's claims.

 

That has less to do with not wanting to get stuck in the past, and more to do with understanding that people have patterns, particularly people who are abusive.  We've learned a lot about abuse since the books were first written in 1945, and I would argue that if Winston Graham had written the books today, perhaps he'd have made that point in a different way.

[Greta]

It's not nitpicking when the holes in the story require long "in the book" explanations. I think the glimpses of worldbuilding show that there is a good, rich story here and I may even pick up the books. But that doesn't excuse the lazy gaps and 5 second scenes. It's supposed to be an adaptation, not a book trailer.

 

Plus, why do motives have to be either good and noble or evil and self-serving? The Poldarks could want Verity to remain at home, be conscious of scandal attaching to their family, AND still care enough about her as a person to not want her to end up beaten to death (I mean, that's an extremely low bar for familial love.)

 

Similarly, that's why I don't get the complaints that Elizabeth isn't immediately telegraphed as completely self-serving.  People as a whole don't  think of themselves as shallow, selfish and willing to do anything for their comfort; they just end up making decisions and choices in that direction more and more, usually with excuses they give to themselves for why it's the only way.  Elizabeth just taking the easy way out over and over again while still believing herself to be a good person is far more realistic and three-dimensional.  Plus, the fact that she doesn't look like a pretty, pretty princess-bitch actually works better IMO. 

 

While I'm ranting, I like both Francis and George better mostly because the actors are better. This is the first thing I've seen Aiden Turner in and I am not impressed.

[Milz]

That's fine, and I can see where they are going with it.  But I would then say that the writer perhaps went a bit too far in using this particular plot to make that point. Obviously, there may be more information about Blamey that comes out, but in the 21st century, what we know about men who abuse women is that they tend to blame their victims a lot, and they tend to claim that they have been reformed when they really haven't.  So, as a 21st century viewer, I am looking at the fact that both Verity and Ross are taking Blamey's word for it that he has reformed and his wife's death wasn't his fault with a huge grain of salt.

 

The reality is that Verity would be a spinster at her age, and she clearly wants to get out of her brother's house because - like Mary Kate Danneher in the Quiet Man - she is treated as a servant as opposed to the lady of the house. So, from that perspective, it's understandable that she would buy what Blamey was selling. I would still hope she'd be more skeptical, though. And since Ross does care about his cousin and her well-being, I would hope that he would also be skeptical of Blamey's claims.

 

That has less to do with not wanting to get stuck in the past, and more to do with understanding that people have patterns, particularly people who are abusive.  We've learned a lot about abuse since the books were first written in 1945, and I would argue that if Winston Graham had written the books today, perhaps he'd have made that point in a different way.

 

True, as 21st century viewers we have a different perspective of the world. But if we were mid 20th century viewers/reader we might not have thought twice about Verity believing Blamey is completely reformed and would never drink another drink again.

 

i don't know if this adaptation will address the other relationships in the books, only time will tell.

[Nidratime]

I don't think Blamey is saying that he's blameless. (It just occurred to me that Blamey's name literally is Blame Me. LOL!) Anyway, he's saying that he was under the influence of drink and that what occurred with his wife was not purposeful but "accidental" because it happened while he was drunk. He has since paid his debt to society (as I recall) and has given up drinking.

[eleanorofaquitaine]

I don't think Blamey is saying that he's blameless. (It just occurred to me that Blamey's name literally is Blame Me. LOL!) Anyway, he's saying that he was under the influence of drink and that what occurred with his wife was not purposeful but "accidental" because it happened while he was drunk. He has since paid his debt to society (as I recall) and has given up drinking.

 

The way that Verity described it to Ross, she said that Blamey said that his wife went to hit him first and he pushed her away (and then I think she fell and hit her head).  I mean, I am perfectly happy to stipulate that we are supposed to believe that Blamey didn't beat his wife to death but that they got into an altercation that accidentally led to her death.  But his explanation sent up a whole host of red flags to my 21st century ears, red flags that likely Graham didn't intend to send when he wrote the books.

 

And similarly, the fact that he paid his debt to society wouldn't mean much to me with regard to whether or not I would want a family member to get involved with him.  A person can live a perfectly productive life after spending time in prison, and that is good - but that still wouldn't mean I would want a cousin to marry that guy.

[Llywela]

But I mean, even though mining was in his family, he is deliberately restarting it - essentially, he is going into trade in a business he has some knowledge of.  As a gentleman, he could have picked some other, non-trade way of being to survive.  Stayed in the military, gone into the clergy, etc. (keep in mind, most of what I know of the era is what I read in Jane Austen).  But he is choosing to go into actual business, and that, to me, is going into trade.  As an American, I have no problem with that, though I realize it represents a challenge to the older order in a different way than the Warleggans do.

 

As I said, I haven't read any of the books or seen the previous adaptation, so I don't know if we're supposed to see Ross as some sort of social order in-between or not.  But it strikes me that he is neither reinforcing the older social caste nor throwing his lot in with the newer way of life.

Hmm. Your uncertainty over whether or not to see Ross as a social order in-between says to me that the adaptation perhaps isn't telling his story (or the social history of the era) as clearly as it might. There are times when Ross resents his class fiercely, and he identifies strongly with the common people, but he is never anything less than a squire, a landowner and a gentleman. Re-opening the mine really isn't 'going into trade', it isn't a newer way of life or a challenge to the older order - it is the older order. Mining was the lifeblood of Cornwall for centuries before this era, and those mines were owned and run by the local landowners, part of the traditional social contract between landowner and tenant in just the same way as farming on the landowner's estate would be in other parts of the country, as a successful mine not only brings wealth to the landowner but supplies a wage to his tenants and enables them to live - it is that tradition that the Warleggans are breaching every time they close a mine that was still in profit. Ross is re-starting a mine that was previously operated by his father, the mine that his branch of the family was built on - it is part of his inheritance, the business he knows intimately, and has done all his life. It isn't a new way of life for him, but a resumption of the old.

 

This version is addressing 18th century class systems in a 21st century egalitarian way. It's kind of hollow when Jud warns Demelza to stop having ideas that she's one of Poldark's class when the miners call him "Ross".

 

Another thing I found ironic is that Francis hates that Blamey treated his wife cruelly , kicking her, and killing her, while backhanding Verity to the point that she falls on the ground when she tries to stop him from dueling.

This is part of the trouble with the way Francis is presented in this adaptation - they've gone overboard in trying to make him the villain, the bad guy, who does everything wrong. I presume to make Ross look better by comparison and to stoke the fires of the love triangle? But that presentation strips away the complexity of the original story and turns it into something it isn't. Suffice to say, Francis does not knock Verity to the ground in the books - that's a detail thrown in by the writer of this adaptation to make him look bad.

 

Agreed about the way the common folk call Ross by name in this adaptation - they should be calling him 'Captain Ross'.

[jjj]

Agreed about the way the common folk call Ross by name in this adaptation - they should be calling him 'Captain Ross'.

Yes, it is very jarring to hear his first name, when even relatives often called each other by their title:  "cousin", "sister," etc. 

[Glaze Crazy]

Is every ep going to include so much galloping across the countryside? I love horses, but there are obvious gaps in the PBS edit that could be somewhat filled in by cutting some of the superfluous mucking about.

 

 

Yet again another example of PBS hacking the show to death. Jud's ridiculous counting is hilarious and took up 0.5 seconds but apparently PBS found it unnecessary and cut it out. Another scene that was stupidly cut was the aftermath of Ross's encounter with the prostitute because you see his regret at letting his drunken frustration lead to such shallow "love" (just like in the book). Apparently character development isn't as important to PBS viewers as the endless number of galloping along cliffs scenes.

 

I agree here. I love the long shots of Cornwall and the sky but I think they missed a key character point when they cut the morning after scene with Ross waking up in Margaret's bed.  It adds more to the washing in the sea scene than just eye candy for Demelza and the audience.  For me also it showed he was disgusted that he had gotten frustrated with the events at the party and drowned his sorrows at the pub and with a prostitute.

 

I did catch the misdirect when Elizabeth thinks Francis and Charles are planning to punish her for her "indiscretion" at the party, Ross goes rushing to her defense and finds out it's Verity they are worried about.  I had missed that bit before.  I'm glad that Ross' last sliver of hope for Elizabeth's heart appears to be gone now that she is preggers.

 

I also got more of the idea that Ross' dislike of the Warleggans is that they have so quickly forgotten where they came from and what it was like to labor for a living.  George said in the first episode he admired Ross at school and I'm got the idea that he really wanted Ross to align with him and is probably taking Francis' friendship as second best, in a sense.  That Ross keeps rebuffing him is slowly making him want to hurt Ross in regards to the mining business now.  Ross not using the Warleggans as investors is just the last nail in the coffin for George.

 

I have been fascinated with the swirly glass panes in the windows of the pub.  I've seen it in other UK period shows.  It's called bulls eye glass.  I wish I had a pane glass window that I could insert a few into.  It was a cheaper option for glass windows back in the day.  Today it's probably more expensive to have it made for a project.

Edited June 29, 2015 by Glaze Crazy

[eleanorofaquitaine]

Hmm. Your uncertainty over whether or not to see Ross as a social order in-between says to me that the adaptation perhaps isn't telling his story (or the social history of the era) as clearly as it might. There are times when Ross resents his class fiercely, and he identifies strongly with the common people, but he is never anything less than a squire, a landowner and a gentleman. Re-opening the mine really isn't 'going into trade', it isn't a newer way of life or a challenge to the older order - it is the older order. Mining was the lifeblood of Cornwall for centuries before this era, and those mines were owned and run by the local landowners, part of the traditional social contract between landowner and tenant in just the same way as farming on the landowner's estate would be in other parts of the country, as a successful mine not only brings wealth to the landowner but supplies a wage to his tenants and enables them to live - it is that tradition that the Warleggans are breaching every time they close a mine that was still in profit. Ross is re-starting a mine that was previously operated by his father, the mine that his branch of the family was built on - it is part of his inheritance, the business he knows intimately, and has done all his life. It isn't a new way of life for him, but a resumption of the old.

 

I think it is more that I am completely unfamiliar with the material, and you are far more aware of it, so it may have less to do with how clearly the adaptation is presenting these ideas and more to do with my understanding of the world that is being presented here.  Regardless, from where I sit, I see a main character who thinks his own class is somewhat backward and constricting, and an emerging class of people who are unscrupulous in their desire to maximize profit.  And I see Ross as somewhere between the two.

 

I don't really see where the idea that Ross is entering into trade by reopening the mine - by becoming himself a capitalist - is such a betrayal of the idea that he is a member of the landed gentry.  The fact is that the landed gentry in Britain likely survived by becoming a part of the Industrial Revolution.  That he could take what was somewhat decent about the system prior to the Industrial Revolution - that the landed gentry owed something to the people who depended on them - and apply it to the oncoming Industrial Revolution - does not mean that Ross isn't entering into trade.

 

This may be where I do bring an inherently American view to the whole thing.  Going into business isn't a bad thing - it doesn't cheapen one's worth. And being a member of the landed gentry who is essentially unable to support the people around him - as Francis appears to be - isn't a credit to his class.  So I have no problem of conceiving of Ross as a gentleman who has gone into trade.  But I realize that there may be a brighter line between the two in Britain.

[BooBear]

That being said, even though Ross does care about Verity, I can't say I thought he was totally right in sanctioning the relationship with Blamey.  I'm just really suspicious of a guy who says, "but my wife hit me first!" to explain how said wife ended up dead.

 

Agreed, but, I took it this way -- that if Ross was wrong and the guy was an abuser, perhaps in that time they wouldn't have batted an eye at killing them.  So Ross would have just made Blamey live up to being a decent husband or else.

 

So I have to say not knowing anything about anything, at first, I thought Verity was either a love interest for Ross or a former love interest. I find the actress "cute" and not plain.

 

Going over this thread I see that a lot of viewers are kind of lost as to some of the more subtle things that are supposed to be happening. I think it is a poor adaptation made worse by PBS' cuts. I feel like I am not getting a lot of it.  For instance I had NO idea was Desmelda was doing with the fish merchant. Yet it seemed to go on forever. Why did Ross take her?

 

[skyways]

She was haggling. And the little fish is called pilchard which the locals depend on. He took her because he wanted to relieve her from all the chores Jud and Prudie were making her do, and also get a new cloak for her. In the books, she would use some Ross's old shirts to make her clothes. And it's Demelza.

Edited June 29, 2015 by skyways

[janeta]

Ross needs to shave.

[AuntiePam]

Going over this thread I see that a lot of viewers are kind of lost as to some of the more subtle things that are supposed to be happening. I think it is a poor adaptation made worse by PBS' cuts. I feel like I am not getting a lot of it.  For instance I had NO idea was Desmelda was doing with the fish merchant. Yet it seemed to go on forever. Why did Ross take her?

 

 A couple of reasons:  She needed something decent to wear, and he wanted to see if she could handle the marketing.  ??

 

I agree with the above about the reason for Ross's skinny dip.  It didn't enter my head that he'd feel dirty after being with Margaret.

 

Surprised that Margaret makes house calls.  The Warleggans are okay with a prostitute being seen coming and going from their house?

[NumberCruncher]

A couple of reasons: She needed something decent to wear, and he wanted to see if she could handle the marketing. ??

I agree with the above about the reason for Ross's skinny dip. It didn't enter my head that he'd feel dirty after being with Margaret.

Surprised that Margaret makes house calls. The Warleggans are okay with a prostitute being seen coming and going from their house?

I think it was generally acceptable at that time for men to seek that kind of entertainment so I doubt it would have made much difference.

Re: the skinny dip being about Ross's regret--you (and probably others) missing the connection is exactly why it was stupid the morning after scene was cut. It turned what should have been a string of scenes depicting his disgust and regret into what looked like nothing more than an excuse to see Aidan Turner swimming naked so that Demelza and the audience could ogle.

Edited June 30, 2015 by NumberCruncher

[attica]

Old-Timey Insult Department: The duel over the insult "puppy!" strikes us as trivial now, but back in the 18th Century, 'puppy' was what you said when you meant 'son of a bitch' (Get it? A puppy is a baby dog, which was birthed by its mother, female dog=bitch.) Thems was certainly fighting words in the upper class.

[lucindabelle]

I think verity had a sweet, pretty face.

And in real life, unlike fiction, women often did get married in their 30s and even older, yes, even then, because, among other reasons, many women died in childbirth and husbands needed wives,

Fanny Burney, 18th century writer, married at 42.

I've no intention of reading the books and really don't care how things are done in them.

[LittleIggy]

Elizabeth wears as much lipstick as the working girl!

I don't like Prudie and Judd at all. I prefer TOS versions.