S01.E06: Episode 6

[jjj]

Keren...  (I also find something very modern about the actress.... I feel like she should be smacking gum at a mall with a muffin top, instead of in a period piece)

Completely agree, and every week I am appalled at the 1960s pink lipstick I see on the female characters.  It really keeps taking me out of the sense of period.  Yes, Keren is the disheveled gum-smacking mall worker who is talking to her friends behind the counter instead of taking a customer's order. 

 

ETA:  I was so happy to see Garrick the Dog lolling about in the sun while Demelza practiced her dance steps.  I appreciate the continuity of her attachment to him, and his to her. 

Edited July 28, 2015 by jjj

[magdalene]

That was a fantastic looking ball gown Demelza wore. And not many women could carry that color off.

 

This episode highlighted what I dislike about Ross, his self-righteousness, his inability to see shades of grey. His inability to bear social injustice with any kind of perspective. And the way he makes those close to him suffer when he gets these dark moods because of the social injustice he encounters. Jim's fate was awful but acting like an ass because of it changes nothing.

 

I did enjoy the con he played on the card shark. Didn't they kill men for cheating at card games back then? I thought the cheater got off easy by just being forced to leave humiliated and exposed.

[Haleth]

"What's the matter with the women in this family?"

"The men."

Ha! Perfect answer.

"How is your father? We haven't seen him since the Christening."

"He's particular about whom he meets."

Or something like that. Again, perfect zinger.

Edited July 28, 2015 by Haleth

[butterly17]

I'm glad to know it just wasn't me that had trouble with the actress playing Keren.... I also dont' care for the actress that plays Jinny. It feels like she is in a high school production, while the rest are on the BBC.

[Nidratime]

I'm glad to know it just wasn't me that had trouble with the actress playing Keren.... I also dont' care for the actress that plays Jinny. It feels like she is in a high school production, while the rest are on the BBC.

 

 

Other than the leads, I would not give this production an Emmy for casting.

[WatchrTina]

Add me to the list of people who found the card game agonizing.  I can't stand it when smart characters do really dumb things and that's what it looked like Ross was doing, so I hated it.  I checked the number of minutes left, hoping it was nearly over and then pulled out my iPad and started playing Candy Crush to avoid looking at the screen.  Somehow I don't think that's the effect the show-runners were hoping for.  I was so relieved when Ross revealed he hidden card.

 

I cheered out loud, all alone in my apartment, at the great aunt's bon mot.  What's wrong with the women in that family?  The men.  HAH!  And the trio of looks that followed -- so very satisfying.

 

Aaaaaand then the doctor let that floozy into his cottage.  Did I mention how much I hate it when smart characters do dumb things?

[Nampara]

Add me to the list of people who found the card game agonizing.  I can't stand it when smart characters do really dumb things and that's what it looked like Ross was doing, so I hated it.  I checked the number of minutes left, hoping it was nearly over and then pulled out my iPad and started playing Candy Crush to avoid looking at the screen.  Somehow I don't think that's the effect the show-runners were hoping for.  I was so relieved when Ross revealed he hidden card.

 

I'd say that's precisely the effect they were hoping for! Agonizing suspense, followed by relief. Looking away from the screen is probably on the spectrum of expected responses. Some people cover their eyes at the crucial moments in horror movies -- also a common enough reaction.

 

Aaaaaand then the doctor let that floozy into his cottage.  Did I mention how much I hate it when smart characters do dumb things?

 

Because no lonely single guy in an empty cottage in the middle of the country would ever open his door to a neighbor woman, married or otherwise, who seems interested in learning about his, er, operative technique. :)

Edited July 28, 2015 by Nampara

[magdalene]

 

Aaaaaand then the doctor let that floozy into his cottage.  Did I mention how much I hate it when smart characters do dumb things?

He is a young, unmarried man, not from around there and probably pretty isolated and lonely. And most likely not living like a monk.  It's on her as the married woman not to be seeking out the company of men who are not her husband.

[Nidratime]

He is a young, unmarried man, not from around there and probably pretty isolated and lonely. And most likely not living like a monk.  It's on her as the married woman not to be seeking out the company of men who are not her husband.

 

 

However, she's also a patient. Should young, unmarried doctors screw around with their married patients? What does that say about professional ethics?

[jjj]

Well, gender and power ethics were very different in the 18th century.  And 19th century, etc.  As I read the comments here, I see that she is savvy enough to identify someone alone and far up the social ladder and then to use what she had to go after him:  female wiles (falling; did not work), then her professional skills (reading and writing; results to be determined next week, I assume!).  I don't like these realities, but they are realities.  But if she is that savvy, why on earth marry a man with no prospects for upward mobility?  Plot hole that is there just to let her screw up the life of young Dr. Enys. 

 

Agree the dress was surprisingly glorious on Demelza!  I had my own doubts about the golden color in the box, but she was like a tropical bird among the pastels.

 

And yes, Verity has a wonderful 18th-century face; fortunately, not made up with the pink lipstick.  Her portrait belongs in a locket. 

[justmehere]

I found the card scene very suspenseful. Like some others have mentioned, I couldn't believe Ross would really lose Wheal Leisure after Francis lost Grambler. However, I thought he'd win that particular card hand - as if he'd been deliberately losing to that point - which felt a little bit cliche. I was pleasantly surprised when he revealed the cheater because it exposed and presumably ended the larger game the Warleggans have been playing. It does seem rather disgraceful to cheat your party guests.

 

Poor Jim -- a hellish end just for trying to feed his family.

 

Ross can be hard-headed and irrational when he perceives injustice, but I kind of like it. He's not unrealistically perfect; he doesn't get everything right. He acted from the heart about Jim, which I count as a positive, and without thought of personal consequence, which can be considered noble. Unfortunately, not considering the consequences in this case is a flaw since he has a family (and mine workers) depending on him. But he did listen to Verity and realized how his actions affect them. He is passionate, idealistic, and has compassion for those in need. It sometimes makes him go too far, yeah, but I'll take that over someone with none of those qualities.

 

I, too, appreciated Francis speaking up about the cheating. I did wonder if he felt a little bit ... relieved maybe. He didn't catch the cheater himself, but maybe it meant that he wasn't such a complete loser. He won't get Grambler back. He obviously has a gambling problem and poor judgment, but he also got completely cheated, and worse, indirectly so by his "close friend" George. If he continues that friendship, I'll be disappointed. I actually feel bad for Francis at times. His father did such a number on him, and he doesn't have any sort of support or know-how in order to rebuild his self-image. He's stuck in an act (a role) and a position he can't live up to and doesn't know how to let go of -- in part because he believes it's who he is. I'm not sure what life would make him happier, but it's obviously not the one he's got.

 

I loved Verity speaking up to Ross -- they can say anything to each other and do. I also loved Demelza through the whole episode. Well, except for concealing her part in aiding Verity and Blamey; I don't see how that won't be a problem. But she was spectacular through the rest.

 

Wish Keren would go away. Even though he's not blind to her, the doctor seems too gentle and kind to be able to deal with someone so manipulative; that's going to be a problem too.

 

The episode flew by for me. I'm usually at least semi-aware of the duration, but this time, it ended way before I expected. Double episode next week to end the season, apparently.

Edited July 28, 2015 by justmehere

[magdalene]

 

However, she's also a patient. Should young, unmarried doctors screw around with their married patients? What does that say about professional ethics?

No, they shouldn't. And it is stupid of him. But I can understand why he didn't resist her. I can also understand why she would seduce him.  From her POV, she impulsively married a country guy and they are turning out to be ill suited, and she is now stuck in a crappy cottage with a man she does not love. I don't blame her for being on the make. Life was harsh for low class women and I would cut her some slack for making her way in this world. But I don't like her and I like the doctor, so subjectively my sympathy is with Dwight. 

[dubbel zout]

But if she is that savvy, why on earth marry a man with no prospects for upward mobility?

 

That's the big flaw in her plan for me, too. Keren has traveled enough to know that living in deepest Cornwall isn't exactly a ticket out, yet she marries a man who works in a depressed mining area thinking she'll go far? Was she really that desperate to escape the acting troupe? 

 

Plot hole that is there just to let her screw up the life of young Dr. Enys.

 

I wish it wasn't quite so obviously a plot hole.

[butterly17]

I don't think most men looked at Keren and though... 'what a gem, I want to marry her!'   Mark was a perfect guy to manipulate, the only problem was she didn't realize how depressed the area was?  It seems like this depression is relatively new. like in the last 5 years or so... since Ross left for the Americas.

[jjj]

Well (and I don't like this character at all!), it is a common literary device to introduce an outsider to stir things up and upset the status quo.  And with an enclosed community in Cornwall, I guess the only way to introduce a wayward female character is through marriage -- the ladies of the evening at the inn already have limited mobility, although make acceptable arm candy (I don't believe for a minute that a bar prostitute would be admitted to a private ball, however! But these are the Warleggens, propriety be damned!).  But I agree that it does not make sense an actress who has been in a lot of towns, probably met a fair number of varied men, and knows what an isolated town looks like, that this actress would go, "this is the man and the location that will set up my future"! 

[Milz]

That is right! I think I'm starting to hate the guy. Did anyone catch what Verity said about him just before she said that he didn't glance back at her so she knows it's over?

 

I think she was saying that it's really over now because she lacked the courage to tell Francis and he (Blamey) doesn't like cowards or something to that effect. And the fact that he didn't glance back at her, confirmed it was over.

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

 

Poldark Gets Crazy Drunk Like A Fox / Ross gets lit up at a fancy party -- but he's not the one who ends up embarrassed.

[Deanie87]

I have finally caught up and am loving this version.  I have had the 70s version of Poldark on my Netflix queue for over a year but just can't seem to it.  It might be the stagey quality, though I am a huge fan of Upstairs/Downstairs and I Claudius and never had a problem with it in those productions.  Maybe because they were more "interior" type stories, and the great outdoors of Corwnwall seems to be such a huge part of the series.

 

Anyway, my only quibble is that some of the women characters seem either downright saintly (Elizabeth) or completely over the top villains (Keren, for example or Ruth).  But I guess it is hard to flesh out every single character in such a short amount of episodes and perhaps some surprises are in store.

 

My final thought is that Aiden Turner is very, very fine, but his face, for some reason, reminds me of...

Jimmy Fallon.

 I put that in spoiler tags because I simply can't not see that now every time I look at him, and it changes my perception of some of the scenes (like those of the steamy variety!)  T'were it not so, but alas.  So peek at your own risk!  But if you do peek, please let me know if you agree with me or if I am having some kind of hallucination.  

[dubbel zout]

You're hallucinating! ;-)

[jjj]

 Aiden Turner is very, very fine, but his face, for some reason, reminds me of...

Jimmy Fallon.

 I put that in spoiler tags because I simply can't not see that now every time I look at him, and it changes my perception of some of the scenes (like those of the steamy variety!)  T'were it not so, but alas.  So peek at your own risk!  But if you do peek, please let me know if you agree with me or if I am having some kind of hallucination.  

I wish you were not hallucinating, but alas!  'twere true, I'd start watching a certain 11:30 PM television program! 

[magdalene]

 

But if she is that savvy, why on earth marry a man with no prospects for upward mobility?

I had the impression she married him because she thought she was getting a house out of it.  Remember her facial expression when she saw that the "house" was actually a decrepit little shack.

[GHScorpiosRule]

Finally got to see this today--on youtube/HD, which was unedited, and let me just say: count me in as one who loved the Ball and the long drawn out card game. Even though I'd read the comments here before watching, my heart was pounding as the tension built...the looks from Ross, Francis, Dwight...I think I also bit my lip.

 

And I rewound that scene where Ross, pulls Matthew's hand and reveals that he was cheating, with what'shisface, Warleggan saying "I say he did" or whatever he said, with Dwight's Oh, no he didn't! Followed by Francis, For certain he did not! Three times. I rewound it and watched it THREE TIMES, before letting it play to the end.

 

And I really don't like Keren, and ugh, just, I can't express why it is she bothers me, when others here have already said it better.

 

And I also did enjoy the way Demelza told Ruth how her (Demelza's) father is "particular" about who he sees when Ruth said she hadn't seen him since Julia's christening.

 

And I just want Verity to be happy. Is that too much to ask for? Oh, and more love scenes between Ross and Demelza, thankyouverramuch.

[butterly17]

Heck I don't even need a love scene, because this is PBS and I feel that's not going to happen.... but can a girl get a few passionate kisses, and innuendo?

[GHScorpiosRule]

Heck I don't even need a love scene, because this is PBS and I feel that's not going to happen.... but can a girl get a few passionate kisses, and innuendo?

 

That's what I meant--because, as you stated, this is PBS.

[rickmar]

btw, what's the card game they're playing?  Is it Écarté?

[Llywela]

btw, what's the card game they're playing?  Is it Écarté?

I think whist or French ruff? One card game looks pretty much like another to me - unintelligible!

[shandy]

I had the impression she married him because she thought she was getting a house out of it.  Remember her facial expression when she saw that the "house" was actually a decrepit little shack.

 

Hmm Keren. I don't have a problem with the plot. Being in a company of traveling players wasn't dinner theater - for women it often involved selling more unusual services. 

 

Demelza married to a 'man of quality' as a story is almost miraculous- Keren's isn't. In 18th C terms she's getting on in years and of no fixed abode, she soon won't be 'comely' enough for the troop to employ her - if I were heading for a toothless gin-soaked death working the backstreets for tricks, I'd probably say yes to a copper miner with a shack - who else is offering? 

 

The trouble I have is with the actress -she just comes across as an idiot rather than a scheming alleycat looking for chances. Her manipulation of Dwight is so hammy it then makes him look also like an idiot for buying it. 

[Haleth]

btw, what's the card game they're playing?  Is it Écarté?

LOL, it looked like they were playing War.  At one point the camera showed Ross had all face cards and I thought he was going to start winning.  Yay!  Only, no.  Guess the rules of whatever the game was are different than War.

[Milz]

 

My final thought is that Aiden Turner is very, very fine, but his face, for some reason, reminds me of...

Jimmy Fallon.

 I put that in spoiler tags because I simply can't not see that now every time I look at him, and it changes my perception of some of the scenes (like those of the steamy variety!)  T'were it not so, but alas.  So peek at your own risk!  But if you do peek, please let me know if you agree with me or if I am having some kind of hallucination.  

 

If At were to gain 5 pounds I can totally see his resemblance! Well, you see that, but when I saw Elizabeth and George standing side-by-side with a very obvious 2 inch height difference, I got an image of Sonny and Cher singing "I Got You Babe" in my head. Editing to add, I think S & C singing "The Beat Goes on" are dressed more like George and Elizabeth

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwB8ph7VAXw

Edited July 29, 2015 by Milz

[JudyObscure]

My final thought is that Aiden Turner is very, very fine, but his face, for some reason, reminds me of... Spoiler  I put that in spoiler tags because I simply can't not see that now every time I look at him, and it changes my perception of some of the scenes (like those of the steamy variety!)

Hee!  You're a bad girl, Deanie!  You know that spoiler person did a long, hilarious parody of "Downton Abbey"  (it's on you tube) so now I'm hoping he'll do the same with, "Poldark."

[applecrisp]

LOL, it looked like they were playing War.  At one point the camera showed Ross had all face cards and I thought he was going to start winning.  Yay!  Only, no.  Guess the rules of whatever the game was are different than War.

I thought about War too.  Can you imagine losing your livelihood to War.  Cracks me up.

[Milz]

I thought about War too.  Can you imagine losing your livelihood to War.  Cracks me up.

 

It's better than losing it in a game of "Go Fish".

[whatsatool]

Or whist

[Deanie87]

I'm glad that at least one of you can kind of see the resemblance (is it the eyes?), but also thrilled that most of you don't :)  It really puts a damper on the love scenes as I keep expecting Poldark to start giggling or

Questlove

to show up!  Not that the other guy isn't handsome in his own right, but he is no swashbuckling hero and I'm sure can in no way handle a sythe like AT!

[chocolatetruffle]

btw, what's the card game they're playing?  Is it Écarté?

I don't know Ecarte, but I DO know Bid Whist (a form of Whist where you bid for control of trump) and when they were playing 4 players that's exactly what I thought, especially when Sanson was lecturing his partner about following him.  I figured it was some form of Whist.  Although, I've never seen two-handed Whist, so that was interesting to watch.  In Whist you make books and whoever leads (puts down the first card of the book) determines what suit is going to trump (win the book).  That's why Ross' high cards were losers, because his cards were the wrong suit as declared by Sanson's leading card.  Also, depending on what form you are playing, high cards can be losers if trump cards are low cards.  

[JudyObscure]

I don't blame her for being on the make. Life was harsh for low class women and I would cut her some slack for making her way in this world.

I initially cut her some slack for grabbing the first naïve man who proposed to her, before she ended up homeless, working the streets. Now she has a home, however shabby, and a man who loves her.  What I can't understand is why she would risk that security for a fling with someone who would never marry her even if she wasn't already married.  She's a fool. 

[magdalene]

I initially cut her some slack for grabbing the first naïve man who proposed to her, before she ended up homeless, working the streets. Now she has a home, however shabby, and a man who loves her.  What I can't understand is why she would risk that security for a fling with someone who would never marry her even if she wasn't already married.  She's a fool. 

A fool, or maybe just very impulsive.  She could have dreams of leaving her husband and becoming Dwight's mistress. Obviously she is not the sharpest tool in the drawer.

[Nampara]

Obviously she is not the sharpest tool in the drawer.

 

A couple of shots shy of a syllabub.

[mrsnolatron]

When Demelza said to Keren, "Pardon my interference...it was kindly meant," it took me forever to figure out where I'd heard that before.  It was Miss Bingley in Pride and Prejudice, only she said "Excuse" instead of "Pardon," and she said it with a sneer.  

[Nampara]

When Demelza said to Keren, "Pardon my interference...it was kindly meant," it took me forever to figure out where I'd heard that before.  It was Miss Bingley in Pride and Prejudice, only she said "Excuse" instead of "Pardon," and she said it with a sneer.

Yep, I noticed that too. There are bits and pieces of dialogue throughout the series that are reminiscent of other period shows. It's like their DNA has been blended.

[Milz]

Yep, I noticed that too. There are bits and pieces of dialogue throughout the series that are reminiscent of other period shows. It's like their DNA has been blended.

 

As long as they don't lapse into Jazz slang, I can can deal with that. But I guarantee if the dialogue dips into something like this:

 

Ross: Don't ever come here again in this state!

 

Miner: Aww, but Ross, t'was  good hooch. Can't be grudge a man, good hooch! Can't afford the ritzy stuff you drink in th' pub with them Shebas and lounge lizards!

[Llywela]

All the head scratching and confusion over Keren illustrates quite precisely why I've been so frustrated by many of the sub-plots in the show - Keren's story here is the perfect example, as she is given a fairly prominent role in the episode, yet we are offered little or no insight into her whatsoever. It isn't clear why she chooses to marry Mark - does she genuinely believe he can give her a good life, or is she just grasping at whatever she can get? It also isn't clear why she immediately goes after Dwight Enys - is she stupidly opportunistic, believing somehow that he can take her another step up the social ladder, even though she is already married? Is she lonely and unhappy, in need of affection? Does she just fancy him that much? And why does Dwight take up with her? Is he lonely and in need of affection, or is he just that susceptible to a pretty face? We have no way of knowing, based on what we see in this episode, because the storyline is presented at face value with no exploration of the characters and their motivations whatsoever. And even in a sub-plot, we need that insight. We need to understand what the characters are thinking and feeling, why they make the choices they do - without that, we can't engage with them or care about what happens to them, and so the storyline just falls flat and leaves us irritated by the stupidity of everyone involved. And yet it needn't - and shouldn't. All it needs is that bit more effort put into exploring the characters and their motivations.

Edited July 30, 2015 by Llywela

[applecrisp]

Did not know where to put this, Ross's house is not very grand.  Not like Trenwith, i can't see Elizabeth wanting to live there.

[Llywela]

Did not know where to put this, Ross's house is not very grand.  Not like Trenwith, i can't see Elizabeth wanting to live there.

Well...yeah. It's true. Ross is at the lower end of the gentry, a squireen: plenty of good breeding but not much wealth or land to go with it. His father was the younger son and had to fend for himself, while Uncle Charles inherited the family fortune and house. Most younger sons would have gone into a profession - the law, the church, the army. But Ross's father opened mines of his own and built himself a house instead - not on the same scale as Trenwith because he hadn't the resources. Nampara is basically a glorified farmhouse. So...yeah, I can't imagine Elizabeth being happy with the life she'd have had with Ross. Still, the grass is always greener, and all that.

[Nampara]

So...yeah, I can't imagine Elizabeth being happy with the life she'd have had with Ross. 

 

It's always been my theory that even if Francis had never existed, Elizabeth still would have been unlikely to end up married to Ross. First of all, because Elizabeth and Ross had not been formally engaged before Ross went to war, parental consent would have been required for a betrothal in 1783. But Ross had absolutely no means of supporting a genteel wife — and certainly not of helping to support the rest of the Chynoweths, which was one of the family's objectives. I can imagine the response to an engagement trial balloon: "Marriage? Er, perhaps in due time, sir. Come back in a year when your estate is fit for human habitation and you have a reliable income." Then they immediately start beating the bushes for a more prosperous alternative husband. That would leave the elopement option, I suppose, but to what end? As noted, Elizabeth herself would have been very hard-pressed to adapt to Ross's lifestyle at that time. The Elizabeth of episode 6 may have resigned herself to picking vegetables, but only because she had been forced to by Francis's slow downward financial spiral, and because she had a son as part of the bargain. And she still had a very nice house in which to store and cook those vegetables. Nampara in 1783 was a dump, and everyone who lived there had to perform hard manual labor regularly just to survive. Even Jud and Prudie did a lot of work — they just did it as slowly and as drunkenly as possible. 

[Big Bad Wolf]

I don't know Ecarte, but I DO know Bid Whist (a form of Whist where you bid for control of trump) and when they were playing 4 players that's exactly what I thought, especially when Sanson was lecturing his partner about following him.  I figured it was some form of Whist.  Although, I've never seen two-handed Whist, so that was interesting to watch.  In Whist you make books and whoever leads (puts down the first card of the book) determines what suit is going to trump (win the book).  That's why Ross' high cards were losers, because his cards were the wrong suit as declared by Sanson's leading card.  Also, depending on what form you are playing, high cards can be losers if trump cards are low cards.  

 

Thank you so much! I couldn't understand why Ross' high cards were all losers. So pleased to have an explanation that makes sense.

All the head scratching and confusion over Keren illustrates quite precisely why I've been so frustrated by many of the sub-plots in the show - Keren's story here is the perfect example, as she is given a fairly prominent role in the episode, yet we are offered little or no insight into her whatsoever. It isn't clear why she chooses to marry Mark - does she genuinely believe he can give her a good life, or is she just grasping at whatever she can get? It also isn't clear why she immediately goes after Dwight Enys - is she stupidly opportunistic, believing somehow that he can take her another step up the social ladder, even though she is already married? Is she lonely and unhappy, in need of affection? Does she just fancy him that much? And why does Dwight take up with her? Is he lonely and in need of affection, or is he just that susceptible to a pretty face? We have no way of knowing, based on what we see in this episode, because the storyline is presented at face value with no exploration of the characters and their motivations whatsoever. And even in a sub-plot, we need that insight. We need to understand what the characters are thinking and feeling, why they make the choices they do - without that, we can't engage with them or care about what happens to them, and so the storyline just falls flat and leaves us irritated by the stupidity of everyone involved. And yet it needn't - and shouldn't. All it needs is that bit more effort put into exploring the characters and their motivations.

 

But all this would still require additional screen time for these minor characters, no? Screen time which the writer didn't have available to her as she only had 8 episodes (8 hours if you watched the full UK version) to play with and two substantial books to adapt. I think plenty of assumptions could be made about why Keren made her choices and why Dwight made his. I never found anything confusing, and if I had to make my own assumptions about why certain characters did things, without having it all explained to me with additional scenes, I had no problem with that.

[Llywela]

But all this would still require additional screen time for these minor characters, no? Screen time which the writer didn't have available to her as she only had 8 episodes (8 hours if you watched the full UK version) to play with and two substantial books to adapt. I think plenty of assumptions could be made about why Keren made her choices and why Dwight made his. I never found anything confusing, and if I had to make my own assumptions about why certain characters did things, without having it all explained to me with additional scenes, I had no problem with that.

All shows have only a limited amount of screentime within which to develop their storylines and characters, but the best of them manage to make that time count, bringing as much depth and nuance as possible to even bit-part characters within the time available. It's just good storytelling - the richer the story, the more the audience will be engaged by it. I found this storyline sadly superficial and feel that a lot more depth could and should have been brought to it within the screentime available - and I know the potential for that depth is there, it simply wasn't drawn out by the approach chosen here. We shouldn't need to make sweeping assumptions - it doesn't have to take long to clarify motivation. It simply requires a bit of commitment to the wider story being told.

Edited July 31, 2015 by Llywela

[jjj]

I think what we are seeing is a setup for the reason of Keren appearing in the story, and presumably the payoff will be in the next two episodes.  (Only two more episodes?!  Boo!  I did appreciate having time to enjoy this in the summer, though.)

 

Agree it was unlikely Elizabeth would have ended up married to Ross in any case -- romantic love was not the primary reason for marriage in this period, especially when property was involved; in this case, the property of Francis, as the Chenowyths seemed to have social standing but not dramatic wealth?  The best marriages combined two sources of wealth to create more wealth, and matching Elizabeth to an heir (Francis) was the best future for her, then producing the next heir was of paramount importance.  I'm not saying attraction was not part of the equation, just not the main ingredient in all cases.  It's helpful when the husband/wife liked each other enough to do what was needed to create the heir! 

[pasdetrois]

 

The trouble I have is with the actress -she just comes across as an idiot rather than a scheming alleycat looking for chances.

She comes across as demented. Between her and the actress who plays the prostitute, and other annoying features such as the shoe-horned characters and story lines, this production is causing me to lose my interest.

[lucindabelle]

"He's over particular about who he meets"

 

ZING!