S03.E06: Episode 6

[Meredith Quill]

Episode Synopsis:

The Poldarks learn that their friend Dr Enys needs immediate care, suffering distress following his internment in France. In reaction to Ross' rescue of Hugh Armitage, George desperately needs to secure a connection to the nobility and so plans to force Morwenna's marriage to Osborne. Geoffrey Charles gives Drake his bible as a gift and naively reveals that Morwenna is to be wed. Drake confronts Morwenna and she agrees to marry him instead. Morwenna returns to Trenwith to tell George and Elizabeth that she will refuse Ossie's offer of marriage. Out of spite, George has Drake arrested for the theft of Geoffrey Charles' valuable bible, a crime for which Drake will hang.

[Jacks-Son]

Damn, the gauntlet has been thrown down. What George did was despicable, even for him. The frog escapade was hilarious but the end result was nasty. I think George, without knowing it, has just bitten off more than he could chew.

Osborne sucking toes?!?!? Ewwww!  Why, oh why, did they have to include that image? 

My question: Did Aunt Aretha Agatha send the note to Ross telling him to be at the chapel? I can't believe that she did, but maybe she was hoping that Ross would be able to stop this atrocity.

Edited July 17, 2017 by Jacks-Son
LOL, my spell-checker must be looking for Respect

[Misslindsey]

Please tell me this isn't the last time we see Geoffrey Charles. I adore him. I especially love when he and Aunt Agatha sort of team up.

I got the impression that Aunt Agatha sent the note to Ross about the chapel. I wondered if it was for him to stop the wedding, just see the wedding/what George did or the possibility that Morwenna was waiting there to marry Drake. I thought it was odd that Demezla and Drake accompanied him there (more so Drake than Demelza).

[Jacks-Son]

Honestly, as much as people tend to call Ross an idiot for all the boneheaded things he does, I have to commend his restraint. They say violence is the tool of the ignorant, I for one, would forgive Ross if he just knocked the sh*t out of George. His smug look should have been the last expression he would ever have. He basically sold Elizabeth's cousin into slavery just so he could move up in society, and Elizabeth let him.

@Misslindsey, I hope you saw the preview for next Sunday's episode. I think I'm going to buy some popcorn and eat it while I watch.

[Misslindsey]

9 hours ago, Jacks-Son said:

@Misslindsey, I hope you saw the preview for next Sunday's episode. I think I'm going to buy some popcorn and eat it while I watch.

I did! I hope the episode is a good as the preview made it out to be. I love Aunt Agatha more and more.

[nodorothyparker]

The toad escapade was wonderful.  Of course there's an origin story of school age Ross stuffing toads down George's pants because of course there is. I loved loved loved that George couldn't even bring himself to admit to Ross that his going after Drake was about toads.  "A type of .., amphibious creature."  Hee.

This was the episode it was like everyone suddenly took leave of their senses in the Drake-Morwenna romance.  The ridiculousness of the shirtless beach scene aside, we've suddenly got characters acting like not having any money or a home or much of anything beyond the shirt no longer on his back isn't anything to concern themselves with.  It's very pretty now that you think those things don't matter, Morwenna, but it may not feel so romantic a year or so down the road when you're still sharing Ross's leaky rental cottage with Sam and everything pretty you own is worn to rags.  Meanwhile, there's Demelza, who in previous episodes may have been a little heavy handed in acknowledging the very real obstacles, suddenly acting like the same naive girl who plowed ahead insisting true love would conquer all when she trying to reconcile Verity and Blamey (also without any consideration for the potential fallout), while also blithely promising that she and Ross will help provide for them too.  Just how many people is Ross supposed to be supporting now?  He's luckily past the point of always being on the verge of bankruptcy but he's also not swimming in Warleggan money either.

That said, it's revolting how quick George and by extension Elizabeth were to use the entire Drake situation to strongarm Morwenna into a marriage they knew perfectly well she didn't want because it was advantageous to them.  There were plenty of practical reasons why the marriage was a good match, but all of those reasons were tossed aside for their entirely self-serving social climbing. 

Ross was indeed surprisingly the picture of restraint and good judgment for once, both in the face of George's unending pettiness and in being the friend that Dwight needed him to be.  

[Jacks-Son]

2 hours ago, nodorothyparker said:

There were plenty of practical reasons why the marriage was a good match, but all of those reasons were tossed aside for their entirely self-serving social climbing.

While I agree with nearly everything you've said, however, the only practical reason for Morwenna, and by extension, her family was monetary gain. I don't know how the Godolphins compare to the Chynoweths as far as social standings, but I don't see many more practical reasons. Osborne is the human equivalent of that same "amphibious creature" and the thought of that loathsome man hovering over a lovely child such as Morwenna, is unthinkable. Perhaps if George were put in that position, maybe he would realize what he had just done. 

Sure, Morwenna might be stirred by her romantic feelings now and may suffer through poverty for a while, it's still better than being married to that toad.

@nodorothyparker You bring up a good point about Demelza's seemingly  sudden change of mind. Although, I think Caroline's comment about how she and Dwight and Demelza and Ross' successful marriage of opposite class, might have made her rethink her position.

Edited July 17, 2017 by Jacks-Son

[nodorothyparker]

You're right the primary practical reason for the marriage on either side is financial:  Whitworth needs the dowry George is willing to provide to pay off his debts and hopefully give him future access to the bank of George and Morwenna needs a husband who can provide for her so she doesn't have to either be a low paid governess or penniless relation.  Marriage to Whitworth, who's so oily he might as well be leaving grease spots wherever he goes while fancying himself quite the dandy, is indeed a disgusting unthinkable proposition from our modern perspective, but a woman's primary duty at the time was to marry as respectably as she could manage and on that front as a well-connected clergyman he fits that bill.

The Chynoweths are all about old lineage and what would be considered good breeding.  The Godolphins are extremely well connected politically, which is important if George has aspirations to sit as an MP since voting at the time was largely restricted to the gentleman class or higher and you couldn't realistically expect to run for or win one of those seats without the backing of such political movers and shakers.

The more I consider it, it really does add another layer to the long running Poldark-Warleggan feud to learn that Ross was something of a schoolyard bully to George when they were children.  

[Jacks-Son]

The conversation I would have liked to have heard is the one when Geoffrey Charles was asked about the whereabouts of his bible. The only possible answer from the boy is "I gave it as a going away present to Drake". How that got translated to Drake "could only have stolen it", requires quite a bit of verbal twisting. I know it's just a contrivance for the story, but really, how could anyone possibly believe that BS. George, being the Magistrate, after promising to fulfill his duty in an honorable way, just keeps sinking further and further into the muck. Good parenting guys. Way to teach your child how to be a lowlife, Elizabeth.

[Glaze Crazy]

George is as slimy as those frogs he hates. (Sorry to the poor innocent frogs.) Really liked that bit about Ross stuffing George's trousers with frogs though. I wonder why there wasn't a bit of a smirk on Ross' face when George mentioned "amphibians" but I guess he's a better card player than I would have been. What George and Elizabeth did to manipulate Morwenna was beyond cruel, even if they are not aware of the Reverend's peculiar "tastes." And yeah, thanks Show, for putting that crazy vision out there for us to enjoy. Poor Morwenna, not just for the foot fetish new hubby, which is odd but not actually harmful to her, but for that thing they teased for next week irt

Spoiler

her new husband's short temper and potential to lash out.

The look on Ross' face when he was visiting Aunt Agatha and he realized he was inside Trenwith at the same time as the Warleggans was great. I really hate that he's been unable to visit his family home and last living relatives except on the sly when the Warleggans are away. But I call BS on whoever let him in at the front door in the first place. I can't believe George hasn't giving the entire staff instructions not to allow any Poldarks in. Even if the staff overlooked it while George and Elizabeth were elsewhere I would imagine they would prevent this from happening when the master was in residence.

Interesting plot addressing Dr. Enys' PTSD and Ross bringing in Lt. Armitage as a sympathetic ear for Dwight to talk to. I'm also glad Caroline was clued in quickly about what was going on with her husband and his jumpy behaviour. I really want her to be able to help and support him going forward, not give up if it seems to be something she doesn't understand or is aware of.

Poor Drake. He (and Morwenna) really almost had a chance to make a go of it, even if destitute and living on love, and then George and his petty self-serving needs went right in and kicked the crap out of everyone else's (figurative) Lincoln logs. I'm about 1/3 into book 6 which I think is part of this season so I need to finish it up this week before the next episode.

[Jacks-Son]

I can't believe that George was willing to let Drake hang for a Bible that was given to him by his step-son. What kind of man is George. Well, I know what kind he is, but what the hell is happening to Elizabeth? It doesn't bother her that her own son is unwilling to allow her to even touch his hand? When she reached out her hand to hold Geoffrey Charles' hand and he withdrew it, I know it bothered her. Why then continue to allow George to disrespect her and her family? 

Cudgel needs a good castration. The pleasure he took from invading Sam and Drake's sanctuary as well as the look of glee on his face when he informed George that he saw Morwenna and Drake together, has earned him the loss of his..

 

I'll leave it there.  ?

[Anothermi]

argggg. I hate that this show has taken my pleasure in the hapless characters that I knew Jack Farthing for and substituted this loathsome creature, George Warleggan.

I do like Jack Farthing (the actor), but that last smirk George gave as he exited the church was more that I could bear. It wiped out every foolish fop Jack F ever played. :-(

 

ETA:  It is telling that we learned that Ross bullied George in school and Aunt Agatha had no pity for him either (apparently he "disowned" his father). An yet he is still loathsome.  I know stories of many immigrant (read: outsider) children who "disowned" their heritage in a similar way. A lot of it came from the bullying. Still we hate George.

Edited July 19, 2017 by Anothermi

[nodorothyparker]

9 hours ago, Glaze Crazy said:

I wonder why there wasn't a bit of a smirk on Ross' face when George mentioned "amphibians" but I guess he's a better card player than I would have been.

Ross still seemed to think it was funny when he was telling the story to Drake and Demelza.  But by this point he was trying to talk George out of pursuing the criminal case against Drake that could have resulted in his hanging, and I read it as Ross realizing the far reaching consequences of what he had previously considered a harmless bit of school yard fun at George's expense years before.  His very straight line reading of "That was wrong" in ostensibly discussing what Drake had done felt almost like an acknowledgement of schoolboy Ross's bad behavior in creating the situation.

It's actually George's grandfather, who was a blacksmith, that he keeps trying to distance himself from.  It was mostly Uncle Cary's generation that took the profits from that grandfather's business and turned it into the growing Warleggan financial empire.  Boys at school at the time George, Ross, and Francis were there would have of course been aware of the distinction between those who were born to names and any generational wealth and those who came from what they would have considered upstart families making their own names and fortunes.  As Aunt Agatha was trying to explain, it wasn't that distinction that mattered so much in relationships between the boys as much as George's pretensions that he's one of the former and not the latter.  It's probably also why Demelza rankles George so much.   As a miner's daughter, she's only one generation less removed than he is and doesn't try to deny that fact yet manages to get a fair amount of acceptance into polite society as a gentleman's wife.  We know that George loves Elizabeth for her name and gentility that makes him as her husband a little more legitimate in the eyes of those circles probably as much as he loves her for herself.

The added backstory of George as the child bullied by the higher born boys doesn't make him any less of a loathsome preening ass as an adult, but it does give a character who's been in danger of becoming a cartoon villain a needed layer.

[purist]

As loathsome as the character Osborne Whitworth is, the actor playing him, Christian Brassington, is doing a wonderful job. I looked him up on IMDb - and my goodness, he cleans up nice! The costuming and makeup they've put on him for Poldark are ridiculously good.

[betha]

On 7/17/2017 at 7:01 PM, Jacks-Son said:

The conversation I would have liked to have heard is the one when Geoffrey Charles was asked about the whereabouts of his bible. The only possible answer from the boy is "I gave it as a going away present to Drake". How that got translated to Drake "could only have stolen it", requires quite a bit of verbal twisting. I know it's just a contrivance for the story, but really, how could anyone possibly believe that BS. George, being the Magistrate, after promising to fulfill his duty in an honorable way, just keeps sinking further and further into the muck. Good parenting guys. Way to teach your child how to be a lowlife, Elizabeth.

Right, the whole storyline is not believable with the characters - that Elizabeth wouldn't have believed her son. 

[Ceindreadh]

4 hours ago, betha said:

Right, the whole storyline is not believable with the characters - that Elizabeth wouldn't have believed her son. 

Or she might have believed he was lying to protect his friend. 

[rebecca dewinter]

The look on everyone's faces in the final church scene was GOLD.  I will say though that George and Elizabeth, while they know that the Rev. is annoying and stupid, don't know much else about him.. so in their minds, I don't think they're thinking of it like "ha! let's give Morwenna to a cruel and evil man to just make her suffer". It's more like "well, he's an idiot but her marriage will help us". And in that era, marriage was often a social contract so it wouldn't be unusual to push her into a marriage of convenience. Elizabeth especially after what she went through with Ross is probably hella over the "marriage for love" thing. 

[Neurochick]

Oh Georgie, you’re afraid of toads?  What a pathetic little douche, too bad Ross didn’t put cockroaches in his breeches, now THAT would have been have been a sight to see.

[Arwen Evenstar]

How many of you wanted to hear Agatha hiss “toesucker” over the rafters at the sight of Whitworth?

Now THAT would have been gold!

Agatha had some good lines tonight and was in rare form.

If Whitworth were not such a slimy and repugnant character (and Morwenna not repulsed by him), the match with Morwenna to a wealthy (or at least pedigreed) widower would otherwise have been seen by society as a very good match. A widowed vicar screamed all sorts of respectability, after all.  He did have “peculiar tastes”, but I doubt that was common knowledge, as he was supposed to be a man of the cloth and uphold celibacy as an unmarried man.h

On 7/19/2017 at 3:35 AM, Anothermi said:

I do like Jack Farthing (the actor), but that last smirk George gave as he exited the church was more that I could bear. It wiped out every foolish fop Jack F ever played. :-(

OMG, that was the most legendary smug smirk I have ever seen.  My husband and I marveled at it and both wanted to slap the smug right off his face. I can’t believe having toads stuffed down his pants is what turned George into the sniveling little douche he became.

[magdalene]

The actor playing Whitworth is giving a fantastic performance - the character truly makes my skin crawl.

[ScoobieDoobs]

Boy, this show can turn from jokey & somewhat satirical in a moment, eh?  Sure, the stuff with the toads gave me a giggle.  But look at the dire consequences that lead to.  And I still get the feeling Jack Farthing is playing George with a satirical glint, despite his ever-increasing cruelty & horribleness.  Sometimes I like it & sometimes it gives me the creeps.

And what about Whitmore?  Hasn't he been a point of derision, we're supposed to chuckle at for his ridiculousness?  From the look of misery on Morwenna, maybe he won't be the intended center of chuckles for us anymore?

Man, I hope that brutish Tom Harry, Georgie's relentlessly evil pitbull spy, gets his!

Maybe it's for the best, Caroline & Dwight get a happy ending.  There are better storylines elsewhere.

[Anothermi]

2 hours ago, Arwen Evenstar said:

 I can’t believe having toads stuffed down his pants is what turned George into the sniveling little douche he became.

If that's all he turned into I'd be fine with it. But he turned into a vindictive, sniveling little douche!

I think it was more than the toads, to be honest. The "in" crowd have numerous subtle ways of highlighting someone's otherness.  And the "not!incrowd" follows suit just to ensure the focus doesn't turn on them.

The more things change... the more they stay the same.

[SongbirdHollow]

Yeah, how is this the same guy that plays Ossie?

[JudyObscure]

Demelza and family should have been a lot more suspicious when Drake's charges were dropped.  They should have known George wouldn't have done that without someone else paying the price.

I did get a lot of chuckles from the whole frog theme, starting with the scene of The Warleggans in Bed up to the hilarious scene in his office where George was trying to make Ross wait for him and Ross picked up a book and started reading. It was hoping Ross had a frog to set on his desk.

For my own viewing pleasure, I'm sort of glad Morwenna is married to the odious Whitworth. I find him cringeworthy, but not as cringeworthy as Drake's acting. 

[dubbel zout]

12 hours ago, Arwen Evenstar said:

He did have “peculiar tastes”, but I doubt that was common knowledge, as he was supposed to be a man of the cloth and uphold celibacy as an unmarried man.

I'd be surprised if his "peculiar tastes" weren't better known, as we've seen Whitworth leer in every scene he's been in. As long as Whitworth has money and social standing, though, no one is going to do anything, and he knows it. His poor daughters.

[abbyzenn]

Whitworth is so repulsive how could anyone attend his church?  One week after his wife dies he's out trying to find another wife - the party where he meets Geroge and Elizabeth.

I too had looked the actor up and was shocked to see what he usually looks like.  I've never seen him in anything else.  He's doing a terrific job playing such a smarmy character.

Glad to see that Ross frequently visits Aunt Agatha (while George is away).

The surprising character of this season is Elizabeth.  She turned into George's accomplice.  You'd think she'd put up more resistance to sending HER son away to school.

[rebecca dewinter]

1 minute ago, abbyzenn said:

The surprising character of this season is Elizabeth.  She turned into George's accomplice.  You'd think she'd put up more resistance to sending HER son away to school.

She did say that when she married George, she would have to take his side on all matters, just as a proper wife of that time would. She also can't really afford to antagonize him in other issues when she has a huge Ross-shaped secret she's trying to keep under wraps.

George is starting to rub off on her though cause she seemed very pissed that Morwenna wasn't more miserable when they were going to send her home to her mother. I think she's starting to enjoy the misery of others too lol

[Driad]

Maybe Morwenna can ply Whitworth with so much rich food that he will drop dead before he gives her an STD.

I kept telling myself that toads were not as endangered then as they are now, but I still felt sorrier for them than for some of the humans.

[dubbel zout]

George just can't see the forest for the trees when it comes to Ross. 

Sam is quite the love buzzkill. In fact, he's a this-life buzzkill. 

George has no legal authority over Morwenna, right? So the worst he could do is send her back to her mother and sisters living in poverty. Granted, that's pretty bleak, but a marriage to Whitworth isn't much brighter. And blackmailing her into it is gross, even for George. Here's hoping Morwenna can put the kibosh on some of George's social-climbing with the Godolphins. That would be good payback.

I wonder what Tom Harry gets out of being George's flunky. I can't imagine too many people like him.

I'm glad Armitage told Dwight that Caroline was trying to help him, and her inept way wasn't her fault. I'm also glad Ross told Dwight to tell Caroline what happened and give her a chance. 

[TVFAN]

Elizabeth has lost every bit of sympathy I ever had for her.  With her, it's all about money and her position in society.  She may have loved Ross a little once, but not enough to miss the chance of marrying Francis and getting the big house, the servants, etc.  She has let George torment her child, her cousin, and her elderly aunt without so much as lifting a finger to help.  She looked like the cat that got into the cream when she was curled up in bed with George eating strawberries.  She was allowed to choose her mates.  How could she allow poor Morwenna to be blackmailed into marriage?  Demelza has more class in her little finger than Elizabeth does in her entire being.

[RedDelicious]

I would like a dish of Hugh Armitage please :)

[rebecca dewinter]

23 minutes ago, TVFAN said:

Elizabeth has lost every bit of sympathy I ever had for her.  With her, it's all about money and her position in society.  She may have loved Ross a little once, but not enough to miss the chance of marrying Francis and getting the big house, the servants, etc.  She has let George torment her child, her cousin, and her elderly aunt without so much as lifting a finger to help.  She looked like the cat that got into the cream when she was curled up in bed with George eating strawberries.  She was allowed to choose her mates.  How could she allow poor Morwenna to be blackmailed into marriage?  Demelza has more class in her little finger than Elizabeth does in her entire being.

I'm not sure she could do much to stop George since he holds all the power in the marriage, but I do believe her marriage to him has revealed that she was probably fake being nice for the past 2 seasons. 

[Jacks-Son]

13 minutes ago, rebecca dewinter said:

Elizabeth has lost every bit of sympathy I ever had for her.  With her, it's all about money and her position in society.  She may have loved Ross a little once, but not enough to miss the chance of marrying Francis and getting the big house, the servants, etc

I don't know if I agree with this entirely. Initially, when Ross returned from the war, Elizabeth wanted to be with him. At THAT time, she didn't care that he didn't have money, she just loved him and she waiting for him to approach her. If he had, I believe she would have broken her engagement with Francis just to be with Ross.  However, her mother pressured her to go through with the wedding with Francis and when Ross brought Demelza home, that sort of shocked and rankled Elizabeth. Everything that happened since, has just turned Elizabeth sour on Ross.

[rebecca dewinter]

29 minutes ago, Jacks-Son said:

I don't know if I agree with this entirely. Initially, when Ross returned from the war, Elizabeth wanted to be with him. At THAT time, she didn't care that he didn't have money, she just loved him and she waiting for him to approach her. If he had, I believe she would have broken her engagement with Francis just to be with Ross.  However, her mother pressured her to go through with the wedding with Francis and when Ross brought Demelza home, that sort of shocked and rankled Elizabeth. Everything that happened since, has just turned Elizabeth sour on Ross.

First off, the above quote is not by me. It's the person I quoted in the post prior. 

Second, I don't think Elizabeth is as shallow or materialistic as people make her out to be, but she is self-serving in regards to her own interests whether in love, family or social standing. She was 100% willing to throw George and all his cash overboard for the chance to be with Ross. You certainly can't accuse her of being motivated by wealth since Ross was still as poor as he's ever been and most likely wouldn't have been able to even be officially married to her. She chose George in the end because Ross didn't come to her, but she's always been willing to toss Demelza aside for the chance with Ross. When it came to Francis, I think she was convinced by her mother that Ross didn't care anymore given that he never came to visit her or voice any objections before the wedding. Remember, Ross was kind of cold to her and didn't really give her any indication that he was still hung up on her until after she was married and by then it was too little too late. 

But regarding Morwenna, unfortunately she is just the pawn Elizabeth has to use to keep Geoffrey Charles close to her. By blaming Morwenna for everything, she deflects the blame from GC, knowing that George can't stand the kid... Some of this is undoubtedly also motivated by her dislike for the Carnes but it's not a leap to see her going along with George's schemes when it serves her interests both socially and in keeping GC out of George's war path. 

Edited October 31, 2017 by rebecca dewinter

[TVForever]

On 8/2/2017 at 3:53 AM, purist said:

As loathsome as the character Osborne Whitworth is, the actor playing him, Christian Brassington, is doing a wonderful job. I looked him up on IMDb - and my goodness, he cleans up nice! The costuming and makeup they've put on him for Poldark are ridiculously good.

Holy cow! Just took a look at his picture on IMDb!

13 hours ago, rebecca dewinter said:

George is starting to rub off on her though cause she seemed very pissed that Morwenna wasn't more miserable when they were going to send her home to her mother. I think she's starting to enjoy the misery of others too lol

Because misery loves company...

[JudyObscure]

Christian Brassington, is smart to gain 20 pounds and play Whitworth.  There are endless parts on BBC programing for the actor who can play such excellent smarminess; Mr. Collins in "Pride and Prejudice,"  Robert Farrars in "Sense and Sensibility," and Dickens has a slimy toad in almost every book.  He'll still be getting work when our handsome Poldark has aged out.

[HoodlumSheep]

Kudos to Whitworth's actor. My gosh is he creepy.

I was laughing hysterically when George heard the frogs, because i literally thought he somehow recognized the sounds of Ross' footsteps. And then i was thinking of course george would have the sound of ross' footsteps memorized. But then it was the frogs he was talking about. :P

Finally someone reminded demelza that her/ross and caroline/dwight is a thing that happened. I haven't been too fond of her not supporting drake due to the class difference (and george). It's like...you were in a similar situation yourself not too long ago...she quickly changed her tune though.

Nana Poldark with that beastly staredown with Whitworth. Be very afraid, Whitworth...be very afraid...

Love how she calls george, georgie. I do wish she'd stop making jabs at valentine's rickets though. Leave the poor baby alone, please.

*edited because everytime i think i've hit the 'a' key it always ends up as an 's.'

Edited October 31, 2017 by HoodlumSheep

[dubbel zout]

12 hours ago, rebecca dewinter said:

I don't think Elizabeth is as shallow or materialistic as people make her out to be, but she is self-serving in regards to her own interests whether in love, family or social standing.

I think women of the time had to be self-serving, given their lack of independence and opportunities in so many ways. Elizabeth hasn't always made the most generous of choices, but I don't think she could push back too much with George anyway.

1 hour ago, HoodlumSheep said:

And then i was thinking of course george would hsve the sound of ross' footsteps memorized.

Same here! Ha!

1 hour ago, HoodlumSheep said:

Finally someone reminded demelza that her/ross and caroline/dwight is a thing that happened. I haven't been too fond of her not supporting drake due to the class difference (and george). It's like...you were in a similar situation yourself not too long ago...she quickly changed her tune though.

It's not the same thing, though. Caroline had to marry Dwight secretly, and she was "lucky" that her uncle died before he discovered it, so now her money is in the hands of someone who cares for her and won't mistreat her. Ross was the one with the social standing, so he could marry Demelza without "ruining" the family name. It also helps that he's not personally wealthy and has relatively progressive views in general. Drake, though, is poorly educated, has few prospects for supporting himself let alone a wife (though Ross is helping there), and has no social standing. Morwenna is too broke to be able to buck the system the way Caroline did, and with George in charge, there's no way he'll let her marry someone connected to Ross. (Though this raises an earlier question I had: How much legal say does George have over Morwenna? He's related to her only by marriage through a cousin [Elizabeth], so can he really force her to marry Whitworth the way he could if she were, say, his daughter?)

[nodorothyparker]

George can't force Morwenna to marry.  He can, however, send her back to her mother without a cent.  He can cut off his financial assistance and support to the rest of the Chenowyth family, including Elizabeth's elderly mother.  He can refuse to help at all with any sort of dowry or financial arrangements for Morwenna or her younger sisters, which leaves them in an even worse situation than Verity was when we met her: girls of good name and breeding but without a dime to attract suitors of their own class.  Even if they may have been dickish about it, Verity at least had male relatives who could support her.  When there are no more charitable relatives or in-laws willing or able to help them, girls like Morwenna or her sisters are likely to end up governesses or ladies companions living in very reduced circumstances.

It's always important to remember for all the flowing hair and pretty scenes evoking romance novels that marriage at this time and among this social class is a business arrangement as much as anything else.  Women have few legal rights and protections so their first and most important duty was to marry as well as they could to provide for themselves and any future children.  Elizabeth is very much a product of this system.  

[rebecca dewinter]

Even monetary threat wasn't enough to persuade Morwenna to marry the Reverend though (maybe if he was slightly more palatable, the financial considerations would've been enough, but nope lol). George literally had to blackmail her by threating the life of the guy she loves to coerce her into this marriage. I'm sure Elizabeth sees the social and financial benefits of such a marriage and probably doesn't give a shit about Drake anyways, but if she really went along with George's blackmail scheme, then I do think she's turned over a new leaf in coldness.

[dubbel zout]

Elizabeth can take a stand, but to what end? George is gonna George. This episode there were a lot of reaction shots of her basically shrugging, like she's at the point of IDGAF.

I'm not saying I like that she's given up, but her life is miserable enough on a lot of levels that I kind of understand why she's decided not to rock the boat. 

Edited October 31, 2017 by dubbel zout

[Jacks-Son]

15 hours ago, rebecca dewinter said:

First off, the above quote is not by me. It's the person I quoted in the post prior. 

Second, I don't think Elizabeth is as shallow or materialistic as people make her out to be, but she is self-serving in regards to her own interests whether in love, family or social standing. She was 100% willing to throw George and all his cash overboard for the chance to be with Ross. You certainly can't accuse her of being motivated by wealth since Ross was still as poor as he's ever been and most likely wouldn't have been able to even be officially married to her. She chose George in the end because Ross didn't come to her, but she's always been willing to toss Demelza aside for the chance with Ross. When it came to Francis, I think she was convinced by her mother that Ross didn't care anymore given that he never came to visit her or voice any objections before the wedding. Remember, Ross was kind of cold to her and didn't really give her any indication that he was still hung up on her until after she was married and by then it was too little too late. 

Sorry Rebecca Dewinter, I guess I misread that and somehow attributed it to you. My apologies. As you can see by MY post, I absolutely agree with you regarding Elizabeth's actions and motives. She was always willing to accept Ross as her mate, even after she married George. Elizabeth does confound me, but I think it's more of a plot device. Her attitude towards Demelza does puzzle me. Demelza saved their lives at the cost of her daughter and I had thought the two would share a bond. I really enjoyed seeing them together when they accepted each other's presence and one of the plot lines that I find sad is their ultimate animosity towards each other; in large part due to Ross' bungling.

[rebecca dewinter]

3 hours ago, Jacks-Son said:

Sorry Rebecca Dewinter, I guess I misread that and somehow attributed it to you. My apologies. As you can see by MY post, I absolutely agree with you regarding Elizabeth's actions and motives. She was always willing to accept Ross as her mate, even after she married George. Elizabeth does confound me, but I think it's more of a plot device. Her attitude towards Demelza does puzzle me. Demelza saved their lives at the cost of her daughter and I had thought the two would share a bond. I really enjoyed seeing them together when they accepted each other's presence and one of the plot lines that I find sad is their ultimate animosity towards each other; in large part due to Ross' bungling.

I think a lot of that is because they softened up Elizabeth significantly in Season 1 which made her seem like a genuinely sweet person for a time and then suddenly had her confessing her love to Ross at a dinner party. Now with her marriage to George, her transition is again somewhat awkward since her lack of concern for other people seems out of character, but I would argue that was always her character, she just hid it really well early on. From what I've heard about the books, Elizabeth was never really friends with Demelza. Grateful for her help, yes. But always seen as an obstacle for Ross.  Understandably the adaptation tried to make her more likable so the love triangle wouldn't seem too ridiculously one-sided. 

Her behavior this season with Morwenna made her sound a lot like her mother when she told her not to chase after Ross when he returned. I guess we all become our parents in the end! 

[dubbel zout]

I’d think Elizabeth would have a grudging...something positive for Demelza, if for no other reason than saving her life when Elizabeth had the flu. George’s breathtakingly cruel comment when their daughter was born was so awful I can’t believe Elizabeth didn’t protest at all.

[Arwen Evenstar]

25 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

I’d think Elizabeth would have a grudging...something positive for Demelza, if for no other reason than saving her life when Elizabeth had the flu. George’s breathtakingly cruel comment when their daughter was born was so awful I can’t believe Elizabeth didn’t protest at all.

But, I think she did reach for her Mother’s Little Helper. I did recall Elizabeth being bothered by it, but I wished she’d have said something.  

Nana Poldark going on about the baby’s rickets, I thought was cruel.  I always hate to see anyone pick on a baby, but for the times, it probably happened a lot. That said, her motivation for saying it was she wasn’t going to see GC robbed of his birthright to Trenwith, a Poldark home. 

[rebecca dewinter]

Aunt Agatha is like 100 and kind of senile, so she can be forgiven for a lot. 

And yes, Elizabeth is on drugs half the time so she probably doesn't have the energy to contest all of George's terrible comments. 

[Clawdette]

To me, Elizabeth is that person who can't stand for anyone to have something she once wanted, even though she has moved on.  I have known many men and women who still kept track of their former loves, sometimes meddling in their lives just because they couldn't let go.  It's one thing to look back fondly; it's another to actively stew about it.

[rebecca dewinter]

7 minutes ago, Clawdette said:

To me, Elizabeth is that person who can't stand for anyone to have something she once wanted, even though she has moved on.  I have known many men and women who still kept track of their former loves, sometimes meddling in their lives just because they couldn't let go.  It's one thing to look back fondly; it's another to actively stew about it.

Probably didn't help matters that she was only marginally happy with Francis for like 6 days before that marriage turned sour fast, all the while watching from afar as Ross and Demelza were actually happy. 

[dubbel zout]

If Demelza and Elizabeth were closer, Demelza could tell her being married to Ross isn't sunshine and rainbows all the time, and that might help Elizabeth with her own predicament. Though the fact that Ross and Demelza married for love might never be something Elizabeth can fully get over.

[Llywela]

23 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

If Demelza and Elizabeth were closer, Demelza could tell her being married to Ross isn't sunshine and rainbows all the time, and that might help Elizabeth with her own predicament. Though the fact that Ross and Demelza married for love might never be something Elizabeth can fully get over.

Demelza adored Ross long before she married him, but Ross has admitted that he didn't fall in love with Demelza until after they were married - he married her for convenience and out of a sense of duty. So while Elizabeth might envy the happiness they have enjoyed in their marriage (which certainly hasn't been all sunshine and roses, although it might look that way from afar), she can't envy them marrying for love because they didn't really. Whether Elizabeth sees it that way or not is another matter!