Show Ross the money
In classic British-drama fashion, the episode starts with a tragedy: The
suicide of a mine owner. LORD BASSET decided to take his own life after THE
WARLEGGANS recalled his loans and drove him to bankruptcy. You could argue that
the Warleggans killed him by proxy, but they don’t seem too preoccupied about
it [George briefly wonders if they are evil, but he gets over it].
Lord Basset’s death leaves a number of miners unemployed, so Ross
decides to single-handedly reactivate Cornwall’s economy by reopening his own
mine: WHEAL LEISURE. UNCLE POLDARK is surprisingly on board with the idea and
asks Ross to include FRANCIS in the project, so he can learn to be a man or
something along those lines.
Meanwhile, DEMELZA struggles to fit in at NAMPARA [Ross’s Estate]. Not
being lazy [or drunk] means she doesn’t have much in common with the other
servants (Jud and Prudie). At one point, Demelza sneaks into Ross’s study and
gets caught going through his books and harpsichord. JUD scolds her for “not
knowing her place”, especially since she can’t even read. Instead of going
down, she tells Jud that “she can try”. Point Demelza. To make it even better
she tells Ross about it. He sides with her and proclaims that “her place” is “wherever he decides it is”.
But Ross has problems much more complicated than finding investors,
keeping servants’ peace and creating jobs: Matters of the heart, to be precise.
He is still in love with ELIZABETH [who is still married to cousin Francis] and
it is plain to everyone [except to Francis who is too busy pitying
himself].And, as any Jane Austen fan knows, there is no better way to bring out
all social tensions than with A BALL. By now, you should probably know that
Ross is not the type of guy who likes balls [not being fond of gossip and
snobbery would do that to you]. Nevertheless, he decides to attend when his
cousin VERITY asks him to take her as a favour. Plus, some networking is never
a bad idea when you are starting a new business.
Unmarried at the OUTRAGEOUS age of TWENTY FIVE [!](*) and considered a
“plain girl”, Verity was probably never the most popular girl in town [but then
again, Elizabeth probably was and she married Francis …] So, imagine her
surprise when a “gentleman”, CAPTAIN BLAMEY, takes notice of her at the ball.
Also popular with the opposite sex is Ross [shocker]. Even with a questionable
inheritance and tarnished reputation, there are still plenty of girls who would
willingly take Ross just for his family name [and other… hmm attributes]. But
Ross is not interested in Corwall’s most eligible bachelorettes. He’d rather
spend time with his cousin’s wife. Elizabeth doesn’t seem to mind his attention
and soon the gossip about their potential “affair” starts.
But enough about that. Let’s talk about the real “core of the episode”.
DEMELZA is out in the fields when she sees Ross arrive home after a night of
gentleman indiscretions [because that’s how men usually deal with their
romantic drama]. He then proceeds to shed off all of his clothes and get into
the water to have what everyone is calling: THE DARCY MOMENT. Except it was
much better, because he wasn’t wearing a shirt [or pants for that matter].
Demelza doesn’t suffer from the ailments of polite society, so she keeps her
front row seat to the show [can’t say I blame her].
DAYS LATER, Ross gets a visit from a flustered Elizabeth. She tells him
that they “can’t continue like that” and urges Ross to have a conversation with
Francis and Uncle Poldark. Ross heads over to his uncle’s house ready to
profess his love for Elizabeth and claim her back [assuming that’s what she
wanted too]. However, when he arrives, he realizes that Elizabeth’s visit and
plea had NOTHING to do with their almost-but-not-quite-illicit relationship.
The entire family was in distress because they discovered that Verity had been
secretly dating CAPTAIN BLAMEY. And that’s not all… turns out Blamey is a
disgraced gentleman who [allegedly] beat his wife to death. Who would have
thought that Verity would end up being the black sheep of that family?
Uncle Poldark, Francis [and even Elizabeth] are ready to lock Verity in
a high tower and throw away the key. However, Ross decides to listen to her
side of the story. Verity tells Ross that she knew about the late Mrs. Blamey
and she is convinced that her death was an accident. [I am not so sure about
that... Blamey did have a ‘wife beater’ air about him]. In any case, Ross has to be the “cool cousin” and
arranges a secret rendezvous between Verity and the Cap. Unfortunately, Francis
and Uncle Poldark learn about this plan and show up before Verity can “tarnish
the family name” [Seriously, does anyone care about the poor girl’s
happiness?]. Francis picks the wrong moment to “act like a man” and challenges
Blamey to a duel. The duel ends tragically but without casualties. Francis is
hurt and Blamey [with a less serious injury] is asked to leave.
Soon after, Elizabeth arrives and is relieved to find Francis alive
[thanks to Ross’s combat medicine knowledge and Demelza’s improvised nurse
skills]. Elizabeth tells Ross that she needs Francis more than ever because she
is with child. *pause for dramatic collective gasp* Ross is completely
disheartened when he hears Elizabeth’s confession. He realizes that he had
“built a castle out of winks and smiles”, but Elizabeth would never end her
relationship with Francis to run away with him [she wouldn’t have the courage
to go against society’s rules]. News of the child are just what Ross needed to
realize that it is truly over.
So Ross briefly mourns the end of a life-long love story and then
decides to put all of his
energy to better use: resurrecting his mine. Earlier, Ross had rejected the Warleggan’ deal with the devil offer to finance his new endeavour
[last mine they financed ended in suicide after all] and recruits the help of a
better and nicer banker: MR PASCOE. He gets a meeting with several investors
and after a heartfelt Jerry-Mcguire-type speech he collects enough start-up cash
to get the mine going. [I think he had them at “Hello…
overheads will be low”]
Determined to make WHEAL LEISURE a reality, goes spends the day with his miners; because, unlike his uncle,
Ross actually believes “all men are created equal”. At the reopening “celebration”, he
tells Demelza that she is free to go back to her family, if she feels that’s
where she belongs. Demelza,
who Ross has already recognized “knows her own mind”, refuses his offer and
without hesitation tells him that she belongs there [with him]. And he is
pleased to hear that, he even smiles [sort of].
END OF EPISODE
"Gentlefolk is strange" - Prudie
Ruth Teague: Captain Poldark, was I engaged to you for this next dance?
Ross: Not that I recall
"What am I? a circus attraction?" - Demelza
I loved episode 2, I am totally hooked now
ReplyDeleteI thought that scene at the ball was hilarious too!
ReplyDelete