Poldark Episode 2

Poldark

by Winston Graham

Previously: Ross came home from war, everything was terrible.

Seagulls in the morning light. Ross is looking over maps and looking at a chunk of ore that has what looks like copper?  Jud has a voice over about the vein of copper being the vein of life, blah blah blah, over a montage of workers walking to a mine, and soldiers watching them. Someone nails a notice of closure on the Wheal Reath mine, and a man carefully gets dressed while someone pounds on his door. The soldiers stop the workers, and one of the workers says that, “It ain’t right, this is all we have.” The man getting dressed is told that there are bailiffs at Wheal Reath, but he refuses to be hurried, shaving, putting on his wig. The soldiers and the workers begin to scuffle, and the well-dressed man, clearly the owner of the closed mine, picks up a pistol and we cut to the outside of his house and hear the gunshot.

In Ross’ courtyard, Demelza is washing her hair under the pump, and cursing (very very loudly) at how cold it is. I knew I liked her a lot. Ross sticks his head out his window to see what the clamor is about, and she looks up at him and snaps, “Happy?” He kinda shrugs and says, “Shouldn’t I be?” She snaps that a body must scrub herself raw to please some folk and she stalks off. Jim, one of the Wheal Reath mine workers (and one of Ross’ boys from the first episode) tells Ross that the mine has been closed and everything is awful.

George and his slimy uncle (Their family name is Warleggan) are also discussing the mine closure and the suicide of its master. Turns out they’re kind of the cause of it, since they declined to extend his loans any further- George has some feelings about that, but his uncle’s like all’s fair in business and money, yo. George also has company: a prostitute who looks a little bit like Elizabeth. She asks if she can go, he won’t let her, and demands that she call him sir.

Jim and Ross discuss Jim’s prospects. No one is hiring, but maybe Ross can use a farm hand? Ross still hasn’t thrown away the damn ring, but he still has the wad of cash his uncle gave him. With determination, he rides to his uncle’s house (where Elizabeth watches from a window).

Verity is happy to see him, and his great-aunt asks when he’s leaving for London, but Ross is “minded to stay.” Uncle Charles is like I FUCKING KNEW YOU’D PULL SOME STUPID THING LIKE THIS but Ross turns the conversation to the closed mine.  “Bad business.  very bad.” Uncle Charles has a dippy hat on his head.  Ross asks carefully if Grambler has loans with the Warleggans. They do- everyone does.

Ross kindly tells Verity that she should visit him soon, but no, she has duties and can’t be gadding about. My roommate makes a sound of disgust.

Elizabeth pouts in her room, and Francis comes to her, asking if she’s tired.  She says that she might rest a while, and Francis asks if he could join her. She doesn’t answer.

Ross finds his other (unemployed) bros, and they’re all grumbling about getting starvation wages.  Ross says that he can promise nothing (but doesn’t say he won’t try). At his own mine, Francis finds Ross, who is wondering whether the mine is totally played out. Francis pouts that his father will never let him do anything cool, while Ross muses about sharing the burden and the spoils.

In town, Ross is meeting with his banker, speaking in hypotheticals about opening a mine and what would it take. “Capital?” “I have none.” “Expertise” “…not so much” “Allies?” “…my cousin?”  Well, he’s gonna need something along the lines of all three.  Ross goes into a tavern, and the prostitute that George was banging comes over to bother him. He’s got no money or inclination for her expertise, and she susses out that he’s got a sweetheart.  “I went to war.” And now no one loves him. “Perhaps she loves you still.”

Ross rides off towards home, and happens upon Verity, who is out riding in a delightful riding habit. In Ross’ courtyard, D is hanging up the laundry, and Ross asks her to bring Verity something to drink.  D gives the most adorable awkward attempt at a curtsey ever. Verity asks if she’s settled, and Ross is like, “she’s still somewhat feral” (BUT SHE’S TRYING SO HARD). Verity: “I wonder if I might ask you the greatest of favors.”

Ross at his desk, thinking, pouring over the maps again, playing with the ring, while D sweeps and watches him through the doorway.

Francis asks Elizabeth if she’ll reconsider going to tonight’s Assembly, “You know how I like to show off my wife to the world.”

Ross leaves with determination, and D asks Prudie where he’s going. “To the dance.” “He don’t look too happy about it.”  “Gentlefolks is strange,” Prudie says.  She is right.  Rich people, man.

At the assembly, Ross leads Verity down stairs, and she is very happy to be there. Ross persuaded his uncle to let Verity come, since she got all her chores done or something. Verity notes that there are a great number of girls who would be grateful to acquire the name of Poldark.  “Look to your liberty, cousin.”

At Lumley, Jud and Prudie are drinking while D scrubs the floor.

George slimes up to Ross and slimes that he does expect to see Ross come knocking looking for money.  Ross is like “shhha whatever” and then sees a man catch Verity’s eye and go talk to her. Before he can go see what that’s about, a young woman and her mother accost him, clearly in hopes of catching his interest.

Verity’s young man is a sea captain!  How invigorating! She’s seriously breathless and it’s both cute and heartbreaking.  “Are you interesting in rigging?” “Oh, exceedingly!”  Ross’s young lady asks if he’s fond of dancing. He non-answers.

D sneaks into Ross’ study, and sits down and the piano, and is startled with a very drunk Jud and Prudie stagger to their bed, singing. She finds the chunk of ore from the opening scenes and it twinkles in her candle light.

Ross has shed the young lady, and is found by three older men, one of whom says that he heard Ross was poking around “the old strumpet” the other day. Ross does a quick catalogue of any woman he’s talked to and the dude clarifies: “Wheal Leisure” (a mine).  OH YES THAT. They all agree that it would take a brave man to open a mine, and one of the men was the mine captain for Ross’ father- they dug tin out of Wheal Leisure, but it closed before they could go deeper and find copper or something. Ross muses that a little speculation might go well for people.

VERITY AND HER SEA CAPTAIN ARE ACTUALLY TALKING RIGGING. He’s sketching out masts and sails and she’s asking intelligent questions.  Adorbs.  He looks at her with interest, and asks when he might see her again.  “I really couldn’t say.”

D sneaks out of the study and there’s Jud, judging. “What are you doing in there?” “Just looking.”  “There’s nothing in there for the likes of we.  GO HOME.”  D is defensive.

The sea captain really would like to be better acquainted with Verity, and she wouldn’t mind, but (BUT) there’s her stupid family to deal with.

Ross’ young lady finds Ross and tries her hardest. “Remind me, Captain Poldark, but was I engaged to you for this next dance?” “Not…. that I recall. Would you excuse me?” She’s really embarrassed, but there’s Elizabeth and Francis! “Ross! Are you come to take my wife off my hands?” “If she has no objections.”  Ross and Elizabeth dance.

George slimes on Francis that Ross is most attentive to Elizabeth. But who is that dude with Verity?  He is a captain, name of Blamey, on a Lisbon packet, and it’s not like Verity is likely to get better offers at her age. Not that her father can spare her.  (UGH)

As they dance, Ross and Elizabeth start smiling at each other and being less awkward, and EVERYONE notices- Verity, the matchmaking mamas, the gossips, everyone. Whispers start, and Verity, being the most reasonable person in Cornwall, sidles over to Ross as soon as the dance is over to introduce her Captain. Ross, being not the most reasonable person, leads Elizabeth off.

The captain asks if Verity might reciprocate his interest, and she does, but leaves him to go separate Ross and Elizabeth, who are standing far too close for gossip and acting like a couple. She sends Elizabeth to see Francis, and reminds Ross that gossips like to talk, and he is giving them rather a lot to talk about. She tries to smooth it all over by asking Ross to eat supper with them, but he slams a shot of port (I think) and snaps that he has no appetite and stalks off.  The captain comes back and says that he cannot go to Verity’s father unless she is “in full possession of the facts.”

George comes up behind Ross as he’s leaving and slimes that Ross Poldark in love is a sight to behold, but Ruth Teague (the young lady) is unlikely to remind one of a previous attachment.  Ross marches straight to the tavern, finds the wench from earlier, and tells her that one service is all he requires.  She leads him upstairs.

In the morning, D is gathering flowers on the cliffside, and sees Ross return home. He does not see her (she’s hiding a bit) and he heads to the beach for a swim. D sneaks a look at his nekkid back (and front, and other parts not shown because this is PBS). Clever girl.

Back in the house, Ross is going over the plans for one of the mines again. D brings him some lunch, and there’s a knock on the door.  It’s Charles! He’s grumpy. “Opening a mine?” He calls Ross stubborn, rash, and won’t take no for an answer. He asks that Ross take Francis along, he needs to learn to stand on his own two feet. Ross will take Francis along for the speculation ride, sure (as long as interest can be drummed up), but he asks his uncle to tell Francis to practice discretion, especially as it applies to Slimey George.

In the yard, Ross is dressed for riding, and D is carrying a basket of wood while Jud and Prudie sit on their drunken butts. D protests that Jud is saying that D is “getting ideas, but I don’t got ideas, sir! I do know me place.” “Your place is where I say it is.”  He tells her to fetch her cloak, but she’s never had a cloak.

They arrive in town, with D riding in front, clutching her shirt in front of her breasts. “This is an important day for us both, lets see who can strike the better bargain.”  He see Verity walking, and calls for her- she hears him, but keeps walking. Ross runs into Elizabeth coming out of a shop, and takes her packages- just to chivalrous, of course.  Slimey George sees them, and Elizabeth sees Slimey George see them.

Ross enters the tavern where’s he’s meeting Francis, but Slimey George got there first. Francis says he’s in “no mood to speculate… I need something I can depend on.”  Dick.

In a meeting room, eight other men enter.  One asks if Francis will be joining them, and is glum to hear he changed his mind. “”It would lend a certain…” “gravity?” Ross shrugs. It’s go time. He’s been rehearsing this speech.  “You come here today to decide one thing: whether to risk good gold in pursuit of copper.”  The men grumble about the situation- Welsh mines, closed mines…

Slimey George tries to get information out of Francis.

Ross points out that with the closed mines, the supply of copper will go down, so the price, should they find copper in Wheal Leisure, should rise. It sounds good on paper….

Slimey George and Francis are playing cards. “Is he seeking investment?” “…couldn’t say.”

Ross lays out the plan- he’ll be manager, other people will provide equipment and such at nominal cost. They’ll have a banker, to an extent, but not the Warleggans- they’re dicks and will withdraw credit at the slightest sign of problems.  Ross is unwilling to deal with that shit.

Back at the tavern, Slimey George continues to slime: “We cannot chose our family, but we can choose our friends.” He’ll let Francis know if he sees him being played for a fool- in business, love, etc  Just saying.

Ross lays it down: this is the wager. First three months bet is 50 guineas.  High reward, high risk.  Who’s in?  Everyone.  Everyone is in.  They toast to Wheal Leisure.  Ross notes Francis walking with Slimey George.

Outside, D has bargained for a good bucket of… fish?  It’s looks like fish. Anyway, she’s very pleased with her skills, but some of the men that Ross has just gotten into bed with eye her with disgust.  She yells at them that she’s not a circus attraction, and Ross is like yeah, but you’re a poorly dressed one. He buys her a cloak, and she’s so thrilled with it- touching and swooping it in glee. She really has never had one before.

Back at Ross’ uncle’s house, Uncle Charles is yelling about some girl encouraging him and oh my god the slut, and Francis is sort of trying to calm him down and sort of egging him on “If you’d seen her at the assembly…” We’re seeing Elizabeth hear all of this, and it’s not clear which “she” the men are talking about it.  “You should have put a stop to it!” “I shouldn’t need to! She should be mistress of her own behavior!”

Ross and D ride back, and D has a new dress, too!  In the kitchen, D hears a knock at the door- Jud and Prudie won’t answer, so D finds Elizabeth at the door. She is looking for Mr. Ross.  Ross comes in, and asks if Elizabeth has been offered some refreshment, and D’s like “…oh” and Elizabeth kindly says “your maid has done her best.” D adds a note of how to behave like a person (she’s still a bit feral, after all), and is dismissed (Ross isn’t mad, he’s amused.)

Elizabeth bursts out that it’s all so complex, how can she explain? (by doing it, I should think).  Ross thinks he knows- “You love Francis, I love Francis, but this cannot go on!” Elizabeth sends Ross to go talk to Charles and Francis- as Jud walks in on them. Ross tries to get Jud to leave, who protests that the world is terrible when you can’t go about your duties without getting yelled at (tell me about it). Ross sends Elizabeth off with “I’ll follow you direct” and leaves to saddle his horse, and tells Jud “remind me to thrash you later.”  Jud retorts, “Ain’t no call for that, Mr. Ross. Ain’t just, ain’t kind, ain’t civil, ain’t friendly.”  Ha.

At Charles’ house, Elizabeth is miraculously cleaned up from her riding habit, and Charles announces that Verity has greatly disappointed them. She’s formed an attachment, and has been secretly been seeing the captain. But as it turns out, the captain is  drunkard and beat his former wife to death!  But Verity is a plain girl, and that makes her easy prey!

Verity snags Ross before he leaves and gives him the version she has been told- Blamey told her everything at the ball (when he said “you need to know the truth”) and that his wife tried to strike him, and he pushed her away and she fell and hit her head. He went to prison, was stripped of his military position, and “he would never lift a finger to hurt me.  I love him, Ross.”  Surely Ross can understand that.

At Ross’ house, Verity and Blamey are there- Ross says that Verity trusts Blamey, and Ross trusts Verity, so…  Ross and Jim are bundling straw when they see parasols coming up the road.  It’s Miss Teague and her mama.  They walk outside, as the parlor is occupied, talking about what a lovely hobby farming is, but Ross is like, “it’s not a fucking hobby.” The mama asks if Verity is still seeing that blackguard, “but of course you wouldn’t know about that, being so out of the way.” Miss Teague tries (she’s seriously trying so hard to be agreeable). Ross sends them on their way- he’s got work to do.  Mama Teague tries to invite him for tea, and he’s like, “your efforts are wasted here, so bye!” and both are put out.

The weather turns, and Ross rides out and finds Charles and Francis on his doorstep.  “This is good timing, I was about to head to Wheal Leisure.” His hoping that Francis will still join them, but please don’t tell George anything. He’ll totally betray everyone!  “Like you’ve betrayed us?”  Francis knows that Verity is meeting with Blamey and spurs to Ross’s house.

In the parlor, there’s yelling and Verity trying to stop everything, but things progress enough that Francis challenges Blamey to a duel.  We know that this is about Francis and the size of his dick, because he literally shoves Verity to the ground when she tries to stop him.  They pace off, and fire, and Francis falls to the ground, bleeding from the neck? Ear? and Blamey is bleeding from the hand.

Ross carries Francis in for treatment- Prudie is afraid of blood, but D is not afeared of anything.  There’s cloth ripping and bandaging and Ross works quickly and efficiently.  Verity sends her captain away, “Surely you can see how it would be impossible for us to be together” and he knows, and goes away without argument.  Verity cries in a beautifully framed shot.

Elizabeth storms in, and finds Francis in the bed, bandaged. She screams that this is all Ross’ fault, and “How could you let him die!” But he’s not dead, he’s sleeping. He’s a fucking moron, but he’s not dead.

D is also not amused at this shit- “Your cousin owes you his life.  Where did you learn to do that, anyway?”  On the battlefield, of course. Ross is chugging straight from the bottle. Smart boy.  Charles grumps out, taking Francis to a wagon to go home, and blames Ross for everything and calls him a disgrace to the name of Poldark.  Ross is like, I’m sorry you feel that way.  Elizabeth tells Ross that SHE doesn’t blame him, but she needs Francis more than ever, since she’s pregnant.  Ross is quite shocked at this evidence that Francis and Elizabeth have done the do.

Ross is disgusted with himself (“Do I have half-wit written on my forehead?”), for letting himself think that maybe there was a chance with Elizabeth “I built a castle of winks and smiles.”  (We’ve all been there.)  But he calls up Jud and Jim and Prudie and bring them all to Wheal Leisure. D cooks fish, and they do some repairs to the outer buildings.

Ross offers D the chance to go home- since she might be too valuable to her family, and- D breaks in with worries that her work isn’t good enough, she’ll work harder, better, do more- No, no, Ross says, he’s trying to offer her a choice, not send her away if she doesn’t want to go.  “I belong here, sir.  I belong here.”

CarrieS:

This episode’s theme is nicely summed up by Prudie, who says, “Gentle folks is strange.” Sing it, sister. I swear these people seem to wake up every day, gaze thoughtfully at the ceiling and ask themselves, “What can I do today to make the rest of my life as miserable as possible?”

I love the opening credits. The scenery in this show is gorgeous and I feel like showing a minimum of actual people in the credits reinforces the fact that all these people are totally dependent on land and sea. They can have all the relationship drama they want, but ultimately their fates come down to “Is there copper, or isn’t there?”

Speaking of scenery, sometimes I like Ross and sometimes I don’t, but my lord, he is very easy on the eyes. I want to say to that poor brokenhearted girl at the world’s most awkward dance, “Honey, I get it, unavailable men are always hot. But really, just sit back and enjoy the view, because that is baggage you do not need.”

I love this show because it’s so pretty, and I like seeing Ross try to be a responsible landowner, and the practicalities of life, and everything is so pretty. I’m also rather fanatically Team Demelza. I find the show frustrating because in terms of everyone’s personal life it seems to be this horrible cascade of pouting and bad decisions. Let’s break it down:

1. Elizabeth thinks Ross is dead so she gets engaged to Francis, and when Ross comes back she tries to have an honest if somewhat passive aggressive conversation before the wedding and he pretends he doesn’t care, la la la, so she marries Francis, and AFTER THE WEDDING Ross is all, “Actually I do care and we’re obviously going to end up together even though you just got married and I’m going to be mad at you for getting married forever even though I practically dragged you to the church.”
2. Also before the wedding, Francis tries to have an honest conversation with Elizabeth and give her an out, but she’s all, “What, be honest for like five seconds? Heavens no, I’m going to lie my head off and ruin all our lives, duh.”
3. Francis tries multiple times to be a decent human being but he’s not made of steel so once George gets a hold of him for like five seconds it’s all over, he’s going to be a passive-aggressive douche now, maybe permanently. The immediate trigger – he told Ross and Elizabeth to dance and they had the temerity to look like they enjoyed it. SCANDAL. Jesus Francis, if you don’t want Elizabeth to dance with Ross stop saying, “Elizabeth, go dance with Ross.”
4. Then Elizabeth is all, “We have this huge problem” and Ross is all “Yes I know, this marriage thing is but a speed bump in the highway of love.” Yes, Ross, you do have “half-wit” on your pretty, pretty forehead.

Don’t even get me started on poor Verity, who, I’m sorry, has the worst parents in the history of ever, or George, who I’m sort of perversely fond of since he knows that these people are so dysfunctional that all he has to do is say, “Nice weather today” and wander off and they will instantly self-destruct in a frenzy of second-guessing the motives and hidden meaning of the weather report.

In my mental fanfic, Demelza, Garrick (the dog) and Verity run off to be pirate queens. They have many glorious affairs with gorgeous men all over the coast and sleep on huge piles of money. This is such a stunning, well-acted, beautifully written and filmed period drama but it needs some pirate queens. Make it happen, BBC.

RHG:

PIRATE QUEENS.  TEAM D.  TEAM VERITY. FUCK EVERYONE

I kind of need someone (Demelza, probably) to just pat Ross on the head and say, “It’s a good thing you’re pretty.” But! I do admire his plan to make a functioning mine, and how he garners his resources and uses a not insignificant amount of charisma to make it come together- with or without Francis and his pouty face.

When it comes to women, though? Ross is pretty stupid.  Maybe going to London would have been a smart move (at least he wouldn’t have to look at Elizabeth or hear about her pregnancy), but it would have ended this story. Also it would have been him getting bought off by his stupid uncle who is the worst, so fuck that guy.

Verity’s lost the family lottery, though. Whether or not Blamey was what he said or not, it was her choice to make, and it’s totally clear that Francis and Charles’ reaction is based on the affront to THEIR honor (and possible taking away of their housekeeper), not about protecting Verity. What a pair of dicks.  Pirate queens all the way, or at least a chance to tell everyone where they can go fuck themselves.

TEAM D.

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