‘Poldark’ season 2: Did ratings drop, improve for controversial Ross, Elizabeth scene?

This past episode of “Poldark” on BBC One certainly proved to be a controversy-starter. Ross and Elizabeth slept together at the end of Sunday’s episode, and since that time there have been stories aplenty regarding whether the scene perpetuated rape myth, given that her character originally said no as Ross made unwanted advances at her.

To date, there have been some reported complaints over the episode, and even if you are not in the camp that the scene constituted rape in any way, odds are that you will at least contend that it was uncomfortable, and one of the more difficult things that we’ve watched on British television for quite a long time.

Given that this show is based on both another series and also a series of books, we knew there were many people who anticipated this coming in advance, and therefore could have opted to not tune in to see how the show interpreted what transpired here. As it turns out, though, this did not happen. Per Telly Mix, the show for BBC One held fairly steady with around five million people tuning in, which should give you a further sense that this audience is about as steady as they come.

Given that there were some claims that the Ross – Elizabeth scene on the show was to be radically different from other interpretations, maybe there were some who were watching anticipating a larger change. Or, maybe many of these viewers were unaware.

Either way, the real test of this show’s fan following will come on Sunday for the penultimate episode, given that this will mark the first opportunity to see if people who were upset about the scene decide to change their viewing habits in any way.

If you do want to get some further news right now regarding “Poldark,” including our review of this episode, head over to the link here. (Photo: BBC.)