‘Poldark’ season 2, episode 9 review: Demelza’s pain; Ross’ shadow; Elizabeth’s choice
On this past episode of the BBC’s “Poldark,” we had a moment that led to many people having some difficult conversations about the show. What happened between Ross and Elizabeth was a gut-punch in so many ways, whether it be questions of consent (she initially said no before giving in) to Ross’ act of infidelity alone.
Unfortunately, there was a moment on Sunday night’s new episode that made us almost as uncomfortable as everything that we saw before it. After all, we saw Demelza at first looking to capture an element of vengeance in sleeping with Captain Malcolm McNeil. She offered him access to her room after a party, but realized after his arrival that it was something that she could not bring herself to do. She was beholden to her husband, and while we did worry that we were going to have a rape scene in this episode, she was able to force him off of her.
The relationship between Ross and Demelza remained cold as ice over his recent actions, and he chose to preoccupy himself for much of the episode in business ventures — which actually did turn out well for him, given that he started to see signs that he could re-open Wheal Grace. Unfortunately, business success is nothing when you have nobody to share it with, which is a theme that reverberates often throughout the series. He did eventually find Demelza later walking alongside the beach, where she continued to hate the specter of her husband cast over her. If he was wanting redemption from his wife, he certainly did not get it via this conversation. It’s almost as if the two are speaking different languages, or that Ross believes that business success washes away any of the pain that she may be feeling.
So what would Elizabeth do in terms of her own future? She had a huge decision to make: Should she go with George, or wait around for Ross? While she hated Ross for the situation he placed her in (she wasn’t the only woman to say this about him tonight), she eventually chose to be with George. You know that George had to love this since it was another chance to do a happy-dance in Ross’ face.
What this marriage means for George is that he can travel with Elizabeth to London and be more involved in some elaborate social circles. This includes Caroline, who seems settled in further after what happened with Dwight. Elizabeth may not be happy, but her future was at least secure.
Meanwhile, Ross (after learning of this marriage) learned further that his discovery in the mine still meant almost nothing to his wife and their fractured relationship.
Episode Grade: B+. This show remains, at times, painful to watch just because we want to root for so many of these characters, but Ross has this terrible habit of making things so much harder for himself than he really needs to.