Poldark season 3 episode 7 review: Aunt Agatha, George’s painful storm

Last week’s Poldark ended on a devastating note, given that we saw Morwenna marry Whitworth a.k.a. Awful McAwfulface as a means to free Drake from prison. Consider this the ultimate sacrifice.

When the show picked back up tonight, there were a few moments of happiness courtesy of a boisterous celebration — yet, moments after that things got good and terrible again with Burgess George getting some news that could change his political future — Sir Piers Arthur is dead, which means that Truro lacks a proper MP. That’s something we’ll revisit in time in this review.

Before that, Morwenna got some really terrible news in that she had to be alone with her new husband. That’s so terrible it even overshadows George not wanting Ross to be there for Agatha’s 100th birthday (at least the idea of it) or Drake staring longingly into the ocean without a shirt on. (Is there really any other way for him to do this? Seems unlikely.) Poor Morwenna looks to be pale and suffering under Whitworth’s reign, which includes constant threats of violence and having to deal with being carted around from place to place like an object rather than a person

At one point, Morwenna was questioned as to why she made the decision that she did with Whitworth — in doing that, maybe she found herself some further comfort, though not all that much.

Fancy parties and relationship trouble

Hey, where would Poldark be without these sort of events? We had a larger introduction this week to Hugh Armitage (even though we’ve technically already met him), a man of great means and almost the good version of George in that regard. Granted, it’s not like he is that good given that he seems to have an eye for Demelza. It’s easy to understand why she would have an interest, given that he writes poetry, he’s attractive, intelligent, and a man of means. Of course, it’s wrong in terms of her being married, but Ross needs to step up his game! Also, Ross hasn’t exactly have a pattern of faithfulness.

The truth here is that it was beyond obvious that Hugh had an interest in Demelza. Yet, Ross didn’t seem to pay it any mind.

Political problems and George being George

As the episode went along, we had a chance to see more of the current political climate in Truro. Ross was heavily encouraged to take part in the election, and when George did that, he did some of what he does best: Kick stuff over. Ross wasn’t initially interested in the offer, largely because of the fact that he did not want to become one of those power-hungry men we often see. Sir Francis was a good man, but it was still not something he was that interested in. That apathy may have cost him, and all of Truro, in a pretty painful way.

While George was enraged over the mere thought of Ross getting involved,  He determined for whatever reason that he wanted to torment Agatha, showing her through the records that she was actually turning 98 instead of 100. Oh, and he was also taking away her party and her food. He diminished Agatha to the point of her begging to have a party, and Agatha fought back hard. Finally, she made it clear to him that Valentine may not be his child — a powerful moment that was teased in advance.

Where this story eventually led was the stress and the pain being too much for Agatha; as Elizabeth came to her looking to see what was wrong, she died saying that she shouldn’t have told him the truth. Eventually, George sent along the news of her death, while also making a boastful reminder that he was selected by Sir Francis as the MP candidate. Demelza made it clear that it could have been him, and that sent their relationship over the edge — and may send Demelza over to Hugh. Ross concluded tonight in solemn fashion, doing what he could to bury Agatha without honor.

Overall take

Heartbreaking. That is the best way to describe what we saw over the course of this hour. While there were some lovely, lavish moments, there were too many tears elsewhere to pay attention to them in the end. Grade: A.

Where is Poldark going to go moving forward?

There is a new preview for the next new episode over at the link here! We will, of course, have some additional updates coming up in the future, including a ratings report on Monday. (Photo: BBC.)