Poldark season 5 episode 1 review: Who started the fire?

Tonight, Poldark season 5 episode 1 kicked off the new season in fine fashion, giving us an update on where some of these characters are. We’re talking not just in terms of physical events, but also in terms of emotional states.

Take, for example, where we are with one George Warleggan. This is not the same George we’ve seen before. He still loathes Ross, but he is unable to keep his eye on the prize in a way in which he once was. He’s in mourning; cynical as he may be, George loved this woman with much of his heart. He cannot deal with the idea of her being gone and he’s struggling to the point of trying to dictate where he can see photos of her.

For Ross this week, he found him dealing with a struggle that was very important to his past. Insert Ned, a man who he had some experience serving with years before. He’d been arrested and in a position that felt like there was a gross mischaracterization of justice. This is why Ned’s wife Kitty, a former slave from Honduras, was desperate to find a way to ensure his freedom. She and Demelza felt much of a common bond, largely because both started out as kitchenmaids before eventually developing a romantic relationship.

Dwight was starting to find himself within a more prominent position within the medical field of the region. He is concerned about Ross getting too involved within the world of Ned Despard, given that Ned has never quite reciprocated and has made plenty of enemies over the course of his life.

As the episode continued, eventually Demelza found herself in a position that nobody could have expected — one involving a fire. Who is out to hurt her and the family?

The way the events around the fire were shot was rather brilliant — we saw what was going on with Demelza and the kids at the same time that Ross was able to stop an assassination attempt. Ross was a hero to the Crown and yet, in the aftermath of all of this he found himself questioned in regard to his own loyalties. They don’t love the idea of him having a bond with Ned Despard. Yet, His Majesty may have a role for Ross and some of his “talents” yet. We’ll have to see what that means and how it ends up impacting the rest of the world.

As for the fire, the top suspect is Tess, a young woman who fancies herself somewhat of a revolutionary. Yet, she proclaims innocence and if she didn’t do it, who did? She may know even if it wasn’t her.

What else transpired?

Morwenna and Drake are trying to work their way through some serious issues and trauma of her past. She does love Drake, much as she does also want to be with him. Yet, what she went through with Ossie Whitworth is a scar that will never be healed. She may be able to handle intimacy down the road, but it’s going to take time. We don’t think that Drake is trying to rush her, but he is human. He will naturally make some mistakes as a result of that.

Unfortunately for Drake, he has this habit of not making life altogether easy on himself — hence, him spending some time within George’s home. That was something that caused immediate anger.

CarterMatt Verdict

Poldark season 5 episode 1 ended up being a fantastic introduction to this world once more. It introduced new characters, gave us an investigation into established ones, and set the stage for what would be coming up next. Ross could become involved more in espionage, while Demelza’s going to be spending some time figuring out how to rebuild.

Another subject that will be worth exploring now is the idea of George and whatever mental illness that he’s dealing with. It looks as though he has a hard time separating what’s happening right now from when Elizabeth was still around.

What did you think about Poldark season 5 episode 1?

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