Poldark season 5 episode 6 review: The legacy of Ned Despard
Tonight, Poldark season 5 episode 6 offered up an opportunity to explore the state of things for Ross and Ned Despard, a man who had bitten off far more than he could chew. Regardless of whatever his intentions were, what we learned about Ned through his time on the series is that he had a problem with words. He couldn’t express himself in a way other than throwing suspicion around himself, and come the halfway point of the episode, the bad news started to trickle in. Ned was going to be executed, and in the most brutal of fashions.
Who ever would’ve thought that Ned would get the most horrific of punishments within the past 50 years? Yet, the judge threw the book at him and Ned’s rebellious ways looked to get the better of him … unless, of course, Ross could figure out a way to help him in time. It didn’t seem like there was a way for much of the episode, and instead, all that they could do is try to make everyone okay with some of what was to come.
The execution scenes for Ned were a nail-biter and then some as we wondered if he would really be hanged, and if there was any way for the tide to be turned. Right as the noose was tied around his neck, though, a note was rushed in and passed along. Within that note, it was revealed that Ned would hang and that would be it — he’d be spared the other parts of the punishment but still punished nonetheless. Ned was hanged, Ned is gone, and that is the tragedy of the episode.
In Ross Poldark’s mind, conspiracy and governmental power won — meanwhile, decency and respect for differences of opinion loss. Ross worked to mourn Ned at the conclusion of the episode, with Demelza doing what she could to be there for him along the way.
Then, you had those closing minutes, where Ross was knocked out by someone close to Merceron. What happens next?
The state of Geoffrey Charles and Cecily
Let’s just say that things are far from great. We know that Geoffrey loves Cecily, but because of Cecily’s father Ralph, he was not going to be able to get what he wanted. Instead, Ralph wanted Cecily to marry George, a chance to boost his family’s status and also ensure that George could keep up appearances.
At the wedding ceremony, this is where Cecily and Geoffrey Charles made their Hail Mary — Cecily proclaimed that she’d already been with Geoffrey, and if she married George and was with him, he would never know if the child was his. This is a trigger of sorts for George, given all that he’s gone through. George doesn’t want to marry anyone else, and Cecily now looks to be confined to her room for the better part of the next month.
CarterMatt Verdict
We’ll admit that we haven’t been the biggest fan of the Ned storyline, mostly because he hasn’t been a great friend to Ross and cannot stay out of his own way. This episode had a lot of tragedy and a wide array of storylines — Drake and Morwenna are more blissful than they’ve been, and Sam is actually trying to do what he can in order to save Tess … even though she may not be able to be saved.
What did you think about Poldark season 5 episode 6 overall?
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