Poldark - season 2 finale

The weeks just went to fast for season 2 of Poldark!  I'm looking for ward to getting a copy of the DVD with the uncut version.

Overall, I was pleased with the progress of the story and how it stayed close to the books in most areas.  I did feel there was something missing though, which was inevitable due to the story line.  That being affection between Ross and Demelza - you know the hand-holding, hugs, easy banter, etc.  Even before the extreme lapse of marriage vows,  there was a lot of angst what with the trial, the death of Francis, the troubles at the mine.  Now I'm not forgetting the lovely, sexy stocking scene or the bath, (was wishing I was Demelza for those! lol)  It's just the little everyday signs that say 'I love you, value you, want to be with you'.   I missed seeing that.

I had a lot of anxiety watching this last episode, especially when Ross dons his uniform - I know from the books he does not go off to war, but wasn't sure if the script would reflect that.  Happily it did and even more happily we got to see Ross in his army duds and luckily I didn't keel over from that vision.

Also I was wanting, as I'm sure most viewers were, to see some sort of reconciliation between Ross and Demelza and was forced to wait until the final five minutes!  That should not surprise me, but I was worried it might not happen and I'd have to wait until next season.

Really, Ross can be such a dumbbell.  There were a number of times when he and D verbally sparred over his affair, where she expressed her feelings of inadequacy, that Elizabeth was his ideal, that she could never be as good as her and he never once gave argument or denied that was not true. It wasn't until she was packing her bags that he FINALLY tells her that his true; real; abiding love is for her and her alone.   That simple statement went a long way towards healing their breach.  What took him so long??  Oh yeah, the writer.... had to keep us on the edge of our seats.

I was happy to see Dr. Enys and Caroline get back together.  George was his usual weaselly self and Aunt Agatha drops a bomb on Elizabeth when she suggests the baby might come sooner than March.  Oh-Oh!  We vets of the soap opera world know that any time there is illicit sex, a baby comes along, so no surprise there.  What will George do when his son arrives looking a lot like Ross?  Ha!  I hope we'll find out before the series ends.

Sigh.... a long wait for season three.............

  

Just shoot the bastard...... please !

(all pictures are screen prints from episode 9)

Poldark episode 7, PBS Detoit

I held off commenting on last Sunday's airing of episode 7 of the Poldark series here on PBS.  I wanted to think about it for a bit and I wanted to find out what was cut from the final scenes first.

 

Having read the books, I knew that at some point, Elizabeth would agree to marry the upstart George Warleggan and that Ross would have a melt down and take his anger out in a most unbecoming way. 

In an earlier post about the book, I was really hoping Debbie Horsfield would not make Ross look like a rapist and yet, after the show was over, I was thinking that was too much the other way.  The look of desire on Elizabeth's face practically challenged Ross to take her. She didn't seem to fight him off all that much while in the book she clearly says No and even slaps him before he carries off to bed.  That had me wondering what was cut.  

I posted on facebook about it and one of my fellow fans posted a link to You Tube showing the scene and I have to say, it was much more forceful, more in line with the book.  I have to wonder why our area PBS felt it they had to show the watered down version (with a viewer discretion warning at the beginning)  Maybe because of the time slot at 9 p.m.?  Over here, racier things are usually shown at 10 p.m.  - I'm talking about network TV not cable, where anything goes.  At any rate, I can remember seeing more shocking things on I, Claudius years ago than what was in this episode!  Go figure.

Was it rape or not?  This has been heavily debated all over the net and basically, it's up to the reader/viewer to decide if it is or not.  For a lot of us, No means No, however Elizabeth's protests, which at first seemed sincere, died quickly and she was clearly wanting him as much as he wants her. 

Does that make it OK? Of course not as we see when Demelza knocks him on his butt when he comes home the next morning.  

So Ross has fallen from grace.  Can he get back his self-respect and his true love?  Well, I know since I have read all the books, but for those who haven't - my mips are smealed.  LOL

Here is a link to the uncut scene for those who want to watch it.:

Can You Offer Me Anything Else?

 

One last thought, even if Ross would leave Demelza for Elizabeth, would she have been happy being penniless?  I don't think so.  Demelza came from nothing and knows how to survive hard times.  Elizabeth is used to a certain standard of living.  Ross could not give this to her - George could, and even more.  So even though she denies it, George's money has to be a large part of her decision to marry him.  I don't really fault her for this, but I do for keeping Ross dangling on the edge of her feelings instead of cutting him loose completely.  If she can't have him, then nobody else should.  I hate that.

Looking for Kindness in a Nation gone wild...

It's been a rough week for many us and a joyous one for others.  The results of the election are horrifying to me, but I'm hoping my fears will be wrong.  I will happily eat humble pie if they are.  My biggest problem right now is the backlash on social media, Facebook being the one I use daily.

I had hoped once the circus was over, it would get back to a place I liked to be.  Don't get me wrong, I've found myself hitting the reply button and sharing certain things that speak to the way I think.  I have decided that I need to stop doing this.  I need to remember the words that I can so clearly hear my mother saying  - "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything".  Trust me, this will be a challenge for me and one I will hope to fulfill.

Currently the hateful memes and comments just keep coming from both sides.  I feel the people who create these memes have hate in their hearts and everyone who shares them becomes complicit in that hate. I'm asking, begging actually, that my family and friends stopped sharing them.  Just. Stop.  It hurts my heart to see you being used as an instrument in hate-mongering.

I want to know how you are doing. I want to see your photos from that event you attended or those adorable shots of the kids, grand-kids, pets.  I want to share, virtually, in your joys and your sorrows. I want to congratulate your accomplishments.  It's up to each of us to bring back the sense of community in this little space on the web and I'm hoping we can all find peace in our hearts and get back to kindness

"Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me"  listen to this beautiful and meaningful song here:  Let There Be Peace on Earth

As always, you are free to agree or disagree and your comments on the topic are welcome.  Any political comments will be deleted.