Poldark Series 1, Episode 4: Recap and Review

Hurrah! The nice lady who frequents the inn has a name! She of the Oldest Profession is no longer merely a cipher, defined by her function. Dispensing her unique brand of consolation and warmth, Margaret doesn't care who you are as long as you can pay her.

Which is a jolly good thing because winter is coming, and everybody is looking for something: the Wheal Leisure miners are looking for copper, the fisherwomen scan the waves looking for pilchards, and Francis is looking for a personality. Now it is his turn to glare at the sea, as if he'll find himself in its depths. 

Instead of flinging himself into it, he flings himself at Margaret. Buckling under the pressure of running his own mine, the antipathy of his father who tells him he's "neither use nor ornament", and thoughts of Ross and Elizabeth, he is, in Elizabeth's words, "often away".

Among his many philanthropic acts, Ross too has consorted with Margaret in the past but now he doesn't have to. As if the physical signifiers of his unconventionality – the swarthy complexion, facial scar, and wild, unruly hair – couldn't be any more obvious, he's now gone and married his kitchen maid. When it comes to social reform the man just can't help himself.

"Is she beautiful?" asks Margaret.
"In a way," says Ross.
"So, you love her?"
"We get on."

Oh. Well, whether in love or in lust, these newly-weds are doing plenty of getting it on. "I do get less sleep," says Demelza.

Basking in post-coital glow, she wonders, however, if they've done the right thing. She's not sure why Ross married her and what that means for her, and she's not the only one. "'T ain't fair,  't ain't proper, won't last," mutter Jud and Prudie, Podarkland's resident Greek chorus. Ross' controversial nuptials have created scandal up and down the county.

"He's done it now," says Old Man Poldark. "He must be deranged," says Elizabeth's mother, and Francis warns Ross that his marriage will cut him off from society. Not only that, the Wheal Leisure shareholders also question Ross' judgement. Can he run a mine? Can they trust him with their money? Even Ross himself admits that he may have been blinded by Demelza's pies.

Only Verity is pleased. Open-minded and compassionate, she is the first to congratulate Ross and Demelza. Cynically, Francis suggests this is because she is "not the only one to disgrace the family by an unfortunate engagement." Dissatisfied and unfulfilled with needlework and spinning, Verity is still pining for Captain Blamey and his unforgettable mast (and no doubt he too is keen to experience the delights of her posset).

Meanwhile, as the miners continue to struggle to find copper, Demelza struggles to find herself. It wasn't long ago that Ross described her as "a bit feral", and here she is wrestling Jud to the ground for a pie, and embarrassing herself with un-ladylike talk and behaviour.

In a plot element reminiscent of Pygmalion, Ross sets about taming his wife and buys her ribbons to tie up her "unruly mane" (pots? Kettles?). Demelza also engages Jinny as her maid. Speaking of whom, where's her baby? And what about Dim Jim? Jinny appears to have forgotten about her poor husband languishing in prison. Then again, the excitement of being the new pie-maker-in-chief would be too much for anyone to handle.

Then Verity comes to stay at Nampara and gives Demelza lessons in how to be a lady. These include dancing, fan-wafting, clothes shopping and napkin folding (which proves to be disappointing: if I were Demelza I'd want to know how to make those fancy swans and bishops' hats).

All of this is just as well as her in-laws have invited Ross and Demelza over for Christmas. It's winter so Trenwith has been dusted with icing sugar and surrounded by smoke machines. Relieved by the recent death of Old Man Poldark, Francis finds himself "one of the most important men in the county" – and also a  period cliché, spending his inheritance on gambling and whoring. Which is tough on Elizabeth, who can't do anything right. By being nice to Demelza, who she describes as " a startled fawn", she is, insists Francis, still only trying to get close to Ross.

"Don't lace your stays too tight, they feed you well here," says Ross to Demelza as she gets ready for dinner. (What? Are pies on the menu?). The gathering has been gate-crashed by a party that includes Ruth Teague, who sets Demelza up for humiliation with bitchy repartee and insists she does an after-dinner turn for the group. But Demelza, as we know, has many talents. In addition to pie-making and mind-reading, it turns out she can also sing and captivates her audience with her sweet sincerity and a powerful song that resonates with all. 

Back home, Demelza still doesn't believe Ross loves her, and asks him why he married her. After the vicar warned him last week about extra-marital fornication I expected his answer to be sex and pies, but finally he tells his copper-haired wife that she is his redemption, and that he does love her.

Demelza too has a special Christmas present for Ross. She has another pie in the oven, but this time a metaphorical one. This comes as a surprise to Ross, who appears to have lost his grasp of human biology. 

As above, so, rather predictably, below: the Wheal Leisure miners find copper. The parallel between this and Demelza's pregnancy is somewhat contrived but nevertheless, it's all a cause for celebration. Excuse me while, like Demelza, I stick a fork in my eye.