History in Vogue discussion

Discussion for Masterpiece miniseries Poldark.



It’s 1783, and Britain is in a crisis of falling wages, rising goods prices, and civil unrest. Dashing, adventurous scoundrel Ross Poldark (Aidan Turner) returns from fighting overseas to find his world dramatically changed: his family estate is in ruins, his father has died, and his sweetheart is engaged to another.

Though he is encouraged to pack up and make a new life elsewhere, the stubborn Poldark resolves to change his destiny and restore his lost fortune. As he assembles a motley band of friends and servants, Ross finds a partner equally headstrong to share the twists and turns of his new life. But changing the status quo of this country hamlet creates powerful enemies, and soon Ross is caught between what he knows to be right, and what society dictates.

*from PBS Masterpiece

Episode One :

Captain Ross Poldark returns home to Cornwall after fighting in the American Revolution to find his father passed away, and his family's mine and dwindling estate on the brink of failure. And Elizabeth, the woman he loves, is engaged to marry his cousin, Francis. Despite adversity - and in defiance of his uncle's selfish urging that he go to London to begin a new life - Ross chooses to stay and fight for his family's legacy.

Episode Two :

(view spoiler)[ Ross's troubles continue as he tries to find investors for his copper mine - and deal with Demelza's father... While at a ball in town, he tries his best to evade the eligible young daughters of their society, but can't manage to avoid Elizabeth, whose marriage to Francis is already beginning to show signs of strain. Verity begins a romance with a widowed Naval Captain, but rumors of his first marriage bring her family's disapproval. Ross allows them to meet in secret, but their interludes culminate in a duel that leaves Francis gravely wounded. And bring both the announcement of Elizabeth's pregnancy, and the end of Ross's hope for them. Of course, George Warleggan is ready to take advantage of it all... (hide spoiler)]



Episode Three :

(view spoiler)[ Ross's mine finally opens, amidst simmering tensions with his family and rumors surrounding his relationship with both Elizabeth and Demelza. Angered over his failure to prevent the prosecution of a young tenant for poaching, he gives in to his attraction to Demelza, and after their night together, marries her. (hide spoiler)]



Episode Four :

(view spoiler)[ As Christmas nears, Ross faces failure for himself and his tenants at the loss of his investors, fearing risk of their capital in a mine yet to strike copper, and shocked at his hasty marriage to a serving girl. Demelza faces her own doubts at her new position and Ross's feelings for her. After Charles's death, Verity comes to stay with them and offers to teach Demelza how to live in her new station. An invitation to spend the holiday with Ross's family allows him to see Demelza in a new light, and Ross realises how much he's grown to love her. Just after Christmas, Ross's mine finally succeeds, and Demelza surprises him with the news that she's expecting their first child. (hide spoiler)]

With pics, too! Thanks, Marie!

Episode Five :

(view spoiler)[ Ross and Demelza have welcomed their child, a little girl named Julia, but their happiness is short lived. Copper prices continue to fall, and mines in the area face ruin at the hands of the Warleggan family. Against Ross's wishes Demelza goes to Captain Blamey, asking him to give himself and Verity another chance. But when she sets a meeting between them, the three are caught in the midst of a violent minors riot. While Ross and the other mine owners secretly form their own smelting firm to combat the Warleggan's power, Francis's last attempt to keep his own mine open against failing finances - and his gambling - fails. And the Warleggan's turn their next attempt toward Ross. (hide spoiler)]

Linda wrote: "With pics, too! Thanks, Marie!"

You're welcome! I felt pictures were necessary...

Have you seen last night's episode yet?

oh, most necessary! ;)

Why, yes, I did! Only thing on this summer! Still laughing over that link to the article.

As a friend commented, yes, it's so convenient that he gallops past gorgeous cliffs on his way to work every day. But I said, "hey, if I have to commute, and there's a pretty route, I'm taking the pretty route!" Right?

And I love that the pics are like the promo ads used for "Far from the Madding"--with quotes, as if they were inspirational photos!

I heard the mention of "Warleggans" last night, and it was mentioned in the presence of a snoopy stranger....foreshadow!!!

But I lost some of the dialogue due to the fan going, so, darn it! May have to repeat an episode! ;)

Linda, I have to use the closed captions to be able to understand what's being said due to the constant droning air conditioner going full blast. You should try it.

Linda wrote: "oh, most necessary! ;)

Why, yes, I did! Only thing on this summer! Still laughing over that link to the article.

As a friend commented, yes, it's so convenient that he gallops past gorgeous cliff..."

They're promotional photos, I think from the BBC twitter, but they are really good. And that article was pretty hilarious!

Laurie, did you see that Poldark was picked up for series two? The article Linda was referring to is definitely worth a read...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/tv/entries...

Laurie wrote: "Linda, I have to use the closed captions to be able to understand what's being said due to the constant droning air conditioner going full blast. You should try it."

Bahaha! Know what!? My TV is old (as in I brought it when I moved from Madtown 15 years ago)--so the remote's been gone for years!
I might not mind watching it again...;) Since there's nothing else but reruns on, anyway

So sad....does the double episode mean that there´s nothing until next year!? Is that the end of it for the summer!?

Next year...I finished the last episode last night and thought - what a rotten ending - but found out the next series will be next year.

Oh, that's too long to wait! It's like "Haven"--six episodes, and then they make you wait for 9 months! Just not fair! :)

Masterpiece Theater is a sadist. ;)

No kidding!

Yes, I think they're about to start filming. The next season will cover books three and four, and air spring/summer next year. There's s rumor they may continue with all twelve books because the ratings in Britain have been so high, they're saying there could be as many as five seasons.

Which reminds me, I need to post the summaries for the last two episodes...

With yummy pictures, please! :D

I came across Poldark by accident. I don't know if it was the last half of the first episode or the second, but I watched every episode afterwards, then had to miss the last half of the two hour finale. I don't know much about the author, I am going to get a copy of the first book and see how it reads.

Oh, I wish I'd received this sooner! They repeated the last episode tonight! You could have caught it!

I'm sure they will rebroadcast it sometime in the near future. I did check local listings for today when the PBS shows are repeated, but with the fund drive underway, that was not the case this time. Thanks, talk to you soon.

Aw, it was here on East Coast! I wasn´t checking what was on, but just got up and changed channels. Caught last 15 minutes again, and then the fund drive came on in between that and the next show!

You can stream PBS shows.

duh! Of course, Belle! I should have thought of that, bc I´ve done it! Putting this down to low-cal brain fog....
But maybe that episode´s not up yet. I don´t think PBS is like some others, where they don't put up the episodes until a week later, so I suppose you could try it, Kent!

here's link to my local
But you do have more commercials when watching it online!

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/w...

Oh, this is rich!
After living the last few weeks with only a couple of channels left (no, it wasn't the blessed mini box, it was the actual line--poor cable guy had to go up on the roof of this 3-story mansion. Came back and said, "I've been on that roof before. Now I remember it."), I've tuned in to Masterpiece Theatre--had missed first episode of "Death Comes to Pemberly" and was hoping to catch it online.

No deal, no full episodes online. But they're onto us, ladies! The ad says "Missing Poldark?" and recommends "Indian Summers". Promises: "More smolder! More dancing! More scything!" :)

Hahaha... "More scything!"

Yes, it's so annoying. They never show repeats online. They've been showing the Forsyte Saga on Saturdays, but by the time I found out I had already missed the first two episodes. I saw Death Comes to Pemberley last year. It was alright, but I wasn't thrilled by it. Georgiana's costumes were really pretty though.

Yep! They're onto us! However, I've seen the "scything", and it doesn't compare by half, I'm afraid...

With Poldark, they did! But now I see that this "Death at Pemberley" was only 2 episodes, and with two PBS channels in the neighbourhood, I should have been able to catch them. But the cable company is in the throes of this "mini-box" business, so they're tied up and it took a week with almost no service to get them here. I had to be content with reading the synopsis while watching the second half of the last episode. Oh, well. It didn't seem terribly well done, and I didn't get enough of Georgiana to see her costumes, though the actress they chose looked pretty.

Sorry, I didn't mean repeat episodes. I meant repeat showings of older series. Like Death Comes to Pemberley aired last year, when it would have been shown online as well. But now they're showing the series again, they won't have the episode posted. It's only for first showings.

It wasn't done very well. But it's kind of interesting, the actor who played Denny in 1995 P&P was brought back to play Col Fitzwilliam. I guess they liked him.

Oh, well, then, I'll have another chance at it some day! :)

Good news/bad news/good news.
Good news: Season 2 will have two extra episodes.
Bad news: It's been pushed back til fall, and it was too cold when filming for there to have been, um, more scything.
Good news: They're going to do a Season 3.

Linda wrote: "Good news/bad news/good news.
Good news: Season 2 will have two extra episodes.
Bad news: It's been pushed back til fall, and it was too cold when filming for there to have been, um, more scything...."

I am both happy and sad for all of us, Linda. Have you been watching And Then There Were None? Perhaps Aiden Turner in a towel might lift your spirits ;)

Marie wrote: "Linda wrote: "Good news/bad news/good news.
Good news: Season 2 will have two extra episodes.
Bad news: It's been pushed back til fall, and it was too cold when filming for there to have been, um, ..."

Oh, crap! Really!?
I saw the beginning tonight at a friend's store, in the backroom, but didn't quite recognize...it was 8pm and I was trying to get home for dinner. Darn! There IS something to watch on Mondays! :D

Yep, I see it now! Lol, didn't quite recognize without the curls and with the clothing!

I just finished watching the 1970's Poldark miniseries which I liked better than the new version. Not that I dislike the new version but it seems a little rushed.

Lifetime's got me! We can watch it online! (Hopefully, past Sat, night, when I shall return from a weekend away :)).

 Just for you, Linda ;) whispers... click the button... everyone click the button...

(view spoiler)[ You know, to hold us over til September...



And just for the heck of it... And Then There Were None

 

(hide spoiler)]

In all seriousness though, I would think the series would be up for at least a couple of weeks. It's not due on dvd until mid-April, so they might even show it again before then.

Laurie wrote: "I just finished watching the 1970's Poldark miniseries which I liked better than the new version. Not that I dislike the new version but it seems a little rushed."

How soapy were the books, Laurie? The series felt a little soapy to begin with, but it really picked up after the first few episodes. It is a bit rushed, which is why I was considering the books, to see what they've left out. I just don't know if I can get through them, if it's going to be twelve contrived books of cheesy overly-stilted dialogue and heavy handed dialect that were common in the early fifties.

That's my kind of spoiler, Marie! Hmm maybe I dont- reeeally hate spoilers, lol! Much prefer the curls, tho! Thanks for a nice start to my day!

Marie wrote: "Laurie wrote: "I just finished watching the 1970's Poldark miniseries which I liked better than the new version. Not that I dislike the new version but it seems a little rushed."

How soapy were th..."

What's so amazing about the Poldark books is that they're a little bit of everything. And NO, they're not soap opera with salacious sex or boring. Graham brings these characters to life with a very mature depiction of their love life. These are adults behaving like adults in love and war. Believe it or not they're very intellectual in tone as the author explains so many things about life in that era which made reading them a very learning experience for me. Graham was able to bring the Battle of Waterloo to life while going into great detail; historical fiction at it's best.

Why not try the first book at least and see if they're for you since they're so much better than either miniseries - although I did enjoy watching the miniseries for the scenery which only enhanced my enjoyment of the books.

Good news! No stilted dialogue as the speech flows naturally. If the dialogue had been stilted there's no way I would've read all the books as I can't stand affected speech patterns.

I hope this helps anyone considering reading the Poldark series.

I think I am going to give the books a whirl. What is the name of the first book?

Ross Poldark is the first book in the series Belle and I hope it works for you. Let me know what you think.

Are you watching the current Poldark miniseries?

Linda wrote: "Yep, I see it now! Lol, didn't quite recognize without the curls and with the clothing!"

LInda I tried watching ATTWN on Lifetime but found the slow pace deadly and checked out after the first half hour.

I had recently watched 2 movie versions of ATTWN so that didn't help either as I was very familiar with the plot to begin with.

I imagine the LT series would be great for first timers though.

I watched Poldark on PBS and am waiting for the second season to air. I looked in my library catalog and there was a lot of Poldarky titles and I didn't know where to start. Thanks!

You're very welcome Belle; there are 12 books in the Poldark series but the first 5 books are the ones the original miniseries covered - not sure how far the new miniseries will go.

You're very welcome, Linda :) Might I also suggest Desperate Romantics, about the pre-raphaelites. There are curls involved...
(view spoiler)[
(hide spoiler)]

Thanks, Laurie, I'll probably work at least the first book or two in this year. It's good to know they don't suffer a lot of the issues from other books in the fifties or so, I'll at least give them a try. I think they would fill a lot of the gaps the show rushed through.

I really liked And Then There Were None, it was beautifully shot, the cast is fantastic, a lot of favorites of mine. And that house! But I've never read any of Agatha Christie's books or seen a film version of ATTWN. I did know who the murderer was already, but it was interesting to see the process. I can see though how it might have been dull for someone after several versions. It might be interesting to read the book, and see what they might have left out. I've seen Murder on the Orient Express, and some of the Marple movies, but never read her books. I prefer stand alone novels, and don't usually care for series, especially long, continuous series, unless I'm very invested in the subject.

I thought the Poldark characters were just as wild as the Cornish setting which made them fascinating for me. I hope you will be able to enjoy the books. I don't regret reading the books before the series one bit since the miniseries couldn't cover everything of course.

The first time I watched the ATTWN movie I loved it too and was quite shocked when the villain was revealed. I'm sure the new miniseries was extremely entertaining for newbies.
I haven't read Christie's books yet either - maybe some day...

Marie wrote: "You're very welcome, Linda :) Might I also suggest Desperate Romantics, about the pre-raphaelites. There are curls involved...


"

Hmm...just doesn't work for me as well! But thanks for thinking of me! It really did start my day well! I thought, "Oh, that Marie! She gets me! She really gets me!" :P

Marie wrote: "Thanks, Laurie, I'll probably work at least the first book or two in this year. It's good to know they don't suffer a lot of the issues from other books in the fifties or so, I'll at least give the..."

In a sense, though, each mystery is hermetic, so you can read them in any order, as far as I know....I read a few when I was in my teens/twenties, and truly don't remember ever feeling as though there were any particular order.

Laurie wrote: "I thought the Poldark characters were just as wild as the Cornish setting which made them fascinating for me. I hope you will be able to enjoy the books. I don't regret reading the books before the..."

Laurie, was in CT this weekend and had the best fried chicken I've ever had east of NY! And without Shake n' Bake, and without the little gremlin's hayelp!

Linda wrote: "Marie wrote: "Hmm...just doesn't work for me as well! But thanks for thinking of me! It really did start my day..."

Hey, I aim to please ;) To be honest, Desperate Romantics wasn't that good, but Aiden spend quite a bit of time like that.

I never thought of them not being a cohesive series, but that makes sense. I don't know if I'm the only who remembers (well, not remembers personally, but my parents had a few of them) Ellery Queen. I read a couple of them in my early teens, and I don't recall them having any central, continuous plot either. Poirot gets on my nerves though, but I'm fairly certain got on Agatha's nerves as well.

To be honest, Desperate Romantics wasn't t..."

Ah, well then! Think it's the sideburns....just. Too.

I remember the Ellery Queen magazine more than anything else.