Poldark - Episode 2.04 - Advance Preview + Dialogue Teasers

© BBC Pictures
As some of you are already probably aware, when I am covering a series which is an adaptation from a popular novel I tend to include slightly more detail than I would with my other previews. Therefore, if you are not familiar with the material, or haven’t read the press releases issued, then please be aware that the following will contain some spoilers for the episode.

---

It has been several months since last week’s events, meaning that the characters have moved on somewhat with their lives since we last saw them. Demelza is now heavily pregnant, the miners have nearly broken through to the old mine shaft, and George’s self-defence training has taught him a thing or two for when he faces retribution for his part in generally meddling about in Ross’ business.

Ross and Demelza may have come to an uneasy peace as the last episode closed, but that wedge has started to come between them now, meaning that it is going to be rearing its head a fair bit throughout the upcoming storylines this year. Both characters are extremely strong willed, which doesn’t help matters as we will see this week when both of them take risks for the sake of the family and its future. You could say that Demelza is possibly the less foolish of the two, though if you think in terms of the time she is in, and what could have happened if she were less fortunate, then there is a lot to be angry about what she does.

Ross, on the other hand, is taking a massive risk in his endeavour; a spot of smuggling after cosying up to the local crime lord. Not only is he knowingly breaking the law – the penalty being the gallows that he had not long talked his way out of an appointment with – but his actions also put others in the same predicament too. The upside to this is that he does know what he’s doing, having been very adept at running illicit goods in his youth. Well, until he was caught and forced into signing up and partaking in the American Revolutionary War, that is. So he does have contacts, knows which paths to use safely, and the price for a successful bounty is enough to kickstart a side project which may prove to be very lucrative indeed.

The Wheal Leisure miners have been hard at work, blasting and chipping their way through the Cornish hillside as they attempt to hit that elusive seam that’s been promised to the shareholders. Work may get held up when a mysterious sickness is discovered sweeping through the workforce, however, leaving Dwight Enys initially perplexed as to what the problem is. It doesn’t take too long for the astute doctor to get to the bottom of it all though, and he soon has a diagnosis of scurvy and a prescription of whatever sorry-looking, left over fruit he can lay his hands on to dole out to all those affected.

He is finding himself distracted from his work along the way, as he has been all season it seems, by the very persistent Caroline. She is unhappy that the handsome doctor hasn’t been back to check up on how she is doing since he removed the fish bone, although I imagine there’s rather more to her insistence on him visiting her once again than just her health. But she has a few lessons to learn if she’s to ever attract Dwight’s eye, starting with her attitude towards his other patients and their status in life, which shocks him when she speaks her mind.

My only real complaint so far this season has been that Verity (Ruby Bentall) has been absent far too often for my liking. She and Demelza were a delight in the first season, and I find myself missing that interaction time round. I would have preferred it if it had been her that had known about her friend’s pregnancy during the trial instead of Elizabeth, for example, though I can understand why it turned out the way it did. Since she is based away from the hub of the action it would have been difficult for the shared hidden secret to be talked about, whereas Demelza and Elizabeth would more naturally see each other.

This week sees Verity and her husband, Andrew Blamey (Richard Harrington), take on a reasonable chunk of the episode with a side-plot of their own, which then goes on to tie in with the main characters as it progresses. We’ve seen just how hostile her brother, Francis, is to Andrew due to his past life, but now we get to see how his side of the family are taking to his new wife. Bentall plays the nervous and skittishness of the part wonderfully during the tea party from hell, with guest star Isabella Parriss as Esther, the Captain’s reserved and frankly very unimpressed daughter, also deserving full credit for her part in this exceptionally uncomfortable scene.

Episode 2.04 airs 25th September at 9pm, below are a few dialogue teasers to see you through until then. If you want to have a go at guessed who said what, I will fill in any correct answers before TX. And please don't forget to come back to vote in our poll after you have seen the episode and let us know what you thought.

“Friendship. A renewal of our former intimacy. A gradual increase in it. Is that too much to ask? Particularly if it safeguards those you love”

“Your cove is not ideal, but we could land there on still nights. I’d handle the distribution, all you’d need to do is draw your curtains”

“Does it not strike you as odd, I am an heiress yet I have no money of my own. Suppose you give me some?”

“So, it only remains for us to secure your approval to divert this quarters profits, for the last time. One final push. Do we have everyone’s agreement?”

“I suppose you know where Francis got the money he’s investing?”

“She tries to conceal it, but I know she grieves the loss of her family, and I am the last person to intervene”

“Why is it fine for you to run risks, while I may not even take a boat out in calm waters!”

“Do you ever think the price is too high? Your children shuns us, my brother disowns us”

“Should I know how the devil’s mind works? You better keep him sweet. Perhaps you should pay him a visit”

“Is that what Mark meant, the night he went away to France?”

Trailer Teasers

“He plunges from one disaster to another, and blames me for all of them”

“You will never again step foot in my house”

About the Author - Sandi

Sandi is part of the Senior Staff at SpoilerTV having been a contributor from back in the Lost days of DarkUFO, and who now writes previews for Vikings, Knightfall, Poldark, Doctor Who and other UK shows. She also enjoys watching and commenting on other shows such as Orphan Black, Game of Thrones and The Flash.

Recent Reviews & Articles (All Reviews)