On Poldark, Forgiveness Is Always Possible, but Can You Ever Really Forget?

I was hoping we could go one week on Poldark without an attempted rape. I guess I was wrong.

Ross is selling everything off and feels bad because he didn’t go into Timbers like everyone else. He has tremendous guilt over the emotional and financial cost of running the mine, but is especially upset about the loss of life.

In the midst of his melancholy, he runs into his nemesis, George, who says, “I appear to have won!” because he has the money and he has Elizabeth.

Of course, George doesn’t know that Ross just had Elizabeth.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth can’t deal with anything and is day drinking with her Aunt Agatha.

While George and Ross and Elizabeth try to sort through their triangle, Demelza has taken to her bed. She just doesn’t come out of her room and Ross doesn’t want her to be mad anymore, but he still wants Elizabeth.

In fact, at one point in the episode he says, “I would never deliberately hurt you, in the moment there was no thought of you.”

Yeah. we know. Ross seems to get everything,

Except Elizabeth decides to postpone her wedding to George, which makes an always surly George even more annoyed.

When he interrogates her I’m yelling at the TV, “Don’t tell him!”

He asks her if it has anything to do with Ross and she says no, it’s because it’s too soon after Francis’ death.

He makes her commit to a date. Usually it’s the other way around.

She’s so upset that she passes out, right when Verity comes to visit and Dr. Enys comes to treat her. He says she has a fragile disposition.

Of course, it’s really the Ross Disposition.

Demelza decides to go to a house party and dolls herself up in hopes of getting back at Ross by sleeping with Captain McNeil.

He kisses her and she tells him where her room is, but she has regrets and she tells him no. But he keeps coming at her. She pushes and says no over and over again, until he finally leaves.

It was a close call.

At this point, Elizabeth is home in bed, Ross is out of town, and George and Demelza are at an overnight house party.

Verity, who had no one for so long, is now the only one happily sharing her bed with the man she loves. That’s life for you.

Demelza heads home and Ross finds her with good news about the mine, but she doesn’t care. She doesn’t want to be second best.

Elizabeth is now forced to marry her second best, George.

Forgiveness is always possible, but can you ever really forget?