As the episode begins, Ross Poldark (Aidan Turner) swims on the beach. He imagines Demelza (Eleanor Tomlinson) with Hugh Armitage (Josh Whitehouse). Ross is brought back to reality when Demelza arrives with the kids. After the intro, the parliament calls for a new election. Jago Martin (Jack Riddiford) arrives in town. He watches as grain is loaded on ships headed to Lisbon. George Warleggan (Jack Farthing) speaks with Francis Basset (John Hopkins) about Prime Minister Pitt (Edward Bennett) dissolving parliament. Lord Falmouth (James Wilby) enters and declares that Hugh will be running against George. Hugh writes a letter for Demelza and recalls his time with her. He begins having terrible headaches.

George speaks with Elizabeth (Heida Reed) about the gifts he bought for Valentine. Elizabeth talks about them being blessed with another kid. Ross and Zacky Martin (Tristan Sturrock) chat about the grain. Jago reunites with his father. Jago tells them about the banks closing their doors. He wonders how they’re going to eat. Prudie (Beatie Edney) puts the letter aside for Demelza. Dwight (Luke Norris) inspects Hugh. He finds a slight improvement in eyesight, but suspects Hugh’s condition will worsen in the future. Later, Caroline (Gabriella Wilde) and Dwight join Demelza and Ross on the beach. Caroline speaks about having children in the future. Ossie (Christian Brassington) tries to get frisky with Morwenna (Ellise Chappell). She doesn’t take the bait.

George passes by angry locals as he returns home in his carriage. Ross and Demelza attend Agatha’s funeral. Drake Carne (Harry Richardson) watches Morwenna from a distance. Once the ceremony ends, Elizabeth apologizes for how long it took to get Agatha a headstone. Ross places the blame on George. Basset is invited back to the Poldark house. Demelza is not happy. She and Prudie rush to get things prepared. Demelza is stopped in her tracks when she finds the poem from Hugh. Jago and others try to go after the grain. Zacky tries to stop him. Instead, Sam (Tom York) and Drake chase after them. During the riot, Jago knocks a man to the ground. Tom Harry (Turlough Convery) watches and reports back to George. George sees an opportunity to strike back.

Basset speaks with Dwight, Ross and the others about the election. Demelza chats with Basset about getting Ross to run. That night, George worries about the riot and whether or not it might impact them. Elizabeth gives him drugs to keep him calm. Ross and Dwight are tasked with arrested some of those involved. They have no choice but to arrest Sam, Drake and Jago. Ross promises to be there in court to help them. In the morning, George pushes the hearing earlier so Ross cannot make it. When Ross and Dwight finally arrive, they watch as Sam and Drake are sentenced. A few of the men are let off. Sam, Drake and Jago are sentenced to death. Ossie tells Morwenna about the Methodists who are going to be executed. She immediately suspects that it could be Drake. Ross tells Dwight to return to Nampara and make Prudie swear to silence.

Hugh begins having pains. He promises Falmouth that he is fine. He also reveals that he has invited Dwight for a social call. Ross confronts Basset and George. He pleads with Basset to do the right thing and save the prisoners from execution. Basset wants to make an example out of the men. Demelza is surprised to learn that she has been invited by Hugh too. Ross returns home. He tells Demelza to go see Hugh. He keeps the impending executions secret. In the morning, Prudie tries to convince Ross to tell Demelza. He insists her being there would be worse than her not knowing. Dwight checks on Hugh. He tells him that he doesn’t believe he will be able to run for office. He tries to explain the same to Falmouth. Ossie prepares the men for their execution.

Demelza suggests Falmouth and Basset get a truce and run a candidate they both can support. Jago speaks out and takes up for the Carne brothers. He also declares his own innocence. Morwenna arrives at watches. Ross speaks to Basset. He encourages them to give the men reprieves. The crowd agrees. Demelza tells Hugh that they shouldn’t see one another again. Sam and Drake are released. Jago is executed by hanging. Morwenna makes it home before Ossie. She looks at the gift Drake gave her. Elizabeth tells George that she will go to London with him after he is reelected. Ross does his best to comfort Zacky. Dwight tries to convince Ross to run for office.

Caroline reveals to Dwight that she is pregnant. Ross is finally forced to tell Demelza the truth about the hangings. Then, they speak about their relationship and love for one another. They embrace one another as the episode ends.

 

Poldark Review

This episode of Poldark was really good. It somewhat felt like a rehash though. After all, Ross has been forced to save the Carne brothers once before. He has also been pressured to run for office. The difference is that he probably will this time around. Nevertheless, the episode was very effective. It was difficult not to get emotional during and after the execution. Poldark certainly knows how to pull on the viewer’s heart strings.

I am glad to see Poldark back and it is nice that the quality is just as good as ever. The episode scores a solid 8 out of 10. Catch up with previous recaps of Poldark!