As series 3 begins, Ross Poldark (Aidan Turner) spots Elizabeth (Heida Reed) in the distance. It appears she has lost control of her horse. He manages to chase her down and stop the horse. Elizabeth makes it clear that she didn’t need or want Ross’ help. Seconds later, George Warleggan (Jack Farthing) arrives and runs Ross off of his land. Moments later, Ross joins Demelza (Eleanor Tomlinson) at home. Ross repairs the roof, while the couple discusses Elizabeth. Meanwhile, George makes it clear that he doesn’t want Elizabeth to put the baby in danger. Geoffrey Charles (Harry Marcus) suggests inviting Ross and Demelza over for dinner as a thanks. Aunt Agatha (Caroline Blakiston) likes the idea, but George does not.

Geoffrey makes it clear that he doesn’t like his step father. Moments later, Caroline (Gabriella Wilde) is shown caring for Ray (John Nettles). Ray admits that Dwight Enys (Luke Norris) warned him that he could only prolong his life. Ray tries to encourage Caroline to find a rich husband. He suggests Lord Conison. Meanwhile, Ross receives good news in the form of a letter. Its contents remain unknown. Ross rides into town. Along the way, he passes by Drake Carne (Harry Richardson). Demelza embraces her brother when he arrives. Cary (Pip Torrens) ridicules George. He tells George that he needs to get rid of Geoffrey as quickly as possible. George promises to find a solution immediately. Drake tells Demelza that their brother, Sam (Tom York), encouraged him to visit her.

Ross listens as Drake explains that Demelza’s father is on the verge of passing. Agatha tells Elizabeth about the message from her cards. She admits he is coming sooner than they think. George cuts the ribbon on the Warleggan Bank. Ross passes by and Geoffrey seems eager to speak with him. George takes him inside to stop that from happening. Ross meets with Harris Pascoe (Richard Hope). He learns that his mine is prospering. Drake says goodbye to Demelza before departing. Seconds later, George meets with Amelia (Siobhan O’Carroll) and Morwenna Chynoweth (Ellise Chappell). He explains that he wants Morwenna to be a babysitter of sorts to George. Morwenna takes on the role. George transports Morwenna to his home. Elizabeth isn’t happy that George made the decision without her. Ross returns home with food and instructs Demelza to prepare a feast.

Seconds later, Ross is forced to meet with Captain Henshawe (John Hollingworth) at the mine. There, he finds Geoffrey. Ross speaks to the boy about mining and subsequently gives him a tour. Then, he transports Geoffrey back home. Geoffrey doesn’t hide his whereabouts from his mother or George. That night, Elizabeth begins to experience stomach pains. Demelza decides to visit her father. Meanwhile, Caroline tells Ray that she is going to see Lord Coniston. He seems satisfied with her decision. Demelza arrives at her father’s house. She holds his hand, while her brothers watch on. Ross visits a local church. He runs into George. George explains he is willing to tolerate Geoffrey for the time being. Meanwhile, Geoffrey tells Morwenna about his father and his relationship with the townsfolk.

Demelza leaves her father’s place. She meets with Caroline near the church. They head inside and meet Ross and Dwight. Caroline and Dwight are quickly married. Geoffrey and Morwenna spot the group as they leave the church. Elizabeth fakes a fall down the stairs. George gets Elizabeth to bed, but is unable to find a doctor. They’re forced to take Dwight’s help. Unfortunately, this pulls Dwight away from his romantic meeting with Caroline. Dwight examines Elizabeth and quickly realizes she is going to have the baby tonight. Back at home, Demelza and Caroline speak about the earlier than expected arrival of the baby. Caroline speaks with Demelza about the history between Ross and Elizabeth. Cary makes sure that George is ready to choose his son over his wife, if need be.

Dwight is forced to stay and deliver Elizabeth’s baby. Ross and Demelza discuss Dwight’s plight. Demelza doesn’t seem convinced that Elizabeth actually fell down the stairs. They receive another letter. Caroline learns that her uncle is gravely ill. Ross takes her home. A black moon appears in the sky. Agatha insists it is a bad omen. Elizabeth begins to struggle with the birth. Demelza’s father passes away. Sam makes it clear that he intends to do his father’s bidding. Drake doesn’t seem so eager to follow down that path. Caroline returns to Ray. She agrees to stay with him for as long as he would like. Elizabeth gives birth to the child and manages to survive. Ross sneaks over to their house and watches Agatha argue with George. Ross doesn’t like the way his family is being treated. In the morning, Ray apologizes to Caroline for trying to intervene in her romance.

She tells him the truth and he passes away almost instantly. Ross returns home and learns that Dwight has returned to the army. He tells Demelza that he needs to speak with George. He visits the bank and agrees to never confront George or his family again. In return, he wants George to leave Agatha and Geoffrey out of it. Sam and Drake go on their adventure. They run across Geoffrey and Morwenna. It is clear that Drake is smitten with the girl. Demelza and Ross stroll along the beach. They chat about Ross’ family. He admits he will stay away from George and believes it is for the best. Demelza asks Ross to embrace a part of her family, since he is losing a part of his. George tells Elizabeth the good news. At the end of the episode, Ross tells Demelza that they can do anything together.

 

Poldark Review

The second season of Poldark was a little hit and miss. The third started off strong and showed there is still plenty of potential here. The grown up version of Geoffrey was a great addition. He was snarky and humorous. It also feels like Demelza’s brothers will help to lift the series to a new level. Underneath it all, the struggle between George and Ross is undoubtedly going to continue.

I was hoping the Ross and Elizabeth romance would be put to rest, but that doesn’t seem likely now. Hopefully the side characters can help prevent the love triangle from becoming overwhelming. As always, it feels like something terrible is lingering right around the corner. The opener was great. It scores an 8 out of 10. Catch up with past season recaps of Poldark right now!