Poldark Series 1, Episode 8: Recap and Review

How can Demelza atone for her perceived wrong-doing? We find her singing and baking. Is she making pies? Well, it's a start.

Because something else is catching people's attention. "My throat's afire," says Francis. "Get Mrs Tabb to fetch me a posset." With Verity absent her posset is much missed. But a woman is more than her posset and only Captain Blamey can enjoy Verity's now.

Clop, clop, clop – who's that galloping along the cliff edge? It's Ross heading to the copper auction. On the way he meets dishy Doctor Enys, who is struggling to contain the putrid throat outbreak. Possets may soothe the soreness but people are dying. As Elizabeth floats about in a pale languor, Aunt Agatha, however, appears as hale and hearty as ever. "93 and the appetite of a girl of 20," says she, piling her plate up with more food. And anyway, "Verity would prescribe honey and liquorice."

"Dr Choake would prescribe leeches," says Elizabeth. He's not called Dr Choake for nothing. You know you're in trouble when you've had a visit from him. 

Ross enters the auction in doom-laden slow-mo, so we know this isn't going to end well either. The South Wales Copper Co, set up by the Warleggans, is buying up all the ore and squeezing out the competition. This includes Ross' own enterprise, Carnmore, which is now on its last legs due to most of the investors  – one of whom appears to be Sir John Travolta – having been bought out by the dastardly bankers.

Those Warleggans with their Maffiaesque practices have a stranglehold on the county. "You know Margaret is on her third lord?" says George to Ross. "I don't know how but she sucks the life out of her lovers." (Hmmm: a woman after your own heart, then?) George continues. "She told me she once had a fancy to marry you." "Not you?" asks Ross. "My sights are set somewhat higher," asserts George. Funny how no one seems to pick up on his cryptic clues.

While Ross is out, Demelza goes to Trenwith. Outside crows squawk and there is no one to answer the door. Inside there is dust on the table and dead flowers in a vase. Aunt Agatha hovers ominously, Miss Havisham-like, above it all on the stairs. She tells Demelza that Verity had no business to leave. "It was a selfish, cruel thing she did to leave us like that!" As it was she who helped Verity to elope, Demelza feels responsible and stays the night to nurse Elizabeth, Francis and little Geoffrey Charles through their illness.

Meanwhile, Ross decides there's nothing for it but to get a high-interest unsecured £1000 Wonga loan. It's a dangerous strategy but the sight of tall hat-wearer Matthew Sanson "parading about like a prize cockerel" with Warleggan flagship enterprise the Queen Charlotte infuriates him, as he scowls and broods on Charlestown harbour.

As does the sky: a storm brings a sleepless night, a sick baby Julia and a sore throat for contagious Demelza. Feverish and delirious as her life flashes before her, and having saved Geoffrey Charles, Demelza is unable to save her own baby and oblivious to Julia's demise. The genuinely moving funeral scene as Ross carries his baby's little coffin through the community of mourners is a reminder of how common a part of life infant mortality once was.

With Demelza still ill in bed, Enys tells Ross to take some air. From the cliff edge Ross can see the Queen Charlotte wrecked upon rocks on her maiden voyage. With loot washing up on a beach on Poldark land Ross is determined to provide food and pickings for the mourners and their children. As barrels, parcels, dead pigs and bits of ship wash up on the beach Ross helps people in their plundering, smouldering in the satisfaction of having taken something back from the Warleggans.

But Ross is seen with Sanson's dead body and the Warleggans are masters in turning calamity into opportunity – especially if it means ruining Ross in the process. The Queen Charlotte is their ship and anyone plundering is guilty of theft. "Good God boy, you don't suggest we wait for actual evidence?!" shouts Warleggan senior when George asks whether Ross was present at the looting. "I'll be damned if we don't turn this débacle to our advantage!" You have to hand it to them.

On his return to Nampara with the surviving captain and crew, who should Ross find in his bedroom but Elizabeth, who is tending a still-ill Demelza. "She saved my child and lost yours in return. What can I do?"

"Pray to God I do not lose the love of my life," says Ross.

Did he mean to make a point? Now well enough to know that Elizabeth is there Demelza is still worried that Ross has been alienated by her previous actions. "Has she come to take you?" she asks him.

"No, no my love, she will never take me."

But part of me wonders if she'd be better off letting him go after all. In any case, this overheard conversation can only signal to Elizabeth that Ross is off limits for now. 

Which is just as well because Elizabeth has an admirer of her own. "That upstart is here again," says Aunt Agatha. News of baby Julia's death seems to have inspired a carpe diem moment in young Hugh Grant look-alike George Warleggan as he sets about stealing Elizabeth from under Francis' nose, telling her that, in the words of David Cassidy, um, er... 

Having learned of her baby's death, Demelza is distraught that she never said goodbye. Standing over her grave she and Ross discuss what can be done to bring the Poldarks back together. Will Francis be getting involved in Wheal Leisure? But before anyone can say "'T ain't right, 't ain't proper," constables come to arrest Ross for wrecking, inciting a riot and murder. "Who accuses me?" asks Ross. 

We were warned of a cliff-hanger ending – and for once this one takes place on an actual cliff. It couldn't get more cliff-hangery than this. And yet. And yet this plot isn't subtle enough to keep us guessing. Even Ross himself tells us who it very likely is.

Wherein lies my biggest frustration. Why must everything be hammered home? Perhaps I can forgive the plot holes and clumsy script with its clunky Carry On lines, and the lack of light-hearted moments to offset a dark episode whose plot went full-pelt right to the last line. Perhaps I can forgive too the many contrivances and the convenient dim-wittedness of some of the characters.

But did we need to have everything explained to us in every which way possible? If it wasn't Ross explaining things to Demelza it was the Warleggan Greek chorus rubbing its hands together in the shadows, ominous music telling me what to feel, or an over-use of pathetic fallacy.

The feeling that I must adore the beautiful leading man with his pouty demeanour and luscious locks only served to have the opposite effect on me. Aidan Turner looks good in a billowing shirt and leather boots (in fact, I prefer him in them than out of them), and he did well with some dodgy lines, despite his occasionally hammy acting and theatre school intonation. 

But I prefer to make my own mind up as to whom I must esteem. There was some wonderful acting, notably from Eleanor Tomlinson, Heida Reed, Sabrina Bartlett, Phil Davies, Beatie Edney and the ever excellent Jack Farthing as snake-in-the-grass George Warleggan, who, the more restrained he became, the more impressive his performance. 

As the credits roll we're told that Poldark will return. So far the plot has contained enough twists and turns for me to rest secure in the knowledge that we haven't seen the end of Red Ross yet.

But in the meantime, French and Saunders: please do a spoof re-make.