‘Poldark’ returned to our screens last night and, if the first episode of Series 3 is anything to go by, it’s going to be a dramatic season.
Writer Debbie Horsfield packed in a birth, two deaths, a runaway horse, a secret wedding and... a curse. Not bad for the first 60 minutes.
First things first...
1. Who’s the daddy? Elizabeth’s baby Valentine came into the world and, despite her cunning in staging a prang on the stairs to explain his month-early arrival, I think we’re all thinking the same thing as Great-Aunt Agatha and her hurrumphs. One thing’s for certain - the cherub does NOT appear to take after his ‘father’ George.
2. They seem reconciled and even awaiting their next child, but all is not perfect in the home of Poldark. With Ross distracting himself from matters of the heart with work, mill and toil, Demelza is feeling properly neglected, despite Ross’s great protestations, and nature abhors a vacuum. How long before Poldark’s stunning wife has her head turned by another?
3. When did Geoffrey Charles become such a headstrong rebel? The only aspect of his newfound confidence that prevents him becoming an unbearably precocious Little Lord Fauntleroy is that the main subject of his rebellion appears to be his irritable step-father George. What mischief can young GC create from his perch within the Warleggan clan?
4. Exactly how many episodes will it take before Elizabeth’s cousin Morwenna falls into the arms of Demelza’s brother Drake, and another disapproved-of union is sealed on the Cornish cliffs?
5. After witnessing the humiliation of his aunt Agatha, hoisted high in her chair by George’s servants, Ross cut an extraordinary deal with him - better treatment of his relatives in return for Ross’s absence. How long can this possibly last?
‘Poldark’ continues on Sunday evenings on BBC One. Catch up on BBCiPlayer.
