It wasn’t so long ago that I was trawling through the internet, reading about everyone’s newest pop culture obsessions. A commenter from the UK suggested that everyone on that site watch Poldark, especially when it arrived in America in late June. Never one to pass up a period drama, particularly a period drama starring a dark, handsome man with a tricorn hat and unruly hair, I immediately began my scientific research.
Poldark has been airing on PBS Sunday nights since June 21, and you guys, it is so good. Yes, there’s Aidan Turner as Ross Poldark, but there’s also a feisty kitchen maid, class warfare, and Ross’ snobbish upper-class family whose jealous cousin wants to see Ross out of the picture. There are scenes where Ross jumps into a crystalline inlet, totally naked. There are SEXY SCYTHING SCENES. Did you know those could exist?
This is a remake of a 1970s miniseries of the same name (both based on the same book), but not having seen it, I can’t compare the two. Instead, let me give you three major reasons why this version of Poldark should be Sunday night required viewing.
1. It’s Visually Stunning
I’m not just talking about Aidan Turner here (whose intense stares, quiet brooding, and rippling muscles have inspired several elaborate Frenchman’s Creek-style fantasies). This show will make you want to book the quickest trip to Cornwall, whose rocky coastlines and pristine fields play just as much a part as their human counterparts. The landscape shots in this show are gorgeous, often featuring golden light and long, lingering views of the earth and sea.
The female lead, Eleanor Tomlinson, especially benefits from these beautifully-lit shots — you often see her and her wild red hair illuminated by the sunset, strolling along cliffs with her equally golden dog. She’s already gorgeous, but she is so of-the-setting that you can’t imagine her actually existing outside the wild countryside. DEMELZA YOU SHALL REMAIN, NOW AND FOREVER.
And oh, the sex scenes, when they happen, are ridiculously sexy. Get out the church fan, because the geniuses behind the camera have managed to make even the lighting sensual.
2. It’s Basically a Refined Soap Opera
Oh yeah, plot! Poldark has one — an elaborate, soap-operatic story at that. Ross Poldark has just returned to 18th-century Cornwall after fighting in the American Revolution. He expects to come home to his sweetheart, Elizabeth, to whom he pledged his love… but when he arrives home, everyone thought he was dead, his father has died, his estate has gone to ruin, the upper classes look down upon him, oh, and Elizabeth is engaged to his cousin. WELCOME HOME, HOTTIE.
While sexily brooding upon what to do about this unexpected turn of events, Ross finds a feisty kitchen maid, Demelza, a lovably waifish scrapper who likes to sing to herself and wander the countryside with her dog. He brings her home to work in his ruined estate alongside two other ne’er-do-well servants while he figures out what to do with his family’s mine (copper and tin prices are down, rents and food are high, and all of his tenants are suffering).
Meanwhile, mealy-mouthed Elizabeth actually goes through with her marriage to Human Limp Noodle Francis, which tells you all you need to know about them. Limp Noodle Francis has no illusions about who his family prefers, either (hint: rhymes with Moss Dolmark), and this sets us up for the rest of the season. (Yes, this is all in the first episode.)
3. Sexy Scything
FEAST YOUR EYES, MY FRIENDS.
GIF from daniebbey
TEE HEE.
SO PRETTY.
ONE MORE.
Oh, and there’s a second season in the works. WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?
Are you already watching it? Let’s fangirl in the comments. Bonus points if you post sexy-Ross-gifs.
