In the interest of full disclosure, I have never read the Poldark books. And I never saw the original BBC series from the 1970s. My first exposure to the Poldark tale was this series. But even for a Poldark newcomer like myself, this final season is a disappointing departure from the first four.
Unlike the previous seasons, the main plot is overburdened and at times strains credulity.
To wit:
The guy in prison reaches out to Ross while the guy who put that guy in prison just so happens to reach out to Ross' bitterest enemy George Warleggan. And that guy's daughter just so happens to meet Ross' nephew who also views George Warleggan as an enemy.
But wait! Here's more convolution!
French spies looking to invade England just so happen to choose Ross Poldark's corner of the world as their starting point. And the guy in charge just so happens to be the guy who kicked Ross out of France in Season Three.
This plot was held together by wishing and hoping. And by that, I mean wishing and hoping that the viewers' whose love of a shirtless, unshaven Aidan Turner keeps them committed won't notice that you could drive a tractor trailer through the plot holes.
There's only so much willing suspension of disbelief a viewer can muster.
Or, to put it another way: You be askin' too much of we.
But what was more disappointing than the overly ambitious plotline was how different the central characters behaved - especially Demelza.
One of the reasons I love Demelza is the precarious balance she maintains between her poor miner's daughter past and her newly-minted status as a gentlewoman. No matter how long she lived in the Nampara world, she never lost that connection to her low-born Illogan roots.
Until Season Five.
This Demelza has completely shaken the dust of her past off her fancy shoes and fully embraced her higher station. One almost wonders if, upon her demise, Elizabeth's spirit took up residence in Demelza's body.
In short, she's become insufferable. She lectures; she condescends. At times, Demelza came off more like a scolding schoolmarm than the charming, complex, unpredictable woman she once was.
The old Demelza would never have gotten hoodwinked by Tess Tregidden. But this "hoity-toity, high and mighty Mistress Poldark" falls for her scam hook, line and sinker.
And the "we must lift up these poor wretches through book-learning" plotline was heavy-handed and forced - like an 18th Century public service announcement. Perhaps if this Season Five Demelza had maintained some of her Illogan roots, this "Let's Build a School!" storyline wouldn't have seemed so overwrought and condescending.
Even Ross' character has changed.
The man who could spot a cheater at a card table is completely blindsided by his revolutionary pal who bellows "The king is mad!!!!" in the middle of Vauxhall Gardens? Really?
When did he become such a clueless dimwit?
Season Five attempts to do too much, and in the end, accomplishes too little.
It's never a good sign when one has to add six brand new recurring characters to the storyline. That's just a wee bit overcrowded. Which may explain why, when we get the BIG REVEAL that Joseph Merceron was in cahoots with Ralph Hanson, I had to go back and figure out who the hell Joseph Merceron was and why that was such a big reveal necessitating sweeping "AHA" music.
Thanks to all those new characters, the ones we've come to know and love get shuffled aside into the background.
And, perhaps I am mistook, but I think the word "mistook" was used more in one episode of Season Five than it was in every other episode of the previous four seasons combined.
Believe it or not, there were things I enjoyed about Season Five.
I love the relationship between Morwenna and Drake. I have since the very beginning. And watching as Morwenna worked through the aftermath of her time with the odious Osborne Whitworth was nice.
Nice. But rushed.
And I put the blame squarely on the writer's need to hurry through it in order to further burden us with the overbearing, heavy-handed, highly improbable central storyline.
Imagine how much more amazing that Morwenna/Drake subplot could've been had it only been given more time to unfold. But no, we had to waste all that time on Ned Despard and his arrest/trial/"escape, no I won't escape"/execution (60% of which should've ended up on the cutting room floor).
I also enjoyed George Warleggan's descent into madness.
The change in his character, as opposed to Demelza's, made sense given his devastation overthe death of Elizabeth. And Jack Farthing's handling of the role was, as always, masterful.
He even had me feeling pity for George - an emotion that shocked me given how deeply I loathe the man.
That's not to say that the writers didn't find a way to up George's character as well.
Most notably the "buddy movie" moment between Ross and George after the duel. That was too forced and so far outside the behavior of both characters I couldn't buy it. It felt to me as if the scene was written that way for no other reason than "Hey, the series is ending, so let's have a charming, somewhat comical exchange between Ross and George."
Never pander to your audience by giving them fan-fic moments. It's insulting.
Speaking of insulting fan-fic moments. The final scene? I mean, come on. Ross' coat billowing in slow motion as he strides confidently toward the boat while the music swells. Seriously you guys? Oy.
Overall this final season gets a 6 out of 10 from me. Disappointing. But since I own all five seasons, I do watch it again and again - fast-forwarding over all the London stuff in order to make it more enjoyable.
As I said, this series was my introduction to the Poldark story. And it is a shame that, rather than go out with a bang, Season Five sent it off with a whimper.
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