By Franz Amussen
OH ROSS, how we’ve missed you…
A sure sign that autumn is upon us is the return of quality British TV to public television, and top of our list will be the much-anticipated turn of Poldark as season two of the much acclaimed series makes its debut on these shores.
Aidan Turner returns as our hero Ross Poldark, the ex-officer, class warrior, lover, and mining entrepreneur, battling pestilence, starvation and betrayal in 18th century Cornwall.
As Season Two opens, Ross stands accused of murder and “wrecking” – luring a cargo ship to the rocks for plunder. It’s a capital offense, the judge is unsympathetic, hostile witnesses have been bribed and Ross appears headed for the gallows. It’s just the first in a string of suspenseful episodes every bit as precipitous as the steep cliffs of Ross’ native West Country.
To add to the drama, Ross is still grieving over the loss of his stillborn daughter with wife Demelza, while his hapless cousin Francis falls ever further into the clutches of the scheming moneylender George Warleggan and resorts to one final tragic solution which, true to form, he totally mucks up.
It’s no surprise when Ross avoids the noose with a stirring courtroom speech evoking Cornish traditions, but his escape serves merely to inflame the fury of the Warleggans, who are more determined than ever to see him destroyed.
Poldark, Season 2 premieres with a 2-hour episode at a special time: Sunday, September 25th, 2016 at 8pm. The series then continues Sundays Oct. 2 – Nov. 27, 2016 at 9pm.
