Poldark: The Complete Second Season

The initial 1970s BBC adaptation of Winston Graham's historical novels was a great success, as was the first season of this PBS-aired reboot. Ruggedly handsome Aidan Turner returns as Ross Poldark, the ex-Redcoat who came back to Cornwall from the American Revolutionary War only to find his family's fortune gone and his sweetheart Elizabeth (Heida Reed) betrothed to another. This second season (covering the third and fourth volumes of Graham's 12-book saga) begins with Poldark facing possible execution—not the only time he will find himself in court, given the reverses he suffers in his mining operations and his frequent involvement in smuggling. But the major plot threads of this season lie in Poldark's intense rivalry with George Warleggan (Jack Farthing), who wants nothing more than Poldark's destruction, and the crisis in Poldark's marriage to erstwhile serving-girl Demelza (Eleanor Tomlinson), who is understandably miffed by her husband's renewed involvement with Elizabeth after the latter's husband dies and she is being courted by Warleggan. Poldark is basically a period soap opera that is wildly over-plotted and stuffed with characters, but it is so handsomely shot, and is acted with such commitment by an able cast (which this season includes John Nettles), that no matter how implausible or pulpy the show becomes, it remains well-nigh irresistible. Presenting all 10 episodes from the 2016 second season, extras include behind-the-scene featurettes, cast interviews, and a set tour. Recommended. (F. Swietek)