Poldark

Ladies, have you been languishing this summer, longing for the return of Outlander? Believe me, I understand.  For some of our favorite limited series, it's a long time between seasons.

A couple of weeks ago with nothing to watch on a Sunday night (Game of Thrones had shown its last episode), I discovered a wonderful series currently running on PBS' Masterpiece Theater.

Taken from a series of novels the television version, Poldark, is an excellent way to wile away an hour.

Set in the late 18th century, it is the story of Ross Poldark, an Englishman from the wild and windswept coast of Cornwall. In the first episode, he is seen with the British Army, losing a battle in Virginia against George Washington's troops in which he is forever scarred by an American saber. When the war is over, he returns home.

Once back in Cornwall, he finds his father has died, his home is in shambles, his uncle in the grand estate, and the woman who promised to wait for him engaged to his cousin. Needless to say it isn't the homecoming he expected.

He is invited to the upcoming wedding, but leaves to go back to his own home.

Thus, he begins his life anew with all of his former expectations gone. A rebel at heart, he does not fit in with the local gentry.  The working people accept him, but as a gentleman not one of them.  It's a lonely life for Ross, but he's determined.

This one's got lots of tension and good action.  Yes there are love scenes, even some "proper" sex scenes (no nudity so far...) The cast is excellent. And it is shot on location in Cornwall, a stark but beautiful part of the coast of England.

This is another great series produced by the BBC. They produced a series on the Poldark novels in the late 1970s.  I never saw it, but from the pictures, I think I like the contemporary series better.

Aidan Turner, an Irish actor, seen recently in films such as The Hobbit and the first Mortal Instruments film in which he played Luke, the charismatic leader of the werewolves.

If you're looking for a romantic historical series this summer, check your local listings for Poldark, shown on PBS, as in you can get this one even if you don't have cable...

If you need further impetus to watch the series, check out this:

Aidan Turner as Ross Poldark

Happy viewing!

Until next time...