Poldark, series 4 episode 4, review: heartbreak and intrigue sees Poldark return to form

They love a child death in Poldark (BBC One). Sure, it’s historically accurate – in 1790s Cornwall, infant mortality rates were approximately one in six – but it’s also narratively handy. A way to weave in gut-wrenching tragedy without the upheaval of killing off a grown-up character who gets lines of actual dialogue. 

So it was that noble medic Dwight Enys (Luke Norris) and his wife Caroline (Gabriella Wilde) lost bonny baby Sarah to a congenital heart defect. The nation will have been shedding collective tears as Dr Dwight carried that tiny coffin into church. “It feels like losing Julia all over again,” sobbed Demelza (Eleanor Tomlinson), in case we’d forgotten that the Poldarks’ own baby died of diphtheria a couple of series ago. 

Grief now threatens to drive the bereaved Enyses apart. Caroline has already decamped to the bright gaslights of London, which is a shame. Her wry asides are one of the wittiest things in writer Debbie Horsfield’s scripts. Let’s hope the heiress uses her return stagecoach ticket to Cornwall soon.

It had been a stodgy couple of episodes for the swashbuckling, shirtless-scything period romp but as the fourth series reached its halfway point, there were welcome signs of Horsfield cranking up the drama. Boo-hiss baddie George Warleggan (Jack Farthing who always looks like he’s having the most fun of the cast) bought the borough of St Michael – not to be confused with ye olde Marks & Spencer own-brand – allowing him to return to Westminster and pass more dastardly laws. 

Fellow villain Rev Ossie Whitworth (Christian Brassington) tried to have unhappy wife Morwenna (Ellise Chappell) committed to an asylum, mainly for refusing to let his grubby mitts anywhere near her. Seeds were sown for the creepy cleric to get his comeuppance, though. His mistress’s husband has become suspicious of the unholy foot-fetishist’s frequent visits and looks ready to put the boot in; although I’m worried the perverted priest would enjoy it a tad too much. 

And what of our tricorne-hatted hero? Well, Captain Ross Poldark (Aidan Turner) kept his billowing blouse on this week (boo!). However, he did get it wet (hurrah), racing to the rescue when blasting down the mines caused a dangerous flood.

Who's who in Poldark?

With Titanic-style action scenes to go with the intrigue, romance and weepy bits, this incident-packed episode represented a rollicking return to form. Demelza even got to croon her signature song, How the Tide Rushes in. Just lay off the child deaths for now, please.