Recommendation: Poldark
After a harrowing three-year stint in the Revolutionary War, army captain and English gentlemen Ross Poldark returns to his native land of Cornwall and finds his once promising future in tatters. His father is dead, his estate lies in ruin, and his family's previously profitable mining business has fallen into disarray. To add insult to injury, Ross's beloved Elizabeth has been betrothed to his pusillanimous cousin Francis, while his long-time rival George has built a formidable banking empire and gleefully exploits his newfound wealth to bludgeon Cornwall's constituents into submission. Penniless but not powerless, the indomitable Captain Poldark endeavors to rebuild his life and set things right.
Back to the Future: Spanning five seasons and forty-three episodes, Poldark is thematically rich and disconcertingly topical. The series explores rampant income inequality, wealthy people behaving badly, class warfare, the rapacious nature and perverse incentives of shareholder capitalism, and other economic atrocities. Of course, no story depicting "civilized" human beings would be complete without wanton violence against women, race science, political corruption, or unaccountable, self-loathing oligarchs either. While bingeing Poldark, I was reminded that, as awful as today's cynical tech barons and authoritarian politicians are, they're little more than modern-day spins on the tyrants and sociopaths of yesteryear.
Compelling, Frustrating, and Surprisingly Static Foes: One of the cardinal sins of character development is creating heroes and villains who never undergo any manner of change. And yet, among the most fascinating elements of Poldark is how static our titular protagonist Ross and his sinister antagonist George remain throughout the series. The former stays reckless, careless, narcissistic, and inflexible, while the latter can't help but be venal, petty, greedy, and duplicitous. Though both characters are obviously flawed, they're also fully realized, which makes their refusal to demonstrate any semblance of personal growth confounding. Each character endures unspeakable tragedy and considerable hardship, but neither seems to learn anything in the process. With respect to Ross, this makes rooting for him particularly difficult. (He throws off definitive McNulty vibes for you Wire fans out there.) This dynamic is less perplexing for George, on the other hand, who's so delightfully reprehensible only Peter Thiel could admire him. Characterization issues aside, the escalating conflict between these two lunatics is what kept me hooked.
Eye Candy Abounds: From the breathtaking scenery, to the ostentatious costumes, to the superb set designs, to the well-bred Whites, each episode of Poldark features a smorgasbord of beautiful imagery. Simply put, this series is gorgeous—and a welcome respite from the AI and CGI slop flooding social media and Hollywood, respectively. Note: Since Poldark is a period piece set in England during the late eighteenth century, you shouldn't be surprised to find melanin in short supply among the actors. I offer this up not as a criticism, merely an FYI.
Final Verdict: Poldark makes for compelling viewing and I found myself utterly absorbed by the series. Nonetheless, I must also admit certain elements of the show triggered deep feelings of despair and caused something to snap inside my brain. Before watching Poldark, I foolishly believed societal progress was sluggish yet perpetual, most people were inherently decent, and humanity could look forward to a better, if imperfect, future. After watching Poldark, I legit believe human civilization has peaked and we actually can't do any better. Is this me, amidst the backdrop of an unconscionably shitty start to the millennium, being overly dramatic and hopelessly nihilistic? Perhaps. But if you choose to venture into Poldark's heart of darkness, be advised that you, too, may throw in the towel on our species.
Where to Watch: If you're a radical Marxist who values public services and supports press freedom, PBS Passport. If you're an obscene capitalist who uses leverage to buy cryptocurrencies, Netflix.
