Poldark season 4, episode 8 recap: Who dies in the finale?

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Poldark / Image by PBS

Poldark concludes its fourth season on PBS’s Masterpiece Theater with a birth, a death and a wedding. But which characters are involved?

Well, this has been a rather grim season, hasn’t it? To be fair, that is kind of the whole point of Poldark. Viewers live for the moments of relief and joy that break up the heartbreak of watching the hardships that life and other people (looking at you George) throw at the characters.

The season four finale delivered very satisfactorily on that promise of relief and joy for some residents of Cornwall, but naturally, other residents faced their darkest days yet. Here’s a look at how Poldark wrapped up its fourth season.

Morwenna & Drake

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I’ll start with the best news first! Morwenna (Ellise Chappell) and Drake (Harry Richardson) run into each other by the cliffs, and she initially tries to avoid speaking with him, still believing they can’t have a future together. However, once she decides to hear him out, Drake explains that he doesn’t have any expectations of “carnal love.”

He wants to marry her, but only so they can spend their life together as companions, not as lovers. She would be his wife “in name only.” Morwenna is still reluctant to believe such a happy ending could be possible. She agrees to walk a while with Drake, though, and they get engaged later that same day!

Complications arise because Drake is a Methodist but Demelza uses her status as a Poldark to combat the local priest’s prejudice. Everything is on track until Elizabeth (Heida Reed) pays Morwenna a visit at Drake’s house, while Drake is out.

Elizabeth actually has good, if also somewhat selfish, intentions. She wants to make up for her part in marrying Morwenna off to Whitworth (Christian Brassington) and offers to hold the wedding at Trenwith.

Morwenna doesn’t accept the offer and is quite justifiably uncomfortable and frustrated. However, she expresses concern when her heavily pregnant cousin gets up to leave and offhandedly mentions that she’s walking home. Elizabeth says the exercise is good for her, but Morwenna worries she’ll faint again as she did while pregnant with Valentine back in season three.

Of course, Elizabeth didn’t faint. She threw herself down a staircase because she needed an excuse for going into labor “early” to cover up the fact that was she was nine months pregnant. But Elizabeth can’t exactly tell Morwenna that, so she asks Morwenna to accompany her home in order to not seem like a reckless mother.

Morwenna, being the impossibly kind person she is, can’t bring herself to refuse, and they set off. When they reach Trenwith, Elizabeth invites Morwenna to stay for dinner, assuring her that George (Jack Farthing) isn’t there and is unlikely to return any time soon. He’s still furious about Ross likely being Valentine’s father.

Naturally, though, George does come home and berates Morwenna. Elizabeth is horrified and tries to intervene but not nearly hard enough, probably fearing for her and Valentine’s safety. Morwenna flees through the woods, but George sics his men and attack dogs on her.

She’s soon trapped but Drake arrives just in time and threatens to fight the men if they don’t turn back. When they do turn back, Drake checks on Morwenna, and she hugs him.

At the end of the episode, my Poldark OTP are seen walking out of the church, happily married! As they’re being showered with flower petals, Morwenna kisses Drake on the cheek.

Honestly, I genuinely hope they’re written off the show, at least as series regulars, so they can travel the world and live happily ever after like Verity (Ruby Bentall) and Captain Blamey (Richard Harrington).

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