In Defense of Hugh Armitage and Hughmelza
This essay is a long time coming. I’ve spent the better part of a year drafting it through all of the abuse and bullying I have suffered in fandom along with the deep-seated admiration as well. Now that PBS has started to air Poldark S4 in the US, I must get this off my chest and resurrect this blog to do so.
When I first read Warleggan and watched the 1970’s/new series, all I could think about is wishing Ross died as punishment for raping Elizabeth. I wished Demelza could get proper revenge for what happened which was far worse than cheating. The love I had for Ross and Demelza at the beginning of the story was long gone. MacNeil (or Pornstache) as I call him, nearly assaulted Demelza, so that was definitely not satisfying. Reading Demelza apologizing in the face of Ross’ toxic masculinity and slut-shaming over the MacNeil incident at the end of Warleggan made me admire her but I couldn’t understand her. That “reconciliation” wasn’t romantic at all, it was building the Romelza relationship on a lie. The lie that all Ross did was cheat. I didn’t really gain any sympathy for Ross through The Black Moon either. No matter how he helped Dwight & Caroline or fed the poor, all I could think about is Demelza getting even.
Winston Graham writing in Hugh Armitage in The Four Swans and seeing his character on screen essentially saved me from quitting Poldark cold turkey. Here was an attractive young man who was an artist and a hopeless romantic actively expressing affection. He valued Demelza in a way Ross never did. He didn’t spend days on end brooding or ignoring Demelza. He admired her kind personality and didn’t take it for granted. He never mentioned or cared about Demelza’s humble origins. Most importantly, Hugh didn’t spend time being emotionally unfaithful by pining over and worshipping an ex-girlfriend who and comparing Demelza to her.
I never saw Hugh as a stalker, if he really was, Demelza would have told him never to talk to her again. The other creepy older men who sexually harass her in the novels get the brush off super quick. She saw him as a friend but wasn’t sure about Hugh’s notion of courtly love. The change in her POV came when it was clear Ross once again was involved with Elizabeth and betraying her once again. Now some may argue Prudie (Jud in the books/70’s) are entirely unreliable witnesses, but they are well aware of how Ross spent years obsessing over Elizabeth. Demelza made a very good decision to become for a little while someone else. She never had a chance to experience courtship before marrying Ross. Hugh gave her her teenage years back.
The seal scene (or the dunes on the show) in my opinion was a triumphant moment for me. I cheered in the books and was even more enthralled watching on TV. This was the revenge I needed to soothe my angry soul. This was justice. Even if Demelza doesn’t want to admit that’s what it was, this is how I see it. Anyone who supports Ross and Demelza reconciling will not admit to the revenge angle because that would be an admission of the lie Romelza is built on. The cast, crew, and showrunners have to stick with the most common interpretation of the story because the fandom would riot if there was an alternate interpretation.
What really sealed the deal for me is seeing Josh Whitehouse in the new series embodied the best of Hugh’s qualities I saw in the novels. He embodied Hugh the artist, the risk taker I saw in my head and loved. Debbie Horsfeld’s script inserted key moments of sympathy for Hugh that wasn’t there in the 1970’s version. Seeing how negative the fandom was towards Hugh and how a lot of it was rooted in slutshaming Demelza deepened my love and appreciation for Josh’s performance and for Hugh. I’ve seen slightly more appreciation for Hugh from the PBS viewers, but it isn’t enough for me.
Now some may see this whole essay as making excuses for adultery or even worse celebrating adultery but I want to ask these critics several questions. Why does the fandom always make excuses for Ross being a rapist? Why are they always using Elizabeth as the villain who ruined their perfect vision of Romelza? Why are people judging women for making sexual decisions harder than they do men? Why do people hate Demelza or are disappointed in her for following her heart? Why won’t you admit Romelza is built on a lie? Until someone can give me an honest answer, I’ll be here shipping Hughmelza and enjoying what everyone else hates.
