I am a new member of this forum but have been enjoying it immensely for a while. There has been a fair amount of criticism of Louisa lately, and I’d like to comment on it. Right from s1, there has been a focus on Martin’s psychological issues, which have at various times been attributed to Asperger’s, family-of-origin issues, plain meanness, or some combination. I have written about my ideas on this subject on the Facebook Spoilers’ Group page, and I may write about them here another time. I have not read anything here concerning the origin of Louisa’s psychological issues and the way they have shaped her relationship with Martin, but perhaps I have not read back far enough. Please excuse me if I repeat what others have already said. We know that Louisa’s mother abandoned her when she was young. She was 12 when her mother came back and wanted her to go and live with her. We found out in s5 that by that time her mother was a stranger to her, so she must have left initially when Louisa was pretty young. We don’t know much about Louisa’s relationship with her father, who was likely her primary caretaker. In On the Edge, it is apparent that Louisa loves him, but I got the sense that her father probably was not a reliable caretaker. Because of these family dynamics, I think that Louisa pretty much had to take care of herself and developed the belief that she couldn’t depend on anyone, either physically or emotionally. In fact, she decided she could only depend on herself. So, on the one hand, for her, being dependent on someone is pretty scary, but on the other hand, she desperately wants to be taken care of and protected by someone. I think she started falling in love with Martin when he diagnosed her eye, because she felt taken care of, and it was so unexpected. It seems to me that Martin’s exceptional skill as a doctor makes her feel safe. So, here we have Louisa who is afraid to be dependent (which also means she can be controlled) and Martin who is very controlling. Both are afraid of true intimacy. So in s4, when Louisa sees Martin with Edith, she believes he has moved on and, once again, she has to fend for herself. This sets up the situation where she keeps pushing him away, even when he is indicating that he might be open to being involved with the pregnancy. A prime example of this is the painful handshake scene in the classroom. She just can’t risk depending on him in any way, even though she still loves him and really wants him to take care of her. Almost from the beginning of s4, Martin repeatedly tells Louisa that she shouldn’t work after the baby is born, and this message has continued up to s6e3. I think this really gets Louisa’s hackles up, not so much because she loves her work (although she probably does), but also because she would have to depend on Martin’s income to support her if she quit. Even though they are now married, this probably feels too risky to her because she does not trust that he won’t eventually leave her. At this point (e3), I think what is going on with Louisa is two things: She is simply stressed out going back to work at a high-pressure job while being a new mother and a new wife; but also there is the fear of being dependent on anyone, including Martin. If you start depending on someone and trust that they will never abandon you, the fear is that the rug could be pulled out from under you. A very scary proposition for someone with her history. Both of them have yet to really trust each other, him with sharing with her his intense emotional pain, and her with believing that he will not leave her and that he wants to take care of her. I think most of us are hoping that both of them will grow into this relationship and will help each other heal from their childhood wounds. I mostly hear a lot of empathy for both of them in this forum. But with all the criticism of Louisa the past few days, I think we should remember what it’s like as human beings to deal with these emotional struggles.
Errrrr hi, welcome to DS.
I think you should maybe have posted the above on the relevant thread.
hi joined this forum to reply to a thread i saw on google but not been able to reply came up with some error message:o- i know it was a rather old thread about a yr 18 months old . but anyhow im here now
hi joined this forum to reply to a thread i saw on google but not been able to reply came up with some error message:o- i know it was a rather old thread about a yr 18 months old . but anyhow im here now
Another newbie here so hi everyone
Just wondered if anyone can direct me to the right forum/discussion for help with interference problems with tv channels.
Thanks
Another newbie here so hi everyone
Just wondered if anyone can direct me to the right forum/discussion for help with interference problems with tv channels.
Thanks
I'm not too sure which one would apply to your problem. However have a look through HERE. There's bound to be one which can help you.
Comments
I think you should maybe have posted the above on the relevant thread.
Hi, welcome to DS.
Hi, welcome to DS.
Belated welcome to DS.
Just wondered if anyone can direct me to the right forum/discussion for help with interference problems with tv channels.
Thanks
Im new, used to have another account but it wouldnt let me post haha.
Erm Im Shenae and im 29. I love football, and support Celtic.
Anyways hiya!
Been reading these forums for a while now and have finally decided to join!
Hi, welcome to DS.
Like sci fi, adventure, some documentaries, politics, offbeat cartoons, and loads of other stuff. Loath reality programs and Wimbledon.
It's more fun posting than lurking.
Hi, thanks. Lookslike fun.
Hi, welcome to DS.
Have been reading here for a while. Hope to be of some use here sometime now that I'm around.
Until then, I'll try to get used to posting here.
- A_Zombie
Hi, welcome to DS