But he isn't a GP. He is a surgeon......it take a very special personality to be a GP, and that isn't Martin's make up. It's like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. Lots of folks say " Oh, wouldn't it be nice if he'd just continue being a GP?" Just like it's off the cuff. It doesn't work like that. Some of us hate primary care...I didn't care for it much, so just hoping he'll be a GP is really really unfair to Martin.
I agree that being a surgeon for as long as he had been is important to him. Otherwise he wouldn't be telling James Henry to pay attention to the operation on the computer! He is keeping his knowledge honed it would seem from that scene. Doing surgery is in some way another love affair in this show for our Doc, one he is also not being successful at over a prolonged period. I'll be interested if BP decides to resolve both issues and how, since Aunt Ruth certainly seemed to connect them in her little speech to Martin.
I would love to see him able to do surgery again and operating in the world he is confident in. The scenes in hospital, be it with Adrian Pitts. the dog psychologist's CT scan, or Louisa's potentially inept surgeon all bring out a stunning side to him that I find very interesting and could provide new fodder for the writers. Then how does he go home and be with his family, again more new fodder. And yet still somehow be in the village and somewhat forced to still interact with it more than he'd like perhaps.
But he isn't a GP. He is a surgeon......it take a very special personality to be a GP, and that isn't Martin's make up. It's like trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. Lots of folks say " Oh, wouldn't it be nice if he'd just continue being a GP?" Just like it's off the cuff. It doesn't work like that. Some of us hate primary care...I didn't care for it much, so just hoping he'll be a GP is really really unfair to Martin.
What I just said is really stupid...sorry...it's just a television show. It just bothers me that people think being a GP is hunky-dory.....it's not a great deal of the time and he'd be an unhappy man. Heck....maybe he should become a construction worker......or a chef...
While we talked about tattoos a few threads ago, it's worth bringing up again. One of my pet peeves - tattoos. How would Aunt Ruth, Margaret E. & Aunt Joan look with tattoos they had in their youth? This is how actresses and actors should approach the seriousness of getting some artwork on themselves. Roles change with age, opportunities arise which would make tattoos distracting. At least, MC had the foresight not to have any (as far as I know:o) done to him. Julie Graham's tattoos in W& M were very distracting to me, even though she played a "hard" person who softened up when she met William. The worst of all are these "sleeves" of tattoos some young people have on their arms - wall to wall. What kind of a job could they get if they met the public? CC is a soft personality of an actress and to my mind is unbelievable if she took the role of say, a Joan Crawford type. I am jumping around and around on the subject of tattoos so I'll wind up this post.
Tats weren't really that common during the time Martin Clunes and people around our age were growing up ( he's the same age as my little brother). MC hates heavy makeup on women and probably finds tattoos on women repugnant . I know CC was a singer in some bands....and Julie Graham....who knows if her's is real (remember, she and Reuben matched)....I'm with the rest of you....what were these girls thinking? Especially if you plan a future in acting. Oh well......
Someone on a FB Doc Martin site mentioned that a week by week re-watch and discussion of all DM episodes (I think there are 44, counting On the Edge as one) woud take us up to filming and actually well into filming, if my math is right.
We did this two years ago on DS, and it did help to pass the time. I'm ambivalent about whether FB or DS is the better venue -- FB definitely has more participants and thus perhaps fresh voices, but on the other hand I don't think it's as well set up for discussion. And some who participate here have chosen not to join FB. At a minimum, I think another FB page (something like DM Rewatch) might be needed.
Also, Shop Girl''s site now is available and it adds a lot to the discussion, although I think Trivia pages are not being filled out in series order.
I'd like to have weekly review and discussion but here not FB. There are some very odd postings on FB, IMHO. Distracting and strange/odd. I'd rather do it here - just IMHO
(I keep trying to get discussion re-started here .....sorry for posting so much)
2) Martin doesn't believe he deserves success and recognition (surgery) or the love of Louisa. So in both cases, he sabotages himself, with haemophobia as the mechanism that leads him to destroy first his career, and then his marriage.
I know it's hopelessly too late to answer, but I haven't been on the forum for ages and try to catch up.
I tend to agree with you. I think his parents had planted the idea of being unworthy so deep within him, that he cannot believe anything good will last long. He expects to be found out sooner rather than later. Maybe he subconsciously sabotages everything good in his life before it is taken away from him. At least he can blame himself then, feeling he had deserved it.
I have wondered if part of Martin's self sabotage was the stress of having to perform at such a high level as a top surgeon. He may have burnt out and couldn't walk away from what he described as the only thing he was ever good at: surgery. But if he had an affliction, such as the phobia, he would no longer have to force himself to continue in his intense career
Tats weren't really that common during the time Martin Clunes and people around our age were growing up ( he's the same age as my little brother). MC hates heavy makeup on women and probably finds tattoos on women repugnant . I know CC was a singer in some bands....and Julie Graham....who knows if her's is real (remember, she and Reuben matched)....I'm with the rest of you....what were these girls thinking? Especially if you plan a future in acting. Oh well......
Sorry, but I don't get all this discussion about tattoos affecting anyone's acting career. If a tattooed actor is playing a non-tattooed character, they just use makeup! Look at Johnny Lee Miller--the tats we see on him as Sherlock Holmes are real, yet they were nowhere in evidence when he played Eli Stone or a number of other roles. Tattoos are really a non-issue for actors nowadays.
Sorry, but I don't get all this discussion about tattoos affecting anyone's acting career. If a tattooed actor is playing a non-tattooed character, they just use makeup! Look at Johnny Lee Miller--the tats we see on him as Sherlock Holmes are real, yet they were nowhere in evidence when he played Eli Stone or a number of other roles. Tattoos are really a non-issue for actors nowadays.
You are so right Zarwen, to each his own. It just seems simpler NOT to have to pancake out tats on an actor. In fact my stepdaughter has KURT in 4 inch letters on her lower back just above her buttocks in honor of Kurt Cobain and my son has a Colorado flag on his back just behind his left shoulder, but you're right it's a personal choice ans none of our business.
I have wondered if part of Martin's self sabotage was the stress of having to perform at such a high level as a top surgeon. He may have burnt out and couldn't walk away from what he described as the only thing he was ever good at: surgery. But if he had an affliction, such as the phobia, he would no longer have to force himself to continue in his intense career
It seems to me like performing surgery was his bread and butter and he loved it and got great satisfaction. It seems like the phobia somehow developed subconsciously to prevent him from being successful at his greatest skill....his subconscious was out to self sabotage just as it did in other endeavors like his marriage to Louisa. Had he just had burnout he could have backed off his schedule. As one who developed it myself, I can assure you that one realizes that one is developing burnout. It isn't something subtle that you are not aware of. I think the "subconscious self sabotage" theory is more likely. He has no clue why it happened. Just my opinion.
. . . . But he did have a clue. When visiting that patient those many years ago, prior to surgery, he realized she had a "family that cared", which he didn't have. He probably, even at that time, never took a vacation -- it was all about his surgical career. Even now in S6, he felt he couldn't take a long weekend away with Louisa and James, as his first priority was being there for his patients in Portwenn. Louisa saw this very clearly at this point and felt deeply hurt that, although he loved her and their son, it was the patients that come first. Louisa, on the other hand, can't seem to vocalize this strong enough to Martin that he must take some time away to be with his "family that cared". I hope that the couples counseling in S7 will show them how to make their relationship and respective careers work hand in hand.
. . . . But he did have a clue. When visiting that patient those many years ago, prior to surgery, he realized she had a "family that cared", which he didn't have. He probably, even at that time, never took a vacation -- it was all about his surgical career. Even now in S6, he felt he couldn't take a long weekend away with Louisa and James, as his first priority was being there for his patients in Portwenn. Louisa saw this very clearly at this point and felt deeply hurt that, although he loved her and their son, it was the patients that come first. Louisa, on the other hand, can't seem to vocalize this strong enough to Martin that he must take some time away to be with his "family that cared". I hope that the couples counseling in S7 will show them how to make their relationship and respective careers work hand in hand.
It's certainly telling at the end of S6 when he says "you're my patient (first) and my wife (second)". He needs to get his priorities squared around.
It's certainly telling at the end of S6 when he says "you're my patient (first) and my wife (second)". He needs to get his priorities squared around.
It seems that explanation is a little too simple. Yes, he is dedicated to quality of care for his patients but he treats them like morons and is generally unpleasant to most people. Something else was in operation that day with the woman he was to operate on. Why would he notice at that particular time? And burnout and overwork would probably not cause him to vomit at the sight or smell of blood. His problems are psychosomatic and I believe have deep, deep origins. His body is affected by his issues which means that they have roots in his subconscious. He can't control it. It will be great in S7 to gain some insight into what the sources of his problems could be.
. . . . But he did have a clue. When visiting that patient those many years ago, prior to surgery, he realized she had a "family that cared", which he didn't have. He probably, even at that time, never took a vacation -- it was all about his surgical career. Even now in S6, he felt he couldn't take a long weekend away with Louisa and James, as his first priority was being there for his patients in Portwenn. Louisa saw this very clearly at this point and felt deeply hurt that, although he loved her and their son, it was the patients that come first. Louisa, on the other hand, can't seem to vocalize this strong enough to Martin that he must take some time away to be with his "family that cared". I hope that the couples counseling in S7 will show them how to make their relationship and respective careers work hand in hand.
I'm not so sure that he was choosing his patients over his family when he refused to go away for the weekend with Louisa. It felt to me like an excuse -- I think he was terribly worried, and self-involved at this point, and just felt too fragile to tolerate any enforced company at all, including his dearly beloved. To me, that's a key part of his problem -- he can only trust himself, or turn inward, when he has emotions that are difficiult to cope with -- never outward, to his partner in life, Louisa. She is deeply hurt by this, I think, and may interpret his behavior as not caring about her anymore.
It's certainly telling at the end of S6 when he says "you're my patient (first) and my wife (second)". He needs to get his priorities squared around.
Marchand and Lucy
Agree with you. Martin never had a life outside of medicine. When he was exposed to another life with James and Louisa, he could manage it when orderly but had issues with the noise and chaos. He does need to work on how to happily incorporate a family into his life. Excited to see how that will be done in S 7
I'm not so sure that he was choosing his patients over his family when he refused to go away for the weekend with Louisa. It felt to me like an excuse -- I think he was terribly worried, and self-involved at this point, and just felt too fragile to tolerate any enforced company at all, including his dearly beloved. To me, that's a key part of his problem -- he can only trust himself, or turn inward, when he has emotions that are difficiult to cope with -- never outward, to his partner in life, Louisa. She is deeply hurt by this, I think, and may interpret his behavior as not caring about her anymore.
I agree with you that this was more an issue of his complete personal inertia and that if he was in his right mind he would be able to find a way for a getaway with his family. Once he was shaken out of his stupor by AR he was prepared to drop everything to fly to Spain.
I have recently started to think differently about the cause of his blood phobia. While I agree that it probably involves some deep seated feelings that he wasn't "good enough", I also feel that his subconscious decided to send him in a different direction. While he loved being a London surgeon, he realized that the lifestyle he had chosen didn't allow him the "luxury" of having that loving family surrounding him the way they did for his patient. While I'm sure that there are high-flying surgeons who have successful family lives, maybe his subconscious knew that he didn't have the makeup to be able to handle both successfully. So it forced him to take a u-turn before it was too late. I think he will find other ways to use his skills and stay in Cornwall because I really don't see him finding the life that deep down he really wants while resuming an all-encompassing career back in London.
When he was trying to get back to London in S4, it was because the lifestyle change he was seeking had not worked out. He had found what he was looking for but decided that it couldn't work. So he had tried to find a new life, failed, and decided to go back and resume the lifestyle that his subconscious wanted him to escape. The only reason he continued trying to get to London in S5 was because he was contractually obligated. But Louisa leaving him and JH being kidnapped woke him up and he managed to break that contract.
I agree with you that this was more an issue of his complete personal inertia and that if he was in his right mind he would be able to find a way for a getaway with his family. Once he was shaken out of his stupor by AR he was prepared to drop everything to fly to Spain.
I have recently started to think differently about the cause of his blood phobia. While I agree that it probably involves some deep seated feelings that he wasn't "good enough", I also feel that his subconscious decided to send him in a different direction. While he loved being a London surgeon, he realized that the lifestyle he had chosen didn't allow him the "luxury" of having that loving family surrounding him the way they did for his patient. While I'm sure that there are high-flying surgeons who have successful family lives, maybe his subconscious knew that he didn't have the makeup to be able to handle both successfully. So it forced him to take a u-turn before it was too late. I think he will find other ways to use his skills and stay in Cornwall because I really don't see him finding the life that deep down he really wants while resuming an all-encompassing career back in London.
When he was trying to get back to London in S4, it was because the lifestyle change he was seeking had not worked out. He had found what he was looking for but decided that it couldn't work. So he had tried to find a new life, failed, and decided to go back and resume the lifestyle that his subconscious wanted him to escape. The only reason he continued trying to get to London in S5 was because he was contractually obligated. But Louisa leaving him and JH being kidnapped woke him up and he managed to break that contract.
Shop Girl, I really don't think that his blood phobia has anything to do with subconsciously wanting to leave the life he loved as a surgeon. When you reach that level as a surgeon it is no doubt the pinnacle of your lifestyle. You have residents and junior surgeons do all the what we called "scut" work for you. The patient is examined, you may have some advisory input on diagnosis but basically the hard all night stuff is usually left to residents and fellows. You are usually called, walk in, and do the surgeries. It's about the best part of being a surgeon. You have partners that enable vacations. Martin was forced to go to Portwenn BECAUSE he developed the blood phobia.....I think he was depressed and frustrated partially because he was doing general practice in Portwenn. It is still my opinion that his blood phobia is extremely deep seated and has its source in the child abuse and neglect he experienced and in subconscious sabotage of any success he achieved. He thrived on the intensity of surgery and still could easily have a family life. He was just conditioned to believe he didn't deserve anything. (plus, he had a Venetian glass tumbler so he must have traveled some time...even if it was a medical meeting......that's a joke ladies). IMHO nothing to do with needing to leave surgery. Just my opinion..and we all have our own.
Mofromco - I don't know about the area of the country you live in, but I am in a county in New Jersey about an hour's drive to New York City and quite populated. The classified section of our phone book lists great numbers of surgeons of all specialties but only two vascular surgeons. It must be an extremely difficult specialty, so doubt if DM would have a team of junior surgeons at the ready to assist him, even at Imperial! I will Post Script. this by saying I know rubbish about the procedure in an operating room but feel DM would want no assistant surgeons.
Marchand. You are right about vascular surgeons being rare. Another thing is thatbMartin was not in private or active as many physicians are in the US. He worked in an NHS Hospital in the British public medical system which is very different than that in the US. He may have had registrars and house doctors who prepped and closed patients but may have still had a heavy load.
Marchand. You are right about vascular surgeons being rare. Another thing is thatbMartin was not in private or active as many physicians are in the US. He worked in an NHS Hospital in the British public medical system which is very different than that in the US. He may have had registrars and house doctors who prepped and closed patients but may have still had a heavy load.
As a physician myself I will concur that you won't find a plethora of vascular surgeons in outlying areas. They tend to be concentrated in areas where there is a major medical center and usually in centers of medical education like Mayo Clinic, Mass. General and Boston, New York City, Denver, San Francisco. Imperial in London is such a medical center and probably has house staff...residents and fellows and more other vascular surgeons than elsewhere.
As to difficulty....in my exposure to surgery during training vascular surgery is about the same as other surgery....it's delicate work, but neurosurgery and plastics is delicate too...so not to be blasé but you get training and you do it as everyone else does what they do. Also, I did a paper on the NHS in med school and there are systematic and bureaucratic differences but when you get to the OR (which can take a while) a hernia is a hernia. Also, it is absolutely de riguer to have 2 surgeons in surgery. What Martin did with Louisa was dangerous and would probably never happen. There are almost always 2 or more surgeons to assist.
I am being pedantic, I know, but I've been there done that........Martin loves surgery...he loves to fix things and I hope he gets back to it, with his family and life goes on
Ps. I did the paper on the NHS because I was already an Anglophile. I was a huge Monty Python fan and traveled for a couple of weeks to England with my girlfriend in 1974. I even got to see Monty Python Live off Broadway.. Hence, when it came time to pick a topic I chose the NHS. Anything to do with England made the paper writing less onerous.
What I just said is really stupid...sorry...it's just a television show. It just bothers me that people think being a GP is hunky-dory.....it's not a great deal of the time and he'd be an unhappy man. Heck....maybe he should become a construction worker......or a chef...
Mofromco, what you wrote previously wasn't stupid at all. I completely agreed.
People wanting DM to be a GP forever want DM to be unhappy and unfulfilled forever, solely because LG wants to stay in PW. What makes DM happiest career-wise, what he wanted to be from 5 years old, is a surgeon. If we truly want the couple to be happy, it would be nice if the show enabled DM to return to surgery at some point in their lives.
DM, in my opinion, should not have to suffer being a GP just to make LG happy. I don't know statistics, but I wonder how many people "in real life" force themselves to follow a career they dislike, and do not what they love, solely because their spouse has qualifications which prevent the person from having the career they love?
Let's face it: DM loathes PW, he said so very clearly at the Castle. Trying to be a perfect spouse doing a career he dislikes, in a town he loathes, treating patients he disdains is a lot to ask of anyone, let alone DM!
I think LG has to give in the growth of their relationship, too. Does she make DM happy all the time? We've discussed her moods, tantrums, lack of sense of humor, messiness, etc.
For DM to be happy, he needs to not just be a better husband. He needs to be able to return to surgery--which I think he loved as much as he loves LG. I think LG has to give a little here, in the future, to help DM be happy and to help their relationship survive.
I think LG has to give in the growth of their relationship, too. Does she make DM happy all the time? We've discussed her moods, tantrums, lack of sense of humor, messiness, etc.
For DM to be happy, he needs to not just be a better husband. He needs to be able to return to surgery--which I think he loved as much as he loves LG. I think LG has to give a little here, in the future, to help DM be happy and to help their relationship survive.
The writers and producers need to give LG/CC more to work with. Despite the draw, I don't feel like they give her enough screen time or even screen time with DM/MC to really get into the matter. It's all been just quick glimpses that give us bites to chew on these boards. We need just a little tiny bit more detail than what they've given us on the surface.
Here are the standings for the eliminated episodes. I encourage you to vote on this list each week (but just once each week - I have been seeing some attempts to "stuff the ballot box" in both surveys the last few weeks! ).
1 S6E7 Listen With Mother
2 S4E6 Midwife Crisis
3 S3E7 Happily Ever After
4 S6E4 Nobody Likes Me
5 S3E4 The Admirer
6 S4E7 Do Not Disturb
7 S5E2 Dry Your Tears
8 S4E3 Perish Together as Fools
9 S5E6 Don't Let Go
10 S6E6 Hazardous Exposure
11 S3E2 Movement
12 S6E3 The Tameness of a Wolf
13 S5E5 Remember Me
14 S6E5 The Practice Around the Corner
15 S6E2 Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?
Comments
I agree that being a surgeon for as long as he had been is important to him. Otherwise he wouldn't be telling James Henry to pay attention to the operation on the computer! He is keeping his knowledge honed it would seem from that scene. Doing surgery is in some way another love affair in this show for our Doc, one he is also not being successful at over a prolonged period. I'll be interested if BP decides to resolve both issues and how, since Aunt Ruth certainly seemed to connect them in her little speech to Martin.
I would love to see him able to do surgery again and operating in the world he is confident in. The scenes in hospital, be it with Adrian Pitts. the dog psychologist's CT scan, or Louisa's potentially inept surgeon all bring out a stunning side to him that I find very interesting and could provide new fodder for the writers. Then how does he go home and be with his family, again more new fodder. And yet still somehow be in the village and somewhat forced to still interact with it more than he'd like perhaps.
What I just said is really stupid...sorry...it's just a television show. It just bothers me that people think being a GP is hunky-dory.....it's not a great deal of the time and he'd be an unhappy man. Heck....maybe he should become a construction worker......or a chef...
Tats weren't really that common during the time Martin Clunes and people around our age were growing up ( he's the same age as my little brother). MC hates heavy makeup on women and probably finds tattoos on women repugnant . I know CC was a singer in some bands....and Julie Graham....who knows if her's is real (remember, she and Reuben matched)....I'm with the rest of you....what were these girls thinking? Especially if you plan a future in acting. Oh well......
We did this two years ago on DS, and it did help to pass the time. I'm ambivalent about whether FB or DS is the better venue -- FB definitely has more participants and thus perhaps fresh voices, but on the other hand I don't think it's as well set up for discussion. And some who participate here have chosen not to join FB. At a minimum, I think another FB page (something like DM Rewatch) might be needed.
Also, Shop Girl''s site now is available and it adds a lot to the discussion, although I think Trivia pages are not being filled out in series order.
What do people think?
I know it's hopelessly too late to answer, but I haven't been on the forum for ages and try to catch up.
I tend to agree with you. I think his parents had planted the idea of being unworthy so deep within him, that he cannot believe anything good will last long. He expects to be found out sooner rather than later. Maybe he subconsciously sabotages everything good in his life before it is taken away from him. At least he can blame himself then, feeling he had deserved it.
Sorry, but I don't get all this discussion about tattoos affecting anyone's acting career. If a tattooed actor is playing a non-tattooed character, they just use makeup! Look at Johnny Lee Miller--the tats we see on him as Sherlock Holmes are real, yet they were nowhere in evidence when he played Eli Stone or a number of other roles. Tattoos are really a non-issue for actors nowadays.
You are so right Zarwen, to each his own. It just seems simpler NOT to have to pancake out tats on an actor. In fact my stepdaughter has KURT in 4 inch letters on her lower back just above her buttocks in honor of Kurt Cobain and my son has a Colorado flag on his back just behind his left shoulder, but you're right it's a personal choice ans none of our business.
It seems to me like performing surgery was his bread and butter and he loved it and got great satisfaction. It seems like the phobia somehow developed subconsciously to prevent him from being successful at his greatest skill....his subconscious was out to self sabotage just as it did in other endeavors like his marriage to Louisa. Had he just had burnout he could have backed off his schedule. As one who developed it myself, I can assure you that one realizes that one is developing burnout. It isn't something subtle that you are not aware of. I think the "subconscious self sabotage" theory is more likely. He has no clue why it happened. Just my opinion.
It's certainly telling at the end of S6 when he says "you're my patient (first) and my wife (second)". He needs to get his priorities squared around.
It seems that explanation is a little too simple. Yes, he is dedicated to quality of care for his patients but he treats them like morons and is generally unpleasant to most people. Something else was in operation that day with the woman he was to operate on. Why would he notice at that particular time? And burnout and overwork would probably not cause him to vomit at the sight or smell of blood. His problems are psychosomatic and I believe have deep, deep origins. His body is affected by his issues which means that they have roots in his subconscious. He can't control it. It will be great in S7 to gain some insight into what the sources of his problems could be.
I'm not so sure that he was choosing his patients over his family when he refused to go away for the weekend with Louisa. It felt to me like an excuse -- I think he was terribly worried, and self-involved at this point, and just felt too fragile to tolerate any enforced company at all, including his dearly beloved. To me, that's a key part of his problem -- he can only trust himself, or turn inward, when he has emotions that are difficiult to cope with -- never outward, to his partner in life, Louisa. She is deeply hurt by this, I think, and may interpret his behavior as not caring about her anymore.
Marchand and Lucy
Agree with you. Martin never had a life outside of medicine. When he was exposed to another life with James and Louisa, he could manage it when orderly but had issues with the noise and chaos. He does need to work on how to happily incorporate a family into his life. Excited to see how that will be done in S 7
I agree with you that this was more an issue of his complete personal inertia and that if he was in his right mind he would be able to find a way for a getaway with his family. Once he was shaken out of his stupor by AR he was prepared to drop everything to fly to Spain.
I have recently started to think differently about the cause of his blood phobia. While I agree that it probably involves some deep seated feelings that he wasn't "good enough", I also feel that his subconscious decided to send him in a different direction. While he loved being a London surgeon, he realized that the lifestyle he had chosen didn't allow him the "luxury" of having that loving family surrounding him the way they did for his patient. While I'm sure that there are high-flying surgeons who have successful family lives, maybe his subconscious knew that he didn't have the makeup to be able to handle both successfully. So it forced him to take a u-turn before it was too late. I think he will find other ways to use his skills and stay in Cornwall because I really don't see him finding the life that deep down he really wants while resuming an all-encompassing career back in London.
When he was trying to get back to London in S4, it was because the lifestyle change he was seeking had not worked out. He had found what he was looking for but decided that it couldn't work. So he had tried to find a new life, failed, and decided to go back and resume the lifestyle that his subconscious wanted him to escape. The only reason he continued trying to get to London in S5 was because he was contractually obligated. But Louisa leaving him and JH being kidnapped woke him up and he managed to break that contract.
Shop Girl, I really don't think that his blood phobia has anything to do with subconsciously wanting to leave the life he loved as a surgeon. When you reach that level as a surgeon it is no doubt the pinnacle of your lifestyle. You have residents and junior surgeons do all the what we called "scut" work for you. The patient is examined, you may have some advisory input on diagnosis but basically the hard all night stuff is usually left to residents and fellows. You are usually called, walk in, and do the surgeries. It's about the best part of being a surgeon. You have partners that enable vacations. Martin was forced to go to Portwenn BECAUSE he developed the blood phobia.....I think he was depressed and frustrated partially because he was doing general practice in Portwenn. It is still my opinion that his blood phobia is extremely deep seated and has its source in the child abuse and neglect he experienced and in subconscious sabotage of any success he achieved. He thrived on the intensity of surgery and still could easily have a family life. He was just conditioned to believe he didn't deserve anything. (plus, he had a Venetian glass tumbler so he must have traveled some time...even if it was a medical meeting......that's a joke ladies). IMHO nothing to do with needing to leave surgery. Just my opinion..and we all have our own.
As a physician myself I will concur that you won't find a plethora of vascular surgeons in outlying areas. They tend to be concentrated in areas where there is a major medical center and usually in centers of medical education like Mayo Clinic, Mass. General and Boston, New York City, Denver, San Francisco. Imperial in London is such a medical center and probably has house staff...residents and fellows and more other vascular surgeons than elsewhere.
As to difficulty....in my exposure to surgery during training vascular surgery is about the same as other surgery....it's delicate work, but neurosurgery and plastics is delicate too...so not to be blasé but you get training and you do it as everyone else does what they do. Also, I did a paper on the NHS in med school and there are systematic and bureaucratic differences but when you get to the OR (which can take a while) a hernia is a hernia. Also, it is absolutely de riguer to have 2 surgeons in surgery. What Martin did with Louisa was dangerous and would probably never happen. There are almost always 2 or more surgeons to assist.
I am being pedantic, I know, but I've been there done that........Martin loves surgery...he loves to fix things and I hope he gets back to it, with his family and life goes on
Mofromco, what you wrote previously wasn't stupid at all. I completely agreed.
People wanting DM to be a GP forever want DM to be unhappy and unfulfilled forever, solely because LG wants to stay in PW. What makes DM happiest career-wise, what he wanted to be from 5 years old, is a surgeon. If we truly want the couple to be happy, it would be nice if the show enabled DM to return to surgery at some point in their lives.
DM, in my opinion, should not have to suffer being a GP just to make LG happy. I don't know statistics, but I wonder how many people "in real life" force themselves to follow a career they dislike, and do not what they love, solely because their spouse has qualifications which prevent the person from having the career they love?
Let's face it: DM loathes PW, he said so very clearly at the Castle. Trying to be a perfect spouse doing a career he dislikes, in a town he loathes, treating patients he disdains is a lot to ask of anyone, let alone DM!
I think LG has to give in the growth of their relationship, too. Does she make DM happy all the time? We've discussed her moods, tantrums, lack of sense of humor, messiness, etc.
For DM to be happy, he needs to not just be a better husband. He needs to be able to return to surgery--which I think he loved as much as he loves LG. I think LG has to give a little here, in the future, to help DM be happy and to help their relationship survive.
The writers and producers need to give LG/CC more to work with. Despite the draw, I don't feel like they give her enough screen time or even screen time with DM/MC to really get into the matter. It's all been just quick glimpses that give us bites to chew on these boards. We need just a little tiny bit more detail than what they've given us on the surface.
This week's episode thrown out of the surgery:
S1E4 The Portwenn Effect
New survey this week:
S3E6 Nowt So Queer vs S6E8 Departure
Here are the standings for the eliminated episodes. I encourage you to vote on this list each week (but just once each week - I have been seeing some attempts to "stuff the ballot box" in both surveys the last few weeks!
1 S6E7 Listen With Mother
2 S4E6 Midwife Crisis
3 S3E7 Happily Ever After
4 S6E4 Nobody Likes Me
5 S3E4 The Admirer
6 S4E7 Do Not Disturb
7 S5E2 Dry Your Tears
8 S4E3 Perish Together as Fools
9 S5E6 Don't Let Go
10 S6E6 Hazardous Exposure
11 S3E2 Movement
12 S6E3 The Tameness of a Wolf
13 S5E5 Remember Me
14 S6E5 The Practice Around the Corner
15 S6E2 Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?
Complete survey results: http://portwennonline.com/SurveyResults.html
New survey: http://portwennonline.com/SurveyCurrent.html
Episode title survey (suggestions for the eliminated episode):
http://portwennonline.com/SurveyEpisodeTitles.html