This is a New Year's wish for continuing happiness if you have it and more happiness if you don't. Also, as distant as it seems, let's hope that humanity can find some kind of peace...some way...somehow.
Zarwen, are you referring to "Doc Martin" or "Saving Grace" or "Doc Martin and the Legend of the Cloutie"? Or possible the DM Christmas Special that came after Series 2 that has crazy Jonathan in it?
I was referring to "Doc Martin." I know "Saving Grace" predates it, but as far as I'm concerned it doesn't count because MC had so little screen time in it.
As a DM fan I hadn't seen MC in Goodbye Mr Chips...until yesterday (itv3). Really excellent....anyone who hasn't still seen it, take a look when you can!
As a DM fan I hadn't seen MC in Goodbye Mr Chips...until yesterday (itv3). Really excellent....anyone who hasn't still seen it, take a look when you can!
Those of you in the UK are so lucky that they repeat these films and documentaries with MC periodically. I was checking ITV listings a little while ago and Men Behaving Badly was on one channel at 2 am. Brilliant!
As a DM fan I hadn't seen MC in Goodbye Mr Chips...until yesterday (itv3). Really excellent....anyone who hasn't still seen it, take a look when you can!
I felt fortunate when I finally ran down a copy of GMC to watch here in the US. And even more fortunate after I watched it. Great story -- book or movie, but I do believe MC's is the best of the movie versions. Makes a retired teacher's heart happy, more ways than one!
Those of you in the UK are so lucky that they repeat these films and documentaries with MC periodically. I was checking ITV listings a little while ago and Men Behaving Badly was on one channel at 2 am. Brilliant!
I noticed that Goodbye Mr Chips and A is for Acid are both on ITV3 catchup - both available for another 29 days.
As a DM fan I hadn't seen MC in Goodbye Mr Chips...until yesterday (itv3). Really excellent....anyone who hasn't still seen it, take a look when you can!
I have a really strange question...pretty strange. If all those boys were matriculating in those prep schools, how and when did they learn how to kiss and have relationships with women. I know they had mixers and such but what can you do at a fancy ball? Maybe one of our Brit members could help with this one. In Co- ed schools one is in touch with the opposite sex all the time. If one goes to boys or girls schools you go home after school and hang out in the neighborhood. If you are at boarding school...what the heck happens? A peculiar question, but I've always wondered. I am enjoying Mr Chips much more this time. I guess I watched it on my phone the first time..not good.
This is a New Year's wish for continuing happiness if you have it and more happiness if you don't. Also, as distant as it seems, let's hope that humanity can find some kind of peace...some way...somehow.
My best to everyone, Mo
We can all use a lot more JOY and a lot more HAPPINESS, along with PEACE. I was born just ten years after my dad was in the fight of his life in a little dust-up called "the Battle of the Bulge." I cannot imagine how he contrasted Christmas 1954 from 1944. In 1944 he was cold, wet, hungry, and in danger. At Christmas 1954 he had a home, a pregnant wife (due any day), a car, food, water, warmth, and love.
I think that only combat vets and those who have suffered terrible privation and loss can really know what peace is. The rest of us... well, we can sense the edges of it, but not quite see the whole effect.
We can all use a lot more JOY and a lot more HAPPINESS, along with PEACE. I was born just ten years after my dad was in the fight of his life in a little dust-up called "the Battle of the Bulge." I cannot imagine how he contrasted Christmas 1954 from 1944. In 1944 he was cold, wet, hungry, and in danger. At Christmas 1954 he had a home, a pregnant wife (due any day), a car, food, water, warmth, and love.
I think that only combat vets and those who have suffered terrible privation and loss can really know what peace is. The rest of us... well, we can sense the edges of it, but not quite see the whole effect.
The BP team has a mighty hill to climb, it seems to me, for Series 7. They have a dug a hole and dropped our heroes into it.
They could have a lot of 'fun' with Martin and Louisa being cautious and at times spikey with each other, yet bouncing back together. And if S6 brought back Margaret, why not S7 having a visit from Eleanor Glasson?
Robspace54 - so you want to wind up Louisa even more!! How about Edith returning upon hearing through the grapevine that Martin's blood phobia has returned with a vengence. I think they will develop the business relationship between Aunt Ruth and Al Large even more in the next series. I believe AR wants to see Al be a little more independent of his father. I haven't made up my mind about Bert and Jennifer yet. A big change I saw was in the way Jessica Ransom played Morwenna in S5 and returning in S6. She matured to the point where DM is relying on her more than his previous receptionists and also she has those big incredible eyes which she is using to advantage to give that "look" with no script needed: when she walked in on the doc during his self EKG exam; checking his heart with the stethoscope; when Louisa is leaving for Spain she gives that "look" as if to say I am minding my own business. As she appears tall, she can give the doc that "in your face" look up close. Great directing in S6 IMO.
Well, I am thawing out, just came inside shortly before -- we had about 8 inches of snow the previous night and the temperature has been hovering around the low teens. My fingertips were frozen when I came in!!
The BP team has a mighty hill to climb, it seems to me, for Series 7. They have a dug a hole and dropped our heroes into it.
They could have a lot of 'fun' with Martin and Louisa being cautious and at times spikey with each other, yet bouncing back together. And if S6 brought back Margaret, why not S7 having a visit from Eleanor Glasson?
Decisions... decisions....
Rob
I hope we have fun in S7 -- a much higher proportion of fun to angst, please, than in S6.
Eleanor could come back to take care of her, since flying is temporarily out of the question, especially if she doesn't return immediately to the surgery (as I don't think she will). But it's not inconceivable that this time she could have a positive role to play, as in telling Louisa that she, Eleanor, had made a mistake in always running away instead of seeing things through. And reminding Louisa that she isn't getting any younger and if she chooses to stay in Portwenn, the pickings are likely to be pretty thin.
Robspace54 - so you want to wind up Louisa even more!! How about Edith returning upon hearing through the grapevine that Martin's blood phobia has returned with a vengence. I think they will develop the business relationship between Aunt Ruth and Al Large even more in the next series. I believe AR wants to see Al be a little more independent of his father. I haven't made up my mind about Bert and Jennifer yet. A big change I saw was in the way Jessica Ransom played Morwenna in S5 and returning in S6. She matured to the point where DM is relying on her more than his previous receptionists and also she has those big incredible eyes which she is using to advantage to give that "look" with no script needed: when she walked in on the doc during his self EKG exam; checking his heart with the stethoscope; when Louisa is leaving for Spain she gives that "look" as if to say I am minding my own business. As she appears tall, she can give the doc that "in your face" look up close. Great directing in S6 IMO.
Well, I am thawing out, just came inside shortly before -- we had about 8 inches of snow the previous night and the temperature has been hovering around the low teens. My fingertips were frozen when I came in!!
Hi Marchrand -- we're also digging out, and I hope where you are has a better snow removal system than my city. Also, it was below zero last night, and I believe it's heading your way.
Anyway, I too would like to see Edith return. She would probably be delighted that he's working on his "fear of intimacy" and offer to help. If she slightly softened her edges, she might offer a plausible alternative for Martin, and the longer Louisa holds out, the more he might be tempted.
I think that this time, it might well be Martin giving Louisa one last chance to stop waffling and agree to return to him. Why not, if he gets some renewed sense of his own worth? And Edith -- or another plausible alternative --- might be the means of precipitating that.
I hope we have fun in S7 -- a much higher proportion of fun to angst, please, than in S6.
Eleanor could come back to take care of her, since flying is temporarily out of the question, especially if she doesn't return immediately to the surgery (as I don't think she will). But it's not inconceivable that this time she could have a positive role to play, as in telling Louisa that she, Eleanor, had made a mistake in always running away instead of seeing things through. And reminding Louisa that she isn't getting any younger and if she chooses to stay in Portwenn, the pickings are likely to be pretty thin.
Hi Marchrand -- we're also digging out, and I hope where you are has a better snow removal system than my city. Also, it was below zero last night, and I believe it's heading your way.
Anyway, I too would like to see Edith return. She would probably be delighted that he's working on his "fear of intimacy" and offer to help. If she slightly softened her edges, she might offer a plausible alternative for Martin, and the longer Louisa holds out, the more he might be tempted.
I think that this time, it might well be Martin giving Louisa one last chance to stop waffling and agree to return to him. Why not, if he gets some renewed sense of his own worth? And Edith -- or another plausible alternative --- might be the means of precipitating that.
Excep
Geez, New Park, someone gave my first husband an alternative to me when we were still married.....it was called committing adultery. I'm pretty liberal but I don't think that the Docs focus will be on someone else. He is so rigid I daresay he wouldn't consider another relationship until he is fully divorced (which I hope doesn't happen...but who knows?). Perhaps a series of predatory women could be humorous, but knowing the Doc, I hope he would still be able to say,"Push off!". They're not good at bringing back characters, except Mummy Dearest. I agree, some characters would be great to see.......mistake to not keep Roger Fenn....love to see Elinor again.....but I'm not holding my breath.
75 degrees and sunny in Tucson....these few lovely days is why one lives here....a lot of the rest of the time can be miserable.
NewPark - I live in a town in New Jersey with a population of 25,000 more or less. I heard the snow plow come down the street about 4 a.m., the first of several sweeps.
About Edith - the "fear of intimacy" was not quite what I had in mind when I said I hope she returns in S7!! I am referring to the blood phobia only!! Edith hurt him deeply when she went abroad for her career long before LG. I differ with you in that Martin will always give Louisa another chance. He did say he wasn't good at being married and he is depending on her for help to make him a better husband and father. A tall order.
To Mofromco - 75 degrees and sunny - don't rub it in!!! Give me a place with four seasons and I'm happy.
NewPark - I live in a town in New Jersey with a population of 25,000 more or less. I heard the snow plow come down the street about 4 a.m., the first of several sweeps.
About Edith - the "fear of intimacy" was not quite what I had in mind when I said I hope she returns in S7!! I am referring to the blood phobia only!! Edith hurt him deeply when she went abroad for her career long before LG. I differ with you in that Martin will always give Louisa another chance. He did say he wasn't good at being married and he is depending on her for help to make him a better husband and father. A tall order.
To Mofromco - 75 degrees and sunny - don't rub it in!!! Give me a place with four seasons and I'm happy.
Marchrand, after 26 years in upstate New York and an additional 28 in the foothills in Colorado, I've done my bit. I still miss Colorado a lot and would move back in a heartbeat if the cost of living wasn't so high. It's my home and so very beautiful. Thanks for clearing up that point with Edith. I definitely think that Bert and Jennifer will get married......I really like Jennifer's character.....a little piece of Auntie Joan.
Edith hurt him deeply when she went abroad for her career long before LG. I differ with you in that Martin will always give Louisa another chance. He did say he wasn't good at being married and he is depending on her for help to make him a better husband and father. A tall order.
I truly believe that Louisa is the only one who has his heart and it goes deeper than physical attraction. They have JH together, and that ties them on multiple levels. There's even something deeper, a connection to both of their sketchy childhoods. I don't think L was ever into him because of his social stature but because she could see something much deeper in him and wanted to find that. I think that's why she was angered and shocked when he accused her at the end of S2 of stalking him. She never saw it that way. And he was just clueless or scared to death. She felt something more, perhaps a real relationship not some schoolgirl crush. The romantic tension between the two of them was obvious by that point.
Edith seemed to be in it with M for professional reasons and maybe the sex. Their pairing to me seemed to be only for giving her more clout and provided him with intellectual stimulation that may have been a turn-on for him, but nothing of substance for a "real" relationship.
Louisa holds something more and I think he gets more out of his relationship with Louisa than he would have ever gotten out of Edith (I'm going with what I sense personally from the acting on screen, not that we actually see those things; the great acting by MC & CC brings that/those inference(s)to light).
Again, they probably both had hopes and dreams from childhood that have now come true for both of them but they don't know what to do now that it has happened (although I think L has a better grasp of that then M). I think all along, they've both only wanted to find happiness and a family of their own that could/would provide reality to those dreams.
I would actually like to hear or find out in S7 what it is that L is drawn to in ME and what ME is drawn to in L.
Excep
Geez, New Park, someone gave my first husband an alternative to me when we were still married.....it was called committing adultery. I'm pretty liberal but I don't think that the Docs focus will be on someone else. He is so rigid I daresay he wouldn't consider another relationship until he is fully divorced (which I hope doesn't happen...but who knows?). Perhaps a series of predatory women could be humorous, but knowing the Doc, I hope he would still be able to say,"Push off!". They're not good at bringing back characters, except Mummy Dearest. I agree, some characters would be great to see.......mistake to not keep Roger Fenn....love to see Elinor again.....but I'm not holding my breath.
75 degrees and sunny in Tucson....these few lovely days is why one lives here....a lot of the rest of the time can be miserable.
I'd love to see Roger Fenn, but I think the actor who plays him (Jeff Rawls) is currently in a British series. But Martin does need a friend!
I guess I hadn't gone so far as to think that DM would actually commit adultery or even be really tempted to do so. I just want him to get to a point where he realizes (and Louisa knows that he realizes) that he can be happy with and make a different woman happy, if Louisa is unable to re-commit to their marriage.
NewPark - I live in a town in New Jersey with a population of 25,000 more or less. I heard the snow plow come down the street about 4 a.m., the first of several sweeps.
About Edith - the "fear of intimacy" was not quite what I had in mind when I said I hope she returns in S7!! I am referring to the blood phobia only!! Edith hurt him deeply when she went abroad for her career long before LG. I differ with you in that Martin will always give Louisa another chance. He did say he wasn't good at being married and he is depending on her for help to make him a better husband and father. A tall order.
To Mofromco - 75 degrees and sunny - don't rub it in!!! Give me a place with four seasons and I'm happy.
We're expecting another foot of snow this weekend. :o But shoveling keeps me fit! (among other activities)
I do want Martin and Louisa to end up together, and I think the whole series would seem pretty pointless if there were any other conclusion.
Yet that will require some changes on Louisa's part too, I think. And I would imagine that, as Martin grows healthier (which we hope to see in S7) that he might be able to be explicit with Louisa about what he needs from her if they are to move forward together.
Yet that will require some changes on Louisa's part too, I think. And I would imagine that, as Martin grows healthier (which we hope to see in S7) that he might be able to be explicit with Louisa about what he needs from her if they are to move forward together.
Louisa needs to stop jumping to assumptions and getting frustrated so easily by Martin's attitude about things. I think S6 showed a slow deterioration of her tolerance level until things finally erupted in E7. She brushed the crap off early then eventually couldn't take it anymore.
I hope as they make adjustments, we start to see them both open up about their wants and needs to each other and that Martin doesn't give his typical snotty or angry comeback answer of "why?" when Louisa actually opens up and expresses what she wants to him.
I have a really strange question...pretty strange. If all those boys were matriculating in those prep schools, how and when did they learn how to kiss and have relationships with women. I know they had mixers and such but what can you do at a fancy ball? Maybe one of our Brit members could help with this one. In Co- ed schools one is in touch with the opposite sex all the time. If one goes to boys or girls schools you go home after school and hang out in the neighborhood. If you are at boarding school...what the heck happens? A peculiar question, but I've always wondered. I am enjoying Mr Chips much more this time. I guess I watched it on my phone the first time..not good.
I talked to a colleague today who attended Colet Court (preparatory school) and St. Paul's School (secondary school), an all boys school in London in the late 1980s, early 1990s. This is slightly after Martin Ellingham would have been at school. St. Paul's has a few boarders but it is mostly a day school. He said that all the private boys schools in England, whether boarding or not, have dances with nearby girls schools a few times a year. Some of the girls schools were boarding schools and some of them were day schools. Although he lived at home while at school, all of his social experiences were with girls he met at these dances.
I didn't want to get into it with him about learning how to kiss and forming relationships with women, but I think it was probably through the dances and then later at university, most of which are now co-ed in England.
If I had to guess Martin Ellingham would never have attended a school dance, and if forced to do so, would have spent a lot of time stepping outside for air. He probably arrived late and left early. Any forced socialization would have been painful for him. However, I think it would be interesting to write a FF with him being a bit of a secondary school playboy. Maybe a girl broke his heart even before Edith
I talked to a colleague today who attended Colet Court (preparatory school) and St. Paul's School (secondary school), an all boys school in London in the late 1980s, early 1990s. This is slightly after Martin Ellingham would have been at school. St. Paul's has a few boarders but it is mostly a day school. He said that all the private boys schools in England, whether boarding or not, have dances with nearby girls schools a few times a year. Some of the girls schools were boarding schools and some of them were day schools. Although he lived at home while at school, all of his social experiences were with girls he met at these dances.
I didn't want to get into it with him about learning how to kiss and forming relationships with women, but I think it was probably through the dances and then later at university, most of which are now co-ed in England.
If I had to guess Martin Ellingham would never have attended a school dance, and if forced to do so, would have spent a lot of time stepping outside for air. He probably arrived late and left early. Any forced socialization would have been painful for him. However, I think it would be interesting to write a FF with him being a bit of a secondary school playboy. Maybe a girl broke his heart even before Edith
Thanks for that info. It certainly meant those mixers must have been a concerted effort to distract the chaperones and conduct some wild make out sessions. With the suggestion that ME looks peculiar (he is different but strangely delicious) or has big ears or was a gawky tall schoolboy I would doubt he would be a chick magnet. Probably was chosen by an equally tall and gawky girl to dance. I really believe Edith was his first.
I hope we have fun in S7 -- a much higher proportion of fun to angst, please, than in S6.
Eleanor could come back to take care of her, since flying is temporarily out of the question, especially if she doesn't return immediately to the surgery (as I don't think she will). But it's not inconceivable that this time she could have a positive role to play, as in telling Louisa that she, Eleanor, had made a mistake in always running away instead of seeing things through. And reminding Louisa that she isn't getting any younger and if she chooses to stay in Portwenn, the pickings are likely to be pretty thin.
Anyway, I too would like to see Edith return. She would probably be delighted that he's working on his "fear of intimacy" and offer to help. If she slightly softened her edges, she might offer a plausible alternative for Martin, and the longer Louisa holds out, the more he might be tempted.
I think that this time, it might well be Martin giving Louisa one last chance to stop waffling and agree to return to him. Why not, if he gets some renewed sense of his own worth? And Edith -- or another plausible alternative --- might be the means of precipitating that.
I agree with you, NewPark - both about Eleanor coming back as well as Edith in S7. I think it's always thrown Louisa into a tailspin when she thinks another woman is interested in the Doc. I think Edith or another woman's interest (a la Carrie Bradshaw) would allow DM to view what might be on the other side of his relationship with Louisa should it crumble - and that is a good thing, especially if Louisa remains intransigent. It also adds tension and another element to the plot. I like the idea of forces outside of DM-LGE inserting themselves and having an influence on what happens - so it's not just a bilateral exchange. With other actors who have an interest in DM or LGE, the dramatic and comedic possibilities seem greater.
Also, I personally hope for Louise Jameson's return as I know she'll spice things up. What if Margaret lied and Christopher isn't dead? If John Woodvine's not too old now, wouldn't it be great to have him shockingly show up, culminating with a flirtation with Eleanor? It seems like Christopher and Eleanor flirt as a matter of course. The possibility of them getting together would drive the Doc and Louisa crazy!
I like the idea of forces outside of DM-LGE inserting themselves and having an influence on what happens - so it's not just a bilateral exchange. With other actors who have an interest in DM or LGE, the dramatic and comedic possibilities seem greater.
Also, I personally hope for Louise Jameson's return as I know she'll spice things up. What if Margaret lied and Christopher isn't dead? If John Woodvine's not too old now, wouldn't it be great to have him shockingly show up, culminating with a flirtation with Eleanor? It seems like Christopher and Eleanor flirt as a matter of course. The possibility of them getting together would drive the Doc and Louisa crazy!
Yes, maybe that was part of the problem with S6 -- there was no outside force keeping them apart, or saving them,no third parties interfering, just their own difficulties, one on one.
That plot line was done in Reggie Perrin -- I can't remember wheter it ended happily or not, but both Reggie and his wife were upset about it.
Results are in for the latest Portwenn Online survey. The results can be found on the home page (hint - we have pretty optimistic fans ;-)). And today starts the new Portwenn Survivor. Every week you will have a chance to vote out your least favorite episode from the surviving episodes. I'm really anxious to see which ones fall first - and if we have much of a consensus or if they will be all over the map. Every Saturday I will post complete results.
And stay tuned next Saturday for part two of the survey when we begin to analyze the episode titles from the eliminated episodes.
Comments
My best to everyone, Mo
I was referring to "Doc Martin." I know "Saving Grace" predates it, but as far as I'm concerned it doesn't count because MC had so little screen time in it.
Happy New Year to all!!!!!:D
Those of you in the UK are so lucky that they repeat these films and documentaries with MC periodically. I was checking ITV listings a little while ago and Men Behaving Badly was on one channel at 2 am. Brilliant!
I felt fortunate when I finally ran down a copy of GMC to watch here in the US. And even more fortunate after I watched it. Great story -- book or movie, but I do believe MC's is the best of the movie versions. Makes a retired teacher's heart happy, more ways than one!
Happy New Year all.....
I noticed that Goodbye Mr Chips and A is for Acid are both on ITV3 catchup - both available for another 29 days.
I have a really strange question...pretty strange. If all those boys were matriculating in those prep schools, how and when did they learn how to kiss and have relationships with women. I know they had mixers and such but what can you do at a fancy ball? Maybe one of our Brit members could help with this one. In Co- ed schools one is in touch with the opposite sex all the time. If one goes to boys or girls schools you go home after school and hang out in the neighborhood. If you are at boarding school...what the heck happens? A peculiar question, but I've always wondered. I am enjoying Mr Chips much more this time. I guess I watched it on my phone the first time..not good.
I quit my Tunnelbear...it barely worked here...too much buffering...very bad. I'll have to wait for something better.
We can all use a lot more JOY and a lot more HAPPINESS, along with PEACE. I was born just ten years after my dad was in the fight of his life in a little dust-up called "the Battle of the Bulge." I cannot imagine how he contrasted Christmas 1954 from 1944. In 1944 he was cold, wet, hungry, and in danger. At Christmas 1954 he had a home, a pregnant wife (due any day), a car, food, water, warmth, and love.
I think that only combat vets and those who have suffered terrible privation and loss can really know what peace is. The rest of us... well, we can sense the edges of it, but not quite see the whole effect.
Rob
Amen. Thank you for sharing, Rob.
They could have a lot of 'fun' with Martin and Louisa being cautious and at times spikey with each other, yet bouncing back together. And if S6 brought back Margaret, why not S7 having a visit from Eleanor Glasson?
Decisions... decisions....
Rob
Well, I am thawing out, just came inside shortly before -- we had about 8 inches of snow the previous night and the temperature has been hovering around the low teens. My fingertips were frozen when I came in!!
I hope we have fun in S7 -- a much higher proportion of fun to angst, please, than in S6.
Eleanor could come back to take care of her, since flying is temporarily out of the question, especially if she doesn't return immediately to the surgery (as I don't think she will). But it's not inconceivable that this time she could have a positive role to play, as in telling Louisa that she, Eleanor, had made a mistake in always running away instead of seeing things through. And reminding Louisa that she isn't getting any younger and if she chooses to stay in Portwenn, the pickings are likely to be pretty thin.
Hi Marchrand -- we're also digging out, and I hope where you are has a better snow removal system than my city. Also, it was below zero last night, and I believe it's heading your way.
Anyway, I too would like to see Edith return. She would probably be delighted that he's working on his "fear of intimacy" and offer to help. If she slightly softened her edges, she might offer a plausible alternative for Martin, and the longer Louisa holds out, the more he might be tempted.
I think that this time, it might well be Martin giving Louisa one last chance to stop waffling and agree to return to him. Why not, if he gets some renewed sense of his own worth? And Edith -- or another plausible alternative --- might be the means of precipitating that.
Geez, New Park, someone gave my first husband an alternative to me when we were still married.....it was called committing adultery. I'm pretty liberal but I don't think that the Docs focus will be on someone else. He is so rigid I daresay he wouldn't consider another relationship until he is fully divorced (which I hope doesn't happen...but who knows?). Perhaps a series of predatory women could be humorous, but knowing the Doc, I hope he would still be able to say,"Push off!". They're not good at bringing back characters, except Mummy Dearest. I agree, some characters would be great to see.......mistake to not keep Roger Fenn....love to see Elinor again.....but I'm not holding my breath.
75 degrees and sunny in Tucson....these few lovely days is why one lives here....a lot of the rest of the time can be miserable.
About Edith - the "fear of intimacy" was not quite what I had in mind when I said I hope she returns in S7!! I am referring to the blood phobia only!! Edith hurt him deeply when she went abroad for her career long before LG. I differ with you in that Martin will always give Louisa another chance. He did say he wasn't good at being married and he is depending on her for help to make him a better husband and father. A tall order.
To Mofromco - 75 degrees and sunny - don't rub it in!!! Give me a place with four seasons and I'm happy.
Marchrand, after 26 years in upstate New York and an additional 28 in the foothills in Colorado, I've done my bit. I still miss Colorado a lot and would move back in a heartbeat if the cost of living wasn't so high. It's my home and so very beautiful. Thanks for clearing up that point with Edith. I definitely think that Bert and Jennifer will get married......I really like Jennifer's character.....a little piece of Auntie Joan.
I truly believe that Louisa is the only one who has his heart and it goes deeper than physical attraction. They have JH together, and that ties them on multiple levels. There's even something deeper, a connection to both of their sketchy childhoods. I don't think L was ever into him because of his social stature but because she could see something much deeper in him and wanted to find that. I think that's why she was angered and shocked when he accused her at the end of S2 of stalking him. She never saw it that way. And he was just clueless or scared to death. She felt something more, perhaps a real relationship not some schoolgirl crush. The romantic tension between the two of them was obvious by that point.
Edith seemed to be in it with M for professional reasons and maybe the sex. Their pairing to me seemed to be only for giving her more clout and provided him with intellectual stimulation that may have been a turn-on for him, but nothing of substance for a "real" relationship.
Louisa holds something more and I think he gets more out of his relationship with Louisa than he would have ever gotten out of Edith (I'm going with what I sense personally from the acting on screen, not that we actually see those things; the great acting by MC & CC brings that/those inference(s)to light).
Again, they probably both had hopes and dreams from childhood that have now come true for both of them but they don't know what to do now that it has happened (although I think L has a better grasp of that then M). I think all along, they've both only wanted to find happiness and a family of their own that could/would provide reality to those dreams.
I would actually like to hear or find out in S7 what it is that L is drawn to in ME and what ME is drawn to in L.
I'd love to see Roger Fenn, but I think the actor who plays him (Jeff Rawls) is currently in a British series. But Martin does need a friend!
I guess I hadn't gone so far as to think that DM would actually commit adultery or even be really tempted to do so. I just want him to get to a point where he realizes (and Louisa knows that he realizes) that he can be happy with and make a different woman happy, if Louisa is unable to re-commit to their marriage.
We're expecting another foot of snow this weekend.
I do want Martin and Louisa to end up together, and I think the whole series would seem pretty pointless if there were any other conclusion.
Yet that will require some changes on Louisa's part too, I think. And I would imagine that, as Martin grows healthier (which we hope to see in S7) that he might be able to be explicit with Louisa about what he needs from her if they are to move forward together.
Indeed!
Louisa needs to stop jumping to assumptions and getting frustrated so easily by Martin's attitude about things. I think S6 showed a slow deterioration of her tolerance level until things finally erupted in E7. She brushed the crap off early then eventually couldn't take it anymore.
I hope as they make adjustments, we start to see them both open up about their wants and needs to each other and that Martin doesn't give his typical snotty or angry comeback answer of "why?" when Louisa actually opens up and expresses what she wants to him.
I talked to a colleague today who attended Colet Court (preparatory school) and St. Paul's School (secondary school), an all boys school in London in the late 1980s, early 1990s. This is slightly after Martin Ellingham would have been at school. St. Paul's has a few boarders but it is mostly a day school. He said that all the private boys schools in England, whether boarding or not, have dances with nearby girls schools a few times a year. Some of the girls schools were boarding schools and some of them were day schools. Although he lived at home while at school, all of his social experiences were with girls he met at these dances.
I didn't want to get into it with him about learning how to kiss and forming relationships with women, but I think it was probably through the dances and then later at university, most of which are now co-ed in England.
If I had to guess Martin Ellingham would never have attended a school dance, and if forced to do so, would have spent a lot of time stepping outside for air. He probably arrived late and left early. Any forced socialization would have been painful for him. However, I think it would be interesting to write a FF with him being a bit of a secondary school playboy. Maybe a girl broke his heart even before Edith
Thanks for that info. It certainly meant those mixers must have been a concerted effort to distract the chaperones and conduct some wild make out sessions. With the suggestion that ME looks peculiar (he is different but strangely delicious) or has big ears or was a gawky tall schoolboy I would doubt he would be a chick magnet. Probably was chosen by an equally tall and gawky girl to dance. I really believe Edith was his first.
I agree with you, NewPark - both about Eleanor coming back as well as Edith in S7. I think it's always thrown Louisa into a tailspin when she thinks another woman is interested in the Doc. I think Edith or another woman's interest (a la Carrie Bradshaw) would allow DM to view what might be on the other side of his relationship with Louisa should it crumble - and that is a good thing, especially if Louisa remains intransigent. It also adds tension and another element to the plot. I like the idea of forces outside of DM-LGE inserting themselves and having an influence on what happens - so it's not just a bilateral exchange. With other actors who have an interest in DM or LGE, the dramatic and comedic possibilities seem greater.
Also, I personally hope for Louise Jameson's return as I know she'll spice things up. What if Margaret lied and Christopher isn't dead? If John Woodvine's not too old now, wouldn't it be great to have him shockingly show up, culminating with a flirtation with Eleanor? It seems like Christopher and Eleanor flirt as a matter of course. The possibility of them getting together would drive the Doc and Louisa crazy!
Yes, maybe that was part of the problem with S6 -- there was no outside force keeping them apart, or saving them,no third parties interfering, just their own difficulties, one on one.
That plot line was done in Reggie Perrin -- I can't remember wheter it ended happily or not, but both Reggie and his wife were upset about it.
And stay tuned next Saturday for part two of the survey when we begin to analyze the episode titles from the eliminated episodes.
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