Doc Martin (Part 14 — Spoilers)

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  • NewParkNewPark Posts: 3,537
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    I too like the night scenes in S1. Isn't this the last one? there must have been some production reason to discontinue them. I wonder if it's much more expensive to shoot at night?

    However, i must say that as much as I usually like the music, the music in E6 was a little over-the-top. sounded like the theme from Jaws in its somewhat campy menace. That's just my taste, of course.

    And we saw two incidents of DM rage -- when he was yelling into the phone and in the ambulance when he shouted about the forceps. I guess that is the strongest anger we see in him until he starts panicking at the impending birth in S4E8.

    Maybe part of the attraction of DM is that we sense in him this barely controlled passion which we have to hope can be translated into some evidence of his feelings for Louisa, which we suspect are equally passionate even though more hidden.

    The DM of this season is much more open, accessible, even interesting, than the bleaker figure in S5. I hope he returns.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 911
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    NewPark wrote: »
    I too like the night scenes in S1. Isn't this the last one? there must have been some production reason to discontinue them. I wonder if it's much more expensive to shoot at night?

    Maybe part of the attraction of DM is that we sense in him this barely controlled passion which we have to hope can be translated into some evidence of his feelings for Louisa, which we suspect are equally passionate even though more hidden.

    The DM of this season is much more open, accessible, even interesting, than the bleaker figure in S5. I hope he returns.

    Right on, NewPark, about the hope that the Doc's "passionate" anger did, and can again, translate into romantic and sexual passion for Louisa. ;)

    I have also wondered if the lack of night scenes is because they are more difficult and expensive to shoot. :confused:
  • marchrandmarchrand Posts: 879
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    My take on that Adrian Pitts/Louisa scene is she witnessed the heroic effort on the part of doc to save Peter in the ambulance drive to hospital and then finding out in the hospital hallway that it was Adrian who spread the news about doc's phobia at the pub. Keep in mind this is S1E6 where DM wanted to keep his problem to himself as much as possible. What kind of professional ethics did Adrian have? It's one thing to discuss this amongst your colleagues but quite another to do it at the village pub. I am in Louisa's corner. In the taxi ride home after the kissing, he looked at her mentally diagnosing her bad breath problem, and she pulled it out of him just what was on his mind.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 366
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    [QUOTE=NewPark;61569437
    The DM of this season is much more open, accessible, even interesting, than the bleaker figure in S5. I hope he returns.[/QUOTE]

    Yes, Yes, a thousand times YES! Please come back DM. We miss you :)
  • NewParkNewPark Posts: 3,537
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    What are we supposed to understand from the way that DM lets his fingers slide oh so carefully over to Louisa's hand, and the mental deep breath we can see him take before he makes contact?

    Is he supposed to be that shy? inexperienced? he acts like a teenager on his first date in this scene. And personally, I thought he was a bit slow on the uptake when LG moved in for the kiss.

    Or is he perhaps just really conflicted about risking involvement with LG and his slow cautious edging toward her reflects this?

    I don't get it. Have even thought possibly an joke by MC referencing in reverse all the raunchy love-making scenes he's done.
  • NewParkNewPark Posts: 3,537
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    I guess the fertile minds of PB haven't yet invented Edith, so it's more plausible at this point to suggest that he is still pretty inexperienced with women, and very shy. But still....
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,018
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    NewPark wrote: »
    I too like the night scenes in S1. Isn't this the last one? there must have been some production reason to discontinue them. I wonder if it's much more expensive to shoot at night?

    We have one sad night scene in S3, when DM brings LG home from the concert. I can't think of any others, but my memory isn't so hot today.
  • mmDerdekeammDerdekea Posts: 1,719
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    dcdmfan wrote: »
    About Louisa's comments to Adrian Pitts, you never seem to back down on your criticism of her in that moment. I am curious what you think she should have said that would have satisfied you that her comments would have been more powerful. I don't see why you can't give the character a break there.

    dcdmfan, I'm not the only one who has chosen to comment on LG's fairly lame "threat" and her lack of articulate discussion when in a confrontation. That is part of her personality. Like with DM, I don't put LG up on some pedestal; she is a highly flawed character, as is the doc. I know some folks on the list seem to hold her in esteem, but I like to see the good and the bad, the entirety of how she is in the series.

    She could have also said something like.... "You'll never be half the physician or surgeon that DM is, which is too bad for the registrars you advice, and if you ever talk badly about him again, I'll make sure you will face serious consequences."

    That's a bit more to the point.

    I mean, really, "I'll be the last person you'd want to see", was her threat. Why would that stop him from doing anything bad again? So, LG, comes to give him another weak threat if he disses DM; not much of a reason to make a big personality change, in my opinion. As I said, she kicks DM out of the taxi 40 minutes later; she could have put some more "oomph" into her Adrian "threat".
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,018
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    mmDerdekea wrote: »
    dcdmfan, I'm not the only one who has chosen to comment on LG's fairly lame "threat" and her lack of articulate discussion when in a confrontation. That is part of her personality. Like with DM, I don't put LG up on some pedestal; she is a highly flawed character, as is the doc. I know some folks on the list seem to hold her in esteem, but I like to see the good and the bad, the entirety of how she is in the series.

    She could have also said something like.... "You'll never be half the physician or surgeon that DM is, which is too bad for the registrars you advice, and if you ever talk badly about him again, I'll make sure you will face serious consequences."

    That's a bit more to the point.

    I mean, really, "I'll be the last person you'd want to see", was her threat. Why would that stop him from doing anything bad again? So, LG, comes to give him another weak threat if he disses DM; not much of a reason to make a big personality change, in my opinion. As I said, she kicks DM out of the taxi 40 minutes later; she could have put some more "oomph" into her Adrian "threat".

    dcdmfan & mmderdekea, I'm jumping in here because I do think the writers or the editors failed, to a degree, in that scene. Caroline Catz handled it brilliantly. We got the point that needed to be made. I just think there may have been a little glitch. IF Adrian had "hit" on Louisa, her speech would have made more sense. But he didn't. I almost wonder if there was a scene that was cut in which he made a pass at Louisa. Much of her speech to Adrian centered around, "I'll be the last person you'll want to see" kind of thing. I wonder if there was an additional scene that was filmed that was edited out.

    Despite that glitch (my opinion), CC did so well in that scene that we completely get it. And that's all I think mmderdekea is saying. Either the writers failed to a small degree or the editing failed. But still, thanks to her acting, the scene did work. dcdmfan, you almost seem angry about this, but isn't the purpose of this forum for us to express our own opinions about the show? Maybe I misinterpreted. If I did, I apologize.

    I just like all of you participants so much! I'm so grateful to have found you all.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,290
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    Biffpup wrote: »
    We've missed you, Renee Bird
    NewPark wrote: »
    Yes, indeed we have. Hope you are enjoying the Rewatch.

    Thanks guys! Yes, I am enjoying the Rewatch very much. This episode is truly Fantastic. Isn't it neat how Doc Martin gets better every time we watch it? And, I love seeing things that I missed the first time. I also wish that this Doc would return in Series 6. Come back to us, S1-Ep6 Doc Martin, come back!
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 911
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    I just want to acknowledge robspace54 and his fanfiction creation, Hands to Hearts. If you have not read/are not reading his work, I hope you do. Thank you, Rob! :)
  • Shop GirlShop Girl Posts: 1,284
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    I think in the scene where Louisa goes back to tell Adrian off, he does hit on her a tiny bit when he asks if she gets into Truro often. That's why I think her comeback, although not artful, was effective because it was in front of his students.

    In the taxi ride. Did anyone else notice that in both the ambulance ride the night before and in the taxi ride we see a church steeple in the background? I checked it out and it is St Endellion Church, right on the main road after you start out toward Truro. So that was a good, believable spot to film those scenes.

    The hands on the taxi seat. On my first viewing of this scene I found it very sweet and have not wavered in that opinion in many subsequent viewings. I think that "Dr Ellingham" is a VERY self assured person, but "Martin" is not and is, in fact, very shy. Perhaps this is why he is so adamant about being called Dr Ellingham and not Doc Martin (that along with the fact that he prefers his formal title). So when he is Dr Ellingham he is very confident and in control, but when he becomes Martin he loses that control and the confidence along with it. Perhaps that is also why he pops into "Doctor" mode as soon as possible (thereby spoiling things every time) so as to regain control of the situation. Every time I watch those two hands on the seat I just melt because it is such a microcosm of their relationship. All she needs is a slight touch from him and she goes for it. I LOVE these two knuckleheads! :D
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 594
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    I just want to acknowledge robspace54 and his fanfiction creation, Hands to Hearts. If you have not read/are not reading his work, I hope you do. Thank you, Rob! :)

    Thank you for the extremely kind words. I'll try to keep my writing efforts up to your expectations.

    Rob
  • NewParkNewPark Posts: 3,537
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    I just want to acknowledge robspace54 and his fanfiction creation, Hands to Hearts. If you have not read/are not reading his work, I hope you do. Thank you, Rob! :)

    I agree -- thanks Robspace!

    And also a shout-out to Bodmin for All Gone (and its sequel) and Flying High.
  • NewParkNewPark Posts: 3,537
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    Shop Girl wrote: »

    The hands on the taxi seat. I think that "Dr Ellingham" is a VERY self assured person, but "Martin" is not and is, in fact, very shy. Perhaps this is why he is so adamant about being called Dr Ellingham and not Doc Martin (that along with the fact that he prefers his formal title). So when he is Dr Ellingham he is very confident and in control, but when he becomes Martin he loses that control and the confidence along with it. Perhaps that is also why he pops into "Doctor" mode as soon as possible (thereby spoiling things every time) so as to regain control of the situation. D

    I think you've absolutely nailed it. . He probably spends as much time in the Dr. Elliingham persona as possible and doesn't let himself be vulnerable as "Martin." Hence, it's reasonable that he is very inexperienced in relationships with women -- and so he is so very tentative here.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,389
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    bookfan2 wrote: »
    I had a couple more thoughts on Haemophobia.

    1. The admission Martin makes in the ambulance is the first time (maybe only time) that he speaks so directly from his heart to Louisa. It's qualitatively different than the drunken admission of love in Series 2, the desperate proposal in Series 3, or the crisis-induced declarations in Series 4 and 5 finales. It's a quiet, soul-baring admission of his problems, said without anger or overwrought emotions.

    While we don't know what happens off-screen, the assumption I think we are to make is that these two rarely expose their vulnerabilities and fears to each other (or even to themselves).

    3. I like Mark Mylow the competent professional in Haemophobia. He rushes into the Cronk house prepared to do what is necessary. He grabs the medical kit without being told. It's a brief moment in the story, but there is a quiet competency about Mark in this ep.

    So much to love in this episode

    I like all these too.

    I think the reluctance to touch hands in the taxi emphasises these vulnerabilities. It shows what a huge step it is for DM to see if LG really is interested. No matter how confident you are or what age you are the first approach in a new relationship is daunting. Very real, I thought, at least for me.

    In books it is easy for a writer to spin these moments out by giving us insights into the hero's and heroine's thought processes, much more difficult onscreen unless they treat us like complete dills and explain every move.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,389
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    I like Mark and think Stewart Wright is a complete tosser for thinking the show was not going to take off and for not liking the story lines assigned to him and leaving. Tosser!
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,389
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    Shop Girl wrote: »
    I think in the scene where Louisa goes back to tell Adrian off, he does hit on her a tiny bit when he asks if she gets into Truro often. That's why I think her comeback, although not artful, was effective because it was in front of his students.

    In the taxi ride. Did anyone else notice that in both the ambulance ride the night before and in the taxi ride we see a church steeple in the background? I checked it out and it is St Endellion Church, right on the main road after you start out toward Truro. So that was a good, believable spot to film those scenes.

    The hands on the taxi seat. On my first viewing of this scene I found it very sweet and have not wavered in that opinion in many subsequent viewings. I think that "Dr Ellingham" is a VERY self assured person, but "Martin" is not and is, in fact, very shy. Perhaps this is why he is so adamant about being called Dr Ellingham and not Doc Martin (that along with the fact that he prefers his formal title). So when he is Dr Ellingham he is very confident and in control, but when he becomes Martin he loses that control and the confidence along with it. Perhaps that is also why he pops into "Doctor" mode as soon as possible (thereby spoiling things every time) so as to regain control of the situation. Every time I watch those two hands on the seat I just melt because it is such a microcosm of their relationship. All she needs is a slight touch from him and she goes for it. I LOVE these two knuckleheads! :D

    Shopgirl
    I got that bit about him asking her out in Truro, too.

    I agree totally with all you've said. Luckily for us all Martin isn't a take charge confident guy or we would have only had one season!

    Back to the previous ep with Melanie when DM goes to Mark to explain about Melanie's crush on him.
    So much for Mark Mylow not being interested in LG - he's very resentful of DM's prowess (as Mark sees it) with women and doesn't miss an opportunity to put the boot into the oblivious Doc (I don't think he realises Mark has made the supreme sacrifice of giving up LG for DM).
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,389
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    Must say that LG is looking particularly stunning in this first series. I didn't realise before how ordinary they have Stephanie Cole looking. I can't recall an American or Australian show (other than Kath and Kim - which is a JOKE btw just I case you weren't sure) where they had a character looking so ordinary.

    In fact lots of the guests look less than spectacular - dr dibs, arsenic mother etc...
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3,688
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    New chapter of Target is now loading: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8247969/1/Target
  • Shop GirlShop Girl Posts: 1,284
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    NewPark wrote: »
    I think you've absolutely nailed it. . He probably spends as much time in the Dr. Elliingham persona as possible and doesn't let himself be vulnerable as "Martin." Hence, it's reasonable that he is very inexperienced in relationships with women -- and so he is so very tentative here.

    And thinking more about it, I suspect he may have been Dr Ellingham in his relationship with Edith. Note that she never calls him Martin. Back then, Dr Ellingham probably didn't have the level of confidence he does now, but still more than Martin has even now.

    But the "now" is S1. I think that Martin has slowly grown in confidence because of his relationship with Louisa and now as a father. He still has his backslide moments like when he knocks on Louisa' door and runs away before she answers. Dr Ellingham would never do anything like that :D
  • mmDerdekeammDerdekea Posts: 1,719
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    Shop Girl wrote: »
    The hands on the taxi seat. On my first viewing of this scene I found it very sweet and have not wavered in that opinion in many subsequent viewings. I think that "Dr Ellingham" is a VERY self assured person, but "Martin" is not and is, in fact, very shy. Perhaps this is why he is so adamant about being called Dr Ellingham and not Doc Martin (that along with the fact that he prefers his formal title). So when he is Dr Ellingham he is very confident and in control, but when he becomes Martin he loses that control and the confidence along with it. Perhaps that is also why he pops into "Doctor" mode as soon as possible (thereby spoiling things every time) so as to regain control of the situation. Every time I watch those two hands on the seat I just melt because it is such a microcosm of their relationship. All she needs is a slight touch from him and she goes for it. I LOVE these two knuckleheads! :D

    I think this says it all. After all, look at DM after he is kicked out of the cab. He does yell, "Louisa!" but then the taxi moves on (one does wonder what LG would have done if the taxi wasn't already right at the village; I'm assuming she would not have kicked him out in the middle of the drive home with miles left to walk).

    But, then, I'm sure you all notice that immediately after the taxi leaves, DM climbs up the little mound and becomes Dr. Ellingham. He straightens his back, and begins a dignified walk down to his home. He automatically reassumes his professional role, in which he has confidence and he strides with purpose. You can see the change right away in his posturing (another wonderful sign of MC's acting).

    Although watching that scene nearly gives me an ulcer, it sets the stage perfectly for the upcoming seasons of DM having to reach that level of confident, dignified expression in his personal lovelife, which we finally see in the last minutes of the finale in S5,
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 594
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    cc.cookie wrote: »
    I like Mark and think Stewart Wright is a complete tosser for thinking the show was not going to take off and for not liking the story lines assigned to him and leaving. Tosser!

    Stewart Wright realized that the last two TV shows he was in (and DM was the second) he played a Cornish policeman. He thought he might be typecast? Not certain he has done much on the telly since he left Doc Martin.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 594
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    marchrand wrote: »
    Can you expand on your above post? I thought the YouTube kerfuffle was about putting episodes of S5 on thus causing loss of dvd sales by downloading them from the actual broadcasts and putting them on YouTube. BP, I think, brought in an outfit to remove them from public viewing and, in fact, if a person did this 3 times, in other words, 3 strikes and you are banned from putting anything up pertaining to the DM series. Some of the fans were extremely upset over this (some have had strikes against them already) and I have not seen them here since. I noticed the newest fan videos put up have a disclaimer immediately noted underneath.

    I can understand where there are tight restrictions by some: Rogers & Hammerstein, Frank Sinatra, who are gone but their body of work is tightly controlled by their estates, such as using their songs for fan videos.

    As to MC, he must personally own thousands of pictures of himself which I feel could be used in, say a calendar, or another type of souvenir. I can't see any legal action in that, but perhaps I am mistaken. As for the food products offered on the online store, these could be offered at any tourist fishing village up and down the English coastline, just slapped on the appropriate label. The maker of these products probably has a legal general okay to do this from whatever or where ever.

    Yes there was a conservative move in the US Congress to "lockup" Internet content. Fortunately reason and freedom prevailed and those folks crawled back into their holes.

    But about intellectual property. Suppose that you went to Port Issac during the TV taping and took a lot of photos of the town, the actors, behind the scenes, and so on. Then you used those pictures that YOU took and made a calendar. You titled it "Doc Martin's Portwenn Calendar" and then proceeded to sell it.

    Now, you put adverts on the Internet and start making sales, a little or a lot does not matter. Buffalo Productions would eventually notice these ads and realize that YOU were making money from THEIR copyrighted property. You had not contacted them, or asked about a license, or gave any indication they they should get a piece of the action (some fraction of your sales).

    Then the lawyers do their thing, you get a Cease and Desist in the mail and if you do not stop, expect a lawsuit for all your profits, and damages. Nasty and BP would be in the right.

    If you approached them for a license, etc and they then agreed then you could LEGALLY sell those calendars.

    All this discussion is for the sake of argument. :)
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 137
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    NewPark wrote: »
    I agree -- thanks Robspace!

    And also a shout-out to Bodmin for All Gone (and its sequel) and Flying High.

    I second that emotion. :)
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