Doc Martin (Part 14 — Spoilers)

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  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 911
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    Some thoughts. . .

    1. I love, love, love Louisa's red bedroom - definitely a statement about such a lively and passionate young woman. No one entering that bedroom could misread what it means.

    2. Also love the use of the little yellow flower Louisa places in the Doc's lapel. It does move around a bit during the various shots, but notice he is in no hurry to remove it - even through that awful night sleeping in his clothes after Louisa dumps him.

    3. Louisa uses the word "we" to Holly at the concert as though she and Martin are an established couple. Very proprietary and hopeful.

    4. Although painful, I find the scene in the car when they are coming back from the concert and Martin questions her about why she is cross very believable. I feel such sympathy for him when he truly has no clue, but is reaching out.

    5. When the Doc strides out the next morning determined to see Louisa and set things right, then runs away - we see both his strength and fragility. There is also something this triggers in me from by background in art history. It's called "the power of the gaze," usually referencing men looking at females in the nude - and noting that the person who is doing the looking has the power. Many paintings have scenes of men peering at women. No conclusions here, just interesting how much we see the Doc "catching a glimpse" of Louisa. Perhaps of note is that he still has the power when he is watching her, but loses it often when he actually interacts.

    6. When the Doc is sitting in his house brooding after the break-up, we see him picking at his hands - seemingly a natural gesture I've spotted when he makes appearances on some TV interview programs.

    7. LOVE the Doc's exchange with Louisa after Holly falls. Louisa: we need a door or something. DM: not many doors on a beach. Of course, immediately the fishermen find a door!

    8. Another genuine and funny vignette upon taking Holly to Louisa's house - where LG rushes to tidy up the bedroom and the Doc is testing the bed.

    9. Fascinating exchange between DM and AJ: people can or can't change. This conversation results in the Doc actually showing that he can change and that his rude behavior is within his control. Very important to note as the plot moves forward in future series.

    10. "I'm not being smarmy, I'm helping your horrid f-riend!" Here's another MC/DM characteristic: drawing out the first letter of a word. We see it throughout the show.

    11. Why do I find them picking up the glass together after Holly is deposited in the ambulance so sexy?

    12. After "Marry me!" was it better for them to hug than to kiss?
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 516
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    Some thoughts. . .

    11. Why do I find them picking up the glass together after Holly is deposited in the ambulance so sexy?

    It is just so intimate; Martin is rock steady and reliable; is alpha male having just saved Holly's life and Louise is realising just what she has so nearly thrown away forever...

    And when DM exaggerates his gesture when offering the paper for her to place her pieces of glass inside...

    I just melt...
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 340
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    Series 3 Episode 5

    1. For me, when DM takes Louisa's hand is such an endearing moment. Because up to that point in the episode there has been little interaction between them. It is like he is continuing the sentiment in the gaze

    2. Even during the pheromone discussion his voice is low and soft and intimate. Not like his usual fact based romantic blunders

    3. Waking up in his suit tells just how shaken he was by Louisa's comments. Here is a man who's very existence is structured and rule based and he is now so emotionally traumatized that he cannot manage even the basics. This for me held more impact than his red-rimmed eyes.

    4. While working on Holly, both at the beach but particularly after her fall on the milk bottle Louisa and Doc are again a team - like during the episode with Peter Cronk. There is trust and respect in their working together.

    5. Statesidefan says she sees the cleaning up scene as sexy. I did not feel that but more that it is a continuation of the change he is willing to make. In the previous dealings with the Oakwoods he had left Louisa to clean up the mess of dealing with them, here in this episode he feels some obligation even though Louisa says she will clean it up later.

    6. And I think the hug rather than a kiss after the proposal was just right. Although we know they did have that all important make up sex.

    7. The remark by Holly that Louisa has told her all about Martin seems to be acurate despite Louisa's protest. Holly knows people that know DM and also knows that he's got a bit of money.

    It seems Louisa's interactions and conversations with Holly are the frontrunners of the Doc's later interactions with Edith. Holly is polished and sophisticated and tries to get Louisa to see past her current circumstances in her little village and idyllic little school. I don't think DM is ashamed of his circumstances in the village until Edith makes her catty remarks.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 516
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    Blue-Eyes wrote: »
    It is just so intimate; Martin is rock steady and reliable; is alpha male having just saved Holly's life and Louise is realising just what she has so nearly thrown away forever...

    And when DM exaggerates his gesture when offering the paper for her to place her pieces of glass inside...

    I just melt...

    PS

    It is as though he is offering her his heart, on a plate...
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 340
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    Medical things...

    I think there is at least one person on this forum who is a physician... is that right?

    I have medical lab background and I have some thoughts on some of the medical issues.

    At various times there is talk about lawsuits. Julie threatens DM when he confronts her about her pregnancy, S2E8. Then DM threatens that Ms Collingsworth's family will sue when he is trying to get her the CT scan. In America, we think of this as such an American trait - we are such a litiginous society, but from these comments (and others that occur) it seems that the English medical system also deals with this. Comments???

    And I am suprised by the use of the syringes to draw blood - they obviously have the vacutainers (vacuum blood collection tubes) but maybe it is harder to use them in these shots. And it drives me crazy when DM or Pauline forget to take the tourniquet off before the withdraw the needle. But then occasionally a tourniquet is not used at all. The blood tests he orders and refers to are quite accurate though. And he does follow universal precautions

    I also did not realize that patient privacy laws were as stringent in Britian as here in the US, Maybe we were the late bloomers here?

    Just some of the other thoughts that I have as I watch.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 340
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    Blue-Eyes wrote: »
    PS

    It is as though he is offering her his heart, on a plate...[/QUOTE

    OK, well, when you put it that way....UMMMMMM
  • NewParkNewPark Posts: 3,537
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    I hadn't noticed before the scene where they carry Holly back to the house -- Louisa in the lead, as chief mourner, then Holly carried as on a bier, then behind them the whole funeral procession. Very witty.

    The scene where he intervenes between Al and the repo men is so great -- he's so almost fatherly there, keeping Al from getting into trouble. He's almost a stern father with Pauline, too.

    Someone remarked, pages ago (maybe PoorRichard) about how much he looked like he was lying in a coffin in the overhead shot of him lying on his bed, the morning after.

    AJ does hit the nail on the head, I think -- they are "chalk and cheese." The real question is whether DM (and LG) can really change. AJ says not, (as will AR) but Louisa does believe that he can, but he has to "want to". This parting remark of hers has puzzled me --I guess it means that he can't just make superficial changes in order to please her because that means he never really understands what he's doing "wrong" and why he should want to make the effort, and therefore it's doomed to failure.

    I agree with Statesidefan -- that ride home in the car where he was reaching out but with no real clue was really painful.
    But at that point, except for the requirements of the plot, wouldn't most of us have just told him what the matter was, and how they had hoped for something more from him because they really cared about him and hoped it was reciprocated?

    That scene at the door where he knocks and then runs away -- that is such a distillation of the "push-pull" dynamic of this relationship for DM.

    Such a great episode.
  • NewParkNewPark Posts: 3,537
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    Actually, isn't Louisa in the William Shawcross position?
  • mmDerdekeammDerdekea Posts: 1,719
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    dmbesotted wrote: »
    Medical things...

    I think there is at least one person on this forum who is a physician... is that right?

    I have medical lab background and I have some thoughts on some of the medical issues.

    At various times there is talk about lawsuits. Julie threatens DM when he confronts her about her pregnancy, S2E8. Then DM threatens that Ms Collingsworth's family will sue when he is trying to get her the CT scan. In America, we think of this as such an American trait - we are such a litiginous society, but from these comments (and others that occur) it seems that the English medical system also deals with this. Comments???

    And I am suprised by the use of the syringes to draw blood - they obviously have the vacutainers (vacuum blood collection tubes) but maybe it is harder to use them in these shots. And it drives me crazy when DM or Pauline forget to take the tourniquet off before the withdraw the needle. But then occasionally a tourniquet is not used at all. The blood tests he orders and refers to are quite accurate though. And he does follow universal precautions

    I also did not realize that patient privacy laws were as stringent in Britian as here in the US, Maybe we were the late bloomers here?

    Just some of the other thoughts that I have as I watch.

    Hello, dmbesotted. I'm a physician but in America, not England. I've mentioned before those medical oddities you bring up, as well as the tiny goofy chart noting, and of course the very abbreviated physical exams, and whatever. We have to realize this is not a medical show, but a comedy drama about a TV doc and allow those indiscrepancies, although medical people will notice them. I mean, we never see any blood being spun down, either, etc.

    I've mentioned that if the show was in real America, there would have been lawsuits by the dozen in some of the episodes, more so than the Wenns again AJ. The Oakwoods likely would have sued Tom Tom's previous owner for getting their son sick. The biggest set of lawsuits would have come from multiple families against LG and the Primary School for allowing so many children to be poisoned by an inept janitor.

    But, if we brought reality into TV fiction, then one day during a scene with DM alone writing charts in his desk in the surgery, you'd see me dash him, plant a kiss on his lips and dash out with cameramen and directors and grips and so forth chasing after me. :)
  • mmDerdekeammDerdekea Posts: 1,719
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    4. Although painful, I find the scene in the car when they are coming back from the concert and Martin questions her about why she is cross very believable. I feel such sympathy for him when he truly has no clue, but is reaching out.

    11. Why do I find them picking up the glass together after Holly is deposited in the ambulance so sexy?


    4. The taxi scene is the epitome of showing both the main flaws of both the characters, which set the stage for the rest of Season 3 and the problems in S4 and S5: DM being emotionally closed in, romantically clueless and thus ridiculously rude; LG lacking a sense of humor, and being over-reactive and hypercritical. Those few minutes in the cab told the audience everything we needed to know to understand what was going to occur in the show for the next 2.5 seasons. Unfortunately! :)

    10. It's super sexy for me, too, statesidefan. He's squatting, so in a casual position, and shrugs his shoulder when she says she'll clean up and keeps helping out--all to just spend more time there, in her home, with her, and help out a little bit, before he's supposed to leave, forever. Yeah, sexy!
  • ConniejConniej Posts: 972
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    I was laughing at this little Twitter exchange. Are 'straw bales' a euphemism that I'm not aware of? :D

    https://twitter.com/lordofwestbury/status/290573341495005186
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 340
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    mmDerdekea wrote: »
    Hello, dmbesotted. I'm a physician but in America, not England. I've mentioned before those medical oddities you bring up, as well as the tiny goofy chart noting, and of course the very abbreviated physical exams, and whatever. We have to realize this is not a medical show, but a comedy drama about a TV doc and allow those indiscrepancies, although medical people will notice them. I mean, we never see any blood being spun down, either, etc.

    I've mentioned that if the show was in real America, there would have been lawsuits by the dozen in some of the episodes, more so than the Wenns again AJ. The Oakwoods likely would have sued Tom Tom's previous owner for getting their son sick. The biggest set of lawsuits would have come from multiple families against LG and the Primary School for allowing so many children to be poisoned by an inept janitor.

    But, if we brought reality into TV fiction, then one day during a scene with DM alone writing charts in his desk in the surgery, you'd see me dash him, plant a kiss on his lips and dash out with cameramen and directors and grips and so forth chasing after me. :)

    I can't wait for that episode!!!!
  • Shop GirlShop Girl Posts: 1,284
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    I found Eddie Rix's house! I kept studying the view behind him in the bedroom scene :eek: I was pretty sure you could see the Headlands Hotel and today I was able to verify that. So I had a pretty good idea where the house must be in Port Isaac, but a lot of the streets there don't have street view (when Martin is running up the driveway there is a good view of the house across the street). I finally decided that there was a good chance it was on Lundy Rd, so I googled the street name and clicked on Images. There was a house for sale that looked promising and there it was. There is even a pic of the bedroom window from the inside and it pretty well matches. Even the backyard has the decorative blocks we see in the episode. Yippee!

    Check out the website about the house:

    http://www.zoopla.co.uk/property-history/9a-lundy-road/port-isaac/pl29-3rr/3858294
  • marchrandmarchrand Posts: 879
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    mmDerdekea wrote: »
    4.

    10. It's super sexy for me, too, statesidefan. He's squatting, so in a casual position, and shrugs his shoulder when she says she'll clean up and keeps helping out--all to just spend more time there, in her home, with her, and help out a little bit, before he's supposed to leave, forever. Yeah, sexy!

    I think that scene softened Louisa up towards the Doc, she really didn't mean she never wanted to see him again, just being that close to him at that moment after the Holly crisis did something to her - saw that strength in him that she could never find in another man.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 199
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    marchrand wrote: »
    I think that scene softened Louisa up towards the Doc, she really didn't mean she never wanted to see him again, just being that close to him at that moment after the Holly crisis did something to her - saw that strength in him that she could never find in another man.

    The thing I find interesting about that scene is that the Doc is not affected by the blood. There he is standing next to a big pool of blood picking chunks of glass out of it and not looking away, wrinkling his nose up, gagging or doing the 'technicolor yawn'. It is like he is calmly picking glass out of a puddle of water. Emotion overriding phobia. I think the only other time that has happened is in the ambulance with Peter Cronk where, after his initial 'I may vomit' statement, he was pretty much all business.

    I do wish that in series 6 that they let the Doc really 'show his chops' as Doctor and a surgeon. I know they do not have a 'Grey's Anatomy' style budget but they don't have to show 'everything', either. 'Consequences' by madmother2 is one of my favorite fan fics. The other thing I wish for is for Pauline to come back, just for a 'visit' if nothing else. I miss Pauline.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 199
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    mmDerdekea:

    I failed to mention and wanted to tell you that your story "The Third Time" is one of my favorite stories. I have it on my Kindle.
  • ggo85ggo85 Posts: 164
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    Even to a semi-novice such as myself, the medical stuff in DM ranges from incredibly accurate to downright comical. However, as noted above, this isn't at its heart a medical show -- and even "true" medical shows such as ER have to make concessions for the sake of TV.

    Personally, I find the patient note cards kind of cute.:) IMO, as unrealistic as they may be, they really work well in the context of the show.

    As to the privacy laws . . . those in the EU and UK put the HIPAA to shame. Very, very strict.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 137
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    Conniej wrote: »
    I think this is the one that has worked for others recently.

    Martin Clunes, Independent Talent Group Ltd, Oxford house, 76 Oxford Street, London WID 1BS, UK

    They also have a sample of his voice work on one of their pages.

    http://www.independenttalent.com/advoice/talent/?page_num=3

    Thanks, Connie...once again you save the day! :D
  • Shop GirlShop Girl Posts: 1,284
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    ggo85 wrote: »
    Personally, I find the patient note cards kind of cute.:) IMO, as unrealistic as they may be, they really work well in the context of the show.

    I always get a chuckle and a little warm feeling when I see them. They look just like my grade school report cards. They were in a little envelope just like that.
  • ConniejConniej Posts: 972
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    NewPark wrote: »
    One of the many things that interest me about Martin Clunes is the number of hobbies and skills and interests that he has. He's a woodworker, a tinkerer with VW vans (maybe not so much now) a horseman, a musician (harp, guitar and voice -- that we know of) cook -- who knows what else. And of course, the radio that he talks about here.

    And he can play the piano - sort of....:D

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwjKn5K28ag
  • SusieSagitariusSusieSagitarius Posts: 1,250
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    Some thoughts. . .

    3. Louisa uses the word "we" to Holly at the concert as though she and Martin are an established couple. Very proprietary and hopeful.

    5. When the Doc strides out the next morning determined to see Louisa and set things right, then runs away - we see both his strength and fragility. There is also something this triggers in me from by background in art history. It's called "the power of the gaze," usually referencing men looking at females in the nude - and noting that the person who is doing the looking has the power. Many paintings have scenes of men peering at women. No conclusions here, just interesting how much we see the Doc "catching a glimpse" of Louisa. Perhaps of note is that he still has the power when he is watching her, but loses it often when he actually interacts.

    9. Fascinating exchange between DM and AJ: people can or can't change. This conversation results in the Doc actually showing that he can change and that his rude behavior is within his control. Very important to note as the plot moves forward in future series.

    11. Why do I find them picking up the glass together after Holly is deposited in the ambulance so sexy?

    3. I also noted that Louisa closes the gap between her and Martin as Holly approaches and looks so much more couple-like.

    5. I crack up at his running away. It is so touching and yet so funny. So little boyish, so panicky, so I-suddenly-have-no-idea-what-I'm-going-to-say, so shy, so insecure. It gets me multiple ways every time.

    9. Yes, I agree. The lines he says about "if I say what I think" and "no predisposition to the convenient lie" show he does seem to know what he is saying. The one eyed "fish eye" look right after he says he could change seems to belie him. Love it.

    Also when he asks Louisa "what's wrong with that? ..." when he uses the words "being congenial", it seems also to denote he knows how to be just that, if he chooses.

    11. It took me a couple viewings before I realized the picking up of the glass pieces was great symbolism "picking up the pieces" of their relationship and foreshadowing the resumption of the relationship. Just didn't expect it to be in the form of a proposal (a huge step forward).

    I didn't think it strange that he could pick the pieces up in the blood because I realized he had already vomited once and that seems to be his pattern.

    Some other favorite moments:
    When Louisa is having blood drawn and she's talking about what to wear to the concert: DM's almost a smile and "Well, I'm sure you'll look very nice." (a compliment!) And then "I'll pick you up at 5:30" with the slight lift in his body and just a touch of pleasure and maybe slight flirtatiousness. Yummy!

    Then there's "The Look" during the concert. Then getting up the nerve to hold Louisa's hand and looking so proud of himself for doing so and proud to be with her. And oh, the ever so slight curl to the hair on the nape of his neck when Louisa pulls him into the trees. Sigh............

    The best dramedy exchange:

    "Do you have a gambling problem?"
    "Yes, I don't win anymore."

    Best Doc quote this episode:

    Holly: (when she's clearly down for the count) "I've got to be in Bude by 5."
    Doc: "Not today."
    Holly: "I don't have any choice."
    Doc: "Up you get then."

    I think if I had to choose one episode as the best of the series so far, it would be this one or the non-wedding one at a dead heat. Such great writing and acting.
  • SusieSagitariusSusieSagitarius Posts: 1,250
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    marchrand wrote: »
    I think that scene softened Louisa up towards the Doc, she really didn't mean she never wanted to see him again, just being that close to him at that moment after the Holly crisis did something to her - saw that strength in him that she could never find in another man.

    Yes, and yet he is once again very matter-of-fact and humble about what he's done, which is a big turn-on for her, as well as makes him someone who she can so respect.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,389
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    ggo85 wrote: »
    Even to a semi-novice such as myself, the medical stuff in DM ranges from incredibly accurate to downright comical. However, as noted above, this isn't at its heart a medical show -- and even "true" medical shows such as ER have to make concessions for the sake of TV.

    Personally, I find the patient note cards kind of cute.:) IMO, as unrealistic as they may be, they really work well in the context of the show.

    As to the privacy laws . . . those in the EU and UK put the HIPAA to shame. Very, very strict.

    My doctor in Australia got rid of the patient note cards about 2 years ago : )
  • NewParkNewPark Posts: 3,537
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    3. I also noted that Louisa closes the gap between her and Martin as Holly approaches and looks so much more couple-like.

    5. I crack up at his running away. It is so touching and yet so funny. So little boyish, so panicky, so I-suddenly-have-no-idea-what-I'm-going-to-say, so shy, so insecure. It gets me multiple ways every time.

    9. Yes, I agree. The lines he says about "if I say what I think" and "no predisposition to the convenient lie" show he does seem to know what he is saying. The one eyed "fish eye" look right after he says he could change seems to belie him. Love it.

    Also when he asks Louisa "what's wrong with that? ..." when he uses the words "being congenial", it seems also to denote he knows how to be just that, if he chooses.

    11. It took me a couple viewings before I realized the picking up of the glass pieces was great symbolism "picking up the pieces" of their relationship and foreshadowing the resumption of the relationship. Just didn't expect it to be in the form of a proposal (a huge step forward).

    .

    Such a lovely thought about the symbolism of picking up the glass. I hadn't tumbled to it until you said it.

    And the running away from the door -- I think you're right, it's much more boyish panic and shyness than "flight from intimacy" -- although I think there's an element of that too, in his self-protectiveness.

    For that matter, his exchange with AJ when she brings him his supper is somewhat childish as well -- can't change, can so, can not, you're another (lonely person) etc.

    And for all we love the scene where he reaches out and takes her hand and looks proud, there is something, well, if not childish, then adolescent, about him at that moment.

    (Where he's coming from when he tenderly tells her that she smells faintly of urine, I just can't imagine.)

    Someone called him a manchild, a few pages ago, and I think that's apt. Arrested development emotionally, mature adult professionally. I think that changes over the course of S4 and S5 and hope we see evidence of it in S6.
  • mmDerdekeammDerdekea Posts: 1,719
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    mmDerdekea:

    I failed to mention and wanted to tell you that your story "The Third Time" is one of my favorite stories. I have it on my Kindle.

    Whee! It's great getting up out of my sick bed to read that! Thanks Adelie!
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