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Doc Martin (Part 17 — Spoilers) |
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#2526 |
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Can't....won't.....never gonna happen.......absolutely can't even consider an American version of DM. Only with Martin Clunes, playing an American DM, if they do it. Or maybe, better yet, playing it as an Englishman come to the USA.
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#2527 |
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A big flaw to me is: how on earth does DM get reimbursed from the National Health Service for administering to the patients of PW? While he is up to the minute in his computers and phones, he is certainly not up to date in keeping patient notes on what seems like 5 x 8 index cards. He seems to file the envelopes away in the cabinet soon after seeing the patients in some instances. While I don't expect a small fishing village like PW to be as sophisticated as, say, if the practice was in London or another large town in England, doesn't he have to submit something to get reimbursed? Hand-written notes? Hasn't that gone by the wayside? My internist had to go out and learn how to type in order to submit his services rendered for reimbursement from insurance. He was forced to get new computers and software under threat of a hefty fine if it did not comply. Writing out prescriptions? Mine types something in on his phone which connects him to the pharmacy's computer (my pharmacy is located in the local A&P Supermarket!!), nothing handwritten. For the aforementioned reasons, an American version of DM would never fly. The British version does look fine as many of us are in the dark about how the doc gets paid and/or think it as part of the PW effect. In essence, the doc has one foot in the present but the other in the past.
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#2528 |
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Portwenn Survivor
This week's episode thrown out of the surgery:
S6E2 Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? First episode from S6 to be eliminated. Now there is at least one eliminated episode from every Series. Complete survey results: http://portwennonline.com/SurveyResults.html New survey: http://portwennonline.com/SurveyCurrent.html Episode title survey: http://portwennonline.com/SurveyEpisodeTitles.html Be sure to check out the new Trivia page that is being created for each episode as we eliminate them! New addition to trivia this week is Linda Eichorn's fabulous Wedding Album! Last week's episode trivia page: http://portwennonline.com/TriviaS1E2.html |
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#2529 |
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Quote:
A big flaw to me is: how on earth does DM get reimbursed from the National Health Service for administering to the patients of PW? While he is up to the minute in his computers and phones, he is certainly not up to date in keeping patient notes on what seems like 5 x 8 index cards. He seems to file the envelopes away in the cabinet soon after seeing the patients in some instances. While I don't expect a small fishing village like PW to be as sophisticated as, say, if the practice was in London or another large town in England, doesn't he have to submit something to get reimbursed? Hand-written notes? Hasn't that gone by the wayside? My internist had to go out and learn how to type in order to submit his services rendered for reimbursement from insurance. He was forced to get new computers and software under threat of a hefty fine if it did not comply. Writing out prescriptions? Mine types something in on his phone which connects him to the pharmacy's computer (my pharmacy is located in the local A&P Supermarket!!), nothing handwritten. For the aforementioned reasons, an American version of DM would never fly. The British version does look fine as many of us are in the dark about how the doc gets paid and/or think it as part of the PW effect. In essence, the doc has one foot in the present but the other in the past.
I don't know how computerized they are -- we certainly are here. My son's unit, an intensive care unit, essentially hired to double its nursing staff during the transition to another computer system, so difficult is it to make these transitions. |
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#2530 |
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Quote:
A big flaw to me is: how on earth does DM get reimbursed from the National Health Service for administering to the patients of PW? While he is up to the minute in his computers and phones, he is certainly not up to date in keeping patient notes on what seems like 5 x 8 index cards. He seems to file the envelopes away in the cabinet soon after seeing the patients in some instances. While I don't expect a small fishing village like PW to be as sophisticated as, say, if the practice was in London or another large town in England, doesn't he have to submit something to get reimbursed? Hand-written notes? Hasn't that gone by the wayside? My internist had to go out and learn how to type in order to submit his services rendered for reimbursement from insurance. He was forced to get new computers and software under threat of a hefty fine if it did not comply. Writing out prescriptions? Mine types something in on his phone which connects him to the pharmacy's computer (my pharmacy is located in the local A&P Supermarket!!), nothing handwritten. For the aforementioned reasons, an American version of DM would never fly. The British version does look fine as many of us are in the dark about how the doc gets paid and/or think it as part of the PW effect. In essence, the doc has one foot in the present but the other in the past.
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#2531 |
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It's bad enough with all the versions in other countries...the last place we need another one is the US. Ugh. Makes me think they really DON'T understand their American audience or why some of us LOVE British produced and filmed shows.
Now I'm more in favor than ever before that S7 needs to be the end of it and that BP, MC, PB, CC and company need to go do something else leaving DM to end on a good note without greed getting in the way for more series or an American version. I agree that an American version would mean the end of the British version. It just might be hard to turn that kind of money down. Ricky Gervais has made a gazillion from The Office. He got lucky with Steve Carrell. Maybe BP will get lucky, too, and they'll find someone who is popular with the audience. For an American version they will have to make more than 8 episodes every other year. Even though they wouldn't be doing all the work like they do now, it will still require a lot from them if they want to maintain some kind of artistic input. |
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#2532 |
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I totally agree. Perhaps he's too modest to say, or perhaps he just doesn't realize it, but he is, I think, by far the major reason the show is so popular. I hate the whole idea of an American version.
Kelsey Grammar, anyone? I dislike Jeremy Piven, too, but they might go with someone like him. Paul Giamatti who played Cora's brother in last season's Downton Abbey is a good actor. |
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#2533 |
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I am at a disadvantage because I rarely watch TV. I certainly don't watch mainstream network TV with it's plethora of inane situation comedies and such. However, wasn't there a show called "Becker" about a grumpy, cigarette smoking doctor in NYC? I think I saw 10 minutes of it once. It seemed that the plot was similar to DM. Between that, "Northern Exposure" and "House" it seems that America has covered that ground. British "Doc Martin" is unique in the fact that there is an unusual place called Cornwall and that an actor called Martin Clunes is the lead character. The concept is old and has been done. It gives me the willies to think of who they would cast. An American "Doc Martin".......an oxymoron.
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#2534 |
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Don't you think there has been foreshadowing of a possible single incident that is the root of the blood phobia? The butterfly dream, broken glass, dissecting a frog at age 5, Martin dropping the plate when Mummy Dearest touched him, his picking up the frog on the stairs, Ruth giving history of a change between age 4 and 6. Sometimes I wonder if the red Venetian tumbler should be in that list. There is a story there which will be revealed......do you think?
In an American version, they would get the as much plot development in 2 episodes that BP does in 8. In one season they would meet, break up, have a baby and get married. |
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#2535 |
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Their current American audience is people who watch PBS. We all know that the commercial television audience is very different from the PBS audience. You're right that developing an American version would have their primary attention. I guess Philippa and Mark Crowdy would do most of the work. If they went with a network I think they would totally lose control over it. Maybe they will do it for HBO or Showtime - but even that audience is different from PBS (from my anecdotal experience anyway).
I agree that an American version would mean the end of the British version. It just might be hard to turn that kind of money down. Ricky Gervais has made a gazillion from The Office. He got lucky with Steve Carrell. Maybe BP will get lucky, too, and they'll find someone who is popular with the audience. For an American version they will have to make more than 8 episodes every other year. Even though they wouldn't be doing all the work like they do now, it will still require a lot from them if they want to maintain some kind of artistic input. Quote:
Kelsey Grammar is so negative and humorless in real life. I hope they don't pick him. They will probably go with someone younger, don't you think?
I dislike Jeremy Piven, too, but they might go with someone like him. Paul Giamatti who played Cora's brother in last season's Downton Abbey is a good actor. How about Jeff Daniels? Shop Girl, we need a contest or poll at some point! |
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#2536 |
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Casting of DM and LG is most important. The age of the actor must be in his 40's, tall hunk of a man, LG must be in her late 30's, attractive and appealing. The speaking voice of DM is important, too. (So many male actor's voices in U.S. are high pitched and sound very young. This is not what the role calls for.) He must sound and act as if he had been the product of good schooling, been successful in his field., but because of this blood issue must retrain and apply for a GP position. Also, the love between them that develops must be a slow dance. It can't be hurried along or it just doesn't work. I recently saw the Broadway show The Bridges of Madison County, what a disappointment. The main point of that storyline is that a National Geographic photographer in the 40-50 year range comes upon this farm in Iowa looking for covered bridges to photograph and meets this farm wife possibly 40 years old, originally from Italy. They meet and have this last chance on a torrid few days of love and pealing away of themselves to each other. The stage play has them too young. Francesca's children bicker at the fair, her husband gets drunk. The actress didn't get the Italian accent she was supposed to have for the role. Poor ticket sales are the result. Another play I recently saw was South Pacific. Same thing, the actors were not age appropriate. The audience picks up on that if they have seen this play before (or even the movie). The male's singing voice must send chills up your spine. A man with operatic training would fit the bill. I think the viewing audience of today is more savy and knows if the casting is right or wrong.
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#2537 |
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HBO has had a couple of pretty good half hour shows -- one had Chris 0"Dowd, called Family Tree, and another was "Getting On" which again was an American version of an originally British show. So I could see that as a venue. And both of those series were only about 6 -8 episodes, although 6-8 half hour episodes wouldn't get you very far, plot wise. I believe, on HBO, that the "show runners" had somewhat more autonomy than on "network TV." And I would bet that it would show up on a cable channel, rather than on a network one.
I was mostly kidding about Kelsey Grammar. His "Frasier" character is rather waspish and I fear he wouldn't be able to resist edging DM in that direction, a disaster. How about Jeff Daniels? Shop Girl, we need a contest or poll at some point! |
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#2538 |
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Jeff Daniels...hmmm...Jeff Daniels?........absolutely unsexy to me...I'm sure others will disagree but he has no sex appeal, which Martin, although there are those that may disagree, has in buckets.
Absolutely agree with you, Mofromco, on both counts! At our meetup here in Portland yesterday, we discussed the idea of an American DM and vetoed the idea unanimously. It's not as if there is a language barrier that needs to be overcome, and it's not as if the original is unavailable to American audiences: quite the opposite, thanks to online services, DVDs, and more. As far as a culturally American version goes, have we all forgotten House, which ran 8 full-length seasons and starred another acclaimed British actor? Substitute drug addiction for the blood phobia, and a suburban hospital instead of a sleepy fishing village, and you've got the American version of DM! To summarize: it's been done. No need to do it again. |
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#2539 |
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Absolutely agree with you, Mofromco, on both counts!
At our meetup here in Portland yesterday, we discussed the idea of an American DM and vetoed the idea unanimously. It's not as if there is a language barrier that needs to be overcome, and it's not as if the original is unavailable to American audiences: quite the opposite, thanks to online services, DVDs, and more. As far as a culturally American version goes, have we all forgotten House, which ran 8 full-length seasons and starred another acclaimed British actor? Substitute drug addiction for the blood phobia, and a suburban hospital instead of a sleepy fishing village, and you've got the American version of DM! To summarize: it's been done. No need to do it again. |
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#2540 |
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Jeff Daniels...hmmm...Jeff Daniels?........absolutely unsexy to me...I'm sure others will disagree but he has no sex appeal, which Martin, although there are those that may disagree, has in buckets.
I really hope that it doesn't come to pass -- I just don't want to see it. But if they were offered a gazillion $ and Martin and Phillipa would like to bring DM to a close, I can see them being very, very tempted. Zarwen, did you ever see the Digital Spy interview with Martin Clunes just before S4 aired? It's one of his best interviews. I'm sure Portwennonline has it. They asked him what he thought of House and he said, "We..l..l, It's all..right." Pretty clear that he didn't like it much. And didn't think much of the comparison. |
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#2541 |
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Jeff Daniels...hmmm...Jeff Daniels?........absolutely unsexy to me...I'm sure others will disagree but he has no sex appeal, which Martin, although there are those that may disagree, has in buckets.
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#2542 |
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To summarize: it's been done. No need to do it again.
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#2543 |
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I really hope that it doesn't come to pass -- I just don't want to see it. But if they were offered a gazillion $ and Martin and Phillipa would like to bring DM to a close, I can see them being very, very tempted.
What about a remake of the Flame Trees of Thika with MC & CC? That was one of my favorite PBS shows growing up, as was All Things Great and Small. |
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#2544 |
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well, I'm sure we do agree that Martin Clunes is inimitable. In the brief glimpses I've had of actors playing DM in Spanish, German and French (?) versions, no one comes close to his charisma.
I really hope that it doesn't come to pass -- I just don't want to see it. But if they were offered a gazillion $ and Martin and Phillipa would like to bring DM to a close, I can see them being very, very tempted. Zarwen, did you ever see the Digital Spy interview with Martin Clunes just before S4 aired? It's one of his best interviews. I'm sure Portwennonline has it. They asked him what he thought of House and he said, "We..l..l, It's all..right." Pretty clear that he didn't like it much. And didn't think much of the comparison. Incidentally, MC has also stated in interviews that various versions of DM are airing in over 200 countries, including Russia and Iran! I am sure that none of the copies comes even remotely close to the original, but quality aside, I would think that so many foreign markets would generate ample funds for the Clunes family to be set for life and then some. I have nothing against anyone making money, but if there is an attempt at an American DM, I will not watch it. |
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#2545 |
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HBO has had a couple of pretty good half hour shows -- one had Chris 0"Dowd, called Family Tree, and another was "Getting On" which again was an American version of an originally British show. So I could see that as a venue. And both of those series were only about 6 -8 episodes, although 6-8 half hour episodes wouldn't get you very far, plot wise. I believe, on HBO, that the "show runners" had somewhat more autonomy than on "network TV." And I would bet that it would show up on a cable channel, rather than on a network one.
I was mostly kidding about Kelsey Grammar. His "Frasier" character is rather waspish and I fear he wouldn't be able to resist edging DM in that direction, a disaster. How about Jeff Daniels? Shop Girl, we need a contest or poll at some point! They should just sign up with Showtime and develop a new series for him rather than make an American Doc Martin. |
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#2546 |
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Nope, never saw it. But there you are: the star of the original DM already doesn't like the American version of DM, so there's another reason not to do it!
Incidentally, MC has also stated in interviews that various versions of DM are airing in over 200 countries, including Russia and Iran! I am sure that none of the copies comes even remotely close to the original, but quality aside, I would think that so many foreign markets would generate ample funds for the Clunes family to be set for life and then some. I have nothing against anyone making money, but if there is an attempt at an American DM, I will not watch it. |
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#2547 |
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To be honest, I'm also not sure there is enough plot to fuel an American series. There have been, what, around 48 episodes of DM in 6 seasons; an American season is around 22 episodes long, about the entire series of DM in two American series.
What could pad out the series in America--more of DM and LG not getting together; more failed dates? More sick villagers with odd diseases? We've already had the back history of the major characters discussed--do we need more back history of Bert, Al, AJ? We could have more back history of Ruth, or of course of LG and DM, but not enough for a whole other season. Or, we could have them get married at the end of season 2, and then spend time in humorous and dramatic travails of marriage (hopefully not repeating season six as it aired, but doing it better). We could have more with JH. Or a second child. But, I'm not sure the series could really interest an audience entirely by episode 97, say, unless they moved out of Portwenn, went to London, DM got back to surgery, etc; unless real changes occurred in the structure of the show to keep it fresh and lacking repetition. Mona |
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#2548 |
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I saw an interview w/ Philippa B. on a PBS station, I believe it was during the pledge drive. She mentioned certain criteria: He would not get divorced, not have a second child and not go outdoors without his suit. We all know what happened in S5 when, in fact, he did drive his Lexus in his pajamas out one morning with JH to give Louisa a break. I saw something on a site by Karen g.....??? that he wanted to play one episode of S7 in a coma! I would hope that S7 delves more deeply into both DM & LE's disfunctional childhoods and they could understand why they respond to each other the way they do. Also, I am hoping they explore more medical problems for DM to attend to outside of what Dr. Martin Schur suggests to the series. DM did say he gets many letters from drs. in the U.S.A. thus maybe exploring more widespread medical ideas.
Welcome back Mona, you have been away too long! |
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#2549 |
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Well, considering there are only 196 (195 if you do not count Taiwan) countries in the world today one finds again that MC is exaggerating how many countries are airing DM. Probably, what, 20-40 countries are airing it? I wonder how many in real life.
Here's some anonymous commentator's take on an American version: (found on Imdb) "The Brits Know How to Do It 11 December 2007 | by groggo (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) – See all my reviews Doc Martin is so unusual and wonderfully off-kilter that it becomes addictive within 20 minutes of exposure. The titular Doc is a guy who was probably a curmudgeon before puberty. He's a surgeon from sophisticated, worldly London who moves to (fictional) Portwenn on the coast of Cornwall because he suddenly becomes ill at the sight of blood. This is not a good omen for a surgeon. He quits to become a general practitioner and he's satisfied, thanks very much, with checkups, prescriptions and referrals. The foul-mannered, blunt-spoken Doc smugly considers himself above the crowd, but he soon learns he is really BELOW the crowd, out of step with Portwenn's eccentricities, value systems and peculiar burghers, who make the mere lunatics of London look normal by comparison. Martin Clunes is terrific in the lead role. He is a tall, charismatic and not exactly handsome actor who looks like he would be more comfortable playing cops and heavies. He is, instead, a consummate comic actor. His facial and physical comedy, his frequent bouts of exasperation and bewilderment, are things to behold. (Note: some wags have compared him to 'House,' from the popular TV drama of the same name. House is played by Hugh Laurie, another splendid Brit, and that's about where the comparison begins and ends. They are two very different characters in two very different shows.) Portwenn's local population, with its twisted logic that somehow makes perfect sense, is represented through the tour-de-force acting of supporting players: Bert (Ian McNeice, who always dazzles playing offbeat, world-weary philosophical characters); Louise (the charming and beautiful Caroline Catz), who either loves Martin or wants to kill him; corn-rowed Elaine (lovely Lucy Punch) as the ditzy assistant with her own set of secretarial ethics; and Doc's Aunt Joan (the great Stephanie Cole, who has been delighting audiences since the 1960s). Dominic Minghella, he of the Minghella mob of talented artists (brother Anthony directed 'The English Patient'), is the brains behind this brilliant controlled chaos. Don't miss this program. TV shows that are both funny AND intelligent are the rarest of TV fare. And a fast footnote: let us all bow our heads and pray that Hollywood doesn't try to remake this.{" Somebody, I think maybe ShopGirl, has suggested that MC would be great in cop roles. |
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#2550 |
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MC said he suggested playing one episode in a coma for S7, so that he could direct it. Then he said the idea got shot down and it isn't going to happen.
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