Yes, it was the harshness of the write-off that surprised me. I understand that other characters have been written off with little more than a line or two of explanation (and some of them humourous like Mark Mylow's), and wouldn't have thought much of it if they had moved Caroline to a new town, or said she was pursuing other career options.....

For what it's worth, I had to google "sectioned" after hearing it in E3, and it seems that yes, it's a way of institutionalizing a person due to mental health concerns. The new DJ said that the whole family testified, so there must be some legal/judiciary process by which the decision is made.

Couple thoughts . . .

First, Dr. T seems awfully young to be an experienced psychiatrist. She said she was 32. In the U.S., you'd be 30 by the time you completed your psych residency, assuming you're not a child prodigy. That means she would have been practicing independently for at most 2 yrs. I realize the path to becoming a board certified MD is somewhat different in the UK but always thought the overall timing was roughly the same as in the US. Can someone familiar with the UK system enlighten me?

Second, does anyone else find it odd that Caroline, who has never appeared wacky other than when she had complications of diabetes, was sent to the psych hospital and Mrs. Tishell is running a pharmacy?

Dr. Timoney is not a psychiatrist but a Has a Doctorate in Psychology, probably having finished her studies around the age of 25. That's a few more years under her belt. Some people have inborn talent for some things.

Caroline Bosman was clearly wacky...shrill and unpleasant in my opinion. Maybe getting electrocuted pushed her over the edge? (That's a joke, by the way). Well, that's explaining character's departures the Doc Martin way....it's a joke within itself. The only thing this time is Martin actually paid attention and inquired about it. (Maybe his way of changing too? Not that he really cared, but he asked. That's new.)

Dt Timoney told Martin she had completed her PhD at age 23 and the worked at St Bart's in London. She is writing a book which could be an expansion of her dissertation or based on her 9 years of experience

Oh you're right....right out of the script.

To finish a Ph.d at 23 is extremely impressive. She must have left University (undoubtedly with a First) at 18 or 19.

Quick comment--I do not see DM as OCD. Where is that shown? He has his blood phobia but that is not OCD; a phobia is not necessarily OCD. He is a tidy guy, but he is not OCD about it. He likes being clean, but he is not washing his hands 100x a day, either.

I don't know why people starting tossing that around with DM, and I do not see it as an accurate description of him.

We can only imagine Mrs. T was sectioned after S5 finale, and that didn't do her much good. She was obviously released waaaay to early.

Caroline being sectioned is an annoying explanation for her disappearance, at least to me. And no matter how mental she is, if she has the same in house psychiatrist as Mrs. T she'll probably be released tomorrow.

I agree. He is not OCD. He has a specific anxiety disorder, a phobia, which is quite different. I believe it was Louisa who tossed that at him first.

To Louisa, for whom tidiness is not a strong point, his orderliness and meticulousness might look like OCD, but not so.

Interesting that at the top of her complaint list to Dr. T. was apparently that he was repressed. I think if he were more demonstrative and affectionate with her, she would be less concerned about his blood phobia and OCD (and fish eating).

BUT, the problem is, the show's writing is so inconsistent and thus irritating, we cannot make bold comments like "DM and LE are not compatible". Imagine how well they got along for numerous months from S5 finale to S6 marriage; a hand on the chest soothed DM, they seemed to be having good sex (and wanted more at the cabin), DM was making jokes and was controlling his quirks (searching for bed bugs). In crisis, they worked together. DM requested more, better communication from Louisa, so he could better make her happy.

Come on--they WERE getting along. They WERE compatible.

Then the other episodes of S6 came, with the problematic return of the blood phobia, for no good reason, and DM's complete collapse for no good reason. That created a need for fans to try to explain what cannot be explained. Oh, yeah, DM is damaged from his childhood, but he was able to get along fine with LE and they were both eager to marry. The mess of S6, done solely because of MC's desire to go there, has screwed things up in terms of trying to honestly understand DM, LE and them together as a couple.

It's fun to analyze, and try to make sense, but the characters change as the want them to, to the pleasure, annoyance and frustration of serious fans. If only Ben Bolt and Dominic Minghella had stayed to furnish their masterful vision. MC's vision is not something I'm enjoying overall.

I actually don't think incompatible is a useful way to describe them. (I was just restating an argument.) In many ways they complement each other. They haven't managed to communicate very well about the things they need from each other, the things that irritate them, etc., and until they can really try to work through their differences, and see how they can accommodate each other, I don't see how we can decide that they're incompatible. Maybe their differences are irreconcilable ultimately. But an awful lot can be worked through -- and tolerated -- if people want to do so.

OCD?
What was the point of him returning to the plate to position the silverware?

I suppose the point of it was to show him doing something OCD-like, after he'd just been accused of it and denied it.

He's fussy, and even prissy, and even someone who is uncomfortable when things are what he considers out of place. But people who are neat freaks. although probably annoying to the majority of us, are not necessarily OCD.

OCD is impairing and often quite painful -- people can't get on with their lives, because they keep washing something, they're so afraid of contamination they're constantly cleaning; they check obsessively whether. e.g., that noise they heard while driving was them running over someone, maybe they better go back and check, which they do two or three times, or every time they hear a suspicious noise. (That's a real thing, BTW. People do this. ) The point is, it's impairing -- and it's out of control. You can't (or think you can't) stop doing behaviors that you know at one level are irrational, and it's actively dysfunctional for you. It's not just that your wife dislikes your general prissiness, or you like your silverware arranged just so.

Now I will say that a clinician might actively consider Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (if that's still in the new DSM) but that is a different kettle of fish, and in the end, they would likely rule it out.

It's fun to analyze, and try to make sense, but the characters change as the want them to, to the pleasure, annoyance and frustration of serious fans. If only Ben Bolt and Dominic Minghella had stayed to furnish their masterful vision. MC's vision is not something I'm enjoying overall.

In their own words, they want to keep the story fresh. Are the changes plot-driven, character-driven or both?
Imo, the writers use both to keep the story "fresh." MC answers a question: Can M&L be happy for just a
little while? This is a recent interview. He says: No

I think someone posted it recently. It was an interesting read (and a little rhetoric): "We know what's best for the characters - the audience does not" It is their job and they are the professionals/the artists. He wasn't being arrogant but surely its questions like these that tests his/others patience.

I remember reading (another show) the producer's reaction to viewer feedback: We know what they
want and we give them exactly what they don't want. We know what's best...

LOL - its mostly about numbers (keeping viewers) and a little about creative expression.

NP: Didn't he re-position them before he answered the door?

I rewatched a few scenes from 2 & 3 - I wanted your take on it...

Interesting, when the therapist asked him "what are you afraid of" he answers "losing her."

Ruth asks him what he really wants and his answer was "for this mess to be over with."

Interesting and very revealing, right?? Will Dr Tim ask of Louisa the same question? Will Ruth? Anyone?

This Martin is a new dog (s7) but I remember the old dog....etched in my brain. I am impressed with Martin, so far, in relation to her.

Btw: Her hissy fit in his cottage was over-the-top but was it unreasonable? Given what happened in S6, she believes
his issues are paramount and that needs sorting before they begin dissecting the relationship. She could have
used a different tone, but I absolutely agree with her in this instance. He was headed for a major breakdown in S6.

Edit: The messy kitchen. We've seen her and drop-ins at her cottage. Terry, Bert, Peter, and her place wasn't perfect but it was tidy. (the bedroom a little messy - I relate when I'm throwing the separates off and re-dressing before I run out the door...I'm better now)

He's clearly uncomfortable with her untidiness (did you look at that kitchen when she walked in and surprised her in the morning -- tho he didn't react then) but he didn't SAY anything about it when they lived together.

Interesting that Mike Pruddy was in fact OCD -- and she picked up that Martin approved of that, if it kept the house tidier. I think perhaps she got to feel that his orderliness and tidying up after her was an implicit reproach to her, and she resented it. So she threw at him that label. She really does not want to feel "judged" - as she told Aunt Ruth.

At the very end of E2, though, he explicitly told her that he had been uncomfortable with mess and noise but no longer. Which apparently did not sink in, or was not entirely believed. As why should it be,. absent any evidence, which could only come if they were living together.

They both use the word "mess" to describe their marriage. When Dr. Tim asks Louisa about their marriage, Louisa says "It's a bit of a mess, really".

When Dr. Tim asked her about her family of origin, (sorry, do people still use that phrase?), Louisa says something like "Fine! Happy as you like".

In series 5 we saw the high level of denial Louisa had about her mother's trustworthiness and dependability. She kept trusting her, and Eleanor let her down every time. Repeating the same thing and expecting different results.

I didn't find S6 "fresh". After episode 2, was pretty unbearable to me.

And, it's only ego which says that the what the audience wants is wrong or inferior to what MC/producer's want. Why would I respect their comments? It's patronizing--they know what's best-- and let's admit it, overall, their "vision" for S6 would not be considered a resounding success among many fans.

If we did a poll and asked--did you like Seasons 1-4 or Seasons 5-6 the best, I feel fairly confident S1-4 would win.

Semantics.....I totally agree he doesn't have OCD, just stealing that out of Louisa's mouth. He's just orderly...like me...and she is disorderly...like my husband. Sorry to fail to qualify that point.

This may be incorrect, but I doubt that Martin Clunes himself has very little to do with the direction the story takes. I feel he keeps himself out of that and considers himself a "talking head"...an actor who says the lines and makes the script come to life. Any blame should be laid on Philippa Clunes, Mark Crowdy and the writers. Having met MC in the past month I come away with the gestalt that he considers himself a "working actor" using the talent he has as a means to an end...to support his farm and family. It's truly remarkable how humble he is.

Au contraire, Mofromco. I really, really don't think anything major gets done on that show that he isn't on board with. He may not come up with the ideas, but they surely run them by them, and they know what he will and will not do. Mild mannered, gentle, humble luvvie that he may be -- he holds himself and the show to high standards and he's going to veto stuff he thinks won't work. Including anything he might consider "sappy" or overly sentimental.

I'll bet in the end, even Phillipa defers to him, although of course, we'll never know.

I want to hear her speak. I want them both to tell the other what they need. It won't happen easily. Neither of them are ready to break down the walls. I don't know if they can and I think we'll see more of that.

The OCD remark was a throw-away. The rest of what she said was important and she made a valid point. She has some resentment and, obviously, can no longer contain it.

NP:He has made a few subtle hints to her but he didn't made a big deal of it (untidy). I think she's intentionally pushing some buttons, too.

And - we saw her cute cottage (with the great view) in S4 with the midwife and both
times the kitchen, and the rest of the place was tidy.

They need to move on to the big issues and that will happen in the good hands of Dr Tim, hopefully.

dcdmfan: Thanks for pointing that out. I think her concern is that he doesn't value or respect her. She says, also, "I know he loves me...I think he does" (??) He has to be open and more expressive with her, too.

This was and is a risky relationship and they need to own the mess they made. Knowing the relationship was a risky one, they still went ahead and married. Stupid.

The remark to Ruth told me that he is thisclose to giving up and moving on. He won't because the show (Imho) has to show Martin trying his best. His character needs to
garner and hold the sympathy of the audience.

fwiw: Its time Martin tell her how she has failed him and what he needs. You all have said it...

I'm not confident at all that what we want to hear or what we deem important will even cross their lips. jmo

Absolutely, NewPark. What happens on DM is what MC and PB want to happen.

I do not believe that is accurate, either, that DM does not value and respect LE. I think he absolutely does value and respect her as a human, as his love interest, as his wife, and as the mother of his child.

What he doesn't value is her job, in that, he is wealthy, has a job, earns enough income to support them both (and really, look how much nicer LE dresses than she did as LG!), and she can relax, stay home, and raise their child.

Why is that important to DM? Because a mom at home can dote on, love, pay attention to, and foster a child to feel loved, and be happy. That DM would send the child away to a school for a better education than he can get in PW is not contradictory. You can keep in contact, support, love, visit, welcome home a child learning away at boarding school. As a mother (and father) you can do everything to make your child happy and well-adjusted, and for DM's POV (and in fact, many people outside DM), staying home as a mother is a key aspect of that.

That LE put her self-esteem into her job (as DM put his self-esteem into his) is what escapes DM. That LE would have an immense time leaving her personal identity (as Ruth was having trouble leaving hers, and giving up that new job to take care of her health), is what he is clueless in. And, he is mean at times discussing her role as head mistress, which is odd, to be honest, given he has in life welcomed strong women (such as Edith, Aunt Joan, Ruth).

But, we cannot say off-hand DM does not respect Louisa as a whole.