Given the way s6 played out, I would have preferred not to have e1! Setting it up that way made the whole season into a downward spiral. Many of you have offered ideas for the direction of s7, but if BP is consistent, it won't be anything like that. Anyway, I would have preferred to see the contents of e1 as the culmination of something rather than the misleading setup of something. Just my $2 worth.

Are you lot all on crack?

cc.cookie says:

"I can't really see that LG did much wrong."

I think Louisa did contribute substantially to the growing problem between them.

She did see his growing isolation, unhappiness, shutting down, pushing her away, as indicating dis-satisfaction with her and their marriage, and perhaps as no longer loving or wanting to be with her. She took it personally, in other words, and I suppose we are meant to think, due to her own insecurities. And perhaps she feels a little guilty that he gave up so much for her and now is so unhappy.,

I think this is why we see so little affection between them -- if he has stopped making any kind of affectionate gesture, it makes somewhat more plausible this belief on her part. Also, perhaps why they ramped up her general level of aggressiveness (although I think the extent of that has been exaggerated).

In a larger sense, perhaps, she was right -- the whole package was just too much for him to handle. But it was not ABOUT her -- it was about him, and his unresolved pathologies resurfacing.

I think Mofromco's question is the right one: what would have happened if she had stood her ground, and pressed on to ask the next question(s)? Like, "what's going on with you? I'm your wife, and I love you and I need to know what's happening with you." Him: "I don't know." Her: "That's not an answer, Martin. How are we going to figure this out, because it's making me unhappy also. We need to work together to figure this out."

Alternatively, she could have gone to Aunt Ruth, and asked for advice. Ruth might have given it to her.

But she gave up on him and their relationship too easily, as she has always done, and could not or would not find the time and space to ask the right questions and press for answers. And then, after the crisis, when he was clearly shaken, as she was, she decided that the solution was for her to go off alone and think about things, rather than using this opportunity/crisis to get things out in the open and see if there might be a solution.

so, bottom line: she knew he was flawed, damaged, had a lot of difficulty in personal relationships, but if she had also been able to believe that he really did love her, she might not have been so self-involved. She might have been able to rise above her feelings that SHE was making him unhappy, and press harder to get at what the problem was. And if she truly believed, as she has said many times, that people CAN change if they want to, then she could have told him directly that she expected/needed him to stop shutting down and shutting her out when he was in distress. He might or might not have done that, but at least she would have tried.

His first response might have been, "Who needs happiness?" as it was in the hospital, but, in a less fraught conversation, the answer might have been, "we do -- you do and I do. Now what are we going to do about it? because if the answer is nothing, I'll have to think about whether I can stay in a marriage where you are not concerned about whether we're happy together." My problem with Louisa is that she gave him no real chance to address their problems, but instead, bailed on him. I do hope that changes in S7.

So many ways this could have gone that would have been healthier and more productive. They showed us the least productive path and most dysfunctional path.

and yes, Doc Martin is apparently my crack.

But of course.

NP

You make perfect sense. That is why you do not pass the Portwenn Effect Test. The PET, if you will, is set to measure the nature of something that is simply unbelievable, ridiculous and far-fetched. In our apparent crack induced stupor, we have accepted what BP has served up to us as realistic, hopeful and likely to succeed. Sure we occasionally gather the strength to get off the pipe and ask questions. Some rail at the absurdity of it all, some question their sanity, some argue minute points because it is their minute point and they can't bear to release their interpretation of it. But then we gather together -- in hope -- perhaps as those pilgrims did long ago on whatever was their Thanksgiving Day. However, we hope not for sustenance through the winter, shelter from the cold or for some -- a safe return to mother England. We hope instead that two totally mismatched people with huge insecurities as their most winsome personality traits will somehow figure out how to live together in something approaching peace and harmony.
And that my friends is what I appreciate.

I just want to see more of Martin Clunes snogging. That beats crack any day!

Works for me

I'm with you on that one! Oh how I love tuning in to this forum and everyone's sense of humor - it really cracks me up sometimes

I'm working at this backwards, but is there a tie to something here?

L final scene: "thank you for coming after me"

L before surgery: "I thought you were coming to Spain when I saw you on the plane"

M before surgery: "I didn't come after you because of your condition, I was trying to buy a ticket"

M final scene: "you're my patient and you're my wife"

You're my patient = because of your condition (I came after you to save your life)

You're my wife = I was trying to buy a ticket (to come after you because you are my life...ooops, wife)

I like it!

Maybe the accident and subsequent surgery will give her a second chance to ask that question and for him to finally come clean with her now that he's taken the first step in admitting he wants to be better at being a husband? I guess we could only hope that's the case. Both characters really need to step up their game. Communication, understanding and support for each others issues...for JH's sake and for their own.

I would agree that the quality of S6's acting was more intense and amazing. I would expect S7 will continue that quality but also a stronger swing of emotions from beginning to end.

I still tend to think throughout E8 L was hopeful M would come after her. From the scene in the bedroom/bathroom to the scene at the airport w/Margaret "I don't know what I'm doing", to her hope that he was on the plane to accompany her to Spain that she sputtered out on the operating table. Because of their social ineptitude with each other, he didn't push her and she didn't push him. I suppose if they did though, it would just be another dull scripted episode, defeating the purpose of what BP gives to the audience (which is the far from fairytale story).

M could have said something to her while standing in the bedroom while she was in the bathroom.

M could have told Morwenna to reschedule all of his patients and paid the cabbie to go away so he could drive her to the airport.

But then...he would have never talked with Ruth, kicked his mom out of the house, or discovered the AVM and then the end of DM would have been for L to die on the plane, making M a widower single father left to raise JH alone AND that is NOT how we would want the show to end!!

New Park,

You are quite right.

When I wrote that LG hadn't done that much wrong (and no you didn't take it out of context at all) I was thinking of the sports day and how she had asked DM over and over if he wanted to do the speech and be there for her. She offered to replace him. I don't think she could have made it clearer to him but it was silly of her to ask him in the first place.

As to the whole series yes you are quite right. They never have them sitting down and having a discussion. When you are looking at what makes good fiction one of the things about the conflict involved is that it should never be able to be solved by a simple discussion. Nor should the conflict arise from a simple misunderstanding that could easily be resolved. It is considered sloppy writing.

I think the reason DM gets away with it (mostly) is that it wouldn't be a simple discussion. DM is as thick as two bricks when it comes to emotional depth - "they would cope if you died" and "why do people need to be happy" - and until LG hits him over the head more than a few times with how important it is to her he isn't going to change. Also LG's insecurities have exacerbated the process as you have so clearly pointed out.

I didn't like LG's character in s5 and s6. She seems to be used as a plot driven swinging pendulum to cause DM grief or act like a shrew. I think they need to address some of her issues in s7 and get DM to actually change.
I liked LG in e1, though.

What DM needs to say to LG is "Stop running away."

LG can see it in others - Can berate DM for walking away when she's yelling at him at the sports carnival - but she can't see it in herself. She will only admit that she "doesn't know what she's doing." When she can identify that she's running maybe something will change for her.

Zarwen,

I can see exactly where you are coming from. However, at least we saw that DM and LG can get on if they are alone. We saw that DM has got some tiny clue about how to behave in the bedroom. We saw that both LG and DM have got a sense of humour and that they are both supportive of one another in a threatening situation. We also saw how competent LG can be under stress. I thought e1 was great.

I didn't like the way e2 just dropped off a cliff, I would have preferred to see see a more gradual, believable slide into DM's depression. But, without e1 we wouldn't have seen that there was even the possibility that they could or should be a couple.

She was perfect and hilarious in E1, and then it went downhill from there...

She was.

So, am I the first to wish MC a happy 52nd birthday today?

Sorry cc.cookie, if I misread your comment as referring to something more than just Sports Day (as to assigning blame there, I just say, "a plague on both their houses.").

Just needed a chance to riff on how I see Louisa this series. I don't have nearly the negative view of her as some do, and on my re-watch, I am going to try to assess the level of "shrewishness." I think it's a little more complicated than that she just turned into a shrew. But I agree -- they came perilously close to leaving many wondering just why it was that DM should be so desperate to stay with her. And I do think she was almost equally to blame for the mess made of their marriage to this point.

Yes, Zarwen,you are probably the first on here...but I'm the second. Happy Birthday, Martin Clunes, you lovely man...best wishes for new performances for us and new joys in your life!

Just a heads up there is a behind the scenes of Doc Martin Series 6 on PBS tonight, don't know whether this is across the country or not but is on in the Pacific Northwest.

NewPark,
You didn't misinterpret - I didn't make it clear.
I will probably rewatch it when it comes to Oz TV next year but I can't do it now. I have listened to the podcasts and they tend to pick the positives so I'm left with a happier impression than first run through. My lasting impression of LG this series is confused but definitely swinging from one extreme to the next. My only explanation is maybe they wanted to convey her confusion "I don't know what I'm doing" but I also think they used her as a plot device or foil for DMs problems which is disappointing.

You are right, for me I actually hit the point of "what does he/she see in her/him" "these two shouldn't be together",
But more than that I've reached the "I don't care" stage which is a bit upsetting for me. Let's hope s7 is a more memorable and upbeat series.

Thanks for the heads up! I've noticed in the past on my PBS station that they play the behind the scenes interviews as filler between shows. Last week after the airing of S4E2, they played the behind the scenes interview of S5 before the next show started. They play DM here on Saturday and Sunday nights. Saturday is a repeat of the last week's Sunday episode and then Sunday it's the new episode. I'll have to watch in between shows tonight to see if they play it here. Hopefully so, and if not, maybe they will this weekend.

Here's some fanfic inspiration for any of you who are so inclined...I can't write to save my life, but I do have an active imagination. Must be the turkey today...

Instead of what actually happened at the end of E8, what might have happened if M was able to book a flight to Spain after all, and there was no AVM that stopped L from flying?

Could that have been the cliffhanger for S6?

Each PBS station is independently owned and operated and chooses WHAT programs to buy and WHEN to air them. So it is essential to check with your own public broadcasting channel as to what/when something will be on.

Here's when Doc Martin Revealed is on for Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB):

Sunday, December 1 from 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. on OPB TV
Sunday, December 1 from 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. on OPB PLUS
Saturday, December 7 from 9:30 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. on OPB TV
Saturday, December 7 from 9:30 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. on OPB PLUS
Saturday, December 7 from 10:00 p.m. - 3:00 a.m. on OPB TV
Saturday, December 7 from 10:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m. on OPB PLUS
Monday, December 9 from 4:00 a.m. - 5:30 a.m. on OPB TV
Tuesday, December 10 from 8:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. on OPB PLUS
Wednesday, January 1 from 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. on OPB TV
Wednesday, January 1 from 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. on OPB PLUS

Totally agree NewPark! It's not a him vs. her (who's the baddie) all the time. Sometimes he could have done differently, sometimes she could have. Sometimes he's reasonable, she isn't and vice versa. But then, isn't that life? None of us are always right or always wrong--not even the best or the worst of us.

So the fact that sometimes LGE comes off badly, and sometimes DM does, shouldn't be so strange to us. DM is portrayed that way more so (or so the advertising and such for the show would have us believe) as he is to be the primary "damaged" one. But then don't we love him for the damaged soul he is underneath and because we can so often see when he is affected by something that he chooses not to let anyone else see (even his loving looks at LG at the concert that he so quickly hid even from her.)