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Doc Martin (Part 17 — Spoilers) |
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#126 |
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Join Date: Sep 2011
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Martin's grumpiness has reached new levels this series. I'm currently in the middle of rewatching S1 and the character of DM is infinitely better! He was grumpy back then obviously, but he wasn't a complete prat with no emotion whatsoever. He would smile every now and again and did seem to somewhat genuinely care about the people in the village. It was a realistic and grounded grumpiness if that makes any sense, not to mention hilarious.
These days he's just an outright arsehole with what seems like nothing but disdain for everyone around him bar a few characters. It's not funny anymore, it's just awkward to watch him treat Louisa the way he does and everyone else in the village too. |
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#127 |
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Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Ohio, USA
Posts: 594
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Families
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Being a relative newcomer to the programme, I am a little confused about Martin's various relations. I have gathered that Joan was Ruth's sister and both are/were Martin's aunts, but are they also sisters to Margaret (Martin's mum) or to his dad? I am guessing from the fact that Ruth is an Ellingham that his dad was their brother. Does anyone know and are there any other relatives that pop up from time to time?
Martin visited in the summers and at holidays with Ruth and Phil on their farm, until he was aged 10 or 11, when his father made that stop. We saw Christopher and Margaret in Series 2. Louisa Glasson is the daughter of Terry and Elinor Glasson. For various reasons we only saw Terry in the 'Christmas Special' which had nothing to do with Christmas other than it's airing. Elinor had flown the marriage bed when Louisa was 11, and had lived in Spain off and on for many years with Javier, her boyfriend. Elinor put in an appearance in Series 6. |
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#128 |
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Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 2,582
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Just saw this on ITV+1. It really has run out of steam, hasn't it? Miserable and rehashing old situations. Just how many crises does DM need before he realises how much he wants to be with/loves Louisa? No laughs, DM just being awful, Penhale acting like an idiot, Ruth underused and very few likeable characters generally.
This was once an above-average ITV comedy drama but has gone on two series too long - in my opinion anyway. Quote:
I haven't posted on this thread in a very long time but I wanted to say that I agree with Terry Wigon's post entirely. I'm really sad to say it but I now find little left to enjoy in the series. Everything feels rehashed and delivered with so much less lightness of touch than we once saw. The Doc has evolved to simply one grim note, with barely a shred of humanity left. The scenarios are utterly predictable and exhausted. Early Doc Martin was a joy, with some genuinely comical moments and his diffident relationship with Louisa was often touching. The whole thing is now pale imitation of what it once was and with each series, is delivering diminishing returns. A real shame.
I don't like this darker direction the show has taken, it's not fun to watch anymore and the gentle comedy has now been replaced by farce (cannot bear Penhale, he's not a likeable idiot, he's just an idiot). I've also not posted in this thread much but I have watched DM since the very first episode and have loved it. I adore Cornwall and really like Martin Clunes, and most of the similar-type 'comedy-dramas' he's been in. Sadly, DM has become almost a chore to watch and, for me, is a shadow of its former self. Martin is worse than he ever was and Louisa is just a nag. Such a shame, I'd been so looking forward to this series too. |
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#129 |
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Join Date: May 2002
Location: South East London, UK
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Here in Canada where I live we are getting the reruns still and people of course are loving it. But I wonder how they will feel when season 5 and 6 air. Betting they will also feel it is too dark.
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#130 |
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Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Crawley, West Sussex
Posts: 9,300
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Quote:
We assume that Aunt Ruth was the oldest of three children (she once called Ruth her baby sister). Christopher is Martin's dad, married to Margaret, and he too was a surgeon. Aunt Ruth had lived in Cornwall since a young woman and was married to Phil (who died a long time ago).
Martin visited in the summers and at holidays with Ruth and Phil on their farm, until he was aged 10 or 11, when his father made that stop. We saw Christopher and Margaret in Series 2. Louisa Glasson is the daughter of Terry and Elinor Glasson. For various reasons we only saw Terry in the 'Christmas Special' which had nothing to do with Christmas other than it's airing. Elinor had flown the marriage bed when Louisa was 11, and had lived in Spain off and on for many years with Javier, her boyfriend. Elinor put in an appearance in Series 6. |
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#131 |
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Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Central London
Posts: 43,693
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Thanks for that, nearly clear now. However, I don't quite follow the bit in bold about Ruth being the eldest as well as baby sister. Is that what you meant to say?
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#132 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Minnesota, USA
Posts: 83
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Crums for Forum Thought
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We assume that Aunt Ruth was the oldest of three children (she once called Ruth her baby sister). Christopher is Martin's dad, married to Margaret, and he too was a surgeon. Aunt Ruth had lived in Cornwall since a young woman and was married to Phil (who died a long time ago).
Martin visited in the summers and at holidays with Ruth and Phil on their farm, until he was aged 10 or 11, when his father made that stop. We saw Christopher and Margaret in Series 2. Anyone who has seen DM from the beginning, understands Margaret had been in Portwenn ONCE, since the series started. When she and Ruth were talking, she deliberately stated she was in the village twice,almost a deliberate disclosure. Now I am speculating. I'm not crediting myself with this idea. This came up in a forum long ago. However, I really think it may have merit now. Maybe Margaret was in Portwenn about 32 years ago when Aunt Ruth was still alive. She had asked Aunt Ruth to find a woman in the village to adopt a newborn baby boy,(AL.) Doc may have a younger brother, or half brother.Maybe Ruth sees a young Christopher in Al. A whole new direction for the Doc knowing he has a sibling and not feeling so separate. |
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#133 |
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Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 13,476
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Thank you for DM family genology.
Anyone who has seen DM from the beginning, understands Margaret had been in Portwenn ONCE, since the series started. When she and Ruth were talking, she deliberately stated she was in the village twice,almost a deliberate disclosure. Now I am speculating. I'm not crediting myself with this idea. This came up in a forum long ago. However, I really think it may have merit now. Maybe Margaret was in Portwenn about 32 years ago when Aunt Ruth was still alive. She had asked Aunt Ruth to find a woman in the village to adopt a newborn baby boy,(AL.) Doc may have a younger brother, or half brother.Maybe Ruth sees a young Christopher in Al. A whole new direction for the Doc knowing he has a sibling and not feeling so separate. |
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#134 |
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Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Minnesota, USA
Posts: 83
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Uncloaking Anger, the Real Agent: Anxiety
When I was a child I was told to keep my emotions under control. Not to display them in public. Consequently, I had this very public persona and I hid this very private me. Even my children did not really understand the underlying person inside, because it was hidden, under control. However, when I became anxious, people would read my public persona was being angry. When the anxiety became more intense, I almost seemed more hostile. Explanation: this was my way of dealing with all those feelings I was trying to keep hidden.
I would really like for people to think of this when they view the Doc as he enters the ER ward. He sees his wife, the woman he loves. She starts to cough. He feels helpless. He can't help her. He's not her doctor. His anxiety is on full alert. He starts to become agitated. Why? He is ANXIOUS. His MEDICAL BRAIN starts to think, "what could cause a cough in an acute setting? " He is an outstanding clinician, so he puts 2+2 together, he catastrophises and thinks: Pulmonary Embolism: "MY WIFE is going to DIE!" His outward demeanor displays agitation. He starts screaming at people and bullies them into doing for him what he cannot do at the moment. Finally, he calms down when all is requests are answered. He is less anxious when his fears are allayed. However, he cannot understand why people think he was angry. He leaves the scene perplexed, "What did I do wrong?" What you saw is a typical physician, under stress, "flying off the handle." |
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#135 |
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Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Minnesota, USA
Posts: 83
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I assume you mean here poster... when Aunt JOAN was still alive, that Margaret may have come to ask Joan to find a family for a baby. If that does turn out to be true, I think you could be onto something, and that Al could well be Doc's brother. Are you suggesting then that Al is a FULL brother and that the mum just didn't want another child, or the mum cheated on the father and Al is a half brother. I'm guessing FULL !!
I would leave that up to the writers. |
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#136 |
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Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Central London
Posts: 43,693
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I assume you mean here poster... when Aunt JOAN was still alive, that Margaret may have come to ask Joan to find a family for a baby. If that does turn out to be true, I think you could be onto something, and that Al could well be Doc's brother. Are you suggesting then that Al is a FULL brother and that the mum just didn't want another child, or the mum cheated on the father and Al is a half brother. I'm guessing FULL !!
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#137 |
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Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 3,521
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Al's Mum was Berts wife , remember Bert had a DNA test as he was unsure he was the father ( he was reluctant to give Al the birth certificate) but never looked at the results, unless Als Mum had a fling with the Docs dad. Joan told Al that his dad loved him etc etd , so unless it was all a cover up.
So there is more than one way in which Al could be Martin's half-brother! |
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#138 |
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Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Central London
Posts: 43,693
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Quote:
Some time ago, a theory was floated on the Forum (half in jest, I think) that perhaps the mysterious father of Al, assuming that a paternity test in fact showed that Bert was NOT the father, was Christopher.
So there is more than one way in which Al could be Martin's half-brother! |
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#139 |
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Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Aggieland
Posts: 199
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Quote:
We assume that Aunt Ruth was the oldest of three children (she once called Ruth her baby sister). Christopher is Martin's dad, married to Margaret, and he too was a surgeon. Aunt Ruth had lived in Cornwall since a young woman and was married to Phil (who died a long time ago).
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#140 |
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Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Here
Posts: 2,018
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Catching up
I fell behind due to other interferences and was only able to get to a viewing of E7 last night. I've had a lot of catching up to do here at DS and thought instead of responding to individual posts (so many!) I would just put down a few of my own responses and opinions here.
I understand the angst of several people who are upset at the direction the show has taken, especially in E7, but personally I'm satisfied with it. We've long known that Martin has emotional issues lurking mostly in the background. We've met his parents, heard about the abuse he suffered as a child. We've assumed that much of his behavior, his inability to be "social", his difficulty in initiating and then maintaining a healthy relationship with the woman he loves, his failure to "get" things like jokes and simple conversations were caused by his miserable childhood & horrible parents. In the past he's built a kind of wall around himself and maintained a sense of control. I always figured eventually we would see that wall come down and he would face an emotional crisis. In order to get this character to any kind of resolution, this had to happen. So now it is. He's coming apart. He's lost control. He's in the throes of a deep depression. I think this is why he looks so sad, on the verge of tears, when he's forced to say, "No, I can't. Thank you." to Louisa when she suggests a long weekend away. He's barely functioning, almost rooted and immobilized in this scene. He can't eat. He can't sleep. He can't face a long weekend alone with his family. The damage Ruth mentions later in the ep is doing it's work. It's all coming to a head. This is especially evident at the sports day. Paperchase, you mentioned that he's probably suffering from anxiety. I agree with you. In fact, that's exactly what I see when I watch that scene. I don't believe Martin has any control at all over his own behavior at sports day. He's completely lost it, and this comes across, as you said, as anger. He's at his absolute worst at sports day, and so is Louisa. He's correct when he tells her she's hysterical. But, of course, he's the one who has caused the hysteria. It's a wild scene and it's cringe-worthy and painful to watch. Here are these two beloved characters showing us their very worst sides at the same time, and in front of half the village. The thing is, this show is no longer a comedy-drama. It's an intense, heavy drama. I can accept that and go with it and enjoy it the way one enjoys intense and sometimes dark dramas. What's problematic is that the PTB failed on one level. They turned it into a drama, but continued to include the goofy slapstick of Penhale, which no longer fits. Frankly I've never been a fan of the Penhale character. He was too much of a clown. I've managed to accept this in the past, to just sort of overlook this, but now it's jarring and unsuitable. BP failed to face the reality of their own decision to turn it into a drama. A little occasional comic relief is helpful in dramas, but not this over-the-top kind. So there are good and bad aspects of this episode. It's flawed in some ways but intensely emotional in others. We don't quite understand what Martin is going through because he isn't verbal. We have to speculate. I know this is the way this show goes, and the way this character is portrayed, but they could have used Ruth to translate for us, or employed some means to help us out. Maybe this will happen next week. In fact, this "feels" like a two-parter to me, with absolutely everything left unresolved. Well, except for Mike. |
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#141 |
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So far, it hasn't translated into his feelings toward James Henry. In fact, dealing with this infant for whom he has such strong feelings of love may have awakened his grief at never having experienced this from his parents. Perhaps this is at the root of the funk, or depressive state, that he seems to have been in.
I think that Margaret has been brought back to emphasize this point and to twist the knife in deep enough to bring about either a breakdown or a breakthrough. |
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#142 |
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Join Date: Jan 2012
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Quote:
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Ah, yes, that is what has happened. We are REELING!
I can sleep better now. ![]() Rob I guess this is for British forum members. Was it really inappropriate for a show that airs at 9 pm? In the US 9 pm is considered a sort of breaking point. It's after 9 that the more edgy, adult-oriented shows start to air. If kids watch DM, what was the reaction in series 3 when we saw Joan and the painter and sex on the kitchen table, and when we saw Louisa obviously naked under the sheets the "morning after" Martin spent the night? Over the years we've seen patients in the consulting room in their underwear (including even Bert ). We've listened to assorted adult conversations. Yet this is still considered a family show that kids watch? It just seems odd and I really want to know if the tweets are legitimate complaints.Btw, that scene was a shocker, even though I knew it was coming. It caused me to gasp and flinch. HOW is it that Louisa only sustained a broken collarbone when the car hit her legs and torso? This may be a continuity flaw. There is a positive review of this episode at Unreality TV. Unfortunately they've set up some technical weirdness that means it's impossible to post a link to it. You can get to it by going to the series 6 blog (Hod, you must know more than me about how to handle this link issue), and scrolling down about 1/3, and finding this: "Doc Martin - Listen With Mother Review: Martin Clunes and Caroline Catz shine in an episode focusing on Martin and Louisa's lack of communication". |
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#143 |
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Join Date: Jan 2012
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Quote:
When I was a child I was told to keep my emotions under control. Not to display them in public. Consequently, I had this very public persona and I hid this very private me. Even my children did not really understand the underlying person inside, because it was hidden, under control. However, when I became anxious, people would read my public persona was being angry. When the anxiety became more intense, I almost seemed more hostile. Explanation: this was my way of dealing with all those feelings I was trying to keep hidden.
I would really like for people to think of this when they view the Doc as he enters the ER ward. He sees his wife, the woman he loves. She starts to cough. He feels helpless. He can't help her. He's not her doctor. His anxiety is on full alert. He starts to become agitated. Why? He is ANXIOUS. His MEDICAL BRAIN starts to think, "what could cause a cough in an acute setting? " He is an outstanding clinician, so he puts 2+2 together, he catastrophises and thinks: Pulmonary Embolism: "MY WIFE is going to DIE!" His outward demeanor displays agitation. He starts screaming at people and bullies them into doing for him what he cannot do at the moment. Finally, he calms down when all is requests are answered. He is less anxious when his fears are allayed. However, he cannot understand why people think he was angry. He leaves the scene perplexed, "What did I do wrong?" What you saw is a typical physician, under stress, "flying off the handle." |
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#144 |
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Join Date: Jan 2012
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I agree with you both. If they have LG giving up work to look after JH it will be the most pathetic resolution of all but commensurate with the rest of the plotlines the show has descended to.
Thanks, cookie. |
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#145 |
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Join Date: Jan 2012
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BRAVO! Entirely my thoughts. And I love it for not being a traditional love story. And I love Martin and Louisa as the damaged people they are. And I love their quirky commitment to make something out of it. And I feel highly sympathetic when they fail.
Each series has focused on certain aspects of their relationship, and this one has a rather dark tone. I wonder if the title choice for the first episode was foreshadowing - "Sickness and Health". We have never seen both Martin and Louisa being injured or feeling ill as much as in this series. They are vulnerable. They also need to learn to care for each other and accept care. As you, I don't want yo miss any of the series. Of course there are episodes I like more than others, but isn't it always? But each episode has something that I think is important piece in the puzzle they are. Good point about the E1 title. You're right. I thought of "Sickness and Health" as a title for this entire series. Both of our main characters are having health issues. Louisa is physically injured. Martin's problem is mental. I hope that the wedding vow that includes "in sickness and in health" indicates that M & L will remain together, true to each other (even though they didn't actually say those words in the wedding ).
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#146 |
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Join Date: Jan 2012
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Lastly, I was so hoping that we'd seen the last of the loathsome Mrs Tishell. It's really about time she was quietly dropped off a cliff (I'll do it myself if no-one else volunteers!).....
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I agree with all you have said and the comment I have emboldened more than anything, this is a ridiculous character totally pointless
To each, his own, though. Penhale has always grated on my nerves, but there seems to be a fairly strong fan base for the character. In this dark series 6, however, he seems especially out of place. Just my opinion. |
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#147 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 330
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Please note, DM was taking his pulse walking through the race, still focused on his health, and was completely unaware the children had run into him. Knocking them over was done in an completely innocent way; note when she mentions it he looks back wondering what she is talking about. He was oblivious, not mean spirited.
I guess his main problem is that he doesn't understand himself why he isn't able to cope. At the same time, he isn't capable to accept help. Stuck between a rock and a hard place. |
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#148 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 330
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So true! Absolutely pointless!
The scene encapsulated: Mike has been AWOL from the Army for some time, running and hiding from being captured.... Mike: I have OCD and it's part of me. The Army wanted to treat me for it so I had to leave. DM: Do you not want control over the OCD? Mike: Um, sure. DM: The Army has a "duty of care" to treat you for it. Mike: Okay, I'll go back. THIS literary sludge from the show that gave us so much wonderfully written TV! If I put on ruby red shoes and tap them together can I go back home to the old DM series? I thought that this was the deciding factor, but I might be wrong. |
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#149 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2013
Posts: 330
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Quote:
So presumably that's it - no more Mike?
There could also have been poignant and comedy potential, with Martin aside from family, making possibly his first real friend, then when he felt more confident even asking him for techniques on how to understand/talk to women (Louisa). ![]() But Mike giving Martin advice regarding women - I'm not too sure about that. Just remember Morwenna's face at the date.
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#150 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 3,521
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Musical Accompaniment for our Angst
Recently I got a trial subscription to Sirius Radio, and quickly zero-ed in on a station that plays old jazz and show tune "standards" -- a concept that may be foreign to most of you, who are not nearly as old as I am. Suffice it to say that I remember most of these from their heyday in the 40's and 50's.
Here's two that I heard this morning: "Baby won't you please come home" and "Are you lonesome tonight." Also, "Stormy Weather." And "I've got it bad and that ain't good." the list goes on and on..... |
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Doc may have a younger brother, or half brother.
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