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.

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.

Agree with both of these posts, and pretty much what I said when I watched it on Monday. I'm just not enjoying this series and only continue watching it for Cornwall and to see the places I've many happy memories of (having dinner at the Moat pub by the harbour in the summer, being lucky and having the only window seat upstairs, tea and cake in the Cupcake teashop after a coastal walk in January etc).

I don't like this darker direction the show has taken, it's not fun to watch anymore and the gentle comedy has now been replaced by farce (cannot bear Penhale, he's not a likeable idiot, he's just an idiot).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.

Out of interest, do viewers in Canada know that Doc Martin is based on the character created by Craig Ferguson, the host of ‘The Late Late Show’ on CBS (not sure what network airs it in Canada)?

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?

I think they meant Aunt Joan as it was Aunt Joan who the doc went to stay with every year not Aunt Ruth, Aunt Joan was the eldest , Ruth the middle and the docs dad was the youngest.

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.

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 !!

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."

32 years ago, yes, when Aunt Joan WAS alive.
I would leave that up to the writers.

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.

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!

If Al was to be written as his half brother then that would make more sense for it to be the route that his dad had a fling with Berts wife and it would be in a sense nice for the Doc to have someone like Al as a relative.

Ruth is the middle child. Remember her discussing her 'middle child syndrome' with Louisa at Joan's funeral?

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.

I had to hop back and respond to this post, NewPark, and thank you for it. I agree, and am glad we have you here to help us understand what's happening with poor Martin.

Not sure I would call this a review. It's more a discussion of twitter reactions to the violent scene when Louisa is hit by the car. Apparently there are many folks who feel this was inappropriate for a "family show", and a show that is apparently watched by children. That brings up a question.

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".

Really good information, Paperchase. I referenced this post in my comments in post # 140. I saw out of control anxiety in that scene too, venting itself as anger. Still, very difficult to watch.

Are there hints or spoilers that indicate Louisa will give up work to look after JH? If so, does this refer to S7? My inquiring mind wants to know. You could hide it behind a spoiler thingie.

Thanks, cookie.

I agree, BodminDM, and I'm really getting into this "new" intense emotional drama. We're seeing aspects of the Doc we've never seen before. Picture him sleeping on the examination couch with a BP cuff wrapped around his arm! Wow! This one unusual scene shows us the state he's in. He still can't sleep. He's wandering around the surgery in the night. He's obsessed with trying to find a physical explanation. For once, even his hair is messy. He's asleep on his side, another thing we've never seen (previously he's always slept on his back, no variation).

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 ).

I love Mrs. T. and think Selina Cadell is brilliant and funny! I was relieved that she returned. I was afraid we'd seen the last of her at the castle.

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.

Completely agree. He became completely focused to find the reason why he felt so rotten. He didn't have eyes or thoughts for anyone or anything around him.
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.

If I remember correctly, DM also said something to the effect that they can't do anything he doesn't agree to, that he is in control to allow them to cure him - or not.
I thought that this was the deciding factor, but I might be wrong.

I would also like to see him back.
But Mike giving Martin advice regarding women - I'm not too sure about that. Just remember Morwenna's face at the date.

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.....