No, I want to see or hear every detail of that event...the catharsis would be incredible....the realization that the reaction to blood has a source and when the source of the phobia can be eliminated he can move on. I predict that the first couple of episodes could be taken up with his working on this. It wouldn't be depressing..it would be necessary and uplifting. And, his behavior patterns are too ingrained for him to change his basic personality...we don't want that. But we do want him to alter his relationship with Louisa and James, because the way he was functioning at the end of S6 is not going to work.

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Cookie, those were the days. I don't care as much about the snogging, but I would love to see one hint of charm and humor from Martin Ellingham before it all goes away.

Another thing about that first series (now you've got me going)when the village was supposedly boycotting him after Elaine's firing, he went to a restaurant and ordered (not sure of sequence) soup (out), chili con carne (out) and pasta (out). I would also like him to eat something other than fish. To quote Aunt Ruth's sarcastic comment when she heard couscous was being served (yummmm).

He was grumpy and rude those first several seasons but I thought there was something cute and playful about him. Whatever the change may be in S 7, please let us have a brief glimpse of the Martin Ellingham that Louisa fell in love with.

That's the DM I want to see again!

Me too!

No thoughts before when Lizzie asked the question, but now I wonder if there is something in the fact that he has trouble even with his own blood. Or maybe it was just a convenient thing each time and a change of blood source to show he was still having trouble with the phobia, as he'd already thrown up many times over blood from other sources.

Check this out: http://karengilleland.wordpress.com/...-1/#comment-76

Thanks, Susie, for the link to that story. It is lovely. The fanfic writers are great aren't they?

Thanks for the link, Susie.

Boxer briefs with a T-shirt would be realistic...nothing would be better, but watching all these British shows it seems like they do wear pajamas more than most people in the United States would....climate?...tradition?...I don't know.

I liked the sleepwear DM wore in S1. Nothing fancy nor fussy, but much sexier and more masculine than the Pajamas of Steel, which to me always look as if they belong on the baby.

Glad you all enjoyed the story.

Oh yes. I can't believe I almost forgot the t-shirt in s1!

Another reason to bring back a glimpse of s 1 doc. My husband is a little younger than Doc but he wears similar flannel pj bottoms in winter with long sleeve Henley. My dad doesn't even wear pjs of steel

I like your speculation that maybe some of this is the choices made by the actress. I have thought that too, and I am glad to see another fan considering that option

In e2S6 they are already arguing a lot. I don't understand why Louisa was so resistant to having Mike help out at first. They never really explained why she didn't even want to give him a try for a few days. To me it is bizarre behavior and didn't make sense. Then she goes off half cocked at the guy at the construction sight. What the heck was that? She was really out of control and they never really explained or covered that. I had thought that maybe the head injury in that ep would be followed up in a later episode, and hoped her behavior would be explained by a long term head injury. (I knew from spoilers that she would have a brain injury later in the series.)

I think they often sell Louisa short when it comes to allowing some introspection or explanation why she is always at the end of her rope. Fortunately for this viewer she was a more sympathetic for me the times she tried to reach out to him.

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They have sold Louisa short and it seems to me that sits squarely on the shoulders of the writers and the powers that be. Her irrationality makes her seem a not particularly intelligent person and I would think that Martin would hold intelligence in a life partner in high esteem. He comes across as a globally intelligent person..not an idiot savant of medicine....it's hard to connect with a person of less intelligence and seemingly no introspective skills. I guess Martin is an exception there, because he lacks any introspective skills whatsoever..but he has been handicapped in that way by external and internal influences.

In S7 they should set out to repar the image they've given Louisa. Maybe just us "super fans" have noticed because we analyze the heck out of it, but it is glaringly confusing.

Now that you mention it, the only man I ever knew who wore actual pajamas was my granddad! Every other man I have ever known has worn his underwear to bed---i.e., boxers and vest. Thanks to S6, we now know that DM wears boxers, but no vests!

Yes, exactly! Something else about that scene that really bothered me, and no one else has commented on it here (unless I missed it), was how LE lied to DM in front of Mike about having already hired someone else. Then, after Mike left and LE had to come clean, she threw it back at DM, saying he would have to figure something out. He had figured something out until she walked in and blew it up! Any ordinary man would have blown his stack at a woman who behaved like that, but DM just stood there and took it.

And to think that last summer BP was spreading spoilers that LE had hired the manny and DM got jealous and angry about it!

Any news on the series 6 dvd

The first thing Louisa said to Martin when he stared at her on the airplane was "You've got a problem." Does this set the tone for the entire show that Martin has a problem but Louisa doesn't? I always thought she became so mildly angry to furious with him because he is very frustrating to deal with. Sometimes it seems her principal role in the show is to have a negative reaction to him.

I agree that she had irrational moments in S 6, particularly not wanting to hire Mike. At the time, I thought it was because Martin thought he was fine and she was in her full Oppositional Defiance mode as written by BP. Honestly, if I were in a relationship with Martin, I would be frustrated a good deal of the time (and not just sexually Mofromco) but just trying to deal with him on a day to day basis. He either creeps around doing practical things like changing and feeding James, does things without consulting Louisa -- planning the Christening, inviting the governor to dinner; not talking to her -- eps. 3 through 8 of S. 6, or reacting negatively to her. Again, we had to wait until the last five minutes of ep. when they actually talked -- but Louisa was drugged, so does that count?

I am hanging on for s. 7, because I think BP has some great plan in mind that will blow us away. Getting there is fascinating but frustrating.

Reading the last few posts about L and M has been fascinating. My thoughts after it all is that they are both struggling with control issues, since both have been on their own for so much of their life, either emotionally and/or physically from their childhoods on. So each in their own way is having their world upset while trying to have this new close relationship called parenting, family and now marriage.

They came very close making the audience wonder what on earth he saw in her. I think, though, that they couldn't have broken them up at end of S6 if she had been a more sympathetic version of Louisa.

I'm in the US and mine is on the way (I expect by Tuesday). I ordered it from Barnes and Noble and it was shipped Friday.

Me too. I certainly hope they have a grand plan that knocks our socks off and leaves the fans and our characters in a positive state of mind.

Maybe S7 will finally answer that question. He's already told her she was beautiful (though drunk), he's told her she would make a wonderful mother, he's told her he can't live without her...but you are right. He's never explained in so many words "why".