Take this and go away

Everyone's favorite curmudgeonly doctor is back!  Martin Clunes returns in Series 6 of the beloved program Doc Martin.  The citizens of Portwenn know that although the doctor is not exactly up on his "interpersonal skills" he is a very good doctor (blood phobia and all!).

The 8 episodes that make up the latest series are a welcome return to all the quirky characters and beautiful settings that have made Doc Martin so popular.  Episode One begins with a wedding -- Doc Martin and school headmistress Louisa are finally tying the knot.  The whole town turns out for the festivities, and even surprise the happy couple with a honeymoon -- a night in a secluded cottage.  They are dropped off at the location by jack-of-all-trades Bert Large, who forgets to give them their suitcases.  When circumstances make them evacuate the cottage, the bridal couple is reduced to wandering the Cornish countryside in their wedding attire.  And it's all downhill from there!

In Episode Two, baby James Henry gets a new nanny when Louisa returns to work.  The nanny is an ex-Army man named Mike, whose OCD means that no one can ever find anything in the constantly re-arranged house.  Meanwhile, Doc Martin's receptionist, the competent if somewhat fashion-challenged Morwenna, has inherited her grandfather's house and is looking for a roommate.

Episode Three begins with a strange man who washes up on the beach and claims not to know how he got there.  It turns out he has an unnatural obsession with Martin's aunt Ruth, the psychiatrist.  Ruth is keeping busy by being a frequent guest on the wildly popular Radio Portwenn show.  Meanwhile, Al Large, tired of sharing a room with his father after his is rented out to tourists,  moves in with Morwenna.

A locum pharmacist, Jennifer Cardew, shows up, and it turns out she has a past with Bert Large in Episode Four.  We also meet a character with the timely disorder of hoarding.  Unfortunately, his house shares a wall with Aunt Ruth's house, and problems arise.

In Episode Five, things are going just swimmingly between Bert and Jennifer the pharmacist when Mrs. Tishell, the regular pharmacist returns.  She's been undergoing some psychiatric treatment after an unfortunate incident involving baby James.  Luckily, her obsession with Doc Martin is being kept in check by her behavioral therapy, which consists of snapping a rubber band on her wrist whenever she has a negative thought (which is pretty much constantly).   Joe Penhale, the town policeman, sets off on a nature survivalist course of his own devising, which doesn't quite go as planned. 

When Doc Martin casually mentions to a hypochondriac that his cough might have something to do with being exposed to asbestos, the frightened villagers of Portwenn clamor for inspections in Episode Six.   Mrs. Tishell is given the all-clear to work alone in the pharmacy, so Jennifer makes plans to leave for another temporary pharmacy job -- unless something happens to make her stay.   Martin's mother shows up on his doorstep with a large suitcase and some disturbing news from Portugal.

Things look bleak for nanny Mike when two military policemen turn up asking for him in Episode Seven.  Martin and Louisa are both having problems sleeping, and Martin is unable to talk about his problems with her.  Louisa convinces Martin to hand out the prizes on sports day at her school, but his irritability and lack of connection with the children cause major problems for the couple and lead to a serious incident.

In the final episode of the series, things are finally looking up for Al Large.  He's had to move in with Joe the policeman, but he has a business proposal which seems to be promising.  Romance is in the air for Bert and Jennifer, even if their celebrations cause problems for others.  Martin and Louisa's relationship is tested in several ways.

As always, a visit to Portwenn is a welcome return to familiar characters that we've all grown to love.  Doc Martin's blood phobia returns with a vengeance, causing him some trouble, but he's still able to quickly and accurately diagnose most medical conditions -- once his patients give him all the facts.  Louisa is long-suffering, trying to get Martin to open up and be more connected to both her and the community, but he remains decidedly brusque and anti-social.  When Martin's mother comes to visit, we get some insight into why his personality is so cold and disconnected from those around him.

I really enjoyed visiting with all the characters in the series -- both old and new.  The scenery was lovely as always and the situations that arose were amusing and touching.  There were plenty of "behind the scenes" extras as well, that covered everything from the characters to the setting to how to speak Cornish.  I really enjoyed seeing Martin Clunes participate in the extra segments.  It's really jarring to see him so engaged and animated when we've grown used to the surly and unpleasant Doc Martin!  I'm anxiously awaiting Series 7, especially since this series ended on something of a cliffhanger.

Disclaimer:  I received a copy of Doc Martin: Series 6 from Acorn Media in exchange for this review

Final Verdict for Doc Martin: Series 6: Five Gherkins, for being a welcome visit with some beloved old friends

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Somewhat lacking in bedside manner

Watching a "fish out of water" story, where someone is totally out of his or her element, can be an amusing if uncomfortable experience.  No one is more out of his depth than Doctor Martin Ellingham, former high-flying London surgeon who abandons his practice to set up shop as a GP in the lovely coastal village of Portwenn.  Not only do the townspeople and Doc Martin not understand each other, but the good doctor is exceedingly lacking in common social skills, adding an extra degree of difficulty to his interactions with the locals.  The new boxed set of Doc Martin: Special Collection, contains every episode of the first five seasons of the beloved series, as well as two prequel films about the character.

The series begins with a committee interviewing Doc Martin (played by Martin Clune) to see if he is the right person to take over the practice recently vacated by the late Dr. Sims.  Martin has already gotten on the bad side of at least one member of the committee, the attractive schoolteacher Louisa Glasson (Caroline Catz), by staring at her in an direct and unpleasant manner.  He believes she is suffering from an undiagnosed medical condition, but neglects to impart this information to her before offending her.  However, the rest of the committee is thrilled that such an eminent physician would choose their sleepy village for his practice, so they quickly dismiss any doubts and welcome him. 

Arriving at his new home/office, he's quickly met by some of the locals:  his quirky (unasked for) receptionist Elaine, a gaggle of giggling obnoxious schoolgirls, and a hairy four-legged companion who adopts the doctor on sight and refuses to be parted from him (despite ever increasing

protests from the doctor).  Before long, he meets others in town who are no less odd -- the plumber who turns minor problems into major ones, manic road-hogging drivers, and hoards of people who have no better place to hang out than the doctor's waiting room.  The doctor, never a people-pleaser at the best of times, manages to offend everyone in town before long.  He is startled to notice that the teacher from his interview committee is working not far from his office, so uncomfortable encounters are sure to happen on a regular basis.

Luckily, Doc Martin does have one ally in town:  his Aunt Joan, a no-nonsense older lady with a gorgeous hillside farm.  His childhood visits to her farm are part of the reason that he wanted to move to the town of Portwenn.  The other reason is something he tries, unsuccessfully, to keep hidden. He left his successful job as a surgeon because he suddenly developed a fear of blood.  Unfortunately, once the secret is out, the townspeople waste no time in teasing and pulling pranks on the squeamish physician.  It's all very annoying to the short-tempered Martin, but seeing him become the butt of jokes (when he has no sense of humor himself) is somewhat enjoyable.

The series continues with a cast of quirky townspeople getting up to no end of trouble, various receptionists with their own problems, and Martin and Louisa struggling to continue their careers and have a relationship.  The stories are all engrossing, and with Martin's gruff demeanor, watching him sort out everyone's problems is truly enjoyable.  The set also includes extras such as a look behind-the-scenes and cast filmographies. There is reportedly a series 6 to be shown this fall in Britain, so we can all anticipate more fun from the irritable Doc Martin in the future!

Disclaimer:  I received a copy of Doc Martin: Special Collection from Acorn Media in exchange for this review

Final Verdict for Doc Martin: Special Collection:
Five Gherkins,  for being a delightful look at a beautiful Cornwall village and its somewhat unconventional doctor

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Oh Martin, Where Art Thou?

False advertising! That's what became increasingly apparent as I watched the second and third episodes of the TV comedy/drama Cheers & Tears. The series features a group of mismatched friends and neighbors who embark on a new, but always disastrous, road trip at the beginning of each episode. The false advertising bit comes in by giving the wonderful actor Martin Clunes star billing, but he only appears in the first episode. His character is mentioned vaguely as having left the area in the second episode, and not mentioned at all in the third, although his name still features prominently on the inner sleeve of each DVD from Netflix. Oh well, the series was still enjoyable, but I might have enjoyed it more if I hadn't been scanning the screen looking for Mr. Clunes in the background!

The three episodes in the series are titled The Booze Cruise, The Treasure Hunt and The Scattering. There appeared to be some replacements of other characters as the series progressed, with at least 2 new actors taking on roles after the first episode. In The Booze Cruise, the group heads out to France, with a wagon hitched to the back of the car, in order to buy cheap alcohol in France. The Treasure Hunt involves nearly all of the same characters meeting up for the yearly treasure hunt, and The Scattering takes the group to Yorkshire to scatter the ashes of a family member. There are marital infidelities, broken engagements, car accidents, fires and other assorted escapades before everything is more or less sorted out at the end of each episode.

The characters are, for the most part, pleasant enough, except for the excessively cheap Maurice and the serial philanderer Rob. The wives are all long-suffering and work behind the scenes to make sure things continue to function while the men are getting into one scrape after another. The only thing which seemed a bit odd to me was the too-good-to-be-true character of Dave. He had a swell old time, no matter what happened. His car was totally submerged and probably ruined? No problem! After the alcohol from the French excursion caught fire and was mostly destroyed, was he distressed at having to foot the bill? Absolutely not! No matter what happened, he was cheerful, upbeat and smiling. All that benevolent happiness got on my nerves after a while. Still, he was the most likable male character by far, so I suppose his amiability was supposed to be an antidote to the sour Maurice and the slimy Rob.

Final Verdict for Cheers & Tears: Three Gherkins, for a light, enjoyable series with some lovely English scenery (except for the one where they go to France!)

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A new series

Thanks to the wonders of Netflix, I am now enjoying the first season of a British series called William and Mary. It is a series about two single parents who both join a dating agency looking for love. It stars the always charming Martin Clunes as the undertaker William, and Julie Graham as the midwife Mary. So far, I've only seen the first two episodes. The first one was extremely slow, giving me plenty of time to concentrate on things other than the plot. Here is yet another example of the oddities of British dentistry being put front and center. I suppose it is refreshing that apparently anyone, no matter what obvious physical defects they posses, can have their own TV show. Julie Graham is a lovely actress, until she speaks. It looks as if one of her front bottom teeth is missing. It's very noticeable, and there is no way to avoid staring at it. What is wrong, I ask, with a little orthodontics? This is coming, you understand, from someone who endured braces for three years in her 30s. I know of what I speak. Also, the character of Mary was rude, abrupt, and snappish to absolutely everyone. So naturally, William was immediately smitten . . . riiiiiight. And what is up with her hooker/baglady/"I got dressed in the dark" wardrobe? Maybe the later episodes will be more interesting, and I'll actually be able to concentrate on what's happening on screen . . .

I finally finished The Good Husband of Zebra Drive by Alexander McCall Smith. Great upheavals in this one: Mma Makutsi leaves the agency to look for another job, Charlie the apprentice leaves to start his own business, and Mr. J.L.B. Matakoni tries his hand at the detective business. Of course, there are many mishaps along the way, but everything is tied up neatly at the end. Now I just have to wait to migrate to the top of the hold pile at the library to get the last audio book in the series, The Miracle at Speedy Motors.

I've been reading an interesting book called The Intellectual Devotional. The idea of the book is an interesting one: to have one page every day for a year devoted to a different "field of knowledge": history, literature, visual arts, science, music, philosophy and religion. Most of the people reviewing the book on Amazon.com complain about the small type, but I am finding other problems. Most notably was this sentence on the page devoted to Peter the Great: "Peter's ancestors ruled Russia until the revolution in 1917." Hmm . . . I'm no expert on time travel, but wouldn't that be a bit difficult? Having your ancestors follow you??? Another grating example from the page on Romantic-Era Virtuosos: "However, Paganini died in Nice without, however, leaving a repertoire of great compositions." Did no one read over the manuscript, or did it go directly from the authors to the printer? Still, it is an interesting introduction to many subjects that I knew little or nothing about.

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