Kate Kennedy

Besides a lot of the obvious stuff in this wonderful episode, just a few observations.

Poor Louisa (not to mention Caroline) the way Pauline pulled the rubber tourniquet from her arm. It looked painful!

The exam of Mr Elliott has to be one of the more comical patient exams.

Love how they snuck in Johnny Bamford’s name – he is the locations manager for the show. In a later series he actually appears as a farmer who finds Robert Campbell’s car blocking his tractor.

The piece that Molly Bolt (Ben Bolt’s daughter) is singing at the end of the concert is one of my favorite pieces of music. It’s titled “Laudate Dominum” and is part of Mozart’s Vesperae Solennes de Confessore. I used to sing in a large choir and we did that piece one time. I love to pull it up on YouTube and listen to it sung by different famous sopranos.

Boy, the Doc really goes all in on that kiss, doesn’t he? It’s one of the moments that gives us a clue that he is probably very passionate when in the right setting – with the right woman.

I loved how we learned in this episode that there is a difference between having a “gambling problem” and being “addicted”. LOL! Brilliant piece of writing!

I spotted something this time that I’d never noticed before. When Martin returns the next morning to give Holly her shot, just before he and Louisa walk into the bedroom there is a familiar painting on the wall just outside the bedroom. It’s the tall daisy painting that shows up in S5 propped up against the wall in the waiting room as Dr Dibbs is moving in. In S6 it shows up in the vestibule next to the front door. I’ve spent quite a bit of time trying to decide if that red bedroom is actually upstairs in the cottage they used for Louisa’s house, but I’ve never been able to verify. Now I’m wondering if they built that set in the barn for S3. They did use it several times that year. In S2 they built a set for the interior of the police station that was only used for one series, so it’s not out of the question.

There is a LOT going on in this episode!

It contains two of my favorite Louisa scenes – both involving her jealousy over Carrie. First when Martin almost hits Carrie and Louisa tries to de-escalate the situation. Then later when she goes to Martin’s office to flirt with him. And Martin is really thrown by Carrie’s flirting. It really shows a different side of him – although we’re not happy that Carrie brings it out instead of Louisa.

At the beginning of the episode I had to laugh at how Aunt Joan walked up the surgery steps – much the way I would do it (grabbing the top step with her hand). I’ve never understood why everyone uses those treacherous looking steps when there is no step up to the porch if you just walk a few more feet.

Remember how Mrs T talked a few episodes ago about wanting to “eat him with a spoon”? In this episode she tells Louisa that when it’s put out there on a plate that men grab a knife and fork.

There are two distinctive pieces of music playing at Aunt Joan’s house but I didn’t recognize either one. So I grabbed my cell phone and clicked on Shazam. It identified the quiet piano music as Nocturne in D Flat Major by Ivanovich. When Martin walks in on Joan and Edward the peppy jazz tune being played is “Work that Skirt”. LOL!

Martin has such disdain in his voice when he asks if Mrs Averill is a smoker.

I’ve always thought that Terri Oakwood looks like a squirrel when she is standing at Louisa’s door and says “please”.

When Martin diagnoses the student with Slapped Cheek Syndrome, it’s funny how the two men continually escalate the situation while the two women continually try to defuse. That’s about right! 😉

Partway through the episode I started to notice how many physiological problems were evident (or suggested) for different characters. It started with the Aspergers suggested by Anthony Oakwood and then sort of twinned when Louisa mentioned the concern about the MMR vaccine and autism. So I started listing them (and interesting that the main guest character was a Physiologist).

Martin – suggestion of Aspergers
Louisa’s friend’s son – suggestion of autism from MMR vaccine
Penhale – Agoraphobia
Mrs Averill – nicotine addiction
Pauline – gambling addiction
Martin – Haemophobia (as Aunt Joan seems to remind him)
Sam – ODD? – probably as a result of his idiot parents’ ideas about child rearing

This episode is Martin at his sweetest. He is so soft spoken almost through the whole episode and not just with Louisa. He even speaks softly when he is at Mrs Tishell’s. It also has three of the most memorable moments of the entire show. The sight gag with the eggplant, Mrs T’s “I could eat him with a spoon”, and taking Louisa’s hand as he gently requests a stool sample. All three are classics!

One thing I realized in this rewatch is the mirroring of stories with Poppy and Mandie who were played by real life sisters. They are both obsessed with something physical – Poppy with her breath and Mandie with her boobs (both start with “b” LOL!). And, even more interesting, they are both treated with the same medication – Poppy’s breath mints!

This might be my favorite Doc-Doc encounter – Martin luring him into the neighbors yard and locking the gate. The look on Gremlin’s face as he walks away! And we see that it’s a pretty foggy morning – the only other time I remember seeing fog that thick was when Louisa’s mother was being loaded into the ambulance in front of the surgery.

Another mirroring was when Bert was talking about “rumbling in the tum”. He said that line twice in that scene and said it a third time changing it slightly to say “rumbling in the pipes”. Of course, several of Martin’s patients experienced the “rumbling in the tum” and his dishwasher experienced the “rumbling in the pipes”.

I love how Martin was not afraid to have the whole village see him on his first real “date” with Louisa at Bert’s Restaurant. When it was obvious that they couldn’t have their meal at Louisa’s house, he certainly could have gotten his car and driven them to an out of town restaurant. I know that would have taken him well past his 6:30 eating curfew, but I would have expected him to desire a little more privacy in this initial stage of courting.

I love this episode – it really sets up a lot of things that extend well past S3.

There are bookends for the end of S2E8 and this episode (I think of “On the Edge” as a little outside the series). The last shot of Erotomania ends with the helicopter pulling up away from the village and heading down the coast to the west. This episode starts with a helicopter shot coming back up the coast from the west and turning into the harbor. Ben Bolt had to have thought that out.

I agree about how wonderful that initial fairy tale scene was, and no matter how much Martin & Philippa insist it isn’t a fairy tale, they wink at us every time they hint at it. One of my favorite ones two series later is Mrs T (Rapunzel) in the tower (Louisa also played Rapunzel in this episode).

Just about every conversation between M&L in this episode reveals Martin’s soft, “Louisa” voice. Even when he was upset with her about suggesting the Ritalin he never raised his voice.

Great continuity! In this initial episode for Joe Penhale, he tells Martin he was married and lived in Bude. Two series later (4 years later), his wife appears traveling from Bude.

The last scene in this episode is one of my absolute favorite scenes. The beginning is so comical with Louisa acting like a schoolmarm to both Alison and Martin. Again, Martin takes her direction without getting his back up. And then it becomes so sweet and romantic. Great writing!

This episode set in motion many of the show’s future storylines. Martin was the catalyst for two characters’ change of careers: Bert getting into the restaurant business and Pauline studying phlebotomy – which eventually led to her leaving Portwenn to pursue other opportunities in the medical field. And we are introduced to Penhale, with Martin (after prodding from Aunt Joan) helping him to overcome his issues so he can become an effective constable for the village.

But the main story that is really set in motion this episode is M&L’s love story. It got off to a rocky start in Erotomania after they kissed and professed their love for each other and Martin ruined it as is his wont. Now they seem to have settled into real actual courting. Martin is being so gentle with her and they are both getting to know each other. Martin feels comfortable enough around her to stick his face right into her chest when he mashes her prawn sandwich. This is the beginning of a truly magical series. I know a lot of people look back at S3 and ask why it can’t get back to that. But my feeling is that the initial falling in love time is a time that you just can’t ever get back to. Every couple has it happen only once and as time moves on they must become different people as life experiences change us all. Now they are parents of a young child, married partners, been through breakups and reconciliations, the loss of Martin’s beloved aunt and his father, the realization of his mother’s treachery, Louisa giving up her head teacher role, living in London for a bit, struggles to get her position back, etc. They are much different people now than they were in this episode – it’s what happens to all of us through the years as we are shaped by events in our lives. So, I guess what I’m saying is that we can never have the wonderfulness that is this episode back, but it’s so great that we have it to look back on. The story of M&L that really got going in this episode still moves me and keeps me coming back for more.

We’ve always talked about all the fairy tale references in this series – even though MC and PB always insist it’s NOT a fairy tale. But this time I noticed another reference. At the very beginning of the episode when Martin is walking into the chemist, Mrs Tishell is nattering away to her customer and mentions “The Princess and the Pea”.

Mrs T baked Martin a cake and brought it to him in a round tin – just like Melanie did. Of course, it was Mark who explained that if you accept a girl’s cake it means you are engaged. So, to complete that circle, Mrs T was carrying the tin with the cake (on her way to the surgery) when she bumped into Mark who was in a hurry to get his, um, sample to the hospital.

Martin has a strange pronunciation of “cervical collar”. At least to my ear.

People have chastised Louisa for the way she treated Danny when he accepted the job in London and she broke up with him. But watching this time I paid close attention to their conversation on the Platt when she brought up the time when they dated previously. They talked about how the reason they split up was he was too interested in his career, but he says he’s changed now. They’re interrupted in the middle of this important conversation when she’s just said that she’s not saying no, but… and his phone rings and he has to leave to take the call because it’s work. Yeah. And, of course, later when he wants Louisa to pick up and go to London with him, again for work, it completely contradicts what he earlier said about not being ruled by his career.

Two rough scenes in a row for Martin. The scene with Martin, Louisa and the guy from the Salvation Army has always been a favorite of mine because Martin is so heartbroken. And that’s followed right up with Mark giving him a lecture about how Martin has no one in his life, that he wouldn’t know a good relationship if it came up and bit him on his nose, and how he has snubbed Mark.

And then of course, Martin HAS to correct Mark, “Coach and horses.”

What is wrong with Mrs T? Twice she refuses to let Martin examine her – but she later finds how nice it can be when he has his hands around her neck in the shop while they wait for the ambulance. And he says, “Take it off” and she refuses. I always have a giggle at that line.

Louisa had an electric tooth brush all the way back then. We don’t see Martin using one until S7.

Love, love, love that purple blanket that matches the stained glass in the kitchen door

It’s only been a few episodes since Al and Bert were agonizing over whether Bert was really Al’s father, and now Al is moving out and Bert will be alone for the first time in his life. You can see that it’s really bothering him.

The painting of the church done by the four year old (Martin thinks it’s a horse) looks a lot like the closest church to Port Isaac – St Endellion.

The main story is the bachelor party in the woods – which was supposed to have more than just the two men. But it’s interesting that this is the only episode where the “Greek Chorus” is teenage boys instead of teenage girls. I just put those two things together on this viewing – couldn’t be a coincidence.

Poor Mark, wondering if Julie felt anything when he got bit by the snake. If only he knew how well she’s taking all this.

I had the closed captioning on while watching. There are always some interesting mistakes, but when Mark drives up to Martin walking by the Platt and asks him to the bachelor party, Martin says, “Mark” as he walks up to him, but the closed captioning is, “Arthur”. Do the people doing this not pay ANY attention?

This is not one of my favorite episodes because all of the family storylines just seem really “ugh” to me. The Flynt family and Mark’s sister are just annoying. And I didn’t like the tension between Bert and Al in this episode – bug glad it worked out in the end.

It’s funny, because the episode titles of this and the next episode always fool me when I see them. I always think, “Blood is Thicker” is the episode where Martin’s parents visit, and I always think “Aromatherapy” is the episode where Mark’s sister appears. I suspect I always have the vision of her holding the bottle for Louisa to smell.

One of my favorite Martin/Louisa exchanges:

Martin: You are a woman
Louisa: Glad you noticed
Martin: Years of medical training

When Peter appeared at Martin’s kitchen door and said that Miss Glasson had other things on her mind, do you think, for just a moment, that Martin wondered if she was with Danny?

Loved how Louisa told Martin to call her “Miss Glasson” in front of the kids and then Peter asked her to call him “Peter” (and not “Petey”) in front of the kids.

When Louisa and Martin are sitting at his kitchen table and she says she likes the way he is, his face looks so innocent and vulnerable.

Finally catching up after my vacation. That was a pretty ambitious scene to start the series for our little show, wasn’t it? Looking at the pictures of what they had to build for the filming is really surprising. I don’t think they’ve tried anything quite like that since.

I like how Martin tried to turn around and not enter the pharmacy when he saw Louisa inside – and it sounds like he had been doing quite a bit of avoidance. Poor guy.

I like that Martin couldn’t stand Danny long before he knew of his relationship to Louisa. If he just hated him because of jealousy it would be less true to his character.

I love how Louisa gives Martin a very long look back as he leaves the pub after Mrs Steele’s rescue. Although she wasn’t happy with the aftermath of the kiss, it’s the first indication since then that she’s still interested.

Martin’s starting to understand that his influence as a doctor has nothing on the influence Mark has when the nurse at the hospital won’t give Martin’s patient priority until she sees that it’s Mark. That has to be tough to take as he feels Mark is such a bumbling idiot.

Two of my favorite exchanges:
Danny: Bless you.
Martin: I didn’t sneeze.

Aunt Joan: Good God
Martin: Please don’t take his name in vain.

A couple of personal reasons I like this episode. One is the the medication he prescribes Muriel is diclofenac. That’s the medication I’ve taken every day for years for my arthritis. And three of the locations in this episode really eluded me for awhile: Muriel Steele’s house, High Trees, and the Rix house. After months of searching I was able to find all three. I was especially tickled about the Steele house because I used views from the windows for the area to search and when I found what looked to be the house, I was able to verify from the satellite view because of the placement of the little greenhouse next to the front door! LOL!

I also wondered about the blanket because they were obviously not carrying it as they walked away from the car and started talking with Aunt Joan. But then, like you, I wondered if they provided blankets. I can imagine that a hoity-toity place might do something like that.

I had to laugh at this because it’s obvious that you never saw the movie, “The Postman Always Rings Twice”. That movie came out when I was in my 20s and it was considered extremely scandalous because of the most talked about scene in the movie: Jack Nicholson and Jessica Lange having sex on the kitchen table! LOL!

I noticed the line when Allison told him she isn’t “Mrs” because she’s divorced, but found it strange because most divorced women continue to use the title “Mrs”. But reading your quotes hit me. I hadn’t noticed that Martin apparently was paying attention because he remembered when he saw her again to refer to her as “Ms”. Is this the one time when he went above and beyond to remember a patient’s name? In this case, her title?

The idea of Martin wondering if Louisa was after him for other reasons is something I never thought about Sue. You might be right – it could be tied to Mark’s storyline.

On the “coach and horses” line – I caught that too. Just another instance of Martin being a little condescending toward Mark, right after Mark called him on it. But Mark took it well and I don’t think Martin could help it. It’s like how I’ve always corrected spoken grammar to young people I know well – I just can’t help myself sometimes. 😏

• This reply was modified 10 years, 4 months ago by  Kate Kennedy.

I also found it sweet that he fed him the fish fingers.