DOC MARTIN: SERIES 6

Doc Martin is back and he hasn't changed a bit.At the end of season five we saw Martin profess his love for Louisa. I was looking forward to seeing season six with the hope that Martin had improved in sharing his life and feelings with Louisa. I wasn't expecting miracles, just a gentle crack in his unfeeling façade, some kind of indication of Martin making an effort to reveal and share his feelings with Louisa. The audience is shown glimpses of his love for her but he still withholds them from Louisa.Episode one begins with Louisa's and Martin's wedding. I was trying to figure out how much time was to have passed between the end of season five and the wedding. The best I could come up with was six, possibly seven months? At one point, Louisa comments that James Henry, their son, is nine months old and I think he was eight weeks old when they finally named him at the end of season five. The reason for my doing this was to help me understand how their relationship had progressed to the decision to marry. I hoped that they had had enough time to work out their "problems" with Louisa being sure she could live with the Doc. Their "relationship" had already ended disastrously twice. Surely, Louisa knew what she was getting into? Unfortunately, it became immediately clear on their honeymoon that Martin is the same ol' Martin.Because of this, I spent the entire time I watched feeling sad and frustrated that it was more of the same old thing. I guess I had gotten my hopes up for a sign of warming in Martin. I understand how his overall demeanor could not be completely altered because that would take away from the premise of the show's original concept. Maybe, I had just forgotten how impossibly rude and well, mean, Martin was to everyone. I kept wondering why in the world Louisa married him. It wasn't funny anymore. The overall humor of the program had begun to wear thin for me in season five.This installment brought more insight into the reasons for Martin being so detached and cold. We meet his mother and his incredibly troubled childhood is elucidated even more. Neither of his parents showed any interest in him at all. Guess what? They were cold and detached. Sad. The only light he had in his life was his Aunt Joan. When his attachment to Joan was noticed by his father, (Joan's brother) he parted them. His father was a cruel man. I understand the emotional damage that Martin suffered and as a result how he closed himself off to feel nothing. In doing this he insulated himself from hurt but sadly, this protective barrier also kept him from opening himself up to meaningful relationships. However, he has an obviously brilliant mind and cannot be ignorant about how his behavior toward and treatment of others resembles that of his parents toward him. Surely he understands that if it was wrong for his parents to treat him thus then it is equally wrong for him to imitate them? I don't mean to sound harsh but I just thought that the writer's had brought him to these conclusions at the end of season five? It's time they write some progress into his condition.The saving grace, for me, of this program is Portwenn and its citizens. The views! Oh, I want to go there! What an absolutely gorgeous setting. Also, thank goodness for the quirky characters that are plentiful, which populate the small fishing community. They are always good to Doc Martin even in the face of what I consider his cold and churlish behavior. Anywhere else he might have been run out on a rail.Returning is Bert and Al Large. For me, Al really shone. I'm delighted that his character took such a front row seat. Aunt Ruth Ellingham returns and is absolutely marvelous, she seems to be able to reach Martin when no one else, including Louisa, can. Mrs. Tishell returns from the mental institution where she was treated for her delusions, which led to her kidnapping James Henry. Is she cured of her obsession with Martin? Morwenna, the new receptionist, while she's not Pauline, she has her own kind of moxy. I liked her. She is given a possible love interest. The ever nice and somewhat daft PC Joe Penhale continues to reach out to Martin in friendship and continues to be rejected. A wonderful addition is another love interest, for Bert! A particularly interesting thread in the episodes is a child-minder afflicted with OCD. He fits Martin's sensibilities of order but as you can imagine drives Louisa crazy.The last two seasons my love for this series began to wane. Martin made me so sad. His rudeness got on my nerves. At the end of season five my hope was renewed that the story line would include some progress and improvement in Martin's desire and ability to relate to others. He could still be impatient but with a crack or two in his armor? A sign of some softening? Yet, once more we see Martin coldly shutting Louisa out and by the final episode is saying, to Ruth (not Louisa) that he wants to change. The cliffhanger is...will he?I give this season four stars. The supporting cast saved it for me.

Am I the only one tired of Louisa? The acting is great, no complaints there, but her character is so selfish .... she constantly, without exception, treats Martin not as he is, but how she feels the ideal man should be, and then gets all mad when he's not that ideal man. Well, she KNEW who he was when she married him, yes? Why can't she take care of him, for goodness sake? Listen to him, pay attention to how he expresses love, rather than pining over the fact that he doesn't express himself the same way everyone else does. She aggravates me. EVERY time she asks him to do something, all series long, Doc Martin ends up saying "yes" and giving her just about whatever she wants (with the exception of the refused chat-and-breakfast). In contrast, every time he asks something of her, the answer is "No, you must do things MY way because that's how things are done!" Very very poor way to treat your significant other, if you ask me. She never gives, but rather takes, takes, takes, never even tries to be understanding about how he feels, and then blows up because he's not giving her everything else she wants, too. GRRR.Perhaps I'm so sore about this because my own spouse is very quiet and subtle with emotion and expressions of love. You have to learn to really listen to those kinds of people, and stay a step ahead accommodating their feelings in order to help them feel loved. And no matter who you marry, you have to adapt your life a little to what they like, what they don't like, and how they feel about things. I mean, forcing Martin to go to story time at the library? Really? Although this was a hilarious and priceless scene for the series, it made it clear how very low Louisa was treating him.I mean, when he points out that the baby is only 6 months old and might not be benefiting a whole awful lot from interacting with other kids his age at this point in his life, Louisa brushes him off and stomps all over him until he gives in -- she couldn't possibly be bothered with actually listening to her husband and certainly can't be bothered with CONCEDING that he might have a POINT. Louisa, you can't stomp all over the spouse you love and married, just because they neither express themselves in heated, emotional arguments nor in romantic declarations of warm fuzzies. You gotta watch and listen to them extra carefully and take their feelings into consideration even if they don't want to do things "just like everyone else." Sheesh...Not to mention that every time he DOES try (like when he invited people to dinner) she slaps him down again because he doesn't read her mind and do everything exactly the way she wants it....Any wonder why Doc Martin is increasingly reserved towards her? Hahaha. I was sooo hoping that the final conversation between Ruth and Martin was actually going to be between Ruth and Louisa. Or that at LEAST Martin's mother would give her an emotional slap. But it was not to be, sadly....Doc Martin is as reserved and subtle as ever, which I love. Unfortunately he is not quite as cute and touching with his baby boy as I'd hoped, but he is still awfully fun to watch, as father, as husband, as doctor, and as a community member. I still love all the subtleties of his character. I still love how he treats everyone at Port Wenn. Still love all the supporting cast and I think Bert does a particularly shining job this season. Bert provided all the heartwarming moments that were more or less missing from the Martin-Louisa interactions.

Straight talking Doc Martin sorting out the unwell people of port wenn or it's proper name of port isaac.

Like many people I have followed this programme all the way, hopefully there may be more? The variety of different characters who may only appear on one episode keeps the plot on the boil. We all know about the Doc and he doesn't look like he will ever change and we all feel for Louisa having to put up with him. The supporting cast regulars are all brilliant too. As a retired police officer I do wonder how Joe Penrose got through training school! Add to this the Cornwall setting what's not to like?

We loved this show but this season is awful. The drama has disappeared and the comedy, and I use that term loosely, has become slapstick and predictable. Even Doc himself has become obnoxious and unlikable. Couldn't finish this insult to a great show.

The latest series in which the good Doc gets married hooray and them manages to cock it up. His mother comes to stay (played beautifully by Claire Bloom) there is a steady round of bickering between Doc and Louisa an AWOL nanny and an accident with a little Keystone cops chase to the airport to save Louisa's life and he still manages to cock it up.Excellent acting all round as usual and can't wait for series 7 - best show on telly

We love this series, only two more to go so far, it is something you can watch fairly often without getting bored. I will be buying the others.