{"id":7648,"date":"2014-02-12T13:42:46","date_gmt":"2014-02-12T18:42:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/?p=7648"},"modified":"2015-12-09T13:28:39","modified_gmt":"2015-12-09T18:28:39","slug":"dvd-doc-martin-season-3-2007","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/?p=7648","title":{"rendered":"DVD: Doc Martin – Season 3 (2007)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Film: Very Good<\/p>\n

DVD Transfer: Very Good<\/p>\n

DVD Extras: \u00a0n\/a<\/p>\n

Label: Momentum Pictures (U.K.)<\/p>\n

Region: 2 (PAL)<\/p>\n

Released: February 18, 2008<\/p>\n

Genre: Comedy \/ TV \/ Britcom<\/p>\n

Synopsis: Doc Martin and Louisa Glassen eventually recognize their geuine love, but will there be a formal consumation?<\/p>\n

Special Features: (none).<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Review:<\/p>\n

Please note: this review does contain a few significant spoilers.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Each of the\u00a0Doc Martin<\/strong> season cliffhangers have left the status of Martin and Louisa as one big question mark, regardless of whatever romantic advancements the two make each year, and it’s an ideal strategy to keep viewers hungry, as well as a strong negotiation tool when pitching a new season to the network.<\/p>\n

(It’s also smart in avoiding the grievous decisions of having two bickering leads not only sleep together, but get married, which rendered the last seaosn of\u00a0Moonlighting<\/strong> dramatically inert.)<\/p>\n

Comprised of 7 episodes, Season 3 splits the series run by offering up 7 episodes, but unlike the last two seasons, there\u2019s a genuine sense less money was given to the production, resulting in a 2 episodes that simply shouldn\u2019t have been greenlit. (More on those at the end.)<\/p>\n

The season premiere picks up with Martin and Louisa on civil speaking terms, and it\u2019s clear she\u2019s still irked by his bungling of what was a golden opportunity to start the relationship both have been quietly agonizing over. There\u2019s also a cast shuffle that has P.C. Mark Mylow being replaced by P.C. Joe Penhale (John Marquez), a recently divorced man suffering from layers of phobias that at times prevent him from leaving the precinct and address civic unrest.<\/p>\n

Pauline, Doc Martin\u2019s receptionist, follows her need to grow and takes a course in phlebotomy which takes her away from the surgery, and perhaps allowed actress Katherine Parkinson to perhaps finish up on some other work. In her place is temp worker Poppy (Emily Head). When Pauline returns, she\u2019s now fully qualified to deal with the taking and handling of blood, enabling Martin to keep his lunch in his stomach while examining and treating patients.<\/p>\n

Pauline also develops a bit of a gambling problem, which brings her mother into the surgery, and Martin realizes Pauline\u2019s problem stems from self-worth issues with her mum. Although doctor and receptionist still annoy each other, Martin seems to develop a slight respect for Pauline, and sharply assists her rather than throw her into the barbed arms of her mum.<\/p>\n

Pauline\u2019s gambling also affects her relationship somewhat with Al Large, who returns from Africa for reasons no one expected. He arrives just as his father has taken over a cursed restaurant, and has hired an ex-con as his cook. The Larges also try to expand their services with a catering service, which doesn\u2019t go quite as planned in the season finale.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also a peculiar storyline that has aunt Joan having a fling with a young painter (which is deeply disturbing to Martin), and when an old friend from college, Holly (Lucy Robinson), injures herself while visiting Louisa, Martin’s treatment starts up a rapprochement between the ex-couple.<\/p>\n

The finale is a perfect punctuation to several stages in Season 3 where Martin manages to get closer to Louisa \u2013 namely at a concert \u2013 but fudges things yet again by saying some ill-chosen adjectives. Where series fans may cry foul this time is when the marriage plans which follow Martin\u2019s proposal and the couple\u2019s pre-marital consummation ends up as fractured as the respective kiss and confession of love at the end of Seasons 1 and 2. Season 3\u2019s wedding keeps the door wide open for more unresolved issues in Season 4, but it sure feels like a mean tease when the build-up surrounds the inevitable marriage of two ill-fitting people.<\/p>\n

So where are the flaws in this season?<\/p>\n

Episode 3, \u201cCity Slickers,\u201d has Martin and Louisa trying to begin a dinner for two, except two annoying neighbours from the big city have moved in next-door, and along with their idiot child, wreak complete havoc on dinner plans. Episode 4, \u201cThe Admirer,\u201d involves Aunt Joan\u2019s affair with the painter, as well as P.C. Penhale\u2019s birthday party which no one seems to care about.<\/p>\n

Within the\u00a0Doc Martin<\/strong> universe, both episodes are wrong in the sense that writer ep. 3’s Richard Stoneman and ep.4’s Jack Lothian have neutered Martin into an observer, which makes no sense when the character is supposed to be immutably grumpy and utterly intolerant of stupidity, noxious children, and idiot parents.<\/p>\n

During the dinner from Hell in ep.3, Martin grimaces as the neighbours\u2019 is allowed to destroy dishes and dinner with complete impunity, and he stands largely silent while Louisa expresses outrage that should be bigger, sharper, and dead-shot perfect from Martin.<\/p>\n

In ep.4, Joan\u2019s affair merely tells us Martin isn\u2019t comfortable with Joan having a love life, and constable Penhale\u2019s party at the local hotel doesn\u2019t push Martin\u2019s relationship that much closer; he gets her a drink at a party he normally wouldn\u2019t attend \u2013 both signs he\u2019s pushing himself to join Portwenn society by a few significant millimeters, but that\u2019s it. The advances of hotelier Carrie Wilson (Louise Delamere) does provide a morbid joke about an annoying dog, but toning down Martin removes the energy from the episodes.<\/p>\n

Moreover, the episodes have a slightly dim look, as though they were shot towards the end of production, and any finale editorial polishing was skirted as the weather started to become grey. Visually, the episodes in Season 3 are less picturesque, but the introduction of P.C. Penhale introduces the police station \u2013 which was never quite seen in prior seasons, except for P.C. Mylow\u2019s own, which seemed to double as his office.<\/p>\n

Martin, however, doesn\u2019t really travel beyond the village environs, which is unfortunate in that it restricts all dramas to the village’s centrum, whereas prior seasons had him hopping in his Lexus and heading off to Aunt Joan’s farm, the edge of sloping cliffs, and remote farms. These external stories made village life less insular, and allowed the writers to bring characters into town or visa versa, adding less common elements to keep the visuals and stories varied and refreshing.<\/p>\n

Another factor beyond economics may have been series creator & showrunner Dominic Minghella being involved \u2013 although how extensive isn\u2019t certain \u2013 with a new German version of the series with a full cast of German actors and locations, starting in 2007. With scenarist Anna Dokoupilova adapting the English scripts to a northern German setting, Dr. Martin Ellingham was reformulated as grumpy German Doktor Martin Helling (Axel Milberg), and from the episode titles and synopses, it seems Seasons 1 and 2 in both English and German productions are identical.<\/p>\n

Even the opening title montage is stylistically identical, as is the use of Colin Towns\u2019 music, which for fans solely accustomed to the Clunes series must seem like either a Monty Python trick, or a peculiar glimpse into Bizarro World, since the characters \u2013 clothes, mannerisms, scenes and dialogue \u2013 are\u00a0extremely<\/em> similar.<\/p>\n

The real test is whether the makers of Doc Martin Season 4 managed to avoid Season 3\u2019s pitfalls, and have every major writer, director, and executive completely focused on making a season as flawless as the first two.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Doc Martin<\/strong> universe includes the feature film\u00a0Saving Grace<\/strong><\/a> (2000), the TV movies\u00a0Doc Martin<\/strong><\/a> (2003) and\u00a0Doc Martin and the Legend of the Cloutie<\/strong><\/a> (2003), and the\u00a0Doc Martin<\/strong> TV series, Seasons One<\/a> (2004),\u00a0Two <\/a>(2005),\u00a0Three (2007), and Four (2009). There is also a German production,\u00a0Doktor Martin<\/strong>, starring Axel Milberg as Doktor Martin Helling, spanning Seasons One (2007) and Two (2009).<\/p>\n

Martin Clunes has also hosted two TV series thematically related to\u00a0Doc Martin<\/strong> –\u00a0Martin Clunes: A Man and His Dogs<\/strong>(2008), and\u00a0Martin Clunes: Islands of Britain<\/strong> (2009).<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a9 2010 Mark R. Hasan<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

External References<\/em>:<\/p>\n

IMDB <\/a>—\u00a0Soundtrack Album<\/a>\u00a0—Album Review<\/a>\u00a0—\u00a0Composer Filmography<\/a>\u00a0—\u00a0Composer Interview<\/a>\u00a0
\n<\/a><\/p>\n

.<\/span><\/p>\n

Vendor Search Links:<\/em><\/p>\n

Amazon.ca<\/a>\"\" \"\" —<\/span> Amazon.com<\/a>\"\" \"\" —<\/span> Amazon.co.uk<\/a>\"\" \"\"—New movie releases on iTunes<\/a>\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Film: Very Good DVD Transfer: Very Good DVD Extras: \u00a0n\/a Label: Momentum Pictures (U.K.) Region: 2 (PAL) Released: February 18, 2008 Genre: Comedy \/ TV \/ Britcom Synopsis: Doc Martin and Louisa Glassen eventually recognize their geuine love, but will there be a formal consumation? Special Features: (none). \u00a0 Review: Please note: this review does […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[18],"tags":[55,2520,2521],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8nuyW-1Zm","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7648"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7648"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7648\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12793,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7648\/revisions\/12793"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7648"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7648"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7648"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}