Doc Martin newbie Patty (a Best Medicine veteran) tears through Season 3, which is a season of surprises. She spends half the season hoping PC Mark Mylow (Stewart Wright) is coming back. She hasn't yet warmed up to his replacement, Joe Penhale (John Marquez). Al Large's (Joe Absolom) return partway through the season was a tease but, alas, no Mark.
Auntie Joan (Stephanie Cole) surprises everyone! IYKYK, right? Pauline Lamb (Katherine Parkinson) gets a jealousy-fueled rival at the surgery AND learns phlebotomy, making her far more useful than S1's Elaine (Lucy Punch).
Then there's the big one: the Martin-and-Louisa Glasson (Martin Clunes, Caroline Catz) will-they-won't-they finally does, um, something. Patty walks through the concert date gone wrong, the mood-swing comment, the breakup, and everything that follows. Chesla and Patty cover what's believable, what the motivations of Martin and Louisa might be, and what it might mean for their futures.
Martin Ellingham is, well, Martin: rude, blunt, whatever word you want to use — and some British terms send Patty and Chesla down a rabbit hole comparing US and UK vocabulary (Decrepit! Really?). They also start connecting the physical abuse hinted at in Martin's childhood to his bedside manner, and discuss how much compassion Martin has for patients compared to his drive to solve the medical mystery and heal.
Best Medicine chat centers around composite characters: is Elaine (Cree) a composite of Elaine and Pauline? Is Mark Mylow (Josh Segarra) a composite of Mark and Joe? Plus, inevitably, dog comparisons.
Season 3 leaves Patty more eager for Season 4 than any previous season-ending cliffhanger did. If you're English, help us Yanks out on vocabulary and whether you think the characters of Doc Martin seem genuine.
If you have questions you wished Chesla would have asked, comment. If you have future-season questions you want asked, send her an email.
[00:16] Introduction and Best Medicine Spoiler Warning
[01:03] Constable Swap
[01:59] Funny Lines and Language Use Differences
[06:38] New Revelations about Martin Plus Other Developments
[10:33] The Oakwoods Annoy Everyone!
[12:02] Getting The Medicine Right
[14:41] Martin's Social Ineptness and Miscommunications on Both Parts
[16:12] Whoa, Auntie Joan!
[18:15] The Proposal and Outcome: Plausible?
[22:22] If Louisa Wants Martin To Change, She Needs A New Approach
[26:18] Mark/Joe, Elaine/Pauline, and Best Medicine Parallels
[29:39] Doc Martin Seems More Authentic: British vs. US TV Preferences?
[33:10] Dogs
[35:24] He's Trying. Really!
[39:06] Why Does Martin Say "You Won't Make Me Happy"?
[40:59] Continuing to Watch
[42:06] Best Medicine Lovers
[43:27] The Sawle Sisters
[47:17] Favorite Seasons
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