MovieChat Forums > Midsomer Murders (1998) Discussion > Kam

Kam

posted 8 years ago by acaciajules
12 replies | jump to latest

Is she supposed to be a coroner, or is she on the forensic team? These are two VERY different, very distinct jobs, that require very different training.

Andy why is she an expert at EVERYTHING. It's so freaking annoying, and not likable. She's not growing on me. At all.

Chase: Wow. Yeah, I get it. House is adorable. I just want to hold him and never let go.

[–] ccarolyn05 8 years ago

It's interesting you mention that because all of the doctors /coroner's /forensic specialists are always the one person in almost if not all episodes.

[–] iipugel-71330 8 years ago

Dr Ballard was the coroner/forensic expert during John Nettles shows. I like Kate Wilding not impressed with Kam chatacter. She's an irritating know-it-all

[–] iipugel-71330 8 years ago

Re-watching season 18. They need to replace Kam she's very irritating and way too full of herself.

[–] JaneBingley 8 years ago

Kam is awful, and full of misandry, likely due to her lack of self esteem. Or maybe she just is a nasty woman.

[–] Jessica_Rabbit69 8 years ago

Well said. She has that perpetual sour lemon look on her face with a continually constipated expression. Utterly awful.

Jessica Rabbit
"I'm not bad. I'm just drawn that way."

[–] camross7 8 years ago

Could not have put it better myself. I can't stand her.

[–] GladysOver 8 years ago

And why is she an expert at EVERYTHING.

Heh, I suspect we all know the answer to that one deep down. Nudge nudge wink wink, etc. 

Let's just say that she very much epitomises the new 'regime' producing MM these days and indeed embodies their evident priorities.

I was admittedly sceptical about her when she was introduced though did at least give her a chance....... but I just can't get on with her bland, Mary Poppins-esque (I.e. practically perfect in every way) character of which renders her terminally unlikable. Couple that with the actress playing her not being very good and it leaves one yearning for the far more affable George and Kate.

Her ludicrous and implausible knowledge of uber obscure football trivia via that pub quiz scene last series (of which was to the detriment of footie fan Nelson who didn't know the answer of course!) was the very limit for me. She needs to be 'turned down' a notch (or several) and her character given some personality.

[–] readerf61 8 years ago

I thought her very "unlikeable" persona was supposed to be the one thing we found likable about her.

OK, I admit that sentence doesn't make a lot of sense, but there's an idea there I've been chasing since she was introduced. They've set up a competition between her and Nelson, and her lack of self-esteem (because that's what her smart a$$ act comes across as) means that she always has to be one step ahead of Charlie. The stupid thing was making Nelson an unwilling accomplice to the whole shtick.

I agree the "competition" is annoying, but I'm hoping the character can get over herself, especially since it appears the actor playing Nelson is no longer on the show. She wasn't so horrible as much as the whole situation seemed forced and without background, so her lack of self-esteem has no basis in anything, no "aha, that's what happened that makes her this way!" moment.

Hehe, I realized I just used a lot of words to say it's really bad writing.
_________

No, David. No one is happy in a poodle skirt and a sweater set.

[–] GladysOver 8 years ago

I thought her very "unlikeable" persona was supposed to be the one thing we found likable about her.

Surely that only works in a strictly comedic context though, I.e. Basil Fawlty, Alan Partridge, et al?

In a (moderately) serious drama though it's unlikely that a bland, moderately smug character bereft of tangible charisma would be perceived as being anything else by audiences. Having said that we are discussing a role that in truth is a very minor one within the MM format and thus the scope for further/better characterisation is inevitably limited....

I agree the "competition" is annoying, but I'm hoping the character can get over herself, especially since it appears the actor playing Nelson is no longer on the show.

Well it's a shame that Nelson's gone but at least his exit mercifully deprives us of the trite, somewhat implausible spectacle of 'will they won't they?' with Nelson ludicrously being bested by 'Kam in everything (because it's 2016 sexists! ) thus inexorably falling head over heels in love with her as a consequence. Pass the sick bag.

All in all a bullet dodged methinks. 

[–] readerf61 8 years ago

Sadly, I think much of the "humor" in MM fails to actually amuse me, so I did think that was the point. Plus it gave Mrs. Barnaby a chance to knowingly be in on the whole "Kam and Charlie are meant to be together" shtick. And I agree, ugh.

I really like Nelson--he was immediately knowledgeable and capable, he didn't need the famous "Barnaby tutelage." So, imagine how much I hated him thinking he had to compete with Kam to get Barnaby's attention. I will so miss that character, but I would be the first to yell "Run! Get out while you can!!"

_________

No, David. No one is happy in a poodle skirt and a sweater set.

[–] madseavets 8 years ago

Is she supposed to be a coroner, or is she on the forensic team? These are two VERY different, very distinct jobs, that require very different training.

She's an FME (Forensic Medical Examiner). She examines victims and bodies for the police to determine cause of death etc. There's some information from the Met here:

http://content.met.police.uk/cs/Satellite?blobcol=urldata&blobheadername1=Content-Type&blobheadername2=Content-Disposition&blobheadervalue1=application%2Fpdf&blobheadervalue2=inline%3B+filename%3D%2268%2F658%2Ffme_info_pack_final.pdf%22&blobkey=id&blobtable=MungoBlobs&blobwhere=1283785950264&ssbinary=true

Coroners are completely different. They conduct inquest to determine the reason for the death, e.g. accident, natural causes etc. The FME determines the cause of death, e.g. drowning, gunshot etc.

[–] velcronewsletter 8 years ago

bleurgh. can't stand her