It seems the Brits who watch the show have no problem with Doc Marten's lack of social skills. The Americans, on the other hand do seem to have a problem with his social awkwardness. I think he could be friendlier to his patients and especially to the children he is treating. He must scare them sometimes!
shareThat's because we Brits don't take it seriously. We see Doc Martin for the comedy it is.
If there aren't any skeletons in a man's closet, there's probably a Bertha in his attic.
Martin’s utter lack of “social polish” is the whole point of the series – and especially so when he finds himself in the midst of the locals in Port Wenn. Take that away by giving him a softer bedside manner, a greater ease, and you essentially lose the heart of the whole business – and much too much of the utterly delightful comedy.
The same goes with over-analyzing on a level roughly equal to ferociously beating a deceased equine. Shifting the focus as we sometimes do ultimately takes away the one thing what makes Doc Martin so appealing.
The point of the series is Doc Martin's lack of social skills, which make him unsuitable to be a GP. that is where the humour comes from. if he was more normal it wouldn't be funny. However, i doubt many british people would actually put up with him as their GP in real life, I certainly wouldn't.
shareThe episode where he wanted to kill the dog was the episode that made me stop watching the show. Put that together with his aspergers (or whatever is wrong with him) and the stupid cop, was the end. It is not a funny show. It is not even a good show.
shareToo bad you don't have a sense of humor, the show is funny as hell
sharejewel -- I'll agree that wanting to kill a dog isn't funny, even if it's within the context of a funny show. But I, and millions of others around the world, consider this show to be one of the rare jewels [pun intended] of television. It's unfortunate that you cannot appreciate it.
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You have meddled with the primal forces of nature, and YOU ... WILL ... ATONE!
I agree w/ you UncleRob.
A co-worker got me hooked on the show +/- 4 years ago and I love it (both for the drama and comedy).
If I came upon a burning car I would probably get arrested for having saved the dog before the driver; but Martin's hatred of animals is priceless & comical ! !
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First they said it was tourist season; then I got arrested for shooting one ?!?
I agree with some of the people (like supergran) who said that Americans just don't "get" why Doc's anti-social behavior is so funny. We (Yanks) had our own version of that with Hugh Laurie as Dr. House. I still hear friends whine about how "mean" he is and many say the same of Doc Martin.
I don't get it. I think it's hilarious! I don't think that Doc is supposed to be doing this (insulting people) on purpose, though sometimes he is. House was much meaner, but still funny.
Most Americans are too obsessed with being "nice" to everyone, even people they don't know. It's OK and all but let's face it: mots of them are faking it. This creates all kinds of problems, such as unreasonable expectations from others and even ones who impose their boring, endless stories on you. I'm rather like Doc or House in that I'll put people off or tell them, "Yeah, I've heard that story fifty times." or "Get to the point!" But then, like House, I'm a loner so it doesn't bother me when people don't like the truth.
I find Doc not only funny and even tragic sometimes (in close relationships) but so refreshing--he will say anything that comes into his head!--that it's all worth it.
Remember, it was Mr Clunes' idea to make Doc this way! Good call.
-Those we should know elude us. But we can...love without complete understanding.
Yeah house never struck me as actually having aspergers house gets really mean and not just curt or to the point. Taking the rectal temperature of trigger is rather absurd
I thnk septics just want to beat up good shows like doc martin the social anxiety is obviously there, not just trying to be mean because hit show that way Ala house m.d.
It seems to me that you've missed the point of the show. This is who the character is. For reasons open to discussion, he is fundamentally incapable of relating to other humans in ways most would expect. This is what drives the plot in many cases, and is the main source of humor. For the vast majority of viewers, including Americans, it is entertaining. You might want to open your mind a bit and be careful with that broad brush of yours.
shareI think the character's inability to cope with social interaction drives the humor of the show. So I agree with posts here saying taking that away from the show would remove much of the humor.
As a person who is extremely socially akward myself, I think that his relationship with Louisa would at least allow him to be open with her. In season 1, he seemed like he'd be capable of interaction (as shown with scenes with Louisa, Roger, and Peter) but the show dropped that for the most part.
I'm hoping with season 9 being the last, we can get a character arc that sees the Doc as someone who we can at least hope will have some kind of breakthrough. At least with Louisa.
I recently re-watched the early episodes and agree that early on Doc Martin's interactions with people were more socially acceptable. The hospital scene with Roger Fenn revealed a lot, especially when Martin says surgery was the one thing he was really good at, and due to his hemophobia he could no longer do it. He managed to cope with it (not deal with it) and could still help people by becoming a GP.
I think the turning point was when his hemophobia became public knowledge and the townsfolk turned it into a practical joke. Imagine having your most troubling frailty up for ridicule by nearly everyone you meet. He became more sensitive about it and his way of coping with it was to change the way he interacted with people, to shut them down before things got personal - keep it clinical. It was a great plot device to explain the change in the character.