Caroline Catz

Our Doc Martin viewing marathon here at Telly Visions has finally, officially caught up, getting all the way through Series 5 this week. I feel ever so accomplished and pleased!

Before we start chatting about the actual last two episodes – I did want to take a second and say thank you to everyone who has for read and commented and been generally thoughtful and wonderful through this whole series. While I am very much not looking forward to having to wait through the hiatus with everyone else, it’s also just really going to feel strange not to sit down and wrestle with my personal thoughts about Martin and Louisa and romance and gender issues and strange neighbor every week. So, thanks for making it so fun. These recaps will of course return for Series 6, and I hear we’re airing the Doc Martin movies in June on WETA and those sound different/strange enough that I think writing about them will be fun so keep an eye out for that next month.

Oh, and I do want to keep doing more of these series re-watch kinds of things. They’re fun! So if you have any suggestions about what else might make an interesting weekly show to chat about, let me know in the comments. Current things under consideration: Sherlock Holmes (I’m a big Sherlockian, but have only seen about a third of the Jeremy Brett TV series), Doctor Who, Lark Rise to Candleford and Life on Mars. However, I am open to suggestions, so throw any and all ideas at me please.

So, onward! Click through and come chat with me about “Cats and Sharks” and “Ever After,” and, as always, feel free to leave your thoughts, favorite moments, funny lines, general rants, whatever, in the comments.

Our Doc Martin viewing marathon here at Telly Visions is currently making its way through Series 5 – up this week “Remember Me” and “Don’t Let Go.” It’s odd – we’re two thirds of the way through Series 5 now, and it doesn’t entirely feel like we’ve made a tremendous amount of progress storyline-wise. (Though, I suppose that's possibly because we keep coming back to the same emotional ground? Not sure.)

The two episodes up this week had both a lot to recommend them, as well as some difficult moments. Will be especially interested to hear the thoughts of others this week – as a I personally can’t quite decide how I feel about them, though I think that I’m generally on the more positive-than-not side. Mainly because even though several storyline events were frustrating to watch, it was still compelling television.

At any rate, onward! Click through and come chat with me and, as always, feel free to leave your thoughts, favorite moments, funny lines, general rants, whatever, in the comments.

Our Doc Martin viewing marathon here at Telly Visions officially kicked off our journey into Series 5 last week, at long last! (Unfortunately, we’re still a week behind here versus what’s currently airing on TV 26, but well, this is a lot closer to being “on the same page” with everyone than I’ve ever been, so I’ll happily live with it.)

Let’s continue right along with Series 5 this week, then, shall we? Up next are “Boho with a Shotgun” (that’s really the episode title?) and “Mother Knows Best.” On the whole, Series 5 is still much more appealing generally than Series 4, though to be honest there’s not a tremendous amount of forward story movement in either of these episodes. Though there are some great character moments for almost all of our major players and that’s what a lot of us tune in for anyway. It's easy to live with.

Click through and come chat with me and, as always, feel free to leave your thoughts, favorite moments, funny lines, general rants, whatever, in the comments.

The great Doc Martin viewing marathon officially wrapped up our trip through the first four series last week, but as I’ve grown rather fond of the name, I am loathe to call this something else, though technically, it’s not so much a rewatch if this is the first time these eps have aired here. Oh, semantics, you are a cruel mistress! Thus, we’ve become just the regular “Doc Martin Watch” since we’re all at least mostly on the same page now – or at the very least, I am on the same page as what’s on our air. I’ll take it.

So, now that we’ve officially all grown up out of our “rewatch” stage, let’s start Series 5. Which, to be quite honest, I kind of don’t know what to make of just yet. There are some adorable scenes, and some funny scenes and some head-scratching “I kind of don’t know what is happening right now” scenes and I guess it’s possible we’ll just have to see how things go, huh?

Anyway, onward! We officially kick off Series 5 with “Preserve the Romance” and “Dry Your Tears.” Sorry to say that the write-ups have fallen about a week behind the actual on-air run, I got a bit distracted by all these exciting Sherlock events going on this week. Click through and come chat with me and feel free to leave your thoughts, favorite moments, funny lines, general rants, whatever, in the comments.

The great Doc Martin viewing marathon reaches its destination this week here at Telly Visions because I am all caught up! I feel so accomplished! And now, I am in the same boat as everyone else and will have to watch week-to-week on my television. Despair! (Not really. I’m going to be so glad to be able to converse with people without having to caveat it with “But I’m only on Series 4!” or something like that.) And, because of my impeccable lucky timing, I’m wrapping up my Series 1-4 viewing just as Series 5 starts tonight! Talk about no wait time, right?

Because some of you have asked, I do plan to keep this series going through the new episodes – though I suppose it may evolve into a regular “watch” now instead of “rewatch,” since we’ll all be at the same point. The only caveat is this series will probably move off of Saturdays, given that I have to catch the regular broadcasts, but we’ll see. I haven’t quite figured that bit out yet. But, never fear, this series isn’t going away just yet! (Though if you do have suggestions for future things that there should be series “watches” of, do let me know! I’m looking!)

Anyway, onward! We wrap up Series 4 this week, with “Do Not Disturb” and “The Wrong Goodbye.” Click through and come chat with me and feel free to leave your thoughts, favorite moments, funny lines, general rants, whatever, in the comments.

The great Doc Martin viewing marathon continues here at Telly Visions – and we’re just one week from the Series 5 premiere! One week! And I’m so close to being all caught up! I feel all sorts of accomplished, you guys.

Anyway, we continue on with Series 4 this week, with “The Departed” and “Midwife Crisis.” These two episodes, while problematic in ways mostly pertaining to Martin and Louisa and the general feeling that their storyline just seems to have stalled emotionally, were actually very entertaining. And, while one did (once again) feature some more obnoxious and uncomfortable presentations of gender issues, it wasn’t nearly so rage inducing as “Driving Mr. McLynn” from last week. Maybe I’m just feeling kinder because I’m so close to completely the rewatch, I don’t know. But at least these episodes felt fun for the most part, even when heavier plots were featured.

Anyway, onward! Click through and come chat with me about the next two episodes in our rewatch, and feel free to leave your thoughts, favorite moments, funny lines, general rants, whatever, in the comments.

The great Doc Martin viewing marathon continues here at Telly Visions this week as we continue on with Series 4. We’re two weeks from the Series 5 premiere, guys! And I’m so close to being caught up! It’s all very exciting.

Due to the fact that this series contains an odd number of episodes, we’re only covering one installment this week – “Driving Mr. McLynn.” There were apparently a great many things to say about this episode anyway (sorry in advance), and now we’re only four away from being all caught up, which means that I’ll finish Series 4 on the same day Series 5 premieres. How’s that for no waiting, huh? If only that could be arranged for every show I watch.

Series 4 continues to be this strange combination of interesting and intensely frustrating. “Driving Mr. McLynn” was an extremely strong episode though, and probably the best of the series so far, even though (as you’ll see) there are plenty of mindboggingly enraging character moments.

So, onward! Click through and come chat with me about the next episode in our rewatch, and feel free to leave your thoughts, favorite moments, funny lines, general rants, whatever, in the comments.

Our great Doc Martin viewing marathon continues here at Telly Visions this week as we dive into Series 4. We’re so close to the Series 5 premiere now – and to finishing our rewatch! (Or, well, at least to it becoming an “actual” watch) I can’t wait to get to the part where I’m watching episodes you guys haven’t seen already!

Up this week, we have “Uneasy Lies the Head” and “Perish Together as Fools.” Several readers have said that Series 4 is occasionally (often?) frustrating going, so I’m simultaneously curious and anxious about how these episodes are going to go.

Because some of these criticisms about this season are – well, at least they seem so after three episodes – pretty well-grounded. The Martin and Louisa storyline does seem to have oddly stalled despite her being pregnant, Edith is annoying even though it makes sense to have her around, and Martin’s reactions to the baby news haven’t been ideal (save a small scene here and there). Series 3 handled balancing multiple plots and characters arcs more deftly, and the problem of a lack of perspective for Louisa seems to have gotten exponentially worse. We’ll have to see how things progress…but I’m nervous now.

Anyway, onward! Click through and come chat with me about the next two episodes in our rewatch, and feel free to leave your thoughts, favorite moments, funny lines, general rants, whatever, in the comments.

Our great Doc Martin viewing marathon continues this week here at Telly Visions, as we polish off Series 3 (“Happily Ever After”) and get started on Series 4 (“Better the Devil”). This is all very exciting as we’re so close to getting caught up – and I’m already looking forward to the premiere of Series 5 on WETA in just a few short weeks (April 28th!).

From a macro perspective, I’ve really enjoyed almost everything about Series 3, and I can only hope the quality of the episodes stays this high as we continue on. It’s a tremendous improvement over the first two seasons, even if I really can’t entirely put my finger on why. It’s something to do with balance and self-awareness, I think. Though I do have some problems (again) with the Martin and Louisa plot, but, well…we’ll get to that in a minute.

Onward! Click through and come chat with me about the next two episodes in our rewatch, and feel free to leave your thoughts, favorite moments, funny lines, etc. in the comments.

The great Doc Martin viewing marathon rolls on this week here at Telly Visions with two more episodes from Series 3, “The Holly Bears a Prickle” and “Nowt So Queer.” And my general continued opinion: Series 3 is by far the best thing this show has ever done. It’s quirky and busy and occasionally really, uncomfortably strange, but oh, it’s so much fun and such an improvement over the initial episodes. I am already sad that there is only one more episode left in this season after these two. Sniff!

Anyway, onward! Click through and come chat with me about the next two episodes in our rewatch, and feel free to leave your thoughts, favorite moments, funny lines, etc. in the comments.