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Doc Martin - General Discussion


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On 9/27/2017 at 7:19 PM, Nessie said:

Thanks @Jacks-Son.  Doesn't sound like it will be on PBS anymore, but I remain hopeful. I hate when shows go from a previously free channel to one I have to pay for.  I don't even know what Acorn TV is.

The PBS station I watch Doc Martin on, decided to show 800 words in it's time spot this summer. They actually came on before each episode and apologized for Doc Martin not being on.

9 hours ago, PuhLeeze said:

Caroline Catz is the worst. She totally ruined DCI Banks for me. I can't stand her in DM either. Her OR her character, I guess. 

I re-subscribed to Acorn TV yesterday. I only see a 7-day free trial. I'm going to have to look elsewhere. iTunes is charging me $6.99/mo. Acorn site says $4.99/mo. 

I'm getting caught up on Vera and watching the new Doc Martin eps. I don't see any character threads so I guess I'll just have to complain in episode threads about "Louiser." 800 Words sounds like something I might like. Thanks for posting the recommendation. 

I do my Acorn through Amazon, as I am a prime member. Can't remember what it costs per month.  I love Vera and recently started watching it.  

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10 hours ago, howiveaddict said:

The PBS station I watch Doc Martin on, decided to show 800 words in it's time spot this summer. They actually came on before each episode and apologized for Doc Martin not being on.

I do my Acorn through Amazon, as I am a prime member. Can't remember what it costs per month.  I love Vera and recently started watching it.  

Oh, I have Prime too. I'll have to check into that. Thanks. 

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The one thing about Acorn TV was that while most British shows were available, one usually had to wait awhile for a BBC/ITV aired episode to stream. The wait time was around a week; well that's what it was for some shows. It seems Acorn TV has upped its game and is now streaming shows almost live; well with "Doc Martin" at least. That changes the whole ball game.  If they also begin to air other shows live, like "Poldark", for instance, they'll gain a lot more subscribers.  $4.99 for almost live British TV without paying the BBC licensing fee is a big deal. I suspect the monthly fee will go up drastically.

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I've really enjoyed this season save the first episode.   I love that Acorn is showing the show close to when they should be, too.  I wish they were doing the same for A  Place to Call Home.   I really think Al has matured a great deal this season, too.  I like his more grown up relationship with Morwena.   

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13 hours ago, bybrandy said:

I've really enjoyed this season save the first episode.   I love that Acorn is showing the show close to when they should be, too.  I wish they were doing the same for A  Place to Call Home.   I really think Al has matured a great deal this season, too.  I like his more grown up relationship with Morwena.

 

I agree about the first episode; it was ridiculous and way over the top. I thought Acorn airs the episodes at the same time they're aired in the UK. If they're not, do you know when and on what channel they're aired? Al HAS matured, and he has kind of matured more than Bert. I think I like Pauline more than I like Morwenna, although she's (Morwenna) reasonably more stable. Both of them are better than Lucy Punch (Elaine/ A.K.A. Ms. Delabole). Elaine was one lazy assistant. I didn't like the wedding party girl denigrating Al to Morwenna.  Morwenna is good for Al and they get along.  He was always at odds with Pauline; like he was beneath her.

I wonder what they're planning for Mrs. Tishell this season now that her husband passed away?  I'm also curious about their plans for Samantha Trappett, the real estate agent (played by Emma Handy; who played Paula on "Wire in the Blood") She's a bit of a well known actress and her casting is curious.

Edited by Jacks-Son
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8 hours ago, Jacks-Son said:

I thought Acorn airs the episodes at the same time they're aired in the UK.

I think they become available 24 hours after they air in the UK on Acorn.   It airs on Wednesday nights in the UK.  

I did like Pauline more than Morwenna too.  But Morwenna has really grown on me this season and anybody is better than Elaine.. OMG!!!

I think at some point Mrs. Tishell has to have some reaction to Clive's death.  And given her previous history one worries but I don't think they'll go down that road exactly again so we'll see.   Clive was gone a lot before he retired and I wonder if she's having an easy time now because she's used to him being away for long stretches but eventually it is going to sink in.

I was sure we were going to see a lot more of the real estate agent, surprised we haven't and I didn't even know she was well known.  Just seemed like they were building her up to recur especially with the sale of the farm.

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On 10/18/2017 at 7:48 AM, bybrandy said:

I was sure we were going to see a lot more of the real estate agent, surprised we haven't and I didn't even know she was well known.  Just seemed like they were building her up to recur especially with the sale of the farm.

She was a regular on quite a different show (one that is quite gruesome), but one that I call one of my favorites, "Wire in the Blood", starring one of my favorite actors, Robson Green as Dr. Tony Hill, a criminal forensic psychiatrist who assisted the police with serial murderers. It also starred Hermione Norris ("MI-5") and in the later years, Simone Lahbib ("Da Vinci's Demons", "Monarch on the Glen"). Emma Handy, (Samantha Trappett, the real estate agent) played DC Paula McIntyre and was on the show for six seasons. She also appeared in a lot of other shows. Her casting should mean a more prominent role in "Doc Martin".

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Didn't realize that I missed two episodes, "Faith", & "From the Mouths of Babes". The first was a Morwenna-centric episode and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Yay, Morwenna. Martin, of course, treats her like crap and she really deserves better than that. I'm glad she was able to convince Martin to examine her mother and help her with a good plan to regain her health. The second episode was about multiple issues, the Aunt with the cough and subsequent compound fracture; Al and Bert working the bar & still; the Not!ADHD kid, who Martin seemed to respond well to, despite the idiot Joe Penhale; and Mrs. Tishell talking to Clive. (LOL at Luisa getting Martin to draw out Mrs. Tishell by preying on her need for his approval)  I enjoyed this episode also. Louisa was right about one thing, Martin needs to cut out that "needs to be right" attitude. I'm glad that Ruth is still around.

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I'm liking this season a lot better than the last two or three. Less angst in the main relationship means more development in the story lines.

I will never stop laughing at the gang of girls that occasionally passes by Doc and in the last episode Al and insults them. I was glad to see them again!

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The last episode, "Accidental Hero", was almost slapstick. One calamity after another.  Mrs. Tishell was a hoot, especially smelling the doc and getting close to his face enough to bump noses. Al and Morwenna in the Yurt was hilarious.  Of course the Yurt didn't have any fire extinguishers, despite the fact that everything within was flammable.

It seemed that in this episode, damn near everyone was rude. Louisa's clash with the student almost incited a war between the two. Louisa held herself in check for the most part, but couldn't resist the dinger that her former student always was looking out the window and not paying attention in class. 

The street merchant selling tainted meat was one nasty person. Stealing the woman's sheep and even herAlpaca and selling the meat.  He was even ready to shear the Alpaca for the fur. She was a rude one also, telling Al, "I want to learn from your failures". Ha!  Ruth was on her game also, when Penhale came by seeking a short therapy session.  The actor playing, Penhale (John Marquez) is doing an excellent job of making Penhale a complete idiot. I had to laugh at his constant bumbles.

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I wonder if Daisy (Louisa’s very rude former student) will be a recurring character. With the nasty looks she was shooting Louisa behind her back in class, it seemed like they were building up to her doing something to undermine Louisa, but then it never came to anything. Seems like she really deserved the comment about how she’d always been looking out the window.

Could not believe the nerve of Hannah blaming Al and Morwenna for the yurt burning down. As Al pointed out, it was cold and she did give them a space heater that leaked fuel! And they didn’t even complain about the outhouse door banging around in the wind all night.

I just knew that whoever was stealing the sheep would show up with symptoms of orf... wasn’t expecting the eeewww moment when I realized just what he’d been doing with at least one of them.

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5 hours ago, CarpeFelis said:

I just knew that whoever was stealing the sheep would show up with symptoms of orf... wasn’t expecting the eeewww moment when I realized just what he’d been doing with at least one of them.

Hold on, you're not implying what I think you're implying, right?  I don't know if I buy that. I mean it's quite possible, but the show has never went there ever. I just assumed that he handled the sheep normally, and perhaps transferred the Orf to his genitals when he went to the bathroom.  He said he had a burning sensation when he urinated and I assumed he sort of just scratched his family jewels at some point.  Both Martin Clunes and his wife, Philippa Braithwaite, are animal lovers. I don't think they would ever combine to produce an episode of "Doc Martin" that even remotely suggested an act like that.

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Well, he DID say that he hadn't been with a woman since his wife died and when the Doc explained Orf, he described it like a version of Herpes. So you may be right, but if so, I can't believe that the show would go there. However, they did have Martin's Aunt having sex with the painter on the dining room table and Martin walked in on them. We need some clarification on that point.  ??

Edited by Jacks-Son
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Season 8 finale was another hilarious episode. Mrs. Tishell and Beth Traywick battle it out over Doc Martin and it was funny. Damn, this show only has eight episodes per season but it could really do with more. There's so much material. The Doc and Louisa are really starting to mesh now and he's really starting to feel a bit more comfortable with her. Morwenna, in this episode was on her A-Game. Her facial expressions were spot on, especially dealing with Joe and the Doc. She's definitely growing on me.

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The DVD extras show a lovely kiss outdoors between Louisa and Martin. But I've watched all eight episodes of Season 8 and must have missed it. Can someone tell me what episode that was in? Thanks. 

Also: I detest the character of Bert Large. He's not a "quirky but lovable rascal". He's a self absorbed user with no redeeming qualities, IMHO.  The Bert story lines really bring down the likability of the show, for me. 

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On 12/22/2017 at 4:15 PM, adhoc said:

The DVD extras show a lovely kiss outdoors between Louisa and Martin. But I've watched all eight episodes of Season 8 and must have missed it. Can someone tell me what episode that was in? Thanks. 

Also: I detest the character of Bert Large. He's not a "quirky but lovable rascal". He's a self absorbed user with no redeeming qualities, IMHO.  The Bert story lines really bring down the likability of the show, for me. 

I don't care for him either.  The guy that plays him does appearances as Bert for the tourists.  According to the extras show.  Wonder how much he charges for pics and autographs.  

On the other hand, love how Martin hob nobs with the tourists in between takes.  He seems so gracious.

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17 hours ago, Jacks-Son said:

I want to visit that island. It looks beautiful. It's also the island where they filmed "Poldark" in 1975.

It's the Cornwall part of England.  Not a separate island per se.  I would love to go there also.

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When Will the Doc Go Public

When Will the Doc Go Public?

Question: I know that the recent season of Doc Martin has already been broadcast in the U.K. and Acorn in late 2017. I read recently that Acorn was holding up releasing the current season to PBS. Would you happen to know when Acorn plans to release it? - Katy

Matt Roush: You’ll need to be patient. And welcome to another reality of the new TV landscape. Streaming services attain exclusive rights of certain shows to try to get people inside the tent, and that’s the case with Acorn TV holding U.S. broadcast rights for the long-running Doc Martin. Exclusivity windows are also getting longer because of these investments, and at present Acorn hasn’t made a decision on the timing of the window for public TV. That likely won’t happen for several months to come, but eventually, the new adventures of this good doctor will be available to fans on PBS. But if Doc Martin were enticement enough to sample what Acorn has to offer, you’re in for a bonanza of great shows from the U.K., Australia and beyond.

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I just finished watching Season 7 online and I liked it -- it was great to spend time in Portwenn again. I think the progress that was achieved in Martin and Louisa's relationship is that they both realized that she brought some issues to the table as well. Her fear of being abandoned and let down caused her to expect things of Martin that he couldn't possibly deliver, thus fulfilling the prophecy. Now, I'm not saying I'd want to be in a relationship with Martin, but Louisa has always respected and been drawn to his intelligence and competence. She just wanted more from him than he could give, and the therapy showed us a reason for that. I think if she came at it from a different angle, she could draw some better behavior from him (particularly in regards to the dog), since he does seem to listen to her.

Her old boyfriend was a goof, and he was the one who left her, so for all his surface charm, he was not the man for Louisa, and even she knew that.

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Bert Large, Joe Penhale, Mrs. Tishell are three of the worst characters I've ever encountered in decades of tv viewing and it's unbelievable how the British find these people funny.

I do like Martin, Louisa, Martin's Aunt, Al, and Morwenna as well as Portwenn itself so I've kept going... but it beggars belief that anyone with a functioning IQ could find the repetitive gags of the dog, of Bert and Joe's bumbling, and the misogynistic portrayal of Mrs. Tishell entertaining in the slightest... it makes me question how a nation that makes so many brilliant shows can tolerate this year after year.

I expect the final season to be more of the same with hopefully at least a decent finale but it was hard going the past two seasons.

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11 hours ago, Sentient Meat said:

Bert Large, Joe Penhale, Mrs. Tishell are three of the worst characters I've ever encountered in decades of tv viewing and it's unbelievable how the British find these people funny.

I do like Martin, Louisa, Martin's Aunt, Al, and Morwenna as well as Portwenn itself so I've kept going... but it beggars belief that anyone with a functioning IQ could find the repetitive gags of the dog, of Bert and Joe's bumbling, and the misogynistic portrayal of Mrs. Tishell entertaining in the slightest... it makes me question how a nation that makes so many brilliant shows can tolerate this year after year.

I agree with you on Bert Large. I've never found any redeeming qualities in the character. However, Penhale and Mrs. Tishell are lonely characters who need the affirmation of Martin and the efforts they go through to get it are comical. The actors play these characters brilliantly. This IS a Dramedy, so you'll need some humor. "Doc Martin" has been on for years and the show is quite popular. I enjoy it and I've learned to tolerate certain characters. Most of the characters are a bit exaggerated. Take Elaine "I come from Delabole" Denham, Lucy Punch played an entitled, irritating character as Martin's 1st Assistant, very well. John Marquez, who plays Penhale as a bumbling, wannabe, is also doing a good job portraying one. I disagree that Mrs. Tishell's character is "misogynistic". She's just enamored with Martin. I don't see any hatred of women in her character's depiction.

Portwenn is a quaint town filled with quirky characters. One can even say that Martin Clunes' character can be an embarrassing, pompous jerk who by all rights, should not have a single patient willing to put up with his behavior.

There are a lot of running sight gags such as the dog and the group of girls who always pass by and make snide comments. They're not a true reflection of the writer's feelings, they're just part of the charm of the show.

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41 minutes ago, Jacks-Son said:

I agree with you on Bert Large. I've never found any redeeming qualities in the character. However, Penhale and Mrs. Tishell are lonely characters who need the affirmation of Martin and the efforts they go through to get it are comical. The actors play these characters brilliantly. This IS a Dramedy, so you'll need some humor. "Doc Martin" has been on for years and the show is quite popular. I enjoy it and I've learned to tolerate certain characters. Most of the characters are a bit exaggerated. Take Elaine "I come from Delabole" Denham, Lucy Punch played an entitled, irritating character as Martin's 1st Assistant, very well. John Marquez, who plays Penhale as a bumbling, wannabe, is also doing a good job portraying one. I disagree that Mrs. Tishell's character is "misogynistic". She's just enamored with Martin. I don't see any hatred of women in her character's depiction.

Portwenn is a quaint town filled with quirky characters. One can even say that Martin Clunes' character can be an embarrassing, pompous jerk who by all rights, should not have a single patient willing to put up with his behavior.

There are a lot of running sight gags such as the dog and the group of girls who always pass by and make snide comments. They're not a true reflection of the writer's feelings, they're just part of the charm of the show.

I can appreciate the performances by the actors who play Penhale and Mrs. Tishell... you can tell they'd be quite good in a pure sitcom format... but they are so unbelievable in the context of a dramedy that they take me out of the show.  I think if the show was written as a straight sitcom, they'd work just fine.  The writers could have written Mrs. Tishell as a tragic, but still sympathetic character... that is how Martin is written, though they almost lost me when they did that horrible scene with the ribbon presenting ceremony at the school.  Mrs. Tishell has zero redeeming qualities... she's rude to everyone but Martin, she was terrible to her husband, obsessively jealous.  I can see how John Marquez is funny, he just is a broad, two dimensional character surrounded by more fully fleshed out ones.

I don't mind the "tosser" scene with the young girls because I look at that as a distant offshoot of the Greek chorus device, and they only use it once per episode.  But having to cruelly move the dogs several times per show just isn't funny to me.  He's a brilliant surgeon who wouldn't put up with it... he'd put them in his car and take them to London if necessary.

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37 minutes ago, Sentient Meat said:

Mrs. Tishell has zero redeeming qualities... she's rude to everyone but Martin, she was terrible to her husband, obsessively jealous.  I can see how John Marquez is funny, he just is a broad, two dimensional character surrounded by more fully fleshed out ones.

I don't mind the "tosser" scene with the young girls because I look at that as a distant offshoot of the Greek chorus device, and they only use it once per episode.  But having to cruelly move the dogs several times per show just isn't funny to me.  He's a brilliant surgeon who wouldn't put up with it... he'd put them in his car and take them to London if necessary.

As far as Mrs. Tishell is concerned, you're spot on describing her character. The way she treats Louisa, and everyone else, is very rude and her kidnapping of James Henry was downright criminal. However, she's borderline psychotic and really needs to go back to therapy. So, I appreciated how the show handled her condition and I liked how Martin's aunt, Ruth, tried to slowly bring her back to sanity. I do find some of her antics humorous especially when she battles, what she sees as her competitors for Martin's attention. Her smelling Martin's hair and accidentally bumping heads was a hoot.

You probably know this already, but both Martin Clunes and his Producer wife, Philippa Braithwaite, love animals and dogs especially. I think Martin DID once try to give Buddy to his Aunt that passed away, but Buddy kept running back to town and hang around the clinic.

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46 minutes ago, Jacks-Son said:

As far as Mrs. Tishell is concerned, you're spot on describing her character. The way she treats Louisa, and everyone else, is very rude and her kidnapping of James Henry was downright criminal. However, she's borderline psychotic and really needs to go back to therapy. So, I appreciated how the show handled her condition and I liked how Martin's aunt, Ruth, tried to slowly bring her back to sanity. I do find some of her antics humorous especially when she battles, what she sees as her competitors for Martin's attention. Her smelling Martin's hair and accidentally bumping heads was a hoot.

You probably know this already, but both Martin Clunes and his Producer wife, Philippa Braithwaite, love animals and dogs especially. I think Martin DID once try to give Buddy to his Aunt that passed away, but Buddy kept running back to town and hang around the clinic.

But she didn't improve... she got worse and attacked Sigourney Weaver's character.  At any rate, I don't mean to spoil everyone's enjoyment... I think it is a lot simply a matter of taste.

I remember watching What About Bob?  which is a film about a psychiatrist who can't get his annoying patient to leave.  Many people I know love that film, and I find it frustrating because I would just tell him to get out... maybe people who are not assertive find it amusing or cathartic to watch.

I didn't know the story about a Martin and his wife, but I did get that feeling towards the animals.  The little dogs were all very cute, and I would have enjoyed them in another type of show.

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Well, I didn't mean to imply that she has improved. The character still has problems as evidenced by her attacks against Sigourney Weaver's character. She saw her as an adversary and a competitor to Martin's attention. It's her character's psychosis. It's just part of the show's quirky characters. If it takes you out of the show, perhaps just look at it as just a story. That's what I do. I view it as that's how the character is being depicted.

I don't think you're spoiling everyone's enjoyment. Everyone has their quibbles with characters on shows. I watch this Australian dramedy called "800 Words" and I frequently yell at characters when I feel they're acting foolishly or unbelievably, but I never miss an episode. Good acting should affect you emotionally.

In the "800 Words" forum, a few of us air our complaints about characters and how foolish they're acting, especially the male lead.

Edited by Jacks-Son
"800 Words" recommendation
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On 12/22/2017 at 2:15 PM, adhoc said:

The DVD extras show a lovely kiss outdoors between Louisa and Martin. But I've watched all eight episodes of Season 8 and must have missed it. Can someone tell me what episode that was in? Thanks. 

Are you referring to the time Louisa pulled Martin into the trees and gave him a nice, romantic, and long kiss? If so, I believe that was in early season 2 when Louisa attended an outdoor concert featuring an old college friend of hers. Of course, Louisa was feeling very romantic and Martin, as always, ruined the moment.

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A year ago, I wouldn't have written this, but with our recent watch of Season 8, I sat back and decided I didn't really like many of these people because I didn't appreciate them.  I decided it was my problem, because I had grown to expect US writers of superficial characters who seldom have shades of gray, much less shades upon shades. 

And I looked at how murderous and bloody my TV was going to be this summer, and I went and ordered all the DVDs for Doc Martin.  I decided that I will more appreciate them, where they live and how they live and I'll sleep better at night getting to know them than if I were to watch US TV shows to fill the time between reading and cooking and gardening. 

With a google map of Portwen set up as a link. I'm ready.

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Jacks-son, it's been a while since I watched. It may well have been a season 2 clip, but what was it doing on the Season 8 DVD? Season 8 was pretty romance-free, IIRC.  :-(

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On 5/5/2018 at 11:23 AM, enoughcats said:

A year ago, I wouldn't have written this, but with our recent watch of Season 8, I sat back and decided I didn't really like many of these people because I didn't appreciate them. 

I was put off by some of the characters as well, initially, but then I realized that because they were all able to deal with each other (no choice, really, in a small village), they were able to deal with Martin. They've teased him, they've laughed at him, but they respect him and I think they truly like him. That makes me like them.

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On ‎1‎/‎11‎/‎2019 at 5:16 AM, JudyObscure said:

I just wrote something about Season 8, then saw below that there's a separate thread for 8,  but I can't find it. ?

Me either.  Where is everything?  

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I watched 2 episodes last night. ..Louisa on the boat with the kids and Morwenna's mom's health issues.

Martin was mean toward the dogs. ..don't like that,  but at least he found a solution; Louisa just didn't care either way. ..she's kind of checked out. She is very pretty, though.  And intelligent. It makes me wonder what HER ISSUES are that she stays with such a cold fish. I know they have James, but please, who doesn't need warmth, support, and kindness in your own home?  

Although the stories are predictable, I LOVE the scenery and want to live there on the  perpetually sunny (HA!) Coast of England. 

Love Martin's sister,  and all the other characters.  

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