So here we are, with Ian blasting Florida, Putin blasting Ukraine, Trump blasting everyone.
We need something gentler; we need one more round of “Doc Martin” (shown here).
Fortunately, it’s coming. On Oct. 17, the final season begins (two episodes per Monday) on Acorn.
That’s a streaming service (www.acorn.tv) that gives us shows from England and the colonies. The current one – the South African “Recipes for Love and Murder” – is OK, but was stretched way too far at 10 episodes. Coming on Oct. 10 is the New Zealand “My Life is Murder,” a generally excellent show produced by and starring Lucy Lawless. And then comes “Doc Martin” … which is Acorn at its best.
The story started – way back in 2004 – with Dr. Martin Ellingham (Martin Clunes) descending on a seaside community in England. The town was sort of sweet and good-natured; he wasn’t.
Since then, he’s had every reason to soften. He now has a smart and likable wife (Caroline Catz, shown here with Clunes) who’s a child therapist, two children, some friends and even a stray dog that wants to be adopted. Still, he remains approximately as crusty, cranky and crotchety as ever.
Maybe more so. He’s given back his license and quit practicing medicine; he’s also upset Morwenna, the receptionist who was keeping togther the office for him and his wife. Morwenna is trying to sell real estate; the office is in shambles.
There are the usual crises – medical, personal and more. The third episode suffers somewhat from a character who seems cartoony, but that’s atypical.
Mostly, “Doc Martin” exists in a low-key world where makeshift lives sort of work out. Whenever we see the news, we sort of want to flee to it.