#christopher ellingham

[redhatmeg]

Day before I will be able to watch the newest Best Medicine episode (this time with Martin Cluny as the father of doctor Best) I keep on thinking about Doc Martin episode where we meet Mr. and Mrs. Ellingham.

This is probably one of the more poignient episodes in the show. On the one hand you have this contrast between Martin's parents - both Margaret and Christopher are despicable people but they show their assholish sides in different ways. While Christopher tries to be chummy and friendly, but it's clear he's up to something and at some point he shows disdain for Martin's career choices, Margaret is cold and distant up until she goes into full blown rant about how her son's birth ruined her marriage and sex life.

But there is also the scene soon after this rant when Roger - someone who became one of first Martin Ellingham's friends in Portwenn (he certain understood doc Martin better than most people) - happily announces that his partner is pregnant and he talks about how birth of a baby is a joyous occasion. And both Martin and the viewer are left with this heartbreaking dissonance.

Before this episode we learn that Christohper threatened to not bring baby Martin to Joan if she won't stop seeing her lover; and that he wanted his son to go to the Navy (this was probably before it was revealed that Ellingham Sr was a doctor too).

And after this episode we've had Margaret coming to his son once more, trying to butter him up, because "We are family, Martin." yada, yada. And then when he refused to fall for her manipulations, she stole his clock.

We were shown, time and time again, how their emotionally neglectful parenting impacted Martin's social development and made him worried about what kind of father he himself will be (he was great, if you ask me; from the very beginning he was very involved in baby James's upringing).

And that's why I keep on saying that I want to see Best Medicine's version of Ellingham parents. I remember this episode and I want to see how the US will do it. Especially because we have hints about some disagreement between Aunt Sarah and her brother that caused her to not see her nephew as much as she wished; and because we've established that Martin Best has a childhood trauma brought by the death of his sister.

Also the episode description didn't mention Mrs. Best in any capacity. So who knows, she might be dead/divorced.

Anyway, I'm nervous.

[redhatmeg]

Now, it's Margaret's turn to be terrible to her son.

Frankly, I remembered that when Doc Martin said: "I know, I'm not like my father...", she burst into laugh and replied: "You can say that again. He reached the peak of his career, he's charming and still handsome.", but I didn't remember that she then went into tangent about how the birth of Martin ruined her life and marriage.

She is very straightforward with her resentment with her son. And you have to wonder who's worse - her because she's so open about how much she hates her son, or Christopher because he acts all chummy right before he stabs his son and sister in a back.

[redhatmeg]

Is it too late to wish for this special to be A Christmas Carol: Doc Martin Style?

Like, in this episode doctor Ellingham learns about his mother's death. Her, aunt Joan and Christopher could be great Three Spirits of Christmas. Christopher would be the Ghost of Christmas Past, Joan - as someone deeply connected to Portwenn - would be the Ghost of Christmas Present, and Margaret - who tried to "reconcile" with her son since her future was uncertain at the time - would be a Ghost of Christmas Future.

[redhatmeg]

BTW - it's alright, Joan, you can slap your shitty brother in the face. At this point everybody wants to do it.

[redhatmeg]

Twenty minutes in and Doc Martin's father shows his true colors, adamonishing his son for the crime of being upset on behalf of his aunt and caring for people in Portwenn.

Generally it's Margaret who gets a lot of hate (for good reason, really), but in this one scene Christopher Ellingham proves to be a real dick. We've had some hints about him in earlier episodes, when Doc Martin mentions his father wanted him to go to the Navy and Joan tells her nephew that Christopher threatened to not bring his son to her if she won't break her relationship with John Slater.

In later seasons we will see him mostly in flashbacks, because he will die, but in this episode he's just all around two-faced asshole.

[redhatmeg]

Mrs. and Mr. Ellingham give off bad vibes but in different ways.

Christipher Elligham is overly friendly, here and there asking about Doc Martin's flat in London and about Aunt Joan's farm. He's hiding something, probably something to do with money. Therefore he's buttering up his son before he reveals what he needs him to do.

Meanwhile Margaret Ellingham is cold, closed-off and barely speaks to her son. As if she's upset with him for something he did and she's giving Martin the silent treatment. This is probably to guilt-trip him into agreeing to do whatever she ask him to do.

[redhatmeg]

And now the episode with Doc Martin's parents.

They are terrible people but their presence always says something about Doc Martin himself and Elligham family as a whole.