Ep 2. Dry Your Tears

After leaving his practice in London, Dr. Martin Ellingham (Martin Clunes) has settled in the idyllic Cornish fishing village of Portwenn to practice as a GP. In season 5, episode 2 titled "Dry Your Tears," the doctor finds himself once again facing the everyday nuisances of rural life that come with living in such a tight-knit community.

The episode opens with Doc Martin receiving an unexpected visitor at his surgery. It's his Aunt Joan (Stephanie Cole), who has come to Portwenn on a mystery mission. As a woman with a reputation for meddling, Aunt Joan is not one to frequent the village without an ulterior motive. Martin is wary of her arrival and questions why she's gone to such lengths to visit him.

Meanwhile, Louisa (Caroline Catz), Doc's wife, is preparing her son James's (Milo Parker) first birthday party, and the doctor's lack of sensitivity towards the event is causing tension between them. Louisa decides to give an ultimatum – either Doc Martin attends the party, or he can kiss their marriage goodbye. The doctor had previously expressed little interest in the party, but the weight of Louisa's stipulation is now bearing down upon him.

In the lead up to the party, Doc Martin has to contend with various patients, including a man who believes he is dead, a hypochondriac who insists he has a rare and deadly disease, and a local fisherman who returns from sea with a painful medical issue. As Martin tends to his patients, it becomes apparent that the fisherman's problem is more severe than initially thought, requiring him to make a house call to examine him.

During his visit, Doc Martin finds the man's wife, Mrs. Tishell (Selina Cadell), in a state of distress. She asks him for advice on how to deal with her husband's medical condition, and Doc Martin, who knows Mrs. Tishell's history of obsessing over him, offers less than sympathetic comments to her. This doesn't bode well because things only get worse when Mrs. Tishell shows up unannounced at the surgery with a virtual pharmacy of advice.

Back at the party preparations, Louisa is exasperated when her flowers don't arrive, and she confronts the florist over the phone. The flowers are vital to the celebration, and with only a few hours to go until the party, things become fraught. The doctor, on the other hand, is preoccupied with treating Mrs. Tishell's husband, inflamed by her attempts to woo him, which culminate in him calling her 'mad.' This infuriates her, and she storms off heartbroken.

The party eventually goes ahead, but not without some serious complications. The flowers arrive late, leading to a frazzled Louisa having to resort to creating her own floral displays. Meanwhile, Doc Martin is running late and appears to be preoccupied. When he finally shows, he's still dealing with the aftermath of Mrs. Tishell's outburst. By now, Louisa is at her wits' end, and the doctor's forgetfulness and lack of sensitivity are pushing her to breaking point.

In conclusion, "Dry Your Tears" is a classic episode of Doc Martin that pulls together subplots, minor characters, and major storylines with ease. Audiences can expect to be entertained by the excellent performances of the lead cast, the humor, and the beautiful Cornish scenery. Viewers also get to dive into the complicated world of Dr. Martin Ellingham, as he juggles his home and work life in an ever-eventful British countryside.