‘Doc Martin’: Dog Crisis – Is Surgery by Blood-Phobic Martin Buddy’s Only Hope?

Doc Martin (Martin Clunes) touches on a subject near and dear to animal lovers as Doctor Martin Ellingham wields a scalpel for Buddy the dog in the next episode on Acorn TV. It seems Doc Martin fans across the pond already watched this new episode. Some describe it as the best yet from Doctor Ellingham.

But for those in America, Acorn TV offers a new episode of Season 9 every Monday. So US fans need to wait until Monday to see just how the blood-phobic Doc handles this case.

Doc Martin: Buddy’s Life in Doctor Ellingham’s Hands

Doc Martin makes no secret of his disdain for dogs, especially ones that make their way into his home. Debates popped up online through the years over Doctor Martin Ellingham’s treatment of the dog. For some reason, this stray took a shine to the doctor in spite of the nasty way Doc Martin treats the pup.

But Doc Martin has little choice in the matter as his wife, Louisa Glasson Ellingham (Caroline Catz) welcomes Buddy into their home. It seems their young son, James Henry Ellingham loved the dog before he could even talk. It sounded like his first word was “dog,” which led Louisa to insist the dog stays.

So Buddy isn’t acting like himself on the next Doc Martin. But it seems the family is in luck as a new patient of Doctor Ellingham happens to be a vet, Angela Sims (Caroline Quentin). But just as Buddy needs to go under the knife to save him, the vet’s eyesight fails.

Despite Blood Phobia Buddy Needs Help

So to save Buddy’s life, Doc Martin, who gave up surgery due to his blood phobia, has to operate. It sounds like saving Buddy becomes a major mission for the blood-queasy surgeon in next week’s episode. But how can he do this with his blood phobia still haunting him?

Fans of the UK show know that the doc finds himself getting queasy at the sight of blood. They also know it doesn’t stop him from treating blood-soaked emergencies. He takes care of the task at hand with possibly a few dry heaves surfacing. Or in the cases where a lot of blood is present, he might throw up. But he never fails to help those wounded. He won’t turn away from a gash, a cut, or injury that requires him dealing with blood.

Because Buddy the dog is so near and dear to his son and his wife, he’ll probably do just fine navigating through the surgery of the pup. Maybe even the good doc gets a feel for surgery again sparking thoughts of a possible return to his first love of medical healing – surgery.

 

Doc Martin: Blood-Phobic Doctor Softens a Bit?

When Doc Martin first demonstrated his blatant dislike for Buddy (Dodger) the dog, fans hopped online to complain. But after watching the dog’s devotion to the doctor’s character it seemed odd to fans. Especially considering how often this medical provider screams at the canine.

To soothe the worries of the dog lovers out there, reports indicate while Martin Ellington is seen on screen yelling at Buddy, the dog doesn’t hear him. Martin Clunes divulged the secret of remaining friends with the dog despite his seemingly loud demeanor with the pup.

It seems Doc Martin mouths the words said during the scene. It isn’t until the editing that the actual screaming enters into the scene. So Buddy isn’t feeling the wrath of the good doctor after all.

This also seems to follow a trend so far in Season 9 for the blood-phobic doctor. Doc Martin seems to have softened a bit when it comes to dealing with people and now possibly the dog.

Although his less than stellar bedside manner still seems present, he appears to lighten up in recent episodes. One case in point had to do with  Morwenna Newcross (Jessica Ransom). After qualifying as a first responder, her first case is the delivery of a baby.

While Doc Martin made it in time for the birth of the newborn, Morwenna took control and kept things going straight ahead before Doctor Ellingham made it to the scene.

While Doc Martin delivered the baby, Morwenna needed to care for the father-to-be who broke his hand. The new father was a mess as he also had a bloody ear from getting knocked in the head by a surfboard.

Crowning Baby With One Man Down

Then to top it off, the new father fainted when he saw the baby’s head crowning. The doctor’s long-time receptionist took care of Nathan Fowler (James Lance) while his wife, known only as “Mags” gave birth.

Ordinarily, Doc Martin wouldn’t have acknowledged Morwenna’s part in this. That is unless she did something wrong. But to the delight of his receptionist-turned-first-responder, the doctor told her she did a good job. Morwenna looked more shocked than anything else to hear a compliment aimed at her coming from Doctor Ellingham.

Next week, while Doc Martin is left operating on Buddy, fans should look for more signs of Louisa’s kind demeanor rubbing off on her physician husband.

Acorn offers a new Doc Martin episode every Monday. But for those of you who need some catching up on the episodes, Acorn offers all 71 episodes from the nine seasons of this fan-favorite from across the pond. The show streams Thursdays at 5 pm EST on Acorn TV.

Follow Soap Dirt first for the latest updates on Doc Martin.