groundless speculation

I've been watching the third season of the TV show "Doc Martin" with increasing discomfort.

I'm always a bit disturbed by the choice of an "interesting" or "exotic" locale, but I could forgive that if there were an adequate story.

Plainly DM has been holding my attention, but in the third series, there was a tendency toward a simplistic device to hold the viewers attention: surprising catastrophes.

The problem I see is that this plot device runs separate from the minds of the characters.

It is disturbing when people undergo traumatic events but their personalities do not seem to change. (Call that if you will "The Melrose Place Effect".)

Thus, one character was robbed and forced to work long hours in a factory (sweat shop?)
and acquired a rare African disease.....but in the next episode was back to normal with no evident change in his personality....

There is more to say on this score, I am sure, but at this point I am a bit disturbed. Let's just say that my opinion of the creators of this series is currently not very high. It may be "absolutely bloody hilarious" as the blurb on one CD box says, but it's a bit superficial and lacking in character development. At least the southern England scene provides pretty pictures, you may say. Damn annoying, I would say...