After watching the scene early in Episode 8, when Louisa asked Martin if they were still on for dinner and Martin gave her an agenda, many of us wondered when Martin and Louisa had arranged said dinner. Here are one writer's thoughts as to how that dinner to discuss the state of their marriage may have come about.
Chapter One
"Oh James, what are we going to do about your Daddy?" I stood over the cot where my beautiful son, our beautiful son, lay sleeping, and as I had so many nights over the past several months, tried to make sense of the troubles that plagued his father and me. I thought that we had made progress over the past month in our couple's therapy, but now Dr. Timoney would no longer be able to help us. Martin had sent her off to hospital and it would be some time before her brain had healed enough for her to resume her practice.
When Martin dropped me at the door of the surgery, after we had seen Dr. Timoney off in the ambulance, he told me that he couldn't go on living like this anymore, and that we needed to decide what we were going to do about James and everything. I immediately assumed that he was trying to say that we should split up. I told him that I understood and that perhaps Dr. Timoney was right, that we weren't accepting things. We left it there and said good-night, but I couldn't help thinking about that brief conversation. Over and over I replayed it in my mind. Dr. Timoney said that sometimes what we want, which is to reconcile, isn't what we need. I was pretty sure that she was hinting that we should divorce. In our session, Martin was adamant that we should stay together and he assured me as we were leaving her office that she just wanted us to make a list and that we needed to see the process through. But his words last night made me think otherwise.
The list, which I still hadn't made, was supposed to itemize the possible advantages of being single. I had tried to make that list, but hadn't been able to come up with anything. I'm sure there must be some advantages, but really? What could they be? No more clashes with Martin about the dinner menu, no more disapproving looks from Martin about the mess in the kitchen or my clothes lying on the bedside chair, no more frustration about his obsessive need to tidy things up? Those are the kinds of disagreements all married couples have, aren't they? Not something over which to divorce.
I wondered if Martin had made his list yet. He hadn't a few nights ago when we discussed it. Martin was right, we needed to discuss everything and make a decision as to how we will go on. I finally decided that I should invite Martin over for dinner so we could have that talk, no matter how painful that conversation might be. It was time.