MovieChat Forums > Doctor Foster (2016) Discussion > what Dr F did to her son

what Dr F did to her son

posted 9 years ago by chillbill
10 replies | jump to latest

I am definitely not on the husbands side here (he needs his balls chopping) but I'm amazed that no one on here has commented on what she put the son through in the final episode. I really felt for him it was like a tutorial on how not to break a divorce to your children.
It made me lose sympathy for her and re enforced some of the suggestions throughout that she was very aloof and self centred.
Having said that I did find the scene where she was at his office watching then outside gut renin. I really felt her pain - but don't take it out on the kid - grab the bloke by the balls!

[–] torchwood1963 9 years ago

To me it felt like Tom was being used as the pawn in her game to get back at Simon. She knew that whatever happened to Simon and her. Simon would not want to lose his connection with his son.

That scene near towards the end with Tom and her and she grabs the scissors. The scene then cuts, was it to make the viewer think, she has finally lost her marbles?

The final confrontations with Simon making him think that she had harmed Tom. She let him think the worse and she pushed him too far??? Cannot remember the exact wording but something along the lines of “Now you know how it feels????” Then at some point he grabs her head and smashes it into the window.

That was cruel and very self fish from her point and I actually hated the character then.

Look upward... and share the wonders I have seen, John Crichton, Farscape

[–] thetruejazzman 9 years ago

No, she had to do that otherwise he would have lied to social services to get sole custody the *beep* bastard scum

[–] MissMumbles 8 years ago

No excuse, it was a horrible way to break it to Tom, but maybe it was what Simon's mum had been talking about - Simon doing what his father did to her, etc - that in a messed up way, Gemma was trying to show Tom it is not okay ( break the cycle )

[–] Beethovens100 8 years ago

She never actually physically harmed the boy.

Yeah she dumped him over to the girlfriends house on the way to be dropped off to school but what else did she really do to harm him?

Everything else was Simon's own behaviour reflected back at Simon. He was the one who had an affair for 2 years, forged her signature on a mortgage document which meant that if the shady business deal had failed all of them would have lost their home. He was the one who had pretended that Gemma had somehow hurt Tom and told her colleagues this. Even they weren't sure who to believe despite working with Gemma for years. Problem is that she did threaten the boyfriend of her patient.

She simply pretended that she actually hurt Tom as Simon was suggesting, a lie, and played him so well at his own game. He couldn't handle being lied to or manipulated.

[–] Flyingskunk 8 years ago

No excuse, it was a horrible way to break it to Tom,

Was it really? Simon could of gone home with his wife after "the dinner party", argued, talked... whatever... and by the morning had a game plan where he and Gemma (or just him) had a talk with Tom.

But noooooooooo.....Simon make THE CHOICE to go and spend the night with his mistress. Even AFTER Gemma said something to the effect of "home is where your SON is and I would think you'd like to have a talk with him".

Simon still make the choice... to go with his mistress. An incredibly self-center thing to do (even trying to have sex with the girl the next morning!).

Sending your child to his father and making him man up and confess to his child is hardly horrible. He rang a door bell.. Gemma didn't break in.. and then tell Tom to go upstairs to the bed room to catch them.

Even when Tom asked what was going on... Simon STILL lied. Which made no sense, because the kid was going to find out sooner or later.

No matter how you break it your kid.. he or she is going to be hurt. Gemma gave him more than enough chances to have a talk with Tom. Even when sending him to the door.. she was STILL giving Simon the chance be the one to tell him. The problem with children in Western nations is that they are not allowed to FACE REALITY nearly as much as other children are in other parts of the world. We want to "shield" them.. and we end up with weak, spoiled, adults who never know how to cope with many of life's tragic facts.

[–] Flyingskunk 8 years ago

I've put some thought in this.. and it occurred to me: Thee is a difference between going out of your way to bad mouth a child's father... and NOT shielding a child from the truth.

The fact is, her husband had every chance to tell the truth (to the son).. but he didn't.

You can only really love someone when you truly see who they are... other wise.. you are loving an illusion.

Funny thing is, kids bounce back from things better than adults..finding out what your father (or mother) did years later and that everyone was lying to you would piss you off more. (It did me).

[–] cookiela2001 8 years ago

I am definitely not on the husbands side here (he needs his balls chopping) but I'm amazed that no one on here has commented on what she put the son through in the final episode. I really felt for him it was like a tutorial on how not to break a divorce to your children.

Mmmmmmm....I respected her. Maybe it's not how I would break it to a child, but it worked for her.

And the heroine didn't necessarily bad mouth the father to their son...it's not like she said, "Go in there and say hello to your cheating bastard father and daddy's little whore!"

Gemma was actually quite dignified throughout most of it, really.

.

[–] sooperklew 8 years ago

I have a similar moral dilemma in my own life. Do i tell my daughter that her mother was drinking when she was pregnant and the only way i could get her to stop was having her thrown in jail for the last 4 months of the pregnancy? When i highly suspect she heard a version of the story where i am the villain?

[–] kuntext 8 years ago

I have a similar moral dilemma in my own life. Do i tell my daughter that her mother was drinking when she was pregnant and the only way i could get her to stop was having her thrown in jail for the last 4 months of the pregnancy? When i highly suspect she heard a version of the story where i am the villain?

That you are asking about this on an entertainment message board strongly suggests that you are in need of professional guidance. They can talk to you about the age of the child and safe ways of communicating. They can help you with uncovering your motivation... as written, it sounds like you are all about you. Professionals can educate you about the disease of alcoholism and what loving someone with that illness looks and sounds like.

There are free, online chats you can have with professionals so perhaps start there. Best of luck to all of you.

~~~ "Thinking" involves a lot more work than simply "having a thought"! ~~~

[–] liscarkat (17042) 4 years ago

This POS had his wife jailed for the last four months of her pregnancy? I hope she divorced his worthless ass.