At long last, Humphrey and Martha are getting married.
It’s all systems go for Humphrey and Martha in Beyond Paradise season 2. Not only are they on the road to becoming foster parents, having just survived the dreaded home visit, they now also have a shotgun (sort of) wedding to look forward to.
When we first caught up with the couple in the show’s debut season, more than seven years after Humphrey declared his love for Martha in the middle of a London restaurant, we learned that he had, in the interim, ‘put a ring on it’, to quote Beyoncé.
And after very nearly going their separate ways in the finale when the strain of an unsuccessful IVF run created a substantial gulf between them, the pair fought for one another and were, in time, able to piece their relationship back together.
“Now that they’ve both settled, they’re in a good place,” Sally Bretton told RadioTimes.com and other press before season 2 arrived. “They’re not going through the mill like they were in that first season.”
Kris Marshall went on to discuss the “togetherness and the strength of Humphrey and Martha as a couple”, which was “part of the attraction of doing the spin-off in the first place”.
“They’re a very good match, and they don’t have expectations of each other, they just let each other exist,” he explained. “They’re very strong because of that.
“And their relationship is not without challenges, and it’s certainly not the most orthodox relationship at times, but they are a brilliant couple and they have a lot of fun, and that really comes through in this season.
“They’re a lot more settled now and turning their focus to where they can help other people.”
But it wasn’t until the social worker raised the question of marriage that Humphrey or Martha considered actually tying the knot anytime soon, which doesn’t exactly scream romance.
Humphrey booking their wedding, which is happening in just a few weeks, without first consulting Martha – news which was sprung on her immediately after a rather frosty conversation with her mum – feeds into that further.
“What Hannah said, about us not being married, got me thinking,” he said. “Why aren’t we? What’s stopping us?”
“I don’t know,” she responded. “We just haven’t gotten around to it, I guess.”
On paper, it all sounds so flat and functional, like they’re deciding whether to have decking installed in Anne’s garden, or whether they should give the boat a makeover.
Humphrey then accidentally handed Martha a document detailing their upcoming log burner service, before quickly swapping it for details about their nuptials.
Again, it all sounds deeply naff and horribly unromantic. But in the moment, Humphrey’s gesture, performed with such sincerity by Marshall, was far more romantic than it had any right to be.
‘Smooth’ and ‘assertive’ aren’t words typically associated with Humphrey Goodman, but he ticked both of those boxes in that instance, while still being his usual sweet, goofy self (it wouldn’t be a quintessential Humphrey gesture without an unintentional comedy blunder thrown in there).
And while it wasn’t exactly ‘orthodox’, neither are they, as previously noted by Marshall, so who needs conventional anyway?
It’s also worth noting that after two previous seismic gestures – Humphrey abandoning his life in Saint Marie for Martha, and his wife-to-be tracking down the detective in the Caribbean in a last-ditch attempt to save their relationship – the understated nature of this moment, which still somehow managed to be utterly perfect and idyllic, was exactly the right fit for the duo.
And the fact that Humphrey knew instinctively what Martha not only wanted but needed without her having to say a word also showcases how in sync they are with one another.
Read more:
- Beyond Paradise’s Kris Marshall defends show: ‘It’s hard to bring together’
- Who was Dave Thacker? Beyond Paradise dedication explained
But more than that, this isn’t just about their relationship, it’s also about becoming parents. Marriage is undoubtedly a huge commitment, deepening their ties to one another both emotionally and legally, but welcoming a child, possibly more than one, into their lives is both the ultimate responsibility and a display of complete devotion to one another.
And that’s heightened when you consider that for some time, not being able to conceive a child not only signalled the end of their parenting journey, but their relationship altogether.
And yet, here we find them, more unified than ever, as they step into the greatest shared challenge of their lives.
Humphrey’s proposal should have been a damp squib, but it was more far more romantic and fitting than we could ever have anticipated.
Beyond Paradise season 2 continues on Friday 12th April on BBC One and iPlayer.
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