Caroline Todd (Green Wing character)

Dr. Caroline Todd
First appearance	Caroline's First Day
Last appearance	The Special
Portrayed by	Tamsin Greig
Information
Gender	Female
Occupation	Surgical registrar
Title	Doctor

Dr. Caroline Todd is the main character in the British sitcom Green Wing, and is played by Tamsin Greig. Caroline is the new surgical registrar at East Hampton Hospital; she arrives for her first day of work in the very first episode, after having spent all night in her car.^[1]

Her main feature is that she is often awkward and constantly being embarrassed. Sometimes it is by her fellow members of staff, but most of the time it is due to her own bad luck. This is somewhat ironic, as she is arguably the most "normal" character in Green Wing. She works mostly with surgeon "Mac" Macartney and anaesthetist Dr. Guy Secretan. Caroline is a popular character amongst fans of Green Wing, and was once voted the character most male Green Wing fans would like to date.^[2]

History

In the beginning of the series, Caroline seems attracted to both Guy and Mac, but falls for Mac. She eventually wins his affection, despite competition from physiotherapist Lady Emily "Emmy" Lewis Westbrook and liaison officer Sue White. However, when Mac is knocked unconscious after a crash in an ambulance and ends up in a coma, he loses his memory of the last 24 hours before the crash, and parts of the eight weeks before (Caroline's first eight weeks in the hospital) are patchy. Thus he has forgotten their relationship, forcing Caroline to start all over again.^[3]

Her relationship with the other members of staff differs. Sue White hates Caroline for stealing Mac, the man she obsesses over and stalks; Sue attempts to murder Caroline on several occasions.^[3][4] Senior registrar in paediatrics Dr. Angela Hunter becomes Caroline's lodger in a house belonging to Caroline's brother.^[5] Their relationship is difficult: Caroline hates Angela for being so perfect, and although Angela usually acts friendly and helpful towards Caroline, she often does so in a subtly undermining way. They once had a major falling out after Angela accused Caroline of stealing her underwear.^[6] Angela left the hospital to pursue an acting career, and later died in an accident.^[7]

Angela's replacement was Holly Hawkes (Angela told Holly the post was about to become vacant). Holly was Mac's girlfriend for six years but - based on dialogue in series one - the relationship broke down when she aborted their child because it would affect her career. With the return of Holly, Caroline feared that Mac might fall in love with Holly again. Although Holly claimed she no longer loved Mac, it was later shown that she dyed her son's hair to fool Mac into thinking he was the father and hoped to rekindle their relationship that way.^[8] After Angela's departure, Guy (who has been trying to add Caroline to his list of sexual conquests since their first meeting), becomes Caroline's new lodger. During this time, Guy begins to fall in love with Caroline.^[9]

Caroline appears to get on pretty well with most other members of the staff. Junior doctor Martin Dear is in love with her, and constantly tries to seek her affections; however Caroline sees him as just a friend. Harriet Schulenburg in the human resources department once helped her get a pen-top out of her nose.^[10] Consultant radiologist Alan Statham once embarrassed her over the telephone, when he telephoned human resources director Joanna Clore, telling her that he was having sex with Dr. Todd at that moment, however he was unaware that Caroline was in Joanna's office, he was on speakerphone, and as a result, Caroline heard every word.^[11]

In the last episode of series 2, Caroline receives wedding proposals from Guy, Martin, and almost gets one from Mac, who instead asks her to move in with him. She turns down Martin's offer, even though he has hired his own cheerleaders to help him. She considers Guy's offer, and accepts Mac's before he's quite made it. Later that day she gets a message (via model train), telling her to meet someone at the station. Thinking it is from Mac, she goes to the station, but it is Guy who shows up. As a result, she accepts Guy's proposal of marriage.^[12] However, in the special, Guy, as a noble gesture, pushes Caroline to marry Mac because they love each other. At the wedding, Caroline and Mac do manage to get married despite some interruptions, but when Caroline is given several helium balloons to hold she starts to float away into the air, which is where the special and thus the series ends.^[7]

Caroline's personal life is probably the best known of the characters. She has made very little effort towards her retirement, claiming that she has no pension.^[13] As a child, her parents refused her many toys, including a remote-control car and a model-train set.^[4][12] There was a time when she was thirteen where she did not get along with anyone. It is also known that she used to study hard, claiming that homework was the centre of her universe before alcohol.^[6] Her parents are still alive, and both call her "Dr. Todd".^[14] Apart from a brother, she has a sister who lives in a tower block in London.^[15] In one deleted scene, she says that she has a niece she used to read to.^[16]

Caroline likes parties, drinking, playing poker (often getting the playing cards mixed with a tarot set) and is learning to play the flute.^[5][15] She also likes to have baths with lots of bubble-bath, moulding the bubbles into the shapes of breasts.^[4] She is rather security conscious, and often carries mace to protect herself (she once accidentally attacked Martin, after he pretended to be an armed robber).^[17] Her favourite thing in the world is the freesia flower.^[11] She has a pet cat, although she has no idea where it came from.^[14] Her left hand goes magnetic whenever there is a full moon for reasons that have never been fully explained.^[18] She suffers from hard toenails, and she used to smoke but has since quit (although she sometimes smokes when she needs to relax).^[14]

Relationships

Mac

When Caroline first meets Mac, they do not get on; Mac thinks she is neurotic and Caroline thinks he is rude.^[19] However, they later grow to like each other, even kissing at her housewarming party.^[10] Yet Guy, by wrongly implying that he is the nice guy and Mac is the insensitive womaniser, manages to win an afternoon date with Caroline, which unfortunately for Guy, backfires, as Caroline decides that Mac is the one she has feelings for.^[4] However, by the time she asks Mac out, he is already going out with Emmy the physiotherapist, and he is planning to move to Sheffield with her. Caroline then goes to great lengths to try to make him stay, but her attempt to tell Mac that Emmy is a crook backfires. Luckily though, Mac's attitude to the false accusation makes Emmy leave him and results in his embracing Caroline.^[19]

After the ambulance accident in which Mac falls unconscious, Caroline frequently visits Mac whilst he is in his coma, reading him articles from motorcycle magazines and playing CDs for him. When Mac wakes up it is revealed that he has amnesia and has totally forgotten their relationship.^[3] Caroline tries to make him remember, but is not helped by Guy, who tries to interfere (being blackmailed by Sue into doing so at one point). But when Boyce tells Mac that he and Caroline were actually getting on, they make up.^[9]

The relationship between Caroline and Mac is strained when Mac's ex Holly Hawkes arrives at the hospital.^[18] Although Holly says she is no longer interested in Mac, she soon reveals the existence of her four-year-old ginger-haired son Mackenzie.^[15] This revelation and Mac's reaction to it make Caroline think it might be best for Mac and Holly to raise Mackenzie together, so Caroline starts going out with Jake.^[13] When it turns out that Holly lied about Mackenzie's paternity, Caroline leaves Jake and tries to rekindle her relationship with Mac. However, at a group dinner out, Sue tells everyone she is pregnant with Mac's child, again nipping Mac and Caroline's relationship in the bud.^[8]

After Martin, Guy, and Mac discuss a patient's words of wisdom about life (find a woman to love, marry her, etc.), Martin and Guy each propose to Caroline. She tells Martin "no" and tells Guy "maybe". When Mac tries to propose to her (initially asking her if she could swap shifts, then asking if she will move in with him, but never quite managing to ask her to marry him) Caroline tells Mac that he would be the "yes". Later that day, Caroline gets a message delivered by model train to meet up at the train station. Yet Mac fails to turn up, as he has just learned from his neurologist that he is dying. Because Mac doesn't show up, disappointing her again, Caroline accepts Guy's proposal of marriage.^[12] Once they all know that Mac is dying, Guy nobly pushes Mac to marry Caroline. The series ends after their wedding celebration.^[7]

Guy

Caroline's relationship with Guy has always been rocky. On her first day at work, Guy offered Caroline the use of his flat's (non-existent) spare room, but this was actually an attempt to sleep with her, which failed.^[1] This did not stop Guy from spreading rumours to the contrary. Caroline tries to blackmail Guy to stop spreading this falsehood by threatening to tell the hospital staff something embarrassing she found out (she discovered his middle name is "Valery"). Guy however believes that Caroline knows of his one-night stand with Sue White and inadvertently reveals this to Caroline. As a result, Guy promises to stop the rumours.^[14]

In time, Caroline gets more used to Guy, even (almost) kissing him at her housewarming party.^[10] She also understands some of the problems he had as a child. Yet when Guy tries to impress Caroline during an afternoon off, it backfires, making her retreat from Guy to more closely seek out Mac.^[10] After the accident in which Mac loses his memory, Guy upsets Caroline by trying to make Mac think they are married. Sue White later forces Guy to lie to Mac about Caroline and Mac's persistent deep dislike of each other before the accident, but Mac learns the truth (that he and Caroline were getting on) from Boyce.^[9]

When Angela leaves the hospital, Guy replaces her as Caroline's lodger.^[18] During his time as her lodger, Guy becomes increasingly besotted with Caroline, and becomes jealous when Jake takes her on a date, to the extent of (successfully) throwing a Swiss army knife at Jake's head.^[13] When Caroline dumps Jake, Guy is one of three men (Mac and Martin are the others) who propose marriage to her on the same day. Caroline tells Guy she will think about it. When she goes to the train station, believing she will meet Mac, Mac fails to arrive but Guy turns up, wanting to see, "What I might have had if I were more ginger." Due to Mac's failure to turn up, Caroline accepts Guy's proposal.^[12] However, in a later act of noble selflessness, Guy pushes Mac to marry Caroline.^[7]

Sue

Caroline, like most members of staff, deeply dislikes Sue White. Caroline becomes increasingly annoyed with Sue, considering both reporting her for "meddling" and suing her for slander.^[14][15] Meanwhile, Sue hates Caroline for being attracted to Mac, especially once he seems to reciprocate that attraction. At times, Sue makes sexual advances towards Caroline (including kissing her during the housewarming party), possibly in an attempt to find out what Mac likes about her.^[10] Resenting the growing attraction between Mac and Caroline, Sue makes three unsuccessful attempts on Caroline's life: using a crossbow, trying to make her trip down a flight of stairs, and with poison.^[1][4]

When Sue gains possession of a tape of Guy and Joanna having sex, she tries to blackmail Guy into sabotaging Mac and Caroline's relationship, which has only limited success. Sue also asks Angela to break up the relationship, but this attempt also fails.^[9] Sue however does manage to temporarily halt the relationship by announcing that she is pregnant with Mac's child (having stolen his semen while he was in his coma),^[3][8] though Mac and Caroline start making progress again once Sue gives birth to a lion cub.^[12] Sue attends Caroline and Mac's wedding as a bridesmaid.^[7]

Martin

Martin is the first person Caroline speaks to at the hospital, seeing him being strangled by Angela, who is hurling abuse at him while talking about "the new girl" (Caroline).^[1] Caroline forms a strong bond with Martin; however he is much more enthusiastic about their relationship than Caroline is and rapidly starts to fall in love with her, especially after Caroline somewhat inadvertently kisses him at the housewarming party.^[10]

Martin often tries to express his love for Caroline, but problems frequently arise. He eventually gets the chance to tell her his feelings when he buys an evening with Caroline at a charity slave auction for £3,000. Yet when he pretends to be a bastard during their evening out (attempting to impress her), the plan fails, and when he tells her it was partly Mac's idea, it instead makes her feel affectionate towards Mac.^[17]

However, Martin is still very much attracted to her. After separating from Karen, he tries to make Caroline love him, even proposing marriage to her (using Karen, Kim and Rachel as his cheerleading team). Caroline turns him down, yet they remain on friendly terms,^[12] and he attends Mac and Caroline's wedding.^[7]

Angela

When Caroline first sees Angela, she is strangling Martin and saying some rather harsh things about Caroline.^[1] The relationship between them appears to be one-way, in the sense that Angela always acts friendly towards Caroline (although often in a subtly undermining way), while Caroline hates Angela for being so perfect. However they do get on amicably most of the time. For example, Angela is the only person to believe Caroline when Guy was spreading rumours about Caroline having had sex with him.^[14]

When Caroline is looking for a lodger, she hears from Boyce that Angela is looking for accommodation. Although she gets rid of the advert to stop Angela moving in, Boyce tells Angela about the room, leading to her moving in despite Caroline's lack of enthusiasm.^[5] Caroline is not only annoyed by Angela moving in, but also by Angela's boyfriend Liam and their frequent bouts of loud sex (she "meets" Liam when she brings Angela coffee one morning, discovering him and Angela in flagrante).^[20]

Sex seems to be an issue that circles around their relationship. When Angela discovers Guy's league table of all the female hospital staff members, Caroline gets angry because Angela scores higher than she does in the "arse" category.^[20] Caroline and Angela also get into a fight when Angela falsely accuses Caroline of stealing and wearing her knickers.^[6]

When a television documentary crew comes to film at the hospital, Angela ends up as the star of the show, when Caroline thought that she would be in front of the camera. Caroline becomes increasingly angry, not only by the way Angela is getting the cameras' attention (such as wiggling much more than usual as she walks) but also when Angela is given an acting job opportunity. Before Angela's departure, Caroline makes it clear she hates her; Angela replies by telling Caroline she was "the perfect girlfriend," at which point Guy has to restrain Caroline from hitting Angela.^[9]

Caroline does attend Angela's funeral.^[7] In a deleted scene, Caroline learns that in her will, Angela left Caroline her harp, something Caroline dislikes as she has no space, and even claims Angela did it deliberately to annoy her.^[21]

Jake

Caroline first meets Jake when he tries to get a cup of tea out of the vending machine. She helps him by telling him that he has to stick a finger up the machine to make the milk come out, and embarrassingly ends up wiggling her middle finger at him.^[15]

She meets Jake again after she breaks things off with Mac, in the belief that Mac should have the opportunity to focus on fatherhood with Holly. She asks Jake to make her forget about Mac, and Jake claims she is confusing reality with the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Jake however does the job, and it seems to work.^[13]

After meeting her again in the canteen, Jake asks her out. Guy overhears, and tries to stop him, but fails. When they do go out, the night goes badly: Caroline accidentally kills Jake's beloved 12-year-old tamagotchi by dropping it in a glass of wine, and Guy successfully throws a Swiss Army Knife at Jake's head.^[13] When Holly's lie about Mac being a father is revealed, Caroline breaks things off with Jake.^[8]

Other relationships

Caroline is rather friendly with Boyce, and often talks to him to about certain matters. For example, he told her that he thought Guy was the biggest scumbag in the hospital.^[14] He also attended her wedding.^[7]

Caroline does not often visit the human resources department, she is only seen there twice during the show. The first time, Angela took her there so Harriet could remove a pen-top that got stuck up Caroline's nose. As a result, she invited the entire HR staff to the housewarming party, though Harriet did not attend.^[10] The second time she visited the HR department she was in Joanna Clore's office with Joanna, Charles, and another executive called Simon. During the meeting, Dr. Alan Statham telephoned up to make Joanna jealous, by claiming that he was having sex with Dr. Todd. He went on telling his tale unaware that Caroline could hear every word over the speakerphone.^[11]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} "Caroline's First Day". Green Wing. 2004-09-03. No. 1, season 1.
2. ^ "Green Wing Poll". British Sitcom Guide. 2007-01-23. http://www.sitcom.co.uk/green_wing/poll.php. Retrieved 2007-09-08. 
3. ^ ^{a b c d} "Series 2, Episode 1". Green Wing. 2006-03-31. No. 1, season 2.
4. ^ ^{a b c d e} "Tangled Webs". Green Wing. 2004-10-15. No. 7, season 1.
5. ^ ^{a b c} "Lodgers". Green Wing. 2004-09-17. No. 3, season 1.
6. ^ ^{a b c} "Tests". Green Wing. 2004-10-08. No. 6, season 1.
7. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h} "Special". Green Wing. 2007-01-04.
8. ^ ^{a b c d} "Series 2, Episode 7". Green Wing. 2006-05-12. No. 7, season 2.
9. ^ ^{a b c d e} "Series 2, Episode 3". Green Wing. 2006-04-14. No. 3, season 2.
10. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} "Housewarming Party". Green Wing. 2004-10-01. No. 5, season 1.
11. ^ ^{a b c} "Series 2, Episode 2". Green Wing. 2006-04-07. No. 2, season 2.
12. ^ ^{a b c d e f} "Series 2, Episode 8". Green Wing. 2006-05-19. No. 8, season 2.
13. ^ ^{a b c d e} "Series 2, Episode 6". Green Wing. 2006-05-05. No. 6, season 2.
14. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} "Rumours". Green Wing. 2004-09-10. No. 2, season 1.
15. ^ ^{a b c d e} "Series 2, Episode 5". Green Wing. 2006-04-28. No. 5, season 2.
16. ^ Green Wing: The Complete First Series - Disc 1, Deleted Scenes.
17. ^ ^{a b} "Slave Auction". Green Wing. 2004-10-22. No. 8, season 1.
18. ^ ^{a b c} "Series 2, Episode 4". Green Wing. 2006-04-21. No. 4, season 2.
19. ^ ^{a b} "Emergency". Green Wing. 2004-10-29. No. 9, season 1.
20. ^ ^{a b} "Joanna's Birthday". Green Wing. 2004-09-24. No. 4, season 1.
21. ^ Green Wing Special DVD, Deleted Scenes.

External links

• Green Wing microsite biography
• British Sitcom Guide Green Wing characters