Call the Midwife

[ilovecarbs90]

Is back 18th April. I'm so glad we are getting a series this year, I find it such great escapism.

Is anyone else a fan?

@stumbledin

I saw a brief write up saying CTM takes on feminism? ie looking at social changes about women becoming more independent.

Though if it still has that slushy music throughout I wont be watching.

Maybe they will achieve cheesy feminism.

The music is driving me mad! I love call the midwife and have watched it from day one, but I'm going to have to stop as I can't hear what the actors are saying. I'm a little deaf as well.

@Girliefriendlikespuppies

I'm so happy ctm is back!

Dr Turner was as annoying as ever, when he was rude to Sister Julienne I could have slapped him - how dare he speak to her like that!!

Really hope Lucille and Cyril get married ASAP, they are cute together.

Elderflower I'm so sorry for your loss 💐

I thought the storyline was handled sensitively and I'm glad the couple had time with the baby, my Grandmother had a son who died at birth and he was whisked away. She never recovered from not being able to see him 😢

I found the constant soppy music humming in the background off putting, do they normally have that going? It's the first time I've noticed it!

My GM had a stillborn baby pretty close to 1966. Afaik she didn't even know if they were a boy or a girl, never mind got to spend time with them. :(

She had Alzheimer's, and right through my pregnancies she reminded me constantly that a pregnancy does not equal a live baby :( :(

Elderflower, I'm so sorry

Elderflower I am so very sorry for you. I never know what to write because it all feels very hollow.

I am so over Lucille and Cyril. She looks at him like she wants to stuff a potato in his mouth to stop him talking. I do reckon there's going to be some premarital hanky panky there though.
Very sad storyline but good to see the difficult things being shown, especially the friend crossing the street.

Yes Dalamalama - that wretched music

I remember the early CTM and am sure it didnt have that silly music.

Its like they dont believe enough in it themselves that they have to have this orchestrated feeling.

it ruins it.

in the early days they easily went from real sorrow and tradegy to laughter without this stupidity.

It means I no longer take it seriously.

I know they do a lot of research and are very keen on each episode having a message or historical fact, but I cant take it seriously.

Cant help wondering if another writer wouldn't be better now that is no longer based on the actual books.

(Smug doctor would be angry about private money as he is so principled that not only does he believe in the national health, but believes it should be properly funded. If he is not on a soapbox he isn't happy. And his wife no longer has a character, she is just his little echo. Yuk!)

I thought I would give it another go and see if they had gotten out of their B movie style but apparently not.

Is there any other tv series where they play annoying background music thoughtout?

@Maireas

She's lost her faith

Thanks @Maireas. I think I zoned out at that point. I knew as soon as they said the dad had been in the army then doctor Turner said he was worried it was thalidomide that it might be something to do with radiation poisoning from his army days.

She was talking about "the long, dark night of the soul" with Fred Buckle, which all got a bit existentialist.

Was the glimpse of two small girls in school uniform the Doc's daughters? Definitely prep school by the look of those straw boaters! Ooh, Doc, thought you were a socialist!

Socialist in the tweets but not in the sheets? Effectively 😂

@Clawdy

Was the glimpse of two small girls in school uniform the Doc's daughters? Definitely prep school by the look of those straw boaters! Ooh, Doc, thought you were a socialist!

I missed that!

I’m way it now on iplayer. I cried

It’s been a while since we had a deceased baby though.

Thankyou for your kind messages. Ds1 was Jack. He was born 26 weeks into my pregnancy... He had a brain haemmorage after he was born so we had to make the decision to let him go... I held him at the end. 😔 😔 😔
I was put back on a private room in the middle of the ward after having him so I could really identify with the Mum hearing the crying through the wall.
I was lucky enough to get pregnant again afterwards and had excellent care from my GP and gynaecologist. I have to say I didn't enjoy being pregnant the second time as I was terrified it would happen again. I developed pre eclampsia towards the end and had to have bed rest..
Ds2 is 24 now and a bit of a MN legend. ☺

Elderflower
.........

Soubriquet, I was thoroughly choked up too.

Did you notice the Turners' two girls in school uniform? I must have blinked when that was shown.

I did. They were banging their bags together right at the very beginning

Annabel Apsion who plays Lucille is such a lovely woman. She does this hands on therapy called 'Rosen Method' which I had with her a few times; it's a somatic healing method.

I think she's a good character. I love the way she says "Fred Buckle!".

She plays Violet actually, sorry! My brain is mush after work today!

@Soubriquet

I did. They were banging their bags together right at the very beginning

I will have to watch the beginning again.

Elderflower, I hope it's helping you to remember little Jack. He'll always be your child

I'm pretty certain some lines were 《insert contemporary reference here》
"I'll have two spoons of nescafe"
"Will the World Cup ever be found?"

There were more and each so carefully placed - I cringed every time!

When Sr Julienne came to stay with the bereaved parents, Dr Smug said "it doesn't cost anything!" and I thought, you giant arse.

@Clawdy

Was the glimpse of two small girls in school uniform the Doc's daughters? Definitely prep school by the look of those straw boaters! Ooh, Doc, thought you were a socialist!

I went to a state primary in London in the 1970s/80s. We didn’t have boaters (we didn’t even have uniform), but at least two of the other local state primary schools did.

Anyone else just thoroughly sick of Sr Monica Joan? For the last few series I have found every scene with her almost unwatchable.

Did people ever really talk in those clipped ways?

I am, DeusEx. I'm also very irritated by Trixie and that silly voice. It seemed to vary quite a lot in the last episode in terms of poshness.

My Mum had a stillborn girl in the mid 60's. She was taken away almost immediately.
It haunted my Mum (I was born well over a decade later) and she opened up to me about it when I was in my 20's. I did some research and managed to find the spot where all stillborn babies from that month were buried in the local cemetery. Finally, all those years later she was able to put flowers on a grave. She even put a little cross on there with the name she'd always called her and visited regularly until she died. It finally brought her some peace.