Call the Midwife...or the Turners?

[Maireas]

I noticed that the last thread was full, so I hope no-one minds that I've started a new one!

@Samcro

the social distancing is daft. why could they not do what other shows do, even the sewing one has overcome this.

Most dramas are done with social distancing. I imagine they are over a far longer period than the ones like Sewing Bee.

I’m currently watching so haven’t got to Sister Juliennes personality change but yes, she was professional with the lady who sold her curtains for an abortion and petitioned hard for the prisoner to get a job and a place so she could keep her baby.

Gosh talk about a 360 from Sister Julienne

In the beginning she was incredibly understanding and a kind woman. She held no judgement on anyone even if it meant a brother and sister being a couple.

However as the series has gone on, her judgy pants were getting yanked higher and higher. The first time I really saw it was when the pill was introduced. She was disgusted by the idea.

And now, she’s doing this. She needs to go back to the old julienne

We haven't seen the Mother Superior yet have we? I'm sure I read an interview with MM where she mentioned filming for this series.

@SpindleWhorl

Nancy said 'a couple of the nuns who were on my side ...' had arranged the London orphanage'. Which seems terribly far-fetched, given what we know about Catholic nuns in Ireland circa ?1946.

I think you are absolutely right, @SpindleWhorl - it seems vanishingly unlikely that Irish Catholic nuns of that period would have been so understanding.

I just hope Sister Julienne doesn't destroy this poor girl's whole career over one mistake.

shocking that unmarried mothers would not be allowed to train to be nurses,
i remember a story about a teacher who had to leave the job.
terrible

I thought perhaps Miss Higgins would turn out to be speaking the wrong language or an old style language

I thought Miss Higgins would turn out to be General Dyer in drag.
"when I talked of the Punjab, I forgot to say my whereabouts at the Amritsar Massacre"

@OnlyTheLangOfTheTitberg

I was fully expecting it to be revealed that Miss Higgins was actually saying to the Indian women “my polar bear is under the wardrobe” or similar.

I think she was saying “Watch out for the Irish one, the Caribbean one’s good, the young nun is keen but needs a bit of experience.”

@bendmeoverbackwards

I haven't been overly impressed with this series. It lacks something somehow, can't quite put my finger on it.

Nor me. I used to cry at some point in every episode. My eyes have remained dry throughout this series.

I watched the second episode of Three Families straight afterwards and was crying at that.

I miss Valerie, Patsy and Delia, and Sister Thingy Cynthia, and where are Sisters Winifred and Hilda?

Cyril looked less skinny on Sunday night, I thought. Suits him.

oh just seen the polar bear discussion already been had

love it

unlike this series, although this episode was far better, it does feel like propaganda .

@Taswama

I watched the second episode of Three Families straight afterwards and was crying at that.

God yes. That made me cry too.

I still feelangry about Nancy.
And about how in 1966, 55 years ago, abortion was legalised in the UK, but still isn't universal in practice.

Maybe MM will come in next week to remind Sr Julienne what compassion is.

I also miss Valerie, and Patsy and Barbara sob

but we still have the lovely phyllis

@AbsolutelyPatsy

but we still have the lovely phyllis

Yes, love her. I'd like her to have a stronger storyline. Dd said she should have a lesbian affair with Miss Higgins

I definitely think Nurse Crane and Miss Higgins should retire together to a modest but immaculate semi-detached Edwardian villa in Southend-on-Sea, to be companionate and nosey.

Rather like Poirot and son ami Capt Hastings.

They could sleuth as a hobby. And have visits from deranged nuns with mysterious problems, like The Case of the Missing Legume.

And Trixie could flee to them when Mr Aylward turns out to be an aficionado of the Kinks, the absolute brute.

I to am not feeling it with this series and I’ve got all the others on dvd but if I buy this it will because I was born this year.

@Aroundtheworldin80moves

I still feelangry about Nancy. And about how in 1966, 55 years ago, abortion was legalised in the UK, but still isn't universal in practice.

It was legalised in Parliament in 1967 but the legislation came into effect the following year. Even then it was incredibly hard to persuade two doctors that it would cause you huge psychiatric damage to carry the pregnancy to term. Different times.

I think that SJ has been made less sympathetic over time towards issues because the Turners (and everyone else) are collectively so extra nice and sympathetic about every issue, far ahead of their time really, that the programme wouldn't be representative of the time in which it is set without someone representing differing views.

Even then, SJ isn't strongly against things as such, she's the murmuring voice of dissent, representative of the louder voices in society of which there would have been many. It would be very unrealistic if there wasn't anyone disagreeing (or at least not 100% agreeing) with the very progressive attitudes of (all?) the other characters of the time it was set. If there wasn't any opposing views, it might give the impression there were no real opposing views at all from society, which would be a bit of an injustice to those who struggled against them in a very real way at the time.

Nancy herself voiced strong opinions on the abortion issue even though she may have felt the fear of being pregnant in less than ideal circumstances herself.

I felt with the Nancy storyline that SJ would have preferred to be given the full information about her charges in advance, rather than finding out about it after the event and that's what drove her reaction. She was disappointed in the deception of the organisers in Nancy's situation in advance as much as/rather than Nancy herself.

@FricasseeTurnips

We had the subtitles on and the first time they talked about the Abortion Reform Act the subtitles said "the John Peel Abortion Reform" which made me go Luckily then it went back to David Steel.

I’m sure they said John Peel. Dh and I both commented.

Would like to put things right regarding Nancy, I did my paediatric nursing 1962-1967 (yes I am ancient) in a children's hospital actually very near to Poplar and a very good friend had a baby adopted when she was 16. She was allowed to do her training.