Call the Midwife

[Toddlerteaplease]

Well this is boring.

I’m watching SMJ in the Death Watcher (Shades of Fear) from 1971.

Despite the fact she is sporting a Barnet that Mrs T would have coveted, she is a striking lass with absolutely amazing flawless skin.

I am properly jealous.

Sorry. Shadows of fear.

I was distracted by a burnt orange polo neck.

No teal to be seen.

i was watching the meths drinker in hospital and pondering that they should given him bad teeth

@NewModelArmyMayhem18

Sister MJ is just about my favourite character!

She was very good early on. Confused at times but also well educated, interesting, insightful.

Now she mainly says weird cryptic things that might be wise and provides what is supposed to be comic relief.

I think that Mrs Dr T is trying to get us ready for when Dr T cures Alzheimers. Hence getting Sister MJ to be dotty but still meaningful and full of knowledge.

I fully expect a photo coming to Poplar of him at the Moon Landing launch in a couple of series.

I agree Dr Turner is becoming far too saintly now. That smile is so annoying.

He’ll probably be giving Matthew kissing lessons next week.

@NewModelArmyMayhem18

Sister MJ is just about my favourite character!

Mine too.

We need to see a darker side to Dr Turner. We've seen it with a lot of the other characters. He never so much as raises his voice to anyone (which I'm sure isn't realistic!).

A darker side?

He took that foot home for his supper.

Sheila finished it off in her Pyrex dish with some onions and a swede.

@Clawdy

I agree Dr Turner is becoming far too saintly now. That smile is so annoying.

Absolutely, and the way he puts his head to the side too.

It's the Patronising Patrick ' sigh, head tilt, hand spread, mansplain' action that grinds me.

'Shelagh, I appreciate your input, but I don't think you really know how periods work' '

Tim: 'Mum...how exactly was dad murdered with a stick of celery?'

Agree about Dr Turner. At least in the earlier episodes he was occasionally typical of the time. To Nurse Lee when she was seeing a a patient: "Nurse, there is no ashtray in my office". [expectant pause to make sure she runs off to fetch one]

Now he's like a saint. And somehow less likeable for it!

@WhosThatBehindTheFlask

Agree about Dr Turner. At least in the earlier episodes he was occasionally typical of the time. To Nurse Lee when she was seeing a a patient: "Nurse, there is no ashtray in my office". [expectant pause to make sure she runs off to fetch one]

Now he's like a saint. And somehow less likeable for it!

None of them are particularly realistic of the era they are in imo

Perhaps the receptionist

@NewModelArmyMayhem18

We need to see a darker side to Dr Turner. We've seen it with a lot of the other characters. He never so much as raises his voice to anyone (which I'm sure isn't realistic!).

Well there's the sex dungeon in thier house.

I felt Dr Patronising was in mansplaining overdrive this week. Wouldn't surprise me is 50% of Sunday's script was dedicated to it.

Just watched it and the social distancing was particularly bad this week. As well as the ridiculous kiss, we had:

• Fred rushing to Sister Julienne's aid when she stumbled but rather than helping to steady her, he just picked up her bike and kept well back while she nearly fell over

• Shelagh visiting Sister Julienne when she was in bed and sitting awkwardly on a chair halfway across the room

• Dr Mansplain, Fred and Nancy went looking for Bernard and commented how Fred was needed because it was dangerous, but they were walking far apart from each other in a weird triangle shape. I was hoping Dr Smug would get picked off in the style of a horror film.

• The distanced triangle also featured in the photo of Julie (?) with her baby, her new husband and her mum.

None of them are particularly realistic of the era they are in imo

Perhaps the receptionist

They were much more so in the early seasons when they were still following the books. Very down to earth, practical, they were just like religious sisters I've met that work with disadvantaged populations, very accepting and understanding of human frailty while also pretty fierce in their faith. And the lay midwives also seemed pretty realistic.

Yes I think now they are t following the books it doesn’t ring true anymore. I met someone yesterday who had been asked to write for the show. She’s a young person without a great deal of life experience. I wonder if this is the problem. Lack of continuity with different writers, some of them with little historical perspective or life experience.

Ha to the notion of the Turners having a sex dungeon!

Everything is almost seen through a rose-tinted lens, I'd say? Even the tragic stories seem to have some type of uplifting conclusion. A lot of houses/flats in the 60s would have been really cold (I'm not sure that central heating would necessarily have been standard even in the new builds) - do you ever so much as see anyone shiver and complain about the cold?

They all look immaculately turned out all the time too. Apart from the ‘poor people’ of course.

@UnicornsReal I agree. Lots of immaculate nylon/crimplene on display t

Yes, and the girls always have trendy frocks.
In 1967 I was wearing my elder sisters hand me downs, so my dresses weren’t swirly patterned shifts, but had bodices, gathered skirts etc.

For a supposedly poor part of London, all the women are very, very up to date with the latest trends. And Trixie always dresses like she is a good ten years younger than her actual age.

Not sure why the younger men all seem to adopt nylon jumpers in shades of beige and have brylcremed hair.

In the late 60s Trixie would almost be regarded as middle-aged and unlikely to be such an 'on trend' dresser, I wouldn't have thought. Although if she has a private income to top up her meagre midwife's salary perhaps Paris styles wouldn't be beyond her.

A lot of the children and adults would have been in home-made/knitted clothes, too.

@NewModelArmyMayhem18

In the late 60s Trixie would almost be regarded as middle-aged and unlikely to be such an 'on trend' dresser, I wouldn't have thought. Although if she has a private income to top up her meagre midwife's salary perhaps Paris styles wouldn't be beyond her.

A lot of the children and adults would have been in home-made/knitted clothes, too.

Doesn’t Trixie have a rich godmother who buys her all the latest trends or something like that?

Yes think godmother gives her clothing allowance so she always looks much more well off than she should be.