Call The Midwife Series 13 Part 2

[PinkFrogss]

Or Call Saint Turner, as the show has really turned into.

The Vicar was married to Barbara. I miss her.

He and Trixie were engaged before that but she realised she wasn't cut out to be a Vicar's wife.

I think the problem there is Trixie is the only remaining non-nun midwife in the show, so they've established her professional competence long ago (which is why I disliked the episode showing her rushing through checking the placenta, as it was so out of character). She previously stated her desire to remain as a community midwife rather than work in a hospital where there would be promotion opportunities, so what's left to mine other than personal life drama?

My issue is that the drama is driven by whatever the plot needs that week, rather than through believable and natural character growth. Similarly last night - overall I enjoyed learning something of Miss Higgins' backstory (and I loved the actress in the scene describing how she and Krishnan began and ended) but it was too rushed to make it believable that such a private, buttoned-up person of that age and era would be opening up so quickly about something that would have been a huge stigma at the time for a young single woman, or that her son, his wife and her grandson would all be so full-on in embracing her immediately as "mother" and "granny". No awkward questions, no reserve; everyone just super-nice and super-open and super-accepting. It was another example of everything having to be seen through a modern lens - just like Junior Saint's public service broadcast about antibiotics - and was so obviously shoehorned in to tick another "unconventional mother" box in their anvilicious "we've been neglecting the wimmins a bit in favour of Saint Turner and Lord Not-So-Bountiful-Now Matthew, so better throw in a 'mothers come in all flavours' competition" episode.

Having said all that, I did enjoy last night's episode more than any other this series (although I fear that says more about the quality of the series) and I did tear up at Reggie and his biscuit tin garden.

I thought last night's episode was sickly sweet- all the loose ends tied up.

The Miss Higgins scenario would have been better played out over several episodes but then it wouldn't have tied in with the adoption theme.

It was just too much too soon.

I actually cringed during the Trixie and husband call at the end. Completely OTT.
Maybe that's partly down to her acting.

Yes. She couldn't cope with the idea of being a vicar's wife unless it was in a twee cotswold village or something. I may have imagined that.

I think it was tied in with her drinking - she thought she wouldn't be a 'suitable' Mrs Vicar as she wouldn't be a shining example to his flock.

Plus she had quite a lavish lifestyle she refused to give up and he wanted to honour his vow of poverty

Iirc it was also heavily implied that she'd be expected to give up her career to help Tom support his flock.

I’m sure Ollys glad that Trixie has followed Matthew to NY and isn’t getting a new love interest!

Tom was told in a visit by the bishop that he was being considered for a parish in a rundown part of Newcastle (not Birmingham). Trixie was horrified and said something to the bishop about wanting to bring up their future children somewhere rural. After this, she had the first proper realisation that she wouldn't just be marrying Tom, she'd be marrying "the Church" and that she didn't feel she could be the kind of vicar's wife he needed. After she broke off their engagement she was shown hitting the bottle hard, passing out drunk.

The Mrs Higgins story would have been great if it were part of a series arc.

I found it hard to get emotionally invested from "guess what I had a baby once" to "oopsy he's dead" in the space of 45 minutes.

Whereas the Sylvester story arc was overplayed - weeks of build up and essentially he was told to go away - and he did. Not quite as menacing as it was suggested he could be!

The Baby on the Bus mum needed more airtime too. That could have been a main story of its own.

I mean with her looking after her sisters kids plus hers, not just giving birth on the bus!

The Sylvester storyline was ridiculous. There was never any doubt that everyone would stand behind Joyce. Did any of us watching think for a second she was ever at real risk of losing job or reputation? Everyone was always going to have her back. What a waste of time.

That was a bit brutal killing Miss Higgins son off like that. I was sure she was going to give him a kidney. I think that would have been better & given their relationship time to develop next series. They could always have killed him off later. It seemed rushed introducing him, when there had never been the slightest hint of the story, to killing him all in one episode. I'd like to see more of Miss Higgins & Nurse Crane together they have such a lovely friendship

I hope we see more of her daughter in law & grandson on the next series. Could Poplar be about to get its first dentist?

Do we reckon the Turners will be adding to their family next series in the shape of Maes new born brother 🤔

Ok I’ve just watched an episode from series 1. Trixie is still posh but slightly higher pitched voice so none the wiser.

It was her understudy when we went to see the king & I so can’t help there.

I would have liked to see the Miss Higgins story over a few episodes. Perhaps a letter arriving from India asking if she was the Miss Higgins that was in that certain place at a certain time.
Then meeting him spending time with him and a third episode of him dying.

Probably, But it could also be argued that someone who goes by the title of "mother superior" already had the edge...😁
I'm looking forward to the Christmas episode, when Sister MJ continues to be thrilled by the acquisition of such a wondrous new device that mitigates the daily human toil, thus leaving more time for the baking of sweet repast and the enjoyment of televisual entertainment...

One of Trixie's fellas was a dentist wasn't he? The divorcee with the daughter that she gave up because having divorced parents made the daughter sad (even though his being single rather than with Trixie doesn't alter the divorce situation).

She told him to go back to his wife didn't she?

But presumably they divorced for a reason. His ex could have the ick and not want him back or she could be a serial cheat and he was sick of her behaviour. Divorced couples don't just erase their history because a new partner ends the relationship (she wasn't the OW, he was divorced when they met) and suddenly get on again - especially in the early sixties when divorce was A BIG THING.

I’ve just had a look and living kidney donation began in the UK in 1960, so it might have been possible, but I’m not sure how common it would have been by 1969, especially for someone so sick. He would have been a poor candidate for any sort of surgery given he was already in heart failure. I suspect they might not attempt it even today.

Loved the idea of giving Miss H that back story but they over-egged it with his death. Too soapy. Why not just have him return to India?

Hopefully, the grandson will visit her for the Christmas hol.

Still not convinced that anyone in social services in 1969 would’ve given a hoot about May’s mother’s opinion. White British women were having their babies forcibly removed in closed adoptions, surely Chinese folks would’ve been treated the same or worse. Nobody cared about how young birth mothers felt.

Definitely the best ep of a fairly bad bunch.

If they needed to get someone unconnected in to translate the phone call from May’s mother, how have they been communicating so far?
Also, what if the nun had just made it all up?

To be perfectly honest, I’ve never warmed to her character. I find her unlikeable.
Hated it when she used to keep calling patients ‘sweetie’ 😬

Whoops that’s Trixie i
meant to say!