peggy06
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Posts posted by peggy06
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54 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:
I watched the PBS version of this episode, and didn't particularly like it. Then I read the recap with scenes that I don't remember seeing, and it would have made a world of difference in this episode.
Barbara's dying didn't bring the waterworks for me at all. I was spoiled, but that usually doesn't matter--I cry at the same shit over and over all the time.
For example, I don't remember a scene where Phyllis comes into her room wrangling laundry and Lucille asks Phyllis to pray with her, and Phyllis politely declines. Or a scene where she gets in her car and almost loses it. And the death scene--the recap says Tom was saying stuff to Barbara and then Phyllis came in and told him to talk to her because she can hear him, and he launched into the psalm. I don't remember the stuff before the psalm. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, because I need to know if I was just being inattentive.
And it matters because Barbara's death scene fell flat for me, and it might be because of the editing. I like Phyllis the best of the three who were there, and without the "missing" scenes I mentioned, her part just fell flat. It seemed off that Phyllis would complete the psalm for him. For one, I'm not sure that as nonbeliever, she would have it memorized that well. Lord knows I said thousands of Hail Marys in my day, but I couldn't recite it now if my life depended on it. The Our Father? Sure, although I'm not sure I'd be confident doing a solo in front of an audience.
Phyllis is not a believer, but that doesn't mean she wasn't brought up in a church. And Psalm 23 is one of the most famous passages in the Bible, constantly being quoted. In previous episodes, it's seemed that Phyllis was respectful toward others' faith even though she rejected it for herself. I thought it was right in character for her, and also very moving, that she joined in when Tom couldn't continue.
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This recently arrived on Netflix, so I just watched it. Even with a couple of missteps, I enjoyed it far more than last season's Christmas special. It was almost like old-school CtM.
The Tillerson story was dicey. Actually, like someone else above, I was expecting a more predictable storyline of the bereaved, dependent widow. When Mrs. Tillerson said her husband always controlled everything in his life, but he couldn't control his death - and added "And I was glad!" I sat up straight. Not going the way I expected, for sure. Sister Julienne's dawning horror as the story came out was very well done. Actually that whole scene was very good. But when the daughter told her side, things got a little iffy. I think it's correct for the times as well as her vocation that Sister Julienne would have urged a reconciliation. But to a modern audience more aware of the issues at hand, it strikes a wrong note. I do think Sister J. handled it's about as well as could be expected. She didn't push too hard, and she left with words of praise for how Anthea had lived her life. This being the Christmas special, I knew Anthea would show up at the party. It was pat, and uncomfortable, but I actually think the actress playing Anthea did a nice job of showing that discomfort and some reservation. The whole plot was helped along for me because Sister Julienne had a featured role. That's part of what made it seem like the old CtM.
The still birth story was a real stretch, but fitting as a "Christmas miracle" in this type of episode. I expect shows are wary of going too extreme for Christmas eps after the Downton Abbey backlash. I was tipped off by the water bottle in the bag, and then the camera kept lingering on the bag, so I was pretty sure the baby was going to start crying. But they sure let us hang long enough. Trixie's announcement was absurd and made no sense. Val should have been the one to tell them the good news. I felt so sorry for her - imagine how you would feel knowing you almost left a newborn to die.
I am meh on Tom, so that plotline didn't worry me either way. The rest of the small moments were mostly warm and reassuring and CtM-like. Glad I finally got to catch up with this episode.
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2 minutes ago, Nordly Beaumont said:
I felt the same way and left the room as soon as wardrobe guy started talking!
I turn the TV off as soon as the credits roll. I don't care about the PBS features that take away from actual show running time.
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I lost it when Phyllis the non-believer picked up Psalm 23. I really, really lost it when Phyllis escaped Nonnatus House and broke down weeping outside. Nurse Crane is the MVP of this season.
I also cried when Allison brought the baby to meet Michael. The babies on this show always get to me.
I wish they hadn't had to kill Barbara off; no doubt there were reasons. I went in to the episode not knowing whether she'd make it. But whenever a character starts talking (or being talked to) about green fields and moving to the country and making idyllic plans, it's pretty much a certainty they are done for. The plotline, if it had to happen, was done well. The last few scenes with Barbara and Tom were very good.
Only one pregnancy this episode. They're getting away from the midwifery. Changing times, I know, but that was what made the show so special in the beginning.
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I agree with those who feel this season is missing something. Possible reasons to me are:
Less midwifery
Less of the Sisters
Midwives are lone wolves who rarely seem to hang around together
Less of Poplar as a community and less connection between Nonnatus and Poplar (Poplar was almost like a character, but now it seems like this could be happening just anywhere.)
Poorer storylines
Less well-realized cast of characters
I binge-watched the first six seasons and was excited to get to watch in real time, but it's been disappointing. It's not just this season. The show's been losing steam for a while. The first three seasons are by far my favorites. There are still good moments - Nurse Crane breaking down over having hit a child with her car stands out to me. I still get teary whenever a baby is born. But the old camaraderie and magic are gone. Well, even good shows must come to an end.
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On 4/4/2017 at 5:52 PM, jschoolgirl said:
Can anyone place Phyllis's accent? We know her mother had her out of wedlock and apparently raised her alone, although we don't know if the mother had a posh background.
The accent sounds a lot like the Mid-Atlantic accent of Julia Child and Eleanor Roosevelt. It is not often heard anymore, but it was/is upper-crust.
Talk about your late replies, but I've only been watching the show for about 3 weeks. :) Phyllis seems use the word "lass" a lot, and I associate that with the North of England and Scotland. Her accent isn't Scottish, so maybe a touch of the north? I don't hear it as upper class or posh, strictly middle class or working class.
Trixie, on the other hand, has a very clipped upper class type accent and I assumed she came from that sort of background, but apparently not, according to the show.
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23 minutes ago, JudyObscure said:
I was okay with the sister Monica Joan story until, just after Fred had managed to talk her into the surgery, she goes to Sister Julienne and say she 's decided to have the surgery and be brave like the woman astronaut ... and sister Julienne says , "Your cataract surgery is nothing like that woman going into space!" What the heck? Way to slap down all Fred's hard work. It's a wonder Sister Monica Joan didn't say, "Oh right. Nevermind." This writing is going down hill every week.
That was so strange. The wise and sensitive Sister Julienne we know would have nodded and smiled and been grateful that Sister Monica Joan was seeing it in that light.
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This episode kind of bored me. First, because I'm not a big fan of Sister Monica Joan, so a plotline for her isn't usually a high point for me. A little SMJ goes a long was in my book, and this plot was totally predictable.
Second, we all knew Trixie was going to leave, so it was a matter of waiting for the shoe to drop. I'm thinking we missed a scene between her and Sister Julienne, or else a scene of her messing up, because Sister Julienne was ready to put the hammer down without my having seen any reason why during the episode. So either I fell asleep, or they cut something.
Despite some excellent acting by the actress playing Mumtaz, that plotline somehow seemed a retread of the twins who were married to the same man. And, again, it was wholly predictable.
The other baby storyline (mother with pica) seemed like just a way for Phyllis to find out that Trixie was drinking again. And the scenes with Christopher simply left me cold as usual.
At least there were two adorable babies. Hoping for more interesting plots next time around, though.
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I have been bingeing this show like mad and finally caught up with this season! Unfortunately it's not starting off very well, for me at least. There is just something missing from the first few seasons. Back then I would have described it as heartwarming. Even with some sad outcomes, and poignant situations, you smiled through the tears. And the people and stories seemed so real. Now it seems more soap opera-like. Sometimes the midwifery seems like an afterthought. The Sisters seem like an afterthought. I am by no means religious, but the way they portrayed the Sisters just gave the show a special tone.
As for this episode, it was incredibly sad. Even worse than last week's new mom having a stroke. Huntington's seems like one of the cruelest diseases, just thinking about a child having it breaks your heart. The scene where the kids were being taken away was rough.
Christopher leaves me cold, but I kind of hate to see another relationship broken for Trixie. And then for it to trigger a lapse into drinking? I wish they had found another way. Maybe I'd have been more on board if they hadn't cut important scenes. All of a sudden they're talking about a psychiatrist? I thought I must have dozed off. Truly, the way this was set up, Trixie almost had to break it off. The mother had custody and she wasn't likely to have some sudden change of heart. The poor daughter was in a tug of war; I don't blame Trixie for not wanting to contribute to that.
On a more positive note, I like Lucille and Valerie. But they had better keep Phyllis and Sister Julienne, my favorite characters by a mile. I miss Sister Evangelina and still miss Chummy.
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OK, what did I just watch? I was going along pretty nicely till about Episode 9. Now I'm confused. When did Jonas get together with Claudia, as Noah stated in that last conversation with Bartosz? Why was Claudia doing what she was doing - it looked like she was purposely destroying the power plant? Why would she, of all people, be doing that? What was the import of the radioactive barrels, and were they hidden in a truck for 33 years? Were they the initial cause of the time shifts? Why did Jonas get thrown into the future? So that means his plan failed? Noah was right? What is Noah's deal anyway - what does he want?
The show had its good points. Highly atmospheric, the use of caves was genius. Some of the characters were compelling. But there were too many of them and I kept losing the thread of who was related to whom, and it got worse when they introduced past versions. I almost made a chart. :) The high point of the series, for me, was the episode where Elizabeth disappears. After that the action became slightly less interesting. I figured out that the stranger was older-Jonas, but many aspects of the time travel were headache-inducing. Also there were a few too many characters acting mysterious with no payoff (like Tronte's mother). I did have a thought that Egon's wife left him for her.
I may or may not watch S2. Pretty disappointed in the last scene.
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On 1/13/2018 at 5:43 PM, Joanie said:
As a lifelong Upper Westsider (born in 1953), who lives 2 blocks from the Maisel apartment building, I can’t help finding flaws, even though I love the show!
Going in front of the co-op board? In 1958? No way! Buildings on Riverside Drive did not go co-op until many years later!
Benches in Riverside Park with metal railings? No! Only wood and concrete!
”nerd alert”? A line spoken by Suzy. Nerd was not a word in the ‘50’s. Perhaps she should have said, “that
guy is so square”!
Ok...had to get that off my chest before watching another episode!
"Nerd alert" really bugged me, too. There were other anachronistic epxressiosn,, but that one stood out the most - or worst.
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Not to keep constantly comparing this to GG but... he is Christopher. And I suspect he'll hang around just as long.
Spot on. And it's going to be a drag because to me at least, Joel is a very unappealing character with an uninteresting storyline. The show doesn't need to focus on a sad sack character. It just brings everything down when he appears onscreen. The last straw was when he blew his big presentation and then quit. I mean, come on.
I wanted to scream at Midge when she slept with him after the party. Then she did a good job of explaining why that happened, when talking to her father about how they might get back together. The show hadn't really shown those emotions in her before, unless her standup rants were intended for that purpose. But the moment was well-acted and made me more forgiving.
I enjoyed the series very much overall. Rachel Brosnahan was a revelation. She even seemed real as a comic. Her stage presence and delivery were right on even when the material wasn't laugh-out-loud funny. I liked Susie. I liked the Weismanns although they aren't the strength of the show. I loved the music and adored the costuming.
On the con side, it bothered me quite a bit that Midge's children were such an afterthought. Such is the way of TV, but it would have worked just as well, maybe better, to have Midge and Joel a young couple without any kids.
That last scene, though, was perfection. Great way to send us off wanting more. I'll be back.
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What shocked me about the Sophie takedown was that Midge was revealing things that Sophie had purposely concealed for professional reasons. Remember Midge expressed surprise and said she'd never seen a photo of the real Sophie, and Sophie said something about how she handled her publicity. I felt it was unprofessional as well as borderline unethical. Yes, Sophie was condescending to her, and giving unpalatable, probably old-fashioned advice. It still IMO doesn't justify blowing her cover that way.
Besides being massively unfair to Susie. And stupid - she knew Harry was sitting in the audience. Harry, the guy who was giving her that gig?
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It's really a shame this is getting so little attention. Very well done, amazing job by Sarah Gadon and amazingly well-written by Sarah Polley. I almost gave up after the grimness of E1, but am glad I stayed on. The pace, music, screenplay, all evoked the period so well. Coincidentally I am reading a novel that deals with the Victorian spiritualist movement, so I'm surrounded by the atmosphere at the moment.
I don't quite know what I think, but I'm tending toward guilty. The multiple personality angle was very well built up (even going back to Mary's death scene and aftermath), but for that to be true, Jeremiah would have had to be a genuine hypnotist - and we know he's a charlatan, out of his own mouth. I'm okay with the end being ambiguous, though, as it fits everything that came before.
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On 11/5/2017 at 2:28 PM, spaceghostess said:
OMG, it's Paul Gross, of my beloved Due South, as Kinnear!! Not only has he kept his looks, he's now a smoking-hot silver fox (and he does a pretty damned good Scots accent). Of course, I'll have to get over all of these facts, as I suspect this character will most certainly not be upholding the values of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
But still--Paul Gross!!
ETA: I've been knitting as I watch this, so not really paying attention to the credits. I'm kind of glad, because seeing him without realizing I'd be seeing him was such a great surprise!
I saw his name in the credits early on, and was on the lookout for him. Spotted him immediately when Mr. Kinnear showed up. If you haven't seen Slings and Arrows, do yourself a favor and find it now! One of the best shows I've ever watched. He is terrific in it.
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On 10/2/2017 at 0:10 PM, atlantaloves said:
This was a great episode, I forgot how much I enjoy watching Larry suffer. Everybody we know and love (and hate) showed up for the first episode, TERRIFIC. And, man, what a crazy story line. I would have charged him 500.00 to cut that nasty man's hair, snort.
Not everyone! No Funkhauser.
QuoteThe first shower scene when he couldn't get the soap pump to twist off - OMG I hate when I get a defective pump like that, it does make you crazy!
Suffer no more. (You're welcome, Larry.)
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New to this forum as I just finished Book 1 and the first 8 episodes of S1. I wasn't a fan of the book, but the series had been recommended to me and I thought I would see if it was an improvement. It is. Having said that, I thought the drinking thing was way overdone with Claire. Also, maybe I'm misremembering, but Claire's attraction to Jamie was so strongly portrayed in the book, that I never had a second's doubt she would say Yes to marrying him. The series is making Claire's feelings for Frank much, much more of a thing than they were in the book. It does tend to make her look better as a person.
I'm not sure I'll stick with the series, but the scenery and Scots accents are a big plus.
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1 hour ago, GraceK said:
That's what makes me nervous. Also him admitting he's been trying to protect his family. If he truly feels guilty for Myrcellas death, he might try to protect Cerseis unborn child and betray Dany and Jon. Who knows, it gives me a bad feeling :(
Me, too.
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11 hours ago, stillshimpy said:
Apologizing upfront again for being unable to quote properly, I have to go page by page or lose what I'm quoting, so for anyone who might care: I am actually reading the thread in full, I just can't respond in a way that reflects that very well.
On the one hand, true but on the other hand, not really true. The characters have no idea that they are related. None whatsoever. They truly aren't doing anything wrong in their minds or in the nature of their relationship. Incest is wrong on multiple levels but one of them has to do with being emotionally unhealthy for people with an existing relationship. Knowing it is taboo and results in emotional damage that can last a lifetime is something that audience possesses knowledge on but the characters do not.
However, the show decided to voice over about the Aunt and nephew thing while they were doing the do specifically to send the audience a message that it is going to be a giant issue once they hit land. Once they learn what they have done, it's going to trouble them both, if for no other reason than to illustrate that Dany and Jon as potential ruling entities have nothing in common with Cersei and Jaime who have been all "Yay, incest!"
The Voice Over over sex that didn't include any warm-up or kissing about being way too closely related for that to be a good idea seems to indicate that Dany and Jon will be of the "No! Incest! YIKES!" once in possession of that knowledge. So it seems that the show threw out a clue as to the direction they are taking this in and that it promises to be a source of emotional pain for both characters when they learn what they have accidentally done.
I can't help but wonder if we may have Arya as Littlefinger next year, to gain access to the King's Landing and kill Cersei. So we might not be done with Aiden Gillen yet (and I agree, he's been pretty weak in this role) but I was still glad to see him bested by the remaining Stark siblings. I also really appreciated that Sansa and Arya had a moment of acknowledging that they both went through mountains of hell and that Arya is incredibly brave while Sansa has been also, simply to still be functional.
Yeah, that was beyond hollow to me, but in the better late than never category, I will happily take it.
I understand the point you are making but really disagree with the manner in which it is being made. It isn't just the characters on this show that have no emotional framework to make this anything than an emotional trial for them both. They've done nothing wrong, it isn't incest to them. They are committing incest on a technicality because they've been lied to their entire lives. This isn't touched on anywhere but I'm assuming that Viserys may have actually been privy to the fact that Lyanna Stark was not a captive (she just kind of sucked because her romance ended with her family being killed in rather large numbers and that's continuing to this day) but there's something kind of important about that annullment.
It invalidates Dany's claim because Jon would be in the succession before she would. The succession would pass to Jon before it would Dany. That was the big issue when Henry VIII had his marriage to Catherine of Aragon annulled (all of his marriages were annulled, he was never divorced, it nullifies legitimacy also) and it invalidated Mary Tudor's claim. So his annullment would invalidate the two children that were killed but it also puts Dany in a different position. Mary's line in the succession was restored after her younger half-brother Edward ruled and died before her and it only happened because they were essentially out of heirs. There's that whole Lady Jane Grey and her nine day rule rebellion in there too.
That's part of the point, or should be, about revealing that Rhaegar had the marriage annulled. It invalidates the children of his first marriage but it also changes Dany's place in the line.
But the show isn't "Yay, incest!" and scolding fans who also completely lack the emotional construct for the characters that it is wrong is carrying the ball too far over the goal line, I think.
As a for instance, I think incest is reprehensible but on the rare occasion I've read about someone accidentally marrying their half-brother (which you'd think would be rarer than it is) without any knowledge of it, I have to admit, I think they should just be left alone. The genetic implications are far overstated and the true problem because that it is a form of emotional abuse and damage.
That exists with Jaime and Cersei. It doesn't exist as a factor with Dany and Jon. I don't ship them even a tiny bit but I understand why other people aren't horrified because they aren't breaking any rules knowingly. It's actually freaking tragic and I think meant to be so. The scene didn't personally do anything for me but I think people are well within bounds to think pretty people having sex is something fun. Intellectual knowledge and emotional response being separate things is actually the point of what they are doing with Dany and Jon.
Really good post, and I think this is probably going to be the direction they go. Of course any pregnancy (which has been strongly hinted) will be a huge complication for them.
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NVM, duplicate post.
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22 hours ago, stagmania said:
So that sex scene was a total romance fail, but I think it's still fairly obvious that Daenerys is going to get pregnant. Which seems to suggest one of Jon's big torments next season will be finding out and then having to choose between marrying his aunt or letting his child be born a bastard, on top of dealing with his feelings about his true parents and claim to the throne. And Daenerys will of course fiercely protect the baby she never thought she could have, and be wary of Jon trying to take the throne. So this may actually be a set up for them to be working together but not trusting/feeling comfortable with each other as they fight off the Night King.
That could actually be interesting. Whereas straight-up couples in love can be really boring.
Quote22 HOURS AGO, AMERS SAID:
I don't understand Tyrion at the end. Is he jealous? Unhappy?
Yeah, he's unhappy because something went down between him and Cersei after he figured out she was pregnant. Maybe he betrayed Dany in some way, and he's feeling guilty. Or maybe he is having qualms about his niece/nephew-to-be getting killed by his team. IDK, but al that talk about Myrcella and Tommen wasn't in there for nothing.
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22 hours ago, SimoneS said:
Tyrion has become the dumbest person in Westeros. I am convinced that more than ever that he is subconsciously trying to win over Cersei or at least save her and Jaime. Dany needs to dump his treacherous ass.
Afraid this might be true. He was always one of my favorite characters, but I don't see how else you can interpret the convo with Cersei that got cut off, and his demeanor outside Dany's room.
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On 4/2/2017 at 11:48 PM, Blissfool said:
Renata was clearly My Fair Lady.
As was Bonnie.
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On 4/2/2017 at 9:05 PM, Irlandesa said:
I loved the beach shots. I love that they all came together. I don't think this needs another season, though.
I just finished this. I guess I am dense, because I had no idea who was going to be killed - somehow I assumed one of the women. Very glad it was Perry instead. Is it certain that he was the rapist? That does seem a bit too pat. I thought maybe his violence was triggering Jane but not that he was the actual one who raped her.
Definitely agree this doesn't need another season. If it's going to be all about guilt, or the police trying to pin it on one of them, I don't know how interesting that would be. Think Bloodline. Sometimes it's best to leave things at a single season. It stands on its own, for sure.
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S07.E08: Episode 8
in Call The Midwife
Well, here I am, crying again. The moment that really got me going was when Uncle Donald said "I know you're someone we love." And after that, we had Phyllis with new baby Barbara, and Reggie with the carousel.
The birthday party at the end, I was pretty meh. I'm often meh on Sister Monica Joan's storylines.
They made up for the lack of midwifery moments for sure. Jenny Agutter on the post-show piece was in the right of it - those moments of a baby's birth are the heart of the show. I get teary every time.