S10.E04: Episode 4

[OtterMommy]

Quote

It’s July 1966, and Britain is in the grip of World Cup fever. New pupil midwife Nancy makes quite an impact.

 

[jpgr]

They recycled a plot they've used before: "midwife makes bad impression, but is the only one available when patient is in labor and rises to the challenge/saves the day." I'm reserving judgement on the student midwives for now.

Very happy for Lucille, and nice to see Cyril realizing the mistake he made in not discussing his plans with her.

I think they are totally setting up Trixie with widower dad, and I think I'm OK with it. He is gorgeous and seems like a really good man. I liked the subtle way she was drinking orange juice while everyone else had champagne.

I did like the storyline with Phyllis and Doctor Turner, even if it was maybe a bit anachronistic. There had to be some medical professionals and parents who didn't condemn homosexuality and stood by their sons. I love the way they rescued him from the clinic. Don't mess with Phyllis when she's on a mission!

 

[MissLucas]

There were an awful lot of plot lines in this episode. 

As much as I would miss the character I do hope Trixie gets her happy end with hot widower. And the preview had me laughing. Looking forward to Trixie getting into the ring with Mary Poppins.

Poor sister Hilda getting so cruelly reminded of her crushed attempts at fashion design. And poor Fred, I'm not a big fan of soccer/football but I knew this was not the year to bet against England. Maybe Reggie placed some furtive bets? Otherwise Violet will have a word or two to say about the whole fiasco.

I liked Nancy - she came across as more nuanced than expected. And I guess that's Sister Monica Joan's crisis of faith resolved? I wonder if we will get to see more plots involving the other student midwives.

Michael's story had some pretty dark turns. Glad Phyllis and Doctor Turner came to the rescue. The mother's guilt after her initial reaction was well handled. But the parents came around too fast. And their last lines of dialogue rang way too 21th century to me. There were certainly parents around at the time who would have been more open-minded but they were rare. I remember an acquaintance of mine who had his coming out in the early 90s and his parents reaction was 'We'll pray for you - let's never talk about this again.' 

[purist]

Really good episode. Pupil-midwife Nancy is a breath of fresh air, and I feel as though we already know more about her than we ever did about Val. Loved Dr Turner and Nurse Crane getting all fierce about rescuing Michael from that horrible place. So-called 'conversion therapy' is still legal in far too many places in the world. I'm glad Sister Monica Joan's crisis of faith is over - her constant gloomy state of mind was starting to annoy me. I too will be happy if Trixie ends up with Hot Widower. And there was a Timothy Turner sighting!

Edited May 11, 2021 by purist

[allonsyalice]

It always hits Different tm when this show tackles LGBTQ+ issues. Idk why, but the other episode with the husband from a few series ago kills me every time I watch it. 

This one, luckily, had a better ending. 

I would hope, that if Trixie does marry Hot Widower it 1) isn't instant (he just lost his wife!!!!) and 2) doesn't take her from her job. (this is selfish. I love and would die Trixie and probably would stop watching if Helen George left the show) (side note, how beautiful did she look in her Argentina colours? Stunning.)

Pupil Midwife Nancy is someone I'm not yet decided on, but I love when Sister Monica Joan assists in births. It's only happened a couple of times, but I think it's really lovely. 

I don't know how I feel about Luce and Cyril. I know they've been together for seasons, and this is the obvious next step in their story but meh. 

[Crashcourse]

I stopped watching after Barbara died, but now I'm watching again.  Is there some reason why so many things are turquoise?  

[JustDucky]

Ah, there's the Sister Monica Joan I know and adore!  The "I've seen everything" line made me smile.

Poor Michael.  As the parent of a LGBTQA+ kid, I liked the parents coming around and just wanting him to be happy, even if it was anachronistic as all get-out.  That's the way it should be - "are you happy?  okay then."  (Also, I saw a side to Doctor Turner and Nurse Crane I haven't seen in a while, and I loved it.)

As much as I like Nancy (her part in the baby's delivery was magnificent), I'd like a little more from the other student nurses.  Fresh blood should always have a moment in the limelight.

Is it strange that I like Cyril a little more than Lucille, at least in this episode?  He developed a lot in just one episode. 

Fred, on the other hand, will never learn.  Kinda love that about him.  Liked the World Cup mania that overtook everybody, but then I'm from a very sports-involved part of the world and can strongly relate.

And I love Trixie with the Hot Widower, but I hope it's a slow burn for the sake of both their characters.

[Cetacean]

@JustDucky said it all.  All my thoughts exactly!

[wonderwoman]

love that we got to see timothy and reggie. thought they might have forgotten about them.

[dargosmydaddy]

I liked Nancy. I hope she sticks around.

[Blackie]

Thanks PBS for the same clips celebrating the 10th anniversary year for the 4th week in a row, but I would rather have the complete show. 

I kind of enjoyed SMJ's ode to the placenta. It was an interesting point about being the part of the body that we never look at but yet it is what sustains life.

[GaT]

I only recently saw a photo of placenta, I had never seen one before. It looks like something out of a horror movie, & they're huge! I didn't need to see one in the show, & I hope never to see another one LOL

[susannah]

Well, who knew that all it would take for Sr MJ to get out of her funk would be to tell her to get off her ass, a baby's coming! I knew that the newbie would deliver the baby, and wasn't the woman's husband just a prince! I imagine Trixie will get with Mr rich man. I loathe her and I would like never to see her again, but I expect she is going to be front and center now with rich guy.

Nurse Crane and Dr Turner are a formidable team, and I am so glad they got that poor kid out of that monstrous place. I thought the parental turnaround and Dr Turner's advice were way too modern for the times. Their initial reaction and the mother's screaming were more realistic. It was painful to watch.

OMG, Lucille and Cyril TOUCHED! Does anyone besides me think that there is something weird with Lucille's color, like it is unnatural in some way? She looks very yellow and almost plastic like.

Speaking of appearances, when I saw Nancy at the table with her hair up like that, she looked so much like Delia! I miss Patsy like crazy. She and Chummy were excellent. Also I really liked Barbara, even though people think she was bland. She was just a really sweet girl who spent her life thinking of others, unlike Miss Fashion Plate.

What did Fred do to lose the money? I missed it I guess. I love Reggie, and great to see Timothy. For shame, Dr Turner, either one or both of the little girls could actually grow up to be doctors, not just nurses.

Edited October 25, 2021 by susannah

[Haleth]

15 minutes ago, susannah said:

What did Fred do to lose the money?

He bet against England.

Loved, loved seeing both Timothy and Reggie.  Reggie was hilarious when he was making faces at Fred through the window.  I admit I shed a tear when Cyril proposed.  I like spunky Nancy (and her gorgeous 60s dress at dinner, I had one very similar!) and the fact she coaxed Sr MJ out of her funk.  I like Trixie with the hot widower.  They make a beautiful couple.

Are all the students joining the cast?  Maybe they'll disappear and Nancy will stay?  

The whole Michael storyline felt way too modern.  Sure, Patrick and Phyllis had to get him out of that horrible place, but everyone seemed to shrug off Michael being gay when it was still illegal.  Or was public opinion changing by this time?

What happened to the young priest who was staying at Nonatus House?

I love this show but the quick cuts between scenes give me a headache.  I wish they'd stay in a scene more than 5 seconds.

[Blackie]

45 minutes ago, susannah said:

when I saw Nancy at the table with her hair up like that, she looked so much like Delia!

 

yes I thought the same thing.

 

22 minutes ago, Haleth said:

I love this show but the quick cuts between scenes give me a headache.  I wish they'd stay in a scene more than 5 seconds.

 

seriously!! I think it cuts the emotion of the story/ scenes. I rarely cry anymore in this show when it used to be every week!

 

6 hours ago, GaT said:

I only recently saw a photo of placenta, I had never seen one before. It looks like something out of a horror movie, & they're huge! I didn't need to see one in the show, & I hope never to see another one LOL

 

I had a home birth with midwives but didn't look at the placenta. It was the middle of winter so we put it in the deep freezer so we could plant it under a tree in the spring, but then the freezer got accidentally unplugged...... 

[JudyObscure]

9 minutes ago, Haleth said:

Or was public opinion changing by this time?

It was  changing but I think the show is about ten years ahead of the game as far as general public opinion. The Stonewall riots were in 1969, but that was from the gay community in New York, not  ordinary couples like  Michael's parents.  I thought the mother's screaming was way over the top and their cavalier acceptance the next day was also unrealistic.

  As I remember Oprah had some shows in the late seventies where gay guests explained to the rest of us how it all felt and that it wasn't because their mothers were domineering and their fathers weak (as my psychology 101 class had taught me) but that they were born that way.  I thought Dr. Turner  sounded silly being all outraged that everyone else doesn't know that -- in Poplar at that time.

I'm glad Trixie is going to find some happiness.  The show where she saved the poor little lice ridden kids from having their heads shaved, because she knew how it felt to have that happen and be outcast, made me understand her love of nice clothes and stylish hair at all times.

I love that Cyril spent his money on a ring, he's a lovely, handsome man, but I wish the actor didn't smile quite so much.

[Jodithgrace]

When those nuns were delivering Nancy to Nannotus house, I kept expecting them to burst out with,"How do you solve a problem like Maria?" 

How come the Roman Catholics were so far ahead of the Anglicans in modernising the habit? One would expect it to be the other way around. 

Dr. Turner is was more advanced than I expected him to be. Some people were more accepting of homosexuality than others, but accepting that people are born that way seems like a fairly recent concept. When I was growing up, (1950s and '60s)it was believed that homosexuality was caused by having a dominant mother and weak father, or some other unhealthy parentage that "warped" you at an early age. I was expecting Dr. Turner to spout something like that, while still being compassionate. 

Michael's parents were also far too accepting too quickly. Their first reaction was a bit overblown, so the fact that they came around so fast seems odd. But I guess we do have to deal with the fact that the show, for all of its authenticity is being written in the 21srt century. 

Fred, oh ye of little faith! That'll teach you to bet against the home team. 

[Good Queen Jane]

26 minutes ago, Jodithgrace said:

How come the Roman Catholics were so far ahead of the Anglicans in modernising the habit?

Vatican II. It changed everything in the Roman Catholic Church.

[dubbel zout]

50 minutes ago, Jodithgrace said:

Dr. Turner is was more advanced than I expected him to be.

He's practically a Gary Stu.

[AZChristian]

I actually looked up the actress who plays Nancy on IMDB because I thought I'd seen her before . . . but you all solved the mystery!  She looks like she could be Delia's sister.

In real life, the actress is the niece of Mrs. McCarthy on Father Brown!!!

[zoey1996]

"The Sexual Offences Act 1967 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom (citation 1967 c. 60). It legalized homosexual acts in England and Wales, on the condition that they were consensual, in private and between two men who had attained the age of 21."  Part of the reason for the Act was several prominent men (Alan Turing was one) had been convicted under older laws. It was thought by some that homosexual men were already punished enough, and that while the thinking wasn't to condone homosexual acts, it wasn't really the law's business.

I just love Lucille and Cyril together. I'd like to see their wedding! 

1 hour ago, Jodithgrace said:

How come the Roman Catholics were so far ahead of the Anglicans in modernising the habit? One would expect it to be the other way around. 

As mentioned, Vatican 2 changed things a lot. With Nonnatus House, it was Mother Mildred who made the decision to veto the new habits (which I thought were lovely and appropriate) for the sisters/midwives.

[AZChristian]

6 minutes ago, zoey1996 said:

"The Sexual Offences Act 1967 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom (citation 1967 c. 60). It legalized homosexual acts in England and Wales, on the condition that they were consensual, in private and between two men who had attained the age of 21." 

I think we're close to 1967 in the series, but . . . the young man was only 17 on last night's episode.

I, too, felt that the situation was portrayed under modern views.  "They're born that way" hadn't yet become the common thought.  And the mother's turnaround was so fast I almost got whiplash.

[Dehumidifier]

8 hours ago, GaT said:

I only recently saw a photo of placenta, I had never seen one before. It looks like something out of a horror movie, & they're huge! I didn't need to see one in the show, & I hope never to see another one LOL

I was eating when that scene came on. I have a stronger stomach than I thought. 

[libgirl2]

On 5/11/2021 at 1:33 AM, allonsyalice said:

Pupil Midwife Nancy is someone I'm not yet decided on, but I love when Sister Monica Joan assists in births. It's only happened a couple of times, but I think it's really lovely. 

 

It was nice to be reminded that Sister Monica Joan was a competent and good midwife. 

12 hours ago, dargosmydaddy said:

I liked Nancy. I hope she sticks around.

Me too. 

[AZChristian]

1 minute ago, libgirl2 said:

It was nice to be reminded that Sister Monica Joan was a competent and good midwife. 

Completely agree.  If the writers can choose between a negative, demanding character or a wise mentor, why not choose the positive?  There's enough drama on the show without turning a character into someone that none of us seem to enjoy watching.

[libgirl2]

2 hours ago, Jodithgrace said:

Michael's parents were also far too accepting too quickly. Their first reaction was a bit overblown, so the fact that they came around so fast seems odd. But I guess we do have to deal with the fact that the show, for all of its authenticity is being written in the 21srt century. 

Fred, oh ye of little faith! That'll teach you to bet against the home team. 

Maybe the scare of losing their son made them come around? 

Fred..... why? 

Just now, AZChristian said:

Completely agree.  If the writers can choose between a negative, demanding character or a wise mentor, why not choose the positive?  There's enough drama on the show without turning a character into someone that none of us seem to enjoy watching.

I would love to see more of that side of her. Perhaps she can help Nancy learn more about midwifery. 

[Dr.OO7]

On 5/10/2021 at 7:30 PM, jpgr said:

They recycled a plot they've used before: "midwife makes bad impression, but is the only one available when patient is in labor and rises to the challenge/saves the day."

I love this show, but I'm getting tired of that cliché.

 

13 hours ago, JustDucky said:

As much as I like Nancy (her part in the baby's delivery was magnificent), I'd like a little more from the other student nurses.  Fresh blood should always have a moment in the limeligh

Yes. I want to know more about Nurse Baines.

 

[LittleIggy]

13 hours ago, dargosmydaddy said:

I liked Nancy. I hope she sticks around.

Me, too. She’s a good addition. 
Obviously, Fred bet against Britain, but did he bet the whole pot? I was out of the room when he last spoke to the bookie. 
I know Trixie and the widower will end up together, but I don’t like a husband getting over the death of his wife (or vice versa) too fast. Baby Christopher is tote adorbs! That little sneeze! 🥰

[EllaWycliffe]

3 hours ago, susannah said:

Does anyone besides me think that there is something weird with Lucille's color, like it is unnatural in some way? She looks very yellow and almost plastic like.

It might be the lighting and her outfit color. I learned something magical in a theater class once. There are two colors of people in this world. Purple and yellow. It has to do with theater lighting - a yellow person looks like utter shit under purple lights. A purple person looks like shit under yellow lights. Skin color has absolutely nothing to do with this. My theater instructor had us all sit in the audience and watch as he would get each person up on the stage, flick on the purple light, and then the yellow and we'd vote whether they were purple or yellow. There was never any doubt. (I'm purple btw).  

Also she and Cyril touched so she is probably pregnant now!

3 hours ago, Jodithgrace said:

Dr. Turner is was more advanced than I expected him to be. Some people were more accepting of homosexuality than others, but accepting that people are born that way seems like a fairly recent concept. When I was growing up, (1950s and '60s)it was believed that homosexuality was caused by having a dominant mother and weak father, or some other unhealthy parentage that "warped" you at an early age. I was expecting Dr. Turner to spout something like that, while still being compassionate. 

I suspect there was a decision to NOT spout off the old rationalization  that homosexuality was caused by a domineering mother and a weak father because its now fairly offensive. Much the way we no longer say moms cause autism because they didn't bond appropriately with their child. Its just not true and most shows don't want to spread the lie.

It was nice to see SMJ be competant and helpful and yeah, I'm willing to ignore the long running dementia storyline swirling around SMJ as long as she remains mentally competant. If "she's off with the fairies" is the plot line again, I will resume complaining. 

[MissLucas]

4 minutes ago, EllaWycliffe said:

There are two colors of people in this world. Purple and yellow. It has to do with theater lighting - a yellow person looks like utter shit under purple lights. A purple person looks like shit under yellow lights. Skin color has absolutely nothing to do with this. My theater instructor had us all sit in the audience and watch as he would get each person up on the stage, flick on the purple light, and then the yellow and we'd vote whether they were purple or yellow. There was never any doubt. (I'm purple btw).  

Fascinating -  it sounds as if that lighting test could be used to determine undertones. If so ,then silver jewelry looks better on you than gold and you're a summer or winter (if you're into Color Me Beautiful). And how does one resolve lighting if yellow and purple share a scene?

[libgirl2]

On 5/10/2021 at 6:30 PM, jpgr said:

 

I think they are totally setting up Trixie with widower dad, and I think I'm OK with it. He is gorgeous and seems like a really good man. I liked the subtle way she was drinking orange juice while everyone else had champagne.

 

I like them together, but I don't want to see it rushed. 

[Suzn]

4 hours ago, susannah said:

OMG, Lucille and Cyril TOUCHED! Does anyone besides me think that there is something weird with Lucille's color, like it is unnatural in some way? She looks very yellow and almost plastic like.

I think it's the makeup used.  It's the wrong color for her and maybe too heavy.  

[CrazyMoon]

SMJ was suffering from a serious round of depression...plus probably dehydration which can cause dementia-like symptoms. Just like an old fire horse reacting to the bell, SMJ answered the midwife's call when needed. Lovely to see her regain her faith. Everything yet nothing about childbirth is beautiful. SMJ is a highly intelligent & rather esoteric character...she's very deep...

[EllaWycliffe]

Just now, CrazyMoon said:

SMJ was suffering from a serious round of depression...plus probably dehydration which can cause dementia-like symptoms. Just like an old fire horse reacting to the bell, SMJ answered the midwife's call when needed

Has she been dehydrated for eight seasons prior?

[CrazyMoon]

Just now, EllaWycliffe said:

Has she been dehydrated for eight seasons prior?

Perhaps...the elderly are very skilled at hiding their intake...She does have some cognitive loss as well as some interesting personality quirks, but her health issues haven't been resolved successfully.

[EllaWycliffe]

9 minutes ago, MissLucas said:

And how does one resolve lighting if yellow and purple share a scene?

My directing teacher said he tried to cast yellow with yellow and purple with purple for leads but it wasn't always possible. It was mostly helpful when a character needed to be spotlighted - you didn't want to use the light with the wrong gel. Groups scenes tended to have more of a mix of colors anyway. This was a dance theater so there were a lot of solos which made individual lighting more important. 

[DonnaMae]

2 hours ago, Dehumidifier said:

I was eating when that scene came on. I have a stronger stomach than I thought. 

It's just weird what some women do with that placenta, like eating it!

[EllaWycliffe]

Just now, CrazyMoon said:

Perhaps...the elderly are very skilled at hiding their intake...She does have some cognitive loss as well as some interesting personality quirks, but her health issues haven't been resolved successfully.

I mean, to a point, I kid, but its irritating that SMJ is magically spouting off deep words of wisdom... but wanna bet she still can't relay a phone message correctly? There's been multiple incidents of "Sister Monica Joan is going down hill mentally" over many seasons. Dementia doesn't get better, which is why I am having difficulty with season 9 Sister Monica Joan being more rational and together than season 1 Sister Monica Joan.

[dubbel zout]

1 hour ago, libgirl2 said:

Maybe the scare of losing their son made them come around? 

The show also likes to tie up most of the medical stories within the episode.

39 minutes ago, LittleIggy said:

Baby Christopher is tote adorbs! That little sneeze!

I was dead after that sneeze! Amazing.

[libgirl2]

14 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

The show also likes to tie up most of the medical stories within the episode.

I was dead after that sneeze! Amazing.

Yes, they do that.

That baby is a total DOLL! 

Edited October 25, 2021 by libgirl2

[Sarah 103]

16 hours ago, Crashcourse said:

I stopped watching after Barbara died, but now I'm watching again.  Is there some reason why so many things are turquoise?  

It's 1966 in the show and turquoise was a popular color. 

5 hours ago, Haleth said:

What happened to the young priest who was staying at Nonatus House?

He was only there until his new housing assignment was ready. It was a short term stay, not a long term stay. 

2 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

It was nice to be reminded that Sister Monica Joan was a competent and good midwife. 

I want to see a flashback episode of all the nuns/midwives early in thier careers, especially to see what Sister Monica Joan was like when she was at her best. 

Michael's storyline was heartbreaking. I knew as soon I saw him in the hotel uniform he'd be mixed up in something, but I never expected gay prostitution. As other people have mentioned, the British law changed in 1967, and they were debating it in 1966. All of the characters we saw had incredibly modern attitudes. I'll believe Dr. Turner because he seems like he would be ahead of his time. The parents being so accepting didn't quite ring true. 

Edited October 25, 2021 by Sarah 103

[Suzn]

56 minutes ago, EllaWycliffe said:

I mean, to a point, I kid, but its irritating that SMJ is magically spouting off deep words of wisdom... but wanna bet she still can't relay a phone message correctly? There's been multiple incidents of "Sister Monica Joan is going down hill mentally" over many seasons. Dementia doesn't get better, which is why I am having difficulty with season 9 Sister Monica Joan being more rational and together than season 1 Sister Monica Joan.

Certainly, she could have good days when she was more coherent, but the entire trajectory of dementia for 9 plus years has been ridiculous.  They show her totally gaga and then wily and manipulative followed by all wise.  There has been no consistency and given that there are so many other characters, it's tiresome to have so much focus on her.

[libgirl2]

30 minutes ago, Sarah 103 said:

I want to see a flashback episode of all the nuns/midwives early in thier careers, especially to see what Sister Monica Joan was like when she was at her best. 

Michael's storyline was heartbreaking. I knew as soon I saw him in the hotel uniform he'd be mixed up in something, but I never expected gay prostitution. As other people have mentioned, the British law changed in 1967, and they were debating it in 1966. All of the characters we saw had incredibly modern attitudes. I'll believe Dr. Turner because he seems like he would be ahead of his time. The parents being so accepting didn't quite ring true. 

I would love to see that! 

Dr. Turner is a very compassionate man, it did not surprise me in the least that he would feel as he did. 

[Tiggertoo]

I think the problem with Cyril and Lucille is that they’re so bland and pure.  I feel like we haven’t seen any shades of grey with them.  We haven’t seen them screw up, get angry or be miserable.  Well, except for the radiogram purchase.  Gasp!

[CrazyMoon]

Dementia has every shade of gray imaginable. Alzheimer's does not...Dementia can be a long slow process and respond to triggers that bring on bursts of lucidity. 

[EllaWycliffe]

14 minutes ago, Tiggertoo said:

I think the problem with Cyril and Lucille is that they’re so bland and pure.  I feel like we haven’t seen any shades of grey with them.  We haven’t seen them screw up, get angry or be miserable.  Well, except for the radiogram purchase.  Gasp!

And here's the thing. As soon as I saw Lucille wasn't pleased, I knew how this would resolve. Because they are so bland and pure. And honestly, I don't think Cyril was making such a bad decision not going into the mechanics business.

6 minutes ago, CrazyMoon said:

Dementia has every shade of gray imaginable. Alzheimer's does not...Dementia can be a long slow process and respond to triggers that bring on bursts of lucidity. 

The problem is that Sister Monica Joan is deeply insightful when the plot demands it, and a demanding irresponsible  child when it doesn't, made worse that during these insightful moments, she never acknowledges that she's been difficult or ill mannered, or yes, unkind, to the people who manage her when she's off with the fairies, or worse, pretending  to be off with the fairies to get what she wants. 

[libgirl2]

47 minutes ago, CrazyMoon said:

Dementia has every shade of gray imaginable. Alzheimer's does not...Dementia can be a long slow process and respond to triggers that bring on bursts of lucidity. 

My mother had dementia. She could no longer cook, but when I had to carve my first turkey, she stepped right in and was as sharp as a tack telling (and showing) me how to do it (she was the family turkey carver). 

Edited October 25, 2021 by libgirl2

[Crashcourse]

2 hours ago, Sarah 103 said:

It's 1966 in the show and turquoise was a popular color. 

It seems to be everywhere and on just about everything.  I like the color but I find it annoying on this show.

[BluBarbi98]

It seems like I've been waiting for Lucille & Cyril to get married for 10 years now so I'm was immensely pleased that they're engaged although, I do get the impression sometimes that Lucille is into Cyril because of lack of options. I agree that her coloring has been off the last few episodes.  

I love Trixie and love that she genuinely cares for her patients while also being a fashion plate, I'm sorry she's meeting her future in show husband this way but I'm convinced that hot, rich, widower is her romantic end-game and am here for it! I agree with others that the show shouldn't rush their relationship. 

Kooky Sister Monica Joan annoys me but I love competent Sister Monica Joan. I'm glad she's back and hope she stays.

I wasn't really that impressed with the new midwife and hope we get to meet the other student midwives. 

[Mermaid Under]

Quote

When those nuns were delivering Nancy to Nannotus house, I kept expecting them to burst out with,"How do you solve a problem like Maria?"

Is her only issue that she was a little bit "rough around the edges" - and the sisters didn't appreciate that.  Because initially I was beginning to think she was illiterate, and had somehow managed to fake her way through her training.  They brought up two issues where her lack of attention to written details could cause pregnant women harm.  She didn't notice that the patient's record noted that she had previously had pre-eclampsia, and she gave a polished but wrong answer to the question about blood loss.