S11.E00: Christmas Special

[Kristi800]

7 minutes ago, Beezella said:

Oh, but I think they did! Did you see Sister Hilda surreptitiously sneaking an aspirin for herself after offering one to Lucille but only after Sister Julienne gave her a questioning look about the aspirin?

I did! But no one else seemed particularly bad. 

[labresq]

Was anybody else worried while Reggie and Cyril were having the snowball fight?  I was so scared one of them would get an eye injury!  I loved Lucille's dress - so beautiful and she looked just lovely.  

[cinsays]

5 hours ago, Pallida said:

My episode recording was also cutoff due to random stuff at the beginning of the recording, but I was able to watch the last bit online through the OPB (Oregon’s version of PBS - not sure why it’s different) website. 

i have started taping the program immediately following important shows, like this one, in case it runs longer than my dvr seems to think it will.  Has saved me missing several program endings.

[Driad]

Leeches are still used in medicine, for example to remove excess blood after some surgeries until tiny blood vessels have time to grow back.

[JudyObscure]

Barbara in her wedding cape with the fur trim and matching Alice-band.

Lucille  in her fab dress.  

Edited December 27, 2021 by JudyObscure

[libgirl2]

50 minutes ago, JudyObscure said:

Barbara in her wedding cape with the fur trim and matching Alice-band.

Lucille  in her fab dress.  

Lucille's dress was in keeping with the time period and her character. She looked lovely. 

[GaT]

6 hours ago, Rootbeer said:

I think they found a baby that was slightly premature, maybe 35-36 weeks 

And now I'm wondering what kind of parents have a premature baby & decide that it's a good idea to put it to work. "Hey kid, your medical bills are bigger than we expected, time to earn your keep!"

[JudyObscure]

18 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

Lucille's dress was in keeping with the time period and her character. She looked lovely. 

I loved it.  I think that style is timeless. It looks like one my aunt wore in 1942 and a little like Kate Middleton's when she married the Prince.

 

16 minutes ago, GaT said:

And now I'm wondering what kind of parents have a premature baby & decide that it's a good idea to put it to work. "Hey kid, your medical bills are bigger than we expected, time to earn your keep!"

I used to worry about that, too, particularly when the poor baby is all covered in gooey red birth makeup, but I've read that fans of the show love to have their babies on it and that the show is very, very careful to handle the babies as gently and briefly as possible before handing them back to their moms. Still, like you say, a preemie?

[Daff]

2 hours ago, Beezella said:

Oh, but I think they did! Did you see Sister Hilda surreptitiously sneaking an aspirin for herself after offering one to Lucille but only after Sister Julienne gave her a questioning look about the aspirin?

Oh yes, if you watched the Rolodex roll-out the next day carefully, facial expressions, postures, and movements of all the midwives gave it away! Especially appreciated that Sister Hilda presented as digging for aspirin for Lucille when Sister Julienne turned at the sound of the pills in the bottle, but then quickly copped one for herself as soon as she turned away. 

[Rootbeer]

15 minutes ago, JudyObscure said:

I loved it.  I think that style is timeless. It looks like one my aunt wore in 1942 and a little like Kate Middleton's when she married the Prince.

 

I used to worry about that, too, particularly when the poor baby is all covered in gooey red birth makeup, but I've read that fans of the show love to have their babies on it and that the show is very, very careful to handle the babies as gently and briefly as possible before handing them back to their moms. Still, like you say, a preemie?

It could've been a small full term baby, too, like maybe a twin.  The baby did look smaller and had less body fat than most term newborns.

I've heard production is very careful with the babies and keeps them on set for the absolute minimum amount of time needed to film.

Edited December 27, 2021 by Rootbeer

[anna0852]

Are we sure that was even a real baby? They have some excellent dolls and animatronics.

I checked and indeed, Lucille's first delivery in Poplar was baby Elizabeth in episode 6.1. She was breech, born to a single mum that now owns the dancing school. And the little boy Kirk was episode 8.3, the infant born with a cleft palate. You can see the scar on his lip in this episode. Bravo writers for checking their history!

[Rootbeer]

1 minute ago, anna0852 said:

Are we sure that was even a real baby? They have some excellent dolls and animatronics.

I checked and indeed, Lucille's first delivery in Poplar was baby Elizabeth in episode 6.1. She was breech, born to a single mum that now owns the dancing school. And the little boy Kirk was episode 8.3, the infant born with a cleft palate. You can see the scar on his lip in this episode. Bravo writers for checking their history!

I noticed the little boy had a repaired cleft palate and was going to check.  This show does a really great job with continuity.

I don't believe we've ever seen animatronic babies on this particular show.  Looked like a very real baby to me.

[Nialla]

I've been seeing a lot of folks say their DVR didn't record correctly. I think this is because the show is normally 1 hr, and the special is 1.5 hours. For some reason, it was only showing as 1 hour on the schedule.

If it's true PBS doesn't edit the specials, it's probably due to having a longer time slot and less time to edit. I just wish they'd air the series at least roughly the same time as the UK, instead of months later.

[EllaWycliffe]

I think the thalidomide babies were fake babies

Just now, Nialla said:

I've been seeing a lot of folks say their DVR didn't record correctly. I think this is because the show is normally 1 hr, and the special is 1.5 hours. For some reason, it was only showing as 1 hour on the schedule.

I think part of the problem is that it didn't start on time. I remember being surprised that I turned it on a few minutes before 7pm (the listed start time in my area) and the Downton Abbey movie seemed to take forever to end to where the show started at 7:03 - along with the longer running time. 

[labresq]

There was also the fact that the Downton Abby movie ran over into the slot for Call the Midwife.  I think CTM actually started more than 10 minutes past the time it was supposed to, at least here in Nashville.  Fortunately there was another showing at 2 AM and it recorded fully.

 

[Daff]

2 hours ago, Kristi800 said:

I thought it kind of a strange conversation between Lucille & Phyllis about bridesmaids.

I especially liked that scene. Lucille and Phyllis have been roommates since she arrived and I think it demonstrated a great sensitivity on Lucille’s part, after hearing Phyllis admitting the hanging wedding dress reminded her of Barbara. They were both tip-toeing in the dress-hanging scene. Neither wanted to offend the other, but they both communicated.  Later, during the pearl scene, initially I thought it was intrusive of Lucille to go hunting for the pearls, but her note explained quite well why she did it. She wanted Phyllis to move on, celebrate her relationship with Barbara by wearing the pearls she bought to honor her. She could have only gotten away with that with Phyllis (pragmatism) as anyone else (like Trixie) would have felt invaded. Time and again, I’m surprised by the insightful, intuitive skills the writers are giving Lucille. 

[Blackie]

34 minutes ago, Rootbeer said:

I don't believe we've ever seen animatronic babies on this particular show. 

 

I am pretty sure I have heard them talk about using animatronic babies and how lifelike they are

[dubbel zout]

4 hours ago, marceline said:

8 hours ago, dubbel zout said:

That's interesting. Do you know why that is? 

I suspect it's because the episode airs on Christmas Day both here and in the UK so there's no time to edit the U.S. version.

That makes sense, as enraging as it is for the series. Thanks, @marceline.

4 hours ago, Blackie said:

She is on the British show Ghosts 

She's also on a Netflix series called Feel Good, and is very good in that. A completely different role from Barbara!

[caitmcg]

4 hours ago, Beezella said:

Oh, but I think they did! Did you see Sister Hilda surreptitiously sneaking an aspirin for herself after offering one to Lucille but only after Sister Julienne gave her a questioning look about the aspirin?

She was a bit in her cups even before upending the rest of the rum into the punch bowl, so no surprise she was hungover!

[Kristi800]

It was nice to see Nurse in Training Nancy back and Colette nearby. Sr. Julienne was probably just taken aback and had to adjust her mind around it.

[Rootbeer]

4 hours ago, Blackie said:

 

I am pretty sure I have heard them talk about using animatronic babies and how lifelike they are

I stand corrected, the show did use animatronic babies for the thalidomide episodes.

https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/how-call-the-midwife-filmed-thalidomide-birth-scenes/

I still think the addicted newborn last night was, for the close-ups anyway, a real infant.

My local PBS station also had Downton Abbey on prior to CTM and it ran about 10 minutes into CTM's 9 PM slot.  Luckily, I was watching live and added time to the recording, just in case.

Edited December 28, 2021 by Rootbeer

[CrazyMoon]

Sister Hilda was hysterical...and trying so hard not be obvious. I love that she presented her cake as well.

 

Lucille & Cyril look so good together. I love the interaction with Lucille & Phyllis. The gown was gorgeous. The little attendants were perfect. 

The baby was most likely anamatronics. It was all very well done. Timothy was agog at the new things he's learning. Angela, Mai & Teddy are coming into their own. 

Great episode. Particularly loved Cyril choosing Reggie as a best man. I get Lucille not wanting bridesmaids if they couldn't be her sisters. My sister & I stood up for each other...it was never officially discussed, it just was. Would've just been wrong any other way. 

[Jodithgrace]

Thank you for all your suggestions, but I did finally get to see the end of the episode. It was quite lovely, even though, thanks to Covid , Lucille and Cyril were forced to act as though this were an arranged marriage and they were meeting each other for the first time. The choir after the ceremony was so joyous, it was terrific and I am so glad I was able to see it.

[CountryGirl]

So happy this show is back. 

Trixie and Matthew are swoon-worthy.

Lucille was a beautiful bride. Her dress and veil reminded me of my mother-in-law’s wedding photographs.

Reggie being Cyril’s best man was cute.

I appreciated getting more of May’s backstory. I think Sheilagh would have adopted that baby as well if she could have.

So nice to see Tim Turner again.

I loved the nods to history with the bridal escorts but OMG, the remembrances of Barbara just gutted me. That manipulative music that played when Phyllis was holding her pearls and reading Lucille’s letter, I know they’ve played before Barbara was on the show, but I will always think of as HER theme and it gets me every time. 

[Cetacean]

 

On 12/27/2021 at 4:57 PM, anna0852 said:

Are we sure that was even a real baby? They have some excellent dolls and animatronics.

They have unsed animatronics more than once so I am thinking it was not a real child.  No matter how careful, using a small preemie in this time of Covid seems like a stretch.  That was one scary looking kid!

Cyril asking Reggie to be his best man was just adorable.  Lucille was gorgeous in her gown.  The little attendants were so sweet.  So much to love about this episdode!

[dargosmydaddy]

I know animatronics have come a long way since the laughably scary tiny baby Reese (ER in the late 90's...), but mobster baby looked (and acted) like a real baby to me. And they seemed to be doing the same thing they've done with all the newborns in the Covid episodes, which is only show the baby in close-ups/ when an adult face isn't in the shot (so presumably the adults are actually masked up). And there were several scenes where it was clearly just a blanket-wrapped lump. If it was an animatronic, you'd think they'd have gotten their money's worth (because surely one that lifelike would be very pricey) and had it visible in every single scene...

 

[Straycat80]

Oh darn,  my DVR didn’t record this. Is there anywhere I can watch it? Netflix? 

[chitowngirl]

4 minutes ago, Straycat80 said:

Oh darn,  my DVR didn’t record this. Is there anywhere I can watch it? Netflix? 

It’s on the PBS website

[catrice2]

So,where was the family for Cyril and Lucille? My DVR let me down while out of town.

[caitmcg]

2 hours ago, catrice2 said:

So,where was the family for Cyril and Lucille? My DVR let me down while out of town.

They knew their families couldn’t come to England, but rather than have a long, drawn-out engagement until they could afford to travel to where their families are in the Caribbean to marry there, they decided not to wait and to have a wedding with their “found family” of church and work communities. (This decision was part of the regular season, do not discussed in the Christmas special.)

[anna0852]

Plus they are from different countries. Lucille is from Jamaica and Cyril is from Guyana. Even if they traveled back, one set of family members was still going to have issues attending. This way they avoided having to choose and potentially hurting feelings. 

[Badger]

I wonder if Cyril's back story is based at least in part on E.R. Braithwaite who wrote "To Sir with Love" which was about his time as a teacher in an East End school in post WWII London.  In the movie they changed the time to the '60s.

Anyway, he was also a Guyanan who came to London hoping to get a job as a civil engineer. 

[ChelleGame]

That was so lovely I am going to watch it again. 

I woke up this morning and said to my husband, "I have to talk to my Midwife Friends".

That's how I think of you all here on this thread. The warmth and kindness and humor of the show is evident in the discussions. Even in the disagreements.

I appreciate all of you for that.

And I thank you. This has been a soft place to land during a tough couple years.

Happy New Year to you all. I wish you safety, health, happiness and love in 2022.

Best to all of you and your families.

[susannah]

On 12/27/2021 at 5:58 AM, Jodithgrace said:

I am so annoyed and disappointed. I wasn't home until late Christmas night, and sat down to watch my DVR recording. The first 15 minutes of my recording was the end credits of Downton Abby, and then my DVR cut out right when they revealed the little bridesmaids in red, so no wedding at all! I saw that there would be two later showings, so I recorded them both, only to discover next morning that they were from seasons 8 and 9, and I couldn't find a replay of this one on any of my PBS stations. 

Did they use an actual crack baby? The baby was so skinny and had such an awful cry, it looked all too authentic. Heartrending. My daughter's best friend is raising her own sister's baby who was born addicted. At almost two, she still has some issues, not to mention being the subject of an ugly custody fight. 

I  think anyone who gives birth to a drug addicted baby should lose all parental rights at birth and permanently. There should be zero room for and trying to regain custody.

[susannah]

On 12/27/2021 at 2:29 PM, Daff said:

anyone else (like Trixie) would have felt invaded.

Would she now? I know that Trixie had zero problem going into Patsy's stuff that was hidden under her bed, to get a scarf, without asking Patsy. When Patsy saw her with the scarf on and confronted her, not only did T not apologize, but attacked Patsy, saying she didn't fit in with them, and then lied about it to the nuns.

[Straycat80]

This was so good. I like the nuns and midwives getting trashed on rum at Lucille’s Hen party. I wish she would have had Phyllis as her maid of honor. I loved how Reggie was best man. And I’m glad the nun wedding cake was included in the cake parade.
So is Lucille no longer going to be a midwife now that she’s married? Phyllis said that she would miss her. 

I can’t wait for the next season to start in the US. 
 

[EllaWycliffe]

16 minutes ago, Straycat80 said:

So is Lucille no longer going to be a midwife now that she’s married? Phyllis said that she would miss her. 

She is going to be a midwife still. Phyllis will miss her as a roommate as they shared a bedroom

[susannah]

I am among those who missed the ending. It cut off just as Phyllis introduced the kids at the church. I just saw it last night so haven't had a chance to see the whole thing yet on OPB. At the beginning, when May's legal insecurity was brought up, she has such a selfish biological mother, who can't care for her but keeps her in limbo, or Sr Frances's comment about breech births, I knew one or the other was going to be in the show. The Nativity play was cute, and I guess Phyllis forgot she has a bad back! Angela and May are like the principal's kids, whenever anything is happening, they are in the front of it! I wasn't that moved by the drugs/gangster story, but thought the scene with the delivered goodies was great. Dr Turner might as well have hung a sign that said "lost cause" as he shut the door, with the women.." a ham! rum! Ooh, perfume!" I didn't catch that Timothy was drinking a rum and Coke, but he is a young man now. The hen party was pretty funny, though I don't know what game they were playing, passing that box around.

SURPRISING that Sr Hilda was pouring the booze into the punch, and more surprising that religious, proper Lucille was going for it. Her eye injury thing, and what they did, just turned my stomach. I wouldn't be able to do that. I don't know why they couldn't have lanced it. A tiny scar would have been better than that. Liked Reggie's insisting on a silk tie. Didn't like Violet's "letting" Fred go to the bachelor party, she's not his mother, or scolding Reggie after Lucille let them know he was outside with them. He isn't six, and he was with friends. I did think he had seen snow before, so didn't get that whole thing. That snowball!! OMG, the dress on the door....I thought of Barbara the minute I saw it and I knew Phyllis was too. I was crying when she was, and when Lucille found her pearls. It was very kind of Lucille to help Phyllis in remembering Barbara with happiness. I miss her. Why couldn't she have died offscreen! Her dress was perfect for her. I do not know how a dress and veil as big as Lucille's could get from inside to car, all squushed inside the car and then into the church without totally rumpling. It was very pretty but I don't care for the superfitted design.

Not a fan of Matthew and Trixie, and I feel quite sure that he would not be so generous with everything that he is doing, including the renovations, if Trixie had no part in it.

Loved Mother Miriam's reading of the story. Thought it is too bad that the Turners aren't fostering Colette, since they have the two girls her age. Now that the kids are all friends, I bet we see more of Colette.

[anna0852]

After rewatching, one of the things that stood out to me was how shy Collette seemed. And then I realized I realized that while she grew up in a convent, the nuns she was around certainly didn't behave like these ones. She'd probably never had such a lively Christmas and her life. I'm very very glad that Nancy was able to find a better situation for her daughter.

[Rootbeer]

2 minutes ago, susannah said:

I am among those who missed the ending. It cut off just as Phyllis introduced the kids at the church. I just saw it last night so haven't had a chance to see the whole thing yet on OPB. At the beginning, when May's legal insecurity was brought up, she has such a selfish biological mother, who can't care for her but keeps her in limbo, 

I'm pretty sure Mai's biological mother, the heroin addict, is out of the picture.  As i recall, she was brought to England a few years back by the missionary branch of the nuns to be adopted.  The adoption was already arranged when it turned out her adoptive father (I think) was diagnosed with active TB which meant a young child couldn't live in the home until he was recovered.  That's when Sheilagh and Dr Turner stepped in to foster her, but the ongoing assumption is that her adoptive family will take her once the TB has resolved.

[anna0852]

1 minute ago, Rootbeer said:

I'm pretty sure Mai's biological mother, the heroin addict, is out of the picture.  As i recall, she was brought to England a few years back by the missionary branch of the nuns to be adopted.  The adoption was already arranged when it turned out her adoptive father (I think) was diagnosed with active TB which meant a young child couldn't live in the home until he was recovered.  That's when Sheilagh and Dr Turner stepped in to foster her, but the ongoing assumption is that her adoptive family will take her once the TB has resolved.

No, the TB family are the ones that are out of the picture. Heroin Mom showed in England in episode 9.6. She asked to see Mai but when Mai was shy and clung to Sheilagh the bio-mom got mad and refused to sign the adoption papers. Mai is stuck in foster limbo. The Turners want to adopt her but bio-mom won't agree. The social worker said they could go to court to challenge but clearly haven't yet.

[Rootbeer]

1 minute ago, anna0852 said:

No, the TB family are the ones that are out of the picture. Heroin Mom showed in England in episode 9.6. She asked to see Mai but when Mai was shy and clung to Sheilagh the bio-mom got mad and refused to sign the adoption papers. Mai is stuck in foster limbo. The Turners want to adopt her but bio-mom won't agree. The social worker said they could go to court to challenge but clearly haven't yet.

Oh, that's right, don't know how I could've forgotten that.  Thanks for the correction.

Edited January 3, 2022 by Rootbeer

[purist]

4 hours ago, susannah said:

The hen party was pretty funny, though I don't know what game they were playing, passing that box around.

It looked to me like they were playing 'Pass the Parcel', where you have a gift wrapped in many layers and it is passed round while music is playing. Whoever is holding the parcel when the music stops gets to unwrap a layer, and then it goes on until someone is lucky enough to unwrap the final layer and gets the gift. It was my favourite party game when I was a kid and I still love it (I'm in Australia).

[susannah]

4 hours ago, anna0852 said:

I'm very very glad that Nancy was able to find a better situation for her daughter.

Since she is not with the Turners, and we haven't seen her with the foster family, we can just hope it is a better situation for her!

11 minutes ago, purist said:

It looked to me like they were playing 'Pass the Parcel', where you have a gift wrapped in many layers and it is passed round while music is playing. Whoever is holding the parcel when the music stops gets to unwrap a layer, and then it goes on until someone is lucky enough to unwrap the final layer and gets the gift. It was my favourite party game when I was a kid and I still love it (I'm in Australia).

Thanks for the info. I'm in the US, so not familiar. It does sound fun!

[marceline]

Doing a rewatch so my random thoughts:

• Everything about this episode to do with snow was a disaster. Reggie's snow obsession and Lucille/Cyril (LuCyril? 😃) making that styrofoam monstrosity of a snowman made me cringe. The snow scenes were terrible CGI. I prefer to think the budget for special effects went to COVID protocols/protections for the babies.
   
• Reggie. I've really grown to love this character and how he's become a part of the fabric on this show. I love the Buckle family. I could do a whole thread about the awesomeness of Reggie.
   
• Sister Hilda was a member of the Air Force. I want to learn more about this. I love the stories where we learn about the nuns' lives before they took the veil. *Looks at Sister Julienne munching a Choco Ice and holding hands with her dying benefactor/boyfriend as they watch a movie.*
   
• Miriam Margolyes reading Dickens is a thing the BBC should lean into.
   
• "Obey" in Lucille's vows. Ugh. That's historically accurate but it sill made my teeth itch.
   
• Is it my imagination or is Vanessa Redgrave a.k.a. "Mature Jenny" having a tough time with the voiceover in this ep? Perhaps it's time to look at passing the torch to another "future" character.

 

Edited January 4, 2022 by marceline

[caitmcg]

2 hours ago, marceline said:

The snow scenes were terrible CGI. 

Per CTM social media and press interviews, it’s not CGI, just fake snow.

[susannah]

On 12/27/2021 at 2:36 PM, Blackie said:

 

I am pretty sure I have heard them talk about using animatronic babies and how lifelike they are

I didn't know how they could get a real baby with missing limbs, but Susan Mollucks looked so real!

[susannah]

2 hours ago, marceline said:

Sister Hilda was a member of the Air Force. I want to learn more about this

Also, she told the dying girl who wanted to go to the ball that she was a "dab hand" at dancing, I guess that means she was good at it, and offered to teach the girl. I guess Sr Hilda was a party girl before she became a nun! I also think it would be interesting to find out more backstory about the nuns.

[Daff]

9 hours ago, marceline said:

Sister Hilda was a member of the Air Force.

She actually said “Air Force Auxiliary.”

[Rootbeer]

11 hours ago, susannah said:

Also, she told the dying girl who wanted to go to the ball that she was a "dab hand" at dancing, I guess that means she was good at it, and offered to teach the girl. I guess Sr Hilda was a party girl before she became a nun! I also think it would be interesting to find out more backstory about the nuns.

My aunt, who would've been about the same age as the nuns on the show, had a best friend from school who went into the convent.  They would get together for lunch sometimes and the stories they told were incredible.  It's hard to think of nuns having flirted with boys or having romances or drinking beer, but they certainly do.  My aunt and her friend used to hang out at the USO as teens and enjoyed flirting and dancing with the soldiers.  The nun actually had a former boyfriend who came to visit her in the convent before she took her vows begging her to not do it and to marry him instead.  He brought her a dozen red roses and she was mightily pissed that her Mother Superior ordered her to put them on the altar at the chapel rather than keep them for herself.  She also claimed to have a box full of letters under her bed written to her by soldiers off at war who'd met her at the USO.  She claimed the other sisters in the convent were going to be utterly shocked when she died and they discovered her life before the veil and 'how much I loved boys and beer'.