S11.E03: Episode 3

[OtterMommy]

Quote

Nancy tackles the plight of meths drinkers living rough in Poplar. Nurse Crane’s patient is torn between two very different futures, and the Order celebrates a milestone birthday.

 

[MissLucas]

All I can say to handing Shelagh organizing the centenary celebration (or however Sister Julienne wanted to call it) instead of Sister Hilda is:

Why do her dreams always get crushed? Who in their right mind would choose Shelagh over Sister Hilda to organize a party??? The only rational explanation is that Sister Julienne's brain wasn't working properly due to her condition. *still upset* #TeamSisterHilda! The only thing I liked about that plot was Shelagh still having Timothy's letter.

I appreciate that they were not going down the obvious route with Julie's plot. Her manager was not a scumbag pushing her beyond her limits nor was he the baby's father. He might have been oblivious to what was going on but it looked as if he was truly interested in getting her the career she had been striving for. 

Violet's plotline was tied to Nancy's but Mrs Avis was written with a sledgehammer. I got the point they were trying to make but subtle writing it was not.

Nancy got probably one of the most upsetting scenes this show has ever delivered and that's saying something. And when she arrived at the hospital in a yellow dress I kinda lost it. But her friendship with Sister Frances is wonderfully written.

And to make up (kinda) for what we had to endure with Nancy we finally got a romantic speech under an umbrella and a kiss in the rain! They should have ended with that instead of that treacly song (sorry, Miss Higgins I do like you but you got caught up in my wrath about Sister Hilda's crushed dreams).

PS: For those who like me had no idea who Constance Spry is.

 

Edited January 17, 2022 by MissLucas

[purist]

23 hours ago, MissLucas said:

Nancy got probably one of the most upsetting scenes this show has ever delivered and that's saying something. And when she arrived at the hospital in a yellow dress I kinda lost it. But her friendship with Sister Frances is wonderfully written.

I absolutely love the relationship they are building between Nancy and Sister Frances. Lovely performances from both actors.

[MissLucas]

Sister Frances got the kind of writing that I had always waited for Sister Winifred to happen. I always thought that there were many missed opportunities with her character and I'm glad the same is not happening to Sister Frances.

[purist]

16 hours ago, MissLucas said:

Sister Frances got the kind of writing that I had always waited for Sister Winifred to happen. I always thought that there were many missed opportunities with her character and I'm glad the same is not happening to Sister Frances.

Word! Same goes for Nancy and Val.

I remember as a kid playing the 'Do you like butter?' game, where you hold a yellow flower under someone's chin and if it reflects the colour, they apparently do like butter. Of course, it always reflects the colour. I found it very moving when Nancy brought the yellow flowers to Bernard as he was dying.

Edited January 19, 2022 by purist

[bybrandy]

That one scene was maybe one of the most disturbing things we've seen on this show and this show shows so, so, so, so many disturbing things.   Mad props to Nancy for both looking anguished and terrified and what do I do exactly and then getting over it enough to hang with Bernard for the rest of the episode.   

And I also remember playing the buttercup game, although I would have guessed light conditions played more of a part on weather or not somebody "liked butter" than anything else.  :).  Those flowers didn't look like what I consider a buttercup which made me wonder if buttercups were different in the UK, if I don't remember what buttercups look like or if Nancy just found some yellow flowers and went with it.  Also the yellow dress... OMG.  And I like her and sister Francis supporting each other.  

I agree with both Nancy getting some stories I would have liked for Lucille and Sister Francis getting some stories I would have liked for Sister Winnifred. 

And honestly I thought Sheleigh's sappy song wasn't special enough to be a big surprise.. there are so many sappy singing opportunities in Poplar.  When the Turner kids look back in their life they are going to be like I swear we were in a costume performing somewhere at the end of every week.   

Team Sister Hilda.  Always team Sister Hilda.  

And also agree that I expected the manager to be way, way, way, way sketchier than he turned out to be.  I didn't find the ending of that story to be terribly uplifting and not from a modern women can have it all perspective but because the boyfriend turned up and did the right thing, I guess, but there didn't seem to be much of him... I mean he has mitigating circumstances and maybe he won't get a dishonorable discharge but... She just seemed to have the best prospects in the family.  

There is absolutely no shame at all in chosing to be a present parent, NONE, but it just felt so bleak what she was choosing.  

I did appreciate that the father, though, answered "almost" when she said he must've had as rough a time as she had growing up.  

[katisha]

On 1/17/2022 at 11:35 PM, MissLucas said:

Nancy got probably one of the most upsetting scenes this show has ever delivered and that's saying something. And when she arrived at the hospital in a yellow dress I kinda lost it. But her friendship with Sister Frances is wonderfully written.

Oh, it got very dusty in my living room when Nancy was at the hospital in that yellow dress.  This show gets me in the feels every.bloody.time!

Random note: why is there frostiness in the relationship between Millicent and Shelagh?  It's like Shelagh wears on Millicent's last nerve. 

[EllaWycliffe]

48 minutes ago, katisha said:

Random note: why is there frostiness in the relationship between Millicent and Shelagh?  It's like Shelagh wears on Millicent's last nerve. 

Because they're both very set in their ways about how things should be done - and they don't agree on how things should be done. 

[ChelleGame]

Is there no Episode 2 topic. Forgive me if my menopause can't see it.

[chitowngirl]

23 minutes ago, ChelleGame said:

Is there no Episode 2 topic. Forgive me if my menopause can't see it.

Just bumped up the episode…it was pretty far down on the page! Ironically, I’m watching it now on Passport

Edited March 22, 2022 by chitowngirl

[libgirl2]

On 2/18/2022 at 6:19 AM, katisha said:

Oh, it got very dusty in my living room when Nancy was at the hospital in that yellow dress.  This show gets me in the feels every.bloody.time!

Random note: why is there frostiness in the relationship between Millicent and Shelagh?  It's like Shelagh wears on Millicent's last nerve. 

I was chopping onions. 

[libgirl2]

Good God what an episode.  Everyone deserves dignity and don't judge so fast. 

I loved that each man was able to have someone with them at that last moment. 

I did have to look up meths. 

Edited April 4, 2022 by libgirl2

[katisha]

35 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

I did have to look up meths. 

It's hard to imagine how desperate you would have to be to drink methylated spirits.  Even the smell makes me gag. :( 

[EllaWycliffe]

11 minutes ago, katisha said:

It's hard to imagine how desperate you would have to be to drink methylated spirits.  Even the smell makes me gag. :( 

Watch Intervention sometime. I saw an alcoholic teen drink hand sanitizer out of the wall unit in his hospital room. 

[BooksRule]

56 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

I did have to look up meths. 

The first time I ever heard the phrase 'meths drinkers' was in the Vincent Price movie 'Theatre of Blood' (1973-ish?)  A bunch of them became Price's minions when he was hiding out and committing murders.  This was way pre-google, so I can't remember if i just kind of guessed drug addicts or maybe I looked it up in my trusty Worldbook Encyclopedia.  

[Badger]

I noticed a couple of things they cut out although neither one really made much difference in terms of the show.  In the scene where everyone is getting their assignments, Phyllis tells Nancy that she is going to be working with Sr. Frances at the Tuberculosis Hostel.  Nancy objects saying she only does midwifery but she is told that was because she needed to improve her skills and now she needs to expand them (paraphrasing).  Then Sr. Frances claps her hands with glee and excitedly tells Nancy that they can do the sputum tests.  Trixie observes "See, Nancy, nothing but nonstop glamour."

The second bit was after Sister Hilda objected to Shelagh being the one who is in charge of the celebration. Trixie tries to change the subject by asking what they think the Queen will be wearing on her tour to Canada.  Someone points out that she always tries to wear colors that pertain to the country she is visiting.  Nancy says she doesn't care much for her shoes and bags.  Phyllis agrees, saying she remembers when the Queen could be seen wearing a peep toe.

I've been watching reruns of "The Joey Bishop Show" and I think pretty much every man who wasn't bald or a kid with shaggy hair had the same hairstyle as the manager.  I thought he was going to turn out to be a bad guy, but he was okay.

[Sarah 103]

On 1/23/2022 at 5:26 PM, bybrandy said:

And also agree that I expected the manager to be way, way, way, way sketchier than he turned out to be.  I didn't find the ending of that story to be terribly uplifting and not from a modern women can have it all perspective but because the boyfriend turned up and did the right thing, I guess, but there didn't seem to be much of him... I mean he has mitigating circumstances and maybe he won't get a dishonorable discharge but... She just seemed to have the best prospects in the family.  

In terms of her having the best prospects in the family, it's sort of, maybe, kind of. She wasn't in training for a profession or a career with longevity. She was an aspiring pop singer. Even if she makes it big, the chances of her having a long-term profitable career were slim. Her husband is in the military and he clearly cares about doing the right thing so I imagine he will be attempting to send her some money each month.

I liked Nancy's storyline and the emotional journey.

Violet reminds me of high school or college students in student government who end up with an inflated sense of self-importance and think the position is far more powerful than it actually is. 

When Fred was dealing with the meth drinkers I got a "there but for the grace of god go I" sort of feeling and I'm not sure why. Am I reading too much into it? Am I forgetting part of his backstory? 

Edited April 4, 2022 by Sarah 103

[LittleIggy]

I figured Bernard had gangrene with everyone mentioning the smell, but his foot breaking off like that was 😬🤢!

I could have done without the scene between Trixie and the hot widower. It just seemed tacked on. Probably an unpopular opinion, but I think it is time for Trixie to move on. 

[GaT]

1 hour ago, LittleIggy said:

I figured Bernard had gangrene with everyone mentioning the smell, but his foot breaking off like that was 😬🤢!

Yeah, that was really rough, & that wasn't something that even entered my mind as being possible to happen.

[Mermaid Under]

I guess I'm the odd one out on this episode.  I liked Nurse Nancy and Bernard's performances.  The scene where she said she told them to call him Bernard Corrigan was nice. (He didn't know his last name, or he wouldn't give it?  Because initially, he was pretty lucid.)  But in general, I found it a bit heavy-handed and preachy, and that kind of writing is never effective, for me anyway.   I guess they are portraying a world pre-rehab, and saying how horrible it was.   We live in a post-rehab world, and things haven't really changed that much.    

[Cetacean]

8 hours ago, Sarah 103 said:

When Fred was dealing with the meth drinkers I got a "there but for the grace of god go I" sort of feeling and I'm not sure why. Am I reading too much into it? Am I forgetting part of his backstory? 

I got that vibe as well.  Maybe he recognized a comrade in arms from the war?  We now how that destroys so many souls even today.  

I just dissolved in tears when Nancy showed up in yellow.  And then gave Bernard her last name.  That was a tough story to watch and kind of took me out of the baby story.  Didn't really care so much about the unwed mother and her career especially since so many aspiring singers go nowhere.  Nor was her voice all that special, in my opinion.

And of even less interest is Trixie and the rich guy.  I know that Helen had recently given birth before filming so I'm attributing her brief scenes and low key demeanor to that.  

[Good Queen Jane]

Thank you all for educating me. I was confused by the show calling Bernard a "meth drinker" and then showed him looking more like an alcoholic. I assumed that the "meth" referred to was methamphetamine, as in Breaking Bad, not a form of alcohol. Reading the above, it all makes more sense to me. 

[Daff]

8 hours ago, GaT said:

Yeah, that was really rough, & that wasn't something that even entered my mind as being possible to happen.

Oh, I was dreading that from the time Nancy and Dr. T indicated the need to look at the infected foot. Although they kept passing off the horrible smell to the addiction, a great deal of it had to have been the foot as well. Then, it was an absolute surety when Dr. T said to “gently ease” the shoe off-they’re really going to do it! Sad reality and I’m sure it’s still happening among the hoards of homeless every day. 

[EllaWycliffe]

1 hour ago, Cetacean said:

Didn't really care so much about the unwed mother and her career especially since so many aspiring singers go nowhere.  Nor was her voice all that special, in my opinion.

I think this simply could have had less... drama? Stupidity? Listen, being an unwed mom and being pregnant at an audition can still get you booted from American Idol. I'll excuse how the actress didn't seem all that musically gifted - she's an actress, not a singer - and just be the jerk that says this. Fucking your boyfriend is how babies get in your belly. I know hormones are in play but... maybe don't screw if you have career plans. As it is, the baby is doubly fucked - Daddy is apparently a prime idiot as well, going AWOL, which can really screw up career options later on. And dont get me started on a relatively thin woman hiding the pregnancy. If this was supposed to be compelling it probably needed more lead in. 

And really don't get me started on how people in the East End were not this open minded about biracial couples. Maybe my English relatives from this era of the East End were *unusually over racist* but I don't think so.

Nancy's storyline in contrast was super compelling and well done and really showed her character growing. I loved her face lighting up when her daughter called her Mummy. The storyline also had that bit of grit and gore that I sometimes prefer. 

Honestly, I love Trixie but I am ready for Trixie to find a man, any man, and go. Matthew seems nice, but its like watching paint dry.

I actually agreed with Sr. Hilda being annoyed that Sr. Julienne was assigning Mrs. Turner as her fill in. I like Shelagh too but she isn't a nun, and she's kind of a bad example to the nuns, and more importantly, she has her own job and what, three kids under seven.

[Daff]

On 2/18/2022 at 7:19 AM, katisha said:

Random note: why is there frostiness in the relationship between Millicent and Shelagh?  It's like Shelagh wears on Millicent's last nerve. 

 

On 2/18/2022 at 8:08 AM, EllaWycliffe said:

Because they're both very set in their ways about how things should be done - and they don't agree on how things should be done. 

Very succinct, and spot-on, Ella. I might add, though, that has been their mode of interaction since Miss Higgins first day! It was worse, but now it seems to have settled into (just barely) tolerant co-existence. They’ve settled in opposite corners. 

[Rootbeer]

38 minutes ago, EllaWycliffe said:

I

And really don't get me started on how people in the East End were not this open minded about biracial couples. Maybe my English relatives from this era of the East End were *unusually over racist* but I don't think so.

This isn't the first time that the show has been anachronistic in its storylines, but I thought the same thing. I thought the young soldier would either be black or that we would hear that his parents were opposed to the relationship and forced him to join the Army to break them up.  The girl was obviously biracial and, back in the 60's, it would be very unusual for a biracial person to marry a caucasian without anyone thinking a thing about it.  This was as true in Britain as it was in the US. 

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?, a film about an upper class white family whose daughter brings her African American boyfriend home for a visit; spurring all sorts of family drama amongst people who had thought they were very modern and forward-thinking and not at all racist, just came out in 1967.    No way the citizens of Poplar were any more enlightened back then.

[JudyObscure]

  I started the episode, while Nancy was bumming stockings,  thinking I didn't really like Nancy very much and ended thinking she was my hero.  This show at it's best always teaches me a few things about tolerance. 

Sister Frances also gets more amazing all the time. 

My unpopular opinion is that I always enjoy Violet and her prissy ways, partly because that sort of woman has almost of died out and they were always useful and hardworking, and like Violet they usually had a heart of gold underneath it all. I got a kick out of Violet being out prissied by the woman who told her this was a formal occasion because she was wearing her best coat!

Poor Sister Hilda.  She may be a little pushy, but I think they're lucky to have someone who's ready to add extra duties to their already busy schedules.

[dubbel zout]

13 hours ago, Badger said:

I thought [the manager] was going to turn out to be a bad guy, but he was okay.

Same! I was glad he wasn't predatory or controlling. 

12 hours ago, Sarah 103 said:

I liked Nancy's storyline and the emotional journey.

She's learning a bit of humility in a fantastic way. It's been subtle, which this show doesn't always go for.

10 hours ago, GaT said:

11 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

I figured Bernard had gangrene with everyone mentioning the smell, but his foot breaking off like that was 😬🤢!

Yeah, that was really rough, & that wasn't something that even entered my mind as being possible to happen.

I sort of chuckled when Nancy was apologizing so profusely, and Bernard was all "NBD, I didn't feel it anyway." 

1 hour ago, EllaWycliffe said:

[Shelagh is] kind of a bad example to the nuns

Why, because she left the calling? She's living a pretty giving life without being a nun, IMO. I didn't see the season(s) where this happened, but it doesn't seem like it was a snap decision. (Though maybe leaving an Anglican nunnery isn't as fraught as leaving a Catholic nunnery. I'm neither, but I have seen The Nun's Story and various TV movies about nuns. Heh.)

[lovesnark]

4 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

Same! I was glad he wasn't predatory or controlling. 

She's learning a bit of humility in a fantastic way. It's been subtle, which this show doesn't always go for.

 

I sort of chuckled when Nancy was apologizing so profusely, and poor Bernard was all "NBD, I didn't feel it anyway." As someone who's had gas gangrene, I found it very painful.

Why, because she left the calling? She's living a pretty giving life without being a nun, IMO. I didn't see the season(s) where this happened, but it doesn't seem like it was a snap decision. (Though maybe leaving an Anglican nunnery isn't as fraught as leaving a Catholic nunnery. I'm neither, but I have seen The Nun's Story and various TV movies about nuns. Heh.)

Shelagh really struggled with her decision to leave the order. She tried really hard to fight her feelings for Patrick and even when she'd made the decision and was going to marry him, believed she didn't 'deserve' a wedding. You should definitely watch the early seasons!

[EllaWycliffe]

2 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

Why, because she left the calling?

Yeah. I mean, they kind of want nuns to stay nuns, don't they?

Don't get me wrong - I totally appreciated Sr Bernadette's journey in realizing she'd be happier as Shelagh, and I have always liked the honesty this show has in showing that nuns are people with real human feelings. It wasn't a good fit, she made the right choice. 

That said, she's NOT a nun. Sr. Julienne is wrong to rely on her to handle affairs for Nonnatus House because, whether she likes her choices or not, she should be choosing one of her religious sisters to take on her duties while she is ill. She can't live forever, they have to learn, and Shelagh is not a nun and may not be available. Sr. Hilda may need to check her humility quotient but she had reason to be upset that Sr. Julienne was going outside the sisterhood for a fill in. 

2 minutes ago, lovesnark said:

Shelagh really struggled with her decision to leave the order. She tried really hard to fight her feelings for Patrick and even when she'd made the decision and was going to marry him, believed she didn't 'deserve' a wedding. You should definitely watch the early seasons!

Agree - there's definitely some good stories in the older seasons and this was one of them. 

[MissLucas]

I loved Sister Bernadette's arc to become Shelagh and thought it was very well handled. But it still feels off to hand her the celebration - she left and found a new life. But this was about Nonnatus House and the sisters who live and work there. Add to that that it's clear that Sister Hilda knows exactly how to throw a party and that Shelagh has a job and three kids to take care of and tends to be painfully pedantic  it should have been a no-brainer. I kinda enjoyed her having to deal with Miss Higgins - served her right. She must have seen how much Sister Hilda wanted the job and could have easily ducked out but chose not to.

[Badger]

The show mentions racism quite a bit especially with Cyril and Lucille and their inability to find a house and his inability to find a job as a civil engineer.  There's one episode where he says that those things would be possible "in a just society" which indicates that he doesn't consider that they're currently living in one.

Also, didn't Julie say that that the only thing her father left her was the color of her skin and she didn't say it as though she thought it was a good thing.  

Regarding Julie and her career as a pop singer, her manager really seemed to believe in her and her talent.  Maybe he would be looking into other aspects of show business for her if the singing thing stopped being successful.  Cilla Black is a good example of that. She became a television personality after her music career died down.

 

 

 

Edited April 4, 2022 by Badger
changed Yvonne to Lucille.

[Kenzie]

2 hours ago, JudyObscure said:

I got a kick out of Violet being out prissied by the woman who told her this was a formal occasion because she was wearing her best coat!

I just loved that little line!

It took me back to the seventies when I was a teen to when people still got dressed up to go anywhere. I remember putting on a dress and checking my hair and makeup just to go to the mall. After all you might just run into someone you know.

A few years ago my fiftyish cousin came to my mother's early morning funeral in a sweat pants-tee shirt combo so soft and slouchy that several people thought she was wearing pajamas. Things have changed so much!

[dubbel zout]

2 hours ago, EllaWycliffe said:

It wasn't a good fit, she made the right choice. 

Exactly. The orders don't want anyone there who doesn't want to be there. That doesn't make you a bad example, though.

I have mixed feelings about Sister Julienne wanting Shelagh to be in charge of the anniversary; it would have been more politic for Shelagh to share responsibility with Sister Hilda, I think. It was obvious (to me, at least), that Sister Hilda approved of Shelagh's ideas, but pride (oh, that pesky pride) demanded she be somewhat grudging with that approval. I think it was the balloons and the "surprise" that did it, heh.

Was the "surprise" the choir? I thought there'd be more about the celebration after all the talk. And the fact that it's the centenary. That's a big deal.

44 minutes ago, Badger said:

She became a television personality after her music career died down.

Cilla Black had already established her music career, though. Julie wasn't there yet. 

15 minutes ago, Kenzie said:

people still got dressed up to go anywhere.

I know! I remember as a kid wearing my Sunday best on airplanes, because that's what you did. That was also when candy was passed out before takeoff and landing to help with your ears. On one shortish flight, I got to help the flight attendants pass it out before landing. I had such fun!

[Badger]

What I meant was that Mo seemed to really believe in her so maybe he would have looked out for other opportunities for her if her singing career either never got off the ground or she had a few big hits and that was it.  

 

 

[Cetacean]

7 hours ago, MissLucas said:

I loved Sister Bernadette's arc to become Shelagh and thought it was very well handled. But it still feels off to hand her the celebration - she left and found a new life.

I think it has a lot to do with Shelaugh's relationship with Sr. J over the years.  It's almost as though Shelaugh filled the role of a daughter, coming to Sr. J for advice and support when she was considering leaving the order and for other issues as well.  And it's not like Shelaugh never lived the life at Nonnatus.  Now if they'd asked Millicent, that would be a no go.

5 hours ago, dubbel zout said:

I remember as a kid wearing my Sunday best on airplanes, because that's what you did.

Yep, that was something.  Men wore suits, ladies wore their Sunday best.  Flying was a very special occasion.  Heck, I remember getting dressed up to go to the big department store in downtown Detroit as a kid.  It was a destination!

[EllaWycliffe]

2 minutes ago, Cetacean said:

Flying was a very special occasion. 

Partly because it was insanely expensive... 

[MartyQui]

This episode handled death so well…I was present when both my parents died, and it was exactly as pictured. I loved the buttercups…they looked exactly like the ones I remember as a kid. 

I don’t remember this show addressing alcoholism before…they did a good job with it.  

[howiveaddict]

1 hour ago, Cetacean said:

I think it has a lot to do with Shelaugh's relationship with Sr. J over the years.  It's almost as though Shelaugh filled the role of a daughter, coming to Sr. J for advice and support when she was considering leaving the order and for other issues as well.  And it's not like Shelaugh never lived the life at Nonnatus.  Now if they'd asked Millicent, that would be a no go.

Yep, that was something.  Men wore suits, ladies wore their Sunday best.  Flying was a very special occasion.  Heck, I remember getting dressed up to go to the big department store in downtown Detroit as a kid.  It was a destination!

That's how I saw Shelaugh's relationship with Sister Julianne also. I can see why she picked her to plan the celebration.  Shelaugh knows how Sister J would want things done.  

My first airplane trip, as a child, to Florida, entailed me wearing my first pair of hose with a little girdle to hold them up.  They were fish net stockings. Pantyhose weren't common yet.  I also wore a wool dress with matching cape.  If you look at hold airline pictures, people are always dressed up.

I'm a nurse and so it did not surprise me when Bernard's foot came off. I've heard stories of peoples necrotic toes falling off when they were bathed.   At least they didn't mention all the maggots that would also be present.  Even Dr Turner looked like he was going to throw up.

 

[Tiggertoo]

I remember wanting to wear jeans on the plane as a youngster.  My mother was horrified.

[LittleIggy]

It seemed ridiculous for the midwives to have to wear nylon stockings.

[EllaWycliffe]

20 minutes ago, LittleIggy said:

It seemed ridiculous for the midwives to have to wear nylon stockings.

It seems ridiculous that anyone ever had to wear nylon stockings. 

[Daff]

17 hours ago, EllaWycliffe said:

That said, she's NOT a nun. Sr. Julienne is wrong to rely on her to handle affairs for Nonnatus House because,

But, Sr. Julienne didn’t ask Shiela to “handle affairs of NH”. She was perfectly content to leave Sr. Hilda in charge of the daily functions. Stick with me here, because there was a very subtle distinction. I know Sr. Hilda was very disappointed, but Sr. J explained that she didn’t want the NH anniversary celebration turning into a huge blow-out affair (Sr. H’s penchant). She felt that the community would view a huge celebration as the nuns patting THEMSELVES on the back in front of all the people they humbly serve. She wanted it to be fairly sedate, and low-key. Rather than taking it as a slight, I viewed it more as Sr. Julienne being well aware of each individual’s particular skill set, and employing those wisely to the best outcome. 

[Cetacean]

7 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

It seemed ridiculous for the midwives to have to wear nylon stockings.

When I started my nursing career we had to wear dresses and pantyhose.  It was a while before we were able to wear pants and another 12 years before we went to scrubs and ditched the caps.

Edited April 5, 2022 by Cetacean

[EllaWycliffe]

4 hours ago, Daff said:

But, Sr. Julienne didn’t ask Shiela to “handle affairs of NH”. She was perfectly content to leave Sr. Hilda in charge of the daily functions. Stick with me here, because there was a very subtle distinction. I know Sr. Hilda was very disappointed, but Sr. J explained that she didn’t want the NH anniversary celebration turning into a huge blow-out affair (Sr. H’s penchant). She felt that the community would view a huge celebration as the nuns patting THEMSELVES on the back in front of all the people they humbly serve. She wanted it to be fairly sedate, and low-key. Rather than taking it as a slight, I viewed it more as Sr. Julienne being well aware of each individual’s particular skill set, and employing those wisely to the best outcome. 

Except that Sheila isn't a nun. I guess my perspective is this. If Sr. Julienne can't trust Sr. Hilda to not throw a blow out affair, then Sr. Julienne is saying pretty clearly she can't trust Sr. Hilda with responsibility. I also kind of view this as a little abusive to Shelagh - she's not a nun and she does have both a job and a family with several very young children and this isn't the first time she's been asked to give her time to Nonnatus House because Sr. Julienne needs help and for whatever reason doesn't want to utilize her own people.  Dr. Turner even summed up part of the problem - Sr. Julienne works herself till she drops and doesn't delegate things. Then she drops and everything falls apart. 

I'm looking at this from more of a work perspective, I admit that, but the real problem is that Sr. Julienne needs to develop her staff and not rely on Shelagh and Dr. Turner - while its unlikely in context of the show to happen - the Turners could choose to move away at any time, or could have their own needs that need tending.

And its not just Sr. Hilda that Sr. Julienne doesn't trust, its just the current example. I'll stop now since I don't want to harp. 

[kwnyc]

They've always portrayed Shelagh and Sister Julienne as close friends. Shelagh asked Julienne to deliver her son, Julienne took Shelagh to the Mother House when they were selecting a new Superior. Maybe nuns can't have besties, but Shelagh and Julienne have always been very close. Maybe that's why Julienne picked her for the celebration.

As for Violet and Fred, they were the heroes of the episode for me: Violet realizing her role as a public servant and using her powers for good, and Fred with his sympathy for the dying alcoholic. It also brought Dr. Turner back to his PTSD days...and how deeply he'd been hurt.

I thought Helen George was showing her pregnancy a LOT in this episode, and maybe that's why they had The Kiss, to put a pin in it before she goes on maternity leave!

And it was also something to remember that addicts were thought of as people for whom nothing could be done: they were bums and losers and should be chased out of the neighborhood. But then: Maybe...there should be a place...where people who are addicted to drugs and alcohol...could get...TREATMENT. (The invention of rehab...though there were always private sanitariums where the rich could go to dry out and clean up.)

With its emphasis on the rule that no one dies alone, I thought this was one of the best written and acted episodes in awhile.

I pretty much ignored the girl singer/manager/AWOL husband plotline, except to remember a quote from Ted Lasso by Roy Kent: "My dad's from East London, of COURSE he's a racist."

[proserpina65]

On 1/17/2022 at 8:35 AM, MissLucas said:

I appreciate that they were not going down the obvious route with Julie's plot. Her manager was not a scumbag pushing her beyond her limits nor was he the baby's father. He might have been oblivious to what was going on but it looked as if he was truly interested in getting her the career she had been striving for. 

I would've appreciated it more if they hadn't gone the "unexpected mother is so happy with her new baby that she gives up her promising career" route, which, to me, was very reminiscent of all the "unwed teenage mothers will be just fine" storylines we've had over the years.

On 1/23/2022 at 5:26 PM, bybrandy said:

And also agree that I expected the manager to be way, way, way, way sketchier than he turned out to be.  I didn't find the ending of that story to be terribly uplifting and not from a modern women can have it all perspective but because the boyfriend turned up and did the right thing, I guess, but there didn't seem to be much of him... I mean he has mitigating circumstances and maybe he won't get a dishonorable discharge but... She just seemed to have the best prospects in the family.  

This was how I felt about that story ending, too.  That it rather sucked that Julie decided to/had to give up her career.

On 4/4/2022 at 10:24 AM, EllaWycliffe said:

And dont get me started on a relatively thin woman hiding the pregnancy.

Idk, given the right dress style, a thin woman can hide pregnancy for a long time.  My sister-in-law was 6 months before she even started to show at all, and that wasn't in dresses which fell from a high bustline.

 

[EllaWycliffe]

7 minutes ago, kwnyc said:

And it was also something to remember that addicts were thought of as people for whom nothing could be done: they were bums and losers and should be chased out of the neighborhood. But then: Maybe...there should be a place...where people who are addicted to drugs and alcohol...could get...TREATMENT. (The invention of rehab...though there were always private sanitariums where the rich could go to dry out and clean up.)

Yet... you can't treat the unwilling. My church does an outreach with another church to help the local homeless and its really not easy to "fix" these people. Yes, there's often a whole lot of trauma involved and a whole lot of drug and alcohol problems, but the ones who get "saved" so to speak are usually the ones who haven't been homeless long term or who don't have massive underlying issues unrelated to the situation. People who are bi polar and off their meds, people with schizophrenia, people with severe chronic alcohol or drug addiction... its not as simple as a short hospital stay to dry out and a fresh suit and a new job to make it better.

Not that there just shouldn't be help offered - but there's sometimes a certain amount of irony in that my church - in a well established reasonably upper middle class neighborhood - assists this other church (in a more "challenged" neighborhood, lets say) partly because our church would NOT make itself friends with the neighbors if we were offering free meals and fresh clothes to the homeless on our physical site. And having lived in both sorts of neighborhoods, yeah, I prefer not having to dodge elderly drunk men peeing and shitting on the sidewalk. The scene that sort of struck me was Nancy with her daughter and the old drunk guy in the park and the serious flash of fear *I* felt at a little girl approaching someone who was drunk, and possibly mentally volatile. Its hard. You want to help but also you want to be safe. 

 

2 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

Idk, given the right dress style, a thin woman can hide pregnancy for a long time.  My sister-in-law was 6 months before she even started to show at all, and that wasn't in dresses which fell from a high bustline.

Yeah she was literally giving birth in the same episode. I mean believe me when I say artfully avoiding showing Trixie on screen below her neck isn't hiding the fact that she's pregnant, I don't see how this girl got to nine months in a singing career. 

[proserpina65]

5 minutes ago, EllaWycliffe said:

I don't see how this girl got to nine months in a singing career. 

Her mother did say the baby was early, but it couldn't have been that early.

[emmawoodhouse]

43 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

Her mother did say the baby was early, but it couldn't have been that early.

I thought I heard either Julie (was that her name?) or her mom say she was 36 weeks.