S13.E06: Episode 6

[chitowngirl]

PBS makes episodes available on Passport before they air on PBS. Discussion in this thread may contain plot information pertaining to the episode before it airs on PBS. Do not use spoiler tags.

As the summer ends, the pupil midwives prepare for their final while two little brothers are found abandoned at a church. Trixie learns about Matthew's financial woes. Nancy confronts Nurse Crane for her attitude towards the “Raise the Roof” campaign.

[debraran]

I enjoyed this episode, I felt bad for the mom escaping abuse but it was realistic she couldn't take her boys back before showing she can handle the task. I know they don't update too often but I hope they show her again even if in passing or have them mention her from Cyril.

Spoiler

I'm glad they are addressing the mess with Trixie/Matthew and I wont talk about future life with them not shown yet, but they must have caused quite a stir on the set with the producers. Only sad part of the show.

The woman with cancer was also very well done and horrifically true. No easy answers but her kids will know she tried.

I like the new midwives and that doesn't always happen, I hope to see them bloom over the course of the show .

[txhorns79]

I don't really understand how Cyril went from a civil engineer to a social worker.  I understand why that happened for story purposes, but they made such a big deal of him finally getting that civil engineering job, it's odd it was just tossed aside for this. 

On 3/23/2024 at 9:39 AM, debraran said:

The woman with cancer was also very well done and horrifically true. No easy answers but her kids will know she tried.

I thought the actress did a great job in the part.  You really saw her transformed during the episode from a force to be reckoned with to someone barely able to walk on her own. 

[debraran]

7 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

I don't really understand how Cyril went from a civil engineer to a social worker.  I understand why that happened for story purposes, but they made such a big deal of him finally getting that civil engineering job, it's odd it was just tossed aside for this. 

I thought the actress did a great job in the part.  You really saw her transformed during the episode from a force to be reckoned with to someone barely able to walk on her own. 

Oh yes, I forgot about that. I guess like the lackluster writing for Trixie/Matthew, his wife leaving left them to scamper how to keep him. I read they just couldn't find story lines with civil engineering and I get that. Even mechanic would be boring. Maybe a quick line about needing more education, IDK. I actually forgot during the break, maybe they hoped for that too. : ) It is odd though.

I hope they don't try to hook him up with one of the midwives unless it helps him push a divorce from a wife who doesn't want him anymore. They need a respectable time and Lucille is just not mentioned but it's the pink elephant in the room.

 

[Badger]

Spoiler

Deleted Scenes:

Right after Trixie says she's not sure Nurse Crane will see it that way, Sister Veronica comes in and Sr. Julienne asks if she wants tea.  She says no, just hot water with a snifter of lemon, good for the vocal cords.  She says a must since she will be leading the summer singing school culminating in a performance at St. Oswald's.  Sr. Julienne says what a wonderful way to end the summer holidays. Rosalind spills coffee on her sleeve and leaves the table.  Nancy says she must be nervous about the exams.  Trixie adds that failing is a terrible setback for any student midwife and Sr. Julienne says some of them never recover and that they must hope they all pass.

Right after the scene at the Bell's, we go to the Turners where Shelagh is telling May that she must stay home from school until she is fully recovered, she then calls for Angela.

After the scene with Gladys, we go to Matthew and Trixie's flat. He has just gotten off the phone when Trixie comes in.  She asks him what he thinks of her outfit as she must look stylish when they pick up the car. She says she is going for Lorna in "The Italian Job." She asks who he was talking to.  He says his mother wants him to attend a special meeting of the Aylward Estates Board. Trixie says it sounds urgent and asks what is it about.  He says he doesn't know.  She says hopefully he can come meet her at the car dealership later as she wants him to be her first passenger; she then goes to change for work.

Right after the scene of Gladys in hospital, they cut out Joyce saying each list is like a Who's Who of Poplar.  Nancy says that each division of Raise The Roof is making lists of prominent people and businesses to canvass for support for better pay for nurses. She says she forgot Buckle's and that she'll speak to Violet tomorrow morning.

Phyllis enters and tells Nancy tomorrow morning she will be focused on her district round.  She says she has agreed to cover for her next week, but that she hopes not to cover any more.

Right after the scene with Deirdre, we go to Sr.Veronica who is singing while Sr. Monica Joan holds up the lyrics on a poster board. Sr. Veronica says the children are finding "Give Me Oil in My Lamp" challenging so she will be holding the lyrics up during the performance and that she hopes she's got them right. She starts singing again and Nancy tells her she missed a hosanna; Sr. Veronica says she will have to start over. Sr. Monica Joan puts down the placard and says she will do no such thing as she is at a critical juncture in Frankenstein and has no time for this harebrained scheme.

Right after the scene with Deirdre, we go to Gladys and Dr. Turner. She asks why does it say industrial. He tells her because it's work-related and she says she worked with people, not asbestos and that he knows that.  He says that she may have come into contact without knowing and that's the sort of thing this study is trying to investigate.

The next scene is Sr. Veronica gamely trying to teach the children the song; she has the lyrics but it isn't going well.

Right after Rosalind says that's the response she was hoping for, we go to Nancy who has her arms full of Raise the Roof materials and asks Phyllis to help her. Phyllis grabs some of it; Nancy says it's for the campaign.  Phyllis says it all seems gimmicky and she doesn't see the point. Nancy says it's about solidarity and being part of the team and being there for each other no matter what. She tells her not to wrinkle her nose because   she agrees with her else why would she be covering for her and helping Rosalind with her  Canadian Royal Air Force exercises.

 

[Straycat80]

Finally some progress with the Trixie and Matthew story, I hope everything will get better for them. 
Why bring in four new midwife’s but only focus on two? Maybe the other two will get some airtime next season. I liked the two newbies though. 
This was a good season, I’ll probably rewatch. 

[jah1986]

1 hour ago, Straycat80 said:

Why bring in four new midwife’s but only focus on two? Maybe the other two will get some airtime next season. I liked the two newbies though. 
This was a good season, I’ll probably rewatch. 

Thank you! I think the same thing every week, I think the other two students yelling that they passed their exams were the only words they've spoken all season. They really did them a disservice. Hopefully we get to know them soon.

I'm still frustrated with Matthew's treatment of Trixie during his financial crisis. I'm glad she finally knows though. I hate that he thinks she only married him because he was rich.

Really tough watching the cancer patient's rapid deterioration, but glad she didn't keep it from her family forever.

I hope those red ribbon boys are able to stay together and eventually get reunited with their mother.

[chitowngirl]

1 hour ago, Straycat80 said:

Finally some progress with the Trixie and Matthew story, I hope everything will get better for them. 
Why bring in four new midwife’s but only focus on two? Maybe the other two will get some airtime next season. I liked the two newbies though. 
This was a good season, I’ll probably rewatch. 

There’s still 2 episodes to go…they are just not available on Passport streaming yet.

[Straycat80]

28 minutes ago, chitowngirl said:

There’s still 2 episodes to go…they are just not available on Passport streaming yet.

Thank you! I was watching on Passport and I was not paying a lot of attention at the end of the episode and I thought I was saw a ‘next time on…’. I’m so glad there are two  more episodes. This is one of my favorite shows! 

[Jodithgrace]

So, nobody ever says anything idly on this show. When the woman with cancer’s father was dying, she mentioned that he always ran home to put her to bed at night, and of course, that later turns out to be the thing that gave her the cancer.

I wasn’t  sure how those two mute girls were going to pass their oral exams, but apparently they do have voices. I think only the two talkers were asked to work at Nonnatus house, though, so the show won’t have to continue to pay them to sit around and say nothing.

Speaking of payment, apparently, among his other failures, Matthew neglected to take care of Nonnatus house. So, what will happen to them? Here they are, hiring midwives, with Trixie cheering along, when their fate is once again up in the air. 
 

At least Trixie acted appropriately to Matthew’s news. He’s still being an idiot, though, letting her go to the car dealers and having a fit when she finds him a job. Ugh!
 

PBS has cut out almost all of the Raise the Roof campaign. If the midwives do manage to get higher wages, we’ll never know about it. (Well, except through spoilers from our friends across the pond)

It seemed odd that the woman with cancer was so concerned with supporting her family, when, except for the footballer, her other kids all seemed old enough to have full time jobs. 
 

Odd that there was no pre-show warning about self harm, when Deidre was obviously about to jump off that pier when she fainted. American shows would have a warning, plus a hotline number to call, afterwards. 

 

 

[jschoolgirl]

On 3/23/2024 at 9:39 AM, debraran said:

I'm glad they are addressing the mess with Trixie/Matthew and I wont talk about future life with them not shown yet

Then please don’t. In this post, you strongly intimated.

 

 

 

[Sarah 103]

On 3/24/2024 at 9:38 PM, txhorns79 said:

I don't really understand how Cyril went from a civil engineer to a social worker.  I understand why that happened for story purposes, but they made such a big deal of him finally getting that civil engineering job, it's odd it was just tossed aside for this. 

After getting involved in the church and working/volunteering at the soup kitchen, as well seeing how some people lived, he wanted to do something that would make more of a positive difference in the community. Due to TVLand logic, he was able to complete coursework, do something that I can't remember right now (hopefully someone else will be able to fill in the blank), and he was able to become a social worker. 

On 3/28/2024 at 10:38 AM, jah1986 said:

I'm still frustrated with Matthew's treatment of Trixie during his financial crisis. I'm glad she finally knows though. 

Same here. I am glad they provided more of an explanation of why he was acting the way he was. Not only did he believe in protecting Trixie (which is wrong for many reasons), but also he did not think he needed to tell her. He really believed that he was just one idea/decision away from improving the company's/his finances. 

I hope the mother recovers and is able to reunite with her boys. 

Mrs. Higgins surprised me. She seems such a stickler for rules and procedure I was stunned she was willing to follow Dr. Turner's orders to keep the mother hidden and not tell the police until she had recovered. I guess like Dr. Turner she puts the patient's health and wellbeing first. 

We are getting a season 14 and 15, so they will carry on no matter what happens to the physical Nonnatus House building. 

I'm confused and I don't think I'm the only one having trouble understanding what the spoiler policy for episode threads is. If a moderator could chime in/clarify the policy in the PSA that appears on each episode thread that would be helpful.  

I thought anything that aired in the episode and anything that aired in previous episodes was fair game. Anything that happens after the episode should be marked with spoiler tags. 

Edited April 22 by Sarah 103

[Daff]

On 3/25/2024 at 6:31 AM, Badger said:

  Reveal spoiler

Deleted Scenes:

Right after Trixie says she's not sure Nurse Crane will see it that way, Sister Veronica comes in and Sr. Julienne asks if she wants tea.  She says no, just hot water with a snifter of lemon, good for the vocal cords.  She says a must since she will be leading the summer singing school culminating in a performance at St. Oswald's.  Sr. Julienne says what a wonderful way to end the summer holidays. Rosalind spills coffee on her sleeve and leaves the table.  Nancy says she must be nervous about the exams.  Trixie adds that failing is a terrible setback for any student midwife and Sr. Julienne says some of them never recover and that they must hope they all pass.

Right after the scene at the Bell's, we go to the Turners where Shelagh is telling May that she must stay home from school until she is fully recovered, she then calls for Angela.

After the scene with Gladys, we go to Matthew and Trixie's flat. He has just gotten off the phone when Trixie comes in.  She asks him what he thinks of her outfit as she must look stylish when they pick up the car. She says she is going for Lorna in "The Italian Job." She asks who he was talking to.  He says his mother wants him to attend a special meeting of the Aylward Estates Board. Trixie says it sounds urgent and asks what is it about.  He says he doesn't know.  She says hopefully he can come meet her at the car dealership later as she wants him to be her first passenger; she then goes to change for work.

Right after the scene of Gladys in hospital, they cut out Joyce saying each list is like a Who's Who of Poplar.  Nancy says that each division of Raise The Roof is making lists of prominent people and businesses to canvass for support for better pay for nurses. She says she forgot Buckle's and that she'll speak to Violet tomorrow morning.

Phyllis enters and tells Nancy tomorrow morning she will be focused on her district round.  She says she has agreed to cover for her next week, but that she hopes not to cover any more.

Right after the scene with Deirdre, we go to Sr.Veronica who is singing while Sr. Monica Joan holds up the lyrics on a poster board. Sr. Veronica says the children are finding "Give Me Oil in My Lamp" challenging so she will be holding the lyrics up during the performance and that she hopes she's got them right. She starts singing again and Nancy tells her she missed a hosanna; Sr. Veronica says she will have to start over. Sr. Monica Joan puts down the placard and says she will do no such thing as she is at a critical juncture in Frankenstein and has no time for this harebrained scheme.

Right after the scene with Deirdre, we go to Gladys and Dr. Turner. She asks why does it say industrial. He tells her because it's work-related and she says she worked with people, not asbestos and that he knows that.  He says that she may have come into contact without knowing and that's the sort of thing this study is trying to investigate.

The next scene is Sr. Veronica gamely trying to teach the children the song; she has the lyrics but it isn't going well.

Right after Rosalind says that's the response she was hoping for, we go to Nancy who has her arms full of Raise the Roof materials and asks Phyllis to help her. Phyllis grabs some of it; Nancy says it's for the campaign.  Phyllis says it all seems gimmicky and she doesn't see the point. Nancy says it's about solidarity and being part of the team and being there for each other no matter what. She tells her not to wrinkle her nose because   she agrees with her else why would she be covering for her and helping Rosalind with her  Canadian Royal Air Force exercises.

 

Thanks again, for letting us know all that we missed. Wow, that was like a whole separate episode we weren’t shown. Matthew really needs to stop whinging. He did receive an education after all, and if Cyril can reinvent himself, Matthew can, too. This was a downer of a half-episode.

[Mermaid Under]

Quote

though, letting her go to the car dealers and having a fit when she finds him a job. Ugh!

The angry behavior when Trixie "found him a job" seems odd, but I've seen that kind of thing before in the wealthy and formerly wealthy men. Matthew would see it as an insult.

These type of men don't look for jobs like most people do, and applying for a job is seen as absolutely the most base, wrong step. If you have connections in good places, and know people with more money than time, they will create a "position" for you, with the expectation that you will 1-make them even more money, and 2-be able to repay the favor in the future for someone in their family. Positions at the very highest level in banking and finance and other high-power businesses for example, aren't publicized.

[ML89]

10 hours ago, Jodithgrace said:

So, nobody ever says anything idly on this show. When the woman with cancer’s father was dying, she mentioned that he always ran home to put her to bed at night, and of course, that later turns out to be the thing that gave her the cancer.

The anvil I was waiting for was the policewoman coming back - they didn't even mention it outside of "we're not telling the cops as yet" or did I miss something?

10 hours ago, Jodithgrace said:

Speaking of payment, apparently, among his other failures, Matthew neglected to take care of Nonnatus house.

The board - which seemed to be eleventy billion people - dropped the ball too, they just want to make Matthew the scapegoat. He can't be the only person in all this, it doesn't blow up that fast. His mom was charming too.

 

 

[iMonrey]

I know they almost never revisit any of the weekly stories, but it seems to me we leave Deidre's story open-ended on several fronts. One, whether or not she'll be able to properly care for her new baby and get her boys back, and two, whether the abusive husband she left comes looking for her. Her troubles are not over. 

On 3/25/2024 at 4:18 AM, debraran said:

I hope they don't try to hook him up with one of the midwives unless it helps him push a divorce from a wife who doesn't want him anymore. They need a respectable time and Lucille is just not mentioned but it's the pink elephant in the room.

Is Cyril still in a state of limbo with Lucille? The last thing I remember is that she went back home and decided to stay there for an indefinite amount of time. So they never officially divorced? Are they still in touch? Has he considered moving there to be with her?

No Violet or Fred this week. Also, I've noticed they've done precious little with Sister Julienne this season. Maybe a lot of her scenes are getting trimmed by PBS but she hasn't been involved an any significant storyline that I can recall.

[JudyObscure]

If they're planning on making us love Rosalind all of a sudden, they've done a strange job setting it up.  This episode  we find her worried about the exam because she lacks confidence and has "never been able to speak up" -- yet the few scenes she's had so far this season are two when she spoke right up to Sister Monica Joan in a very disrespectful manner and when she spoke right up to tattle on Trixie about the placenta mistake. She was a bit of a blabber mouth pill on the bus when the scout was getting sick and she has never been a bit shy around Cyril.  Don't the writers watch this show?

[proserpina65]

On 3/28/2024 at 10:38 AM, jah1986 said:

I hate that he thinks she only married him because he was rich.

I don't think he does.  He just is so adrift at the moment that his perspective is pretty screwed up.

On 3/24/2024 at 9:38 PM, txhorns79 said:

I don't really understand how Cyril went from a civil engineer to a social worker.  I understand why that happened for story purposes, but they made such a big deal of him finally getting that civil engineering job, it's odd it was just tossed aside for this. 

There was something about him not liking that he spent all his time condemning buildings and throwing people out on the street.  About the time when he met the Indian RAF veteran and acquired the cat.  He moved to social work because he wanted to help people.

14 hours ago, Jodithgrace said:

Speaking of payment, apparently, among his other failures, Matthew neglected to take care of Nonnatus house. So, what will happen to them?

He took care of it but didn't put the deed in their name.  He kept it in his own so I imagine that will be an upcoming crisis.

14 hours ago, Jodithgrace said:

He’s still being an idiot, though, letting her go to the car dealers and having a fit when she finds him a job. Ugh!

That last part I understand, having watched my father struggle when he lost his job shortly after I graduated high school.  The situation really was a huge blow to his self-image and It was difficult for him to accept that he needed help.  So I see Matthew as being in a similar mental place at the moment, with not wanting their friends to know what happened.  Not that Trixie was wrong to think of the idea or suggest it, but he might've been more receptive if she'd talked to him first.

14 hours ago, Jodithgrace said:

PBS has cut out almost all of the Raise the Roof campaign. If the midwives do manage to get higher wages, we’ll never know about it. (Well, except through spoilers from our friends across the pond)

I really wish we were seeing more of this storyline because it's something we haven't seen before on the show and it sounds quite interesting.

11 hours ago, Sarah 103 said:

thought anything that aired in the episode and anything that aired in previous episodes was fair game. Anything that happens after the episode should be marked with spoiler tags. 

That is the policy to my understanding.  A few people had posted references to things which are apparently going to happen in future episodes, and those should be spoiler-tagged.

21 minutes ago, JudyObscure said:

when she spoke right up to tattle on Trixie about the placenta mistake.

She didn't tattle on Trixie.  She rightfully spoke the truth because she didn't want her fellow student to take all the blame when a lot of it should and did fall on Trixie.

[Sarah 103]

4 hours ago, ML89 said:

The board - which seemed to be eleventy billion people - dropped the ball too, they just want to make Matthew the scapegoat. He can't be the only person in all this, it doesn't blow up that fast. His mom was charming too.

That's a good point I hadn't thought of. The board probably approved his decisions and if they just rubber stamped everything without doing due diligence, that's on them and not Matthew's fault. 

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

Is Cyril still in a state of limbo with Lucille? The last thing I remember is that she went back home and decided to stay there for an indefinite amount of time. So they never officially divorced? Are they still in touch? Has he considered moving there to be with her?

I think the best term would be separated. They are still officially and legally married, but they have been living apart for months. He does want to move back. He left for a reason and has no desire to return. 

23 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

She didn't tattle on Trixie.  She rightfully spoke the truth because she didn't want her fellow student to take all the blame when a lot of it should and did fall on Trixie.

I completely agree with you on this point.  

[Notabug]

26 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

\

She didn't tattle on Trixie.  She rightfully spoke the truth because she didn't want her fellow student to take all the blame when a lot of it should and did fall on Trixie.

I agree with this.  'If you see something, say something' is the golden rule when it comes to medical errors.  Too many times, the junior trainees are sacrificed to save the senior person who was actually responsible in the end. The student very reasonably asked Trixie about the placenta, explained why she was having a hard time confirming it was intact.  From that point on, it was Trixie's responsibility to make sure things were ok.

[mmecorday]

Dr. Turner had sort of a strange reaction to Gladys Bell's cancer diagnosis. He acted like she had actively sought out exposure to asbestos. 

Poor Deirdre! The wounds on her back looked fresh, but they were supposed to be scars, right? She left her abusive husband before she knew she was pregnant again. 

[eel2178]

16 hours ago, Jodithgrace said:

PBS has cut out almost all of the Raise the Roof campaign. If the midwives do manage to get higher wages, we’ll never know about it. (Well, except through spoilers from our friends across the pond)

Do we know who pays them? Does it come out of the Nonnontas House budget, are they paid directly from the NHS, or is there some other government agency who is responsible for their wages?

[JudyObscure]

2 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

She didn't tattle on Trixie.  She rightfully spoke the truth because she didn't want her fellow student to take all the blame when a lot of it should and did fall on Trixie.

I didn't say it was false or unfair, tattling usually is true. But whether we call it, "tattle," or "spoke the truth," my point was that someone who claims she has never been able to speak up has done a whole lot of speaking up lately. 

I really hated the way she lectured Sister Monica Joan about not wanting to eat all her food.  The nerve!

[J-Man]

Is there some reason they knew or assumed that the abandoned boys were Irish? I thought maybe it might have been explained in the deleted scenes but apparently not.

[Salacious Kitty]

2 minutes ago, J-Man said:

Is there some reason they knew or assumed that the abandoned boys were Irish? I thought maybe it might have been explained in the deleted scenes but apparently not.

She said something about leaving Ireland. I forget what exactly, but it made the cut. 

[iMonrey]

2 hours ago, Sarah 103 said:

I think the best term would be separated. They are still officially and legally married, but they have been living apart for months. He does want to move back. He left for a reason and has no desire to return. 

Strange that the show would just leave it up in the air like that without addressing it. Are they leaving the door open in case the actress wants to come back? 

32 minutes ago, JudyObscure said:

I didn't say it was false or unfair, tattling usually is true. But whether we call it, "tattle," or "spoke the truth," my point was that someone who claims she has never been able to speak up has done a whole lot of speaking up lately. 

I agree this seemed to come out of nowhere but we know next to nothing about these student nurses. The way it was presented was that she is the daughter of a headmaster and that seemed to be the reason she feared explaining herself to an authority figure who would be judging her. Might be a bit different than just offering up her opinion on things to co-workers.

That said, it would have been simpler to just say she had a fear of public speaking.

[Blackie]

2 hours ago, Salacious Kitty said:

2 hours ago, J-Man said:

Is there some reason they knew or assumed that the abandoned boys were Irish? I thought maybe it might have been explained in the deleted scenes but apparently not.

She said something about leaving Ireland. I forget what exactly, but it made the cut. 

 

Cyril said he was going to check with all the Irish families in the district. The boys didn't say a peep so how he knew they were Irish?? I don't think the letter included their last name.

I thought the older boy might run up to his mommy when they were reunited but I guess you can't depend on little kid actors. That wee baby girl was gorgeous though.

Trixie looked amazing in her pantsuit and it sounds like she really planned it out for the car pick-up lol.

I'm miffed that I missed the shout out or the Canadian Air Force exercises!

[debraran]

7 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I know they almost never revisit any of the weekly stories, but it seems to me we leave Deidre's story open-ended on several fronts. One, whether or not she'll be able to properly care for her new baby and get her boys back, and two, whether the abusive husband she left comes looking for her. Her troubles are not over. 

Is Cyril still in a state of limbo with Lucille? The last thing I remember is that she went back home and decided to stay there for an indefinite amount of time. So they never officially divorced? Are they still in touch? Has he considered moving there to be with her?

No Violet or Fred this week. Also, I've noticed they've done precious little with Sister Julienne this season. Maybe a lot of her scenes are getting trimmed by PBS but she hasn't been involved an any significant storyline that I can recall.

They've left it hanging and concentrated on other characters. The actress who played Lucille (although not up to her) really wanted them to give him another story line and felt bad her desire to leave effected him. I think the divorce will happen but it will be after he sees there is life without her and comes to grip with it. Probably be in one episode and slowly they might have him start to see the "not religious " midwife who will be a different type than Lucille (she also needs a divorce)

I think they kept Sr Julienne on the back burner with so many new faces but she is the heart of Nonnatus House and probably will be there to mentor when needed. I liked the old episode where her old beau Charles came and then this one I almost forgot about. Season 9 where she takes off her habit.

Call the Midwife | Season 9, Episode 5 Clip: Sister Julienne's Revelation | PBS - YouTube

Edited April 22 by debraran

[dancingdreamer]

I enjoyed  this episode, my favorite  is still nurse crane. I like the new midwives,  very much. I think like everywhere,  they are cutting  back, and that's why we're  only seeing  two of the midwives.  Some UK soaps  are doing  the same.

It does seem Matthew  is full of self pity, he should have leveled  with Trixie from the start.

I'm glad Deirdre was able to keep her little girl, I hope she is able to raise her two sons as well. I'm imagining  she will.

[howiveaddict]

So the two mute midwife trainees were able to act a little.  They got to run to the talking two and laugh about passing the exams. Wonder if this is the last we see of them?   

I think Cyril and the blonde trainee ( sorry can't remember her name) have a lot of chemistry.  I think that may be the future story line.

 

[JudyObscure]

12 hours ago, Blackie said:

 

 

I'm miffed that I missed the shout out or the Canadian Air Force exercises!

Me too!  I did  those things for years.  I was taking a class in college where we had to demonstrated something, so I taught the exercises to my roomie and she demonstrated while I narrated.  She looked really cute doing them and got an "A" while I got a "D."  Those were the days when male teachers could grade girls on looks and no one even noticed.

[Orcinus orca]

Goodness, Lady Aylward certainly was a warm and fuzzy mum.

[Notabug]

15 hours ago, debraran said:

 

I think they kept Sr Julienne on the back burner with so many new faces but she is the heart of Nonnatus House and probably will be there to mentor when needed. I liked the old episode where her old beau Charles came and then this one I almost forgot about. Season 9 where she takes off her habit.

I think that Jenny Agutter, now 72 years old, might prefer to have a lesser role at this point.  Maybe not, but it stands to reason.  I remember her as an actress back when she was in her teens.  A long and distinguished career.

[Shermie]

21 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Strange that the show would just leave it up in the air like that without addressing it. Are they leaving the door open in case the actress wants to come back? 

I agree, and I hate how they wrote Lucille out because it made no sense to the character. Cyril and Lucille were a strong couple, clearly in love, and the minute they get married she takes off? No. I’d rather they killed her off right after her wedding, soap-opera style.

While I agree that Matthew’s response to Trixie’s job find was typical for men of that day and men in his position, it just makes me so angry that that kind of toxic masculinity was/is allowed to flourish. I’d bet that a woman who lost her career would scramble to find a job, any job, maybe two, just to keep a roof over their heads. But men have to be all proud and ego-filled and wait for a position becoming to their station, or whatever bullshit they tell themselves. And women are the weaker sex? Okay.

I didn’t get why the kids had such a problem singing that song in a round; kids sing in rounds all the time, especially in those days. It’s the easiest thing, and I had “Give Me Oil In My Lamp” burning, burning, burning through my brain all night. That’s an especially satisfying round because the “Sing, Hosannah” sounds so lovely against the stanza.

And of course, Shelagh has to get all fraught about the idea of kids singing in a round, but Shelagh gets fraught about every damn thing.

[caitmcg]

2 hours ago, Shermie said:

I hate how they wrote Lucille out because it made no sense to the character. Cyril and Lucille were a strong couple, clearly in love, and the minute they get married she takes off? No. I’d rather they killed her off right after her wedding, soap-opera style.

The Lucille departure has been handled badly, but I wonder if they didn't want to kill her off soon after her marriage, having previously done the same thing with Barbara.

Matthew was earlier complaining that Trixie was continuing to work, even as he knew the business was failing. How does that look now that her modest salary is their only household income? And of course we find out that not only is he only a leaseholder for his flat (not his fault if that's how the property's structured), he never signed the deed over to Nonnatus House. Trixie exerts her usual competence, and he's angry she embarrassed him by making it known he needs a job. Does anyone remember what his position was before he took over seeing to his father's properties in Poplar?

[debraran]

Re Lucille, she left and they didn't plan on it. She wanted Cyril to stay on the show and not lose his job. They did what they could in not killing her off (thank you!) She might make a cameo for some money to finalize things but I hope the pink elephant is dealt with next year.

From an interview then https://www.hellomagazine.com/film/20230302165734/call-the-midwife-leonie-elliott-addresses-cyril-zephryn-taitte-future/

[iMonrey]

19 hours ago, caitmcg said:

Does anyone remember what his position was before he took over seeing to his father's properties in Poplar?

Wasn't he an attorney?

[ML89]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

Wasn't he an attorney?

Yes, an attorney but I can't remember if he's a solicitor or a barrister. Trixie was talking about getting him a job with her Lord friend who had chambers, so that would mean he's a barrister but maybe I'm remembering wrong. He doesn't seem the type to be hanging 'round the Old Bailey with Rumpole, but he's probably a Guthrie Featherstone/Claude Erskine Brown type, working the corporate side of things. Still with his raised consciousness now, he probably would be a Rumpole type!

(Also, it's hilarious to think that if he was a barrister, he would be there with those characters, since the original Rumpole of the Bailey was set in 1969. Sort of similar to Jane Tennison, Inspectors Morse, Lewis, Daiglesh, Lynley and Havers all working at the same time. Wonder if someone's written a fic of them all attending some police all day training/seminar...but I digress!)

[Sarah 103]

21 hours ago, caitmcg said:

The Lucille departure has been handled badly, but I wonder if they didn't want to kill her off soon after her marriage, having previously done the same thing with Barbara.

My understanding is that they planned to have her on the series long term and have another happily married couple in the series. The actress decided to leave. At any point after she left, it would have been easy to kill her off screen. Some type of car/bus accident, which would not be a repeat of what we saw before with Barbara. It would make more sense for Cyril and after a suitable period of mourning would allow him to date again. 

[Tiggertoo]

Interesting, in the linked article about the actress who played Lucille; she said she left to explore new opportunities.  But, according to IMDb, she’s not working on anything since CTM.  Unless it’s outside show business.  It did kind of leave her tv husband stranded.  I do like how they’ve integrated him into the show (as the most quickly qualified social worker ever) and I hope he gets a new romance soon,  he deserves it. 
 

This week was better after the downer that last week’s show was.  I always feel this show is such a mix of terrible, harsh reality and treacly, warm and fuzz goodness. 

[Quilt Fairy]

On 4/22/2024 at 12:30 PM, mmecorday said:

Poor Deirdre! The wounds on her back looked fresh, but they were supposed to be scars, right? She left her abusive husband before she knew she was pregnant again. 

That made no sense to me.  She appeared to have bruises on her face and a bit of a black eye, I kept expecting her husband to show up.  

I don't understand the Matthew situation, either.  I know he wasn't a businessman like his father, and the tenement buildings were an issue, but the family obviously had personal wealth.  And he managed to lose everything, just like that?  To the extent that they need to live on Trixie's salary? 

[caitmcg]

13 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

I don't understand the Matthew situation, either.  I know he wasn't a businessman like his father, and the tenement buildings were an issue, but the family obviously had personal wealth.  And he managed to lose everything, just like that?  To the extent that they need to live on Trixie's salary? 

He was managing the family business (badly), and its board of directors relieved him of his position, therefore eliminating the income he earned from his job.

[Notabug]

14 hours ago, Quilt Fairy said:

That made no sense to me.  She appeared to have bruises on her face and a bit of a black eye, I kept expecting her husband to show up.  

I don't understand the Matthew situation, either.  I know he wasn't a businessman like his father, and the tenement buildings were an issue, but the family obviously had personal wealth.  And he managed to lose everything, just like that?  To the extent that they need to live on Trixie's salary? 

We don't know that his father left him any specific assets.  He may have left everything to Matthew's mother to be passed along at her death.  It seems like Matthew doesn't have a trust fund from a grandparent or other resource.  And, perhaps like a lot of people who come from wealth, Matthew wasn't particularly frugal and wasn't saving for a rainy day, presuming the family business would give him all he needed.

Since Matthew seems to have a title, it could also be that he is part of the genteel practically penniless British aristocracy.  A lot of these families have wealth that has been handed down through the generations via land, homes, artwork, jewelry and other stuff that isn't easy to sell and that costs a lot to maintain.  Perhaps the family wealth is all in the ancestral estate where his mother now lives and there is not much cold, hard cash.  Running large estates is very expensive, of course, and many of these families are very reluctant to sell off family heirlooms.  Most of the men in these families use their family name and prestige to get business opportunities to provide cash flow and that might be what Matthew's father did.  Or, nowadays, they open the estate up to tourism or filming ala Downton Abbey and such.

Edited April 25 by Notabug

[JeanJean]

On 4/24/2024 at 1:59 PM, Tiggertoo said:

Interesting, in the linked article about the actress who played Lucille; she said she left to explore new opportunities.  But, according to IMDb, she’s not working on anything since CTM.  Unless it’s outside show business.  

She could be doing theater. IMDb doesn't list that.

[Daff]

On 4/22/2024 at 11:16 AM, iMonrey said:

we leave Deidre's story open-ended

Via dialogue, we know that she hasn’t sought government help. Between Cyril and the efficient Miss Higgins, I think we’re supposed to believe she’ll access benefits and be able to raise her children.

[HappyHanna]

On 4/25/2024 at 11:52 AM, Notabug said:

Since Matthew seems to have a title, it could also be that he is part of the genteel practically penniless British aristocracy.  A lot of these families have wealth that has been handed down through the generations via land, homes, artwork, jewelry and other stuff that isn't easy to sell and that costs a lot to maintain.  Perhaps the family wealth is all in the ancestral estate where his mother now lives and there is not much cold, hard cash.  Running large estates is very expensive, of course, and many of these families are very reluctant to sell off family heirlooms

Maybe I wasn't paying attention enough in earlier seasons, but I was a little shocked by Matthew's mother in the board scene.  Didn't Matthew's father have to sell her tiara (the one that Trixie wanted to wear for the wedding)? In the board scene she put all the blame on Matthew, ignoring the previous mismanagement.

[Daff]

On 4/23/2024 at 1:30 PM, Shermie said:

Shelagh has to get all fraught about

Apparently, they can write Shelagh out of her habit, but not the habit out of Shelagh!

[debraran]

On 4/26/2024 at 11:07 PM, HappyHanna said:

Maybe I wasn't paying attention enough in earlier seasons, but I was a little shocked by Matthew's mother in the board scene.  Didn't Matthew's father have to sell her tiara (the one that Trixie wanted to wear for the wedding)? In the board scene she put all the blame on Matthew, ignoring the previous mismanagement.

You might be right but I put all the bad writing which is odd for the show, onto what happened behind the scenes and they made as much fit their agenda as they could. Next year will be interesting.

Spoiler

Does Trixie come back alone or with Jonty (doubt it) or ? Please no letting Matthew get hit by a bus.... 

I have no idea if the rift meant he's gone 100% or if he agrees to something but I never was invested in him but liked Trixie.

I was a minority in that maybe, I didn't want them married, it was "too pat" with his wife dying and so obvious. I didn't like the "savior" part and it all just rubbed me the wrong way. So whatever happens, it happens but I look forward to everyone else more.

[Capricasix]

What happened behind the scenes - is there gossip? 👀

[Orcinus orca]

33 minutes ago, Capricasix said:

What happened behind the scenes - is there gossip? 👀

Not really,  

 

Spoiler

https://www.azcentral.com/story/entertainment/television/2024/02/28/why-is-matthew-leaving-call-the-midwife/72774493007/