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S14.E05: Episode 5

chitowngirl

By chitowngirl
in Call The Midwife

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caitmcg

caitmcg

I think this was the most satisfying episode in quite a while. Even missing whatever they cut out of the US broadcast, it slowed down to focus on just a couple of main plot points, and it's been ages since Sister Julienne has been given a meaty storyline of her own, rather than just have her work through her supervisory roles, both administrative and spiritual. And of course, finally beginning some resolution to Lucille's departure and the suspended animation it's left Cyril in for a preposterously long time.

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txhorns79

txhorns79

On 4/1/2025 at 6:24 PM, caitmcg said:

I think this was the most satisfying episode in quite a while. E

I really liked Sister Julienne's storyline.  It felt like the most substantial thing she's had for quite some time.  I also liked that she stood up to the abusive husband, and, as typical with those kind of people, he folded rather quickly and ran away.

I felt for the initiate.  I can understand a family's disappointment with her choice, but I don't see who is served by cutting her off.  You forget what these women give up to join the church sometimes.  

My cold heart also melted at Miss Higgins' quasi-grandson telling her that she was family.  That was lovely. 

On 4/1/2025 at 6:24 PM, caitmcg said:

And of course, finally beginning some resolution to Lucille's departure and the suspended animation it's left Cyril in for a preposterously long time.

I don't know why this was so dragged out.  Glad that off-screen Lucille is finally moving things forward by wanting a divorce. 

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jah1986

jah1986

12 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

My cold heart also melted at Miss Higgins' quasi-grandson telling her that she was family.  That was lovely. 

I think Harry is her grandson, not quasi-grandson. His father was the son Miss Higgins had to leave behind in her youth.  I love that they are getting to know each other and that he finally feels comfortable calling her "grandmother" instead of "auntie".

Really enjoyed this episode. Nice to see Sister Julienne out in the field taking care of patients. That poor woman and her horrible husband. So glad Nonnatus didn't give up on her.

The couple with the husband in the iron lung was heart breaking. They loved each other so much.

No Trixie this episode.

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txhorns79

txhorns79

3 minutes ago, jah1986 said:

I think Harry is her grandson, not quasi-grandson. His father was the son Miss Higgins had to leave behind in her youth.  I love that they are getting to know each other and that he finally feels comfortable calling her "grandmother" instead of "auntie".

I know she is biologically his grandmother, but she's new to the lives of that family and her role as to them has largely been undefined.  Hence, calling her "auntie" and not "grandmother."       

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Dr.OO7

Dr.OO7

On 4/7/2025 at 5:34 PM, caitmcg said:

And it is not just about the familial relationship, probably. In Indian culture, any respected older woman with whom someone has a personal relationship (like a family friend) is "auntie."

In Carribean/Black/African-American communities as well. My mother is "Aunt" to a huge amount of people who aren't my cousins and vice versa.

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Straycat80

Straycat80

The iron lung couple broke my heart.
I hope they have the abused woman in a future episode to see how her and her girls are doing. 
Finally, finally, finally they are moving on with the storyline with Cyril and Joyce. The blonde midwife likes him. Hope he eventually feels something for her. 
I like the new midwife Sister Katherine. She’s a good addition to the show. 

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dancingdreamer

dancingdreamer

I remember  seeing  an iron lung  on tv when I was very young. I absolutely  hated it, and I told my parents  I never wanted to be  in one. Maybe my claustrophobia  started early. Poor Owen, I know I had tears when he did. I said to DH it's so unfair  a loving  couple like Owen and his wife have to have so much to put up with, and thugs like Vince aren't  ill, and are abusive to women. 

I love sister Julienne, she didn't  coat things when sister Catherine  asked her questions. 

Sister Catherine's  father/ family is a fool.

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Calvada

Calvada

This episode made me wonder how long someone could live in an iron lung.  I discovered there was a Texas man who died in 2024 at age 78 after more than 70 years in an iron lung. 

The wife's devotion to her husband was beautiful.  Of course, this being Call the Midwife, we had to have the contrast with the awful man who assaulted his pregnant wife.  Sometimes I think the writers assume we won't realize how wonderful Betty and Owen's relationship is unless they show us the opposite.  

I felt badly for Sister Catherine.  My grandmother was one of a large Catholic family and she had a nephew who became a priest and two nieces who became nuns.  The families were very proud of them, but it was as if they had lost them.  If Catherine's family is not particularly religious, they may view it as her rejecting them rather than answering God's call.   

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jschoolgirl

jschoolgirl

(edited)
On 4/6/2025 at 9:25 PM, txhorns79 said:

 

 

On 4/9/2025 at 11:10 AM, Badger said:

Who knows that Harry is her grandson?  I know both Nurse Crane and Roger's mother do, but does anyone else?  After all, he called her "Grandma" in private, not in public.

Who is Roger?

Edited by jschoolgirl
Edited after seeing the answer to my question.
Mollywolly555

Mollywolly555

Is it just me,  or is anyone else worried about what happens to the twins' mom and babies after she gets out of Nonnatus House?

Did anyone else's hackles go up upon hearing her 2 daughters were in foster care?

I did foster care and went thru alot of checks and training, but they told us the kids we wd care for wd come with all the  kinds of abuse from families or other foster care situations.

Plus all the ptsd from seeing their mom abused?

And the relapse of abused women going back to their abuser?

I know,  too much information is a blessing and a curse these days. 

Had CTM ever shown a story about the children and adults in a womens' shelter?

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libgirl2

libgirl2

5 minutes ago, Mollywolly555 said:

Is it just me,  or is anyone else worried about what happens to the twins' mom and babies after she gets out of Nonnatus House?

Did anyone else's hackles go up upon hearing her 2 daughters were in foster care?

I did foster care and went thru alot of checks and training, but they told us the kids we wd care for wd come with all the  kinds of abuse from families or other foster care situations.

Plus all the ptsd from seeing their mom abused?

And the relapse of abused women going back to their abuser?

I know,  too much information is a blessing and a curse these days. 

Had CTM ever shown a story about the children and adults in a womens' shelter?

Yes, mine did. It made me think that she will never get them back. 

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libgirl2

libgirl2

43 minutes ago, Orcinus orca said:

As soon as Shelaugh said Betty was jaundiced, I knew the outcome. Totally heartbreaking episode between that and the battered woman. That case will have no good outcome.

Neither case had a good outcome but at least Betty and Owen had a loving relationship and whatever happens to him, he has sweet memories of her. 

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iMonrey

iMonrey

(edited)
15 hours ago, Straycat80 said:

I hope they have the abused woman in a future episode to see how her and her girls are doing. 

I doubt they will. This show rarely if ever does callbacks or updates. In fact I'm not sure why PBS does "previouslys" because the show is so episodic you could virtually jump in and watch them in any order if not for the casting changes.

Speaking of which, a more helpful "previously" would have been a refresher on Miss Higgin's son and grandson because I couldn't for the life of me figure out who Harry was and assumed PBS had cut out his intro scene. I have a vague recollection that we learned Miss Higgins gave up a child for adoption and then reconnected with him as an adult but I cannot remember the specifics. And it was only a season or two ago.

The abused woman's two little girls were conspicuous in their silence. Neither uttered a single word the whole episode. I assume that's because the show would have had to pay them if they did.

Are nuns really not allowed to have any contact with their families? That seems odd. 

Is it just me or has this season been more depressing than usual? I know this isn't exactly a happy show but these past few episodes have been bigger downers than usual IMO.

5 hours ago, Orcinus orca said:
13 hours ago, jschoolgirl said:

Who is Roger?

Miss Higgin's son.  Harry's father.

Wasn't his name Victor?

Edited by iMonrey
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proserpina65

proserpina65

On 4/6/2025 at 9:25 PM, txhorns79 said:

I really liked Sister Julienne's storyline.  It felt like the most substantial thing she's had for quite some time.  I also liked that she stood up to the abusive husband, and, as typical with those kind of people, he folded rather quickly and ran away.

I liked that she had more to do but I found a lot of the actual story unsatisfactory.  I mean, was I supposed to think it was wrong that the medical authorities to whom the midwives answer are pushing more hospital births than home births?  Because I don't.  I actually think it's a great development, and what happened later in the episode proved it.  If Sister Julienne hadn't been able to turn that baby, both it and the mother would've died without surgical intervention.  Had they been in a hospital, they wouldn't have been dependent on the speed of an ambulance ride.  (I know, this particular mother wasn't ever going to the hospital, but the general principle stands.)

But I did like her finding her love of the work and sense of self-worth again.

The story which really got me was the man in the iron lung and his wife.  Damn, I was bawling from the moment I realized she had cancer and was going to die.  I haven't cried like that during this show since Barbara died.

The rest of the show felt kinda insubstantial to me, but at least we found out that someone was taking care of Cyril's cat.

15 hours ago, dancingdreamer said:

Sister Catherine's  father/ family is a fool.

I think shunning her like that is terrible, but I absolutely do not get the religious life and its insistence on giving up everything from one's previous life either.  I don't understand why a religious calling precludes all else.  Nothing I've ever read or seen has explained that to me in the least.

15 hours ago, Calvada said:

If Catherine's family is not particularly religious, they may view it as her rejecting them rather than answering God's call.   

It's both really, isn't it?

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proserpina65

proserpina65

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

Are nuns really not allowed to have any contact with their families? That seems odd. 

It varies a bit depending on the order, but what I found on the internet indicates that novices generally are only allowed limited/restricted contact with their families.  Once they finish their postulancy, it's less restricted.  So that's probably why Sister Catherine wasn't supposed to call her family.  And in her case, it seems her parents at least don't want contact.

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libgirl2

libgirl2

4 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

There's a website for people like us: doesthedogdie.com.  It warns us what not to watch.

I seem to remember hearing about it but thank you for the reminder. One night on my way home, there was a opossum that had been hit by a car in the road (this was a side street), it was still moving but it was obvious it was dying. I actually cried. There was another car stopped in front of me as well. I know there would be nothing we could do but even now, it makes me upset. And one time on my way home, it was super rainy and I hit a frog. That darn frog still bothers me! 

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proserpina65

proserpina65

4 minutes ago, eel2178 said:

What about us reading cat-lovers?

A cat dies in chapter nine of All Things Wise and Wonderful. It's been over 35 years since I read it, and I still haven't recovered.

Doesthedogdie covers books as well, although I'm not sure to what extent.

James Herriot's books were always a crapshoot.  The animals usually are fine, but he was a vet and sometimes the animals are just too injured or sick.

Oh, and I wanted to add, it may sound like I wasn't sold on this week's episode but it was actually the best one of the season so far.  I'm just picking nits.

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eel2178

eel2178

23 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

 one time on my way home, it was super rainy and I hit a frog. That darn frog still bothers me! 

I was driving on I-70 in Utah, and a prairie dog ran into the middle of my lane and stopped in his tracks. I swerved into the passing lane to avoid hitting him, and that damn thing stayed exactly where he had stopped until my front tire was directly across from him, then he threw himself under my tire.

If he wanted to commit suicide, that's his business, but he didn't have to make me feel like a guilty accomplice. I'm not opposed to assisted suicide, either; however, I still think I should have had a choice whether or not to participate.

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Driad

Driad

1 hour ago, proserpina65 said:

It varies a bit depending on the order, but what I found on the internet indicates that novices generally are only allowed limited/restricted contact with their families.  Once they finish their postulancy, it's less restricted.

I have little experience with either Anglicans or Catholics, but on M*A*S*H, Father Mulcahey (Catholic) frequently exchanged letters with his sister who was a nun.  If the policies were similar, maybe she was into the less restricted timeframe.

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Suzn

Suzn

1 hour ago, libgirl2 said:

I seem to remember hearing about it but thank you for the reminder. One night on my way home, there was a opossum that had been hit by a car in the road (this was a side street), it was still moving but it was obvious it was dying. I actually cried. There was another car stopped in front of me as well. I know there would be nothing we could do but even now, it makes me upset. And one time on my way home, it was super rainy and I hit a frog. That darn frog still bothers me! 

 

52 minutes ago, eel2178 said:

What about us reading cat-lovers?

A cat dies in chapter nine of All Things Wise and Wonderful. It's been over 35 years since I read it, and I still haven't recovered.

It is comforting to know there are others like me. All those kinds of things stay with me forever.  As soon as I saw that Cyril's cat was featured I knew I would need to fast forward  through things.

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AZChristian

AZChristian

3 hours ago, iMonrey said:

Speaking of which, a more helpful "previously" would have been a refresher on Miss Higgin's son and grandson because I couldn't for the life of me figure out who Harry was and assumed PBS had cut out his intro scene. I have a vague recollection that we learned Miss Higgins gave up a child for adoption and then reconnected with him as an adult but I cannot remember the specifics. And it was only a season or two ago.

Wait until you're so old (like me) that you can't remember what happened in an episode you just watched the night before.  LOL.

I looked it up.  Miss Higgins reconnected with her son (she named him John, his adoptive family renamed him Victor) as an adult.  She found out that she had a grandson (the young man in last night's episode).  John/Victor had kidney disease, and Miss Higgins and her grandson sat together at his bedside as he died.  She commented that she had been at his first breath and his last, and not every parent experiences that.

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Orcinus orca

Orcinus orca

6 minutes ago, AZChristian said:

I looked it up.  Miss Higgins reconnected with her son (she named him John, his adoptive family renamed him Victor) as an adult.  She found out that she had a grandson (the young man in last night's episode).  John/Victor had kidney disease, and Miss Higgins and her grandson sat together at his bedside as he died.  She commented that she had been at his first breath and his last, and not every parent experiences that.

Well, then, obviously I have no idea who Roger is either!

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chitowngirl

chitowngirl

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1 hour ago, AZChristian said:

Wait until you're so old (like me) that you can't remember what happened in an episode you just watched the night before.  LOL.

I looked it up.  Miss Higgins reconnected with her son (she named him John, his adoptive family renamed him Victor) as an adult.  She found out that she had a grandson (the young man in last night's episode).  John/Victor had kidney disease, and Miss Higgins and her grandson sat together at his bedside as he died.  She commented that she had been at his first breath and his last, and not every parent experiences that.

For anyone who wants to rewatch-that’s season 13, episode 8.

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Ceindreadh

Ceindreadh

4 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

It varies a bit depending on the order, but what I found on the internet indicates that novices generally are only allowed limited/restricted contact with their families.  Once they finish their postulancy, it's less restricted.  So that's probably why Sister Catherine wasn't supposed to call her family.  And in her case, it seems her parents at least don't want contact.

It depends on the order.  Some orders are enclosed and would have very little communication between members and outsiders, others are more open, like at Nonatus house.  My late mother was once in hospital with a nun from an enclosed order and while they were allowed visitors to the convent, IIRC, they still had to talk through a metal grille. 

 

1 hour ago, Orcinus orca said:

Well, then, obviously I have no idea who Roger is either!

Isn't he Nancy's finance?  

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howiveaddict

howiveaddict

2 hours ago, Ceindreadh said:

It depends on the order.  Some orders are enclosed and would have very little communication between members and outsiders, others are more open, like at Nonatus house.  My late mother was once in hospital with a nun from an enclosed order and while they were allowed visitors to the convent, IIRC, they still had to talk through a metal grille. 

 

Isn't he Nancy's finance?  

A local order, in my town may have been cloistered like that. Or that is what my dad told me, so who knows.  

They did so well making that lady look jaundiced that I kept trying to see if her eyes were yellow also.

We had a frequent patient who was in a iron lung, where I worked.  Later she got the turtle vent like the husband got.  Later years she got a trach and ended up with a home ventilator.  She didn't have a speaking valve and would have to write notes.  I think she had a congenital problem that caused this. She lived to her 50s or 60s.

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proserpina65

proserpina65

On 4/28/2025 at 6:34 PM, Doublemint said:

I miss the days of Chummy (Miranda Hart).  There was fun & lighthearted goings on.   That aspect has completely disappeared from the show, and needs to come back.  The show is depressing and oh, so serious now. 

I disagree.  It had just as many depressing things going on then, for example the general poverty level was so much worse.  There are still plenty of more lighthearted happenings now.  Such as the Poplar Commonwealth Games.

On 4/28/2025 at 7:42 PM, Straycat80 said:

My grandmothers sister was a catholic nun. She was a pharmacist in a hospital. She was able to have visitors and was able to visit family but for some reason couldn’t spend the night with family. She had to go to the local nun’s home and sleep there.  Guess orders had their own rules back then. 
 

There were, and still are, different orders of Catholic nuns.  Some are more restrictive than others.

 

libgirl2

libgirl2

On 4/30/2025 at 12:54 PM, proserpina65 said:

I disagree.  It had just as many depressing things going on then, for example the general poverty level was so much worse.  There are still plenty of more lighthearted happenings now.  Such as the Poplar Commonwealth Games.

 

 

I remember Jenny having a patient who had syphilis sores. Jenny was horrified. Then there was that lovely young woman with eclampsia. I always thought things were so dark back then. 

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Calvada

Calvada

On 4/28/2025 at 2:32 PM, Sarah 103 said:

Sister Julienne's comment about the Blitz reminded me how much I wanted a flashback to see the nuns/midwives during WWII. It would be a fascinating two hour special episode or a mini-series. 

 

We think alike!  A few years ago, I said in one of these threads that once they decide to end CTM, they should do a prequel series of the Nonnatans in 1930s/1940s East End.  

On 4/30/2025 at 6:31 AM, pasdetrois said:

It's criminal how little of Sister Julienne we've seen these last few years. Good to see her midwifing again.

I was wondering whether Jenny Agutter was dealing with some health issues or perhaps she wished to do less, and they said ok, we'll write one scene per episode with you sitting at your desk. 

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