Jump to content

Type keyword(s) to search

S14.E06: Episode 6

chitowngirl

Recommended Posts

MissLucas

MissLucas

I can deal with Sister Catherine being unsure about what was going on - at least at the beginning. She's still young and depending on where she grew up and worked before she might not have witnessed something like that and had no idea how to handle the situation.

Sister Julienne should have been quicker on the uptake though. And I'm glad Joyce said her part about Cyrlil and Rosalind. She might have been harsh about it but Rosalind seems to be completely oblivious and comes across as incredibly naive.

  • Like 13
jah1986

jah1986

I have never heard of Viles or Weil's disease before this episode. They did a good job on Rosalind's makeup because you could see her getting sicker by the minute.

Poor Joyce. It's kind of sad that Dr. Turner nor Sis. Julienne realized what was really going on with the patient. This isn't the first time they've witnessed racism, they just seemed so obtuse about it. I don't know how this ends well for Joyce. 

I'm glad they found something useful for Sis. Monica Joan to do. That's the way it is, can't remember yesterday but can clearly remember 50 years ago and great detail.

I'll hold my breath for Cyril and Rosalind. I don't see any chemistry between them but the writers seem set on this story. 

  • Like 9
Notabug

Notabug

(edited)
2 hours ago, jah1986 said:

I have never heard of Viles or Weil's disease before this episode. They did a good job on Rosalind's makeup because you could see her getting sicker by the minute.

Weil's disease is more commonly known as leptospirosis.  It's a bacterial infection spread mostly by rodents and is pretty rare in the developed world these days.  It's also mainly seen in tropical climates which is another reason most Americans wouldn't know about it.

Edited by Notabug
  • Like 5
  • Useful 6
txhorns79

txhorns79

On 4/7/2025 at 5:44 PM, MissLucas said:

Sister Julienne should have been quicker on the uptake though. And I'm glad Joyce said her part about Cyrlil and Rosalind. She might have been harsh about it but Rosalind seems to be completely oblivious and comes across as incredibly naive.

It really surprised me that Sister Julienne was acting like all this was news to her.  I'm sure she has seen how minorities have been treated in Poplar, and, as I recall, Lucille wasn't always well received by her patients.  Joyce handled the situation with a lot more patience and grace than I would have.  

I was also glad Joyce had a hard talk with Rosalind.  Even if race wasn't going to be an issue, she's jumping in pretty quickly with a guy who is not even divorced yet.  

I surprised myself with how upset I got over Nigel.  Poor kitty.   

  • Like 10
Ancaster

Ancaster

On 4/9/2025 at 5:41 AM, jah1986 said:

 

 

 

I'll hold my breath for Cyril and Rosalind. I don't see any chemistry between them but the writers seem set on this story. 

I don't mind the Cyril/Rosalind storyline, my problem is that I've never found the actor playing Cyril to be very good.  I enjoyed him last week when he was playing with the kids at the "Commonwealth" games, but I generally find him very one note and wooden.

  • Like 1
Straycat80

Straycat80

I knew there were certain diseases caused by rats but hadn’t heard about Weils or Viles disease. 
I hope Joyce will be vindicated. I shed a tear for Nigel the cat and didn’t feel a bit of pity for the racist woman. 
I’m fine with shipping Rosalind and Cyril, I just hope they don’t jump into marriage as soon as he gets divorced. I’m glad Joyce had that talk with Rosalind. 
what happened to Nancy? Long honeymoon? 
And why is Trixie still there? They haven’t mentioned her husband and stepson. 

  • Like 2
Sarah 103

Sarah 103

 

On 4/7/2025 at 5:44 PM, MissLucas said:

I can deal with Sister Catherine being unsure about what was going on - at least at the beginning. She's still young and depending on where she grew up and worked before she might not have witnessed something like that and had no idea how to handle the situation.

I would agree with you on this (if I understand you correctly). Sister Catherine was pretty sure of what she was seeing, but had no clue how to deal with it or what she was supposed to do. 

On 4/7/2025 at 5:44 PM, MissLucas said:

And I'm glad Joyce said her part about Cyrlil and Rosalind. She might have been harsh about it but Rosalind seems to be completely oblivious and comes across as incredibly naive.

YES! Of course Rosalind would be naive. I am thrilled Joyce told her exactly what she needed to hear. Unfortunately, Rosalind is in love and love makes you stupid. 

On 4/9/2025 at 8:41 AM, jah1986 said:

I don't know how this ends well for Joyce. 

It is Call the Midwife so unless she wants to be written out of the show it do something else, somehow it will work out; I have no idea how, but yeah for TVLand logic? 

On 4/9/2025 at 8:41 AM, jah1986 said:

I'll hold my breath for Cyril and Rosalind. I don't see any chemistry between them but the writers seem set on this story. 

I agree. They're a romantic couple because the writers want them to be a romantic couple but I don't understand what they see in each other. 

1 hour ago, Straycat80 said:

what happened to Nancy? Long honeymoon? 

Nancy took a job at I think it was a hospital or some other place where nurses work away from Poplar. 

I don't see Rosalind and Cyrlil as a long term romantic couple. I don't even see them working as a romantic couple at all.

 

  • Like 2
BooksRule

BooksRule

On 4/9/2025 at 7:41 AM, jah1986 said:

I have never heard of Viles or Weil's disease before this episode.

The one and only time I've ever heard of this disease was years ago when I read 'The Thorn Birds'. It was talked about as being rampant among the sugar cane cutters due to the rats that were in the fields (and this was Queensland in Australia).  I think the main character Meggie's husband came down with it, if I recall and was described as being weak and jaundiced. 

  • Like 2
libgirl2

libgirl2

(edited)
8 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

The cat dying just gutted me.  I was glad that he at least passed away somewhere warm and safe.

  Hide contents

She returns during the final episode for her wedding.

 

Nigel died in arms of love. I did tear up. 

I hope Joyce is vindicated as well. That woman was just vile. 

I like Rosalind and Cyril. And I'm glad Joyce spoke to her about it. This won't be easy but at least they are entering a more open era. 

Edited by libgirl2
  • Like 5
Haleth

Haleth

It was a bit disingenuous for all the white ladies to be shocked shocked that Joyce faced such ugly accusations based on her colour. Wouldn’t that have been the obvious first thought? I hope the board believes her since the only witness was the husband.

I was hoping something worse would happen to that horrible woman.

Is the disease Rosalind picked up the same thing Gene Hackman’s wife died from? The symptoms sound similar. ☹️

  • Like 3
Mermaid Under

Mermaid Under

Quote

Is the disease Rosalind picked up the same thing Gene Hackman’s wife died from? The symptoms sound similar.

I generally hate AI, but here it is.

Quote

Hantavirus and leptospirosis, both transmitted by rodents, can cause similar symptoms, making diagnosis challenging. Both can cause flu-like symptoms, fever, and fatigue. Hantavirus is a viral disease, while leptospirosis is a bacterial infection. While both can cause fever and other nonspecific symptoms, leptospirosis may be more likely to cause jaundice and red eyes, while hantavirus may be more likely to cause dyspnea and hemorrhagic manifestations

The simple answer it that for television and movies, for dramatic purposes, they are the same.  Diagnostically and scientifically they are different.

  • Useful 3
  • LOL 1
proserpina65

proserpina65

NOOOOOOOOO!  Not Nigel!!!

Yes, I did bawl my eyes out from the moment they realized he was sick.  I kept yelling "Take him to the vet!" at everyone.  I'm assuming the vet probably wasn't still in the office by the time Cyril got home.

And that woman better not succeed in getting Joyce stricken from being a midwife.  Bitch, Joyce saved your life!  Had she succeeded in getting you out of bed at the maternity hospital, you might not have gotten deep-vein thrombosis to begin with.

On 4/7/2025 at 8:23 AM, marceline said:

The cluelessness of everyone to the racism that was happening right in front of them was frustrating.

All I could think when Sister Julienne asked Joyce about it was that she didn't want to believe it could still be happening in 1970.  Because certainly she'd seen the racism with which Lucille had to deal when she first arrived.

On 4/9/2025 at 11:04 AM, Notabug said:

Weil's disease is more commonly known as leptospirosis.

I have heard of that, and I wondered if it was the same thing.

  • Like 2
  • Applause 2
proserpina65

proserpina65

11 hours ago, Sarah 103 said:

Nancy took a job at I think it was a hospital or some other place where nurses work away from Poplar. 

She'd had an offer from that hospital before and turned it down.  She took it this time because it's close to where her fiance lives, I think.  I wanna say someplace near Liverpool but I could be mistaken about that.

  • Like 1
  • Useful 1
iMonrey

iMonrey

12 hours ago, Natasha Fatale said:

I couldn’t believe Sister Julienne would be so naive as to ask Joyce if this was her first experience with racial prejudice.

Yeah, I feel like this was badly written. Her question was the writers' way of prompting a heartfelt monologue by Joyce about the racism she's experienced, but it made Sister Julienne look like an idiot. "Have you experienced this before?" Well, duh. What a dumb thing to say.

I wonder if the husband will come forward and admit that his wife refused Joyce's help. He seemed uncomfortable with her behavior. 

Aside from the cat, at least this episode wasn't as depressing as the last few.

  • Like 8
libgirl2

libgirl2

29 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

Yeah, I feel like this was badly written. Her question was the writers' way of prompting a heartfelt monologue by Joyce about the racism she's experienced, but it made Sister Julienne look like an idiot. "Have you experienced this before?" Well, duh. What a dumb thing to say.

I wonder if the husband will come forward and admit that his wife refused Joyce's help. He seemed uncomfortable with her behavior. 

Aside from the cat, at least this episode wasn't as depressing as the last few.

My co-worker who watches the show said that it was poorly written. Like this is new to them? 

I hope the husband comes forward with exactly what happened. 

  • Like 3
J-Man

J-Man

I'm starting to get the impression that there is a reduced budget for the series this year since we seem to be missing key actors from week to week. Last week, no Trixie; before that, no Cyril; before that, no Dr. Turner. This week no Nurse Crane. 

Unlike most US series, they don't show the missing regulars in the opening credits if they don't appear in the episode, so it's easy to figure out who's going to be a no-show before the action starts. 

  • Useful 1
MissLucas

MissLucas

The main problem with Sister Julienne's dumb question is that it denies so much backstory. Call the Midwife featured plenty of stories where racial prejudice played its part - not just with Lucille (basically a perfect mirror to what happened with Joyce) - but in many, many other iterations.

I've once met a cloistered nun from an order with a very strict observance. She was on her test-run for leaving the order after several decades of cloistered life (they are supposed to spend some time 'outside' before making their final decision and she spent those weeks with my family). And yes, watching her deal with modern life was quite the experience. For her asking that question would have made some sense, but not for Sister Julienne who spent decades as a proto social worker in one of London's poorest districts.

  • Like 9
cinsays

cinsays

6 hours ago, Haleth said:

It was a bit disingenuous for all the white ladies to be shocked shocked that Joyce faced such ugly accusations based on her colour. Wouldn’t that have been the obvious first thought? I hope the board believes her since the only witness was the husband.

I was hoping something worse would happen to that horrible woman.

Is the disease Rosalind picked up the same thing Gene Hackman’s wife died from? The symptoms sound similar. ☹️

sometimes these nuns do seem to be very naive and out of touch

and, yeah, i was kind of hoping that awful woman would just die

  • Like 4
Mermaid Under

Mermaid Under

Quote

I was hoping something worse would happen to that horrible woman.

She was horrible, but I have to give the writers on British dramas credit.  She wasn't cartoonishly horrible the way most villains on American TV are. You could see her lack of self-awareness when she stamped out her cigarette on the floor in front of Miss Higgins (and Miss Higgins reaction).  You could see the big gaping hole of insecurity in her overreaction to the ladies exercising (actually, her overreaction to everything) as if it was a singular judgement on her.  Her treatment of Joyce was awful, but you could see she was a person who behaved badly, in addition to being something created simply to push a certain plot line ahead.
And having said that, this episode did not keep my interest, and I find most of this season has been disappointing.

Quote

I'm starting to get the impression that there is a reduced budget for the series this year since we seem to be missing key actors from week to week

That is certainly how they handle it in the states where shows are on their last legs and not making money.  As much as I enjoy this as a bookend to the weekend, it  isn't worth keeping it on if the quality just slips down the toilet.

  • Like 2
  • Applause 1
eel2178

eel2178

5 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

NOOOOOOOOO!  Not Nigel!!!

Yes, I did bawl my eyes out from the moment they realized he was sick.  I kept yelling "Take him to the vet!" at everyone. 

Surely, they could have spared a little penicillin to give to Nigel. After all, he was Poplar's Chief Exterminator and put his life on the line for his job. (At least, there should have been a choice for him, unlike Bobby Nash).

  • Like 5
Mermaid Under

Mermaid Under

Quote

I was bit by a rat a few years ago, and my doctor's concerns were for Rat Bite Fever and to make sure my tetanus shot was updated.

Hantavirus and Weil's Disease are 'transmitted' by rats, which is nice way to say it is mostly rat poop and urine in the drinking water, rather than bites.  Although, it might just be your doctor was unaware of the possibility.  These kinds of infections are so rare, most physicians don't recognize them.

  • Like 2
Calvada

Calvada

I agree that it was ridiculous that Sister Julienne was flabbergasted to realize that racial prejudice exists when it's been the story line of many previous episodes involving people coming to Poplar/the East End from the Caribbean, Africa, India, Pakistan, etc.  As well, there have been multiple stories that have involved religious intolerance.  

  • Like 3
iMonrey

iMonrey

8 hours ago, MissLucas said:

The main problem with Sister Julienne's dumb question is that it denies so much backstory. Call the Midwife featured plenty of stories where racial prejudice played its part - not just with Lucille (basically a perfect mirror to what happened with Joyce) - but in many, many other iterations.

It didn't have to, though. A simple tweak here and there would have fixed it. The purpose here was to address Joyce's own personal history with racial discrimination, not that of every midwife that came before her. The writers just needed to change the question Sister Julienne was asking to get to that monologue. And the director should have advised Jenny Agutter not to look all wide-eyed and shocked. It would have delivered more poignancy and wouldn't have felt so clunky.

  • Like 6
  • Applause 2
Calvada

Calvada

28 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

It didn't have to, though. A simple tweak here and there would have fixed it. The purpose here was to address Joyce's own personal history with racial discrimination, not that of every midwife that came before her. The writers just needed to change the question Sister Julienne was asking to get to that monologue. And the director should have advised Jenny Agutter not to look all wide-eyed and shocked. It would have delivered more poignancy and wouldn't have felt so clunky.

I re-watched this scene and I think Sister Julienne was supposed to be surprised by this treatment of Joyce by this patient since she had heard nothing about it from either Joyce or Sister Catherine, but instead by her reaction and words, it seemed that she was astonished to realize that racial prejudice exists.  It did not help that the script had her ask Joyce if that was something she had experienced before, which was a very naive question from a woman of mature years who has witnessed that type of behavior on many occasions, as the viewers have seen.  I blame the writers and the director, although they probably got what they wanted from the scene, with Joyce saying she could laugh or she could cry at the question, but instead she would do what she always tries to do and respond with dignity, saying that racism is something she encounters everywhere and in everything.  I think they wanted to get to that statement by Joyce and they took a very clunky path to reach it.  

  • Like 5
  • Useful 1
jschoolgirl

jschoolgirl

On 5/5/2025 at 1:20 PM, MissLucas said:

The main problem with Sister Julienne's dumb question is that it denies so much backstory.

I have been thinking that Sister was asking whether Joyce had faced an unusual number of prejudiced patients  or an unusual number of them in a specific period.

I'd like to think that, anyway. This show is not so naive as that question as presented was.  And they should realize after 14 seasons that we would notice the absurdity of the question. 

  • Like 2
tvrox

tvrox

(edited)
On 5/5/2025 at 6:58 AM, Haleth said:

It was a bit disingenuous for all the white ladies to be shocked shocked that Joyce faced such ugly accusations based on her colour. Wouldn’t that have been the obvious first thought? I hope the board believes her since the only witness was the husband.

I was hoping something worse would happen to that horrible woman.

Is the disease Rosalind picked up the same thing Gene Hackman’s wife died from? The symptoms sound similar. ☹️

I kept thinking that too. Combined with the iron lung episode last time, Call the Midwives this season is very timely. 

Edited by tvrox
  • Like 1

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...