S04.E09: Christmas Special

[dcalley]

http://www.pbs.org/call-the-midwife/seasons/2015-holiday-special/ has a more detailed episode description (possibly spoilery), but here's the short version:

 

Poplar prepares for Christmas 1960; a grieving mother receives an unexpected surprise; the community comes together for a televised carol concert; and Nonnatus is rocked when someone goes missing.

 PBS.org isn't showing this on the schedule for my stations, but the stations' own sites show it, at 9:00-10:30 ET.

 

I didn't put this thread in episode format because it's a special, but consider it S05.E00.

Edited December 13, 2015 by dcalley

[JudyObscure]

I just saw my first ad for this last night while watching Downton Abbey re-runs. Christmas night at 9:00.   It will be a nice antidote to the anticlimax I usually feel then, with my family all headed back to their homes.  I'm just afraid others might still be entertaining and will miss it.

[Gulftastic]

Lovely episode. Warm, comfy Xmas viewing.

[MissLucas]

I gave my sister season 1 on DVD for Christmas and added a warning to never watch the show without a box of tissues at hand. Than watched this episode not heeding my own words *sheesh

Victoria Hamilton was terrific in her grief and her terror.(I knew I had seen her before but had to check IMDB. She was in lots of things but I remember her from the BBC's Pride and Prejudice.) And I loved Sister Julienne's entry during the birth scene.

It took the good sisters a tad too long to realize where Sister Monica Joan had gone but it Pam Ferris acted the hell out of Sister Evangelina's guilt. It was also nice to hear Laura Main sing again - she's got a great voice. The only sub-plot I wasn't too keen on was what looked as if they're about to pair Curate Tom with Barbara - there were some suspicious glances. Add the scene with Trixie and we got the potential for a love-triangle hanging over Poplar (please, no!).

[GaT]

Whew, I was really worried they were going to kill off Sister Monica Joan for a while, glad they didn't.

[Beezella]

What a beautiful episode. I too was afraid they were going to do the "baby born - old person dies" trope, but so glad they didn't. Perfect for Christmas night. I so love this show and am so glad there is a Season 5 coming up in the spring.

[Leia1979]

Whew, I was really worried they were going to kill off Sister Monica Joan for a while, glad they didn't.

 Me, too. I love her character, but she's elderly and has been ill a few times through the series, plus you never know when the actress might decide to retire. I hoped we might get a Christmas miracle and have her survive, though. 

 

Right in the feels, as always. I don't think I'm generally much of a crier, but anytime something is bad enough to make Sister Evangelina cry is guaranteed to get me, too. 

 

The only thing I didn't like was the curate with the admiring glances towards Barbara. I guess I thought maybe he and Trixie would work things out, but maybe Barbara's a better match (not that I really need to marry off the midwives).

[GaT]

but maybe Barbara's a better match

Except for the part where she's gay.

[MissLucas]

Barbara is gay? I thought that was Patsy? Given her background Barbara would be the better match for the Curate (provided she's not gay) - we've seen how much Trixie struggled to deal with the reality of being a clergy wife. Something Barbara is obviously very familiar with. It's not the pairing I don't like but the potential of love-triangle related drama that would come along.

This episode had so many strong scenes for Sister Evangelina - the acting when she broke down in the morgue after realizing the dead body was not Sister Monica Joan was terrific - just a fleeting moment of relief and then utter devastation about the fate of the 'poor, poor woman'. Just fantastic.

[Libby96]

For some reason my TiVo didn't record this episode even though I have a season pass for Call the Midwife. I'm so bummed! Does anyone know if PBS has any plans of re-airing it?

[dustylil]

Libby96, I get three PBS stations (Buffalo, Detroit and Seattle) and the Seattle one has a re-airing listed for Tuesday evening, if that is of any help.

[dargosmydaddy]

It's also available on the PBS website.

[Beldasnoop]

The show has never so much as even remotely hinted that Barbara is gay as far as I can remember. The poster above might be confusing her with Patsy. I also saw the attraction between Barbara and Tom as mutual, and since I've been sort of shipping them since early in series 4, I like this potential plot line. I say "shipping", but it's really been more theoretical until now. I didn't think Trixie and Tom made a good couple, and Trixie's relationship with Tom actually brought out the worst in Trixie, I thought. It seemed to me that Barbara, a vicar's daughter and a more mild-mannered personality than Trixie, would be better suited for Tom. If the show wants Trixie to have a love interest (and I don't think every character needs one) they can introduce a new person who is a better match for her. Now that the Christmas special has given overt evidence of interest between Barbara and Tom, I'm eager to see how that plays out in series 5. I don't usually like love triangles, either, so I hope that aspect is minimized and it's more of a straightforward romance between Tom and Barbara. I would like to see that.

 

As for the rest of the episode, I loved it. I was somewhat disappointed with last year's special because it spent so much time outside of Poplar and focused too much on the guest characters, but this year I thought the stories worked well together, and I liked how the guest stories involved the regular characters as well. I loved Shelagh's role in this episode, and it was great to hear her sing again. I also liked Sister Monica Joan's plot, and the Patsy and Delia story was more believable than ever (as the show is letting us get to know Delia better). I loved the whole sense of family and connectedness between the nuns and the nurses. I also really liked Iris's story, and the performance by guest actress Victoria Hamilton.

Edited December 27, 2015 by Beldasnoop

[Kohola3]

Just had a chance to watch (Christmas company headed home and we had no power for several days including Christmas) and it was just a lovely special.  Judy Parfitt does such a wonderful job with Sr. Monica Joan and her dementia.  She can be so childlike and then turn around and make philosophical quotes in the same moment.  Pam Ferris is always wonderful and her heart was certainly on her face when dealing with her fear and grief over what might have happened due to her outburst.  And when they were reciting that psalm together I was reaching for the hanky.

 

I am glad that Patsy has a chance again with Delia. I did miss Chummy although it was a very full episode without her. I have to say that I think Barbara is a better match for the vicar than Trixie is.  She knows the ropes when it comes to living that life

 

I must admit that I didn't see the whole surprise birth until Iris was complaining about her kidney stone pain.  What a delightful story!

[JudyObscure]

I just watched it, too, thanks to Dargosmydaddy. Our recorder didn't get it for some reason and I thought I had missed it forever. It's two days after Christmas but I finally got the true Christmas spirt thing, thanks to the Midwives and four Kleenex worth of tears.

Victoria Hamilton made me cry quite a few times as Ruby in "Lark Rise to Candleford," and she brought it all in this part. Something about those big brown eyes of hers, she was born to make us cry.

All the stories were so good, I love the realism of things like nuns who live together squabbling and nice people fixing the raffle.

What can I say, but: "Television, the portal to happiness."

[Primetimer]

...fiiiive kids who siiiiiiiiing!

Read the story

[Jeffurry]

Delia's return reminded me how angry I was when they injured her brain in the first place. It seemed all too Celluloid Closet. I'm glad I had managed to block it out.

[GaT]

Barbara is gay? I thought that was Patsy? 

 

The show has never so much as even remotely hinted that Barbara is gay as far as I can remember. 

You're correct, my brain was thinking Barbara, but seeing Patsy. Never mind :-)

[sonneta]

This episode was lovely and cozy.  But, as much as I agree with the "Measles is really bad!" storyline's message (get your kid vaccinated), it looses a little umph when Doctor Turner is seen smoking like a chimney.

[howiveaddict]

 

 

vaccinated), it looses a little umph when Doctor Turner is seen smoking like a chimney.

 

Believe it or not, doctors smoked in the hospital I work at, until the 1990s.  Very realistic that he smokes.  Just hope it's not a clue to a future lung cancer diagnosis.  Not sure when this show takes place, but the US Surgeon General's report on smoking was not until 1964.  Thanks Google.   I also cringed each time he recommended giving the children aspirin for their fever.  Of course back then they didn't know about rey's syndrome and aspirin.

[dustylil]

Not sure when this show takes place

 

Christmas 1960 according to some of the more reliable British media.

[Clanstarling]

This episode was lovely and cozy.  But, as much as I agree with the "Measles is really bad!" storyline's message (get your kid vaccinated), it looses a little umph when Doctor Turner is seen smoking like a chimney.

The only thing in the show that bothered me, was the mother's "It's only measles" comment. It reflected current attitudes rather than the days prior to a vaccine, when it was a scourge and no family would be unfamiliar with some of the devastating consequences. My own sister was nearly blinded, and her cognitive abilities were definitely impaired, by the measles. So it's never been "just" the measles to me. Off of my high horse now.

 

Otherwise, I loved the episode. I was afraid Monica Joan was going to die, and other terrible things would happen given the somewhat depressing season 4. I am so happy that wasn't the case. I was glad to see Delia return, and the miracle baby. I look forward to season 5.

[Kohola3]

The only thing in the show that bothered me, was the mother's "It's only measles" comment.

 

That was totally a normal comment for that era.  I lived in a neighborhood with a zillion kids and every one of us had the measles.  Unless someone had some terrible outcome as your sister did, it was generally thought to be one of those childhood diseases that we all had to live through (along with mumps and chicken pox).

 

In Poplar, televisions  were probably extremely rare and i doubt that many of the women read a daily paper.  I'm not sure how medical information got to them except through the overworked government doctors who were not always the best informed on the latest updates in medicine.

[Clanstarling]

I grew up in Europe during that era, and quarentines of buildings when children came down with measles (and chicken pox) were not unusual. I, in fact, triggered a quarentine twice for what was, thankfully, mild cases of each.

 

As for medical knowledge, people who live in close quarters and have extended families got quite a lot of medical information just by the experiences of those around them. Was it good knowledge without the doctor? Sometimes, and sometimes not. That really hasn't changed much with the passage of time.

 

But I will agree, definitely, that they were considered diseases we just had to live through - as there were no other options. They were childhood diseases because that was the common onset - not necessarily because they were benign.

Edited December 28, 2015 by clanstarling

[LuciaMia]

"I know Sister Evangelina's character is supposed to be no-nonsense and blunt speaking, but I thought she went over into sheer bitchiness in her argument with S. Monica.

[MissLucas]

Sister Evangelina was definitely over-stepping various lines - that much was admitted in the writing when Sister Julian talked to Constable Noakes. She's a 'salt-of-the-earth' type who are often idealized on tv when in reality they can be abrasive and hurtful - which is the reason I normally struggle with those characters - so I appreciated the touch of realism. (I've  grown up in close proximity to several monastic communities, what happened between Sister Monica Joan and Sister Evangelina was relatively tame.) They gave us a brief glance at the problems of life in a convent and I appreciate how they handled it. A flare of temper with dramatic consequences followed by the right amount of remorse.

[Penman61]

(I'll also post this in spoilers, though not a spoiler, since the conversation about this issue that started here was continued there.)

 

The Netflix version of the show appears to be the edited version

 

The disc version (Blu-ray) appears to be the UNedited version.

 

I've only checked Season 1, but those episodes were @ 57-58 minutes, while the Netflix versions were all 52 minutes.

 

I'll be getting Season 4 discs (Blu-ray) this week, and I'll report back on them then.

Edited December 28, 2015 by Penman61

[kieyra]

You're correct, my brain was thinking Barbara, but seeing Patsy. Never mind :-)

For what it's worth, I was seeing Patsy too for those first few posts, until people started calling it out as wrong. I actually have no idea who Barbara is and I'm going to have to google after I hit Reply. I never quite managed to mentally migrate past the original group of midwives.

Edit: Okay, she's the NEW new young brunette one, post-Jenny. I guess she doesn't look like a Barbara and I've utterly failed to connect with the character.

Edited December 29, 2015 by kieyra

[dalek]

The "it's only measles" remark surprised me, because it was considered a problem back then.  My mom hated kindergarden and basically got herself tossed out by faking measles (she had a prickly heat rash and pointed it out to the teacher who then made her stay outside on the playground and her mom had to come pick her up  and then took the attitude of "well if you hate it that much you don't have to go.") It would run through schools, etc. and people were aware that kids could die if their fevers got to high and there was a risk of damaged vision and a fair number of people, not just doctors, would have been aware of the risk of measles related encephalitis.  Although yeah, it was disconcerting to hear the doctor pushing aspirin, given what we know now that we didn't know then.

 

And while childhood diseases were something that people expected to suffer through, that didn't mean they took it lightly.  People went deaf from mumps, and it causes sterility in men (although often just one ear for deafness and one testicle for the other issue).  My aunt lost the hearing in one ear due to mumps, and it affected her balance for nearly a year afterwards.  And german measles, while often mild for the kids, was no picnic to get as an adult, and regardless of age sometimes had some interesting side effects like loss of smell or taste.  And of course it was a VERY bad thing if a pregnant woman ended up with german measles - those babies were not just a little bit damaged.  

[craziness]

Didn't one of the midwives or nuns say something about a baby with some problem with its hands? I think it was just a throw away line, but i wonder if it was the start of the phalidamide (sp?) babies.

[JudyObscure]

Oh no.  I'll bet you're right, Craziness.  We probably wouldn't have had the foreshadowing of the doctor prescribing it, last season, if they weren't planning to go there.  I just looked it up and saw this horrific fact, "By 1960, thalidomide was marketed in 46 countries, with sales nearly matching those of aspirin."    I don't know if our good doctor can live with the guilt.

[monakane]

 

And while childhood diseases were something that people expected to suffer through, that didn't mean they took it lightly.  People went deaf from mumps, and it causes sterility in men (although often just one ear for deafness and one testicle for the other issue).  My aunt lost the hearing in one ear due to mumps, and it affected her balance for nearly a year afterwards.  And german measles, while often mild for the kids, was no picnic to get as an adult, and regardless of age sometimes had some interesting side effects like loss of smell or taste.  And of course it was a VERY bad thing if a pregnant woman ended up with german measles - those babies were not just a little bit damaged.  

 

My brother was hospitalized when we had the measles because his fever was so high.  He came out of it okay with no lasting damage.  My case was very mild with a low fever.  I recovered in a few days.  As a young teenager, he contracted mumps from me that left him with a low sperm count and unable to father children.  I feel guilty about it to this day. Happily, he and his wife adopted a beautiful girl who grew into a lovely woman.  I'm so glad that children don't have to go through that anymore.  Read Gene Tierney's biography if you want to know how devastating German measles can be to a pregnant woman.

 

OT, I cringed when the doctor ordered aspirin and I wondered if that made the girl's condition worse.

[YoSaffBridge]

I just got to watch this today. God, I love Pam Ferris. I can't think of a more heartbreaking scene than Sister Evangelina hanging baubles on the Christmas tree, tears streaming down her face.<br /><br />Also, the compassion that she and Sister Julienne showed when they realized the dead woman was not their sister was one of the most moving moments I can think of.

[awaken]

I had to laugh; when sister Monica Joan knocked on the door to her childhood home, it was answered by a 2015 hipster!  Culture shock!  

[awaken]

Also loved the scene with the doctor helping the shaking new dad to smoke, and encouraging him to take a nice long drag!  Too funny!  

[MissLucas]

I had to laugh; when sister Monica Joan knocked on the door to her childhood home, it was answered by a 2015 hipster!  Culture shock!  

He! I was for a moment very confused too thankfully Sister Monica Joan had one of her moments of lucidity and mentioned the badges on his jacket and that helped me place him in the historically correct subculture. I was also looking forward to Sister Evangelina's reaction when seeing him - alas, it was not to be and they cut directly to her at Sister Monica Joan's bedside.

Edited December 31, 2015 by MissLucas

[proserpina65]

Just once, I'd like a CTM Christmas special that doesn't have me bawling by the midway point!  That said, I loved this episode, especially Sister Monica Joan's story.  I know eventually she'll die, because everyone does, but damn it, I can't imagine this show without the interaction between her and Sister Evangelina.

[JudyObscure]

I had to laugh; when sister Monica Joan knocked on the door to her childhood home, it was answered by a 2015 hipster! Culture shock!

And yet, underneath, they were kindred spirits. He was so kind to her with the tea and the understanding. Just another sweet touch by these writers.

[MaryHedwig]

The only thing I didn't like was the curate with the admiring glances towards Barbara. I guess I thought maybe he and Trixie would work things out, but maybe Barbara's a better match (not that I really need to marry off the midwives).

They dropped the story line about Barbara missing her family. I was hoping her family would surprise her by popping up at the Christmas Eve service.

 

I missed Chummy. I thought her husband should at least have said one line about her, "Camilla wishes she could be here but..." Come to think of it, it's probably time for Chummy to be pregnant again.

Edited January 1, 2016 by MaryHedwig

[Calvada]

Barbara's father is a minister, so traveling to see family at Christmas is not an option for him.  

 

How many health crises can Sister Monica Joan go through at her age?  She must have the strongest heart ever. 

 

I too miss Chummy.  It's funny, I don't miss Jenny at all. 

[MissLucas]

How many health crises can Sister Monica Joan go through at her age?  She must have the strongest heart ever. 

She's probably a distant relative of the Dowager of Downton Abbey ;)

[izabella]

He! I was for a moment very confused too thankfully Sister Monica Joan had one of her moments of lucidity and mentioned the badges on his jacket and that helped me place him in the historically correct subculture. I was also looking forward to Sister Evangelina's reaction when seeing him - alas, it was not to be and they cut directly to her at Sister Monica Joan's bedside.

 

Oh, I was living for that moment, hoping we'd see that, and was hugely disappointed when they didn't show the hipster opening the door to Sister Evengelina.

[dustylil]

Given the dialogue and his attire, do we know to what subculture group  that kindly young man belonged? The episode was set in December 1960 and he clearly wasn't a Teddy Boy:)

I don't recall the Mods or Rockers being politically involved - as he certainly was. He was a squatter and engaged in anti-nuclear activities, so probably a member of one or more disarmament groups.

A member of the Beat generation/ a Beatnik perhaps? An anarchist? A student activist?

[txhorns79]

How many health crises can Sister Monica Joan go through at her age?  She must have the strongest heart ever.

 

Seriously!  The woman was already ill, and slept overnight in an open air barn in the middle of winter?  I thought the exposure alone would have killed her.  Honestly, I thought what would happen would be that Sister Evangeline gets to the house in time to be with Sister Monica Joan when she passed away, so I was shocked that not only didn't Sister Monica Joan die, but she seems back to her generally dotty self again. 

[Libby96]

Thanks for letting me know it was airing again last Tuesday. I caught it that time!

I loved that Iris donated the cradle for the Christmas program, and then it ended up being her own daughter who lay in it representing baby Jesus. A bit too perfect? Maybe. But I loved it anyway.

[Diffy]

Given the dialogue and his attire, do we know to what subculture group  that kindly young man belonged? The episode was set in December 1960 and he clearly wasn't a Teddy Boy:)

I don't recall the Mods or Rockers being politically involved - as he certainly was. He was a squatter and engaged in anti-nuclear activities, so probably a member of one or more disarmament groups.

A member of the Beat generation/ a Beatnik perhaps? An anarchist? A student activist?

 

I'd call him a Pacifist or Conscientious Objector, or perhaps even a Peacenik, although I don't think that last term was coined until the mid-sixties.  He was obviously a member of CND (Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament) or DAC (Direct Action Committee) because he referred to the Aldermaston Marches.

 

I was so relieved that Sister Monica Joan didn't die in this Christmas Special.  I was holding my breath because I apparently haven't recovered from the trauma of Downton Abbey killing off Matthew on Christmas day!  I did find it a bit unlikely that she would have survived traveling the 50 odd miles from Poplar to the old family home in Berkshire a couple of miles from Aldermaston, however.  She's obviously a seriously tough old lady.

 

All in all a very good episode and I loved the Iris story.

[Kohola3]

I was so relieved that Sister Monica Joan didn't die in this Christmas Special.

 

Ditto. I was so afraid that they would do the trite "one soul leaves, another arrives" with the birth of the baby at the same time she looked so close to death.

 

But those nuns, they are tough old birds sometimes!

[awaken]

He! I was for a moment very confused too thankfully Sister Monica Joan had one of her moments of lucidity and mentioned the badges on his jacket and that helped me place him in the historically correct subculture. I was also looking forward to Sister Evangelina's reaction when seeing him - alas, it was not to be and they cut directly to her at Sister Monica Joan's bedside.

 

 

Oh, I was living for that moment, hoping we'd see that, and was hugely disappointed when they didn't show the hipster opening the door to Sister Evengelina.

 

Thank you for understanding what I was getting at!  :)  I'm glad others caught the joke as well!  

[vmayo]

I was so sad when the Delia brain injury happened. I love this show, but I was so upset I didn't know if I'd continue watching. I mean, amnesia? It's lazy writing.

I finally got around to the Christmas episode today and I cheered when Patsy saw Delia! Oh I'm so glad they are fixing the terrible mistake they made with this storyline. Can't wait to see more of them next season.

[Micks Picks]

I really am impressed with this series.  I like the sisters and the midwives, and get the idea of the lives of women in this time period. It wasn't a picnic for sure.  Well, it wasn't for the men either, and yet they soldiered on and raised what we now know to be accomplished children for the most part.  I hadn't even thought of the horror of having measles as a pregnant mom.  They had so many trials that are not here to effect us so horribly now.  It's fascinating.  We know thalidomide is coming, and we see the alcohol as a solution to family problems.  It wasn't talked about very much, just accepted.  I think the writers really excel here.