S05.E01: Episode 1

[Beldasnoop]

Yes, Maureen Gadsby was the first patient who was prescribed thalidomide on the show. Dr. Turner also mentioned prescribing it as a sedative for Sister Monica Joan in the most recent Christmas special. He only mentioned it by its brand name, Distaval, though, so a lot of viewers might not have realized it was the same drug. 

Edited April 5, 2016 by Beldasnoop

[JudyObscure]

I thought it was unusually shortsighted of Sister Julienne to call Trixie's AA meetings a "club", she's always seemed a little more progressive and insightful than most.

I don't see why "club," or "class," is bad while "meeting," is good.  We're more used to one name now but the others don't seem offensive to me.  Sister Julienne wasn't telling Trixie not to go, just pointing out that if she added her fitness class, that would be two evenings she would be unavailable to do her job and she was making other nurses unavailable, too.  I thought it was interesting the way Trixie defended the fitness class as more than just a vanity thing, but I wouldn't call sister Julienne short sighted for wanting to have nurses available for mothers in labor. 

 

Funny how Trixie lost two inches off her waist and gained a cup size in her bust when we know now that those spot-reducing (or bust-building) exercises don't work.  Hmmm.  I should know because I've done about 360,000 (I did the math) of those side leg raises trying to get the bulges at the top of my thighs to go away and nothing ever happened.  That's why they invented liposuction. 

[violetr]

Funny how Trixie lost two inches off her waist and gained a cup size in her bust when we know now that those spot-reducing (or bust-building) exercises don't work.  Hmmm.  I should know because I've done about 360,000 (I did the math) of those side leg raises trying to get the bulges at the top of my thighs to go away and nothing ever happened.  That's why they invented liposuction.

 

 

I assumed that Trixie lost two inches off of her waist from the overall cardiovascular workout she's getting from the program, but yeah, the bust enhancement claim made no sense. Maybe she's standing up straighter? Ha. I loved seeing the early 60s fitness regime. Some of it looked surprisingly modern! It also made sense that the fitness program was making her feel happier and healthier in general. Exercise can be one really helpful facet of addiction recovery. 

[Grundoon59]

My take on the Trixie/Sister Julianne discussion was that Trixie was coming at it from the viewpoint that her activities were important to her well-being in a similar way that the nuns' religious duties were important to their well-being.  Sister Julianne seemed to me to be upset about the photos and publicity and not seeing the Keep Fit class as that vital to Trixie - she used a poor word choice for her AA remarks but I was not seeing her as downplaying the necessity of  Trixie keeping going with that.  I think Sister Julianne (and probably the other nuns) just took for granted that the midwives would rearrange their schedules for the nuns' religious duties but she had a "lightbulb" moment with Trixie that the street had to run both ways sometimes. 

[Straycat80]

I'm so happy this show is back! I do miss Chummy and her family though.

I thought the Baby Susan story was well done and oh so heartbreaking. I kept waiting for them to say that the mother had taken Thalidomide but they did not. I was happy that the US never let that drug into this country, I was born during this time, I could have been one of those babies.

I worked Pharmacy for awhile, we had that drug on the shelf. We had an elderly male patient who was taking it, I can't remember for what condition, the Pharmacist had to do a lot of paperwork and something on the computer with the state just to dispense the drug. So guidelines must be very, very, strict which is a good thing.

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

 

Just When You Thought Things Were Looking Up In The East End, Call The Midwife Presents: Thalidomide
In spite of it all, our beloved Trixie is keeping fit.

[Thumper82003]

I'm so happy this show is back! I do miss Chummy and her family though.

I thought the Baby Susan story was well done and oh so heartbreaking. I kept waiting for them to say that the mother had taken Thalidomide but they did not. I was happy that the US never let that drug into this country, I was born during this time, I could have been one of those babies.

I worked Pharmacy for awhile, we had that drug on the shelf. We had an elderly male patient who was taking it, I can't remember for what condition, the Pharmacist had to do a lot of paperwork and something on the computer with the state just to dispense the drug. So guidelines must be very, very, strict which is a good thing.

Thalidomide is used in some cancers as well as some autoimmune problems. It may be used in some other conditions but I am not sure which. There is A LOT of paperwork, done monthly. Only doctors & pharmacies that have been "certified" may dispense it. If there are unused meds, you must return them to the company. Women of childbearing years are restricted in taking this. The patient is warned monthly of potential complications. Post menopausal women must swear to that monthly. And as I said before, my dose was $15,000/month. I was on it for about a year.

So it is highly restricted.

[Gulftastic]

The keep fit stuff was partly introduced due to Helen George who plays Trixie losing a lot of weight doing the UK version of 'Dancing With The Stars', 'Strictly Come Dancing'.

[JudyObscure]

I think Sister Julianne (and probably the other nuns) just took for granted that the midwives would rearrange their schedules for the nuns' religious duties but she had a "lightbulb" moment with Trixie that the street had to run both ways sometimes.

 

The nuns are religious people first and foremost and midwifery is just the way they have chosen to help people. It's not like they are midwives who add some religious stuff as a hobby. It's nice of Sister Julianne to listen to Trixie and allow her to do both her AA meetings and her fitness class, but it's not a case of her having to let Trixie do anything.  Sister Julienne is the boss and Nonnatus House is an Anglican run business, if the lay midwives don't like the religious activities then it's up to them to leave and find work in a public or government run place.

[zxy556575]

Gawd, I remember wearing my leotard and tights to the Jack LaLanne gym in the 60s and 70s. Not sure why none of us thought to just wear athletic shorts and tees. Hell, I could have just worn my high school PE suit.

 

I wasn't too bothered by Sister Julianne and Trixie's discussion except that it wasn't realistic. The nurses have a shift schedule and on-call rotation, so it's not likely that all of them would even have been available to go to Trixie's first class. Trixie could easily schedule her AA and Get Fit stuff on nights she's not on call, or trade with someone. I don't remember it being discussed specifically, but I don't think the non-nuns were all expected to be available 24/7, especially with the move away from home births.

 

This is my modern sensibility, but I was surprised that Patsy didn't call for the doctor when Rhoda had trouble delivering. Shelagh did end up assisting, so maybe the "head being off center" wasn't that big a deal.

 

Also filed under Times Change: that Rhoda thought her name was elegant and set her apart.

[Spunkygal]

So glad this awesome show is back. Add me to the Missing Chummy train. This episode was so moving and I was so happy that the mom did not reject her beautiful baby and that the dad eventually came around. I adore each and every midwife and nun on this show and I do sort of miss Jenny.

While visiting with another neighbor just this morning as we were walking our dogs, she was complaining that there are no good shows on anymore, nothing unique with good acting. I quickly told her about CTM and how meaningful and satisfying TV viewing it is for me. Yes, it is sometimes difficult to watch but it is impactful and quality. When this series is over, I will definitely buy the entire package. I watched and enjoyed Downton Abbey (and drooled over the costumes) but for pure storylines, CTM does it for me.

[Thumper82003]

Gawd, I remember wearing my leotard and tights to the Jack LaLanne gym in the 60s and 70s. Not sure why none of us thought to just wear athletic shorts and tees. Hell, I could have just worn my high school PE suit .

I went to a all girl Catholic high school during the early 70s. Our gym uniform was a maroon tunic that came to the knees, along with maroon bloomers. We had to embroider our names on them ourselves. A trick some of the mean girls would pull is to pull the fire alarm so girls were out in their gym uniforms in public streets.

During the late 70s I had to wear Danskin leotard & tights to Jack LaLane gym classes. In some ways it was an early body shaming for those of us with a few too many pounds.

[anna0852]

The nuns are religious people first and foremost and midwifery is just the way they have chosen to help people. It's not like they are midwives who add some religious stuff as a hobby. It's nice of Sister Julianne to listen to Trixie and allow her to do both her AA meetings and her fitness class, but it's not a case of her having to let Trixie do anything.  Sister Julienne is the boss and Nonnatus House is an Anglican run business, if the lay midwives don't like the religious activities then it's up to them to leave and find work in a public or government run place.

Actually both the nun and lay midwives work for the National Health Service. It's why we've seen them being sent to hospitals as an extra set of hands from time to time, as well as covering in the prison a couple of seasons ago. 

 

As far as the Keep Fit and AA go, I had the impress that Trixie is doing both in her off time. Sister Julianne is well within her rights to ensure that all shifts are covered (lay midwives don't all have the same night off) but I don't think much of her being able to dictate what they do in their off hours, short of asking that certain activities not take place under the Nonatus roof (drinking, unwell guests, excessive noise...). 

[Kiss my mutt]

It was great to see uterine prolapse being addressed on the show. It's still not widely talked about but fewer women suffer in silence anymore. I'm sure it was a relief for the woman to find out what it was and she didn't have to live like that. It was poignant when she said she never had the words to describe it or talk about it before, Some of the remedies she tried made me sad. Yikes.

I usually chose not to get offended by social mores in shows that were common at the time. Of course, if it happened today I'd be but it does lend authenticity to the era and what it was really like at that time and place.

I miss Chummy too. I have to remind myself she isn't really a midwife because she's so convincing. I'd want her during childbirth. I also don't miss Jenny. She just seemed so one dimensional to me. I love Sister Julianne and how she's able to see another person's side. She just makes me feel calm. She is a gorgeous woman.

The thalidomide birth was heart breaking, I knew it was coming but I'm still feeling the effects today from that episode.

[JudyObscure]

. I adore each and every midwife and nun on this show and I do sort of miss Jenny. 

 

I do too and I guess it's my love for the nuns that makes it hard for me to see them as being over bearing about their religious activities. The young women have been free to go to nightclubs, dance, drink and date as much as they like, so it seemed odd to me to have Trixie sort of complaining about the time the nuns spent in religious activities.  You just don't go live in a convent and then complain that there's too much praying going on and expect equal "time off." Those aren't really optional activities for the nuns.  The National Health no doubt paid for medical costs but I'm sure the church paid for a lot of the nun's expenses.

[dustylil]

You just don't go live in a convent and then complain that there's too much praying going on and expect equal "time off." Those aren't really optional activities for the nuns.  The National Health no doubt paid for medical costs but I'm sure the church paid for a lot of the nun's expenses.

 

Given that the National Health paid for the services of both the religious and lay midwives,  I was wondering what Nonnatus House charged the secular staff - like Trixie and Nurse Crane - for room and board.

[MaryHedwig]

Given that the National Health paid for the services of both the religious and lay midwives,  I was wondering what Nonnatus House charged the secular staff - like Trixie and Nurse Crane - for room and board

I hope nothing. But, since we are wondering, who is feeding the choir nuns?

[dustylil]

I hope nothing

 

And there's me hoping the opposite.  Would a struggling organization like Nonnatus House committed to helping the poor be subsidizing lay professional workers? And if so, why?

[Brattinella]

I am so happy this wonderful show is back!  I love all the midwives too, and the nuns.  Sister Julianne has always been a favorite of mine, I saw her first in the early 70's in Emmanuelle!  The thalidomide story is so sad, I cried all the way through this episode.

 

My mother took a different drug called DES when she was pregnant with me.  She had 13 miscarriages before my birth, and this drug allowed her to carry me (and my three younger siblings) to full term.  A child born of a mother who took DES has a higher chance of being sterile.  Not nearly as horrible as thalidomide!

[dalek]

I worked Pharmacy for awhile, we had that drug on the shelf. We had an elderly male patient who was taking it, I can't remember for what condition, the Pharmacist had to do a lot of paperwork and something on the computer with the state just to dispense the drug. So guidelines must be very, very, strict which is a good thing.

 

 

My lay person medical knowledge is around 10 years out of date, but thalidomide is apparently quite useful in treating leprosy.

 

On the cancer treatment end of things, they were doing a series of phase 1 trials using it in treatment of liver cancer, but my recollections is that those trials were all terminated in phase 1.

[proserpina65]

Thalidomide is used in some cancers as well as some autoimmune problems. It may be used in some other conditions but I am not sure which.

 

It's used to treat the skin lesions associated with leprosy, although that's less common in the developed world.  Since its main issues had to do with fetal development, thalidomide can generally be safely used by patients except for pregnant women, and men who have unprotected sex with women - apparently it passes into the semen and can therefore affect any pregnancies resulting from such sexual activity.  Who knew?

[Clanstarling]

I am so happy this wonderful show is back!  I love all the midwives too, and the nuns.  Sister Julianne has always been a favorite of mine, I saw her first in the early 70's in Emmanuelle!  The thalidomide story is so sad, I cried all the way through this episode.

 

My mother took a different drug called DES when she was pregnant with me.  She had 13 miscarriages before my birth, and this drug allowed her to carry me (and my three younger siblings) to full term.  A child born of a mother who took DES has a higher chance of being sterile.  Not nearly as horrible as thalidomide!

I love Jenny Agutter from back in the day as well, but Sylvia Kristel played Emmanuelle. I checked it out on IMDB because I didn't remember her in the movie, but thought Jenny might have played a different character, She doesn't appear to be listed in IMDB for that movie, or any of the 1970's sequels (man there were a lot of them). That would be quite the change - from memorable soft porn to playing a nun. Her own IMDB credit list doesn't show it either. I have too much time on my hands... Edited April 6, 2016 by clanstarling

[JudyObscure]

Well Jenny Agutter did do a famous, full-frontal nude scene in Walkabout so that may be where some of the soft-porn confusion comes in.  Many old guys of my generation have very fond memories of that "bathing in the river" scene.

[AZChristian]

She also was topless during a scene in American Werewolf in London, which is why I cracked up at her shock at leotards on Call the Midwife.

[attica]

Equus, (the film) as well, if I recall correctly.

[Brattinella]

Thanks for the correction.

[stopeslite]

Great news - there's been an announcement that Chummy will be back and prominent in season 6! 

 

That said, be careful out there on the internet - I keep forgetting that this entire season has already aired in the UK (season 5), so I got a massive spoiler on accident when I didn't realize that season 5 is the one we've only just started with this episode, and thought I was finding old recaps to brush up on where we were starting out. (D'oh!)

[Clanstarling]

Thanks for the correction.

I had no idea Jenny did as many nude shots (even though I saw a few of them - guess I forgot), but Emmanuelle was kind of my first...um...racy movie, so that got kind of burned into my memory.

[Gulftastic]

Jenny is, I'm sure, the entire reason Ross Gellar considers 'Logan's Run' to be 'the sexiest movie ever.'

[JudyObscure]

As long as were talking sexy stuff I might as well admit I used to do the Royal Canadian Air Force exercises in my combinations.  The leotards didn't come till later.

[LittleIggy]

I don't miss Chummy. ::ducks::

[Badger]

Regarding cuts, actually the version of "Downton Abbey" we see on PBS has added scenes starting with Season 3.  I know they cut scenes in Season 1, not sure about Season 2.  They also added scenes for "Indian Summers."

 A lot of that has to do with the fact that both those shows air on stations where they have commercials, whereas the BBC does not.

 

There's a Youtube channel called "Thalidomide UK" where they show documentaries about thalidomide and the people it affected.

 

Yay for Chummy being back.  Truthfully, the show did fine without her, but it will still be great to see her again.

[Driad]

There was a documentary on thalidomide several years ago, which I cannot find on the PBS site.  One of the interviews was with a man who had no arms but normal legs and feet, so he used his feet to eat, write, etc.  He said people often said "I couldn't do that" but he told them "You could if you had always had to."

[Beldasnoop]

I'm not sure what to think about Chummy coming back, to be honest. I do like her, but unlike a lot of viewers apparently, I don't think she's the best character on the show. She was great in seasons 1 and 2, but by season 3 her clumsiness and her "tickety-boo, old thing" routine had started to get old and, in my estimation, overdone. It didn't seem genuine anymore, at least to my eyes. In season 4 when she showed back up at the end, she seemed out of place and like she was in a different show than everyone else. For me, other characters are much more interesting than Chummy and in her absence, the rest of the cast members got their chance to shine. I don't want the rest of this wonderful cast to be overshadowed by Chummy.

 

Still, I do like Chummy and I am curious to see how she interacts with some of the newer characters (especially Nurse Crane) as well as how she's able to fit back in with the rest of the ensemble. If the show treats her as just another member of this great ensemble, then I'm fine with her being back. I just don't want it to be like she's suddenly parachuted back in as the newly anointed "star of the show". 

Edited April 7, 2016 by Beldasnoop

[JudyObscure]

I agree with Beldasnoop. As hilarious and fun as Chummy always is, her moments sometimes seemed a little like "guest star," visits to me and changed the tone of the show slightly from drama to sit-com.

[MissLucas]

Yes, although I love Miranda Hart and Chummy, at times the writing for the character went a bit over-board at the expense of other characters and plot-lines. I did not miss her that much this season, however mild

having seen the rest of the season I can understand why they want to bring her back. Nonnatus House is in more than one sense in need of her character.

Edited April 7, 2016 by MissLucas

[Portia]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who can live without Chummy. But what I'd really like to do away with is thaat drippy narration. I'd really hoped they'd ditch that conceit when Jenny left.

I find Patsy ever so interesting. And YOWZA, how stunning was she in that dress at the restaurant?

I know it was probably meant to be a beginner's class, but I was amused by how completely useless those Keep Fit routines seemed to be, at least by modern standards.

I loved this episode and wanted to hug Rhoda every second she was onscreen.

[txhorns79]

I find Patsy ever so interesting. And YOWZA, how stunning was she in that dress at the restaurant?

 

She looked great in that dress.  I do think it's a huge mistake for her to have her girlfriend in Nonnatus House.  Maybe they both intend to be discrete, but I can imagine things would explode there if the two ladies are caught. 

[Black Knight]

I find Patsy ever so interesting. And YOWZA, how stunning was she in that dress at the restaurant?

Seriously. When Patsy looked at Delia expecting her to push back with her mother and Delia just caved, I was all, "Delia, LOOK at your gorgeous girlfriend who got all dressed up for you. She's already waited six months and I wouldn't count on her waiting forever because other women will be all over her..." As it is, I don't really know what Patsy sees in Delia. She's sweet, but her personality's rather bland, especially in comparison to Patsy's. I can see Patsy preferring someone lower-key than her - I don't think she would want someone as high-octane as, say, Trixie - but there's low-key and there's flatline, and Delia's closer to the latter than the former. (Maybe she showed more personality in the Christmas special, which I haven't seen because apparently PBS saw fit not to air it here? It never showed up on my Tivo.)

 

I'm not sure this show would ever go so far as to have the nuns finding out, because it's a no-win situation for the writers: Either the nuns react realistically and Patsy gets tossed out on her butt (and off the show) and viewers hate the nuns and mourn the loss of Patsy, or the nuns react unrealistically and viewers go, "Oh, come on!" The only nun I think they can avoid that problem with is Sister Monica Joan, because at this point in her life she has a lot of idiosyncratic ideas and is clearly not wedded to orthodox doctrine, so she can really have any reaction without it requiring a suspension of disbelief. But I do think the younger midwives are going to find out as a result of Delia moving in. And the show already seemed to be setting up a schism between the midwives (and Sister Monica Joan) and the nuns, in that the midwives do not feel they need to act exactly the way the nuns want. So I can see the younger midwives finding out and agreeing not to tell the nuns (after some drama of their own, of course. Barbara will be shocked and Trixie might even be angry.)

 

I definitely had the impression from the scene that nun had with the father that her own family had had some kind of similar experience. It's annoying to learn that PBS cut out the scene that confirmed it.

Edited April 9, 2016 by Black Knight

[JudyObscure]

I can see Patsy preferring someone lower-key than her - I don't think she would want someone as high-octane as, say, Trixie - but there's low-key and there's flatline, and Delia's closer to the latter than the former.

 

Agree with your whole post, Black Knight, particularly this description of Delia. It's so sad to think that, in 1961, someone like Patsy  might have thought she had found the only other woman in the world who was like her, so therefore she can't be choosey. No one should have to settle for someone who seems as half-hearted as Delia does.

[dargosmydaddy]

 

Maybe she showed more personality in the Christmas special, which I haven't seen because apparently PBS saw fit not to air it here?

 

PBS did show the Christmas special. There's a recap here: http://previously.tv/call-the-midwife/on-the-first-day-of-christmas-call-the-midwife-gave-to-me/

 

As for Patsy being bland, maybe I'm remembering wrong, but I thought she was a lot more lively pre-head injury. So her change is understandable, and I would imagine, as her recovery continues, she might be more interesting again.

[Black Knight]

I don't have a strong memory in my mind of what Delia was like pre-crash, which might be indicative. I do vaguely remember thinking she and Patsy were cute in the finale when they were planning to move in together, though. If she does show more personality in future episodes, then I'm more than willing to write off her current state as a temporary deviation due to her head injury. But right now I just feel bad for Patsy, since JudyObscure's description of "half-hearted" fits Delia well at the moment.

[dcalley]

I often have trouble understanding what the characters are saying, and closed captions do not help, so I probably miss a lot.

I don't know how the ones on the TV broadcast are, but I think the captions on the streaming video are good. http://www.pbs.org/call-the-midwife/home/

 

I thought the woman who played Rhoda was really beautiful.

 

I forgot this show has cuts, grr. I am tempted to find and watch the UK versions instead.

[Kohola3]

I don't know how the ones on the TV broadcast are,..

 

They are fine and very accurate/

[zxy556575]

I thought the woman who played Rhoda was really beautiful.

 

 

I was watching another show last night and the guest actress looked very familiar but I couldn't place where I knew her from. I looked it up and -- d'oh! It was Rhoda.

[dcalley]

I was watching another show last night and the guest actress looked very familiar but I couldn't place where I knew her from. I looked it up and -- d'oh! It was Rhoda.

Yes, I looked at her imdb page and must have seen her before in lots of things, I just didn't know it!

[StatisticalOutlier]

But if they eat eclairs before they go to the fitness class, stop for tea and bickies half way through and then eat chips  on the way home, I don't think they will get the benefit that they want.

 

They're likely to get the increased breast size, but whittling the waist?  Probably not.

 

 

 

Also filed under Times Change: that Rhoda thought her name was elegant and set her apart.

 

Very true.  I was born in 1957, and one of my Lisa friends (I had several growing up) has a daughter whose friend is named Lisa, and that Lisa complained about her "old lady name."  Ouch.

 

Also, and this is just awful, but in law school, I had a friend who lived in a student-type small apartment building that didn't have an official name.  She always called it Thalidomide Arms and it always made me laugh.  Still does.

[LeGrandElephant]

On April 4, 2016 at 2:49 PM, J-Man said:

 

From memory, these are the things in the recap that weren't in the US episode (please correct me if I'm wrong):

 

1. Family Planning Soufflé: Nurse Crane has some weird ideas about how having the choice to use diaphragms makes women think they're "entitled to pick and choose" other things in their lives. Um, yeah...how crazy of them.

 

2. Complicating Factors: She was hoping she could have a nun deliver the baby, "not one of you young 'uns," she tells Patsy. "I bet you've all got lovely bleedin' bums!"

 

3. Who called the meeting? Sisters Winifred and Mary Cynthia. What's it about? Fixing up a box of castoffs for Baby Susan. How'd it go? Sister Winifred wonders if there's not "something in the atmosphere" causing the recent rise of recent birth defects. Sweet little Sister MC reveals that she had a brother who was born with hydrocephaly. Her mother would advise that if people stared, she should stare back. But she never got to, because the staring jerks had already looked away to shake their heads in judgment. She resolves that Susan should have her own clothes, from her own family.

 

I ended up buying this season from iTunes because its not on Netflix yet and I was on a roll. I was going to ask if the iTunes version also had missing scenes, but I guess this answers that for me - I don't remember seeing any of the above scenes. Bummer. Especially #3 seems important! 

[LeGrandElephant]

I was expecting thalidomide to be a big part of this season, but I was surprised at how they handled it. I guess it shows my american TV expectations. I was expecting the first episode to end with a deformed baby and for everyone to act shocked and appalled. Instead, it happened much earlier in the episode, and they all treated it the same way they did the spina bifida case - as a rare, but normal, birth defect. So now, I am expecting another episode where they see another baby with the same problems, and now they really should be shocked and appalled - two of the same incredibly rare birth defect in the same time and place? 

Was Keep Fit a real class back then? It didn't seem like they were doing practically any actual exercise, but maybe they were only showing us the initial warm-up? 

I"m on the fence about Sister Julienne trying to shut down the Keep Fit thing. While she has no right to dictate what they do in their off hours, and them all being gone one evening shouldn't really be that big of an issue since they should have pre-scheduled shifts anyway, they did pose for photos in their work uniforms and then also in their "scandalous" outfits, published together. So that is publicly associating the Keep Fit thing with their job, and that brings it into the sphere of the job, not just free time. I don't think they necessarily realized the photos would be published together like that, so it makes more sense to just say not to do that again than to quit the class completely. When the photographer asked if he could follow them around I thought it was way too casual and that they should have checked with someone more superior and found out more about his plans. 

I wonder if Patsy and Delia can manage to be roommates, which would reduce the chance of anyone walking in on them. I do think its strange that these adult women are expected to share bedrooms apparently forever, especially once one of them is quite a bit older than the others. Did they share bedrooms at the original building when the show started? I don't remember. Did they show Delia being given her own room? If there's an empty room available for her to move into, why was Barbara sharing with Nurse Crane?

I remember an episode awhile ago when Patsy went to cry on Delia's shoulder and they showed her the next morning on the same bed but waking up fully clothed outside the covers. At the time I thought maybe they hadn't really taken that step yet, but in retrospect it looks like we are supposed to believe they were already together - so why was that scene so ridiculously chaste? If that's all they do, no one in Nonnotus house should have any problem with it. 

Edited June 15, 2016 by LeGrandElephant

[LeGrandElephant]

On April 5, 2016 at 8:45 PM, dustylil said:

Given that the National Health paid for the services of both the religious and lay midwives,  I was wondering what Nonnatus House charged the secular staff - like Trixie and Nurse Crane - for room and board.

I think nothing or very little - last season when Patsy was going to move in with Delia, she said something like "I don't have to live in Nonnotus House, it was offered to me as a sort of perk". So if it counts as a perk, it ought to be free or substantially cheaper than living elsewhere in the neighborhood. 

And I guess if its free and their other option is to pay rent nearby, that would explain the lack of complaining about being expected to share a bedroom. 

Edited June 15, 2016 by LeGrandElephant