S05.E07: Episode 7

[Tara Ariano]

Quote

The release of the contraceptive pill excites Dr. Turner, but Sister Julienne sees it as a moral dilemma; Patsy tries to help a transient woman avoid the maternity home; Nurse Crane helps in a post-natal emergency; and Sister Evangelina returns.

[Primetimer]

Metaphorically speaking, of course. When the birth control pill comes to Poplar, Dr. Turner is thrilled by the implications, while Sister Julienne must grapple with her moral qualms about it.

View the full article

[Blackie]

It seems by the article above that no scenes were cut this week.  Regardless the editing seemed really bad and the episode seemed pretty clunky going from talking about the pill to the wild storm to Sister Evangeline talking about her stroke.  Not my favorite episode.

[maraleia]

22 minutes ago, Blackie said:

It seems by the article above that no scenes were cut this week.  Regardless the editing seemed really bad and the episode seemed pretty clunky going from talking about the pill to the wild storm to Sister Evangeline talking about her stroke.  Not my favorite episode.

They cut four scenes- one of the women getting ready for their rounds in the prep room, a Sister Julienne and Mary Cynthia talk about MC's strength, the first part of the clinic scene with the various patients getting cared for and the sick mom, dad, baby and Patsy going down the stairs. Those scenes helped me understand the entire episode so why they cut them is beyond me. PBS needs to stop.

[elle]

This is the first time I remember seeing the car.  Have they shown it before?

[Driad]

Quote

This is the first time I remember seeing the car.  Have they shown it before?

The car belongs to Nurse Phyllis Crane and she brought it with her.

I have become especially fond of her.  It is nice to see a midwife older than the others.  I would start a thread for her if I could think of a clever title.

[Popples]

Whoa, Tom and Barbara. The vicar has very wandering hands. And come on, Tom, I don't dislike you, but trying to make Barbara lie about the spot on the wall isn't cool.

Of course everything goes to complete hell when the storm hits.

I felt really bad for Daisy's daughter, so much was put upon her when all she wanted to do was just be a kid and go to school. I also spotted that Daisy was illiterate as soon as she told her daughter to take the phone number from Patsy. I know someone who is and they pull the "left my reading glasses" thing a bit.

I loved Delia's dress she wore to the club, but I didn't like her hair.

I love Phyllis so, so much! I like all the midwives and when she arrived I thought it would be a bit entertaining to see her go head-to-head with Sister Evangelina, but I have totally come around on her and she might be challenging Chummy for my favorite. She's had quite the life and wasn't afraid to seize the moment. After doing rigorous research first, of course! :)

[izabella]

I felt bad for the barge kids.  They seem to like being in clean clothes and going to school.  And if they don't stick around, they won't get any of the benefits, like the juice Patsy mentioned. 

Welcome back, Sister E!

[Willowsmom]

 So much for PBS hiding Patsy and  Delia's relationship.

[LittleIggy]

I knew that the mom was illiterate too, but I don't understand why she flew off the handle when she saw the kids in cleaned up and in clean clothes. Did she think it reflected poorly on her? If so, why couldn't she suck it up for them? Funny they were called "water gypsies" because I thought of gypsies when I saw them.

Yeah, Tom was getting handsey wasn't he? ;-) Hated that song that was playing. 

[GaT]

It was an OK episode, but not as emotional riveting as usual except for, yay!, Sister Evangeline returning. I also feel like something is going to go bad for Patsy and  Delia & they're going to be found out. If Sister Julienne can't accept unmarried women having sex with men, I don't see her accepting women with women.

[dustylil]

1 hour ago, LittleIggy said:

but I don't understand why she flew off the handle when she saw the kids in cleaned up and in clean clothes. Did she think it reflected poorly on her? If so, why couldn't she suck it up for them?

To her thinking, it did reflect poorly on her - on how she was raising her children, her values, culture, and the way of life she and her family had lived for decades. If nothing else, we have seen the residents in and around Poplar value tradition very strongly.  Change was not necessarily a good thing. The mother  believed that by their - however kindly intended - actions, the women from Nonnatus House were trying to separate the children from the  family's long-standing lifestyle and perhaps from the family itself.

Edited May 16, 2016 by dustylil

[Margherita Erdman]

8 hours ago, maraleia said:

They cut four scenes- one of the women getting ready for their rounds in the prep room, a Sister Julienne and Mary Cynthia talk about MC's strength, the first part of the clinic scene with the various patients getting cared for and the sick mom, dad, baby and Patsy going down the stairs. Those scenes helped me understand the entire episode so why they cut them is beyond me. PBS needs to stop.

I did wonder if there was a missing clinic scene related to the "unwed mothers" that Shelagh mentioned to Sr. Julienne, and if that would have informed her making peace with the introduction of The Pill...

Have ordered the full DVD set, can't wait until they arrive!

5 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

Yeah, Tom was getting handsey wasn't he? ;-) Hated that song that was playing. 

That song was super skeevy — did Barbara know what she was putting on? And did all that extra Brylcreem turn Tom into a metaphorical greaseball as well as a literal one? Because he was acting no better than the dirty old men, bum-pinching at the pensioners' tea.

[zxy556575]

48 minutes ago, Margherita Erdman said:

That song was super skeevy — did Barbara know what she was putting on? And did all that extra Brylcreem turn Tom into a metaphorical greaseball as well as a literal one? Because he was acting no better than the dirty old men, bum-pinching at the pensioners' tea.

Trixie has all the latest music! It seemed like Barbara had at least heard the song before since she choose it, but I'm for sure not interested in watching her sexual awakening if that was the point.

Lyrics to Teach Me Tiger by April Stevens

Teach me tiger how to kiss you.. Wah wah wah wah wah
Show me tiger how to kiss you.. Wah wah wah wah wah
Take my lips, they belong to you
But teach me first, teach me what to do

Touch me tiger when Im close to you wah wah wah wah wah
Help me tiger I don't know what to do wah wah wah wah wah
I know that you could love me to
But show me first, show me what to do
This is the first love, that I have ever known
What must I do to make you my very own?

Teach me tiger how to tease you wah wah wah wah wah
Tiger, tiger I wanna squeeze you wah wah wah wah wah
All of my love I will give to you
But teach me tiger. Or I'll teach you

[sigmaforce86]

So Tom isn't quick on his feet or they just needed a silly plot point?  The Sisters came in just a few minutes later so why not just tell them he made the spot while leaning on the wall "talking" to Barbara.  Sure it's a lie but if you're going to lie anyway changing molesting to talking to is certainly less an offense than an unconvincing gee I don't know what that spot could be.

I think this was my least favorite episode of the season (with the exception of Sister Evangalina's return).  Maybe without the PBS cuts it's better but there was just too much; barge mom, pre-eclampsie mom with bonus indifferent husband, full moon baby rush and storm damage.  I think I was supposed to feel tension at how would they manage all those crises and instead I just felt confused and rushed while they fit all those stories in.  Still the worst episode of CTMW is still yards better than a majority of the shows that are on and at least we got a small break in that there was no three tissue moment.

[Ohwell]

I had never heard that song before but I thought it was just awful.  Very disappointed in Tom, too.

I love Nurse Crane!

[BusyOctober]

That song was cringe-worthy...not only the lyrics and the music, but the wah wah wah parts were horrifyingly bad!  I know it's the 60's & the times are a-changin' in Poplar, but it was very jarring to see a curate and the daughter of a vicar dry humping in the living room of a convent to the orgasmic panting in that song!

As soon as I heard the diagnosis of post delivery preeclampsia I thought of poor Sybil in Downton Abbey.  Thankfully Nurse Crane was on the job and not that idiot Earl Grantham hired!

I felt bad for those kids living the barge life.  If anyone needs a prescription for the pill, it's that lady.  Stop having babies when you live in a floating closet!  

Edited May 16, 2016 by BusyOctober

[PRgal]

7 hours ago, dustylil said:

To her thinking, it did reflect poorly on her - on how she was raising her children, her values, culture, and the way of life she and her family had lived for decades. If nothing else, we have seen the residents in and around Poplar value tradition very strongly.  Change was not necessarily a good thing. The mother  believed that by their - however kindly intended - actions, the women from Nonnatus House were trying to separate the children from the  family's long-standing lifestyle and perhaps from the family itself.

That's what I was thinking too.  She's not different from (ignorant) immigrant parents who get upset at their kids becoming too much like young people of their new country. 

[JudyObscure]

Poor naïve Dr. Turner thinking what many of us thought when the pill first came out.  The end of unwanted pregnancies!   No one will every need to have an abortion!  No more un-wed mothers!  So the unmarried birth rate was 10% in that part of London.  In America it was about 5% over all.  Now we have the pill, plus injections that only need to be given every few years and what do we have?  An unmarried birth rate pushing 50%.  Thousands of abortions every year. I wouldn't side with the sisters, but it is disappointing that women have had the means to plan their families for over 50 years and don't seem to want to use it.  One thing I completely agree with is the point made about the pill allowing women to take over birth control and side step the men and their "wading in socks," excuses.

[Sammich]

11 hours ago, maraleia said:

They cut four scenes- one of the women getting ready for their rounds in the prep room, a Sister Julienne and Mary Cynthia talk about MC's strength, the first part of the clinic scene with the various patients getting cared for and the sick mom, dad, baby and Patsy going down the stairs. Those scenes helped me understand the entire episode so why they cut them is beyond me. PBS needs to stop.

My PBS station did show all of the four scenes.  Before this season, my PBS station consistently showed the cut scenes.  This season I have noticed some of the pivotal scenes cut, but not this week.  

I agree that this wasn't one of the better episodes.  It seemed a bit disjointed, even with all of the scenes shown.  I'm not a fan of the Tom and Barbara relationship.  I'd also like to see more from Sister Winnifred.  

[attica]

Quote

An unmarried birth rate pushing 50%.

That figure has way more to do with the declining marriage rate than it does with poor contraception. Unintended pregnancy rates are falling everywhere except where abortion and contraception are hard to come by. History tells us what happened in Poplar when BCP became available: the birthrate plummeted, and midwife programs like at Nonnatus were dismantled.

"Locks is women's work; always has been." Yep, the tedious chores always gets dumped on women, while the menfolk get to pilot the boat and feel important. Sigh.

[zoey1996]

14 hours ago, maraleia said:

They cut four scenes- one of the women getting ready for their rounds in the prep room, a Sister Julienne and Mary Cynthia talk about MC's strength, the first part of the clinic scene with the various patients getting cared for and the sick mom, dad, baby and Patsy going down the stairs. Those scenes helped me understand the entire episode so why they cut them is beyond me. PBS needs to stop.

 

2 hours ago, Sammich said:

My PBS station did show all of the four scenes.  Before this season, my PBS station consistently showed the cut scenes.  This season I have noticed some of the pivotal scenes cut, but not this week.  

My PBS station also showed all the scenes, and like yours, Sammich, in prior seasons had not cut scenes.  WHRO is the station.

I really liked this episode.  I knew a little about pre-eclampsia, but didn't know it could manifest after delivery.  (Since Sybil died in childbirth on Downton Abbey, I thought it was because she had the condition prior to delivery.)

I liked this episode as much as any of the others.  Specifically, Patsy and Delia, Tom and Barbara, Trixie at the AA meeting (though I do like maraschino cherries), the husband coming round when he realized he could lose his wife and baby, and the bravery of all those who went out in the storm to help others.  And bonus - Sister Evangelina is back!

It took me a moment to remember which one was Sr. Winifred.  I admit to liking and missing Jenny, and Chummy, but the ensemble cast is so good together, and either of them being back will change the dynamics.

Edited May 16, 2016 by zoey1996
spelling

[Jeffurry]

I finally read the His Dark Materials trilogy this year and aside from that and this episode I've never seen or heard of this barge life. Fascinating.

[Blackie]

2 hours ago, BusyOctober said:

As soon as I heard the diagnosis of post delivery preeclampsia I thought of poor Sybil in Downton Abbey.  Thankfully Nurse Crane was on the job and not that idiot Earl Grantham hired!

(wow love the new quote this option)   So true!

About 30 years ago I did some travelling in the UK and stayed a few nights on a canal boat.  It was SMALL!!  Don\t know how they even had a chance to make more babies.

Someone close to me went to AA for awhile and I went to a few open meetings, and it wasn't at all like how they portray it on TV.

[LittleIggy]

On "Last Tango in Halifax" the character Paul Copley played bought one of those barges for his retirement life then did some drunk boating and crashed it (off camera). I remember an "Inspector Lewis" episode involving those barges, too.

[willowk]

Sister Julianne doesn't seem to understand what AA is, or why Trixie needs to go. They had another of those moments were SJ "forgets" that Trixie has her meeting the night of the pill discussion. Perhaps Sister Julianne thinks alcoholism is a moral lapse and not a disease, that would have been a common way to view it back then. I wonder if they are building up to a blow out between those two. And I was scared when Trixie talked about how boring life is without alcohol that we may see a relapse in her future. Well done scene though.

So good to see Sister Evangeline. She was kicking butt and taking names right way, poor Fred.

I can't remember the exact line, but loved when Sister Monica Joan let Barbara know that she knew where the masculine smelling oil stain came from.

I think the pill has had its greatest effect in helping married women limit their families. There are way fewer 5,6, 7 or more kids in families these days. My dad's mom wanted to stop after 6 kids, but back then all they had was the rhythm method, and likely those sheaths that men refused to wear. She had 3 more kids after consulting a doctor about family planning.  We know now that the pill isn't as Dr. Turner said "100 % effective" and of course it doesn't prevent disease.

I liked the barge family story and the storm, nice to see everyone out doing something to help during the gale.

[Willowsmom]

3 hours ago, JudyObscure said:

Poor naïve Dr. Turner thinking what many of us thought when the pill first came out.  The end of unwanted pregnancies!   No one will every need to have an abortion!  No more un-wed mothers!  So the unmarried birth rate was 10% in that part of London.  In America it was about 5% over all.  Now we have the pill, plus there that only need to be given every few years and what do we have?  An unmarried birth rate pushing 50%.  Thousands of abortions every year. I wouldn't side with the sisters, but it is disappointing that women have had the means to plan their families for over 50 years and don't seem to want to use it.  One thing I completely agree with is the point made about the pill allowing women to take over birth control and side step the men and their "wading in socks," excuses.

The reason rates have grown is there is no longer a stigma attached.

[willowk]

Quote

Trixie has all the latest music! It seemed like Barbara had at least heard the song before since she choose it, but I'm for sure not interested in watching her sexual awakening if that was the point.

Lyrics to Teach Me Tiger by April Stevens

Teach me tiger how to kiss you.. Wah wah wah wah wah
Show me tiger how to kiss you.. Wah wah wah wah wah
Take my lips, they belong to you
But teach me first, teach me what to do

Thanks for posting the lyrics, they're worse than it sounded last night! Barbara said Trixie had all the latest music, but according to the internet the song came out in 1959, so it was not that new. I agree that Barbara must have heard it before and put it on to put them "in the mood".

Edited May 16, 2016 by willowk

[elle]

14 hours ago, Driad said:

The car belongs to Nurse Phyllis Crane and she brought it with her.

I have become especially fond of her.  It is nice to see a midwife older than the others.  I would start a thread for her if I could think of a clever title.

Thanks for filling me in.  Nice title thread too! :0)

[dustylil]

48 minutes ago, willowk said:

but according to the internet the song came out in 1959, so it was not that new

Yes, it came out in the US in 1959. But it was not unusual in those days to have different release dates for different countries. So it may well have been new to Barbara. Still, I thought it was kind of an odd choice of music for those two. It was controversial for its racy nature when it was first released and many  radio stations in North America refused to play it. Now, I am not suggesting they should have been making out to Perry Como's Hot Diggity, Zog Diggity - but another number would have been more suitable for this couple - and less jarring for viewers :)

[JudyObscure]

1 hour ago, Willowsmom said:

The reason rates have grown is there is no longer a stigma attached.

Stigma or no stigma, there are still lots of women getting pregnant before they really want to be and before they are prepared to care for the child.  I know that some women deliberately plan to have a child and raise it  on their own but I doubt if they account for that entire 50% increase.

[Ohwell]

I still can't get over Tom and Barbara dancing to that awful song.  I am by no means a prude, but I can't for the life of me understand how Barbara thought that song was "romantic."  I'm not excusing Tom for trying to grab her ass, but I can understand how he might get revved up listening to all that moaning in the song.  I really wish he had come clean to the nuns and nurses about the spot on the wall though.  Perhaps he will sometime soon.

[GaT]

12 minutes ago, Ohwell said:

I still can't get over Tom and Barbara dancing to that awful song.  I am by no means a prude, but I can't for the life of me understand how Barbara thought that song was "romantic."  

Wasn't that song awful? Every time the singer did that growl noise I LMAO it sounded so stupid. I wonder if that was a real hit back then.

[dustylil]

43 minutes ago, GaT said:

Wasn't that song awful? Every time the singer did that growl noise I LMAO it sounded so stupid. I wonder if that was a real hit back then

It wasn't a huge hit but it did reach Number 86 on one of the Billboard charts in 1959. The song was also covered by that demure chanteuse Marilyn Monroe.

The singer of the version we heard - April Stevens - is probably far better known for the early sixties song Deep Purple with her brother Nino Tempo.

[AuntiePam]

1 hour ago, GaT said:

Wasn't that song awful? Every time the singer did that growl noise I LMAO it sounded so stupid. I wonder if that was a real hit back then.

I was 14 in 1959 and this is the first time I've heard that song.  My guess is that radio stations in Iowa refused to play it.  Bible Belt.  I'm familiar with Nino Tempo and April Stevens' other hits -- still listen to them, actually.

Was anyone else worried about the TV antenna in the street?  I thought one of the nurses was going to fall off a bike and be impaled on it.

[elle]

49 minutes ago, AuntiePam said:

Was anyone else worried about the TV antenna in the street?  I thought one of the nurses was going to fall off a bike and be impaled on it.

Not at the time, I thought more of flying objects in the air hitting one of them or a woman on her way to the clinic.

I do wish they had shown the walk down the flight of stairs in the dark for Nurse Crane and the family.  I imagine it would be especially hard with not wanting to make the mother's blood pressure go any higher.  Nurse Crane said something about "when they left for London" - does that mean the ambulance took them directly to London, how far would that be?

Loved Sister Monica Joan's explanation for the mysterious spot on the wall.  Half expected a "Ghostbusters" reference in the recap. :0)

[dustylil]

3 hours ago, AuntiePam said:

I was 14 in 1959 and this is the first time I've heard that song

Me, as well in not knowing the song. As the result of a misspent childhood, I am reasonably familiar with pop music from the mid-fifties to the late sixties (I even saw Elvis perform when I was six!) - but not this number. I'm guessing  that at the time the main rock n roll station in my large Canadian city didn't play it either.

So many of the popular songs played in this series have added so much for both characters as well as individual scenes. This one was  an incongruous choice.

Edited May 17, 2016 by dustylil

[Jodithgrace]

I had thought that the nuns, despite being midwives, would have been 100% against the pill. But then I realized something which I hadn't thought of in all the the time I've been watching this show..these nuns aren't Catholic. The Catholic church was 100% against all forms of contraception, and I'm not sure they've come around even today. But of course these nuns are Anglican.

I was confirmed Episcopalian, which is, more or less, the American version of Anglican. And I remember being shocked to discover that there were Episcopal nuns. Though it always seemed odd to have celibate nuns when the clergy are allowed to marry. I've been a Lutheran for more than 40 years now, but in my mind I still think nuns=Catholic.  I do know that the Episcopal church has been in the forefront on things like ordaining woman priests and having LGBT clergy as well, and were probably ahead of the time where contraception is concerned. 

Concern that the pill would encourage premarital sex, by making it too easy, is something that I can see the nuns worrying about. Of course, when the pill first came out in the US, girls had to lie to their doctors about menstrual pain in order to get it prescribed. Eventually it became available at places like Planned Parenthood, and it truly was an easy and affective alternative, except for the side effects.  

But if one accepts the reality that young girls are going to have sex whether or not contraception is easy and/or available, it seems much wiser (to me) to have it be both. I can see that being a hard pill, so to speak, for sister Julia to swallow. 

[Kohola3]

Quote

As the result of a misspent childhood, I am reasonably familiar with pop music from the mid-fifties to the late sixties - but not this one.

Ditto. I swear I never heard it and I am sure I would have remembered something that bad.

[Ohwell]

I vaguely remember listening to April Stevens and Nino Tempo singing Deep Purple, and my mom played all kinds of music back then--from country to blues--but I never heard the song either.  It certainly wasn't played on the radio in the DC area and I don't think it was because of the lyrics, I just think it was because the song was so gawdawful. 

[MissLucas]

There have always been lessons about how to use protective sheaths at the clinic (sometimes with one of the nuns present IIRC). Catholic nuns would not have been (officially) okay with those lessons although they could not have stopped them since the clinic was part of the NHS. The Anglican Church allowed birth control 'under limited circumstandes' since 1930.

I'm starting to feel embarrassed that I was familiar with the song and laughed when it started playing!

[Ohwell]

16 minutes ago, MissLucas said:

I'm starting to feel embarrassed that I was familiar with the song and laughed when it started playing!

Go ahead.  Hang your head in shame. :)

[dustylil]

1 hour ago, MissLucas said:

I'm starting to feel embarrassed that I was familiar with the song and laughed when it started playing!

Well, as long as you weren't making out with a heavily Brilliantined fellow while you were listening to it, I wouldn't worry.

[Kohola3]

Apparently Tom never heard the "Brylcreem, a little dab'l do ya" commercial.

[Willowsmom]

2 hours ago, elle said:

 Nurse Crane said something about "when they left for London" - does that mean the ambulance took them directly to London, how far would that be?

She meant The London Hospital that they're always talking about. Poplar is part of London.

[AuntiePam]

2 minutes ago, Kohola3 said:

Apparently Tom never heard the "Brylcreem, a little dab'l do ya" commercial.

Which made no sense.  One line was "They'll love to run their fingers through your hair."  Um.  No. 

That scene was weird anyway.  It's usually the woman with her back against the wall.

[Pyralis]

Elle, what Nurse Crane was referring to was "the London" - the nearest major hospital to the Poplar Area / East End.  It had been around in one form or another since the 1740's. 

[J-Man]

Maybe the reason they use some of the more obscure song from the era is that the rights to include them might be cheaper than more well-known recordings of that period.

[dustylil]

47 minutes ago, J-Man said:

Maybe the reason they use some of the more obscure song from the era is that the rights to include them might be cheaper than more well-known recordings of that period

With respect, I don't think people were expressing concern over the fact that the song was relatively unknown both now and back then. But rather to its overall raunchiness - and especially for this particular couple, Tom and Barbara. Personally, I figured Johnny Mathis would be about their speed :)

[J-Man]

  1 hour ago, J-Man said:

Maybe the reason they use some of the more obscure song from the era is that the rights to include them might be cheaper than more well-known recordings of that period

With respect, I don't think people were expressing concern over the fact that the song was relatively unknown both now and back then. But rather to its overall raunchiness - and especially for this particular couple, Tom and Barbara. Personally, I figured Johnny Mathis would be about their speed :)

Several people have commented that they were unfamiliar with the song (as was I, born in 1952). I was responding to those comments.