S05.E08: Episode 8

[Tara Ariano]

Quote

In the Season 5 finale, Dr. Turner discovers the reason for the recent rise in birth deformities; Nonnatus House copes with a tragic loss; and joy is found at a wedding reception.

[dory]

I Can't believe it's the season finale already !

[Ohwell]

Forget the shoes.  The least Sister Monica Joan could have done was lay a piece of cake on the coffin.

[mustbekarma]

Just now, Ohwell said:

Forget the shoes.  The least Sister Monica Joan could have done was lay a piece of cake on the coffin.

I don't think my allergies could have survived that.

[Primetimer]

And in the midst of their grieving, the Nonnatans must also deal, at last, with the truth about Thalidomide.

View the full article

[Kohola3]

Oh. My. God.  I totally didn't see that coming!  I have been reduced to a blubbering ball of snot; I have to regroup and find more tissue.

[anna0852]

Delia's mother absolutely knows what's up. 

[Rhetorica]

I never, ever cry over fiction but there was just too much in this episode, both joyful and sorrowful. And sometimes joy and sorrow overlapped. 

[maraleia]

They cut a number of scenes but none concerning Patsy and Delia's story/relationship.

I cried throughout most of this episode for so many reasons.

[Jesse]

I cried and cried, took a break, read the recap and cried and cried again! Oh, show.

[Spunkygal]

Still no Chummy? Is her character being completely written out of the show? It's just so odd to see Sgt. Noakes and no Chummy. I thought she'd be back for a brief appearance at the funeral.

What a powerful episode. I am so drained that I don't know if I can calm my mind tonight. I loved how the pregnant girl wore Sister Evangelina's dress and after the delivery Sister Mary Cynthia said it was the best day the dress ever had. 

Yes, Delia's mother knows what's up but at least she didn't make a scene. Dr. Turner and midwives, please stop with the smoking!!! 

The acting in this episode was superb...award winning. How satisfying for me, the viewer, to see Sister Evangelina help Barbara and bathe the sweet baby. I will miss Sister Evangelina, so full of piss and vinegar, so human, so wise and not too proud to ignore her frailties. 

I know I'll think of more later but this is still sinking in. I will have to rewatch again tomorrow.

[txhorns79]

The way the episode was going in terms of sadness, I half expected it to end with everyone at Nonatus House committing suicide just to escape the unbearable weight of it all. 

I enjoyed Sister Evangelina, and am sorry to see her go.  She was a nice contrast to the other nuns, and the acting was always excellent. 

[dalek]

Didn't see that coming.  Was surprised they brought back Sister Evangelina just to kill her off.  Although the emotional payoff was definitely there.

And I agree that Delia's mom definitely knows.

[AZChristian]

I've been reading spoilers and am already sobbing.  This whole season has had me in tears.

[AuntiePam]

I suppose some of the edited scenes had to do with the fleas (?) in the Indian family's rooms.  If they're going to cut, why not cut that whole story line? 

Is Distavil (sp?) another name for thalidomide?  I was confused about whether they were talking about two different drugs.  And it looked to me like they were trying to do more than just figure out who the drug was prescribed for.  They were talking about timing and dosage -- stuff for the scientists to figure out.  So just edit out the Indian family's story and give us everything about the drugs, and maybe I won't be so damn confused.

I felt so bad for Susan's mother, blaming herself for what happened.  She was doing so well before that.

Sad to see Ruby (?) wanting to take just one more pill.   What was she putting in her tea? 

[morgan]

I didn't see Sr. Evangelina's death coming at all.  Still, I think I must have been all cried out from Outlander because nothing seemed to get to me tonight until the undertaker told his story of her.  Very touching to see the community come together.

[PRgal]

7 minutes ago, AuntiePam said:

I suppose some of the edited scenes had to do with the fleas (?) in the Indian family's rooms.  If they're going to cut, why not cut that whole story line? 

Is Distavil (sp?) another name for thalidomide?  I was confused about whether they were talking about two different drugs.  And it looked to me like they were trying to do more than just figure out who the drug was prescribed for.  They were talking about timing and dosage -- stuff for the scientists to figure out.  So just edit out the Indian family's story and give us everything about the drugs, and maybe I won't be so damn confused.

I felt so bad for Susan's mother, blaming herself for what happened.  She was doing so well before that.

Sad to see Ruby (?) wanting to take just one more pill.   What was she putting in her tea? 

I Googled it and Distaval was a brand name.

[ptuscadero]

Boy, talk about giant anvils. It was obvious within the first five minutes of seeing Sister E all nicey-nice that they were working up to a weepy death before the hour was over. 

That said, I'll really miss the old girl. 

And where the heck is Chummy?

[elle]

36 minutes ago, Rhetorica said:

And sometimes joy and sorrow overlapped.

I was hanging in there until Sister Julianne's happy sobs at the suggestion for Sister E's wedding dress be used.  And just when I thought it I was okay again, dang Dean Martin song!

Susan is the cutest baby, so sweet looking up at her mother.

[AnnaBaptist]

I am not a sentimental person at all. I went through the deaths of both my parents without a tear. When Sister Evangelina closed her eyes for a nap, I groaned because I knew it was curtains. Then came the waterworks.

My favorite character is gone ! I can't believe how hard I am taking this. Once Fred took off his hat, I cried at every damned thing. Just when I thought it was clear sailing , that exquisitely beautiful baby who was affected by the thalidomide came on my screen, and a freshet of tears came again. I don't think I have ever cried so much through a TV episode. What a marvelous series.

[BooksRule]

Quote

And it looked to me like they were trying to do more than just figure out who the drug was prescribed for.  They were talking about timing and dosage -- stuff for the scientists to figure out.

I need to be able to watch these with close-captioning, because I miss so much without it (I got spoiled on the DVDs, being able to turn on the CC when I wanted to).  However, I think that they were trying to figure out why some women who hadn't been prescribed the drug had disabled/stillborn children, when they hadn't been prescribed the drug by Dr. Turner (or any other doctor during the pregnancy).  If I understand it right, they realized when they read all the notes that Susan's mom had taken the drug that had been prescribed for her sister and that others might have had the drug from way before they got pregnant, and only took some of the leftover pills after they had gotten pregnant (from a prescription filled long before).  At least, that's what I got from the conversation.  I was worried that something was going to be wrong with the new bride's (Noel?) baby.

I kept waiting for poor Sr. Evangelina's death as soon as the episode started, because I accidentally saw a photo of her lying there ready for the public viewing when I clicked on a link to look for show quotes and knew it was coming.

[Portia]

27 minutes ago, BooksRule said:

I need to be able to watch these with close-captioning, because I miss so much without it (I got spoiled on the DVDs, being able to turn on the CC when I wanted to).  

Are you sure your TV doesn't  have a CC setting? It's  been a standard feature of most/all TVs for quite a while, I think. You might try noodling around with your settings if you haven't  already tried that. I leave CC on nearly all the time because I hate missing dialogue! 

I didn't see Sister E's death coming at all, and I blubbered  like  a baby. I thought that storyline was handled very  nicely.

I absolutely adore the actress who plays Rhoda (Susan's mother). Love  her face; love her acting.

[AZChristian]

I'm a CC person as well.  Our Cox remote has one button to push for it.  Before that, we'd have had to go into the TV settings, and it would have been on for everything.  I have trouble following dialogue on the British shows without the CC on.

Booksrule, if you go to Google, you should be able to find how to turn CC on for whatever TV you have.

[attica]

The minute Sr E got the blanket put over her, my stomach did a flop. My gut was all ohhhh noooo. Like Al Lowe, I don't expect to breathe through my nose for days.

I quite appreciated Dr. T's freakout. We don't often get to see doctors do that: it's always "what's next?" (Excluding medisoaps, that is.)

[izabella]

I was really happy that they had that sweet young couple get married - so many tears otherwise!  Sister E's dress looked great on her, and I was so glad that her MIL welcomed her.  At first I thought she was rolling her eyes about the marriage, but loved that she put fresh flowers in the window for her and told her to call her "mum."

[Straycat80]

This was a powerful episode and the acting was superb. Lots of Kleenex as usual.

I liked that they gave Sister Evangeline such a great send off. Sister Monia Joan killed me! And the shoes! 

Im glad they talked more about the Thalidomide disaster. I wonder if they will continue that storyline next season. 

Delia's mother totally knows what's going on. 

I wish we didn't have to wait until next Spring for the next season! 

[LittleIggy]

Between this episode, the Selfridge finale, and worrying about a seriously ill cat, I was a blubbering mess tonight. I'm glad Sister Evangeline got to bathe and hold a newborn one last time. 

That baby (twins?) playing Susan was exquisite! 

[Lillybee]

I wish that they could have figured a way to have Chummy there for the funeral; she was missed.

[GaT]

Sister Evangeline's death caught me completely by surprise, I still can't believe they did that, whhhhhhhy?

All those poor mothers finding out that their babies are deformed because of a pill they took. The ones who took a pill from somebody else's prescription especially, I can't imagine how that would feel.

LOL at the bride giving birth while still in her wedding gown & veil at her own wedding reception.

[MaryHedwig]

Quote

I wish that they could have figured a way to have Chummy there for the funeral; she was missed.

Hey writers! Steal this line.

Constable Noakes: Chummy will meet us at the graveside.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

9 hours ago, BooksRule said:

Susan's mom had taken the drug that had been prescribed for her sister and that others might have had the drug from way before they got pregnant, and only took some of the leftover pills after they had gotten pregnant (from a prescription filled long before)

Yes, it was absolutely necessary that Dr. Turner not have personally prescribed the pills for Rhoda Mullucks (Susans' mom), Mrs. Cottingham (mother of the baby who died in the hospital), or the mother of the little boy born without thumbs whose family moved to another district.  Otherwise, given what we've seen of him, his guilt would have been so great that I doubt he could have come back from the breakdown he almost certainly would have suffered.  (He was already on the verge of one, and seemed to have resumed smoking.)  In reality, with all the women he had prescribed thalidomide too, it was very convenient that none of them seem to have had affected children.

[StatMom]

37 minutes ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

Yes, it was absolutely necessary that Dr. Turner not have personally prescribed the pills for Rhoda Mullucks (Susans' mom), Mrs. Cottingham (mother of the baby who died in the hospital), or the mother of the little boy born without thumbs whose family moved to another district.  Otherwise, given what we've seen of him, his guilt would have been so great that I doubt he could have come back from the breakdown he almost certainly would have suffered.  (He was already on the verge of one, and seemed to have resumed smoking.)  In reality, with all the women he had prescribed thalidomide too, it was very convenient that none of them seem to have had affected children.

Good point; I didn't even notice that pattern. Although in the show's timeline, many of those babies aren't born yet, if he was as quick to prescribe the stuff as has been shown. The sense of guilt in the doctor and the mothers is heartbreaking. Although it was their actions of prescribing and taking the meds that caused the result, none were acting recklessly as far as the contemporary information. But there's a sense of guilt nonetheless.

In real life, I wonder about how quickly the information got out and was put into effect. For example, were there pregnant women who had taken thalidomide earlier in the pregnancy, but before giving birth they heard about the possible effects on their own baby? Or did all that info not really trickle out to patients until well after the removal of the drug? In the show, I was nervous that the lady who had to take just one more pill might be pregnant. I was surprised Julienne let her take it.

Did some American stations not show the scenes of remaking Evangelina's dress? I could have sworn I didn't see that. Are they trying to get us to buy the DVDs? So annoying.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

5 minutes ago, StatMom said:

Did some American stations not show the scenes of remaking Evangelina's dress?

It wasn't shown on PBS.  I also didn't see the following scene from the recap: "Barbara visits Tom in the vestry and they're all schmoopy and cute and I still don't like Tom, okay, but I...can't help it. I'm happy for them." Finally, I'm not sure that we saw:  "[h]er Sisters prepare Sister Evangelina's body for its final journey. "

[Sammich]

I also don't remember seeing any scenes with the remaking of Sister Evangelina's wedding dress.  I would have loved to see it.  My PBS station is very good about showing the cut scenes, so I may have just missed this scene.  I saw the scene with Tom and Barbara, and the scene with the sisters preparing Sister Evangelina's body for its final journey.  

Edited May 23, 2016 by Sammich
Adding response from another post

[proserpina65]

I managed to make it through almost to the very end of the episode without tears, through sheer force of will.  But the end, with Sister Monica and the shoes, just killed me.  Between this show and Game of Thrones last night, I was a mess.

[lonestar]

Dr. Turner quit smoking a couple of episodes ago. They made a big deal of it with the son.  Last night, he was smoking away.  Were they insinuating he started again because of the thalidomide prescribing?

[Al Lowe]

If they did cut the (very small) moments of them remaking the dress, it's only a drag because there was a cute few seconds of Trixie working on the veil using Delia as a model. 

Thanks for reading the recaps this season! If I ever stop crying, I'll gear myself up for the Christmas special. 

[attica]

Quote

LOL at the bride giving birth while still in her wedding gown & veil at her own wedding reception.

I'm rolling my eyes at the gown, but okay. Not the veil though. Nobody could take that thing off between contractions? 

[JudyObscure]

18 minutes ago, lonestar said:

Dr. Turner quit smoking a couple of episodes ago. They made a big deal of it with the son.  Last night, he was smoking away.  Were they insinuating he started again because of the thalidomide prescribing?

Yes, I thought that was a very realistic touch.  Long ago my husband and I had both given up cigarettes for over a year.  Then our son had an accident on his tricycle and was in the hospital over night.  The next morning, I noticed my husband had a pack of cigarettes in his pocket and I had been smoking in the hospital lounge all night.

[Ohwell]

I, too, thought it was realistic for Dr. Turner to start smoking again.  Sad, but real.  I didn't get the impression that Shelagh had, so maybe she and the son (forget his name) can help him, maybe make sure there are biscuits around all the time.  

[pasdetrois]

Quote

LOL at the bride giving birth while still in her wedding gown & veil at her own wedding reception.

I'm rolling my eyes at the gown, but okay. Not the veil though. Nobody could take that thing off between contractions? 

This bugged me no end. All those sensible midwives, and not one thought to remove the big poufy vision-obscuring skirt and veil?

Timothy is as tall as his stepmother.

I'm really going to miss Sister E. Guess the actress got a better gig.

My PBS station now shows commercials (yogurt), comments from the actresses and comments from the producer. I think that's where the missing footage has gone.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

11 minutes ago, pasdetrois said:

My PBS station now shows commercials (yogurt), comments from the actresses and comments from the producer. I think that's where the missing footage has gone.

We has a short segment on thalidomide, with the show's producer.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

I was just reading the cut dialogue available here:  https://celtic-dragon.me/2016/04/16/call-the-midwife-series-5-missing-scenes/ and found this:

Sister Evangelina: I was at Lisbon buildings with Mrs. Gallagher and young Jeffrey.
Sister Mary Cynthia: Is he the baby with missing thumbs?
Sister Evangelina: And his mother’s no more nearer getting over it than she was six weeks ago.
Patsy: The trouble is, Mrs Gallagher’s quite the nervy type. She was demanding sleeping pills the moment she knew she was pregnant.
Trixie: I’d demand sleeping pills if I lived at Lisbon buildings.

This is the baby referenced in the present episode.  By cutting that bit from the first episode of the season, we lost that foreshadowing.

Also cut from later in the episode: Sister Winifred: I just…wonder if it’s not something in the atmosphere. The father of the baby with the missing thumbs is a chemical mixer at the patchworks.

[Black Knight]

For whatever reason, Entertainment Weekly decided to spoil in its upcoming-TV section that there would be a tearjerker death in the finale, so I knew that going in. But I had assumed it was going to be Sister Monica Joan succumbing to old age, and her early dialogue quoting that poem seemed to point to that. And then she and Sister Evangeline had the minor dust-up about the sweets, and I started figuring it was 50/50 odds between the two of them and was holding my breath during Fred's scene waiting for the camera to cut over to show who was dead. RIP Sister Evangeline. I cried, but not as much as I would have had it been Sister MJ.

I'm so glad the discovery that thalidomide was the culprit was made this season. I don't think I could have dealt with another season of wondering which babies would turn out to be deformed. I appreciated they brought Rhoda back as a bookend, as the actress is wonderful.

So it's not that Delia has no personality as I once feared, it's just that she completely retreats into herself around her mother. Patsy has to do all the talking and ask for everything while enduring the potshots with no defense from Delia, which is a hard position for Patsy to be in. What a relief for her that her defacto mother-in-law lives elsewhere and only visits on occasion. I'm surprised CtM closed out the season without having Patsy confide in one other person - most likely Phyllis - but maybe they're saving that for S6. I noticed Patsy was the one Phyllis asked to have help.

[willowk]

I don't cry often during TV shows, even CTW, but the tears started when Fred found Sister E and basically didn't stop the whole episode. What a packed show that was. I didn't know Sister E was going to pass away. Her bathing the baby, regaining her connection to midwifery followed by her death was both perfect and heartbreaking.

Susan is so adorable, glad they brought Mrs. Mullet back so we could see the ongoing effects of Thalilomide. Delia's mum is on to Dels and Patsy, can the nuns and midwives be far behind?

And the scene at the end, with Sister MJ putting Sister E's shoes on top of the coffin, just, well I have no words. A well done finale, RIP Sister E.

[willowk]

  2 hours ago, StatMom said:

Did some American stations not show the scenes of remaking Evangelina's dress?

It wasn't shown on PBS.  I also didn't see the following scene from the recap: "Barbara visits Tom in the vestry and they're all schmoopy and cute and I still don't like Tom, okay, but I...can't help it. I'm happy for them." Finally, I'm not sure that we saw:  "[h]er Sisters prepare Sister Evangelina's body for its final journey. "

My station cut those too, drat PBS!

[JeanneH]

Anyone know if Pam Ferris asked to leave the show, or if it was a plotline decision to write out the character of Sister Evangelina? (and what a character she was  :)  )

14 hours ago, AuntiePam said:

And it looked to me like they were trying to do more than just figure out who the drug was prescribed for.  They were talking about timing and dosage -- stuff for the scientists to figure out.

Wikipedia, for all its faults, has an absolutely fascinating write-up about the history of thalidomide, including what sort of testing was done before it was approved. It seems that it was fully tested before being approved, but the testing standards of the time did not call for testing for teratogenic effects, and, as usual, it was only tested on rodents. Scientists didn't think a drug taken by the mother could cross the placental barrier (although there had been studies showing alcohol effecting fetal development). There was also information about thalidomide not causing (as many? any?) problems if taken during the 3rd trimester, as opposed to during the first 2 trimesters.

Edited May 23, 2016 by JeanneH

[MaryHedwig]

Quote

I, too, thought it was realistic for Dr. Turner to start smoking again.

I did too. But I thought we needed some acknowledgement of that from the scene or characters.

Writers, take your pick:

1. We see Dr. Turner alone in his study, searching behind bookshelves for hidden stash of cigarettes.

2. We see Dr. Turner pull a half-used cigarette out of the trash.

3. We see Dr. Turner pocket a crumbled cigarette pack left by a patient during rounds.

4. We see Dr. Turner smoking. He looks at his cigarette disgustedly, moves it towards an ashtray, and then moves it quickly back to his mouth.

5. We see Shelaigh hand Dr. Turner a cigarette before she delivers the bad news.

6. We see Dr. Turner attempt to hide the cigarette from his son.

[JeanneH]

12 hours ago, MaryHedwig said:

I did too. But I thought we needed some acknowledgement of that from the scene or characters.

Writers, take your pick:

1. We see Dr. Turner alone in his study, searching behind bookshelves for hidden stash of cigarettes.

2. We see Dr. Turner pull a half-used cigarette out of the trash.

3. We see Dr. Turner pocket a crumbled cigarette pack left by a patient during rounds.

4. We see Dr. Turner smoking. He looks at his cigarette disgustedly, moves it towards an ashtray, and then moves it quickly back to his mouth.

5. We see Shelaigh hand Dr. Turner a cigarette before she delivers the bad news.

6. We see Dr. Turner attempt to hide the cigarette from his son.

I'd almost be willing to place a wager that smoking will be the next big medical story arc.  Good ol' Wikipedia has some interesting statistical (or at least who knew what when) info on studies involving smoking and doctors:

Quote

Prior to World War I, lung cancer was considered to be a rare disease, which most physicians would never see during their career. With the postwar rise in popularity of cigarette smoking, however, came an epidemic of lung cancer.

In 1950, Richard Doll and Austin Bradford Hill published research in the British Medical Journal showing a close link between smoking and lung cancer. Four years later, in 1954, the British Doctors Study, a study of some 40,000 doctors over 20 years, confirmed the suggestion, based on which the government issued advice that smoking and lung cancer rates were related. The British Doctors Study lasted until 2001, with results published every ten years and final results published in 2004 by Doll and Richard Peto.

(skip)

The study demonstrated that about half of the persistent cigarette smokers born in 1900–1909 were eventually killed by their addiction (calculated from the logarithms of the probabilities of surviving from 35–70, 70–80, and 80–90) and about two thirds of the persistent cigarette smokers born in the 1920s would eventually be killed by their addiction.

I wonder if Dr. T is part of that study.

Edited May 24, 2016 by JeanneH

[Archery]

14 hours ago, morgan said:

I didn't see Sr. Evangelina's death coming at all.  Still, I think I must have been all cried out from Outlander because nothing seemed to get to me tonight until the undertaker told his story of her.  Very touching to see the community come together.

Seriously. Between this and Outlander, as my mother would say, I wish I'd bought stock in Kleenex before this weekend.