S05.E08: Episode 8

[Black Knight]

1 hour ago, MaryHedwig said:

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

Mileage definitely varies, because I liked that the writers treated the audience with respect instead of feeling the need to spell something that's so obvious out. It's common knowledge that stress triggers an especially strong need to smoke, and we had seen that Dr. Turner was incredibly upset.

And Shellagh had been previously established as not smoking as many cigarettes as her husband, so it'd be a little easier for her to resist.

[ptuscadero]

3 hours ago, Sammich said:

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.  

None of those scenes were shown here in the DC area. And I find it interesting that some other folks here did see them, because I just figured that any edits to the show were pretty standard for all U.S. stations. Now I'm really miffed to know that it varies in different regions.

[SunnyBeBe]

I would had loved to see Chummy there, but did anyone notice how Trixie and Peter held hands in their attempt to comfort one another?  My mom gasped and said, oh my.....are they going to go there?  I laughed it off, but now, I'm not so sure. I can't envision an affair, but maybe something will cause a divorce.  

[willowk]

  1 hour ago, MaryHedwig said:

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

Mileage definitely varies, because I liked that the writers treated the audience with respect instead of feeling the need to spell something that's so obvious out. It's common knowledge that stress triggers an especially strong need to smoke, and we had seen that Dr. Turner was incredibly upset.

And Shellagh had been previously established as not smoking as many cigarettes as her husband, so it'd be a little easier for her to resist.

I agree. It would have been unrealistic in my view for Dr. Turner to be able to quit on the 1st try and remain a nonsmoker through extreme stress such as that presented in the episode. We may see him struggling to quite for good next season.

[AuntiePam]

I rescind my complaint about the Indian family's subplot.  I had forgotten that we saw Sister Evangeline help with what turned out to be one last newborn. 

[ChocButterfly]

Call me cruel, but I'm just pissed it wasn't Sister Monica Joan the one who died. Instead, the writers decided to off one of the best characters, and still that other pesky nun is annoying my TV screen!

[doodlebug]

Most people, even in this day and age, where smoking has always been known to be harmful, public smoking is mostly illegal and there are many, many aids to quitting available, cannot quit the first time they try.  Back in the 1950's, there were actual brands of cigarettes in the US that advertised themselves as being the first choice of doctors and promoted as being a relaxing habit.  Most cigarettes were unfiltered. People smoked anywhere and everywhere.  I was completely believable that the doctor's resolve crumbled in the face of the stress of the thalidomide crisis.  That, coupled with the death of a beloved respected co-worker, made Dr Turner's recidivism believable to me.  And I personally like that Call the Midwife respects the intelligence of their viewers and doesn't feel the need to point out every little plot point.  They show us, they don't need to tell us.  I think a scene where someone points out the doctor's resumption of his nicotine habit would've been awkward at best.

 

On a brighter note, where do they find the babies for this show?  All the little ones are gorgeous and so expressive!  The baby who plays Angela is adorable and the look on the Indian newborn's face as Sister Evangelina gave him his first bath was just priceless!  I deliver babies for a living and, believe me, many of them are not so cute.  The kids on CTM are really exceptional.

[Beldasnoop]

7 hours 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.

Actually, Patrick did prescribe the Distaval for Ruby Cottingham (Nurse Crane read it in Ruby's file). It was before she was pregnant, for "anxiety leading to sleeplessness" (or something like that). I found it particularly sad that the one case he was directly linked to (meaning he was the one who actually prescribed the drug) was the situation in which the baby died. Actually, we don't know who prescribed the drug to Jeffrey Gallagher's mother, either (the boy born without thumbs). He was born in Poplar. They talk about him in a cut scene in episode 1. It could have been Patrick who prescribed that as well.

 

4 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.

There was a scene showing him starting smoking again. It was cut by PBS. It shows the Turners at the surgery, both looking anxious. Shelagh is on the phone trying to get someone to talk to her about the thalidomide, and Patrick is looking through files nervously, until Shelagh reminds him he doesn't know how the filing system works and offers to let him hold the phone for her. Instead, he sits down for a few seconds, then leaves the room for a few moments while Shelagh is still waiting on the phone, and then he comes back into the room with a cigarette and match. He sits down and lights the cigarette. Shelagh sees this and looks concerned, but opts not to say anything (probably figuring this isn't the time to remind him that he's quit. They have this big medical issue to deal with and if that's what he needs, she's going to let it go.)

Edited May 23, 2016 by Beldasnoop

[Kohola3]

Quote

Back in the 1950's, there were actual brands of cigarettes in the US that advertised themselves as being the first choice of doctors and promoted as being a relaxing habit.

During World War II the troops were given all the free cigarettes they wanted;  they were supposed to calm the nerves.  Even the Red Cross parcels contained them.  That would contribute significantly to the statistics for lung diseases and causes of death for those born in the 1910-1920 group.

[elle]

14 hours ago, GaT said:

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

It reminded me of the end of the movie Irma la Douce, except she had a girl.  But that's another story ;0)

My favorite line, after Sister Mary Cynthia's "quoting" Sister Evangelina about the dress was the exchange between Sister MC and the new mom about the dress:

Noelle:  The dress is ruined!

Sister Mary Cynthia: This dress just had the best day of its life!

[Blackie]

  6 hours ago, Sammich said:

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.  

None of those scenes were shown here in the DC area. And I find it interesting that some other folks here did see them, because I just figured that any edits to the show were pretty standard for all U.S. stations. Now I'm really miffed to know that it varies in different regions.

none of those scenes were shown to Toronto (WNED Buffalo/Toronto). Instead they chose to spend a lot of time at the end and even an intermission for fund raising. I can't believe they cut the scene where the sister's were prepping her body. I hope they didn't raise any money.

[Black Knight]

This ended up getting lost in the shuffle after first the discovery of Sister Evangeline's death and then the thalidomide fallout, but it was such a lovely thing for Barbara to have done for Sister Evangeline in scheming (adorably) to get her to come to the home birth and then to wash the newborn. Evangeline was so happy to spend time with a baby again and to lose her fear, and I'm glad she had that before she passed away. Bravo, Barbara!

[3 is enough]

Silly question: Why did they cover Sister Evangelina's face with what looked like a veil?  I have never seen or heard of that practice before.

Great finale.  Sad to see Sister Evangelina go.  I have to say, though, Phyllis for the win!  She is turning out to be such a supportive, motherly figure for the younger midwives.  I did not especially like her at first, but she is turning out to be one of my favourite characters.

[doodlebug]

7 minutes ago, Black Knight said:

This ended up getting lost in the shuffle after first the discovery of Sister Evangeline's death and then the thalidomide fallout, but it was such a lovely thing for Barbara to have done for Sister Evangeline in scheming (adorably) to get her to come to the home birth and then to wash the newborn. Evangeline was so happy to spend time with a baby again and to lose her fear, and I'm glad she had that before she passed away. Bravo, Barbara!

The kindness, affection and respect that all of these characters have for one another just warms my heart.  Even with all the sadness last night; this is truly a joyful show.

[CoderLady]

3 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I would had loved to see Chummy there, but did anyone notice how Trixie and Peter held hands in their attempt to comfort one another?  My mom gasped and said, oh my.....are they going to go there?  I laughed it off, but now, I'm not so sure. I can't envision an affair, but maybe something will cause a divorce.  

I've seen people on TV mostly but occasionally family members in real life do that, and it has no sexual connotation whatsoever.

[sigmaforce86]

I was spoiled that Sister E was going to die (careless Google search last week!) so instead of shock it was more anticipation.  I kept thinking here it comes and I don't want it to happen.  Now I know though why the previous episode was pretty much a zero tissue night; they were storing it up for this one.  I don't want to say it was a "great" episode, that sounds like something fun; I think powerful covers it.  

I don't know if it was intentional but when Phyllis said she'd help Dr. Turner research because of her rolodex skills I thought it was a nice little call back to her first episode when she went toe-to-toe with Sister Evangelina who wanted to keep their ledger book method.

Now to wait for the Christmas episode, the 2017 season and Chummy's eventual return.  I suspect (not spoiled just guessing) that they'll get a new Sister at some point and hope she'll be a good fit.  For any other show I'd say they better not just cast a Sister E. clone but I feel like that's not a worry with CTMW, the writers seem to keep to a higher standard than that. 

[JudyObscure]

2 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

During World War II the troops were given all the free cigarettes they wanted;  they were supposed to calm the nerves.  

And they do calm the nerves!  People know that the tar in tobacco can cause lung cancer, but do they know nicotine itself is like heaven to the brain? It's the only substance that can be used both as a relaxant and a stimulant, depending on the way the smoker inhales, long deep drags to relax, short fast puffs to stimulate.  It increases the levels of several good brain hormones like dopamine and serotonin and increase focus and alertness making for better performance at detailed tasks.  In short, it was just what poor Dr. Turner needed to relax the panic and anger he was feeling and help him stay alert for an all night research project going through all his files!  Gosh I miss those things.

[MaryHedwig]

Quote

I suspect (not spoiled just guessing) that they'll get a new Sister at some point and hope she'll be a good fit.  For any other show I'd say they better not just cast a Sister E. clone but I feel like that's not a worry with CTMW, the writers seem to keep to a higher standard than that. 

I vote for Vanessa Redgrave aka Old Jenny aka the narrator.

[Kohola3]

Yikes, isn't she umpteen eleven years old?  I think she'd be older than Sister MJ.

[Ohwell]

2 hours ago, 3 is enough said:

Silly question: Why did they cover Sister Evangelina's face with what looked like a veil?  I have never seen or heard of that practice before.

I don't have an answer, but I do remember the very first funeral I went to, I was a kid of about eight, and the lady in the coffin had a veil covering her face.  Scared me to death.

[AZChristian]

I was interested enough in the question to do a bit of research.  It's possible that (1) it's simply a sign of respect or dignity, or (2) it allows her to enter heaven veiled as a representation that she is the bride of Christ.

[dustylil]

26 minutes ago, MaryHedwig said:

vote for Vanessa Redgrave aka Old Jenny aka the narrator

 

20 minutes ago, Kohola3 said:

Yikes, isn't she umpteen eleven years old?  I think she'd be older than Sister MJ.

Actually, Judy Parfitt (Sister Monica Joan) is two years older than Vanessa Redgrave.

The age order is Judy Parfitt (1935), Vanessa Redgrave (1937), Pam Ferris (1948) and  spring chicken Jenny Agutter (1952).

[kimberwatch]

I'm usually unhappy about all of the cutting, but this is the first time that I'm mad about the missing scenes on the PBS version...  does anyone know which versions of the DVDs would contain the original uncut versions of the episodes?  Everything that I'm seeing on Amazon seems to indicate that they are the PBS cuts and I remember reading online already the Amazon and iTunes single episode versions are also cut.  Help! and thanks!

[BooksRule]

Quote

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!

Unfortunately, the cable boxes that my cable company provides makes it very difficult to turn on the CC.  The option from the TV menu itself is 'grayed out' and won't let you click on it to turn on (and I've tried it with three different TVs).  The only way to turn on the CC is by turning off the box and pushing a menu button.  When you choose CC, it stays on until you turn off the box again and choose from the menu again to turn it off (if I remember correctly--it's been a while since I've tried it).  I've googled the issue, and apparently, it's just the way some cable boxes are set up.  I have no problem with CC on DVDs, it's just the cable box signal.  (If anyone knows how to get around this, let me know.  I've pressed every button on the remote and tried all choices from the on-screen menu to no avail).

I also wondered if scenes were snipped that showed Dr. Turner start smoking again and I see that there was at least one.

Edited May 24, 2016 by BooksRule

[Anothermi]

2 hours ago, sigmaforce86 said:

Now to wait for the Christmas episode, the 2017 season and Chummy's eventual return.  I suspect (not spoiled just guessing) that they'll get a new Sister at some point and hope she'll be a good fit.  For any other show I'd say they better not just cast a Sister E. clone but I feel like that's not a worry with CTMW, the writers seem to keep to a higher standard than that. 

I agree that CTMW would probably not swap in a similar character, but I'm wondering if there will be need at Nonnatus House for another midwife? Not spoiled either, but we've had the arrival of the pill and we are entering the era where more and more women are using it. Poplar may not be where single women get access to the Pill, but I expect lots of uptake by the married women of Poplar. All that will decrease the need for the midwives.

[deepfriedcake]

I love the show, and last night's episode was a pinnacle of emotional beauty, but...no Chummy? Really? It's time they address her absence, and not just with some silly throwaway line about taking a pottery class. Have her be on another missionary trip with Young Sir, or visiting the US to learn about medical techniques, or something! If Miranda is not coming back, then give us a valid reason why Chummy's not around. Because we all know that Chummy would have crawled over broken glass to honor Sister Evangelina and support her family at Nonnatus House. At the very least, one of the many cards on the table should have been from Chummy.

Also, the ridiculousness of the bride continuing to wear her gown and veil while laboring away completely took me out of the story. I can't believe for a minute that they wouldn't have hustled her out of that and into some sort of robe immediately.

I don't mean to complain,  CTM is head and shoulders above most other shows I watch! And I'm going to miss Sister Evangelina dreadfully. Pass the tissues...

[howiveaddict]

Sister Evangelina's death reminded me of one of my favorite movies, The Trouble With Angels.  Rosalund Russell (the Reverend Mother)  breaks down when her best friend and fellow nun suddenly dies.

Like many, I was sobbing through most of CtMW.  I really wish each season was longer.  It seems like it just started.  

Think it was so funny that the pregnant Aussie's future mother in law was so worried that her DIL looked pregnant at the wedding, and the the girl goes and has her baby at the reception.  With all the music and celebrating going on outside the delivery area.  I remember my labors, and all that noise would have drove me nuts.  Love how still in the 60s the father to be is just sitting there, drinking, while his bride labors.  So glad that times have changed.  

[dustylil]

12 minutes ago, deepfriedcake said:

the ridiculousness of the bride continuing to wear her gown and veil while laboring away completely took me out of the story. I can't believe for a minute that they wouldn't have hustled her out of that and into some sort of robe immediately

I too saw no reason for the veil and the assorted slips/crinolines. They certainly could have gotten rid of most of that and likely made the work of both the bride and the midwives a lot easier. But the reception was at local community centre. Where would they find a robe or even a nightgown for the expectant mother in a place like that?

[Badger]

They also changed some of the music in this episode.  In the original, the wedding guests dance to "Let's Twist Again" by Chubby Checker.  The end song was "Till" by Shirley Bassey.

[deepfriedcake]

Hee, dustylil,  I don't know! Don't they all live within a few minutes of there? Surely someone could have nipped home and grabbed something for the poor girl! But it's OK, I'm prepared to let it go!

[dustylil]

1 hour ago, deepfriedcake said:

Surely someone could have nipped home and grabbed something for the poor girl!

Certainly, it would have given the gobsmacked groom something to do :)

 

1 hour ago, Badger said:

 

Edited May 24, 2016 by dustylil
lack of clarity in original post

[Beldasnoop]

1 hour ago, kimberwatch said:

I'm usually unhappy about all of the cutting, but this is the first time that I'm mad about the missing scenes on the PBS version...  does anyone know which versions of the DVDs would contain the original uncut versions of the episodes?  Everything that I'm seeing on Amazon seems to indicate that they are the PBS cuts and I remember reading online already the Amazon and iTunes single episode versions are also cut.  Help! and thanks!

The US edition of the DVDs contains the uncut episodes. The Amazon comments can be confusing because they include the comments for the DVDs and for the streaming version together. The comments complaining about cuts are referring to the streaming episodes, which are edited, but the DVDs are not. They do sometimes have different songs than the BBC version in some scenes (if the songs have been replaced on PBS, those songs will be what's on the DVD). Scene-wise, though, the DVDs have the complete, uncut episodes.

The US DVDs for season 5 will be released tomorrow (May 24th). 

[dustylil]

1 hour ago, Badger said:

In the original, the wedding guests dance to "Let's Twist Again" by Chubby Checker.  The end song was "Till" by Shirley Bassey

I thought it was particularly odd they changed Till to Goodnight Sweetheart for North American viewers. 

Edited May 24, 2016 by dustylil

[ItCouldBeWorse]

7 hours ago, Beldasnoop said:

Actually, Patrick did prescribe the Distaval for Ruby Cottingham (Nurse Crane read it in Ruby's file). It was before she was pregnant, for "anxiety leading to sleeplessness" (or something like that). I found it particularly sad that the one case he was directly linked to (meaning he was the one who actually prescribed the drug) was the situation in which the baby died. Actually, we don't know who prescribed the drug to Jeffrey Gallagher's mother, either (the boy born without thumbs). He was born in Poplar. They talk about him in a cut scene in episode 1. It could have been Patrick who prescribed that as well.

I was wrong and you are correct about Ruby Cottingham.  Her husband was at sea, she had anxiety leading to sleeplessness, and Dr. Turner prescribed it for her before her pregnancy.  She appears to have kept taking it regularly.   As to Jeffrey Gallagher's Mom, Patsy said: So we write to Jeffrey Gallagher's GP, warn of the possible connection to his missing thumbs.  Combined with the cut bit of dialogue from Episode 1 that I quoted above: Patsy: The trouble is, Mrs Gallagher’s quite the nervy type. She was demanding sleeping pills the moment she knew she was pregnant, it appears that Dr. Turner did prescribe thalidomide for 2 of the 3 mothers of affected children of which he is aware, but in both cases is was for anxiety/sleeplessness, and not for morning sickness, just as he recommended it for Noelle.  I guess the combination of everyone's constant reassurance that the bad outcomes were not his fault, and the smoking, are keeping him stable. And possibly the knowledge he's not alone, as Dr. Jakes had prescribed the pills to Susan's aunt.

Edited May 24, 2016 by ItCouldBeWorse
To give credit where credit is due!

[doodlebug]

37 minutes ago, dustylil said:

I thought it was particularly odd they changed Till to Goodnight Sweetheart for North American viewers. 

I wonder if its a licensing issue.  Perhaps the cost of royalties for airing in the US was higher for the other song and PBS/ the producers didn't want to pay.  I know its an issue on other shows.  The producers of Mad Men spoke of spending virtually their entire music budget for the season to get the use of a single Beatles song for one episode.

I also agree that it would've been nice to have some mention of Chummy in the episode.  Tell us she's staying behind at the convent to prepare the post funeral meal or Young Sir has the measles or something.

Edited May 24, 2016 by doodlebug

[Beldasnoop]

1 hour ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

 I guess the combination of everyone's constant reassurance that the bad outcomes were not his fault, and the smoking, are keeping him stable. And possibly the knowledge he's not alone, as Dr. Jakes had prescribed the pills to Susan's aunt.

I think the fact that other doctors are in the same predicament is part of what's keeping Patrick from completely losing it, but I think the biggest part of it is Shelagh. Looking back to last season, the episode where he had the misdiagnosis and was afraid he would have another breakdown, I see that as a major development in the Turners' relationship where he started to really listen to her and let her help him when he needed help. This series, they've been working together closely at the surgery, and have been in this thalidomide plot together, and now that the truth is out, he could easily have done what he did before, said he was fine and could handle it, but he doesn't do that anymore. He relies on Shelagh. She's right there with him. When he gets really upset in the scene in his office, she's there to help him calm down, and to hold his hand for the rest of the scene. In the scene where she gave him the news, they were reaching out to each other for support, in contrast to earlier in their marriage when he would deny problems and she would be nervous to approach him. There's none of that now, and they are both relying on each other, but it seems like she's able to be the strong one here. He's not losing it because he's got support, from his colleagues yes but most importantly from his wife (who is also his colleague). I like how this series has shown the two of them handling this together, all season.  

[ChelleGame]

Lord have mercy. This was a sobfest. I watched Outlander, Game of Thrones and Call the Midwife back to back and cried so much I gave myself a raging headache.

This is an excellent show. Just wonderful.  The New York Times did an article about it this week. Anyone see it?

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/24/arts/television/call-the-midwife-deserves-more-respect-for-its-depth-and-daring.html?smid=tw-share&_r=0

The writers and actors should be so proud of what they've accomplished.

[MissLucas]

2 hours ago, ChelleGame said:

Lord have mercy. This was a sobfest. I watched Outlander, Game of Thrones and Call the Midwife back to back and cried so much I gave myself a raging headache.

Dear Lord! Go ahead and binge-watch 'Frankie and Grace' (or whatever else makes you laugh) - you deserve it!

I don't think they will replace Sister Evangelina with another Sister - due to the pill and other factors fewer midwifes will be needed (and at the same time the number of young women taking the veil is dropping). During this season I noticed some Sister Evangelina tendencies with Sister Winifred. Not that they will turn her into Sister Evangelina 0.2 but it could be interesting to see how she will try to fill those shoes.

ETA: Thanks for the link to the NYT - excellent article. I like how the author addressed the fact that the show does not get the same respect as Downton Abbey. Sad but true.

Edited May 24, 2016 by MissLucas

[Chewy101]

Trixie's sweet speech over the ironing was so endearing. And nurse Crane continues to show her soft side

Edited May 24, 2016 by Chewy101

[Tara Ariano]

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

Call The Midwife Bids Farewell To One Mother Of A Sister

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

[One Imaginary Girl]

22 hours ago, doodlebug said:

On a brighter note, where do they find the babies for this show?  All the little ones are gorgeous and so expressive!  The baby who plays Angela is adorable and the look on the Indian newborn's face as Sister Evangelina gave him his first bath was just priceless!  I deliver babies for a living and, believe me, many of them are not so cute.  The kids on CTM are really exceptional.

Baby Susan was cute as a button.  I guess we don't usually get to see them past their first few hours.

As for editing, if anything had to be cut, I'd prefer it were the childbirth at the reception, which was way too contrived.   They could have just kept the use of Sister Evangelina's wedding dress, and it could have still been a great day for the dress and the concepts of sharing and continuity.  

[doodlebug]

26 minutes ago, One Imaginary Girl said:

Baby Susan was cute as a button.  I guess we don't usually get to see them past their first few hours.

As for editing, if anything had to be cut, I'd prefer it were the childbirth at the reception, which was way too contrived.   They could have just kept the use of Sister Evangelina's wedding dress, and it could have still been a great day for the dress and the concepts of sharing and continuity.  

It wasn't just the wedding dress, why the heck would they have kept Noelle there in the community center?  There's no reason she wouldn't have either walked or ridden in someone's car to the maternity home or back to her mother in law's house to deliver her baby.  No labor is that fast, except on sitcoms.  Considering how this show is generally pretty meticulously accurate, it made no sense for Noelle to deliver on a dining table with just a flimsy curtain separating her from the wedding guests.  BTW, average labor for a first child is 12-16 hours, not the quick hour or two this one took.

[Frieda]

FYI, for the time being at least, the complete finale is available on YouTube. You can just kind-of click through it to see the scenes that were cut from the PBS version, complete with the Shirley Basse song. (You never know how long a YouTube selection will be available, but it's there now.) It is ENORMOUSLY gratifying to see the cut scenes everyone has been talking about here.

[JudyObscure]

Thanks, Frieda, that was nice, not only the cut scenes but it's easier to hear. 

 

I'm confirmed in my first thought that if they just had to cut something, why not the bit about the wedding gown?  The girl just seemed so silly to me.  She had so many people doing so much for her, the midwives, her MIL, the special license from the Archbishop, the pretty flowered outfit someone had given her, but there she was complaining about not having a big white gown. "But will I feel like a bride?"  Lots of people got married in a nice dress or suit back then.  None of my friends or relatives, my mother, my aunt or me had a big white gown.  It's a nice thing if you happen to have lots of time and money, but it doesn't make you any more or less a bride.

[PRgal]

27 minutes ago, JudyObscure said:

Thanks, Frieda, that was nice, not only the cut scenes but it's easier to hear. 

 

I'm confirmed in my first thought that if they just had to cut something, why not the bit about the wedding gown?  The girl just seemed so silly to me.  She had so many people doing so much for her, the midwives, her MIL, the special license from the Archbishop, the pretty flowered outfit someone had given her, but there she was complaining about not having a big white gown. "But will I feel like a bride?"  Lots of people got married in a nice dress or suit back then.  None of my friends or relatives, my mother, my aunt or me had a big white gown.  It's a nice thing if you happen to have lots of time and money, but it doesn't make you any more or less a bride.

My mom (okay, she married in '72, a little over a decade later) rented her (white) wedding gown!  She also had a few other dresses, some of which she kept (including a pink one which I wore as a second dress).  I think her Chinese gown (kwa) was also a rental.

 

As for the newborns on the show:  I read that they cast the babies without looking at them - pregnant moms "audition" on their behalf!

Edited May 24, 2016 by PRgal

[MaryHedwig]

Quote

I'm confirmed in my first thought that if they just had to cut something, why not the bit about the wedding gown?  The girl just seemed so silly to me.  She had so many people doing so much for her, the midwives, her MIL, the special license from the Archbishop, the pretty flowered outfit someone had given her, but there she was complaining about not having a big white gown. "But will I feel like a bride?"  Lots of people got married in a nice dress or suit back then.  None of my friends or relatives, my mother, my aunt or me had a big white gown.  It's a nice thing if you happen to have lots of time and money, but it doesn't make you any more or less a bride

The whole scene did feel like a sitcom moment, not worthy of the respectful, tender birth scenes we are used to seeing on this show. I could have imagined Rachel popping one out this way on Friends.

As the poster quoted nicely outlined, my concern was that this bride was being used as a plot device at every step of her story. However, I loved the thought of Sister Evangelina's dress getting a legitimate walk down the aisle, and that it was able to do so because Evangelina had been large even as a novice. Stories like these, where one's weight is an advantage and not a point of shame are heartening to me.

I only wish Sister Evangelina could have been there to see it....

Edited May 26, 2016 by MaryHedwig

[Clanstarling]

22 hours ago, BooksRule said:

Unfortunately, the cable boxes that my cable company provides makes it very difficult to turn on the CC.  The option from the TV menu itself is 'grayed out' and won't let you click on it to turn on (and I've tried it with three different TVs).  The only way to turn on the CC is by turning off the box and pushing a menu button.  When you choose CC, it stays on until you turn off the box again and choose from the menu again to turn it off (if I remember correctly--it's been a while since I've tried it).  I've googled the issue, and apparently, it's just the way some cable boxes are set up.  I have no problem with CC on DVDs, it's just the cable box signal.  (If anyone knows how to get around this, let me know.  I've pressed every button on the remote and tried all choices from the on-screen menu to no avail).

I also wondered if scenes were snipped that showed Dr. Turner start smoking again and I see that there was at least one.

Our cable box is like that. It is the most counter-intuitive way to turn CC on and off ever. No one thought at all about the user experience when designing that option. Who would guess you'd need to turn OFF the box to turn ON closed captioning? And if you're in the middle of watching something live, you miss whatever's going on between the time you turn it off and turn it back on again. However on our box, if we have CC turned on, it keeps that setting until you change the setting.

Once I started using it a lot (my ears are aging, but my husband's are fine - so it goes off and on often), it doesn't seem as difficult, but it is always irritating.

20 hours ago, dustylil said:

I thought it was particularly odd they changed Till to Goodnight Sweetheart for North American viewers. 

For a second I forgot that was the song title and thought you were talking about the British show "Goodnight Sweetheart" - and was excited, thinking maybe it was going to be re-broadcast. I loved that show, but missed the last season. And the DVDs are prohibitively expensive.

I didn't cry until they gathered for the march behind the hearse. Then it got ugly.

Edited May 24, 2016 by clanstarling

[dustylil]

5 minutes ago, clanstarling said:

I forgot that was the song title and thought you were talking about the British show "Goodnight Sweetheart" - and was excited, thinking maybe it was going to be re-broadcast. I loved that show, but missed the last season

Sorry to have got your hopes up, clanstarling.

2 hours ago, MaryHedwig said:

The girl just seemed so silly to me.  She had so many people doing so much for her, the midwives, her MIL, the special license from the Archbishop, the pretty flowered outfit someone had given her, but there she was complaining about not having a big white gown

As I said to the television at the time - it's not like she was entitled to wear one :) 

[Clanstarling]

21 minutes ago, dustylil said:

Sorry to have got your hopes up, clanstarling.

As I said to the television at the time - it's not like she was entitled to wear one :) 

No worries. I'm hoping that someday it will show up on Netflix or Amazon, but I'm not holding my breath.

Ouch! LOL. (the wedding dress). I remember a long time ago, some old much married movie star (I'm thinking it was one of the Gabors, Zsa Zsa or Eva) was talking about her wedding dresses on a talk show, and said that with each new marriage, they were progressively darker - from white, to beige, and so on down to the darker colors on the spectrum. I remember thinking it was at the same time really funny, and maddeningly sexist, to think women get "dirtier" because they've had sex.

Edited May 24, 2016 by clanstarling

[kimberwatch]

22 hours ago, Beldasnoop said:

The US edition of the DVDs contains the uncut episodes. The Amazon comments can be confusing because they include the comments for the DVDs and for the streaming version together.

Thank you SO much for the information, Beldasnoop!  I will get a set ordered!