S06.E01: Episode 1

[OnceSane]

Quote

The nuns and midwives return home after their trip to South Africa, to find Nonnatus House has come under new management. The formidable Sister Ursula (Harriet Walter) has taken charge and introduced some drastic changes to the way the clinic is run, which Sister Julienne, bound by her vow of obedience, is powerless to oppose. The midwives come to the aid of a victim of domestic violence whose husband is about to be released from prison, and who risks losing everything if she seeks a divorce. Sister Mary Cynthia suffers further anxiety attacks, and Patsy receives distressing news about her father.

[AZChristian]

OMG.  She was the bitchy Lady Shackelford on Downton Abbey.  The plot thickens.

[MissLucas]

She was also Fanny Dashwood in "Sense and Sensibility" - she's a great go-to villain. Just kidding she's a terrific actress and "Call the Midwife" is normally quite good at creating not-so-likeable characters (at first sight) with nuances.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

19 hours ago, AZChristian said:

OMG.  She was the bitchy Lady Shackelford on Downton Abbey.  The plot thickens.

She was a sympathetic character, though, correct?

[AZChristian]

41 minutes ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

She was a sympathetic character, though, correct?

You're right!  I had her confused with Rose's mother.  She was Henry Talbot's aunt.

[latetotheparty]

For me, Harriet Walter will always be the best Harriet Vane. 

[mbutterfly]

I love Harriet Walter, too. She'll be a great addition to the cast. I can scarcely wait until the 22nd. 

[Badger]

She also played  Lady Churchill in "The Crown."

[Ceindreadh]

Oh dear, knew I should have stocked up on tissues!

[Gulftastic]

If Sister Ursula messes with Delia and Patsy, I sewar to cow....

[flickers]

Is the Shelagh actress pregnant in real life? Happy for the Turners, but if only infertile couples could be surprised in real life as often as it happens on TV! (and always after adopting...)

[OnceSane]

I thought I'd need my tissues, but they weren't necessary until Sister Mary Cynthia's breakdown.  I teared up when she was at the abused wife's home, but lost it when Sister Monica Joan and Sister Julienne comforted her.  I hope she will be okay despite Sister Ursula sending her to the Mother House rather than waiting for Dr. Turner's suggestion.  I don't know if this practice will bite her in the ass as far as Sister MC is concerned, but I do see it happening eventually.

Hmm, Sister Ursula seems determined to put Sister Julienne in her place…just her way to be so direct or is there something more there?  And she better not try to be rid of Sister Monica Joan!

I'm not surprised to see Shelagh pregnant, but I'd rather see that as a season 7 storyline…I think it may end up out of place in this season of change.  I can't wait to see Timothy's reaction…loved him on the phone at the surgery.

I'm sad we won't see Trixie for a bit, she is my fave.  Good thing next week looks quite interesting!

[allonsyalice]

Jesus. That wasn't just a bowl of honey nut feelios, that was like three boxes worth. 

1) they always tackle such real issues and this episode was mo different. She was a young mother, with the sweetest boy, and I was so scared for her. When he locked her in the bedroom I thought he was legit gonna kill her. And it was sad and it was scary and it was real. 

2) It was super hard to watch Sister MC, the goodest and the sweetest and the purest, struggle while going through issues myself. Ive always seen myself in her and it was so hard. And i hope she gets the help she needs and I'm inclined to think Dr. was correct and Sister Ursula was wrong to send her back to the motherhouse. 

3) I sobbed (okay i was already crying) when Shelagh revealed she was pregnant. I'm so happy for them!

Also, loving how Babs bought her own ring. Something I would do. 

[Calvada]

Trying not to read the posts above (don't want to be spoiled) but I am ready for the new season.  I visited Costco this morning and came home with an enormous cube of boxes of Kleenex.  Hopefully it's enough to get me through.

[Brattinella]

Why did they give us a Wicked Witch of the West??  YUCK.

[LittleIggy]

Why was Sister Julienne demoted and that nun from Hell put in charge? 

The behind the scenes: OMG, Sister Winifred! I didn't recognize her!

[Primetimer]

A convict's wife wishes her kids' father had stayed behind bars.

View the full article

[TVFAN]

Truly the best show on television!  Somehow the cast and crew manage to keep my riveted for an hour--something no other show is capable of doing.  I enjoy watching every single character.

Shelagh is pregnant!  Squee!!!!!!!!!!

[Popples]

I liked the new images during the opening.

I usually really enjoy Harriet Walter, but her character was so obstructive and frustrating.

Real childbirth has always frightened me, and this show might help sooth that, but I was not ready for Trudy's baby (they never said her name) to be covered in her own feces. It looked like grayish-green paint.

I had happy tears in my eyes when Phyllis was waving off Trudy, Mickey, and baby. Especially when Mickey thanked her.

[Calvada]

I kept thinking of how Sister Evangelina would have grabbed that appalling Lester by the ear and told him to shape up or else. 

I have an example in my family of a couple who tried for years to have a child, adopted 2 children, and then had 2 successful pregnancies, so it does happen.  But I think more often it is in cases of unexplained infertility, when they can find no medical reason why a couple can't conceive,  that something like that happens.  Shelagh had a definite medical reason why she could not conceive.  Or was she just told it was unlikely?  What is the prospect of pregnancy following TB treatment? 

And why was Ursula put in charge?  I think they tried to show us that she is human, with her reaching out to that darling little boy, but all I could think is what a witch she was to take the TV away from Monica Joan.  And those poor people with that measly lunch.  I can't imagine working where they controlled what I ate and how much I ate.   It seems this will be the season long arc - will Ursula's heart grow three sizes by the last episode?   I found myself humming, "She's a mean one, Sister Grinch!" 

[Brattinella]

Well, that was a thoroughly miserable episode.  I'm just glad she was able to get away from that monster.  And her MOTHER!  Good grief!  Poor Sister Cecelia, and wow!  Who knew Sister Winifred looks like that!  The only redeeming moment was at the end.  I want Sister Julienne to be Mother Superior.

[graybrown bird]

Is Patsy being written out of the series?

[movingtargetgal]

Sister Ursula was dead to me the second she stopped Sister Monica Joan from doing her happy dance in front of the TV.  The woman is 90 years old and if she wants to dance you damn well better not only let her ....you join her.  What. A. Bitch.

[Fireball]

I'm glad that the show revisited Mary Cynthia being attacked; it bothered me that last season they spent all of one episode on it and then the next episode they had a time jump showing Mary Cynthia back to "normal".  I felt like Cynthia being attacked and dealing with the aftermath should had been a main storyline throughout last season. Although, I do hope that bringing the attack back up isn't just a way to write out the character.

I really liked that we got to see some sweet alone moments with Tom & Barbra. The scenes we saw this episode is what I was expecting to see between Tom & Barbra last season. I personally feel that their relationship was short changed last season. 

I don't really understand why Sister Julienne was demoted. Ursula seems like a very cold and unbending kind of person.  Yes she was sweet with Mickey so maybe there's more to her, but at the moment she seems like a Grinch.

While I also thought Trudy's husband was a nasty piece of work; I was actually more bothered by Trudy's own mother! Her total lack of concern that her son-in-law was hurting her daughter was chilling.  

I do hope Patsy isn't leaving.

I also did not miss Trixie one bit. I hope she stays away for another episode or more. I used to really like Trixie;  I don't know exactly what happened.

[LittleIggy]

Trudy's awful mum was one of those "any man is better than no man" types. Toxic bitch. The little boy playing Mickey was a total cutie.

[GaT]

I was so worried that little boy was going to get seriously hurt, I could picture that asshole of a father forcing him to box to teach him how to be a "man". I do not like Sister Ursula. At all. She has no heart, she just follows rules. I can't imagine why she replaced Sister Julienne.

3 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

The behind the scenes: OMG, Sister Winifred! I didn't recognize her!

Me either! Where do they put all that hair?

[JudyObscure]

10 hours ago, Brattinella said:

Well, that was a thoroughly miserable episode. 

I agree.  Didn't they use to have a little more lightness to balance the dark?  Bad things would happen sometimes with the patients and babies, but we always came back to a sense of stability and comfort at Nonnatus House. A few words from one of the older sisters would put things in perspective and then the nun's singing would leave us with a sense that all would come right.  Not anymore.  The promotion of Sister Ursula and demotion of our all knowing, kind Sister Julienne just pulled the rug out from under me.  The foundation of the show was lost.  After that was the horror of the domestic abuse, but it was little Sister Mary Cynthia's breakdown that  did me in and I just felt overwhelmed by grief. 

Maybe it's because I've been watching the re-runs on my local station, but I was suddenly aware of just how many wonderful characters we've lost; Jenny Lee, Sister Evangelina, and Chummy.  Those were major characters  and last night Trixie was missing so it felt even more like a group of relatively new people. 

To me, Barbara and Tom have zero chemistry and the ring story was just silly.  Didn't Trixie just make Tom promise not to give Barbara his mother's ring because she had always had to wear hand-me-downs?  She couldn't afford a swimsuit and now she can buy a diamond?  All just to save his pride? Lots of young couples start out with a tiny stone costing very little and if he (an Episcopalian minister!) couldn't afford even that, then they could do without.  I've been married twice and never had a diamond, it's not required. The whole storyline just felt contrived, sort of like a laboring, injured mother struggling to get out of a locked room and through the streets, to the midwives -- only to have her baby born covered in feces.  Really, writers?

The show was so much better when it was based on the real memoire and not modern writers trying to stuff enough tragedy for three episodes into one, just to up the tissue count.

[Fireball]

18 minutes ago, JudyObscure said:

To me, Barbara and Tom have zero chemistry and the ring story was just silly.  Didn't Trixie just make Tom promise not to give Barbara his mother's ring because she had always had to wear hand-me-downs?  She couldn't afford a swimsuit and now she can buy a diamond? 

I agree that the ring story was silly. Barbara couldn't afford a swimsuit in the last episode, but she can buy a ring? I honestly thought the whole situation was a setup so Barbara would end up wearing Tom's grandmothers ring.  

I think Tom & Barbara have a nice quiet chemistry; however, I do think the writers did a horrible job showing us Tom & Barbara falling in love. I can't help but compare how the writers handled Barbara & Tom falling in love, and how the writers wrote Shelagh & Patrick, Chummy & Peter, and even Trixie & Tom falling in love.

27 minutes ago, JudyObscure said:

The show was so much better when it was based on the real memoire and not modern writers trying to stuff enough tragedy for three episodes into one, just to up the tissue count.

I also think the earlier shows were better. Lately how some of the stories have been written haven't felt authentic to the period to me.

[SunnyBeBe]

Last night was the first time that I actually changed the channel a couple of times and went back later towards the end of the show.  I just wasn't in the mood to see that precious little boy abused.  What boxing gym would put a big boy boxing a tiny boy? Too annoying.  

And then there's the new head Sister with her annoying rules for the house.....oh my....just annoying to me.  I"m glad that things worked out in the end, but, I'm really hoping this is not a trend.  I love this show and hope things improve. 

So happy about Shelia!  I hope all goes well with her pregnancy. 

[Straycat80]

I'm so happy this show is back! 

The one downside was Sister Ursula. I really hope something happens where she isn't around for very long.

this was a somewhat depressing episode because of the domestic abuse story. And I would have kicked that mother out of my house! I'm glad there was a happy conclusion. 

And Shelagh is pregnant! 

[zoey1996]

At least we got happy endings, unlike some other episodes.  I thought of the one where the children are sent to Australia to be adopted, and with our knowledge now that many (most?) of those situations didn't turn out well.  I was glad the voiceover told how Trudy and her children went on to build a better life for the family, and broke the cycle of abuse that we saw with her mother.  Her mother was abused herself, but piled it on Trudy.  Trudy did well by escaping all that.

Either we'll learn more about Sister Ursula and how she came to be tapped to head Nonnatus House, and some of what is revealed will redeem her character somewhat, or she'll continue to be a beeyotch and they'll eventually be rid of her.  I hope.  What did Sister Julienne do that opposed Sr Ursula's authority?  Bringing the in-labor mother into the house instead of taking her to the hospital?  Sr Ursula did show a spark of compassion for Mickey, but that's not enough to redeem her in my eyes.

[Subrookie]

Did they not show the Christmas episode here in the US? It doesn't show up on my on demand and I had it set up for a series recording. I can't find it anywhere. 

[Calamity Jane]

2 hours ago, JudyObscure said:

I agree.  Didn't they use to have a little more lightness to balance the dark?  Bad things would happen sometimes with the patients and babies, but we always came back to a sense of stability and comfort at Nonnatus House. A few words from one of the older sisters would put things in perspective and then the nun's singing would leave us with a sense that all would come right.  Not anymore.  The promotion of Sister Ursula and demotion of our all knowing, kind Sister Julienne just pulled the rug out from under me.  The foundation of the show was lost.  After that was the horror of the domestic abuse, but it was little Sister Mary Cynthia's breakdown that  did me in and I just felt overwhelmed by grief. 

Maybe it's because I've been watching the re-runs on my local station, but I was suddenly aware of just how many wonderful characters we've lost; Jenny Lee, Sister Evangelina, and Chummy.  Those were major characters  and last night Trixie was missing so it felt even more like a group of relatively new people. 

To me, Barbara and Tom have zero chemistry and the ring story was just silly.  Didn't Trixie just make Tom promise not to give Barbara his mother's ring because she had always had to wear hand-me-downs?  She couldn't afford a swimsuit and now she can buy a diamond?  All just to save his pride? Lots of young couples start out with a tiny stone costing very little and if he (an Episcopalian minister!) couldn't afford even that, then they could do without.  I've been married twice and never had a diamond, it's not required. The whole storyline just felt contrived, sort of like a laboring, injured mother struggling to get out of a locked room and through the streets, to the midwives -- only to have her baby born covered in feces.  Really, writers?

The show was so much better when it was based on the real memoire and not modern writers trying to stuff enough tragedy for three episodes into one, just to up the tissue count.

We really need a "heart this" button here for posts like this.  

[attica]

11 hours ago, Fireball said:

While I also thought Trudy's husband was a nasty piece of work; I was actually more bothered by Trudy's own mother! Her total lack of concern that her son-in-law was hurting her daughter was chilling.

Sadly, this kind of dynamic isn't uncommon. Identification to the aggressor, and all that. Lots of people think that the person being beaten has it coming/asked for it, and take the side of the beater. Couple that with the patriarchal systems, and yeah, Trudy's pretty screwed. The v/o saying everything turned out swell for her was a clanging bit of 'not bloody likely' to me.

I love Harriet Walter. I do not worry: she'll be brought around by all the good sisters ere long. It will be transformative; I'll need tissues.

[OnceSane]

14 hours ago, graybrown bird said:

Is Patsy being written out of the series?

The actress had another project (movie, I think), but she hasn't been written out permanently.

12 hours ago, Fireball said:

While I also thought Trudy's husband was a nasty piece of work; I was actually more bothered by Trudy's own mother! Her total lack of concern that her son-in-law was hurting her daughter was chilling.  

She liked the money and power more than she loves her daughter or grandson.  Sad.

3 hours ago, JudyObscure said:

The show was so much better when it was based on the real memoire and not modern writers trying to stuff enough tragedy for three episodes into one, just to up the tissue count.

The writers aren't entirely on their own; in interviews, the writers said they had other midwives'  journals/memoirs from the time to help them with authenticity.

[Hero]

This show always makes me cry! Patsy is my favorite.

[StatisticalOutlier]

I can't chime in on the casting of Sister Ursula because I don't watch those other shows.

But to my inexperienced eye, the casting on Call the Midwife is amazing.  Who looked at the actress who plays Winifred, with all that gorgeous red hair, and thought, "Nun"? 

And that Mickey.  He didn't do much other than look at his mum and sit on the stairs and stand there with heavy boxing gloves on, so it was almost all how he looked, with those sad glasses and his little body.  No, wait.  He did say something:  "Thank you," with that little voice.  He was perfect for that part.

And I remember an episode a while back where I thought the newborn was particularly charming, and I don't even like babies.

I don't have a soft spot for nuns, either, but last night, in the scene with Sister Mary Cynthia, I actually thought that if I needed comforting, I could do a lot worse than Sister Julienne.

I think my favorite character right now is Phyllis.  I do have a soft spot for her.

[abbyzenn]

While I was a bit bored with this episode I was glad to see it back on TV because even it's worst episode is so much better than most everything else.  usually it seems there are 2 or 3 baby stories but this one just had Trudy's story or did I black out?

I thought Trudy's story was also a good reminder of the state of women at the time - her husband had the upper hand in a divorce and why would a man that just got out of prison, even if it wasn't for child abuse, be more eligible for custody than a wife who had a "problem" years ago.

I too was shocked to see the hair of the actress that plays Sister Winifred.  I'd like her to have more air time.  And Delia has so little air time I don't know why they even bother having her on the show.

[Fireball]

1 hour ago, attica said:

Sadly, this kind of dynamic isn't uncommon. Identification to the aggressor, and all that. Lots of people think that the person being beaten has it coming/asked for it, and take the side of the beater. Couple that with the patriarchal systems, and yeah, Trudy's pretty screwed. The v/o saying everything turned out swell for her was a clanging bit of 'not bloody likely' to me.

59 minutes ago, OnceSane said:

She liked the money and power more than she loves her daughter or grandson.  Sad.

I wasn't exactly surprised by the mother's attitude; it just bothered me.

[Calamity Jane]

My favorite moment was when one of the girls was trying to dial in Radio Luxembourg.  It was the only station for rock & roll when I was a teenager in Paris, besides a few hours a week on AFN (Armed Forces Network), and sometimes terribly hard to find for some reason.  Later on, there was Pirate Radio from a platform out in the Channel, so at least you had two sources for listening to popular music.  Nostalgia!

[Fireball]

48 minutes ago, abbyzenn said:

I thought Trudy's story was also a good reminder of the state of women at the time - her husband had the upper hand in a divorce and why would a man that just got out of prison, even if it wasn't for child abuse, be more eligible for custody than a wife who had a "problem" years ago.

Trudy's story felt very realistic to me. I'm not sure how realistic it was that she got away from her abusing husband and mother, but I'm glad that she did.

 

50 minutes ago, abbyzenn said:

I too was shocked to see the hair of the actress that plays Sister Winifred.  I'd like her to have more air time. 

Haha I misread that as you'd like to see her hair have more air time. The actress' hair was crazy; there was so much of it! The hair and outfit made me think of the 60's and hippies.  I don't know why but I assumed Sister Winifred's hair would be red.

 

51 minutes ago, abbyzenn said:

And Delia has so little air time I don't know why they even bother having her on the show.

I don't really know why the writers had Delia move into Nonnatus House if they aren't going to give her a real storyline. Is she a midwife now or is she still a nurse? I honestly can't remember and I can't remember if she was there when Phyllis was giving out assignments.

[OnceSane]

Delia is still a nursing student, IIRC.  She's also doing her midwifery training.

[GaT]

5 hours ago, JudyObscure said:

Maybe it's because I've been watching the re-runs on my local station, but I was suddenly aware of just how many wonderful characters we've lost; Jenny Lee, Sister Evangelina, and Chummy.  Those were major characters  and last night Trixie was missing so it felt even more like a group of relatively new people. 

 

Is Chummy permanently gone???? I thought it was just temporary.

[Kohola3]

Quote

Did they not show the Christmas episode here in the US? 

Yes, they did. Or at least my PBS station did. It aired Christmas night.

I can't believe the 180 I did on Phyllis.  The first time she showed up I was "lord, no".  But now I absolutely adore her.  A non-nun Sr. E!

[Fireball]

33 minutes ago, GaT said:

Is Chummy permanently gone???? I thought it was just temporary.

Replying in the Chummy thread:

[movingtargetgal]

In the very beginning of the show there was a shot of  Patrick teaching Timothy to shave.  It both warmed my heart and made me feel so old.  

[Fireball]

3 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

I can't believe the 180 I did on Phyllis.  The first time she showed up I was "lord, no".  But now I absolutely adore her.  A non-nun Sr. E!

I thought she would be another Sister Evangelina too. In a number of ways, she is like Sister Evangelina. However, I find Phyllis a nicer person than I found Sister Evangelina. That doesn't mean I disliked Sister Evangelina, but I find that I like Phyllis better.

[MissLucas]

5 hours ago, Fireball said:

 I don't know why but I assumed Sister Winifred's hair would be red.

Because her accent is Scottish? At least that's what it sounds like to me but I'm not a native speaker.

[Sarah 103]

On January 23, 2017 at 9:57 AM, flickers said:

Is the Shelagh actress pregnant in real life? Happy for the Turners, but if only infertile couples could be surprised in real life as often as it happens on TV! (and always after adopting...)

My understanding is that stress and pressure can make it harder for some woman to conceive. Once they are told a pregnancy is unlikely, and decide to adopt, the pressure is off. I don't have a medical/science background, so if this 100% wrong, I won't be insulted if someone with a better understanding corrects me. 

21 hours ago, Calvada said:

I kept thinking of how Sister Evangelina would have grabbed that appalling Lester by the ear and told him to shape up or else. 

 And those poor people with that measly lunch.  I can't imagine working where they controlled what I ate and how much I ate.   It seems this will be the season long arc - will Ursula's heart grow three sizes by the last episode?   I found myself humming, "She's a mean one, Sister Grinch!" 

Remember, Lester was "connected," which would have complicated things. I would have loved to see how fearless Sister Evangelina would be. What sort of favors/donations to the church would she turn down for a mother in need. As for the food, I thought they had larger meal at noon, and a smaller meal at dinner. Sister Ursula was changing it so that that still had the same amount of food, just a different order. 

6 hours ago, abbyzenn said:

I thought Trudy's story was also a good reminder of the state of women at the time - her husband had the upper hand in a divorce and why would a man that just got out of prison, even if it wasn't for child abuse, be more eligible for custody than a wife who had a "problem" years ago.

They didn't go into, but I'm assuming that because he was involved in organized crime, that changed things a little. He had connections and pulls. 

[Fireball]

21 minutes ago, Sarah 103 said:

My understanding is that stress and pressure can make it harder for some woman to conceive. Once they are told a pregnancy is unlikely, and decide to adopt, the pressure is off. I don't have a medical/science background, so if this 100% wrong, I won't be insulted if someone with a better understanding corrects me. 

This would be my understanding too that stress and pressure really can make it harder for some woman to conceive. My cousin and his wife kept trying for over a year to have a second child and it wasn't until they stopped trying so hard and decided that they would be ok with only one child that they got pregnant