S06.E04: Episode 4

[OnceSane]

Quote

A woman expecting her third child realises she cannot afford to care for her baby, so makes the painful decision to give it away to her wealthy but childless cousin. Shelagh befriends the woman in the next hospital bed and Dr Turner confides in Timothy about his worst fears. Sister Julienne looks for a new recruit to join the midwives, and the community prepares to celebrate the opening of a new park.

Edited May 1, 2017 by Drogo
Removed Unaired USA tag.

[MissLucas]

Bit of a mixed bag of an episode. I did not like how unsympathetic they made the cousin who wanted to adopt. Not only was she pushy and superficial (shows off her money, works in a beauty parlor, gets excited about doorbells) but she also did not believe in God! This show is normally more subtle. They did show her pain in the end and made sure Tom spoke with her husband about proper adoption. But it felt tagged on: "Oops my bad - better luck next time!" That said I loved how they brought Tom into the story-line, that was great.

Nurse Crane had some great reaction shots during the discussion of possible candidates. The nurse at the hospital was fantastic, I was kinda hoping they would hire her but I had been semi-spoiled about the lady at the pub. Timothy continues to be the most amazing teenager ever (not that I mind) and I love little Angela with her squirrel-phobia.

Edited February 12, 2017 by MissLucas

[bybrandy]

I do agree that the sister wasn't particularly sympathetic.  However, I really felt for her.  When the baby was just born and Dr. Turner was looking to see who to hand the baby over to I felt so bad.  Because I didn't want the mom to have to give up her baby but I didn't really want the aunt to lose out on this child that she wanted so desperately.  It was a really hard situation for both of them.  And while I certainly don't mind the mother going to get the baby, it doesn't really solve her financial problems.   It was a hard situation all the way around with nobody in a really great situation.   

I continue to wait for the polish to come off of Tim's halo just a bit.  Don't get me wrong.  I don't want a bratty, hoodlum Tim.  I'd just like to see him do something a 15 year old boy might do. Nothing bad just a mistake from not having as much life experience as an adult. 

But TIm and his dad and the beers and the darts?  Adorbs.  And Tim going to visit at the hospital... so sweet.   

I was pretty worried for how out of breath Trixie was at her Stay Fit course and really am glad it seems to be her just haing got out of condition on her trip.  It better just be her getting out of condition on her trip!

I wasn't spoiled about the new nurse but I really thought it was unlikely that they'd have her for just the one episode when she was such a large presence in that previous episode she was in.  

I need somebody to find Mary Cynthia and let me know she's alright.

And while I really felt for the woman who miscarried in this episode, always sucks when you see somebody suffer a loss over something more easily treated today.  I mean the treatment is very much the same but she probably wouldn't have had so many losses before the problem was diagnosed and there wouldn't have been hemming and hawing and waiting to decide if she might be graced with the stitch that would sustain her pregnancy now.  

I was a little relieved when her loss began because I thought it made it less likely that the Turners would suffer the same loss in this episode.  

[palmaire]

The vale of tears may be getting to me. I look at an episode in my playlist and feel like it's going to be a struggle to get through another one, what with the inevitable sadness and grief. In my mind the show had more humor in the earlier seasons but perhaps I'm misremembering.

I thought something more would be made of Sister Usurla's presence, but she was just kind of rigidly strict and then gone.

What with all the dire outcomes on this show, it's plausible to assume the worst about Trixie being out of breath, so I hope it was just her being a little out of shape. (Although that's kind of hard to buy with her having an active job and the exercises being very mild.)

I didn't mind the cousin who was adopting; she had her sorrows as well.

Quote

And while I certainly don't mind the mother going to get the baby, it doesn't really solve her financial problems.

Seriously. That was a huge cop-out for the show.

Edited February 15, 2017 by palmaire

[DropTheSoap]

I'm also wondering if out-of-breath Trixie isn't a setup for something dire. 

Also, I'm looking for the emergence of Terrible Tim Turner -- or at least age-appropriate goofing off. 

I liked being able to see more of Delia's personality when not revolving around Patsy. That said, I'd like to see the two together or at least some word. 

Phyllis seems to have put the fear of Nurse Crane into her scouts. 

I wish the nuances of the cousin/husband had been more apparent throughout. They grew personalities near the end. 

I liked seeing Shelagh in diagnostic mode, even if the doctor ignored her. Similarly, it was good to see Delia piping in with the midwifery knowledge. 

Not surprised Vera is coming aboard. I hope they can keep up her personality. 

[snowwhyte]

I'm slightly more concerned about Trixie given she is always shown puffing on those cigarettes. Dr. Turner had a lung cancer scare which led him to quit. As much as I want Trixie to get some happiness with this show a health scare isn't unlikely. 

[OnceSane]

I'm worried about Trixie too, we have quite a bit of drama/trauma with the younger set and I don't want her to be dealing with something as well as worried about Sister Mary Cynthia.

Speaking of Sister MC, that preview for the next episode has me even more scared for her than I was already.  I sincerely hope she's okay, but I don't think she is.

I felt for the woman who had a late miscarriage; if only the doctor had done the procedure immediately!  It may have been too late regardless, but I didn't get that feeling.  And I hope her dream comes true and she does have a successful pregnancy/delivery…same with Shelagh.

Delia is quickly coming into her own.  I feel like before she was mostly there to be Patsy's secret girlfriend, despite having goal and problems of her own, but now she's blossoming.  Loved her piping up when the doctor was on his rounds.

I'm okay with Tim being Mary Poppins (practically perfect in every way).  It is a bit unlikely, but I'll take it.  Maybe he's just grateful to have what he has and knows he's lucky.  IDK. I did love the beers and darts with Dr. Turner--those kind of moments are awesome.

[Gulftastic]

I'm waiting for Tom to go off to University and discover the permissive sixties.

[kieyra]

Something I haven't seen mentioned is the way the male obstetrician acted as overlord over the women's health, and the women were not allowed to participate in their own care. He was "prepared to consider" whether the one woman would be allowed to have the cervix procedure, and while taking his time considering, she miscarried. Even Sheilagh was quickly negged by him when she spoke up. Doctors playing "God" is a familiar theme, but it was still shocking to see how thoroughly the women were disregarded as actual people. 

(I don't work in medicine so I'm sure there's a flip side to this--it must be difficult to deal with people in pain and distress day in and day out. But there was a clear gender thing going on here too.)

[MissLucas]

1 hour ago, kieyra said:

Something I haven't seen mentioned is the way the male obstetrician acted as overlord over the women's health, and the women were not allowed to participate in their own care. He was "prepared to consider" whether the one woman would be allowed to have the cervix procedure, and while taking his time considering, she miscarried. Even Sheilagh was quickly negged by him when she spoke up. Doctors playing "God" is a familiar theme, but it was still shocking to see how thoroughly the women were disregarded as actual people. 

(I don't work in medicine so I'm sure there's a flip side to this--it must be difficult to deal with people in pain and distress day in and day out. But there was a clear gender thing going on here too.)

I'm sure we will return to this setting (which I think was pretty appropriate for the time - even a female doctor would have had to fight hard to get respect from colleagues). And I think we already got some taste of this stuff when Jenny had was working at the hospital back in an earlier season.

Remember when one of the young doctors came around with the interns (?) to have them gawk at Mrs Reed in episode 2 and Delia told him to get lost. He said that he was going to tell Mr Simkin about it (the obstetrician). I'm not sure but I think he was also among the group in this episode that did not know the correct answer when Delia got it right. So, sooner or later I expect there will be some conflict because 'Nurse oversteps her boundaries'.

[vesperholly]

Hated the whole adoption storyline. I find the "I want my baby back!" a hackneyed plot. Of course giving up your child is terribly difficult. The show was portraying that very nicely with depth and sensitivity. Zero problems were solved. That woman and her now-three children are going to end up on the street.

[Primetimer]

Marnie's husband scarpered and left her with two kids and a third on the way. Is he a bigger scumbag than Marnie's cousin, who basically wants to buy her baby?

View the full article

[wonderwoman]

One thing that stuck out was that in all the scenes with Sheilagh and her roommate that they never showed the woman's husband visiting her.

[Kohola3]

I had a hard time with this one.  I'm not sure why everyone was so set on Marnie keeping her baby. It's not as though she was allowing a stranger to adopt and she would never see the child again. Pushing her to hold and nurse the baby was just making things more difficult all around.  The kid would have had a much better life than ending up with his mom and siblings living on the street, for heaven's sake.  The sister and brother-in-law seemed genuinely nice and ready to love the child.  I was not at all happy with the outcome on this one.

Phyllis opining that young boys are violent - hee!

Doctor as God prevailed for many, many years.  As a young nurse I was expected to give up my chair if a doctor was in the chart room and needed a seat and that was in the 70's.  And God forbid questioning any of them.

[Amethyst]

On 2/12/2017 at 5:37 PM, MissLucas said:

I did not like how unsympathetic they made the cousin who wanted to adopt. Not only was she pushy and superficial (shows off her money, works in a beauty parlor, gets excited about doorbells) but she also did not believe in God! This show is normally more subtle.

ITA.  No subtlety at all and the whole thing came off as tone deaf.  As much as they tried to paint Dot as a snooty bitch, she was the one I felt sorry for in the end.  I completely understood that Marnie wanted to keep her baby, but she could barely afford the kids she had, let alone a newborn.  I kept waiting for one of the midwives to gently remind her why she was giving her baby to Dot in the first place, but instead, they just made the situation harder; encouraging Marnie to bond with the baby, feed him, and so forth.  I suspected the baby would end up with Marnie one way or another, like Dot and her husband realizing they didn't want kids after all.  Or Marnie coming into a convenient inheritance or a higher paying job.  But nope, no change.  Once the dust settles, Marnie and her kids will be worse off than before.

And when Dot and the staff came to take the baby and told Dot that Marnie was his mother, I wanted Dot to shoot back "So...what have I been the past few days?"  

[Driad]

Some TV show, maybe a couple of years ago, had a patient with an incompetent cervix, and they did the stitch that they were planning to do on this episode. Does anyone know what show that was?

[Fireball]

So this episode

I really didn't like the adoption story. All I can think is soooo Marnie couldn't afford 2 kids how in the world is she going to afford 3? Is Dot going to just keep paying her rent? Idk the story felt very heavy handed to me with "you should be rooting for the mother to keep her son".

Vera is going to be a midwife that was predictable. However, I thought she was a nurse in the war, so is she going to take some midwifery training? If she has to take training doesn't that defeat the purpose of hiring someone who knows what they are doing like Phyllis wanted. 

Shelagh is 36? I always thought she was older then that. I wonder how old Patrick is suppose to be?

Edited April 24, 2017 by Fireball
typed the wrong name

[howiveaddict]

2 hours ago, Kohola3 said:

 

I had a hard time with this one.  I'm not sure why everyone was so set on Marnie keeping her baby. It's not as though she was allowing a stranger to adopt and she would never

Doctor as God prevailed for many, many years.  As a young nurse I was expected to give up my chair if a doctor was in the chart room and needed a seat and that was in the 70's.  And God forbid questioning any of them.

 

I remember a fellow student nurse offered a doctor an ash tray, when he was smoking at the nurses station. He went off on her for that.  Remember stories of a certain physician throwing ice water on a nurse if she gave it to her cardiac patient.  Thank goodness things have changed and there is mostly mutual respect now.

I also wondered why Sheliagh's roomate's husband never visited. Especially after the miscarriage. Guess they didn't want to pay for another actor.

The relative taking the baby reminded me of a Jane Austen novel where a poorer relative gives one of their children to a richer relative to raise and make the child the heir.

Edited April 24, 2017 by howiveaddict

[AZChristian]

26 minutes ago, Driad said:

Some TV show, maybe a couple of years ago, had a patient with an incompetent cervix, and they did the stitch that they were planning to do on this episode. Does anyone know what show that was?

Anna Bates on Downton Abbey had it done.

11 minutes ago, Fireball said:

Vera is going to be a midwife that was predictable. However, I thought she was a nurse in the war, so is she going to take some midwifery training? If she has to take training doesn't that defeat the purpose of hiring someone who knows what they are doing like Phyllis wanted. 

I was only half watching, but I thought they particularly wanted someone to help with district nursing duties, which the midwives also have to do.  The other duties would involve chronic wound care, post-op visits, etc.  

And am I the only one with a wet face when Patrick and Shelagh heard the baby's heartbeat?

[TVFAN]

40 minutes ago, AZChristian said:

And am I the only one with a wet face when Patrick and Shelagh heard the baby's heartbeat?

A thousand times no!  I love that little family, and I was just so happy when they heard the heartbeat.  Heck, Timothy sneaking in to see her had me sniffling.  

Like others, I felt so very sorry for Dot.  No one was on her side.  The return of the baby could have been handled so much better.  It's a shame Shelagh was tied up with her own storyline tonight.  As an adoptive  mother, she would have been someone who could relate to Dot.

It has been nice to get to know Delia.  

[LittleIggy]

I felt really bad for Dot. As has been noted, it's not as if Marnie would never see the child again and, at the end, she was back to having three young children with no means of support. Dot and her husband were nice to give all the baby things they had bought to Marnie. I would like in a future episode to hear that they adopted a baby.

[GaT]

Not my favorite episode, like others have already said, I felt really bad for Dot & also that poor woman who lost another baby. I wonder what was wrong with it.

I was really, really hoping the black nurse was going to be the new midwife, I liked her.

[izabella]

I think it was Trixie that mentioned there was some kind of aid that Marnie could apply for but she hadn't done so.  Maybe we're supposed to assume that she now will apply?

[Ms Lark]

37 minutes ago, GaT said:

I was really, really hoping the black nurse was going to be the new midwife, I liked her.

Maybe she can go to work at the Turner's maternity clinic.

[Sarah 103]

On February 14, 2017 at 8:47 AM, bybrandy said:

 I continue to wait for the polish to come off of Tim's halo just a bit.  Don't get me wrong.  I don't want a bratty, hoodlum Tim.  I'd just like to see him do something a 15 year old boy might do. Nothing bad just a mistake from not having as much life experience as an adult. 

But TIm and his dad and the beers and the darts?  Adorbs.  And Tim going to visit at the hospital... so sweet.   

I agree with you. I don't want Tim to turn into some bratty horrible person who's constantly mouthing off and getting into trouble, but it would fun to see him do something stupid. I know he's busy, but he must have friends. Maybe they talk him into doing something that Tim knows is a bad idea, but he does it anyway because he was just so tired of being good. Patrick would get mad and punish him, but later would understand and tell him about the stupid thing he did when he was about that age. Tim's punishment would still stand. 

I loved Tim and Patrick playing darts and drinking beer for many reasons. One reason was that it was fun to see two normally serious characters kicking back and having fun. A second reason was that it was a way for Patrick to show that he understands and realizes that Tim is getting older. A third reason was that it showed that Patrick was willing to spend some time with his son one on one, which Tim hinted at and Patrick picked up on the hint.  

On February 14, 2017 at 8:15 PM, DropTheSoap said:

Also, I'm looking for the emergence of Terrible Tim Turner -- or at least age-appropriate goofing off. 

Me too. I really hope they have him do something, even if it's as tame as sneaking into a movie. I get they don't want to totally change the character, and I love the character the way he is, but everyone does something stupid at some point, and he's at an age when doing something stupid is pretty common. I could see his classmates talk him into doing something stupid to impress a girl. 

On February 16, 2017 at 11:58 AM, Gulftastic said:

I'm waiting for Tom to go off to University and discover the permissive sixties.

He'll be going off to college in about '65, so he'll be old enough to enjoy the height of Swinging Sixties. Of couse, Tim would probably be studying very hard, but I'd like to think he would still have a social life, and go to the occasional rock concert. 

2 hours ago, Fireball said:

Vera is going to be a midwife that was predictable. However, I thought she was a nurse in the war, so is she going to take some midwifery training? If she has to take training doesn't that defeat the purpose of hiring someone who knows what they are doing like Phyllis wanted. 

If Vera is a trained nurse, she could still do district rounds which would free up someone else to handle deliveries and the other specialized duties of a midwife. 

2 hours ago, AZChristian said:

I was only half watching, but I thought they particularly wanted someone to help with district nursing duties, which the midwives also have to do.  The other duties would involve chronic wound care, post-op visits, etc.  

That's exactly what I thought. 

[caitmcg]

Phyllis objected to the male candidate who responded to the placement ad because he wouldn't be able to do midwifery duties, and when Sister Julienne brought up district nursing, Phyllis pointed out that 50 percent of their time is spent on midwifery, and nixed men for that reason. So it did seem they didn't want someone with no midwifery training, even though I assumed all along that the new nurse would end up being Vera in the end. 

[txhorns79]

Quote

Also, I'm looking for the emergence of Terrible Tim Turner -- or at least age-appropriate goofing off. 

I've seen this comment a lot, and I really do not understand it.  Some teenagers are awful, some aren't.  I view Tim as someone who has already been through a lot in his life, and is probably more mature for it.  I think it's nice to see a generally well behaved kid on television, and I don't really want to see him turn into a stereotype of a teenager.  Besides, the last thing this show needs is a regular character that is an angsty teenager.  I mean, the show is Call the Midwife, not My So Called Midwife.     

Edited April 24, 2017 by txhorns79

[Fireball]

Couple of other thoughts.

Is this the first we've heard that Tom was adopted? I feel like it isn't, but I really can't remember.

I could not read Barbara expression when Tom was talking about being adopted. Was it 1) omg you were adopted why didn't I know this or 2) concern that Tom was talking about something he found difficult. I really couldn't tell what her expression was conveying.

I know this is a bit odd, but it bothered me that Barbara was shown walking around serving everyone at the table food/dessert. I can't remember when someone has ever been shown walking around serving the food. To me, it felt like see Barbara is going to be such a good wife she'll be seen and not heard! I get that she had no connection to the child being adopted, but why couldn't she have been just sitting at the table while the discussion was going on? I'll admit that my annoyance most likely steams from my annoyance with the writers and how they have handled Barbara. 

At the end when Patrick and Shelagh were in the car was that suppose to indicate the Shelagh was out of the woods and could go home? I'm guessing she was just going to the celebration, but I thought it was imperative that she stay in bed.

Also is it Shelagh or Sheliagh?

6 hours ago, caitmcg said:

Phyllis objected to the male candidate who responded to the placement ad because he wouldn't be able to do midwifery duties, and when Sister Julienne brought up district nursing, Phyllis pointed out that 50 percent of their time is spent on midwifery, and nixed men for that reason. So it did seem they didn't want someone with no midwifery training, even though I assumed all along that the new nurse would end up being Vera in the end. 

This is how I interpreted it. It totally seemed to me that they didn't want someone with no midwifery training and it didn't seem like Vera had any. 

On ‎2‎/‎14‎/‎2017 at 2:16 PM, palmaire said:

I thought something more would be made of Sister Usurla's presence, but she was just kind of rigidly strict and then gone.

Sister Ursula really doesn't seem to have had a point. The house has gotten funds to hire a new midwife something I doubt would happen if things were as bad as Sister Ursula was implying. 

On ‎2‎/‎14‎/‎2017 at 6:15 PM, DropTheSoap said:

Phyllis seems to have put the fear of Nurse Crane into her scouts. 

More leaders need to do that; seriously I have meet so many out of controlled Boy Scoots it isn't funny. Pushing people while on a narrow/dangerous hiking trail, destroying things that aren't theirs, and just overall being rude. Now I know not all Boy Scoots are like that, but my experiences with them haven't been the greatest.  

[Badger]

10 hours ago, Fireball said:

So this episode

I really didn't like the adoption story. All I can think is soooo Marnie couldn't afford 2 kids how in the world is she going to afford 3? Is the Dot going to just keep paying her rent? Idk the story felt very heavy handed to me with "you should be rooting for the mother to keep her son".

Vera is going to be a midwife that was predictable. However, I thought she was a nurse in the war, so is she going to take some midwifery training? If she has to take training doesn't that defeat the purpose of hiring someone who knows what they are doing like Phyllis wanted. 

Shelagh is 36? I always thought she was older then that. I wonder how old Patrick is suppose to be?

 

I remember in the Christmas episode where Chummy worked at the Mother and Baby Home (not sure what it was actually called, but it was for "unwed mothers") there was a girl who said something catty about Shelagh marrying a man who was 8 years older than her as though Dr. Turner was old and decrepit

.

[marceline]

Once again, I'm confused about what message the show was trying to send with the adoption. We were apparently supposed to see Godless Dot as the villain but I found her to be really supportive. The way she stayed there with Marnie during labor and cheered her on was lovely and we saw she was absolutely devoted to the baby.

I have to give the show credit for not shying away from the medicine. Marnie's birth with the forceps, the episiotomy (you could hear the snip and see blood on the instrument when Dr. Turner put it back on the tray), the bruises on the baby's face from the forceps, etc...but the thing that I couldn't stop cringing at was when the doctor was examining Shelagh's roommate. There she was with her legs in these elevated stirrups being looked at by the doctor and the medical students. Even when he was explaining what the procedure would be she was still there exposed when the decent thing would've been to let her cover up or sit up instead of being splayed out there like a rotisserie chicken. It was horrible. (Kudos to the blocking on that scene.)

Edited April 26, 2017 by marceline

[Ohwell]

I didn't like the way Dot was shown as the godless villain, but on the other hand, I kept screaming at Marnie, "Keep your baby!" so I was happy when she did.  I think at the end, she was determined to make a life for her three children.  I don't think they'll be living on the street either. 

Also, as much as Dot wanted to take care of Marnie's baby, I don't think that Dot ever considered how difficult it would be for Marnie.  As the child grew up, she would have to pretend to be it's "aunt" instead of its mother, and her children would never know that they were visiting their brother, and not their cousin.  

[Fireball]

2 hours ago, marceline said:

Once again, I'm confused about what message the show was trying to send with the adoption. We were apparently supposed to see Godless Dot as the villain but I found her to be really supportive. The way she stayed there with Marnie during labor and cheered her on was lovely and we saw she was absolutely devoted to the baby.

I think we were suppose to view Dot (was she a cousin or sister?) as a villain: she was pushy, materialistic, and godless!  Any God-Fearing-Relative would have helped Marnie out financially without wanting a child in return. I know I was suppose to be all happy when Marnie came to get Andrew, but I still don't see how she's going to survive financially. From what I saw her financial situation hasn't changed she just now has three kids to take care of instead of two.

I feel like if this storyline had taken place in the earlier seasons that the show would have handled it so much better.

Edited April 24, 2017 by Fireball

[anna0852]

Yeah, that adoption story was a fail. Doesn't being a parent mean doing what is best for your kids, even when you don't like it yourself? Like knowing the medical procedure that is going to save their life will also be be extremely painful and knowing the procedure has to be done. I vividly remember my mother holding me (age 4) down while I screamed for the doctors to stop, because I need the treatment or I would die. My mother breaks down in tears remembering that but what was she supposed to do?

Same thing here. And it's not just what is best for the baby but what is best for her two existing kids as well. She couldn't support two of them, let alone three. There was no mention of her working once she recovered or anything. Is she expecting Dot and her husband to just support them? That makes Marnie as materialistic as we were *supposed* to see Dot.

That baby was going to have a loving home with devoted parents. It's not about what they could provide, they were very clearly head-over-heels in love that that child from the get-go. Marnie wasn't choosing what was best for her children, she was choosing what was best for herself.

[proserpina65]

On ‎02‎/‎24‎/‎2017 at 8:20 PM, vesperholly said:

Hated the whole adoption storyline. I find the "I want my baby back!" a hackneyed plot. Of course giving up your child is terribly difficult. The show was portraying that very nicely with depth and sensitivity. Zero problems were solved. That woman and her now-three children are going to end up on the street.

Given that the cousin's husband had brought all the baby stuff to Marnie's flat, I don't think he and the cousin will be asking for a repayment of the money they gave her to pay off her bills.  I don't think they'll end up on the street now.

13 hours ago, Driad said:

Some TV show, maybe a couple of years ago, had a patient with an incompetent cervix, and they did the stitch that they were planning to do on this episode. Does anyone know what show that was?

Downton Abbey

[Fireball]

2 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

Given that the cousin's husband had brought all the baby stuff to Marnie's flat, I don't think he and the cousin will be asking for a repayment of the money they gave her to pay off her bills.  I don't think they'll end up on the street now.

I agree that Dot & Husband asking for the money back is unlikely, but what happens when Marnie needs to pay the rent next month? I don't see how Marnie's financial problems are solved. She and the kids might not end up on the street this month or next month, but unless Marnie gets a better paying job at some point she's going to be right back where she was at the beginning of this episode. I guess we're suppose to assume she'll get some government aid that she was to proud to take before.

[proserpina65]

Just now, Fireball said:

I agree that Dot & Husband asking for the money back is unlikely, but what happens when Marnie needs to pay the rent next month? I don't see how Marnie's financial problems are solved. She and the kids might not end up on the street this month or next month, but unless Marnie gets a better paying job at some point she's going to be right back where she was at the beginning of this episode. I guess we're suppose to assume she'll get some government aid that she was to proud to take before.

That was the assumption I made, that she'd be willing to accept help now.

And unlike a lot of you here, I didn't think the cousin was being portrayed as a villain.  Yes, she seemed a little unsympathetic at first, but as the episode went on, I thought she warmed up.

[cardigirl]

I really wish previouslytv would provide a transcript to go along with the podcasts. I miss reading the recaps.

[MaryHedwig]

Quote

I know I was suppose to be all happy when Marnie come to get Andrew, but I still don't see how she's going to survive financially.

We really needed Old Jenny/Vanessa Redgrave's voiceover at the end to let us know what Marnie's next step was going to be.

[AZChristian]

The whole Marni/third baby/rich cousin story seemed to be a lesson in "sometimes, there is no perfect ending."  I felt sorry for the whole situation.

[Fireball]

3 hours ago, Badger said:

I remember in the Christmas episode where Chummy worked at the Mother and Baby Home (not sure what it was actually called, but it was for "unwed mothers") there was a girl who said something catty about Shelagh marrying a man who was 8 years older than her as though Dr. Turner was old and decrepit.

Ok I laughed out loud with the image of someone being horrified that someone married a man 8 years older! Gasp the horror!!!! I always assumed Patrick was quite a bit older like 10+ years older then Shelagh.  Anyway so that would make Patrick 44 which isn't old, but imo the actor looks his real life age of 54.

[SunnyBeBe]

Why does this show annoy me so much now?  lol   I suppose the writers have changed, right?  They just seem to miss some things that to me are so obvious.  Like the adoption story.  These normally sensitive midwives are in complete denial about the patient's decision to place her child for adoption.  Certainly, it happens and who would be so cruel to keep pushing the mother to bond.  I mean, it's NOT the midwife's decision.  Then to stand around with a look of disappointment.  So bizarre.  What a disservice.   Adoptions can absolutely be the best option for a family and the child.  Lazy writing, imo.  I'll

I'll repeat my question from last week.  Does anyone know who keeps the Dr. and Shelagh's young daughter when they are at work during the day?

[Fireball]

10 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

Why does this show annoy me so much now?  lol   I suppose the writers have changed, right? 

Idk but I'm right there with you; I find that I don't enjoy the show as much as I use to. Don't get me wrong a bad episode is still better than most other shows, but I feel the writers have missed the mark a lot with storylines, potential storylines, or with having people act in an authentic manner for the time period.

16 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I'll repeat my question from last week.  Does anyone know who keeps the Dr. and Shelagh's young daughter when they are at work during the day?

I have no idea where the daughter goes when Patrick and Shelagh are at work. She's to young to be going to school. I guess I'll hand wave it and say that she goes and stays with Chummy and Young Sir. 

[Mindthinkr]

My favorite scene is when the two bedridden women were discussing what it's like to feel your baby moving in utero. "It feels like a goldfish in a bowl kicking up his little fins". That fluttering first feeling well described. 

Loved the adult moment between Dr Turner and his son Tim when he brought pub offerings home. Pork scratchings? I would have thought crisps! 

Edited April 24, 2017 by Mindthinkr
Added a second comment.

[caitmcg]

10 minutes ago, Fireball said:

I have no idea where the daughter goes when Patrick and Shelagh are at work. She's to young to be going to school. I guess I'll hand wave it and say that she goes and stays with Chummy and Young Sir. 

They established in this episode that a Mrs Someone was at their house with her when the parents are away. She was mentioned when Patrick and Tim were discussing what was for dinner (that she'd left) in the first scene at home, and Patrick told Tim he'd sent her home when Tim returned from visiting Shelagh in the the hospital.

[MaryHedwig]

Quote

I have no idea where the daughter goes when Patrick and Shelagh are at work. She's to young to be going to school. I guess I'll hand wave it and say that she goes and stays with Chummy and Young Sir.

This seems to be a challenge on many TV shows. Whose watching the kids? I Love Lucy solved the problem with this throw-away line: "Little Ricky's over at Mrs. Trumbull's."

Edited April 24, 2017 by MaryHedwig

[Brattinella]

I was unhappy how the midwives kept pushing Mom and baby to bond; that is NOT their purview! There is nothing inherently shameful with adopting out one's child if it will better for the baby!  Her sister and BIL loved that child and would have given it a fine life.   I have to agree with  SunnyBeBe that it is lazy writing to blame.  One of my pet peeves in all of television. 

[Beldasnoop]

2 hours ago, Fireball said:

Ok I laughed out loud with the image of someone being horrified that someone married a man 8 years older! Gasp the horror!!!! I always assumed Patrick was quite a bit older like 10+ years older then Shelagh.  Anyway so that would make Patrick 44 which isn't old, but imo the actor looks his real life age of 54.

I just checked my DVD, and her exact wording is actually "he's years older than her". Avril (the girl in that Christmas special) wouldn't have known how old they were specifically so she's probably just going by sight (he looks a lot older).  Doctor Turner's Casebook (a companion book to the show written by Stephen McGann which focuses on the medical aspects about the show) has a foreword by Heidi Thomas (the show's main writer) that gives Patrick's birth year as 1909. So he would be 53 in 1962 (or possibly 52 during this episode depending on what month he was born). If Shelagh is 36 in July 1962 (the chariot race poster says it's July), then depending on what month she was born, her birth year is either 1925 or 1926. That makes a roughly 17 year age gap (give or take a few months) between the characters. 

Editing to add about this episode--I also did not think that Dot was being portrayed as a villain. It was difficult for everyone, but I did end up having a little more sympathy for Dot at the end of the episode.

Edited April 24, 2017 by Beldasnoop

[zoey1996]

I didn't think they were pushing her to bond, but rather to have no regrets, no "if only I'd gotten to see/hold the baby" moments after the adoption.

And now that Marnie's no longer pregnant, and child care is available for the children, I think the assumption is that Marnie will be able to work to make some money, like the woman a couple of episodes ago who was able to get a council flat in another area, and get a job that paid enough that she and her children could get by.  Marnie's husband left her in the lurch, with no money of her own.

I did really feel for cousin Dot and her husband.  They were so sweet, holding and feeding young Andrew Thomas.  It really is one of those situations where no solution would be completely satisfactory to all parties.

Can anyone explain registering the baby's birth with the council?  Is that what's done in England?

As an adopted person myself, I sort of knew what Tom was feeling.  There are no pictures of me that I've seen when I was less than a couple of months old, and none that exist from when I was in foster care until I was 18 months, when I was adopted.  

[Fireball]

7 minutes ago, Beldasnoop said:

 Patrick's birth year as 1909. So he would be 53 in 1962 (or possibly 52 during this episode depending on what month he was born). If Shelagh is 36 in July 1962 (the chariot race poster says it's July), then depending on what month she was born, her birth year is either 1925 or 1926. That makes a roughly 17 year age gap (give or take a few months) between the characters. 

Patrick being in his 50's works better for me like I said the actor to me looks his age. So a 17 year age gap that's higher than I was thinking; I was thinking around 12.  Thanks for looking the info up.

[Clanstarling]

2 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

That was the assumption I made, that she'd be willing to accept help now.

And unlike a lot of you here, I didn't think the cousin was being portrayed as a villain.  Yes, she seemed a little unsympathetic at first, but as the episode went on, I thought she warmed up.

I think, in so some ways, we were seeing the cousin through Marnie's eyes. I had very different expectations because of my family background. My father and his siblings were shuttled around to different relatives when times were hard for his parents. So at first I thought, given the fuss about the older boy, that she'd take care of the older kids for a while. On the other hand, my mother gave up one of her sons for adoption to friends of hers when she was in a similar situation. The pain of it must have been staggering.

I'm not quite sure why they were all so shocked about it - women have had to do this to save their children forever.