S07.E01: Episode 1

[JudyObscure]

2 hours ago, marceline said:

 

I cannot for the life of understand why the show treats Sister Winifred as comedy relief. They really don't seem to know what to do with her.

Not only comedy relief but one note comedy -- we get it, she can't drive.  It's particularly not funny considering all the pedestrians and children around.  Of course, for all we know, in the UK version, she's having a torrid affair with a priest, is leading a coven,  and does abortions in the kitchen after hours.

[Willowsmom]

The stripper said she had been saving to take time off when the baby came. It may have been enough for a downpayment.

[AZChristian]

1 hour ago, Rap541 said:

. . . she somehow had enough money to buy out a dance school and had the necessary dance instruction to run the dance school... but was also desperate to be paid for her last few strips.

• She sold her fur coat to pay for the dance school (but it's a whole different issue as to just how many tips she must have gotten - and for what - to buy a real mink coat.
• She took dance lessons as a child, so "Toddler Tap" and "Baby Ballet" wouldn't have been a major issue.  One would assume that the parents of her students wouldn't have high expectations of their little ones going straight to the London Ballet.  And think about this:  Whitney Thore (with no demonstrated skill) teaches "dance" in her Big Girls Dance Class.  (Actually, she sits on a chair in the corner and tells others what to do, but that's because she is physically unable to do the basic steps required.)  
• She earned that money for her last few strips.  I think her demands for the money signified that she was not going to be taken advantage of any more.

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's Previously.TV's EPIC OLD-SCHOOL RECAP!

Call The Midwife Welcomes A New Nurse To Nonnatus House

And: is Trixie preparing for an early sexual revolution?

[Ina123]

1 hour ago, AZChristian said:

• She sold her fur coat to pay for the dance school (but it's a whole different issue as to just how many tips she must have gotten - and for what - to buy a real mink coat.
• ...
• She earned that money for her last few strips.  I think her demands for the money signified that she was not going to be taken advantage of any more.

The coat could have been a gift from an "admirer".

She went back for the money to get some dignity back.

[Driad]

Dance school: we could fanwank that she did not buy the building, but paid for the "goodwill" of being the official successor. The ongoing expenses (rent, salaries, etc.) could come out of payments from students. With luck some experienced teachers would stay on to teach the more advanced classes. Some dance schools take students as young as 18 months, so whatever dance moves she remembered might be enough for a beginner class.

[KariLois]

I liked the way they portrayed Jewish people in this episode. It was subtle. No maudlin yelling or strategically place Judaica. I caught early on that the couple was Jewish, but it wasn’t completely obvious in the beginning. Also, I should the show implying that Officer Walrus is also Jewish? He did comment about his grandparent fleeing Russia, so it would make sense.

[proserpina65]

On 3/26/2018 at 5:24 PM, jschoolgirl said:

Who said that? The policeman?

OmeletsMom beat me to it.  That line was in the recap.  I wasn't bothered by the policeman or the workers being unhappy about them still being in the building because they didn't know the woman was dying.  And yes, it was holding up their work.  I didn't even mind that the daughter wanted her parents to move in with her, because of course she wanted them with her so she could take care of them.  It was the attitude in the recap which offended me, that the dying woman was deliberately trying to make the lives of her daughter, the workmen and the police officer more difficult.  I will go on record as not carrying for the recaps.

Edited March 28, 2018 by proserpina65

[proserpina65]

11 hours ago, JudyObscure said:

What seemed odd to me, was that this was not presented as an outlier ("Oh  how very odd!")  but a new wave that the midwives were going to encourage and teach in their classes.

I think, from the reaction of the other women at the class, and from the reactions of the older midwives at Nonnatus House, it was very much an outlier.  They seemed pretty surprised by the suggestion.

6 hours ago, Driad said:

Dance school: we could fanwank that she did not buy the building, but paid for the "goodwill" of being the official successor. The ongoing expenses (rent, salaries, etc.) could come out of payments from students. With luck some experienced teachers would stay on to teach the more advanced classes. Some dance schools take students as young as 18 months, so whatever dance moves she remembered might be enough for a beginner class.

She clearly didn't buy the building, just the business.  Valerie made a comment about the dance school now being in the same community center building that the nuns/midwives use for their clinics.  I didn't catch on that the stripper had been working somewhere else, but since that was the case, she can probably hide that.  And I guess she could explain the baby with a dead husband.  Seems a little far-fetched, but since the internet didn't exist at the time, it's possible.  I mean, women did manage to pass off their daughter's babies as their own.

[bunnyblue]

Mr. and Mrs. Gelin were so heartbreaking. Whenever the show does these episodes where an elderly spouse deals with the impending death of their life partner, it just tugs at my heartstrings. Poor Mr. Gelin: losing his wife and his home within days of each other. Poor Mrs. Gelin seemed so proud of her son the "eye doctor in Florida, America". And, of course, Phyllis was the perfect mix of professional and comforting to the family. But I couldn't help but feel sad for her when she returned to Nonnatus House after Mrs. Gelin died: she looked so tired and old, and I wondered who would sit with her when her time comes? I don't think she's ever spoken of any immediate family.

It's always nice to see Reggie, and his "I'm scared" and look out of the back windshield was pretty funny. 

How long has Sister Winifred been practicing for her driving exam? It seems like years, and she's neither taken the test nor does she appear to be a very good driver. And once she's licensed, what car will she drive? Do nuns get paid, lol?

I'm not surprised to learn Trixie is a virgin; she's had plenty of beaus but she's never spoken in a way that implies she's slept with any of them. I actually think all the nurses have been virgins while working at Nonnatus. Well, except for Phyllis and maybe Jenny. Maybe.

Edited March 28, 2018 by bunnyblue

[txhorns79]

Quote

Poor Mr. Gelin: losing his wife and his home within days of each other.

In fairness, given where they were in the demolition process, the Gelin's probably lost their home months before the wife even began to feel ill.

Quote

I'm not surprised to learn Trixie is a virgin; she's had plenty of beaus but she's never spoken in a way that implies she's slept with any of them.

 

How old is Trixie supposed to be at this point? 

[sigmaforce86]

On 1/21/2018 at 8:17 PM, OnceSane said:

Lucille is already fitting in nicely, despite her tough journey to Nonnatus House.  I liked that the other midwives discussed some of the difficulty and racism she may face and that Phyllis was the first to say she'd stop it in its tracks.  Ugh, bladder infection…that had to be super rough.  I did appreciate her hopping up when it was clearly "all hands to the pump".  She did wonderfully helping Trixie with the breech birth and seemed more confident than Chummy or Jenny when they first began.

I think we confirmed the AA meeting was cut out of the US airing.  But was the nurses discussion of possible racism also cut or did I miss it?  If it was cut that's a really bad choice by PBS.  The midwives and nuns accepted Lucille immediately which I loved but it's not realistic to thing that all of Poplar will do the same so of all things that would be relevant to future episodes having them talk about how she'll be received should be top of the list.  Hoping I just zoned out for a minute and missed it.

Sort of shallow compared to everything going on in the episode but I loved the all red outfit that Lucille was wearing when she arrived.

On 3/26/2018 at 11:30 AM, JudyObscure said:

Another thing that brought me up short was Trixie whispering about being a virgin as though that was something shocking and slightly shameful.  Even now, I don't think of that as something she needed to overcome.  If she wants to wait for marriage why shouldn't she?

I guess I saw it a little differently, that she wasn't ashamed of being a virgin just that sexual status or experience wasn't something you talked about in public even to friends like Valerie.  Sort of like last season when they had the contraceptive clinic and Shelagh pointed out that mothers would be coming in the front door for their post-natal checkups then going outside and around the building to go in the side door for their birth control.  Everybody pretty much knows what they're doing but they don't talk about it.

Loved seeing Reggie and I already like Lucille.  She seems very religious and I wonder if that's going to play into future episodes - which is fine as long as they don't go with her wanting to be a nun also (I doubt they will just hoping they won't since it would be a rehash of Cynthia without the mental illness).  Is it wrong though that while I don't miss Jenny Lee at all I still really, really miss Chummy?

The new police sargent is growing on me, still wondering if they're heading toward a relationship with him and Phyllis.  Even if they're not going to get involved her idea to split the strudel with him was lovely.

[JudyObscure]

7 hours ago, bunnyblue said:

I'm not surprised to learn Trixie is a virgin; she's had plenty of beaus but she's never spoken in a way that implies she's slept with any of them. I actually think all the nurses have been virgins while working at Nonnatus. Well, except for Phyllis and maybe Jenny. Maybe.

I remember when Trixie had a date with a TV star and was shocked and hurt when he made a rough pass at her. That, plus the standards of the day, made me assume that she was a virgin.  I was surprised that she seemed to feel the need to push past her inhibitions to have a sexual relationship with her current man. 

I think Trixie is one of the most well developed characters in the show.  I've always liked the dichotomy of her rather flamboyant style contrasted with her rather straight laced personal standards.  In the episode where she held a pretend beauty salon for the children who had lice, we learned that Trixie had grown up in poverty and had to wear her hair skinned because of lice and dress in ragged clothes.  I thought that explained not only her vast wardrobe today but also the way she held herself to a strict morality and rules of conduct.  To me that was all part of her effort to rise above her background.

[MissLucas]

7 hours ago, bunnyblue said:

I'm not surprised to learn Trixie is a virgin; she's had plenty of beaus but she's never spoken in a way that implies she's slept with any of them. I actually think all the nurses have been virgins while working at Nonnatus. Well, except for Phyllis and maybe Jenny. Maybe.

I think I remember Chummy telling 'Mater' that marrying in white was out of the question. That seems to imply that we have to add her to the list.

[Ceindreadh]

58 minutes ago, MissLucas said:

I think I remember Chummy telling 'Mater' that marrying in white was out of the question. That seems to imply that we have to add her to the list.

Yes, but that was only after she showed up at the police station to tell her boyfriend “underneath this coat I’m practically naked”. Before that she would have been ‘eligible’ to wear white. 

[Clanstarling]

6 minutes ago, Ceindreadh said:

Yes, but that was only after she showed up at the police station to tell her boyfriend “underneath this coat I’m practically naked”. Before that she would have been ‘eligible’ to wear white. 

I remember that, but I don't remember that it was her maiden flight, as it were. But that was a long time ago, and my memory isn't what it used to be.

[Ceindreadh]

1 minute ago, Clanstarling said:

I remember that, but I don't remember that it was her maiden flight, as it were. But that was a long time ago, and my memory isn't what it used to be.

To be fair, I don’t think it was ever mentioned one way or the other prior to that point. But I always got the impression that this had been Chummy’s first serious boyfriend. 

[Clanstarling]

4 minutes ago, Ceindreadh said:

To be fair, I don’t think it was ever mentioned one way or the other prior to that point. But I always got the impression that this had been Chummy’s first serious boyfriend. 

Valid point. Chummy was a bit of a clumsy, awkward girl. Though the going to the station "practically naked" <wearing a slip?> isn't a shrinking voilet's move.

Edited March 28, 2018 by Clanstarling

[Willowsmom]

What would be interesting is if Lucille is some religion besides Anglican, something that would conflict with the nuns.

Edited March 28, 2018 by Willowsmom

[Ceindreadh]

1 hour ago, Clanstarling said:

Valid point. Chummy was a bit of a clumsy, awkward girl. Though the going to the station "practically naked" <wearing a slip?> isn't a shrinking voilet's move.

True enough! 

[JeanneH]

This episode had some great vocal music across the board. First off, some classic 60's girl group courtesy The Chiffons (He's So Fine). About mid-episode we hear the nuns singing in church, and at the end the Jewish funeral service. Amazing.

 

How many nuns were singing? I thought I saw 6 or 7, but aren't there only 3 on the show? I liked how Nurse thanked Sgt Wolfe for stopping the demolition by sharing Mr Gelin's strudel at the end. Nice touch.

Edited March 28, 2018 by JeanneH

[MissLucas]

50 minutes ago, JeanneH said:

How many nuns were singing? I thought I saw 6 or 7, but aren't there only 3 on the show? 

 

The additional nuns you see during service are choir nuns - I once posted a lengthy explanation in a thread that I can't find anymore. To keep it short: one of the core principles of a monastic community is to keep the canonical hours/daily office: Prayers and hymns that have to be recited at regular intervals. The sisters working as midwives/nurses have of course other conflicting duties - it's the choir nuns 'job' to make sure the canonical hours are kept. Realistically they'd also take care of house-keeping, gardening etc. but since there are just so many speaking parts on the show we never get to see them outside the chapel.

Edited March 28, 2018 by MissLucas

[OnceSane]

16 hours ago, bunnyblue said:

How long has Sister Winifred been practicing for her driving exam? It seems like years, and she's neither taken the test nor does she appear to be a very good driver.

She started lessons in season 6.  I don't remember which episode, but I'd guess it's been less than a year.

[angora]

16 hours ago, bunnyblue said:

I actually think all the nurses have been virgins while working at Nonnatus. Well, except for Phyllis and maybe Jenny. Maybe.

Don't forget Patsy and Delia!

[JeanneH]

6 hours ago, MissLucas said:

The additional nuns you see during service are choir nuns - I once posted a lengthy explanation in a thread that I can't find anymore. To keep it short: one of the core principles of a monastic community is to keep the canonical hours/daily office: Prayers and hymns that have to be recited at regular intervals. The sisters working as midwives/nurses have of course other conflicting duties - it's the choir nuns 'job' to make sure the canonical hours are kept. Realistically they'd also take care of house-keeping, gardening etc. but since there are just so many speaking parts on the show we never get to see them outside the chapel.

Thank you. That is a very interesting explanation, especially for me as I've had very little exposure to nuns of any type or faith. Oddly enough, the one nun I have had the most exposure to was while I was in high school. Sister Nancy was a high school basketball referee.

[LadyChaos]

Anyway we can see the episodes that are in the UK.....instead of the ones in the US?

[Brookside]

4 hours ago, LadyChaos said:

Anyway we can see the episodes that are in the UK.....instead of the ones in the US?

Perhaps through your library?

[LadyChaos]

10 hours ago, Brookside said:

Perhaps through your library?

I stream here....we were watching the episodes through PBS streaming and it was the cut version.  So, I think I will likely have to buy it.

[Bostongirl]

I'm a recovering addict, I feel like Trixie is going to relapse soon, it's usually when things are going well that you forget to focus on your recovery. Then even a small setback in your life and you relapse. 

[Fireball]

Work makes it hard to find time to post. But after the first episode I'm kind of so so if I'll keep watching. If it's on at a decent hour I'll watch, but if it's on at 10:00 I won't be watching.  I've been having a hard time for a while with the show. I still like it, but I feel like I have to shut off my brain a bit. For example: the  stripper keeping the baby girl and taking over the dance study that she attended as a child while sweet it isn't very realistic. Is she going to lie and say the father died? I can't see any mother sending their daughters to take dancing lessons from a stripper who had a baby out of wedlock. I also can't see how the women would be able to keep her past a secret in a place like Popular.

On ‎3‎/‎26‎/‎2018 at 9:30 AM, JudyObscure said:

Yes, I thought that was very far fetched. That's the trouble, for me anyway,  with Heidi Thomas's writing.  I think she tries too hard to fit things into today's mentality.  

On ‎3‎/‎27‎/‎2018 at 8:00 AM, MissLucas said:

The show certainly pushes progressive and sometimes downright anachronistic mindsets pretty hard. It's the double curse of historical fiction - if you're presenting (prevailing) mindsets of the period on controversial topics you're in danger of losing your audience, especially if said mindsets are expressed by protagonists (notice how all the main characters immediately embraced Lucille). So there's always a danger of going too far into the opposite direction. Plus there's no denying that the 'outliers' often provide the better stories and so writers are immediately drawn to them. It's tricky to keep the balance and the show's definitely struggling. 

And that's the problem right there the stories don't feel authentic to me and they haven't in awhile. I agree with JUDYOBSCURE & MISSLUCAS that Heidi Thomas tries too hard with making the stories and protagonists fit into today's mentality. I mean really everyone at Nonnatus immediately accepts and embraces Lucille? That isn't realistic.  The nuns being ok with birth control after like 15min of arguing wasn't realistic, the gay man not going to jail/being killed/ having to move away after being outed isn't realistic. Also his wife getting a standing ovation (just because Trixie accepted her) was very unrealistic.  I can go on and on. I get that the writers want their protagonists to be likeable, but the problem for me is the protagonists feel unrealistic and kind of bland. Everyone accepts everyone! Stories always have a happy ending! Trixie always steps up (C-section) and never fails! She even over came her drinking! While Jenny was annoying, she at least felt realistic/authentic me to for the time period and her background. The midwifes now while likeable don't exactly feel like they have authentic mindsets to me for the time period.  

The characters feel one dimension to me. Sister Winifred is quirky/funny and that's it. I keep wanting for us to find out more about her and nothing... I personally didn't think the driving bit was funny. I'm with Reggie "I'm Scared". If Sister Winifred still can't master shifting after how long she has no business driving. But I know I was supposed to find her being unable to drive funny.

Valerie is an enigma. When she was first introduced it was hinted (I thought) that she had a bit of a dark past. Maybe she was involved with a married man or something. But we still haven't found out anything about her. She just there! Very competent, a good friend, accepting, and.... that's it.

Sister Monica Joan they play as being extremely wise but also like she's an invalid. They need to make up their mind. When Sister Julianne was giving SMJ the task of looking at the paper every day. I knew exactly how that story was going to end. SMJ breaking down has been done over and over; you would think by now everyone in Nonnatus would know better. This scene was played last season when Phillis (I think) asked SMJ to knit Reggie a hat.

The only character that has really had any time spent on their character is Trixie which does make sense; she has been around the longest. However, it just doesn't seem like the writers care to put any effort into the other characters.  

On ‎3‎/‎26‎/‎2018 at 9:30 AM, JudyObscure said:

 Another thing that brought me up short was Trixie whispering about being a virgin as though that was something shocking and slightly shameful.  Even now, I don't think of that as something she needed to overcome.  If she wants to wait for marriage why shouldn't she?

Trixie being a virgin and whispering about it didn't' bother me really. I'm also not surprised Trixie is a virgin or talked about it in a whisper. That felt authentic to me. Her implying being a virgin means she's a good girl also felt like an authentic mindset for that time. The thing I don't get is why the writers felt Trixie needed to over come being a virgin. Like you said if Trixie wanted to wait for marriage what's wrong with that? Was it someone commented that Trixie is getting old so it's weird, in this day and age, for someone that age to still be a virgin? IDK I especially found it weird that Trixie was willing to lose her virginity after the whole "only tarts wear nail polish" incident. You would think if Trixie is thinking marriage which her reading that house management book seemed to imply that she wouldn't want people to think "she's that kind of girl".

Also I thought the whole set-up with Christopher pushing the "lets go away" would be some kind of road block for them as a couple. But Nope. I also thought oooh the writers are going to write in Helens pregnancy. But from interviews that doesn't seem likely.  I also thought this whole lets go away is just a way for Helen to be off set when she's showing to much. But nope it was presented as Trixie is a virgin, and I guess she was scared so we should be applauding that Trixie decided to be BRAVE and sleep with Christopher? I found it weird. Not that there's anything wrong with Trixie wanting to sleep with Christopher, but maybe if this whole Trixie is scared wasn't just presented and maybe if her deciding to sleep with Christopher didn't happen in the same episode that Trixie got called a tart by Christopher's daughter it wouldn't feel so weird.

Also pet peeve I really was annoyed that the writers did both things I dislike. They did the whole Virgin=Good Girl and they did the whole Virgin=Just Scared to have Sex.  I know I said the first one felt authentic to the time period which it did, but they both still annoyed me. Why did we even need to address Trixie's virginity? Maybe it'll come out and cause problems in later episodes, but right now I'm left feeling the whole set-up was odd and unnecessary.

On ‎3‎/‎27‎/‎2018 at 5:57 AM, AnnaBaptist said:

 Irl, Nonnatus House closed in 1965, as so many women were giving birth in hospitals at that point. It had become an anachronism, and this series is straining a bit to find reasons to keep all these characters in one place and remain relevant in the 1960s as well. It makes me sad; this was one of my favorite shows. 

 I think the show has made a mistake with always moving ahead in the timeline. Like you said Nonnatus House closed in 1965, so it's really starting feel odd to have midwifes. I think the show would have been better to stay in the past and then rotate though new midwifes. 

[LadyChaos]

22 hours ago, Fireball said:

 

And that's the problem right there the stories don't feel authentic to me and they haven't in awhile. I agree with JUDYOBSCURE & MISSLUCAS that Heidi Thomas tries too hard with making the stories and protagonists fit into today's mentality. I mean really everyone at Nonnatus immediately accepts and embraces Lucille? That isn't realistic.  The nuns being ok with birth control after like 15min of arguing wasn't realistic, the gay man not going to jail/being killed/ having to move away after being outed isn't realistic. Also his wife getting a standing ovation (just because Trixie accepted her) was very unrealistic.  I can go on and on. I get that the writers want their protagonists to be likeable, but the problem for me is the protagonists feel unrealistic and kind of bland. Everyone accepts everyone! Stories always have a happy ending! Trixie always steps up (C-section) and never fails! She even over came her drinking! While Jenny was annoying, she at least felt realistic/authentic me to for the time period and her background. The midwifes now while likeable don't exactly feel like they have authentic mindsets to me for the time period.  

 

I think that since all the midwives live and work in a community where there is an extreme  mix of races, and tasked with helping everyone without prejudices, it is completely believable that they would accept Lucille.

The birth control plot line isn't new, it was brought in s5, so even though we may not have seen the discussions, it has been something that was circling the show for about a year or more, and I got the impression in 608 that the Nuns had no choice but to allow the clinic.  They didn't own the building, it was a community center, so they had to accept it when they were told the clinic would be there.  Whether they like it or not. 

 

I do agree that some story lines are a bit far fetched for the time, but it is no longer based on the Jennifer Worth's books about the Eastend.  That ended along time a go.  The show is nothing more than a period drama now.  

Edited April 1, 2018 by LadyChaos

[Rap541]

Quote

The show certainly pushes progressive and sometimes downright anachronistic mindsets pretty hard. It's the double curse of historical fiction - if you're presenting (prevailing) mindsets of the period on controversial topics you're in danger of losing your audience, especially if said mindsets are expressed by protagonists (notice how all the main characters immediately embraced Lucille).

And yet, I'd genuinely like to see some honesty in this respect. While I am American born, my father spent the first 14 years of his life in the East End and consistently referred to the country of his birth as a third world hellhole. Trust me, based on my elderly relatives who lived most of their lives there? They weren't cool with black people, Asian people, gay people or people with down syndrome. (They didn't much like the Irish or Americans either)

Lucille as a person, as a character, seems like a sweet, almost too saintly and perfect addition. If they wanted an honest depiction here and wanted to use a person of color, why not make the realism call that Lucille would be assigned to their many patients of color? Why not have her as a brand new midwife make a mistake instead of being so perfect? Why not have some of our main characters have some prejudice?

Quote

Sister Monica Joan they play as being extremely wise but also like she's an invalid. They need to make up their mind. When Sister Julianne was giving SMJ the task of looking at the paper every day. I knew exactly how that story was going to end. SMJ breaking down has been done over and over; you would think by now everyone in Nonnatus would know better.

This is really another example of how on the one hand, I don't necessarily want to watch a grindingly accurate depiction of an elderly person collapsing into dementia, but Sister Monica Joan has been flipflopping between wise knowing sage to openly not safe to be left alone for years now. They clearly don't have the staffing to have someone with Sister Monica Joan 24-7, she constantly wanders off and causes chaos, or doesn't follow instruction and causes chaos, and there is an OBVIOUS solution to the problem - namely that Sister Monica Joan is retired to the mother house and since she's supposedly 80-90 and not entirely competent, its really hard to believe this decision hasn't been made for her by the Mother Superior and not Sister Julienne. 

I get loving the character and all - I love Sister Monica Joan, but it seems like we go thru this plotline every season - SMJ is acting batty and difficult but surprise! Her dementia/weirdness leads to new insights and we all end with cake. Trust me that is so not how it goes.

[MissLucas]

5 minutes ago, Rap541 said:

I get loving the character and all - I love Sister Monica Joan, but it seems like we go thru this plotline every season - SMJ is acting batty and difficult but surprise! Her dementia/weirdness leads to new insights and we all end with cake. Trust me that is so not how it goes.

Judy Parfitt lost her husband to dementia. I recently saw a clip of her talking about this very topic. She said that her take on the writing of SMJ was that the dementia shows up when SIM is stressed out. But she also admitted that her experiences with the disease were very different.

[LadyChaos]

Im doing a rewatch, and I realized that Trixie basically said she was a virgin in that episode she was attacked by the TV star, she said she wanted to open up her own hospital and makes the comment about 'Virgins in charge.'

[proserpina65]

On ‎03‎/‎29‎/‎2018 at 2:29 AM, Brookside said:

Perhaps through your library?

That's how I've seen them.  DVDs from the library.

[dcalley]

In the Christmas episode thread, I said

The "Big Freeze" behind-the-scenes video on pbs.org had glimpses of two scenes I think were not in the PBS version: Sister Monica Joan finding the milk bottles had frozen and expanded milk-sicles up through the lids, and Phyllis standing in a room while the power went out.

I now know these scenes were in the episode after the Christmas special (i.e., this one)!

Quote

I'm not surprised to learn Trixie is a virgin; she's had plenty of beaus but she's never spoken in a way that implies she's slept with any of them. I actually think all the nurses have been virgins while working at Nonnatus. Well, except for Phyllis and maybe Jenny. Maybe.

I think Jenny wasn't a virgin. Wasn't she involved with a married man before coming to Nonnatus House?

[Fireball]

On ‎4‎/‎1‎/‎2018 at 9:21 AM, LadyChaos said:

I think that since all the midwives live and work in a community where there is an extreme  mix of races, and tasked with helping everyone without prejudices, it is completely believable that they would accept Lucille.

The birth control plot line isn't new, it was brought in s5, so even though we may not have seen the discussions, it has been something that was circling the show for about a year or more, and I got the impression in 608 that the Nuns had no choice but to allow the clinic.  They didn't own the building, it was a community center, so they had to accept it when they were told the clinic would be there.  Whether they like it or not. 

 

I do agree that some story lines are a bit far fetched for the time, but it is no longer based on the Jennifer Worth's books about the Eastend.  That ended along time a go.  The show is nothing more than a period drama now.  

I personally think it's a bit unrealistic that all the nuns and midwives are sooo accepting of everyone. I do think someone can want to help the community and not be open minded and accepting of everyone.  I think the writers always having the characters have today's mentality means they lose out on some good stories.  As Rap541 said the East End was not a nice place people were racist. 

The birth control plot was circling the show, but as I remember it we only got one episode were everyone talked to each other about it, and it felt, to me, that everyone got on the birth control wagon really quickly. While the Nuns might not have had a choice in the matter, I honestly, I thought the birth control story was going to divide Nonnatus House. But nope after that episode nada everyone was accepting that they each had a different view. I also thought it was odd that Shelagh (a former Nun), Barbara (a pastors daughter) & Tom (a pastor) were all pro birth control. Again it felt unrealistic that all three were ok with it. It's like the writers are scared to have their characters present mindsets of the period.

I do know that the show hasn't been based on Jennifer Worth's books for quit awhile, but I'm not sure I'd classify it as a period drama. Well maybe a period drama with protagonists that have todays mindset on controversial topics. I think if Pasty had come out that the writers would have had everyone be accepting that she was a lesbian.

I do like the show, but like I said I have to shut my brain off or I do a lot of eye rolling these days. 

[caitmcg]

I really don't think it's so far-fetched that the midwives, including even the nuns (who aren't Catholic, after all) are accepting of married couples having access to contraception (the only people who could legally acquire anything but condoms at the time in the UK, as in the US) by the early '60s. After all, they have spent years attending to poor East End families having child after child, even when they could barely afford to feed them, and weren't always happy about one more addition. 

[Spunkygal]

It took me forever to place the actress who played Mrs. Gelin. Wasn't she the nurse in Footballlers Wives who had the thing for Tanya's gross husband who owned Earl's Park football club?  Didn't she actually hop on top of him when he was in a coma or something?

[AZChristian]

13 hours ago, Spunkygal said:

It took me forever to place the actress who played Mrs. Gelin. Wasn't she the nurse in Footballlers Wives who had the thing for Tanya's gross husband who owned Earl's Park football club?  Didn't she actually hop on top of him when he was in a coma or something?

Looks like it might be the same person.

[Spunkygal]

2 hours ago, AZChristian said:

Looks like it might be the same person.

That's it! She was Nurse Dunkley! Thank you!

[lucindabelle]

On 3/27/2018 at 5:00 PM, KariLois said:

I liked the way they portrayed Jewish people in this episode. It was subtle. No maudlin yelling or strategically place Judaica. I caught early on that the couple was Jewish, but it wasn’t completely obvious in the beginning. Also, I should the show implying that Officer Walrus is also Jewish? He did comment about his grandparent fleeing Russia, so it would make sense.

 Jewish girl here, that was not in the least bit subtle for heaven's sake. At least it wasn’t I’ve just come from the diamond district and here are some pickles for you to eat ... And if it bothers me  that every Jewish person is somehow a survivor of the Holocaust – literally we’ve never seen an elderly Jewish person who isn’t – that I realize other ethnic groups must be treated just as ham-handedly. For what it’s worth, I’ve never in my life seen El Mallai rachamim sing in chorus like that and why were they doing it on the street anyway? That particular hymn is only sung at an actual funeral. I 

Even in the early 60s, there were plenty of Jews who weren’t survivors of the Holocaust and I am sure there were plenty in the east end too. The fact that the show runners literally can’t think of a plot line without throwing that in when it comes to says a lot. It reminds me of how growing up I never saw a Jewish character being Jewish on TV unless it was a very special episode about anti-Semitism. Otherwise all we got were the occasional last name and a joke about Hannukah.

Also, why did they throw in the line about how he doesn’t go to synagogue unless it was to appease people who only like Jews who are not religious. You could have made the same point by saying the synagogue has now moved away, which she sort of hinted at that that wasn’t what they really said.

 

The plotline about the demolition was good, but the plotline about them being Jewish was ridiculous. But again, at least it wasn’t as bad as the Holocaust survivor who was agoraphobic and somehow had all the Photographs and remembrances of her past that she smuggled out. Which never ever ever ever ever ever happened. SERIOUSLY PEOPLE WERE SHOT AND THROWN INTO, PITS BABIES SWUNG AGAINST WALLS. If someone got out of a "ghetto" they went with NOTHING. This is as irritating to me as it would be if Kunta Kinte on Roots had somehow taken all kinds of souvenirs from Africa to America. Just no. 

 

And yes, I know, the Jewish community participated, that doesn’t mean it was accurate or correct. Can think of numerous examples where communities were so flattered to be included that they did all kinds of things for the purpose of show business that were incorrect

On 3/27/2018 at 5:00 PM, KariLois said:

I liked the way they portrayed Jewish people in this episode. It was subtle. No maudlin yelling or strategically place Judaica. I caught early on that the couple was Jewish, but it wasn’t completely obvious in the beginning. Also, I should the show implying that Officer Walrus is also Jewish? He did comment about his grandparent fleeing Russia, so it would make sense.

If he were Jewish he would just say so. Choose to not say I am from Russia as a veiled way of saying I’m Jewish. We just don’t.

Edited May 15, 2018 by lucindabelle

[RedbirdNelly]

the husband scene with his dying wife really got to me. Otherwise, I'll admit to being frustrated with them still being there despite notices and the daughter's offer. 

This show does smooth over things but it generally works for me because (despite some sad storylines), this is my happy show. It lifts me.