S07.E02: Episode 2

[OnceSane]

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Valerie's friend Marjory goes into labour while Lucille is on duty, and the new recruit successfully delivers the baby. However, when Marjory's health takes a turn for the worst, her racist mother Mae accuses Lucille of incompetence. The nurses rally round to protect their new colleague, and convince her that she is welcome in the community. Sister Winifred comes up with a plan to get fathers more actively involved in their wives' pregnancies - but finds that very few of the local men are keen on the idea.

[Gulftastic]

Their attempts to disguise Helen George's baby bump are failing miserably.

[MissLucas]

Hmm, I did not need any tissues - that's rare. The whole episode felt a bit disjointed maybe that's the reason because Marjory's plot was definitely heart-breaking enough. They did a good job with a sensitive issue, not completely demonizing the mother and giving Lucille a way to approach her that would work.  I'm afraid the real West Indian nurses had to put up with a lot of casual and not-so casual racism that couldn't be made to go away as quickly.

There was an unusual amount of comedy in this episode, starting with Sister Winifred's knitted 'iced buns', the dad finding his inner football coach during the birth and of course Shelagh (and Timothy!) being overwhelmed by the awesomeness that is Magda.

I wonder if Sister Monica Joan is starting to have problems with her eye-sight. She complained about everything being faded in the scene in the garden. And she wasn't reading when Lucille talked to her and gladly allowed Lucille to read to her. I'm worried about her and Trixie whose failure to caramelize some grapefruits wasn't exactly played for laughs.

[snowwhyte]

I'm beginning to have worries about Christopher and his intentions. I think he was hoping that he and Trixie would slip away to a hotel for some alone time. It's clear that Trixie thinks the relationship is probably heading in the direction of marriage but I'm not sure if Christopher is on the same page. Maybe I'm overly concerned about Trixie getting her heart broken. He did introduce her to his daughter and he seems like a nice guy. I'm getting paranoid about what awful thing will befall Trixie this season. 

[OnceSane]

18 hours ago, snowwhyte said:

I'm beginning to have worries about Christopher and his intentions. I think he was hoping that he and Trixie would slip away to a hotel for some alone time. It's clear that Trixie thinks the relationship is probably heading in the direction of marriage but I'm not sure if Christopher is on the same page. Maybe I'm overly concerned about Trixie getting her heart broken. He did introduce her to his daughter and he seems like a nice guy. I'm getting paranoid about what awful thing will befall Trixie this season. 

Me too. I think Christopher is genuine, but there will be something else to give the relationship a stumble or two.  I liked Trixie trying to be domestic and failing and Christopher teasing her.  And they are failing miserably at hiding Helen's pregnancy, but I don't care.  The effort is enough for me.

Poor Lucille!  I liked how straightforward she was with Sister Julienne and, later, Mae.  No one is going to stop her from giving the necessary care to her patients.  And Marjory's husband!  Loved him stepping up to the plate after a little encouragement from Lucille.

Ooh, Sister Winnifred, what are you doing?  Phyllis telling Sister Winnifred she'd let her know when the latter had apologized had me cracking up.

Speaking of laughing, the football coach dad had me rolling once his wife went into labor!  Especially after the baby was born and he needed to put his  between his legs.

Almost forgot the "iced buns"!  Another highlight.

[LadyChaos]

I wonder if its not necessarily that Christophers intentions are murky, but maybe after he already had one failed marriage he is hesitant to try again, but at the same time he is in love with Trixie and wants to be with her.   I do wonder IF she starts drinking again, if it will be the ex-wife or Christopher maybe pushing her into playing house, when their not married.  I don't think though, that if he is pushing her to sleep with him, it would be because he is that kind of guy,  but more that he might be gun shy about marriage.........  then again I won't see the eps til march....so I can only guess by your comments. 

[Badger]

FWIW, there are new spoilers regarding Trixie and her relationship with Christopher.  

Spoiler

Christopher's daughter Alexandra has been seeing a psychiatrist who thinks she is troubled because she doesn't like spending so much time with Trixie.  He advises that she should only do that when she wants to.  Trixie doesn't want to come between her and her father, so she has to decide whether to go on with the relationship.  

 

[purist]

Really enjoyed this episode, but I keep wondering about Val's age. If she was a nurse in the war, that was at the very least 18 years ago. She looks to be aged about 30 to me, which would make her 12 at the end of World War II and obviously way too young to have been a nurse then.  When she was talking to Lucille in the kitchen, she was describing something that happened 'in the war', right? For British people, that would definitely mean World War II. I'm so confused!

[snowwhyte]

I've assumed Val to be late twenties early thirties. The British were involved in the Korean war which was in the fifties so she that would fit the timing. 

[purist]

13 hours ago, snowwhyte said:

I've assumed Val to be late twenties early thirties. The British were involved in the Korean war which was in the fifties so she that would fit the timing. 

Yes, but in the conversation with Lucille, she said 'in the war', and to anyone at that time (and even now), that would mean World War II.

[snowwhyte]

I don't really remember the wording. Did she say in the war or in the army? I thought she was an army nurse who served in the fifties but left the army and went to work in the family pub before being recruited by the midwives. She really isn't old enough to be a nurse in WWII but I agree most war references would be to that war.

[LadyChaos]

She only said she was in the Army, not that she had been in war.

[purist]

10 hours ago, LadyChaos said:

She only said she was in the Army, not that she had been in war.

Thanks, @LadyChaos. I can stop stressing about it now! :)

[Primetimer]

And one mother falls victim to a stroke of bad luck in our EPIC OLD-SCHOOL RECAP of S07.E02!

View the full article

[Mumbles]

She was in the army, but someone died....but I guess that doesn’t need combat to happen.

I dunno. This show’s been kind of running on fumes the last season or so and these two eps don’t do much to make me feel hopeful. Of course it might just be that the first few seasons were so so good. Sexy au pair? Jokes about a husband not wanting to see his wife’s lady parts? Eh. And I’m still mulling over Valerie comparing the racism Lucille faces with dealing with one snotty superior that one time and it ain’t working for me.

How many seasons has Sister Winfred been on? She’s just....there.

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Their attempts to disguise Helen George's baby bump are failing miserably.

Ah yes, that’s right, she’s expecting....I was marveling at how beautiful she’s looking in these two episodes, the lustrous hair and glowing skin.

[jschoolgirl]

I miss the music captions! 

What happened to [joyful music] and [uplifting music]?

[Ohmo]

On 1/30/2018 at 1:32 PM, OnceSane said:

And Marjory's husband!  Loved him stepping up to the plate after a little encouragement from Lucille.

I couldn't figure out what Mae's deal was with Dennis, Marjory's husband.  She didn't seem to be a fan of his even before Marjory had the stroke.  Dennis and Marjory were married, and they clearly had two children before this baby, yet Mae treated him like gum on her shoe.  Mae did mention that Marjory's birth father bailed on her, but her disdain for Dennis still felt disjointed to me.  Mae just hated all men?

Timothy's reaction to Magda had me laughing out loud.  You knew what his reaction was likely to be as soon as the audience caught sight of Magda.  Shelagh still grates on my last nerve.

However, I also was a fan of how Lucille addressed Sister Julienne.

Edited March 26, 2018 by Ohmo

[craziness]

Sorry, can't add quotes on this phone.  To the person who wrote about Valerie treating someone who died and doesn't mean combat, she said the soldier was injured in a live fire exercise. 

Yeah, I can't figure out how old her character should be either, but I guess she's around Marjory's age (didn't she say they grew up together) and didn't Mae say her husband ran off 23 years ago and left her with a toddler.  So, I'd put Marjory at 25 or 26 ... Valerie seems maybe a couple years older????? 

Will read the recap on Monday for clues and to see what PBS cut out.

[LittleIggy]

Valerie said the young soldier who died was injured in a live fire exercise. Doesn’t have to be a wartime to have those.

Magda seemed a bit sophisticated to be an au pair.

Happy that they had more of Sister Winifred. She is a fave of mine.

[proserpina65]

On ‎01‎/‎29‎/‎2018 at 2:31 PM, Gulftastic said:

Their attempts to disguise Helen George's baby bump are failing miserably.

I wouldn't have known she was pregnant if I hadn't read it here, so apparently their attempts aren't failing miserably for everyone.

[Ohmo]

48 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

I wouldn't have known she was pregnant if I hadn't read it here, so apparently their attempts aren't failing miserably for everyone.

Co-sign in terms of what was happening with Trixie being noticeable.  I knew Helen had been pregnant and had a baby, but I figured that the kid had long since been born.  It didn't occur to me that this had been filmed that long ago (during the pregnancy), so I didn't give any thought to how Trixie was dressed or positioned in scenes.

[Ohmo]

13 hours ago, Mumbles said:

She was in the army, but someone died....but I guess that doesn’t need combat to happen.

Yeah, but I thought that she was discussing a combat scenario of some type.  It would not likely be a simple military exercise because someone died.

If you watched Season 2 of the Crown, Britain was involved in overseas tensions after World War II.  Maybe Val was serving overseas in the military and there was a combat incident, but not a war.  Valerie was a nurse, so she obviously was sent somewhere where military personnel needed medical attention, and I got the distinct impression that this private didn't die as the result of an accident.

[libgirl2]

13 hours ago, Ohmo said:

I couldn't figure out what Mae's deal was with Dennis, Marjory's husband.  She didn't seem to be a fan of his even before Marjory had the stroke.  Dennis and Marjory were married, and they clearly had two children before this baby, yet Mae treated him like gum on her shoe.  Mae did mention that Marjory's birth father bailed on her, but her disdain for Dennis still felt disjointed to me.  Mae just hated all men?

Timothy's reaction to Magda had me laughing out loud.  You knew what Timothy's reaction was likely to be as soon as the audience caught site of Magda.  Shelagh still grates on my last nerve.

However, I also was a fan of how Lucille addressed Sister Julienne.

I love Shelagh! 

12 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

 

Happy that they had more of Sister Winifred. She is a fave of mine.

I like her an awful lot too. I do think they need more nuns. There were several in the church scene but we haven't gotten to know them. 

I also am somehow getting a feeling Lucille will become a nun. They really stressed her faith. 

1 hour ago, proserpina65 said:

I wouldn't have known she was pregnant if I hadn't read it here, so apparently their attempts aren't failing miserably for everyone.

I thought it was pretty obvious but what can they do? 

[proserpina65]

10 minutes ago, Ohmo said:

Yeah, but I thought that she was discussing a combat scenario of some type.  It would not likely be a simple military exercise because someone died.

She said it was a live fire exercise.  Those take place even during peacetime.

[Popples]

14 hours ago, Ohmo said:

I couldn't figure out what Mae's deal was with Dennis, Marjory's husband.  She didn't seem to be a fan of his even before Marjory had the stroke.  Dennis and Marjory were married, and they clearly had two children before this baby, yet Mae treated him like gum on her shoe.  Mae did mention that Marjory's birth father bailed on her, but her disdain for Dennis still felt disjointed to me.  Mae just hated all men?

I think Marjory said that Mae's a cow to everyone.

When Sister Winifred took the car, I knew Sergeant Woolf was going to be smug to Nurse Crane about not heeding his warning. I'm still not on board with a potential relationship there.

[Ohmo]

47 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

I love Shelagh! 

I'm genuinely happy that you do.  Truly.  However, I would not be sad if Shelagh ended up on a slow boat out of Popular.  Laura Main's use of that breathy voice is just nails on a chalkboard to me.  Main's use of voice inflection also always makes it sound like Shelagh is perpetually scolding someone.  The way Shelagh says "Patrick," I expect her to go tell him to stand in the corner because he did something that he wasn't supposed to.  I also find the character to be a nosy buttinski  I honestly preferred Patrick as a single, widowed father who very ably raised his son to become the good person he is today.

 

52 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

She said it was a live fire exercise.  Those take place even during peacetime.

Thank you, I must have missed that.

[GaT]

1 hour ago, libgirl2 said:

I also am somehow getting a feeling Lucille will become a nun. They really stressed her faith. 

They already did that with Sister Mary Cynthia, so I don't think they'll repeat the plot. That's one thing I really like about this show, I'm always surprised. Except for pregnancy, each story is different, they don't repeat illnesses or plots. Lucille may just be a kind of "bridge" between the religious nuns, & the secular midwives.

[libgirl2]

59 minutes ago, GaT said:

They already did that with Sister Mary Cynthia, so I don't think they'll repeat the plot. That's one thing I really like about this show, I'm always surprised. Except for pregnancy, each story is different, they don't repeat illnesses or plots. Lucille may just be a kind of "bridge" between the religious nuns, & the secular midwives.

Maybe not, but I do think they need another nun in there somewhere. 

[GaT]

3 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

Maybe not, but I do think they need another nun in there somewhere. 

I'm hoping Sister Mary Cynthia comes back.

[Ohwell]

3 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

I love Shelagh! 

Me too!

[Ceindreadh]

3 hours ago, Ohmo said:

Co-sign in terms of what was happening with Trixie being noticeable.  I knew Helen had been pregnant and had a baby, but I figured that the kid had long since been born.  It didn't occur to me that this had been filmed that long ago (during the pregnancy), so I didn't give any thought to how Trixie was dressed or positioned in scenes.

I think they've done a good job with it.  If I hadn't known that they were covering her up I probably wouldn't have noticed, but I was keeping a bit of an eye out to see how they did.  There was only one scene where I think they could have done better - she's in a casual top in a few eps and it was just sooo obvious to me!

[Clanstarling]

On 1/29/2018 at 11:31 AM, Gulftastic said:

Their attempts to disguise Helen George's baby bump are failing miserably.

 

6 hours ago, Ceindreadh said:

I think they've done a good job with it.  If I hadn't known that they were covering her up I probably wouldn't have noticed, but I was keeping a bit of an eye out to see how they did.  There was only one scene where I think they could have done better - she's in a casual top in a few eps and it was just sooo obvious to me!

I never noticed, but then I didn't know she was pregnant. Still, I've seen plenty of shows where I twigged it immediately when I didn't know the actress was pregnant. So for me, at least, it seems they did a good job. Of course, next week I'll be watching with an eagle eye.

I like the new nurse. This show does a great job of bringing on different, yet compatible people. Even if you don't know they're compatible at first.

[LittleIggy]

I don’t like Trixie with long hair. It doesn’t look right on her, IMO.

[bunnyblue]

10 hours ago, GaT said:

I'm hoping Sister Mary Cynthia comes back.

Oh, dear lord, NO. I know Cynthia is a fan favorite, but I never liked her and out of all the main characters that have come and gone, she annoyed me the most.

Until I saw it mentioned upthread, I never realized we're down to 3 nuns. The one whose absence is felt the most, I think, is Sister Evangelina's. And I think the one who's affected the most is Sister Julienne. Even though Sister J was the boss, she & Sister E were more of a unit and confidants, and it's a shame she no longer has that character to play off of.

12 hours ago, Ohmo said:

Laura Main's use of that breathy voice is just nails on a chalkboard to me. 

 

12 hours ago, Ohmo said:

The way Shelagh says "Patrick," I expect her to go tell him to stand in the corner because he did something that he wasn't supposed to. 

Shelagh is one of my favorites, but I agree on those 2 points. The weird thing is, her voice wasn't that irritating when she was Sister Bernadette. It's baffling. 

Anyway, I'm so glad the show is finally airing in the US. I've missed it terribly. All the stories so far are solid and I'm loving Lucille.

Edited March 27, 2018 by bunnyblue

[Clanstarling]

8 hours ago, LittleIggy said:

I don’t like Trixie with long hair. It doesn’t look right on her, IMO.

I know, right? I was never a fan of the hairspray do's, but they suited her. Long hair doesn't - but maybe because it was just flat and stringy looking.

6 hours ago, bunnyblue said:

Until I saw it mentioned upthread, I never realized we're down to 3 nuns. The one whose absence is felt the most, I think, is Sister Evangelina's. And I think the one who's affected the most is Sister Julienne. Even though Sister J was the boss, she & Sister E were more of a unit and confidants, and it's a shame she no longer has that character to play off of.

She becoming a bit of a fuddy-duddy without Sister E, isn't she. I agree it would be nice to have someone for her.

[Willowsmom]

Trixie's hair was a really bad hairpiece.

[KariLois]

Where can I watch this episode? I bought the series and Sad, crying!

[KariLois]

Where can I watch this episode? I bought the series and Sad, crying!

Sorry. Not sure what happened there. Anyway, even though I bought the series, it is not showing the most recent episode. Where can I find it? Thanks!

[caitmcg]

2 hours ago, KariLois said:

Sorry. Not sure what happened there. Anyway, even though I bought the series, it is not showing the most recent episode. Where can I find it? Thanks!

I don't know what platform your purchase is on, but in the US it is available to stream in the morning the day after airing (and for a few weeks following) free on the PBS site, so you can see it there now. 

Edited March 27, 2018 by caitmcg
Muddles sentence ≠ great.

[LillyB]

7 hours ago, Willowsmom said:

Trixie's hair was a really bad hairpiece.

I think that Trixie's hair is what was called a fall. They were popular back then, I even had one.

[txhorns79]

I didn't love this episode.  It was kind of meh.  I liked that Lucille didn't put up with Mae's crap, and bravely faced her.  Otherwise, it was a mostly boring episode. 

And seriously show, do more to develop Sister Winifred.  I feel like they have no clue what to do with her, so she gets locked into nonsense storylines. 

[marceline]

I wasn't feeling Lucille as much in this one. I'm not sure why. I guess I think her whole story was a bit of a sledgehammer. I think she's supposed to remind us of S1 Jenny (but now with RACISM!) That said I do think the angle of making Mom blame Lucille because the mother was trying to deflect from her own sense of guilt. That was some solid writing.

[bunnyblue]

There has to be a story to Magdalena the Au Pair. She looked like a "stern" 50 year old in the photo she sent the Turners but then shows up looking more glam than Trixie. She either sends an unflattering picture to prospective employers because she knows they won't hire a sexy nanny OR we're looking at a The Hand that Rocks the Cradle situation. Which would be both frightening and hilarious, but given this is Call the Midwife, I'm guessing there's a more innocent explanation for the two faces of Magda the Au Pair. In the meantime, I think Timothy is going to be spending lots of alone time in his bedroom - with the door closed.

Edited March 28, 2018 by bunnyblue

[Clanstarling]

8 hours ago, bunnyblue said:

There has to be a story to Magdalena the Au Pair. She looked like a "stern" 50 year old in the photo she sent the Turners but then shows up looking more glam than Trixie. She either sends an unflattering picture to prospective employers because she knows they won't hire a sexy nanny OR we're looking at a The Hand that Rocks the Cradle situation. Which would be both frightening and hilarious, but given this is Call the Midwife, I'm guessing there's a more innocent explanation for the two faces of Magda the Au Pair. In the meantime, I think Timothy is going to be spending lots of alone time in his bedroom - with the door closed.

Well, I think she said she'd had several posts on the continent, and I believe the last one was in Paris. So the more innocent explanation could be she learned how to dress, apply makeup, and present herself better, and didn't update the file. But less innocent versions are certainly up for grabs as well.

[LadyChaos]

If I hadn't know that Helen George was pregnant during filming, I wouldn't have have caught on that they were hiding it.  So I think they are doing a good job.  

My mother and I watch CoM together and we were laughing so hard at the Au Pair scenes, and Timothy.

I see the increase in health issues with SMJ, and I wonder if they are setting her up to leave the show.  I know Judy Parfitt is in her 80's, and has said that her health is becoming an issue.  I think last year, she wasn't even sure she would be able to film s7.  

I like Lucille, she is kind of a breathe of fresh air.  That one mother, was a piece of work, but I honestly don't think she meant half of what she said.  I think she was deflecting, because she felt guilty.  I'm glad Marj's husband finally grew a pair.  Marj's mother had not right to tell the hospital that she was next of kin, taking away his right to see his wife and make decisions in the hospital, and then to kick him out of his marriage bed and not let him help his wife.  She was really creating a self-fullfilling prophecy, she push him out of helping his wife and being useful, therefore he was useless and not helping his wife. So, I am glad he grew a pair and stood up to Marj's mother. 

[Megan]

On 3/26/2018 at 9:51 PM, LittleIggy said:

I don’t like Trixie with long hair. It doesn’t look right on her, IMO.

I thinks they're trying to distract us from her stomach with that hair. It looks like bad. Cheap extensions bad.

And did women have such long hair in the early 60's? That they wore down and loose? She doesn't even have a bump at the crown, well a sad saggy bump. It's all just Halloween wig.

Edited March 30, 2018 by Megan

[LittleIggy]

On 3/28/2018 at 9:26 AM, Clanstarling said:

Well, I think she said she'd had several posts on the continent, and I believe the last one was in Paris. So the more innocent explanation could be she learned how to dress, apply makeup, and present herself better, and didn't update the file. But less innocent versions are certainly up for grabs as well.

Maybe it’s her passport picture. Those are always hideous!  ?

[3 is enough]

I think Sister Monica Joan has cataracts.  She was trying to read the paper with a magnifying glass and complained that everything outside looked faded. 

I had cataract surgery a few years ago, relatively young, in my 50's.  They developed very quickly.  I went to the eye doctor for new glasses because I was having trouble seeing but they could not correct my vision with new lenses.  They referred me to an opthamologist who took one look and scheduled the surgery.  After the first eye was done, I noticed how bright the colours were compared to the other eye.  I can't say I noticed colours fading before surgery though.

 

As far as needing new nuns, I am guessing that at that time in history there were probably fewer and fewer young women who chose to become nuns. That could be incorporated into the story line.

Truth be told, until I started watching this show I never knew there was such a thing as Anglican nuns.  I thought it was strictly a Catholic thing.

Edited March 30, 2018 by 3 is enough

[limecoke]

Quote

Quote

And did women have such long hair in the early 60's?

 

Not really.  If it was long, it was teased to kingdom come and whipped up into a French twist, beehive or poof on top of the head.  I know...I was there.  It was all about big, smooth and poofy. Long, straight and parted in the middle came in the very late 60’s and 70’s.  Helen’s looked more like a “fall” which were very big in the late 60’s but much poofier on top.  Definitely a headband so that was correct for the time period.  I had a fall and it made my hair look bountiful-not lank at all.  Helen’s looked lank.

I love this show for so many reasons but I have a question I hope someone can answer before I shell out money.  Are the episodes available for purchase on iTunes and Amazon Prime the FULL UK versions or the chopped up PBS episodes?  I refuse to pay for cut versions.  Help on this would be appreciated.

[anna0852]

 Netflix and Amazon Prime only ever have the cut episodes. I've only gotten full ones by ordering DVDs or Blu-Rays.