S07.E03: Episode 3

[OnceSane]

Quote

[misfile]

[snowwhyte]

Well, even for Call the Midwife that was a depressing episode. They just won't let Trixie be happy. I don't know if I want to watch if Trixie's heading for the bottom of a bottle. 

[chysalis]

I guess that is how they worked out Helen Georges maternal leave. Send Trixie into rehab. This was one of the most depressing episodes in a long time. And given that we are watching "Call the midwife" that is saying something.

[snowwhyte]

One of the few positives of the episode were that Magda's situation didn't end as badly as it could have. I half expected that she'd end up having an emergency hysterectomy or something. Fred and his wife were cute and Lucille is settling in nicely so it wasn't all misery. 

[Badger]

I don't buy that Alexandra suddenly didn't want to see Trixie anymore.  I think her mother has been telling the child that it's Trixie who doesn't want to see her.  

[LadyChaos]

4 hours ago, Badger said:

I don't buy that Alexandra suddenly didn't want to see Trixie anymore.  I think her mother has been telling the child that it's Trixie who doesn't want to see her.  

 

I think your right.  I think the mother is behind this.

[snowwhyte]

Well, the mother did tell Alexandra that only whores wear nail polish when she came home with nail polish on. She obviously doesn't want Alexandra becoming friendly with Trixie and is trying to poison the relationship without realising or caring about the damage she is doing to Alexandra.

I don't think Trixie telling Christopher to go back to his wife is the right thing. It's not like she seduced a married man. He was already divorced when they met.  Even if he went back to his ex trying to fix the relationship would likely be impossible at this point. Plus it isn't Trixie's place to make Christopher's choice for him. She can make the choice to not see him anymore but what he does after that is his decision.

[Gulftastic]

I'm hoping when Trixie gets back from any possible rehab, that he's discovered that the wife has been causing trouble and he begs Trixie to give him another chance.

[OnceSane]

Y'all we're right about how depressing this episode was from the jump!  The poor Lunts…the dad did everything he could to keep his family together and it just wasn't enough.  But I loved Mrs. Lunt taking her daughter's scarf to her and telling her she's loved.

And Trixie's off the wagon and into hot water next episode.  I figured she'd have at least one slip, I just wish it wasn't over a man--even though Christopher seems pretty great.

I think it's obvious that Christopher's ex is poisoning his daughter against Trixie, and the impression I get is that she'd be doing this no matter who Christopher dated.  He did say she was bitter…how deep does that bitterness run?

I was looking forward to the Turners keeping Magda on as their au pair after her abortion.  Maybe we'll see her return to Poplar in season 11 or 12 (if it goes on that long) as a new nurse/midwife.  I'm glad she left the asshole who scarred her…too bad it wasn't before she got knocked up.  And I didn't realize Hungary had legalized abortion back then.  Was that common behind the Iron Curtain?

[Barlowe]

17 hours ago, Badger said:

I don't buy that Alexandra suddenly didn't want to see Trixie anymore.  I think her mother has been telling the child that it's Trixie who doesn't want to see her.  

I think she could've been stressed out by seeing how her mom hated Trixie  and Trixie's relationship with her daughter and hated her dad even more because of it.

5 hours ago, OnceSane said:

Y'all we're right about how depressing this episode was from the jump!  The poor Lunts…the dad did everything he could to keep his family together and it just wasn't enough.  But I loved Mrs. Lunt taking her daughter's scarf to her and telling her she's loved.

And Trixie's off the wagon and into hot water next episode.  I figured she'd have at least one slip, I just wish it wasn't over a man--even though Christopher seems pretty great.

I think it's obvious that Christopher's ex is poisoning his daughter against Trixie, and the impression I get is that she'd be doing this no matter who Christopher dated.  He did say she was bitter…how deep does that bitterness run?

I was looking forward to the Turners keeping Magda on as their au pair after her abortion.  Maybe we'll see her return to Poplar in season 11 or 12 (if it goes on that long) as a new nurse/midwife.  I'm glad she left the asshole who scarred her…too bad it wasn't before she got knocked up.  And I didn't realize Hungary had legalized abortion back then.  Was that common behind the Iron Curtain?

I think it seems right that that would be what threw her off the deep-end as well as having to witness a family being torn about (which didn't really make much sense since Nurse Crane was initially their midwife and Trixie really shouldn't have been involved).

Edited February 7, 2018 by Lilacly

[Anothermi]

8 hours ago, Lilacly said:

I think she could've been stressed out by seeing how her mom hated Trixie  and Trixie's relationship with her daughter and hated her dad even more because of it.

I think it seems right that that would be what threw her off the deep-end as well as having to witness a family being torn about (which didn't really make much sense since Nurse Crane was initially their midwife and Trixie really shouldn't have been involved).

I agree that it wasn't made clear why Trixie took over from Nurse Crane, but Nurse Crane's experience was that Mrs. Lund wasn't doing well and that Mr. Lund reacted with anger at the suggestion by Nurse Crane that Mrs Lund be sent to a (rest place - forgot the name). It set me up to think there was going to be an issue of domestic violence.  Nurse Crane spoke with Dr. Turner about something not being right and after that Trixie seemed to be assigned to the case. Nurse Crane was in charge of assignments, so perhaps the change was just due to logistics.  (I have to state that my viewing had gaps do to streaming problems so I may have missed something.)

It did appear that Trixie was going over and above her normal duties to assist Mr. Lund in his attempt to keep his family together. Having done that, it would have been really hard on her to see that not even her "best" could help them out. On top of that, her "best" with Alexandra wasn't working out either (or so it seemed) and I could see her conflating the two outcomes as her worst nightmare - contributing to unhappy children without a stable home - which is what her childhood had been.

I don't think having Trixie have a relapse is unrealistic. Recovering from alcoholism is a life-long struggle. Whether or not it was injected into the story due to Helen's pregnancy, I bought the confluence of circumstances that they set up: the drinks that Magda made not being cleaned up and being in Trixie's room made sense as she shared it with Valerie.  That's all it took.  I'd be good with this part of the story arc even if Helen didn't have to be gone early. However, the fallout from that moment of weakness will be more predictable because of it. They could have started a story-line via Trixie's AA sponsor or any of a number of relapse-back-to-stability story lines. However, I agree that whole arc is probably only presented out of convenience/necessity.

Still, I thought they did it well.

[snowwhyte]

Trixie drinking again is understandable but I still don't want to watch it. 

[MissLucas]

Geez, Sister Monica Joan should check some of her volumes on astrology to figure out which most unfortunate constellation on the sky was to blame that this got aired the same day as the most depressing 'This is Us' episode ever. Apparently last Sunday was also the Superbowl of tearjerkers.

All kidding aside that was depressing to the 9th degree and Buckles were not able to lighten the mood despite some valiant efforts. Nobody managed to catch a break. And I just realized that what I miss this season - the spiritual view the nuns especially Sister Julienne were often bringing to the table. It's understandable that in an episode dealing with abortion the nuns had to be side-lined but in all episodes so far this perspective was more or less missing and the nuns had hardly any interesting plots. Sister Julienne is mostly seen doing administrative work, Sister Winifred is there for comic relief (and as in this episode as the voice of doctrine) and Sister Monica Joan is there for us to further worry about.

Sure, we're moving more and more into a time where secular thinking was taking over everyday life and so more focus on the nurses seems to fit the zeitgeist. But that shift itself could provide interesting story lines for the nuns. As I mentioned above Sister Winifred has on more than one occasion shown to have very strict views especially on sexuality. There's immense story potential there that the show hasn't really explored. 

Meanwhile Trixie is slowly falling off the wagon and nobody notices. The scene with Valerie covering her eyes with cucumber slices was quite symbolic. 

[Primetimer]

A family is shattered and Trixie falls back into the embrace of an old love in Allison Lowe Huff's EPIC OLD-SCHOOL RECAP.

View the full article

[jschoolgirl]

On 2/6/2018 at 1:57 PM, OnceSane said:

Y'all we're right about how depressing this episode was from the jump!  The poor Lunts…the dad did everything he could to keep his family together and it just wasn't enough.  But I loved Mrs. Lunt taking her daughter's scarf to her and telling her she's loved.

And Trixie's off the wagon and into hot water next episode.  I figured she'd have at least one slip, I just wish it wasn't over a man--even though Christopher seems pretty great.

I think it's obvious that Christopher's ex is poisoning his daughter against Trixie, and the impression I get is that she'd be doing this no matter who Christopher dated.  He did say she was bitter…how deep does that bitterness run?

I was looking forward to the Turners keeping Magda on as their au pair after her abortion.  Maybe we'll see her return to Poplar in season 11 or 12 (if it goes on that long) as a new nurse/midwife.  I'm glad she left the asshole who scarred her…too bad it wasn't before she got knocked up.  And I didn't realize Hungary had legalized abortion back then.  Was that common behind the Iron Curtain?

Very common and encouraged. Many women would have as many as 4 or 5.

[Sarah 103]

On 2/6/2018 at 7:55 AM, snowwhyte said:

I don't think Trixie telling Christopher to go back to his wife is the right thing. It's not like she seduced a married man. He was already divorced when they met. 

It seemed like Trixie didn't understand divorce. She doesn't strike me as the type who believes the storyline you see in movies where a divorced couple or a couple on the verge divorce get back together and live happily ever after. 

On 2/7/2018 at 3:48 AM, Anothermi said:

I agree that it wasn't made clear why Trixie took over from Nurse Crane, but Nurse Crane's experience was that Mrs. Lund wasn't doing well and that Mr. Lund reacted with anger at the suggestion by Nurse Crane that Mrs Lund be sent to a (rest place - forgot the name). It set me up to think there was going to be an issue of domestic violence. 

I thought the exact same thing. I actually really liked that they took it in a total different direction. That being said, the end was heartbreaking. 

[jschoolgirl]

4 minutes ago, Sarah 103 said:

It seemed like Trixie didn't understand divorce. She doesn't strike me as the type who believes the storyline you see in movies where a divorced couple or a couple on the verge divorce get back together and live happily ever after. 

I thought the exact same thing. I actually really liked that they took it in a total different direction. That being said, the end was heartbreaking. 

Well, Phyllis was dealing with the birth and postnatal care, so it wasn't that odd for Trixie to work with the other kids. 

[Driad]

45 minutes ago, PreviouslyTV said:

A family is shattered and Trixie falls back into the embrace of an old love in Allison Lowe Huff's EPIC OLD-SCHOOL RECAP.

Thank you for posting this!  We Leftpondians need it for the plot points that we don't get to see.

[BooksRule]

As soon as the doctor said that Mrs. Lunt didn't have a brain tumor, I immediately thought of Huntington's Disease.  It's sad that even today there is no treatment or cure.  I guess the most that's changed is that people can get tested to see if they have the active gene so that they can either plan for the future or decide not to have children.  Very sad. 

[anna0852]

I can't get over what terrible advice that psychiatrist gave to Christopher about his daughter. Stop seeing her as often as he can? Only stick to his scheduled days? All that's going to do is make Alexandra think that her Daddy doesn't like her anymore.

[Jodithgrace]

This episode was especially annoying in that we, in the US, apparently missed several crucial scenes. No harrowing story about Magda's escape from Hungary and no reason why Christopher's daughter has been seeing a psychiatrist. It truly bothers me. Why can we see the entire episode? Thank goodness for the recaps or i would never know what the heck is going on. 

I wish I didn't know that Helen George was pregnant. I kept thinking, she really shouldn't be doing all that work (not to mention taking that drink!) then I would have to remind myself that her character isn't pregnant. I don't like her solution to Alexandra's problems. I agree that the mother is causing the problems and Christopher going back to her isn't going to make the child's life any better. 

If Nurse crane's uniform was red instead of blue, she would look just like a middle aged Annie. I keep expecting her to burst out with "the sun'll come out tomorrow." It's the hair.

Huntington's chorea is the disease that Woody Guthrie, the folk singer, died of. His son, Arlo Guthrie, had a 50% chance of getting it, but apparently escaped it, since he is still going strong. It usually hits in the 30's. I thought right away that the daughter had it, but that didn't seem possible until Dr. Turner explained about the juvenile form. 

I, too, kept waiting for somebody to wash those children,. 

[Ohmo]

Echoing all that said this episode was dreadfully depressing!  I thought it was crappy that the Lunts lost ALL of their children!  I understand about Wendy going to a care facility at that point in history, but to lose the other two into foster care as well...well damn!  I too thought the husband was an abuser at first, but when it was revealed that he wasn'r, I thought he and his wife got a raw deal!  I understand that the midwives couldn't be responsible for that type of support, but weren't the other support services then supposed to step in?

I don't understand the reason for introducing Magda in the first place if that was all that was going to happen.  They could have told the same story in a case of the week, with some random woman somehow convincing Shelagh to let her borrow her medical books.  The whole groundwork with the au pair now seems like a waste of time.

With Trixie, I get it.  Helen needed to be written off-canvas for maternity leave, and it made sense to use the character's history.  Helen George better not be leaving the show.  I love Trixie!

Whoever this writer is can't write another episode that is THIS depressing.  One is enough.

[Future Cat Lady]

It’s so frustating to come here and hear about the stuff that was cut. And for what? So they can tell us about the new set?  WTF PBS!

[anna0852]

I thought it was interesting that the doctor's reaction to Magda asking about an abortion was so judgmental. The show has usually shied away from the medical professionals getting judgemental with their patients. And I've also thought it was an interesting commentary that the doctors reaction to Magda explaining that abortion was legal in Hungary was to blame it on communism. The way she said the Magda wasn't in the Communist Bloc anymore made it sound as though the legal abortion was some sort of moral failing. And to be expected from communists. I thought it was an interesting beat.

Edited April 2, 2018 by anna0852

[LillyB]

Fred cleaned up beautifully.  It looks like dark teal was the hot color in 1963, so many of the women were wearing it.

[LittleIggy]

I didn’t know juvenile Huntington’s existed. How horrible. This post by a science writer talks about a family in which the father had Huntington’s and all three of the daughters had the juvenile type, the youngest started at age 5.: http://blogs.plos.org/dnascience/2013/05/30/juvenile-huntingtons-disease-the-cruel-mutation/

So the Lunt son and the baby could end up with the juvenile or adult types. ☹️

Still hate Trixie’s hair.

I wish Magda had stayed. I liked her.

[GaT]

Definitely a depressing episode, that poor family, losing everything with no hope of getting it back.

I don't understand the point of bringing Magda onto the show, just to get rid of a couple of episodes later. Makes no sense.

So Trixie loses another boyfriend, is she ever going to get to keep a man?

[rhys]

A friend of ours dad had Huntingtons. Fucking brutal disease. I didn't know about the juvenile kind either. Bloody awful. Still doesn't explain why Mr Lund couldn't do laundry & cook some.

[cinsays]

Quite a bleak episode for sure.  I would rather have seen the Nonamus girls go clean the Lunt's house and wash and feed the kids than take part in the pageant, but it was sweet to see Fred and his lady have a few sweet moments.

So glad we got that recap and I am amazed that we missed so much of the story in the US.  I could definitely have done without that spot at the end where we got to see how they equipped the place with appliances and furniture of the period. Who cares!  I want to see the full story line. 

[MissLucas]

It's been a while I saw this episode but the recap brought back how completely OOC almost everyone acted when it came to that poor family. Anyone remember how Sister Evangelina spent the last night of her life on the floor, scrubbing cracks with a piece of soap catching nits as to make the place sanitary for mother and baby? Imagine her watching that poor girl toppling over in the classroom *sigh* The writing really let down several characters but none more than Sister Winifred.

Edited April 2, 2018 by MissLucas

[Al Lowe]

It's been a while I saw this episode but the recap brought back how completely OOC almost everyone acted when it came to that poor family. Anyone remember how Sister Evangelina spent the last night of her life on the floor, scrubbing cracks the with a piece of soap catching nits as to make the place sanitary for mother and baby? Imagine her watching that poor girl toppling over in the classroom *sigh* The writing really let down several characters but none more than Sister Winifred.

I wish I had thought to make that call-back in the recap to Sister Evangelina's last act of service to a patient. The comparison is striking. I asking myself if they're purposefully trying to make a statement about how the bonds of community are dissolving through the years. Even if that's so -- to have a NUN ignore what looks like a neglected, battered kid? It's rough.

[BusyOctober]

I echo all the WTF's from the recap re. the inconsistent way the nurses/nuns behaved with the Lunt family.  Several of them witness the dirty home and/or children and don't jump into action as they've done for other cases? Yes, Trixie went to clean the place up several times (though, honestly it didn't look any better to me), but the kids were still wearing the same filthy clothes and had no food!  I know Dr. Turner got them medical attention and arranged for poor Wendy to go to a group home, but the mom, dad & kids still looked filthy and had no clothes after several visits from Nurse Crane & Trixie and trips to the doctors' and clinic.  I find it hard to believe that Mrs. Turner or Trixie wouldn't have found some donated clothes for the kids while they were hanging out at the clinics.  Or that Trixie or Nurse Crane wouldn't have brought some food and clean clothes on one of their visits.  Or Sister Winifred wouldn't have been so "Oh well, pass the crumpets!" after describing poor Wendy's condition at the school. These women have shown more compassion and rallied for families with less harsh conditions for cripes sake!

Also getting more frustrated with the slicing & dicing PBS has done to this show for US viewers.  Sure, it's "very important" for PBS to use those precious few minutes at the front and back of these episodes to tell me to send PBS money so I can keep seeing these quality shows. But- can your editors maybe cut non-essential tidbits instead of vital character exposition?  For example, seeing Fred in a tux was cute, but I would give up that scene to have learned about Magda's experiences escaping Hungary and the abusive BF in Paris.  

I also didn't get Trixie's speech about Christopher going back to his "wife".  He's divorced so he doesn't have a wife.  Also, I don't think Trixie would ever have dated him (or continued to date him) if she knew he were only 'separated'.  It is totally the ex-wife screwing with the little girl's mind re. her daddy & Trixie.  Divorce did have a stigma in the 60's (and sadly, even now), so the little girl was probably very sad and confused about why her mom & dad weren't together.  It's very natural.  But when one parent talks trash about their ex (or the ex's new squeeze) in the presence of the child, it makes it 10x's worse. 

[Bunnyette]

Too bad the PBS station cut so many interesting scenes.  Thank you for the full recap. Disagree with Christopher not figuring out his ex was manipulating his daughter & the usually  savvy Trixie not realizing it.

Good plot line with Magda, I thought we may see a scene a la Vera Drake

[Bunnyette]

7 minutes ago, BusyOctober said:

Also getting more frustrated with the slicing & dicing PBS has done to this show for US viewers.  Sure, it's "very important" for PBS to use those precious few minutes at the front and back of these episodes to tell me to send PBS money so I can keep seeing these quality shows. But- can your editors maybe cut non-essential tidbits instead of vital character exposition?  For example, seeing Fred in a tux was cute, but I would give up that scene to have learned about Magda's experiences escaping Hungary and the abusive BF in Paris.  

At the end there is a 15 minute yak session with the producer about the set.  How about cutting that instead the scenes from the episode PBS!

[marceline]

11 hours ago, Future Cat Lady said:

It’s so frustating to come here and hear about the stuff that was cut. And for what? So they can tell us about the new set?  WTF PBS!

That's always pissed me off. I have an actress friend who always used to yell at me for downloading episodes from...ahem...alternative sources but it's the only way to watch the show intact. Come on PBS, play the whole show. I'll even kick you some more cash during the pledge drive if you do.

I agree with everyone who bothered by the fact that the nobody thought to bathe the kids. Sometimes I wonder if this is part of the effect of the show no longer using the books as source material. Now they seem to be writing more for drama and care less about historical accuracy or consistency.

Speaking of consistency, I do appreciate Trixie having a relapse. I've always found her initial "descent" into alcoholism unrealistic. Relapse is much more realistic especially light of having been dual-ly triggered by breaking up with Christopher and the issues with the Lunt family.

12 hours ago, Ohmo said:

I don't understand the reason for introducing Magda in the first place if that was all that was going to happen.  They could have told the same story in a case of the week, with some random woman somehow convincing Shelagh to let her borrow her medical books.  The whole groundwork with the au pair now seems like a waste of time.

It seems like another Sister Ursula situation which is a shame because I think there was plenty of storyline potential there as she became more a part of the Poplar community but maybe they just figure that the same type of story that Lucille is dealing with as a young woman and foreigner trying to find her way.

[anna0852]

9 hours ago, rhys said:

A friend of ours dad had Huntingtons. Fucking brutal disease. I didn't know about the juvenile kind either. Bloody awful. Still doesn't explain why Mr Lund couldn't do laundry & cook some.

 Because he's still working full-time and on the night shift. At some point he has to sleep.

[marceline]

2 minutes ago, anna0852 said:

 Because he's still working full-time and on the night shift. At some point he has to sleep.

Yeah, this wasn't some guy who thought he was too good for women's work. He was just overwhelmed.

[jschoolgirl]

9 hours ago, rhys said:

A friend of ours dad had Huntingtons. Fucking brutal disease. I didn't know about the juvenile kind either. Bloody awful. Still doesn't explain why Mr Lund couldn't do laundry & cook some.

He was probably working a million hours in his very physical job!

[Rap541]

Quote

. Disagree with Christopher not figuring out his ex was manipulating his daughter & the usually  savvy Trixie not realizing it.

I think Trixie suspected it but understood that it was likely to always be a problem.

Quote

Speaking of consistency, I do appreciate Trixie having a relapse. I've always found her initial "descent" into alcoholism unrealistic.

When DID Trixie have the "I'm Trixie and I'm an alcoholic storyline anyway? I started casually watching in Season Four and Five where her meetings were referenced and I assumed it came up in Seasons 1-3 but I recently splurged on streaming and no... Trixie's descent into addiction didn't happen in seasons 1-3...

I found the whole episode a little odd and OOC in ways everyone has already mentioned. I did find it strange that every single child was pulled from the Lunt home at the end - the boy at least seemed old enough and well enough to hold his own.

I admit, I was mostly amusing myself with how artfully objects were placed in front of Trixie or how she was wearing capes etc etc. And when she finally goes for the booze, I was cheerfully messaging a friend "AHAHAHA THE ONLY REALLY PREGNANT PERSON HAS THE DRUNK STORYLINE HAHAHAH"

[izabella]

2 hours ago, marceline said:

. I've always found her initial "descent" into alcoholism unrealistic

I never quite believed Trixie was an alcoholic.  I know she is in show canon, but they didn't show that, IMO.   To me, I think she just liked to drink and have fun, and then there was one episode (or two?) where she couldn't go on a midwife call because she had been drinking.  I get that the idea is she couldn't stop drinking, but, I don't know, it seemed like an overreaction to me.  It also seemed like it was related to Trixie wanting to be less, um, colorful, for her priest boyfriend at the time.  Or maybe I'm conflating seasons.  In any case, I really dislike the "Trixie is an alcoholic" storyline for some reason.

Edited April 2, 2018 by izabella

[OnceSane]

1 hour ago, Rap541 said:

When DID Trixie have the "I'm Trixie and I'm an alcoholic storyline anyway? I started casually watching in Season Four and Five where her meetings were referenced and I assumed it came up in Seasons 1-3 but I recently splurged on streaming and no... Trixie's descent into addiction didn't happen in seasons 1-3...

Trixie realizes/admits she has a problem with alcohol after she & Tom fight over where the bishop wants him to go (S4/E4, IIRC).  She drinks so much she passes out, even though she was on-call.  Trixie doesn't go to AA right away, that doesn't happen until episode 7 or 8 of Season 4.

[Popples]

I echo the sentiments of those annoyed that Magda was introduced last week just to be shipped off the next. She and Valerie were getting on so well, and I had hopes of seeing a friendship between them blossom. It's nice seeing the midwives' lives outside the job.

"YES!" to more about Sister Winifred. She's been around since the third season, and we know nothing about her. The episode about the unwed teacher who got pregnant from the affair with the married man seemed like it might be leaning to shining the spotlight on her, but that's the most focus her character got except for the driving lessons.

2 hours ago, marceline said:

That's always pissed me off. I have an actress friend who always used to yell at me for downloading episodes from...ahem...alternative sources but it's the only way to watch the show intact. Come on PBS, play the whole show. I'll even kick you some more cash during the pledge drive if you do.

I do this for another show that airs on PBS because the edits were driving me crazy. I feel bad, but there was one episode that cut an entire storyline and it made some incidents at the end seem like they came from nowhere.

[Rap541]

Thanks. I probably don't remember because I usually drink wine while watching....

She's really not much of an alcoholic....  :/

[anna0852]

I'm actually quite pleased That Trixie's relationship with alcohol is being portrayed so complexly. Alcoholics come in all sorts of degrees. It's not just drinking till blackout everyday. While I don't consider myself an alcoholic I am very careful about when I drink because I definitely tend towards binging. I don't just have one drink, I have three or four without thinking about it. And if Trixie recognizes that not only does she have trouble stopping but that she's turning to alcohol for emotional fulfillment then she's absolutely right to seek help.

[LillyB]

I don't understand why social services took the boy because Dr. turner was raising Tim alone before he married. Was British social services classist at that time.

[AZChristian]

48 minutes ago, LillyB said:

I don't understand why social services took the boy because Dr. turner was raising Tim alone before he married. Was British social services classist at that time.

Perhaps the assumption was that Mrs. Lunt's condition was going to continue to deteriorate, and that Mr. Lunt would not be able to care for her AND the child/ren.  

[Willowsmom]

Mr Lunt had proved himself unable to care for the older children. 

[anna0852]

 I'm sure there were some class issues at play. However dr. Turner didn't send Timothy to school needing a bath or clean clothes. I'm sure mr. Lunt was doing his best but the children were clearly neglected.

[Rap541]

Quote

And if Trixie recognizes that not only does she have trouble stopping but that she's turning to alcohol for emotional fulfillment then she's absolutely right to seek help.

Because alcoholism then and now is often self diagnosed, I try not to judge people in real life who decide they don't like to drink socially and use "a drinking problem" to avoid alcohol. I like alcoholic beverages but I have plenty of friends who don't so if they are in my home, there's always non alcohol options and I do ask if it bothers them for me to drink, and I don't if it does. And one reason I love Uber and Lyft is because I can have a beer or two with friends and have absolutely no risk of driving even slightly impaired.

But... and this is much more a bitch about the writing than anything else, I know they cut the US episodes, but really, Trixie became an alcoholic, hit rock bottom in some apparently not really rock bottom way, immediately joins AA all in one very special episode? With of course periodic references to her problem when alcohol is served or offered?

Why, it's like in one episode, she's obviously pregnant and then disappears and then returns WITHOUT A BABY! :)

More seriously, it feels like a gratuitous add on plot that was tossed in to make the show appear to deal with modern issues.

Quote

I don't understand why social services took the boy because Dr. turner was raising Tim alone before he married. Was British social services classist at that time.

I'm sure classism totally was in play here but like someone else said, Dr. Turner may have blown cigarette smoke into poor Tim's lungs since birth but Tim's never been allowed to walk about utterly filthy with lice. Part of that is that Dr. Turner simply had a better understanding of child care, but Dr. Turner likely also had a housekeeper for the laundry and meals, or possibly a nanny at least when Tim was young. And if we want to argue he was too poor to afford such help, sure, but Dr. Turner is surrounded by nurses and nuns and ex patients who all seem to adore him and are likely to have lent him a supportive hand or two if he was struggling.

And honestly, I get a man not knowing how to do laundry or cook but the kids faces and skin were so visibly dirty... do you really need a woman to tell the kids to at least go fetch a bucket of water from the public tap and wash? There's also a point where letting the kids go hungry rather than ask for help is child endangerment.

[Emily Thrace]

7 hours ago, MissLucas said:

It's been a while I saw this episode but the recap brought back how completely OOC almost everyone acted when it came to that poor family. Anyone remember how Sister Evangelina spent the last night of her life on the floor, scrubbing cracks with a piece of soap catching nits as to make the place sanitary for mother and baby? Imagine her watching that poor girl toppling over in the classroom *sigh* The writing really let down several characters but none more than Sister Winifred.

I think its less of the characters being let down and more that their roles have changed. In Sister Evangelina's day Nonnatus would have been very involved in social work and might have been the only children's aid group in Poplar. By 1963 the state would have completely taken over that aspect of their work. I think the reason the Nonattuns were hesitant in this case was because they knew the kids would just be removed if they called social services and they wanted to only go that route as a nuclear option. That's why they offered help and treid to give the Dad a chance to pull things together.