S08.E00: Christmas Special 2018

[OnceSane]

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As Poplar prepares for Christmas, the nuns leave for the Mother House to vote in a new mother superior and to help care for a group of Chinese orphans. Meanwhile, Trixie returns to Poplar refreshed and is shocked to discover that many mothers no longer want to give birth at home.

Airs December 25, 2018.

[LadyChaos]

Anyone know when it will be on the PBS streaming app?

[LadyChaos]

As soon as Sister Hildegard gave that speech, I knew she would be Mother Superior and as soon as Sheighieh picked up May I knew she would be taking her home. I am sad to see Winefred go. I hope that May ends up staying too.

Edited December 26, 2018 by LadyChaos

[JustDucky]

Trixie's back!  And as wonderful a midwife as she is, it's good to see her still interested in fashion and cake.  I was afraid she'd come back "older, sadder and wiser", and hearing her coo over her Little Black Dress and hope for cake with tea was refreshing.

Angela and May playing together was the best part of the show (and it was a darn good episode), so here's hoping May sticks around.  I'd hate to see her demoted to an offhand "weren't her adopted parents pleasant" line.  

Speaking of handwave lines, as much as I kinda miss Tom and want to see him recover and be happy, I'm glad they mentioned him and said Barbara's father welcomed him.  He kinda broke my heart last time...

Sister Hilda is Fenella Woolgar, whom I recognized from the Doctor Who episode when she (very convincingly) played Agatha Christie.  Will she be one of the sisters sent to Poplar?  *crosses fingers*  

I'll miss Sister Winifred, but she hasn't gotten any decent storylines since she was learning to drive.  I wonder if her devotion to Neil was appropriate for the times.  Quick, to Wikipedia!

Edited December 26, 2018 by JustDucky
a grammar error that would have kept me awake tonight

[tvrox]

Loved the episode! I think Sister Winifred was always more of a teacher than a midwife and her staying in the orphanage was apt. I'm glad they talked about fostering, rather than adopting, May-seems more realistic than a "Let's adopt her right now!' type of storyline. However, I wasn't crazy about the storyline with the mother who wanted to give birth in the hospital but ended up doing so in the street. Can hospitals really turn away patients in labor? I know they can't now, in the United States at least-not sure about the UK. But it seemed too simplistic: hospital bad, midwives good! Hospitals are safe places to give birth. This mother had a bad experience, but that doesn't mean hospitals are the wrong choice for everyone. But it was very clear from this episode that times are changing: more cars (and bigger cars), more hospital births, etc. Also loved the line about "could have been a developer who was scared away!" Maybe its because of my background, but I too thought that motherhouse was on some valuable real estate on the ocean front!

[Fiona Frazier]

Little May (or was it Mia?) brought back some real memories for me.  My late husband and I adopted a little Korean daughter when she was 3.  For a year, she would sit by the door just like little May, and we suspected it was for her mother.  I called our social worker and told her about it and asked if possibly our daughter was dropped off at the orphanage and told "Mommy will be back for you", so she waited and waited, with mommy never returning.   She said that's likely what happened.  So, obviously those were my thoughts at I saw that dear little girl.  In any case, other than my sad memories,   I'd love to see the doctor and his wife adopt May.  I think they writers handled the entire orphanage situation beautifully, especially with the little downs syndrome little girl and the handicapped little guy who just needed and craved attention.  Beautifully handled.  The whole show left me and a friend in tears.  And the new mother and her longlost brother reunited.  Beautiful.  Can't wait for the new season.

[howiveaddict]

I turned on my DVR recorded list and was pleasantly surprised to see this show recording.  I totally forgot there would be a Christmas show.  And it was up lifting also.  No sad ending this week. Does anyone know when the regular season returns?  

[freddi]

I was so delighted that the Christmas show aired on Christmas!  I thought that PBS tended to show the Christmas show along with the full series later in the year.  I saw lots of tweets from British friends earlier today praising the Christmas show, and I was all grumpy at the thought we would have to wait for a few months.  No one here seems surprised at the timing, so clearly I have been out of the loop regarding the airing of the past Christmas shows!  

[HazelEyes4325]

14 hours ago, LadyChaos said:

Anyone know when it will be on the PBS streaming app?

I believe it is on the next day?  

What a delightful episode, although I have to say I pretty much knew how things were going to end up pretty early on in the episode--I knew Sister Winifred wouldn't be coming back as soon as she bonded with the little boy, that Mai would be going home with the Turners as soon as Dr. Turner first saw her at Nonatus House, and that Sister Mildred would be the Mother Superior as soon as she started talking about everyone's inner struggle.

The mother who wanted to have her baby at the hospital--I spent most of the episode trying to figure out where I had seen her before.  I assumed that she had been on an earlier episode (and she might have been) and then I recognized her from one of my other favorite shows which takes place in pretty much the exact same place (separated by about 200 years), Harlots.

I'm also unclear if there is some sort of order among the midwives over who does what.  When they all went to phonebox to deliver the baby, why was Trixie--in her couture and clearly not "on duty"--the one on her knees delivering the baby when both Lucille and Valerie were there and Valerie was "suited up" for the job?  Not a huge issue, but it was strange enough that it brought me out of the story a bit.

I'm sad to see Sister Winifred go...I always liked her, but I realize that they never seemed to know what to do with her or how to develop her.

[GaT]

I didn't feel teary at all until the brother & sister were reunited, then it was a waterworks. I'm sorry to see Sister Winifred go though, we keep losing nuns. 

[HazelEyes4325]

Just now, GaT said:

I didn't feel teary at all until the brother & sister were reunited, then it was a waterworks. I'm sorry to see Sister Winifred go though, we keep losing nuns. 

Yeah, I cried the hardest when the two siblings were reunited.  I'm glad to see that whatever her name is who was filling in for Sheilagh at the clinic turned out to be a bit of the angel.

It is sad to see Sister Winifred go, but we're getting two nuns to take her place....

[JudyObscure]

I, who rarely cry over anything, must have gradually been conditioned like one of Pavlov's dogs over this show.  I started to get misty when I heard the opening song, cried when the first baby was born, cried harder when the next one was born, cried over everything Turner connected, and sobbed with hiccups when Billy showed up.  Jeeze.

I first saw Fenella Woolgar  In "He Knew He Was Right" She hasn't aged one bit. Sister Hilda

Edited December 26, 2018 by JudyObscure

[OnceSane]

I thought my son would pop put of his bed when the intro started playing (the Christmas show airs after his bedtime).

Loved little Mai, and that Shelagh wanted to be the one to care for her.  I'm sure we'll see Mai in at least a couple episodes next season.  

I knew "My sister was treated like a queen" would need the midwives in the end, but I'd hoped she'd at least make it to Nonnatus!  Giving birth on the side of the road had to suck.

So glad Sister Julienne wasn't elected Mother Superior, though I thought they'd get around that.  And I didn't know the nuns voted for Mother Superior, I thought it was an assigned role by the church.  

10 hours ago, howiveaddict said:

Does anyone know when the regular season returns?

Late January, I think.

[Archery]

The lady who had her baby in street yelled something at her husband right before he went to get the midwives.  Was she speaking English? No matter how many times I rewound, I couldn't make out what she said.

Overall, this was a lovely episode, and a beautiful way to end my Christmas night.   

ETA: I think Trixie delivered the baby because it was not routine and she was by far the most experienced of the three.

Edited December 26, 2018 by Archery

[sempervivum]

Loved the donated donkey, although I was cringing at the thought of that allotment shed post- brussel sprouts and turnips. The Nativity tableau was adorable.

I was mystified by the brother/sister reunion. I didn't really understand why the sister was lurking around the motherhouse or why she hadn't just asked the mother superior to help her find the conveniently club-footed brother. This bit seemed to be contrived for the 'awww' factor.

I find Sr. Monica Joan excruciatingly annoying (mostly) with her over-intellectualizing and I didn't really buy her delight at the Jamaican choir.

OTOH, the fat nun (Mildred? Hilda?) seemed crude and bossy, but then surprised me and won me over with her eloquent and elegant speech. 

[HazelEyes4325]

1 hour ago, sempervivum said:

I was mystified by the brother/sister reunion. I didn't really understand why the sister was lurking around the motherhouse or why she hadn't just asked the mother superior to help her find the conveniently club-footed brother. This bit seemed to be contrived for the 'awww' factor.

1

My guess is that she never intended to go to the Mother House to find her brother, that she had accepted that he was long lost to her.  I think she went to the Mother House to find something familiar.  She did say the happiest time of her life was when she was there, followed by the worst time of her life in Australia.  She did seem, I don't know, like she might be dealing with some PTSD and not thinking straight (I mean, who was going to deliver her baby if she had no intention of actually talking to any of the nuns, much less going to them for help?).  I will admit that it was a bit of clunky storytelling, but damn if it didn't make me cry.

[GaT]

1 hour ago, sempervivum said:

I was mystified by the brother/sister reunion. I didn't really understand why the sister was lurking around the motherhouse or why she hadn't just asked the mother superior to help her find the conveniently club-footed brother. This bit seemed to be contrived for the 'awww' factor.

She had just come home to England after her Australian husband died, so the orphanage was the closest thing to home that she had.

[CalicoKitty]

I was wondering if the lady from Australia would turn out to be the child that the Sisters sent to Australia in the first season, but I think that girl was sent with her brother, and I don't remember a brother with a club foot being left behind.  The ending of that episode was haunting because the voice-over at the end explained that people  thought that the children  were going to a better life, but the adoption program was a disaster for some of the children.  I guess it was not the same girl, but it was a nice tie-in with the first season.

[bunnyblue]

Yay!, my DVR recorded the episode, so that was a nice surprise to find this morning. I'm only half way through the episode, but I have to say, I teared up along with Trixie and Phyllis when they talked about Barbara. This is going to be a tough season without her, but I'm glad Trixie is back full time.

[howiveaddict]

Loved the embrace between Trixie and Sister Winifred.   I think they were talking about Barbara. I will be sorry to see Sister Winifred gone. I always felt she needed more things to do on the show. 

[J-Man]

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Sister Hilda is Fenella Woolgar, whom I recognized from the Doctor Who episode when she (very convincingly) played Agatha Christie.  Will she be one of the sisters sent to Poplar?  *crosses fingers*  

This is just an assumption on my part, but

Spoiler

since the actresses who played Sisters Hilda (Ms. Woolgar) and Frances (Ella Brucolleri) were listed in the opening credits with the regulars, I believe they will be the new Poplar midwives.

[craziness]

J-Man, I believe your assumption about 

Spoiler

Sister Frances is correct as she's listed as being in 9 episodes on IMDB.  Sr. Hilda is only listed in 1 (but that can easily change).

 

Also, when we first see 2 nuns from the back walking from the beach to the mother house and mentioning Sr Julienne, I think they wanted us to believe one was Sr Mary Cynthia.  Sounded like her voice to me.

Edited December 27, 2018 by craziness
Correct word

[Bunnyette]

19 hours ago, HazelEyes4325 said:

I’m also unclear if there is some sort of order among the midwives over who does what.  When they all went to phonebox to deliver the baby, why was Trixie--in her couture and clearly not "on duty"--the one on her knees delivering the baby when both Lucille and Valerie were there and Valerie was "suited up" for the job?  Not a huge issue, but it was strange enough that it brought me out of the story a bit.

I'm sad to see Sister Winifred go...I always liked her, but I realize that they never seemed to know what to do with her or how to develop her.

I agree there’s Valerie all suited to deliver a baby yet Trixie in her very expensive dress does.  Unrealistic show producers!

[txhorns79]

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The lady who had her baby in street yelled something at her husband right before he went to get the midwives.  Was she speaking English? No matter how many times I rewound, I couldn't make out what she said.

It was amazing to me just how useless the husband was in a crisis.  I kept thinking the poor woman was going to have to go through the entire thing alone because her husband was too stupid to remember where he left her when he ran off to get help. 

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I didn't feel teary at all until the brother & sister were reunited, then it was a waterworks. I'm sorry to see Sister Winifred go though, we keep losing nuns. 

 

The brother/sister reunion was my moment of tears too.  I'd be sorry to see Sister Winifred go, but she honestly was a waste of a character.  They did so little with her while she was on the show. I mean, I thought the most interesting thing about her is the interviews they show after the episode ends.  The actress looked like a British Stevie Nicks.

[craziness]

1 hour ago, Bunnyette said:

I’m also unclear if there is some sort of order among the midwives over who does what.  When they all went to phonebox to deliver the baby, why was Trixie--in her couture and clearly not "on duty"--the one on her knees delivering the baby when both Lucille and Valerie were there and Valerie was "suited up" for the job?  Not a huge issue, but it was strange enough that it brought me out of the story a bit.

I'm sad to see Sister Winifred go...I always liked her, but I realize that they never seemed to know what to do with her or how to develop her.

Trixie is the senior midwife of the 3 present, plus she had visited the mother before the birth and had delivered her other baby.  I would guess since the birth was difficult (standing against a wall), that they would have the senior midwife deliver the baby.  

I did think it was crazy that the hospital turned away the mother (you can wait an hour for an ambulance or make your own way to the other hospital).

Also, J-Man, I found a couple articles.  Your other assumption is correct also.

[helenA]

14 hours ago, Archery said:

The lady who had her baby in street yelled something at her husband right before he went to get the midwives.  Was she speaking English? No matter how many times I rewound, I couldn't make out what she said.

Overall, this was a lovely episode, and a beautiful way to end my Christmas night.   

ETA: I think Trixie delivered the baby because it was not routine and she was by far the most experienced of the three.

 

British accents are hard to understand. In the past ,  sometimes I would end up rewinding the same scene to hear the line again, I would rewind it three times and still don’t understand what was said. That’s why I learnt to on the subtitles in the PBS video , just to fully understand what they are saying . I forgot what that lady said , I’d have to rematch the scene with subtitles. A i suggest you do the same :) 

 

For example , last season Shelagh was delivering a baby to this mother who had an extreme fear of childbirth due to previous traumatic  forceps delivery in hospital . The second birth was much calmer taking place at home . The mother was still anxious and Shealgh encouraged her by saying “You’re doing beautifully , with your next breath your baby will be born into this fine new day !” When I first watched that episode on TV with no subtitles I thought she said “ Fine new bed “ instead of “ Fine new day” I was so confused on why she said fine new bed....the next time I watched it on Netflix I finally realized...Ohhh “ Fine new day! not Fine new bed ! That makes more sense now . 

Edited December 27, 2018 by helenA
Add more detail

[Gulftastic]

The woman in labour shouted 'It's next door to the school, you stupid article!'

[Kohola3]

Between my hearing and the accents I don't watch ANY British show without closed captioning!

I enjoyed it a lot, I have missed this series.  It was a great Christmas night event to close out the day and I am so glad that Sr. J is staying.  Too bad about Winnie but they just couldn't seem to find a good place for her.

[babs j.]

My local PBS station - Chapel Hill, NC - shows the Christmas special on Christmas night.

[dalek]

Like most folks here, I assumed after the "struggle within is what defines us" speech that the nun running the Hong Kong mission would be elected superior.

While I can see that a hospital might not have beds available in the maternity ward, I would have thought that would be when you'd just keep the person in the emergency room or find a bed somewhere else in the hospital.  You'd think they'd at least have her see a doctor to check how far along she was before saying "ambulance or get there on your own," particularly since she'd already had several kids, so she was unlikely to be mistaken about "the baby is coming right now."

 One of my mother's cousins had ridiculously fast labor, so with her first child, when she called her OB/GYN to say she was in labor, his response was "don't worry, it's early in the process, no need to rush to the hospital" and then she called back 15 minutes later to say her water broke and what should she do. "GET TO THE HOSPITAL NOW!!"  They pretty much threw her on a gurney and ran into the delivery room the instant she arrived (I think she was already crowing by then).  So after that when she said "Baby's coming," everyone listened. By the third baby, she swears she didn't even have an initial set of contractions, she just woke up in the middle of the night and told her husband "it's happening now."  By that point her husband was pretty much Dick van Dyke in the baby episode of the Dick van Dyke Show and was practically sleeping full clothed with the car keys in his hand.

They never seemed to know what to do with Sister Winifred.  Too bad.  The actress seemed like a fun person.

Also, it was nice that Nurse Mound got a mention.

Edited December 27, 2018 by dalek

[Driad]

3 hours ago, Gulftastic said:

The woman in labour shouted 'It's next door to the school, you stupid article!'

This was just after the stupid article said, "How should I know where Nonnatus House is?  I'm not a woman."  So maybe he didn't know where the school was either.  Stupid article.  

Actually I didn't remember Nonnatus House was next to a school, but I have never walked past it.

I can generally understand the posher British accents, because I have heard them so much on TV, but the accents on this show are less familiar so I use closed captions.

[txhorns79]

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This was just after the stupid article said, "How should I know where Nonnatus House is?  I'm not a woman."  So maybe he didn't know where the school was either.  Stupid article.  

I would have been entirely fine, if after he said he didn't know where Nonnatus House was because he's not a woman, Mavis then pulled a butcher knife out of her purse and stabbed him repeatedly for being a useless a-hole. 

Quote

Also, it was nice that Nurse Mound got a mention.

I did like that they actually referenced some of the old crew, and that nice picture from Season 1 or 2 of the nuns at Nonatus House when Shelagh was still Sister Mary Bernadette that had Sister Evangelina in it.  

I also may have been a little teary at seeing Trixie's mini-breakdown over Barbara's death.  I forgot that she had taken leave already by the time Barbara died. 

[MissLucas]

Well, I started crying 13 minutes in at the sight of Barbara's red cardigan - the sibling reunion didn't do much for me though. I appreciate the call-back to season one but I wish they had brought back the kids from that episode, more emotional impact.

Sister Winifred will be missed - I always enjoyed the actress and I was hoping the show would develop the character more since she had potential. Hopefully the new nuns will get better treatment by the writers.

On 26.12.2018 at 4:09 PM, OnceSane said:

And I didn't know the nuns voted for Mother Superior, I thought it was an assigned role by the church.  

This is normal procedure for monastic communities - their leader (abbot, abbess or mother superior) are elected by the community of monks or nuns. Within catholic communities additional confirmation by the hierarchy is required in some cases. No idea how this is handled for Anglican communities. But the elective nature of the office is very old.

You don't hire Miriam Margolyes without giving her a good hero-speech (or whatever the nun equivalent is). She's terrific and I always enjoy her appearances (even on the Graham Norton show although those are not for the faint of heart).

Edited December 27, 2018 by MissLucas

[angora]

I liked the detail of Lucille wondering if the adoptive parents of the babies were Chinese and, when she found out they weren't, worrying over how the children would get a connection to their culture.  It's unfortunate but realistic that that wouldn't have been on anyone else's radar.

Trixie and Nurse Crane having a moment over Barbara's sweater killed me.  I also teared up at the kindness and encouragement of the midwives during the sidewalk birth (that always gets to me) and poor little May waiting by the door for her mother.

[libgirl2]

1 hour ago, txhorns79 said:

 

I did like that they actually referenced some of the old crew, and that nice picture from Season 1 or 2 of the nuns at Nonatus House when Shelagh was still Sister Mary Bernadette that had Sister Evangelina in it.  

 

I loved the picture and the references as well. 

[sigmaforce86]

On 12/26/2018 at 2:15 PM, CalicoKitty said:

I was wondering if the lady from Australia would turn out to be the child that the Sisters sent to Australia in the first season, but I think that girl was sent with her brother, and I don't remember a brother with a club foot being left behind.  The ending of that episode was haunting because the voice-over at the end explained that people  thought that the children  were going to a better life, but the adoption program was a disaster for some of the children.  I guess it was not the same girl, but it was a nice tie-in with the first season.

I remember on the boards after the episode it had sent everyone running to their computers to search the history of orphans sent to Australia.  Something I honestly didn't know about, am glad I was informed about and, at the same time, wish I had never read about it!  It was a nice tie in from that episode to this though, it's a credit to the writers that they rarely forget or drop a previous storyline.

Trying to stay unspoiled I really wasn't sure if Jenny Agutter was leaving the show; very, very relieved she's staying! 

They had me at the sweater!  The minute Phyllis came out with it I knew it was Barbara's but when Trixie realized and they shared that moment we were definitely reaching for the tissues.  Count me among those glad that they went the foster child route.  Not that little May wouldn't be a nice addition especially for the Turner's.  If that's what they want to do in the future it would be fine but it would have been a bad choice to jump directly to them adopting her during the special.

Laura Maine must have been shot from a bad angle in the beginning of the episode (when they introduced the temp receptionist), I really, really thought she was pregnant and hiding it with the coat and scarf.  Obviously you could tell later she wasn't pregnant which reminds me I loved seeing her wearing pants and looking very "Laura Petrie" 

Also got my Harry Potter stars mixed up.  At first I thought Sister Hilda was being played by Fiona Shaw/Aunt Petunia (sorry, I guess in that habit it was harder to tell and they seemed similar in the face) but it wasn't until much later I realized the actress playing Sister Mildred was also Professor Sprout.

[Gulftastic]

I think it's an age thing, because whilst a lot think 'Harry Potter' when they see Miriam Margolyes,I go straight to 'Blackadder'.

[libgirl2]

7 minutes ago, sigmaforce86 said:

I remember on the boards after the episode it had sent everyone running to their computers to search the history of orphans sent to Australia.  Something I honestly didn't know about, am glad I was informed about and, at the same time, wish I had never read about it!  It was a nice tie in from that episode to this though, it's a credit to the writers that they rarely forget or drop a previous storyline.

Trying to stay unspoiled I really wasn't sure if Jenny Agutter was leaving the show; very, very relieved she's staying! 

They had me at the sweater!  The minute Phyllis came out with it I knew it was Barbara's but when Trixie realized and they shared that moment we were definitely reaching for the tissues.  Count me among those glad that they went the foster child route.  Not that little May wouldn't be a nice addition especially for the Turner's.  If that's what they want to do in the future it would be fine but it would have been a bad choice to jump directly to them adopting her during the special.

Laura Maine must have been shot from a bad angle in the beginning of the episode (when they introduced the temp receptionist), I really, really thought she was pregnant and hiding it with the coat and scarf.  Obviously you could tell later she wasn't pregnant which reminds me I loved seeing her wearing pants and looking very "Laura Petrie" 

Also got my Harry Potter stars mixed up.  At first I thought Sister Hilda was being played by Fiona Shaw/Aunt Petunia (sorry, I guess in that habit it was harder to tell and they seemed similar in the face) but it wasn't until much later I realized the actress playing Sister Mildred was also Professor Sprout.

I would love to see the Turners become foster parents for more children. 

I have to read up more on the Australian adoption but I have a feeling I will be sorry. 

[CleverUserName975]

I got a 12-pack of hankies from Santa for Christmas so I was totally prepared for this! I have to say while this wasn't my favorite of the Christmas Specials, it had so many cute and fuzzy moments!

Lucille fussing over Val's tutu hem! Although I have to say it was in no danger of flashing her undercrackers at it's original length--more of a threethree to begin with. Lucille is wont to preworry--why wait for an actual crisis when she can fret herself into a frenzy right now [I can totally relate . . . ].

Sister Hilda! I'm predisposed to like the character as I adored Fenella Woolgar in Home Fires. I like to think she'll be a good support system to Sister Julienne.

Can I get a hallelujah and an amen for Vi? Whipping out all those costumes on her trusty sewing machine while trying to solve the great brassica vegetable caper? At this point her first suspects should always be Fred and Reggie.

Speaking of Reggie--he brought the donkey a blanket!

Sister Mildred--in the end I liked her but my first thought was they're trying to give her a strong personality and make her Sister Evangelina 2.0. As my 84 year old mother pointed out, she might be short but she can climb up on a pew and apply boot to posterior if needed!

Miss Higgins--I had to look her up to see where I'd seen her before. In Calendar Girls! As was Nurse Crane. What month will pop in to Poplar next?!

Welcome home Trixie. Although I have a hard time believing that no Poplarite offered to help you with your luggage or that you didn't commandeer one of the many local kiddies to help cart your stuff.

I'm still not over Nurse Barbara. Sniff. Her sweater. Good thing I got those hankies for Christmas.

Sister Winifred found her calling. I hope she gets to drive the orphanage van at some point, what with all those driving lessons she suffered through (by suffer I mean put poor Nurse Crane through!).

Edited December 28, 2018 by CleverUserName975

[eel2178]

7 hours ago, dalek said:

 One of my mother's cousins had ridiculously fast labor, so with her first child, when she called her OB/GYN to say she was in labor, his response was "don't worry, it's early in the process, no need to rush to the hospital" and then she called back 15 minutes later to say her water broke and what should she do. "GET TO THE HOSPITAL NOW!!"  They pretty much threw her on a gurney and ran into the delivery room the instant she arrived (I think she was already crowing by then).  So after that when she said "Baby's coming," everyone listened. By the third baby, she swears she didn't even have an initial set of contractions, she just woke up in the middle of the night and told her husband "it's happening now."  By that point her husband was pretty much Dick van Dyke in the baby episode of the Dick van Dyke Show and was practically sleeping full clothed with the car keys in his hand.

With me, my mother started having contractions at 10:30pm. The doctor told her to wait until after midnight to go to the hospital, so she wouldn't have to pay for an extra day. She checked in at 12:05am. I was born at 2:52am. 

[Straycat80]

I’m glad I saw this thread, I forgot about the Christmas special, luckily taped it in rerun. 

The water works started for me at the mention of Barbara and seeing her name on the red sweater. The touching scene between the Mother Superior and Sister Julienne. Those little orphaned kids. That little orphan girl with the pig tails who wanted to get ‘picked’ so bad. The Billy and Lena reunion. 

I loved the Jamaican chorus at the end. I’ll miss Sister Winifred too but glad Trixie is back. I can’t wait for the new season to start. I love this show! 

[Noneofyourbusiness]

On 12/25/2018 at 10:27 PM, LadyChaos said:

As soon as Sister Hildegard gave that speech, I knew she would be Mother Superior and as soon as Sheighieh picked up May I knew she would be taking her home. I am sad to see Winefred go. I hope that May ends up staying too.

Her name is Sister (now Mother) Mildred. Sister Hilda is the somewhat younger nun who showed Sister Julienne the state of the office and told her she was the only one who could take over.

8 hours ago, angora said:

I liked the detail of Lucille wondering if the adoptive parents of the babies were Chinese and, when she found out they weren't, worrying over how the children would get a connection to their culture.  It's unfortunate but realistic that that wouldn't have been on anyone else's radar.

That was a nice detail. I wish that had been discussed further.

1 hour ago, Straycat80 said:

II loved the Jamaican chorus at the end.

If you can't bring Mohammed to the mountain, bring the mountain to Mohammed (to paraphrase).

6 hours ago, CleverUserName975 said:

Can I get a hallelujah and an amen for Vi? Whipping out all those costumes on her trusty sewing machine while trying to solve the great brassica vegetable caper? At this point her first suspects should always be Fred and Reggie.

I'm amazed she managed to do that many in so short a timeframe.

[theatremouse]

On 12/25/2018 at 11:11 PM, HazelEyes4325 said:

I'm also unclear if there is some sort of order among the midwives over who does what.  When they all went to phonebox to deliver the baby, why was Trixie--in her couture and clearly not "on duty"--the one on her knees delivering the baby when both Lucille and Valerie were there and Valerie was "suited up" for the job?  Not a huge issue, but it was strange enough that it brought me out of the story a bit.

I think they established in earlier episodes that, essentially, each midwife is assigned to various patients. So, barring calamity in which the assigned midwife can't deliver the baby, if it's her patient and she's there, it's her delivery  and the rest assist. I think at the beginning of the episode it was Trixie with this mother having the conversation about hospital vs home birth, which implies it's Trixie's patient. I assume that's why she did the delivery, regardless of what she was wearing. She was there and it was hers to lead.

[catrice2]

I thought she was given the delivery for them to make a point about her doing it in a dress she loved and was just boasting about. 

[Deskisamess]

On 12/26/2018 at 2:15 PM, CalicoKitty said:

I was wondering if the lady from Australia would turn out to be the child that the Sisters sent to Australia in the first season, but I think that girl was sent with her brother, and I don't remember a brother with a club foot being left behind.  The ending of that episode was haunting because the voice-over at the end explained that people  thought that the children  were going to a better life, but the adoption program was a disaster for some of the children.  I guess it was not the same girl, but it was a nice tie-in with the first season.

Read the book or watch the movie called Oranges and Sunshine. It's a true story, about that program. The movie is very well done.

[caitmcg]

On 12/26/2018 at 11:15 AM, CalicoKitty said:

I was wondering if the lady from Australia would turn out to be the child that the Sisters sent to Australia in the first season, but I think that girl was sent with her brother, and I don't remember a brother with a club foot being left behind.  The ending of that episode was haunting because the voice-over at the end explained that people  thought that the children  were going to a better life, but the adoption program was a disaster for some of the children.  I guess it was not the same girl, but it was a nice tie-in with the first season.

That brother and sister were fairly young children when they were sent off. The first season took place in 1957, and this Christmas special is (I presume) taking place at the end of 1963, since the final episode of S7 included the Kennedy assassination. The brother and sister here were at least in their mid 20s, it seemed.

[dargosmydaddy]

On 12/27/2018 at 11:14 AM, dalek said:

Also, it was nice that Nurse Mount got a mention.

And a puppy!

Is it sad that I'm hoping the prospective adoptive father ends up perishing from his TB so the Turners end up keeping May?

[Brattinella]

This episode was such a special treat for Christmas!  I loved it all the way through.  So very glad Trixie is back, and I adore Mother Mildred already.  Missing Nurse Mount, the ravishing redhead, and Barbara, of course.  I was weeping throughout, but gushing buckets by the end.  I was trying to place the new Mother Superior, she looked familiar, and I finally came up with:  One of Cinderella's mouse seamstresses!

[Kohola3]

9 minutes ago, Brattinella said:

I adore Mother Mildred already. 

Me, too. I wonder if we will see her, though.  We never saw Mother Jesu Emmanuel before, did we?  Boy, did she look like a Mother Superior should look!

[dargosmydaddy]

Question-- did they mention where Lena got that car from in her first scene? I mean, she just arrived back in England, didn't know anyone, I don't think rental cars were a thing back then, she's on foot after that first scene... I dunno, CtM is usually good with realistic details, but that one had me wondering.