S08.E02: Episode 2

[willowk]

20 hours ago, Rap541 said:

Bingo! I'm not English but Dad was. He always refered to the country of his birth as a third world hell hole and he was born in the East End in 1944 and lived there until 1959 or 1960. I won't say that ALL of my English relatives were racist but yes, a lot of the older ones were openly racist. Call the Midwife tends to tone down the racism except for the occasional episode but it was there. To use a complete different example, there was a British show called The Tomorrow People that aired from 1971 to 1979 and in one episode, season 2, so 1972, the young female black woman was attacked by some of her white students because she was black and in London and it was depicted as "just the sort of thing that happens to black people in London".  This guy might have a great, not racist boss, but he still has every reason to worry that he'll lose his job because he's black and sick in a country where the people who hold the power are white. 

Call The Midwife treats racism as they do homosexuality -- in a much gentler fashion than the likely  true situations during the time period. For example last season they had a woman who by the end of the episode had not only accepted that her dad was gay but that he'd been in a long term relationship with someone she considered an uncle. And accepted that she and dad would have to let uncle move in as he was showing signs of dementia.

[anna0852]

I think they're in a sticky place regarding historical realism with modern sensibilities. If they show racism and Homophobia as it really was I think they be getting a lot of blowback and lot outcry. At least this way they're not pretending it didn't exist.

[tvrox]

20 hours ago, OnceSane said:

I watch the original BBC  airing, but I don't watch the PBS to know what's edited out.

It sounds like PBS cut a scene of Trixie, Lucille & Val hanging out in Trixie & Val's room.  Lucille said she didn't feel she had lived in the district long enough to have the right to vote (legally, she was fine, just how she felt).  Val and Trixie reassured her, & Val even said basically, "Remember Mrs. Buckle's speech…she said ALL of us were Poplar: new, old and in-between."  Not the direct quote, but you get the gist. 

Thanks! Wish they had kept that, so important to last scene.

[MeloraH]

On 4/8/2019 at 11:25 PM, OnceSane said:

I watch the original BBC  airing, but I don't watch the PBS to know what's edited out.

It sounds like PBS cut a scene of Trixie, Lucille & Val hanging out in Trixie & Val's room.  Lucille said she didn't feel she had lived in the district long enough to have the right to vote (legally, she was fine, just how she felt).  Val and Trixie reassured her, & Val even said basically, "Remember Mrs. Buckle's speech…she said ALL of us were Poplar: new, old and in-between."  Not the direct quote, but you get the gist. 

Thanks! I knew it must have been something. At first I thought she couldn't vote but then at the end I didn't think she'd commit voter fraud just to vote for Violet...

[debraran]

13 hours ago, anna0852 said:

I think they're in a sticky place regarding historical realism with modern sensibilities. If they show racism and Homophobia as it really was I think they be getting a lot of blowback and lot outcry. At least this way they're not pretending it didn't exist.

That's true, but it's also insulting to someone who had to deal with it a lot to see it sugarcoated all the time. It's good to have balance but it's a historical show and can do that.

It's fine to show a mother who warmed up to Lucille, that could have happened after a blowup of ugly words but there would be people who wouldn't also. Unfortunately I still see that in healthcare today, much less but definitely still there.

[willowk]

21 hours ago, anna0852 said:

I think they're in a sticky place regarding historical realism with modern sensibilities. If they show racism and Homophobia as it really was I think they be getting a lot of blowback and lot outcry. At least this way they're not pretending it didn't exist.

I agree its tricky. But what I worry about is that over time people will start to think how they portray it is historical truth and not fiction. But I agree that if they showed it the way it was, audiences today would either not like the characters or say the show is promoting those values. People are a lot more complicated than are often given credit for by history dramatizations.

[Sarah 103]

On 4/9/2019 at 11:01 AM, Ina123 said:

 I've made mistakes but still remain what would be considered "clean-cut" at 67. My siblings less so but good people. It's just individual personality that develops for lots of reasons. I love the way Tim behaves. LOL

This is exactly my point. I want Tim to stay the clean-cut wonderful young man he is, but I also want to see him make a dumb mistake, because he's human and that's what people do. 

[Omeletsmom]

On 4/10/2019 at 7:32 PM, Sarah 103 said:

This is exactly my point. I want Tim to stay the clean-cut wonderful young man he is, but I also want to see him make a dumb mistake, because he's human and that's what people do. 

Wasn't there a plotline where he tried to sneak off to a Stones concert?  And the episode where he took up smoking (albeit, in order to get his Shelagh and his Dad to quit)?  He hasn't always been an angel.

[Tosia]

On 4/9/2019 at 9:01 AM, Ina123 said:

I want Tim to stay Tim. I was a female Tim in the 60s. I never gave my parents a bit of trouble. It is entirely possible for Tim to remain the sweet guy he is. There's the saying (I'm paraphrasing) that "if you didn't smoke weed in the 60s, you weren't there". I didn't and I remember the 60s very well. I've made mistakes but still remain what would be considered "clean-cut" at 67. My siblings less so but good people. It's just individual personality that develops for lots of reasons. I love the way Tim behaves. LOL

I thinkit's amazing how much Tim-- the actor looks like his dad--the actor!  Tim is adorable and I can see him being focused on studying for his MD. 

I was a good girl too. Never did any drugs,  inc marijuana. Just not my thing or crowd.  No one believes me. 😕

The only time I got high was in the dentist's recliner when given gas, when I was about 35. I was floating near the ceiling! 

BTW,  I live in Colorado now,  lol. 

I can smell pot when I go by my neighbor's garage, or sometimes at a stoplight. Or on clothes of teens in the  high school where I teach.    When my 34 year old nephew visits from another state,  he and my son smoke it in my garage. I inhale the secondhand smoke discreetly, but never noticed any high. 

I stick to wine,  but one of these days I will buy some and try it. I'm 65 in a month. Happy Birthday to me.  

I wonder if the pot shops give senior discounts. 

😉

 

[Booklady1017]

On 1/22/2019 at 2:26 PM, OnceSane said:

I really loved Lucille helping the suffragette.  Not just helping her adjust to needing more help, but listening to her and Sister Monica Joan about what it's like in the later years of life.  Plus, Lucille blocking the door was amazeballs.  And I liked that she was left the medal while the little girl was left the money she might have made helping the elderly lady.

Fred had me wanting to smack him!  Support your wife, fool!  I'm glad he came around in the end and apologized to Violet.  I did wonder if he felt she didn't believe the CDC couldn't protect them--ie: that HE couldn't protect HER if shit hit the fan.  It seemed that way a bit.  Still, good he realized his mistake.

Oh, Sister Hilda!  I didn't get why she was trying so hard to be in charge.  I think it might be a carryover from her helping the former Mother Superior.  But I liked that Trixie snarked just a bit to get her to chill out.  Also, we've known about sickle cell my whole life, so it was interesting to see Dr. Turner try to see how to get a handle on a disease the British medical community knows little about.  And yay for the Ghanaian family for staying!  Nice that the dad's boss worked with him to keep him on staff.

I really like Lucille. I admire her courage in situations like this. I was touched by the old woman's story too. I'm glad that Fred came around to support Violet. I was angry at him first for his behavior towards her. I'm glad the dad's boss worked with the Ghanian man too.

On 4/7/2019 at 9:04 PM, JustDucky said:

As much as I liked the family from Ghana, it was the story of the Suffragette that brought the tears.  I really liked how they brought a little bit of spunk to Lucille and gave Sister MJ something to do.  (Also, could somebody more versed in British currency give this American an idea of how much the little girl was given, tucked away in pages of The Iliad?)

If Violet had given Fred a good kick in the shin, I would have cheered out loud.  

I also liked the dynamic between Trixie and Sister Hilda.  They're both very strong-willed and knowledgeable, so of course they would butt heads, but I loved how Hilda softened.  (That and I adore Fenella Woolgar - have since she played Agatha Christie to a T on Doctor Who.)

Speaking of Fenella Woolgar, did anyone see that show Home Fires? She was good on that too. 

[cinsays]

Yes, Home Fires!!  I was wondering why she looked familiar.  I loved that show too and wish it were still on.

[Chewy101]

On 4/8/2019 at 11:14 AM, CleverUserName975 said:

I quite like Dr. Turner's new receptionist (I guess she's not so new now). Back in the day the cliche was that the admins were really the ones making the business work but there's a reason those cliches came about. She's on top of everything!

She reminds me of Nurse Phyllis Crane - Stern and controlled, but an actual softy.  

[RedbirdNelly]

thanks to those who filled in the missing scene about Lucille voting. I assumed something had been cut.

I enjoyed getting to see Lucille more and to see her act with more spunk.

I felt so badly for the family with sickle cell. I have a high school friend who recently lost her daughter (in her 20s) to it. The flare ups were awful and the loss of her is so sad. It did make it worse knowing we're still working on a cure.

[Haleth]

Redbird, I've caught up to you.  (I've been binging CTM for weeks.)  

There was a story on 60 Minutes some months ago about a promising treatment for sickle cell anemia.  I was thinking how it took 50 years from the time of this episode when so many have suffered in the meantime.  So sad.

Annette Crosby was phenomenal in this episode.  

One thing no one mentioned; as much as I adore Phyllis, when Violet asked her to vote for her, Phyllis said she would have to look at Violet's stand on things followed by "I won't go voting for any old rubbish."  That was an incredibly tone deaf thing to say.

Home Fires was a great show.  I'm so sad that it only lasted 2 seasons and ended on a cliffhanger.

Edited March 18, 2021 by Haleth

[RedbirdNelly]

On 3/18/2021 at 6:43 AM, Haleth said:

.  

One thing no one mentioned; as much as I adore Phyllis, when Violet asked her to vote for her, Phyllis said she would have to look at Violet's stand on things followed by "I won't go voting for any old rubbish."  That was an incredibly tone deaf thing to say.

 

It was tone deaf. It was very Phyllis to insist on knowing her positions and to not vote for someone just because she knew them. But she could have said that in her typical blunt way minus the rubbish bit.

I will be back at my CTW watching this weekend. I slowed down this week since more of my "normal" current shows were on. It's a great show to have available whenever you just need something nice to watch.

[jpgr]

On 3/18/2021 at 4:43 AM, Haleth said:

Home Fires was a great show.  I'm so sad that it only lasted 2 seasons and ended on a cliffhanger.

I read the follow-up books that were written by the series' writer. Not quite as good as watching it acted out, but it satisfied my need for further stories with the characters and not ending with the cliffhanger.