Call The Midwife #2

[linzilou]

Yes I was surprised Cyril wasn't as vocal over missing Lucille either but at least the Turner kids spoke lol

I was expecting a showdown/revelation over the multiple birth as in the other doctor knew it was more etc, but like the other storylines it fizzled out to nothing.

Love Trixie's brother!

We are going into 1969 then now? Possible events to include
* Moon landing
* Manson cult killings
* Concorde test flight
* Charles becomes Prince of Wales
* Woodstock music festival
* Beatles release Abbey Road album

1969 is the year of the first heart transplant so get ready for Dr Turner performing a transplant in clinic and then going home for tea

 

[Blair-Waldorf]

Guys I can’t believe we’re 12 series deep and sister Monica Joan lives to see another day. That’s the only shock of the series

 

[50sGirl]

Re the advertising, photo competition.
In the 60s would the company really have chosen the Shah’s to advertise their products?
Surely back then it would have definitely been a ”typical” white family chosen?

Also, as a previous poster said, would the geriatric mum‘s husband have been so accepting immediately?

I sometimes think the writers are writing this as if it is set in the present day not over 50 years ago.

 

[50sGirl]

I have my suspicions that could very well be on the cards for Timothy you know. But yes it would be a joyous celebration with balloons, tea and cake wouldn’t it?

The celebrations at the Turner’s would make the Notting Hill Carnival look like tea at granny’s!

Sheila - “Oh Patrick, I’ve always wanted a gay son! Look at our diverse family. God has truly blessed us!”

 

[MyRightTit]

I really can’t stand Sheila & her kids! She’s such a twee, sickly character. I loved her as a nun but her voice grates on me now. And the kids are always front & centre at every event!

 

[Lizzie Mintdrop]

My Mum was almost drowned by her first husband in the 60s but she escaped and got help. The police were called and my mum returned to the house to get some clothes, she was soaking wet, clearly traumatised and the policemen were laughing and joking with her husband on the doorstep, one copper laughing as he said, I bet that shook her up. This was one of many incidents.

Very few people actually wanted to help in those days and even fewer people could help. My mum couldn't get a tenancy as a single mum and wasn't allowed to buy anything on HP because businesses didn't like doing trade with divorced women. I'm glad this has been highlighted here, it often annoys me how they show everyone as enlightened back then, when they weren't. Lots of women suffered needlessly

 

[anonymous1221]

A friend and I were talking this morning, we’ve both watched the show since the beginning. We both agreed that the whole show has lost the gritty realism of when it was based on Worth’s memoirs. Each episode’s ending is utterly predictable. I wasn’t at all concerned for Fred’s prognosis last week. I also don’t like how the characters and 99% of the community they’re based in seem to go by 2024 social justice standards. No way in 1960s East End, would people of colour, Down’s Syndrome, or people who were obviously gay would be so embraced by society. These were the days when pubs had “No Blacks, No Dogs, No Irish” signs in the windows. Not to mention an Irish single mother openly living with her illegitimate child in a CONVENT, and working in a respected position as a midwife no less. My eldest aunt had her first child out of wedlock in the late 70s, and my grandad, who was in no way a religious man, didn’t speak to her for months afterwards. My mum had a friend who also had an illegitimate child in the late 70s and was forced to go to a mother and baby home, and her child was taken away. I quite frankly find this rose tinted portrayal of those times an insult to those who’ve struggled in the past because of characteristics they had no control over.
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A friend and I were talking this morning, we’ve both watched the show since the beginning. We both agreed that the whole show has lost the gritty realism of when it was based on Worth’s memoirs. Each episode’s ending is utterly predictable. I wasn’t at all concerned for Fred’s prognosis last week. I also don’t like how the characters and 99% of the community they’re based in seem to go by 2024 social justice standards. No way in 1960s East End, would people of colour, Down’s Syndrome, or people who were obviously gay would be so embraced by society. These were the days when pubs had “No Blacks, No Irish, No Dogs” signs in the windows. Not to mention an Irish single mother openly living with her illegitimate child in a CONVENT, and working in a respected position as a midwife no less. My eldest aunt had her first child out of wedlock in the late 70s, and my grandad, who was in no way a religious man, didn’t speak to her for months afterwards. I quite frankly find this rose coloured portrayal of those times an insult to those who’ve struggled in the past for characteristics they had no control over.

Also the fact that SMJ is the ultimate coffin dodger, she must be about 125! She’ll outlive the student midwives at this point.

 

[Shesaidwhat?]

Didn’t Dr Turner have terminal cancer r something at one point or have I totally imagined this?

If that man had terminal cancer he’d find a cure and be teaching himself the steps to Riverdance before the end of the episode.

When Reggie ran out to give his coat and scarf to the pregnant lady

I adore Reggie. It would be nice if she came back and was a friend for him.

 

[Lizzie Mintdrop]

My mum got pregnant in 1961 and she had to get married. There was simply no question of her having the child and keeping it so she got married and had to stay married even though her husband was awful.

My dad got a girl pregnant in 1968 and her family would not allow her and my dad to get married, for religious reasons. The girl was Indian, my dad's family weren't totally accepting of the mixed relationship but would have supported a marriage, which they both wanted. Her family locked her in a room until she was ready to go into an unmarried mother's home where she was forced to give the baby up. It really annoys me that they give the 60s the chocolate box treatment, no one was that accepting. It must have been an awful time to be alive, in many ways

 

[Lizzie Mintdrop]

I enjoyed the Christmas Special this year but I do wish they'd stop rewriting history. I think it's important that children see the bigotry of the past so that they can learn from it. It's important that we don't misrepresent what people went through, it'll become all too easy for people to gloss over what went on if we aren't exposed to it.

Be woke in contemporaneous dramas, not in historical dramas. I applaud liberal social attitudes but I do not applaud misrepresentation in the slightest. It's dangerous to pretend they weren't racist, homophobic or misogynistic in this country, some still are

 

[Lizzie Mintdrop]

I said to my husband, he just always happens to be somewhere when there's an accident.

He’s Poplar's Harold Shipman

 

[petitspois]

I love the lack of continuity and logic. So, Trixie’s brother has disappeared, so have Fred’s daughters. Cyril’s church was in everyone’s face last week but nowhere to be seen when a black family desperately needed help this week. Trixie is struggling to hold down a husband and a job meanwhile Shelagh seems to work full time with four kids.

 

[HannahC]

Call the Midwife stars on Trixie and Matthew’s relationship breakdown | Radio Times

Helen George and Olly Rix spoke with RadioTimes.com and other press about their characters' marital troubles in Call the Midwife season 13.

www.radiotimes.com

So is this how they'll write him out? Trixie getting pissed at not being able to splash the cash?!

Why bother marrying Trixie off if she's just gonna end up being miserable again? Why can't she be happy? And that article making out like Trixie is just some sort of gold digger who is only interested in Matthew for his money and enjoying the lifestyle, since when has that been Trixie's character?? On the outside she's always come across as needing the finer things in life and having it all but really she just wants to be loved and to be happy. she's never been the type to lord it up above others. What is happening to the writing on this show Having said that i will still be watching every episode

 

[Babybail93]

The voice over at the end now sounds like they’ve literally dug her up to do it

 

[MissPrint]

I’m gutted this programme has been allowed to continue running under such abysmal writing. The original series based on Jennifer Worth’s actual memoirs were superb and prove that social history is interesting enough without the need for moral preaching, hammy acting and poor script writing.

It’s barely about the midwifery, mothers and children now and more to do with Dr Turner saving just about anything whilst casually and clumsily mentioning something historically relevant that has nothing whatsoever to do with the storyline.

I also wonder if there is possibly some other issue behind the scenes by the way nurses Valerie and Lucille both left very abruptly without any proper announcements from the BBC.

 

[Emsie]

The writing has gone a bit rubbish TBF. I loved the stories about the pill, abortions etc. The thalidomide story was outstanding. But they rush through everything now... The boy with leukemia could have been stretched out, and there could have been storys about the child workers and tell us more about that. Nancy's debt could have been drawn out like Trixie's alcoholism was. There could have been a mixed race relationship storyline with Lizzie and whatever her husband was called, an adoption storyline with geriatric mum which leads to drug use and treatment for it back then and discussions around foster care and children's homes. I feel like the early days we got a real sense of history but now it's over and done with in 1 hour. There's been loads of potential but no real character arcs.

 

[Aussie]

I’ve finally caught up with the last 2 episodes and I’m enjoying this series more than the last few. It doesn’t quite connect the way the early series do though.

I hate that Cyrill is sad and was nearly stabbed to death but at least he’s more than a background character now so swings and roundabouts. I have been enjoying Dr St Turner taking a backseat but I feel like Trixie’s sexy but wooden husband to be is now filling his role; swooping in to save the day in situations he’s clearly not qualified to handle but it inexplicably all works out anyway.

Does anyone else think there really missing the friendship aspect of the older series? Like between the nurses. I first noticed when they filmed during covid but thought it must be due social distancing, but a lot of the relationships still feel very surface level.

The friendship between Nurse Crane & Barbara

 

[fakesheikh]

The early series with Jenny's character are currently being shown on the Drama channel. As those series were based on her memoirs, the characters were real people so at the end of all those episodes, the narration was an update on what happened to that real-life person. The narration then was much more appropriate to the episodes - unlike today where it comes across as a syrupy verse read from a greeting card.

They should have changed the narrator to Sister Julienne when Jenny left

 

[HannahC]

Why is mature Jenny narrating how perfect Trixie’s wedding was? She wasn’t even there, it would of been a nice touch for her to come back.

"It looked like Trixie had a lovely day, i wouldn't know though as i wasn't invited!"

 

[petitspois]

Some thoughts…
Why is Lucille never mentioned?

The soaring music is getting worse. It adds to the twee feel.

I see Doctor Turner is spreading his wings to the hospital now.

I think they’d really benefit from a Police character being included again.

1969 Poplar is a nirvana of equal opportunity, racial equality and liberal thinking- who’d have thought it?

I can’t stand Rosie Jones either.