Call the Midwife 7.05
Due to living through some incredibly busy weeks right now (not in a bad way, just in a "can only get online very briefly a few times" way), I didn't have a chance to catch the latest tale of midwives and their patients until now.
Rather obviously, the shared theme of both plots in this episode was fear; Ade (spelling?) the sailor who thought he had smallpox (as did most people encountering him) on the one hand, and the expectant mother of the week on the other, whose fear of birth was founded on her first awful experience and couldn't simply be reasoned away. Then we had Trixie's departure at the start of the episode and Barbara's & Tom's return at the end of it, and Violet organizing the Poplar picnic as a red thread throughout.
I have to admit, when the "smallpox!" rumors started in Poplar, I was afraid we'd get the proverbial scene with pitchforks and the storming of Nonnatus House, but no, the series remains optimistic about human nature, and thus not only does Reggie's kindness provide the key for finding the sick sailor, and Phyllis Crane's mixture of matter-of-factness, accurate diagnosis and care persuades him to seek medical help. I must admit I thought he was being irresponsible before, given he thought he had a highly contagious disease, but then we got his background, and I can see how the fear of being deported to Nigeria would influence him. And I really love that the show keeps bringing back Reggie instead of having let him be a one episode character, and shows he continues to be a part of Violet's and Fred's lives.
(Incidentally: this episode was also one of the cases where you learn something new. I knew leprosy was treatable these days, but not that it wasn't contagious via touch - that childhood reading of Ben Hur clearly had long term effects on me. ;))
Speaking of good character continuity, Patrick Turner rejecting the mother-in-law's "why doesn't she just do the stiff upper lip and getting on with it thing?" attitude and talking about how real the patient's fear was for her makes so much sense not just because he's a good doctor, but because of his own history (his mental breakdown). It was another good episode for Lucille Anderson, too, showcasing her empathy, persistance and kindness, and I loved that Shelagh got to help with the delivery because one of my regrets about Shelagh as a married woman mainly working at the clinic is that we so rarely get to see her use her midwife and nurse skills, and she was such an excellent midwife in the first two seasons.
Lastly: do we think Christopher believes Trixie's "I'm going to visit my mother in Portofino" story, or that he's being tactful but aware where she's really going? Anyway, I continue to approve that the series keeps showing him as supportive while letting him respect Trixie's decisions.
This entry was originally posted at https://selenak.dreamwidth.org/1273936.html. Comment there or here, as you wish.
Rather obviously, the shared theme of both plots in this episode was fear; Ade (spelling?) the sailor who thought he had smallpox (as did most people encountering him) on the one hand, and the expectant mother of the week on the other, whose fear of birth was founded on her first awful experience and couldn't simply be reasoned away. Then we had Trixie's departure at the start of the episode and Barbara's & Tom's return at the end of it, and Violet organizing the Poplar picnic as a red thread throughout.
I have to admit, when the "smallpox!" rumors started in Poplar, I was afraid we'd get the proverbial scene with pitchforks and the storming of Nonnatus House, but no, the series remains optimistic about human nature, and thus not only does Reggie's kindness provide the key for finding the sick sailor, and Phyllis Crane's mixture of matter-of-factness, accurate diagnosis and care persuades him to seek medical help. I must admit I thought he was being irresponsible before, given he thought he had a highly contagious disease, but then we got his background, and I can see how the fear of being deported to Nigeria would influence him. And I really love that the show keeps bringing back Reggie instead of having let him be a one episode character, and shows he continues to be a part of Violet's and Fred's lives.
(Incidentally: this episode was also one of the cases where you learn something new. I knew leprosy was treatable these days, but not that it wasn't contagious via touch - that childhood reading of Ben Hur clearly had long term effects on me. ;))
Speaking of good character continuity, Patrick Turner rejecting the mother-in-law's "why doesn't she just do the stiff upper lip and getting on with it thing?" attitude and talking about how real the patient's fear was for her makes so much sense not just because he's a good doctor, but because of his own history (his mental breakdown). It was another good episode for Lucille Anderson, too, showcasing her empathy, persistance and kindness, and I loved that Shelagh got to help with the delivery because one of my regrets about Shelagh as a married woman mainly working at the clinic is that we so rarely get to see her use her midwife and nurse skills, and she was such an excellent midwife in the first two seasons.
Lastly: do we think Christopher believes Trixie's "I'm going to visit my mother in Portofino" story, or that he's being tactful but aware where she's really going? Anyway, I continue to approve that the series keeps showing him as supportive while letting him respect Trixie's decisions.
This entry was originally posted at https://selenak.dreamwidth.org/1273936.html. Comment there or here, as you wish.