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Call The Midwife Season 8

Nonnatus House gets a few new penguins!

But no fine pieces of ass like the dishy vicar. Not yet, anyway. Hopefully Father Tom is having his stress released by the mouth of some Jesuit brother somewhere.

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by Anonymousreply 162January 30, 2020 7:17 PM

A moment of silence for the dishy vicar, whenever may he roam.

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by Anonymousreply 1April 7, 2019 12:26 AM

My first responsibility is to ensure the consumption of this cake.

by Anonymousreply 2April 7, 2019 12:27 AM

And speaking of former Poplar residents....

The actress who played Patsy WROTE the new season of Killing Eve and will also be playing Camilla Parker Bowles on the new season of The Crown.

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by Anonymousreply 3April 7, 2019 12:29 AM

[quote] My first responsibility is to ensure the consumption of this cake.

I can sympathize, Sister Monica Joan.

by Anonymousreply 4April 7, 2019 1:56 AM

OMG that episode.....

***sobs***

by Anonymousreply 5April 8, 2019 2:23 AM

Love this show and never missed an episode.

by Anonymousreply 6April 8, 2019 2:25 AM

The hands of the Almighty are so often to be found at the ends of our own arms.

by Anonymousreply 7April 8, 2019 10:38 PM

"A woman of substance"

BITCH I WASN'T READY!

by Anonymousreply 8April 9, 2019 12:03 AM

Was I supposed to be amused by a smelly old woman throwing packets of her own filth at the people who are trying to remove her to live in a clean environment?

by Anonymousreply 9April 9, 2019 12:43 AM

No, R9. It was meant to remind you of the posters here.

by Anonymousreply 10April 9, 2019 12:46 AM

[quote] The actress who played Patsy WROTE the new season of Killing Eve and will also be playing Camilla Parker Bowles on the new season of The Crown.

Another upper class person robbing the middle and working class of acting jobs.

Remember when being on the stage was scandalous? Women who appeared onstage were no better than whores. That’s why so many of them were royal mistresses. Because they were lowborn whores.

by Anonymousreply 11April 9, 2019 12:48 AM

Who does that cunt Miranda Hart think she is?

She was only ever decent on this show and it's a shame she won't come back at all.

by Anonymousreply 12April 9, 2019 12:49 AM

I miss Chummy, too, R12.

I could do without the overdone voiceovers at the end of this season's two episodes. I don't remember the narration being so lengthy and pretentious before now.

by Anonymousreply 13April 9, 2019 1:13 AM

I’m a little sick of the Old Person Livng in Squalor To Make a Point About History. They’ve done it to death. Literally.

by Anonymousreply 14April 9, 2019 1:59 AM

I think they've done it as a story on this show now three or four times. There was the brother and sister who fucked each other, the old lady in the Christmas show that was in the workhouse, and now this suffragette woman.

by Anonymousreply 15April 9, 2019 10:33 PM

One of the new nuns was on Home Fires a few seasons back.

She played a widow who briefly had a lesbian living with her.

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by Anonymousreply 16April 11, 2019 7:37 PM

There was something about this show that repelled me. Which is odd because I’m a frau and I adore British actors and settings and 1960s nostalgia.

by Anonymousreply 17April 11, 2019 7:54 PM

It is a very unusual mix. It can be very square in some ways, and there's a light religious tone, though it's rooted in a legitimate character place (the perspective of the nuns) and not some generic feel good Hallmark version of Christianity a la Touched By Della Reese's Claws.

But then it also goes deep into social problems, and doesn't flinch from some difficult subjects. So it's kind of a tricky balance.

by Anonymousreply 18April 11, 2019 9:21 PM

More Linda Bassett as Nurse Crane, please. I love her and her vinegar-y common sense. And although I fear they're headed in that direction, please don't make her and Sgt. Woolf a couple.

by Anonymousreply 19April 11, 2019 9:55 PM

Phyllis has been unlucky in love. But I wish she'd find a meaningful friendship. She was close to Barbara before she died, so it's only fair she should have a new buddy.

by Anonymousreply 20April 11, 2019 9:58 PM

R18, I think they get away with showing very graphic images and plot lines by having nuns in the background. That makes it a “family show,” even though half of it is between some woman’s legs or about unmarried girls fucking.

by Anonymousreply 21April 11, 2019 10:23 PM

[quote] There was the brother and sister who fucked each other, the old lady in the Christmas show that was in the workhouse, and now this suffragette woman.

Plus there was an old man in the first season who was being seen by Nurse Jenny Lee. He had leg ulcers, just like the old woman in last week’s episode. Jenny was grossed out because there were “insects” in his flat (I’m not sure if “cockroach” is forbidden word on British tv or not.) He was taken out of his flat due to slum clearing, and placed in a nursing home which used to be the old workhouse where his leg wounds weren’t cared for. They amputated both legs and he died.

He also told tales of the workhouse and how great NHS was before croaking.

by Anonymousreply 22April 11, 2019 10:35 PM

I’m sick of Fred Buckle and his nuclear nightmares & just as sick of his wife and boring adopted Down Syndrome kid. And little Timmy turned into an ugly bugger, just like Bran in GoT.

by Anonymousreply 23April 11, 2019 10:43 PM

Young Tim looks very handsome. And that was good casting....he is very believable as Dr Turner's son.

by Anonymousreply 24April 11, 2019 10:46 PM

Dude’s a fright

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by Anonymousreply 25April 11, 2019 11:23 PM

That's an old photo. This one is newer

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by Anonymousreply 26April 11, 2019 11:25 PM

Dogs look up to us, cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.

by Anonymousreply 27April 11, 2019 11:30 PM

...

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by Anonymousreply 28April 11, 2019 11:31 PM

I still can't believe that "Being a bitch is all a woman has to hang onto" is the same actress as Sister Monica Joan!

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by Anonymousreply 29April 11, 2019 11:45 PM

Here's the cute vicar and Sister Trixie.

Jack Ashton and Helen George and their baby daughter at her first birthday.

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by Anonymousreply 30April 12, 2019 12:14 AM

How can two beautiful people have such a homely baby?

by Anonymousreply 31April 12, 2019 12:19 AM

All babies are funny looking. That’s why we love them.

by Anonymousreply 32April 12, 2019 12:31 AM

Watched the first season. Couldn't be bothered with the second.

by Anonymousreply 33April 12, 2019 12:34 AM

R33 = Chummy

by Anonymousreply 34April 12, 2019 8:13 AM

To all the Judy (Sister Monica Joan) Parfitt fans, please watch The Jewel in the Crown miniseries pronto. You can thank me later.

by Anonymousreply 35April 12, 2019 5:54 PM

Ooh R35 I have been meaning to do that, too. It's just long as fuck.

by Anonymousreply 36April 12, 2019 5:56 PM

They gave birth to Billy Mumy

by Anonymousreply 37April 12, 2019 6:17 PM

It's long, R36, but the story is fantastic. (I think; YMMV.) Parfitt doesn't show up until around the third or fourth episode, but she's in the rest of it.

by Anonymousreply 38April 12, 2019 6:17 PM

I only started watching this show a few months ago. I like it, but I'm only three seasons in and I feel like it's very repetitive. It's also a little annoying how Jenny Lee keeps attracting these hot English guys who just want to fuck her silly and she always finds a reason to say no. I'm a little unclear if I can handle five more seasons of this. Does she eventually come out?

by Anonymousreply 39April 12, 2019 6:23 PM

You don’t think the fact that there was no form of birth control that was 99% effective and that abortion was illegal had anything to do with single women not wanting to fuck in the 1950s and early 1960s, R39?

Let us know when you've figured out the main plot of Call the Midwife, ‘k? Til then, just think your dumb thoughts silently.

by Anonymousreply 40April 12, 2019 6:48 PM

R39, the actress quit pretty early on and they went on without her. There are a lot of other characters that are very well drawn so you don’t even miss her.

by Anonymousreply 41April 12, 2019 10:05 PM

I thought the episode with the suffaragette was the one that would make me cry the most.....

But OMG this woman whose baby died.....and the bitchy secretary who gave her the rose bush.......child, I LOST it.....****sob!!****

by Anonymousreply 42April 19, 2019 10:08 PM

While I didn't sob, the bitchy secretary's rose bush and the story behind it made me tear up. Dammit, show!

by Anonymousreply 43April 19, 2019 11:45 PM

I think Miss Higgins IS all of us eldergays at DL.

Prisspot? Check

Gossip? Check

Thinks Sheilagh is a little hussy? CHECK!

by Anonymousreply 44April 20, 2019 12:10 AM

Me likey the Dr. Brian Ferry vibes.

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by Anonymousreply 45April 20, 2019 12:59 AM

Yes R45, agreed.

He's a bit weathered these days but when the show first started he was suitably handsome and smoldering enough to make a nun renounce her vows.

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by Anonymousreply 46April 20, 2019 2:30 AM

The whole episode.

Wrecked.

WRECKED.

M

A

R

Y

!!!!!!!

(That voice over at the end got me too.)

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by Anonymousreply 47April 20, 2019 2:43 AM

We are ready for tonight's episode. We have the tea and a real seed cake prepared, in the hopes that Sister Monica Joan joins us.

by Anonymousreply 48April 21, 2019 11:55 PM

Has Timmy murdered any of the nuns yet?

by Anonymousreply 49April 22, 2019 12:00 AM

Sister Monica Joan is a fan of Doctor Who.

by Anonymousreply 50April 22, 2019 12:08 AM

I remember seeing a behind-the-scenes extra a few seasons ago and was surprised to see that the actress who plays Sister Mrs. Dr. Bernadette Turner is kind of a hippie chick type.

by Anonymousreply 51April 22, 2019 1:31 AM

And I agree with R42 and R43. Just finished catching up and dabbing my tears.

by Anonymousreply 52April 22, 2019 1:32 AM

The second lass to get the hook in Poplar on this week's episode, and

(spoiler)

.......this one died, leaving her hot husband with the ENORMOUS biceps behind, crying into his sleeves.

I volunteer to condole him.........

by Anonymousreply 53April 22, 2019 1:33 AM

Also, bitchy secretary was throwing shade at the mother and daughter arguing.

I am here for her shade and side eye!

by Anonymousreply 54April 22, 2019 1:33 AM

Apparently hot Dr Turner is also a smart dude in real life. He has a degree in science communications or something like that.

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by Anonymousreply 55April 22, 2019 9:16 PM

Why did they make a point of the ringworm? And Sister Julienne was wrong. Ringworm doesn’t come from “dirty people.” It can be caught from animals, such as feral kittens, or from pet birds, eg parakeets. We saw a lot of it back in the days of the “fade” haircut. Electric razors are hard to disinfect, so DIY barbers in the nabe would give fades and infect people’s scalps.

Healthy people can usually fight off ringworm. Is this new nun going to turn out to have leukemia or something?

by Anonymousreply 56April 23, 2019 1:57 AM

She better not get her worms over mah buttered biscuit!

by Anonymousreply 57April 23, 2019 2:01 AM

Now that you mention it, why indeed did they make a point of the ringworm? And also about how no one really knows her. Do they know the other new one any better?

And please don't let them couple Nurse Crane and that obese walrus. She can do better.

by Anonymousreply 58April 23, 2019 2:05 AM

Shelagh would had worked better as a Fatal Attraction type of character who goes crazy trying to win the doctor’s affection. As written, she’s just a boring Frau.

by Anonymousreply 59April 23, 2019 11:30 AM

I love the show but they haven't really done much with Sister Julienne, Dr. Turner or Shelagh in a while. Shelagh seems to have visions of upwards mobility after they moved to the house on the outskirts of town.

by Anonymousreply 60April 23, 2019 1:13 PM

I’l tune in again when Shelagh decides to seduce Timmy to get him to murder the doctor.

by Anonymousreply 61April 23, 2019 1:36 PM

Sorry, naysayers, but I love the show and am in tears at least once every episode - I know, MARY!

by Anonymousreply 62April 23, 2019 1:44 PM

One waits and waits, and no custard cremes or jammy dodgers are to be seen!

by Anonymousreply 63April 23, 2019 9:19 PM

Monica Joan must be on speed because the bitch eats all the time and is thin as a rail!

by Anonymousreply 64April 24, 2019 3:44 PM

Father Brown is a better and campier show.

At least it has no pretensions or Very Special Episodes.

by Anonymousreply 65April 24, 2019 7:02 PM

[quote]I remember seeing a behind-the-scenes extra a few seasons ago and was surprised to see that the actress who plays Sister Mrs. Dr. Bernadette Turner is kind of a hippie chick type.

Are you sure you don't mean Sister Winifred (who's no longer at Nonnatus)?

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by Anonymousreply 66April 24, 2019 7:57 PM

r65 Well, you know how the Catholics are.

by Anonymousreply 67April 24, 2019 7:57 PM

[post redacted because linking to dailymail.co.uk clearly indicates that the poster is either a troll or an idiot (probably both, honestly.) Our advice is that you just ignore this poster but whatever you do, don't click on any link to this putrid rag.]

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by Anonymousreply 68April 24, 2019 8:26 PM

Wow!!

by Anonymousreply 69April 24, 2019 8:47 PM

She's got a much thicker Scottish accent in real life.

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by Anonymousreply 70April 24, 2019 10:39 PM

OMG LOLOL

apparently several cast members went onto the UK equivalent of Dancing with the Stars.

Including the Dishy Vicar!

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by Anonymousreply 71April 24, 2019 10:41 PM

R66, I think you're right. sorry!

by Anonymousreply 72April 27, 2019 1:32 AM

Thanks, R71. That was fun! The vicar looks nicer and sexier as himself without that slicked-down hair. And what a little firebomb Laura Main was!

by Anonymousreply 73April 27, 2019 1:50 AM

Just a heads up for fans of Dr. Turner: The actor (Stephen McGann) will be with this show forever if he wants to be--he's married to the creator/showrunner, Heidi Thomas. .

by Anonymousreply 74April 27, 2019 1:51 AM

We know. We also know he has 2 brothers who are actors, including Paul McGann who was in Withnail & I and who is also kind of a dick.

by Anonymousreply 75April 27, 2019 2:21 AM

R73 He is sexy although, like Jon Hamm, I kind of liked him slicked back, too.

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by Anonymousreply 76April 27, 2019 2:54 AM

So far a very interesting season, but I feel like all the various stories and characters are a bit islanded. We aren't really seeing some of these characters together as much as we used to.

Fenella Woolgar is fabulous and we have barely seen her this year so far.

The other thing that annoys me is that they almost never mention the people that aren't there any more (both people like Jenny and Cynthia who left, as well as Sister Evangelina and Barbara.) Of course they don't want to do it every episode, but they've had a lot of loss in a few years. Would maybe be something if they acknowledged it.

by Anonymousreply 77April 29, 2019 8:56 PM

[quote]I think they've done it as a story on this show now three or four times. There was the brother and sister who fucked each other, the old lady in the Christmas show that was in the workhouse, and now this suffragette woman.

They also did it with an old man who the original Jenny went to dress his festering wound (which has also been done 1000 times). He was in the military and she escorted him to a military reunion.

The brother/sister storyline was from the original book.

by Anonymousreply 78April 29, 2019 9:08 PM

Also two horrible results of back alley abortions. I was surprised to see it done again so soon.

I also predicted right from the beginning that the lass was a hermaphrodite. Can't imagine that her fella would have stayed. Seems kind of implausible for that time.

by Anonymousreply 79April 29, 2019 9:22 PM

[quote] Sister Shelagh, trading her nunhood for a 1960s kitchen and a regular fucking

Oh, Patrick!

Oh, Patrick!

by Anonymousreply 80April 29, 2019 9:22 PM

[quote]Fenella Woolgar is fabulous and we have barely seen her this year so far.

She is so wasted in this show. Watch her in her younger days in the movie "Bright Young Things."

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by Anonymousreply 81April 29, 2019 9:23 PM

[quote] I also predicted right from the beginning that the lass was a hermaphrodite. Can't imagine that her fella would have stayed. Seems kind of implausible for that time.

I thought they did a good job overall on that story but that did seem to be a bit much. If he'd learned about it mid episode, maybe I could have seem they showing him thinking about it, or not shutting the door on a relationship. But that was one of the few false notes they've ever really had, I thought.

by Anonymousreply 82April 29, 2019 9:23 PM

[quote] She is so wasted in this show. Watch her in her younger days in the movie "Bright Young Things."

She was also great in Home Fires....a sort of secretive, brittle character that was fun to watch.

by Anonymousreply 83April 29, 2019 9:26 PM

[quote]She was also great in Home Fires....a sort of secretive, brittle character that was fun to watch.

I loved her in Home Fires. Her character was one of the more interesting in the series, although I think underwritten. And I can't understand why she's nowhere to be found in the trailer. She must have a bad manager. But then again, Francesca Annis only gets a 3 second medium close-up and she was a bigger star than any of them.

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by Anonymousreply 84April 29, 2019 9:31 PM

R84 Annis was great and they sort of neutered her halfway through.

Home Fires was really promising but it made two big mistakes.

It had terrible pacing in the first season, never really revving up into shape until well into the second season (and apparently, well after ITV had decided to cancel).

And someone somewhere thought Samantha Bond was the star because she'd been in Downton Abbey, but her character was one of the least interesting. She was supposed to be the "good guy" but when I watched I rooted for Francesca's character to slap the shit out of her and half the bitches in town.

by Anonymousreply 85April 29, 2019 9:42 PM

Bright Young Things has a lot of actors who are famous now.

by Anonymousreply 86April 29, 2019 11:13 PM

She could have just told her fiance that she could never have kids but it sounds like having sex was going to be an issue too. Or she could have said she had a birth deformity to explain that. Telling the complete truth, very very unlikely.

I feel like we're getting a lot of stories with the newbie nun, the Caribbean nurse, and Trixie who was gone a lot last season. The brunette nurse, except for her pub family backstory a couple years ago, she hasn't really had a big overarching story or even a boyfriend.

by Anonymousreply 87April 29, 2019 11:22 PM

Maybe it's all economics. The show is getting older and probably more expensive to produce.

We've seen markedly less of Sister Julienne this season, for sure. This last episode was the first one we've really seen her in a while.

Technically Linda Bassett, Judy Parfitt and Jenny Agutter are billed as the stars, but only Bassett (Phyllis) gets a big chunk of time.

Trixie has been light in story but I assumed that was partly because she had a young child when this was filming last spring (almost a year ago).

Agree R87, we haven't had a lot of Valerie's backstory although from spoilers that may change before season end. (I stopped reading them but it seems like something is happening.)

by Anonymousreply 88April 29, 2019 11:51 PM

well damn

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by Anonymousreply 89May 3, 2019 9:06 PM

The woman who died after having an abortion, did she give herself the abortion? Why did that woman give her a blowdryer?

by Anonymousreply 90May 4, 2019 12:21 AM

Isn't it funny to see the Jewish lesbian Miriam Margoyles play a nun?

by Anonymousreply 91May 4, 2019 12:23 AM

Miss Higgins showed up on this week's episode of Les Miserables as a mother superior who hid Valjean and Cosette in the convent from Javert -- basically the same set up as the end of The Sound of Music. I wonder what her Favorite Things are.

by Anonymousreply 92May 4, 2019 12:28 AM

Was I the only one immature enough to keep saying to myself throughout the episode (in my best Austin Powers voice): "She's a MAN, baby! "

by Anonymousreply 93May 4, 2019 12:53 AM

I did wonder if the actress playing the part was trans. After they mentioned her medical condition, I really thought she looked trans. Which is good casting for that role whether she was or not. I noticed nobody suggested anal sex. The young couple was innocent and probably never heard of it. That would have helped their situation so that’s too bad.

R90, she went to a back alley abortion doctor. In those days, women were prosecuted if they had to be rushed to the hospital for a medical emergency that happened as a result of an abortion. The only hope was an induced miscarriage with all the birth materials expelled, placenta and all. If any was left behind, she could die from infection.

That’s why she resisted getting help until it was too late. I don’t know if she would have done jail time but I think so. And paid a hefty fine. Her kids needed her at home.

They would normally do a D&C if some woman had a miscarriage outside of a hospital. That means scrape the womb to make sure nothing’s left inside. Even small bits of placenta left behind can kill from infection. If it didn’t all come out on it’s own, medical intervention was a necessity. Women in those days who got abortions were often left to carry on the expelling of the fetus and afterbirth at home, unsupervised. No one knew if she was cleaned out or not until she became feverish. That was probably too late already.

This is the equivalent of you getting your appendix out, nobody washes their hands, they let you out of the hospital a couple hours later, and nobody checks you ever again. If you get an infection, you’re probably going to die, because by the time you’re sick enough to get up and go to the hospital, you’ve probably got gangrene.

About the hairdryer, It was being fixed at the repair shop. I forget the rest of the details.

by Anonymousreply 94May 4, 2019 1:35 AM

See also: "Vera Drake," starring DL fave Imelda Staunton as a London abortionist. It's very good, if grim.

by Anonymousreply 95May 4, 2019 1:38 AM

They had another girl in an earlier episode who did it the smart way. She had the abortion, then went to Nonnatus House to expel the fetus in front of the midwives. They locked her in the bathroom and put a bowl in the toilet for her to expel the afterbirth into. That way they could check and make sure nothing was missing. If she had to go to the doctor, they could say it was a natural miscarriage. If she wasn’t running a fever or hemorrhaging, and they made sure everything was out, she would probably be ok without going to the doctor.

by Anonymousreply 96May 4, 2019 1:42 AM

[quote] Why did that woman give her a blowdryer?

Trixie was friends with that woman, and the woman's family owned a repair shop. It's why at the end the father came back out with the dryer, all fixed, and Trixie looked sad.

by Anonymousreply 97May 5, 2019 3:04 AM

R94 and R96 it sure seems like the abortionist is the overarching storyline of the season this year.

This is several years after the Pill was introduced but they haven't talked much about it. It was mentioned last year or the year before, met with a disapproving glance from Sister Julienne Potatoes.

I like how they are doing it so far. No overt comments on it, but showing the impact on a lack of safe, hygienic abortions for women on them and/or their families says it all.

by Anonymousreply 98May 5, 2019 3:09 AM

In the early days, you couldn’t get the pill unless you were married. Even the idea that women didn’t need their husband’s permission was a big deal.

I bet they’re showing all these abortion cases because there was probably some big case in England, like Roe v Wade, that changed the laws for them.

by Anonymousreply 99May 5, 2019 1:24 PM

Miriam Margolyes!

by Anonymousreply 100May 6, 2019 1:58 AM

She’s great.

I felt sorry for the young girl who kept having kids the parents wanted to take away. What did they think was going to happen when she turned eighteen and they couldn’t choose for her any more? If they didn’t quit taking her kids away she’d end up with ten kids just to make up for the lost ones. That girl needed therapy. She must have had PTSD from them taking the first baby.

Too bad her reputation was ruined and no decent boy could bring her home to his parents and marry her. She would have made a perfect housewife like all the others. But the boy’s parents would have made her life hell, when she was just an average girl that liked kids really. I would have liked to see how that worked out. Probably would have ended up married to the first dock worker that asked.

I felt like they were leaving out why she was so affection starved she got knocked up by the first guy, who didn’t want a kid either. And the second guy sounded like anybody she could find and she didn’t really know who it was, but didn’t want to say so.

by Anonymousreply 101May 6, 2019 4:29 AM

R101 The parents both seemed like cold cunts. No mystery as to why she was affection starved.

As for other parts of the episode....what the fuck were they doing to Val's grandma's ass? I almost barfed when they showed the needle there. I appreciate she had some sort of issue either in her cooch or her ass but we really didn't need to see it.

by Anonymousreply 102May 6, 2019 12:52 PM

[R102] I agree. Half the time, I feel like they're not telling a complete story. I also wish the story lines were more equal amongst the cast. I also agree with another poster, sorry, I forget which one, but they mentioned none of the characters ever talk about the old characters. I also don't understand why some of the older characters don't guest star/cameo from time to time.

by Anonymousreply 103May 7, 2019 12:29 AM

Definitely not a lot of guys this season.

No boyfriend for Trixie or Val, and the dishy vicar and hot dentist are gone.

Lucille's friend is handsome enough but a bit straitlaced.

by Anonymousreply 104May 10, 2019 8:21 PM

I was SURE the affection-starved girl's babies were her father's. I was very relieved when they weren't.

by Anonymousreply 105May 11, 2019 12:11 AM

R105 That hadn't crossed my mind but that would have made a lot of sense!

by Anonymousreply 106May 12, 2019 12:30 AM

WOW. That was a plot twist!

I'm a soap fan from way back but I have to say, they laid out the revelation about the abortionist perfectly. I just didn't think that's where the story was gonna go at ALL.

by Anonymousreply 107May 13, 2019 1:10 AM

Agreed R107. They set up that turn in the plot beautifully. That whole sequence was shocking from moment to moment.

by Anonymousreply 108May 13, 2019 8:38 AM

UK datalounger here and it's good to see responses to this show.

There's a really snobbish attitude to Call The Midwife in the UK, it's women's tv, it's nostalgia tv, it's comfort tv, whereas I'd argue it's one of the most hard hitting show around which doesn't flinch from showing the worst of humanity and how things have improved. When people supporing Brexit cry "We want our country back" just show them Call The Midwife and say "You want this back?"

Plus the performances are all amazing.

Now the abortionist storyline is airing in the US it's worth reading the response Jennifer Worth wrote when Vera Drake was premiered. For whatever reasons Mike Leigh was totally disinterested in getting a medical perspective and most of what was shown about pregnancies were ended was totally unrealistic.

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by Anonymousreply 109May 13, 2019 8:56 AM

Did anyone else notice they ran the wrong closing credits (last week's) over this week's episode?

Also ... that poor girl having to go through life named AGNES PUGH.

by Anonymousreply 110May 13, 2019 5:48 PM

R110 Must be why the husband made that face!

by Anonymousreply 111May 13, 2019 5:51 PM

Poplar is supposed to be so close knit, yet nobody knows the local midwife’s granny is an abortionist? Hardly.

“What I want to know s, how do the women know who to go to for an abortion?”

“Oh, luv. We all know it’s yer grandmother in back of yer aunty’s pub. How are her boils, btw?”

by Anonymousreply 112May 13, 2019 6:51 PM

[quote] They set up that turn in the plot beautifully. That whole sequence was shocking from moment to moment.

They did good red herrings. You kept thinking that somehow Gran was going to be sick. But it had all been laid in the story all along - the money (when Val took her two bob for ice cream money), the seven pounds, etc.

by Anonymousreply 113May 13, 2019 9:22 PM

Miss Higgins and Phyllis were giving me some sapphic vibes in this last episode.

by Anonymousreply 114May 14, 2019 12:58 PM

That's a spinoff I would watch, R114. Sgt. Whatsit can go jump in the Thames.

Totally surprised by the Nana the Abortionist reveal, in spite of her not very good acting and her *terrible* wig. Poor Val... Whores and abortionists all over the East End.

by Anonymousreply 115May 15, 2019 6:28 PM

Does this mean Val is going to leave? She’ll have to. Can’t be a legit midwife in an area where your granny is scraping uteri.

I guess she’ll move to Canada or Australia to get away from her family’s sordid business.

by Anonymousreply 116May 15, 2019 6:31 PM

R116 I wondered if she was leaving. Since so many seem to leave after 3 seasons and this is her 3rd.

Julienne, Monica Joan, the Turners and Trixie are the only long running main characters.

Phyllis came in during Season 4, I think, sort of replacing Sister Evangeline.

Val in season 6, and Lucille in season 7.

I'll say it again - I wish Fenella Woolgar had more to do. I wonder if she was temporary help for the new Sinead O'Nun. Although the young nun is sweet and I was rooting for her and her solo delivery.

by Anonymousreply 117May 15, 2019 8:54 PM

Season finale and I suspect I know what's going to happen.

by Anonymousreply 118May 18, 2019 10:14 PM

When I hear "Vicar," immediately think of "our Rose."

by Anonymousreply 119May 18, 2019 10:30 PM

Season 9 is expected to feature a story line with Timothy Turner getting a young girl pregnant.

by Anonymousreply 120May 18, 2019 10:31 PM

GASP!

by Anonymousreply 121May 18, 2019 11:23 PM

OMG! That was a sobfest.

I was holding on until the father asked the sick daughter may I have this dance and then child....I fell OUT. Ugly sob for the rest of the episode.

by Anonymousreply 122May 20, 2019 1:15 AM

It was a great scandal for a family if a woman died after having an abortion.

Roe v Wade happened when I was a senior in HS. All my life I’d heard whispers about girls disappearing to “visit an aunt” for a few months., meaning they’d been pregnant, delivered and gave the baby up for adoption. One girl was dogged by stories of her going into NYC to have an appendectomy at Doctor’s Hospital.

I worked at Doctor’s Hospital right after it turned into Beth Israel North, part of the “Beth Izz” Hospital system. It no longer exists. It was torn down in the early 2000s and made into a giant mixed use building (condos, gym, doctor offices). The nurses told me all about the hospital when it was Doctors. Employees ate in a dining room with waiters who served them wearing white gloves and having a white towel draped over an arm, in case of spills. First class chefs cooked in the hospital, dinner was served to patients on elegant trays with silver covers. Patients could have guests for dinner. Yes, there was lots of “drying out” going on, and “hospitalized for exhaustion” = strung out and seeing bugs everywhere. Even when we were Beth Izz North we got Michael Jackson for “exhaustion” straight off the stage at MSG.

People also checked in just to be waited on. It was also a popular place to check into when your apartment was being renovated. Old ladies would spend months being waited on with a diagnosis of “anemia” or “dehydration” while being visited by interior decorators. Insurance companies paid for everything back in those days.

All the society babies were born in Doctors Hospital in the 50s, 60s & 70s. (Rosemary Woodhouse was supposed to deliver there). And abortions were bread and butter surgery. They were called “D &C for bleeding.:”

After abortion was legal, there were at least 4 “D&C for bleeding” cases on the OR schedule at the little community hospital where I first started working. I didn’t know it meant abortion! Our bitch unit secretary took a week off because she was having surgery. What’s she having? I asked the head nurse. She showed me the OR schedule. “Oh, she’s bleeding. That’s scary.” The head nurse laughed and said, “It’s an abortion! She’s got 3 kids, she doesn’t want another.” It was very matter of fact. Roe v Wade didn’t become a crazy political issue until Reagan came along.

by Anonymousreply 123May 20, 2019 6:07 PM

I heard about D&C as a kid but never knew it was an abortion per se.

by Anonymousreply 124May 20, 2019 8:16 PM

It’s not really. They scrape the uterus clean. If anything is attached, out it goes.

Some women have pain or irregular bleeding due to fibroids or polyps. A lot of that is genetic. If your mother had it, it’s likely you will too. And if they get rid of them once, they could come back any time. That’s when they start talking about a hysterectomy. Women with these issues also get D&Cs although they’re not pregnant. But everyone assumes D&C = abortion. It doesn’t.

The scary part is, if politicians politicize D&Cs to the point no one can get one, a lot of women are going to end up with uterine cancer. A lot of those tumors are pre-cancerous and easily removed if you get rid of them quickly. If you leave them, they could turn into cancer later.

“Uterine fibroids are noncancerous muscle growths within the walls of the uterus. Endometrial polyps are abnormal tissue growths within the endometrium, the inner lining of the uterus. Ovarian cysts are fluid-filled sacs on one or both ovaries that usually form during ovulation.”

Here’s the Mayo Clinic’s explanation of why women need a D&C.

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by Anonymousreply 125May 20, 2019 8:32 PM

[quote]It’s not really. They scrape the uterus clean. If anything is attached, out it goes.

"Joe's Abortion Clinic - You Rape 'Em, We Scrape 'Em."

by Anonymousreply 126May 21, 2019 12:44 AM

Fuck Trixie. She’s a total bitch in the witness stand. She’s all pissed about her friend dying. Her friend went out looking for an abortion. She wasn’t murdered by Granny. She died from an illegal procedure she chose to have.

by Anonymousreply 127May 21, 2019 12:46 AM

Didn’t she have to tell the husband his wife was dead? They were a nice family, and he didn’t even know what was going on until she turned up sick. They had little kids.

The sad thing about it is if men weren’t so obsessed with forcing women to bear more children than they were willing to carry or raise, that woman could have gotten a safe abortion and gone home to her family. But men think of women as baby vending machines. Put the sperm in, baby comes out. Who cares if she wants to or not. It doesn’t matter because she’s not human. At best, she’s a subhuman pet, like a dog. If she’s lucky.

by Anonymousreply 128May 21, 2019 2:35 AM

And we're still questioning this 50 years on.

Because men want things to return to the days where white dudes ran things without question, and women just cooked, cleaned and shat out kids on demand.

by Anonymousreply 129May 21, 2019 2:37 AM

Oh good Lord, this thread is about to desolve from CtM s* into and abortion rights.make bashing screed.

I enjoyed to finale. Of course it wrapped far too neatly... I wish the little girl May was gone (just because). The German father finding his love for the dying step-daughter was nice, but overdone (a quiet embrace for the dance would suffice). Couldn't Fred be ill? I mean good he doesn't have cancer, but all of that for nothing.

I loved the Reggie storyline and having him at the pub with Fred, I think that was sweet.

Val and Trixie - how much longer can they continue in Nonatus house? Ladies, get a life or you'll be Nurse Crane!

by Anonymousreply 130May 21, 2019 3:02 AM

I really thought Miss Higgins was going to lez out on Phyllis but her interest in the chubby walrus cop was a surprise. Phyllis didn't seem to want him but seemed a bit melancholy when she saw them at the dance.

I loved the stories this year but it feels a bit low energy. Maybe it's supposed to be comfortable like an old shoe, but.....

by Anonymousreply 131May 21, 2019 3:05 AM

I think Phylis doesn’t care for Officer Walrus all that much, but it’s really hard for women to say no to a guy because they become very nasty and turn on them. Turning him onto the secretary makes sense. She’s a nice lady who writes poetry and he seems to be interested in the arts so they’ll make a nice couple.

As far as Phylis goes, she’s the sort of woman who’s looking for her type and won’t settle for anybody else. Good for her. If she could find an older guy who’s like Chummy’s husband I could see that. Kind of a quieter type.

by Anonymousreply 132May 21, 2019 3:52 AM

Phyllis has had decent taste in men, her prior suitor was cute (for an old dude) and very smart, very much a man of the arts. Officer Walrus was just so not for her. They dragged that story on entirely too long for her this year, though.

by Anonymousreply 133May 21, 2019 9:00 AM

See you all on the Season 9 thread!

by Anonymousreply 134May 22, 2019 8:42 PM

Good lord, someone please make a show about Doctor's Hospital (see R123). I would watch the hell out of that.

More Nurse Crane and Miss Higgins in S9, please. Not as a couple, just as themselves. I love them both.

Have there ever been any gay male characters on CtM? I've seen every episode but can't remember. Surely, there have been one or two in one-off roles; there certainly haven't been any who were regular characters (largely understandable given the focus of the show and the time period).

by Anonymousreply 135June 4, 2019 6:54 PM

Barbara, please!

by Anonymousreply 136June 4, 2019 6:57 PM

[quote]Have there ever been any gay male characters on CtM?

There was one very special episode where a married man was caught cruising in a public restroom. Other than that, I don't remember any gay MEN at all. Of course, there was the lesbian storyline between the two nurses.

For some reason, the producers don't want to touch a gay man. They'll bring in a regular character for Downs Syndrome, they'll have an entire season devoted to abortion, they'll cover topics like racism, empowering women, polio and vaccinations.

The show seems to be trending more towards the Turner family (isn't his wife a producer?) Judy Parfitt is the best thing about this show and they seem to be decreasing her storylines. A gay man doesn't really fit into the Turner family model, but I would love to see a well written scene between a gay male teenager and Judy Parfitt's character.

by Anonymousreply 137June 5, 2019 4:16 PM

Shelagh would turn any man gay with her incessant nagging.

by Anonymousreply 138June 5, 2019 7:32 PM

There was another gay storyline during Barbara’s Last Season. A pregnant woman is dismayed to learn that her widower-father—the projectionist at the cinema—has been in a relationship with his navy(?) buddy since before she was born. Now the friend has dementia. The daughter learns to accept it. The Voice of Vanessa Redgrave tells us it’s about the healing power of love, or something.

by Anonymousreply 139June 5, 2019 7:40 PM

Is there a rule that only ugly people can join the cast of this show?

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by Anonymousreply 140December 9, 2019 4:55 AM

...

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by Anonymousreply 141December 9, 2019 4:57 AM

Eww

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by Anonymousreply 142December 9, 2019 4:59 AM

...

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by Anonymousreply 143December 9, 2019 5:00 AM

....

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by Anonymousreply 144December 9, 2019 5:01 AM

The “very special” showrunners

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by Anonymousreply 145December 9, 2019 5:04 AM

....

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by Anonymousreply 146December 9, 2019 5:05 AM

Nasty old gran and her nasty, pus-soaked boils

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by Anonymousreply 147December 9, 2019 5:14 AM

The andsome cuppow

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by Anonymousreply 148December 9, 2019 5:16 AM

Oy....what’s gone on ere?

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by Anonymousreply 149December 9, 2019 5:41 AM

Barley sugar anyone?

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by Anonymousreply 150December 9, 2019 5:46 AM

Have Timmy’s balls dropped yet?

by Anonymousreply 151December 9, 2019 6:02 AM

Is there going to be a Christmas special this year?

by Anonymousreply 152December 9, 2019 7:09 AM

Why are you bumping this old thread about a season that's been over for MONTHS?

by Anonymousreply 153December 9, 2019 6:43 PM

Because my pbs station had a call the midwife Christmas marathon and all the ugly was there

by Anonymousreply 154December 10, 2019 9:59 PM

Does anyone want to start a Season 9 thread?

So the Christmas special set in Scotland was nice enough and it's now two episodes in to the new series.

I knew I recognised one of the husbands and it turns out he's a bit of a fame whore. Stripped on a talent show, dated Roxanne Pallett and is now a Proper Actor. It really is odd seeing a guy with an Instabody dressed down in Sixties gear.

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by Anonymousreply 155January 14, 2020 7:48 PM

Did the midwives have to shave the women's pussies back then?

by Anonymousreply 156January 14, 2020 7:52 PM

I doubt it. Mother Mildred doesn't even shave her face.

by Anonymousreply 157January 19, 2020 6:45 PM

This show makes me so glad that I'm not a woman.

by Anonymousreply 158January 19, 2020 7:26 PM

The storyline with the poor Pakistani woman with the ruptured vagina wall was so well I could literally TASTE the piss soaked rugs.

Seriously, if this was an American show, Linda Bassett, Jenny Agutter and Judy Parfitt would be up for best supporting actress year after year.

by Anonymousreply 159January 20, 2020 6:42 AM

The acting on the show is rudimentary, just like the scripts.

Not saying they aren't good actors. Just that the show doesn't call for it, so the basics are sufficient.

by Anonymousreply 160January 30, 2020 3:25 PM

I'm done with this show until they strip every stitch of clothing off that sexy Dr. Turner.

by Anonymousreply 161January 30, 2020 3:33 PM

I can’t believe anyone thinks the actor who plays Dr Turner is the least bit sexy. And yes, I know he’s married to the showrunner & his two (or three) brothers are also tv actors. His brother Paul is a bit better looking. Turner looks like he’s recuperating from being in a concentration camp with his haggard face & hollow, brown-circled eyes

by Anonymousreply 162January 30, 2020 7:17 PM
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