Call the Midwife is happy with embracing change, as it has done many times over the years, and this episode is one that sets the tone for things as we move forward into the drama’s fourth season.
Jenny Lee is now definitely not featuring at all save for her voiceover, and Cynthia isn’t even in the premiere. Instead, we welcome a new character and new challenges for the midwives of Nonnatus House.
The arrival of Nurse Barbara Gilbert (Fresh Meat’s Charlotte Ritchie) is just one of the many things going on in this episode. This is an episode about hard times, something that is largely shown through the struggle of a young boy trying to keep his siblings alive because their mother is neglecting them.
It’s the main thread of the episode, and it involves most of the characters, but the pain hits hardest for Trixie. She sees herself in the boy, and recognises the play-acting and confidence that he requires to keep on going. There have been times when Trixie has seemed to have it all together and to be perhaps even too self-assured for the situations she finds herself in, and we know that this all stems from the skills she had to develop in her past experiences.
Chances are, Trixie is essentially going to slip into the role of the show’s main character. She’s always been fairly close to the forefront anyway. We don’t see too much of fan favourite Chummy this week, but she is expectedly trying to make things work out at the mother and baby home. Meanwhile, Sister Julienne implores Sister Evangelina to confront and deal with what she rightly guesses is an illness that’s been causing her discomfort. We’ll find out more about what’s happened soon.
As for the newbie Barbara, she’s a lot like Jenny used to be in many ways. She’s lacking confidence and experience but she’s prepared to go above and beyond the call of duty to help make mothers feel at ease. She initially doesn’t get along particularly well with Sister Evangelina, but the episode shows us enough to expect that their working relationship will come to work out over time.
In its characteristically feminist way, Call the Midwife shows us that motherhood isn’t the end of the journey for two of its most important characters too. Chummy taking on greater responsibilities shows that she’s comfortable being a working mother, and Shelagh has a frank conversation with her husband about how she longs to continue to be a nurse in some way, which leads to her taking on a new job as a medical secretary so that she can help to manage Patrick’s increasing workload.
Call the Midwife has begun its new season with an enjoyable and challenging hour that sets the tone for how the ‘60s will look in the East End.
Aired at 8pm on Sunday 18 January 2015 on BBC One.
> Buy the complete Season 1-3 boxset on Amazon.
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