In the second episode of the new season, Call the Midwife doesn’t slow down as new midwife Phyllis Crane (Linda Bassett) is added to the staff at Nonnatus House.
And, if you found last week’s tale of child neglect heart-wrenchingly sad, this week’s main story somehow takes the pain and misery up another notch.
To say that the experiences of the expectant mother in this episode do not go to plan is something of an understatement. Abigail Bissette (Cherrelle Skeete) is a first-time mother who finds herself in a horrifying situation when she delivers a stillborn baby and is then shocked to be told that she was actually expecting twins and is going to have to give birth all over again. Call the Midwife touches on issues like this frequently, but the depiction here is more detailed and more emotionally powerful than it has been in other episodes.
The news has a strong ripple effect as it affects all of the midwives, but those with less experience are affected most deeply. Patsy, in particular, is the one left to take charge of the situation until she’s able to call the doctor to the scene.
Having to experience something like what Abigail goes through is the stuff of nightmares (and the character’s reaction to the hospital environment shows that she has fears even before she gives birth) and Patsy is put in a really difficult situation by having to remain calm throughout.
This episode also introduces a figure of support for Patsy in Delia (Kate Lamb), who is a ward sister at The London and volunteers with the St John Ambulance. At first the two are shown teaching the cub scouts about first aid, and Patsy turns to Delia for comfort after her experiences with Abigail’s birth.
It’s more than heavily implied that Delia is more than just a friend of Patsy’s, and the admirable subtlety and affection with which the relationship is handled here should be encouraging to those hoping for a more substantial story for Patsy that returns to her comment from last season when she remarked that a man had “not enough of some things and too much of others.”
Unfortunately there was no sign of Chummy this week. A consequence of constantly introducing new characters is that there hasn’t been enough time for old favourites. It’s a shame not to see Chummy, but Phyllis does seem like an encouragingly different character, especially in the way that she and Sister Evangelina disagree.
This episode also has some great material for Sister Julienne, as we get some glimpses into her past and the show continues to deal with the religious way of life in a complex manner.
Learning that she was once called Louise and that she turned away from a romantic relationship with Charles Newgarden (Nicholas Farrell) proves to be an engaging plot for Sister Julienne, as we see that there’s more to her than she usually displays with her calm and wise exterior.
It also becomes a neat way for the show to send some funds towards Nonnatus House, which is in great need of repairs. Charles is keen to make a donation before he passes away, and Call the Midwife conveys his relationship to a character we’ve known for a long time but not ever known too well very effectively.
Aired at 8pm on Sunday 25 January 2015 on BBC One.
> Buy the complete Season 1-3 boxset on Amazon.
What did you think of the episode? Let us know below…