Call The Midwife – Season 10, Episode 2

By: Ellie Yates

Sister Julienne (Jenny Agutter) has received a letter from Mother Mildred who has photos of the new uniforms, but suggests that they be put in the charity box for the benefit of others, seeing as that’s not what God has intended them to wear. She also notes they may be repurposed as office-wear. Ouch!

Cyril (Zephryn Taitte) and Lucille (Leonie Elliot) help Mr Clarke (Ashley Campbell) who has lost his lorry driving job due to a leg injury he sustained whilst working. Despite being an accountant in his native St. Lucia, he hasn’t had any luck finding such a role in Poplar. Unfortunately, now he and his family are homeless. Fred (Cliff Parisi) notices that Cyril and Lucille are buying more food than usual from his shop and they explain about the Clarkes’ situation. Fred tells them to put their money away, which gets him into trouble with Violet (Annabelle Apsion) at first. However, she soon comes around after meeting the family. Mr Clarke offers to reimburse the Buckles, but Violet tells him they’re in the East End now and in the East End they share. Later on Mr Clarke gets an interview to be a part-time bookkeeper at the dry cleaners.

Trixie (Helen George) is still completing her stint at the Lady Emily hospital in Mayfair where Fiona (Jo Herbert), who gave birth in the last episode, has been re-admitted with a temperature. However, Trixie and Mr Scarisbrick (Richard Dillane) become increasingly concerned. They arrange for blood tests, but whilst checking up on a fast-asleep Fiona, Trixie notices a rash on her arm. Mr Scarisbrick has consulted with a hematologist after noticing that Fiona’s antenatal blood tests weren’t consistent. They would like to take a bone marrow sample in case it’s something serious. Whilst they wait for the results, Trixie suggests that they get an adjoining room for baby Jonathan so that Fiona can still see her son.

After overseeing a visit from Jonathan, Trixie asks Mr Scarisbrick if she can observe him perform a D&C (a procedure to remove tissue from the uterus, usually after a miscarriage or abortion) as she notices he performs them quite frequently. Mr Scarisbrick agrees and Trixie watches on in shock. It turns out that the woman being operated on is three months pregnant. Following the procedure Trixie is incensed that Mr Scarisbrick had, in fact, performed an abortion and he tells her that she knew full well what was going to happen – that’s why she asked to watch. Trixie confirms that she had suspicions, but seeing as she’s duty bound to report back to Sister Julienne she will have to tell her – they can’t have the Order being a part of something illegal.

Following the news Sister Julienne says the bid to save Nonnatus House by going into private practice is over. Trixie is angry that wealthy women get to go to the Lady Emily clinic when the poor have to use a table above a pub and the “have-nots” are cast aside. Sister Julienne tells Trixie she will have to work a week’s notice at Lady Emily and after that they will never speak of it again. She heads to the Turners to let them know and Dr Turner (Stephen McGann) says that all the private practices all do it. Sister Julienne says that they need to find another way to keep Nonnatus going.

Fiona’s test results are back and she has acute myeloid leukemia. Fiona’s husband Matthew (Olly Rix) is angry that this was missed and thinks there must be a mistake, but Fiona says that no-one made a mistake and they will have to learn to deal with her illness. Mr Scarisbrick says Fiona is too weak to be moved, but they can give her a blood transfusion. Realizing her condition is deteriorating, Fiona asks Trixie to write a letter to Matthew as she dictates. The next day Matthew is talking to Fiona about Jonathan, but Fiona doesn’t respond. Nor does she when her parents arrive. Trixie takes a crying Jonathan out of the room and Matthew heartbreakingly tells Fiona that she can go if she needs to. With her family by her side, Fiona sadly passes away. Trixie gives Matthew the letter from Fiona and, just before the funeral, he gives her a call to thank her for everything she did for Fiona.

Of course, there is a baby being delivered in Poplar and not without drama. Jacinta (Lisa O’Connor) is expecting her third child, with her husband Dessy (Killian Coyle) away at sea. Jacinta gets tetchy with Sister Frances (Ella Bruccoleri) and reveals that she will be giving her baby up for adoption, before demanding to speak to someone more senior. Sister Frances firmly tells Jacinta that she’s been working there for two years now and is senior enough to deal with the situation. You go, Sister! Jacinta admits to having a fling whilst her husband has been away, resulting in pregnancy number three.  She’s hoping that, since she wasn’t showing last time Dessy was home, he won’t notice if she has the baby and gives it up for adoption whilst he’s still away. She’s been hiding it from everyone, letting them think she’s been hitting the cream cakes. When Sister Frances pays her a home visit the next day Jacinta realizes that her and Frances must be the same age and asks how their lives are so different.

This gets Sister Frances thinking and she has a chat with Sister Monica Joan (Judy Parfitt), who is still feeling down, and she explains that she never thinks about any sacrifices she had to make to become a nun. Frances joined when she was seventeen yearsold, before The Beatles and the pill and she’s never had a boyfriend or been kissed. She tells Sister Monica Joan that she’s never wore a mini-skirt and never will. Sister Monica Joan quips that the new uniform she tried on wasn’t far off. Frances gives an anecdote of a time she saw someone wearing a mini-skirt and thought it had ridden up, so she told them. She questions whether she can really help her patients when she’s so “unworldly.” Sister Hilda suggests that Frances be allowed to read “groovy” magazines and Sister Julienne grants her permission to read one magazine a week, as long as she doesn’t take it to her room.

When Sister Frances next pays Jacinta a visit, so does Dessy! Not knowing what to do, Jacinta faces the wall when Dessy approaches. Sister Frances has to ask Dessy not to be violent when Jacinta admits that the baby isn’t his. Dessy threatens to take Jacinta to court over the kids and says the court will award them to him considering Jacinta’s fling. Sister Frances is clearly getting brave in this episode as she follows Dessy to the balcony and asks if he had no sympathy for Jacinta being alone whilst he was at sea. Frances tells Dessy that Jacinta is a good woman and just wants the best for all their children. Dessy says he only has two.

However, when Jacinta gives birth to an unresponsive baby before a midwife can get to them, Dessy jumps into action to resuscitate the baby by rubbing its back. Sister Frances and Nurse Crane (Linda Bassett) arrive and Nurse Crane tells Dessy he can stand down and put the kettle on. Not knowing about the situation, Nurse Crane tells Jacinta that she has a little boy and asks if she wants to hold him. She also tells Dessy what he needs to do to care for Jacinta and the baby. Before heading back out to sea, Dessy seems to bond with the baby and thanks God that they didn’t lose him. As he heads off to sea, he tells Jacinta he’ll see all four of them when he gets back before looking back with a smile.