Call the Midwife – Season 9, Episode 6

By starrymag | May 10, 2020

By: Ellie Dolan-Yates

 

Dr Kevin McNulty (Lee Armstrong) is back! Miss Higgins (Georgie Glen) doesn’t seem very welcoming, but Dr Turner (Stephen McGann) is over the moon to see him. Meanwhile, Trixie (Helen George) is giving Valerie’s (Jennifer Kirby) cousin Maureen (Juliet Oldfield) a check-up. The baby is due soon, but Maureen wants it to be born Thursday as that was her dad’s birthday. She mentions to Trixie about using castor oil to bring on the birth of the baby, but Trixie tells her that’s only for very overdue mothers.

 

Shelagh (Laura Main) and Dr Turner arrive home late from work and Timothy (Max MacMillan) tells them they’ve had a phone call from The Hong Kong Adoption Project. Shelagh says she’ll call them back tomorrow as it’s probably a date for May’s (April Rae Hoang) adoption hearing. Later that night Shelagh wonders whether they should tell Angela (Alice Brown) that she’s adopted. She says it doesn’t seem fair that May knows and Angela doesn’t. However, she doesn’t want to upset her. Dr Turner says that she’s seen what the word “adoption” means for May – she’s loved and they’ll always be family.

 

Sister Monica Joan (Judy Parfitt) tells Kevin that they’re delighted to have him back at Nonnatus House. I guess all is forgiven after his last visit. However, they have shoved him in the attic, but he thanks them all for having him at such short notice. He says where he was supposed to be staying is going to be demolished in a couple of weeks. Phyllis (Linda Bassett) mentions that it’s a common occurrence in Poplar. Sister Hilda (Fenella Woolgar) and Sister Julienne (Jenny Agutter) share a look and Sister Hilda says the demolition won’t be happening there as they’ll still be there in the year 2000! Sister Julienne can’t take it anymore and tells everyone that they will soon be forced out and the building torn down. She admits she’s known since January but didn’t want to tell anyone until she’d received a date for the demolition. Thankfully, that date has not been announced.

 

Shelagh receives a call regarding May’s adoption. A woman, Miss Tang (Yennis Cheung), has contacted the agency claiming to be May’s mother, despite everyone thinking she’d died two years ago. Apparently, she’s no longer a drug addict and now cares for children of a British Forces family in London. The lady from the adoption agency, Miss Williams (Charlotte Lucas), tells Shelagh that she doesn’t think the woman intends to stop the adoption, but she does want to meet the Turners and May.

 

Whilst out with Reggie (Daniel Laurie) it seems Fred (Cliff Parisi) notices that all of the posters for his Horticultural Extravaganza have “Cancelled” plastered over them. At home Violet (Annabelle Apsion) tells Fred that to have a horticultural show he needs to have some horticulture to go in it. Reggie suggests that he could have some exhibition gardens. Fred says it’s a good idea, but a bit ambitious.

 

Maureen is taking a swig of castor oil before bed and realizes that it’s disgusting! Her husband, Charlie (Jack Gordon), asks her how long it will take to work as he’s excited to have another baby. Maureen says it’s going to be tomorrow as she can feel it. She hates that her dad never got to see his grandkids, so this baby being born on his birthday will be a connection to him. The next morning Sister Hilda tells Trixie and Valerie that Maureen’s waters have broken. Trixie tells Sister Hilda it seems very convenient and wonders if she started using castor oil. Sister Hilda says if she has then she’ll be discovering the consequences – Maureen rushing to the toilet with toilet paper roll in hand.

 

Fred is at Nonnatus House in his Sunday best explaining that he only has three weeks to get his show together. Sister Hilda says they need something attention grabbing and Reggie again suggests exhibition gardens. Sister Monica Joan throws in her penny’s worth and says they can make a garden for St Nonnatus, which will bring blessings on the whole event. Furthermore, she’ll create it herself. I have a feeling the garden itself will need blessing.

 

After the false alarm earlier Maureen really is going into labor and the baby has about three minutes to be born. Valerie delivers Maureen’s new baby boy just in time for his grandad’s birthday. Charlie barges in, jumping up and down with the clock from the wall to tell Maureen she did it!

 

A tipsy Fred returns home. He’s been around a few pubs to get people to sign up for his horticultural show. In order to get more entries from people in the flats, they added some new categories: Best Hanging Basket, Best Window Box and Best Horticultural Use of a Flat Balcony. Fred and Reggie are going to build the Hanging Gardens of Babylon to show it all off.

 

At the adoption agency the Turners learn that Miss Tang is now going by the name of Esther. Esther explains that her life is different now. Shelagh shows Esther pictures of May and tells her how much she loves counting and reading. Esther hands the photos back, but Patrick tells her to keep them. She’s very grateful, but asks if she can see May in person. Outside in the car the Turners wonder whether seeing Esther is the right thing for May. Back inside Esther runs out before she can sign the adoption papers.

 

Maureen is worried about her baby, Warren. He’s not feeding and feels floppy. Lucille listens to his heartbeat before calling for Dr Turner who tells Lucille to call for an ambulance with an incubator. He thinks Warren has heart problems. At the hospital Maureen is distraught and tells Charlie they’re not allowed in to see Warren.

 

Dr Turner pops into Nonnatus House to deliver some bad news about Warren. The left side of his heart hasn’t developed properly and Valerie or Lucille wouldn’t have noticed anything at the birth as the symptoms take a couple of days to develop. Dr Turner says that Warren is also blind and it’s highly likely that he’s brain damaged. It’s all likely due to Maureen being exposed to Rubella (flashback to episode one) in her first trimester. Trixie comforts Valerie as Dr Turner says Warren will live for weeks at most.

 

Fred and Reggie are worried about what Sister Monica Joan is up to in the shed. Fred offers to help her, but she says she has everything she needs. Later Phyllis is trying to get to the bottom of who has been taking midwifery supplies without signing them out. It turns out it’s Sister Monica Joan and she’s doing a really bad job of hiding the eight blankets she’s stolen. Sister Monica Joan doesn’t see the problem as she “requires” them. She says that the needs of the blessed garden she’s making far exceeds that of the Health Authority. Phyllis gives up and tells her not to get any holes in them.

 

The Turners take May to see Esther, but when Esther speaks to her in Cantonese we see May hide behind Shelagh. The more Esther raises her voice in desperation to May, the more scared May becomes and the Turners decide to leave. Esther shouts at Miss Williams for turning May against her. On their way home Patrick and Shelagh agree that seeing Esther wasn’t the best thing for May.

 

Cyril (Zephryn Taitte) is fixing Phyllis’ car. Well, he would be if there was anything wrong with it. It looks like Phyllis has made an excuse to get Cyril and Lucille together. Phyllis goes to get some tea whilst Lucille and Cyril talk. Lucille says Cyril never has time to see her and Cyril explains it’s because they’re both always working. Cyril says he’s studying, working and preaching all whilst waiting for Lucille. Lucille says there’s no point in him waiting for her if she’s not going to wait for him. What?!

 

After being told that Esther wants to take May back to Hong Kong, Shelagh and Patrick talk with Sister Julienne. They ask her if she’ll talk to Esther. Later Sister Julienne meets Esther in the park. Esther tells Sister Julienne that she has a job looking after children and she knows how to keep a child safe. Sister Julienne reminds Esther that she won’t have a job if her employers find out she has a child of her own and asks what she will do then. Esther worries that May will be subject to racism in England. She then tearfully asks how can May know she loves her if she signs the papers to give her child away.

 

With Warren home Maureen and Charlie want to have a little party for him like their other children have had. Lucille takes a family photo and Charlie offers to pay for the film, but Lucille doesn’t take it. At night Maureen and Charlie let the children sleep in their bed so that they are all together with Warren. Sadly, Warren dies in the night. After signing the death certificate, everything gets a bit much for Dr Turner and he breaks down in his car.

 

At the adoption agency Esther says she will agree to let the Turners look after May as foster parents. Miss Williams tells her that the Turners could still pursue May’s adoption through the courts and will most likely win their case. Esther tearfully begs them not to, but Patrick tells her that May needs a legal next of kin in England. Esther says the Turners can be May’s guardians in England, but not her parents.

 

At Nonnatus the place is packed with flowers to send to Fred’s show. As they girls load the van up, Charlie hands Lucille a picture she took of Warren. As she places it in her handbag, Cyril comes to hand her some flowers. Lucille says she’s proud of him for helping their community, but Cyril tells her there are more important things.

 

The whole town are thoroughly enjoying the extravaganza. However, no one can really work out Sister Monica Joan’s thinking behind the garden she’s created. Well, I say garden, but it’s just grass that was already there and a little statue of St. Nonnatus on top of a box. Trixie asks her where the flowers are and Sister Monica Joan explains the flowers of St Nonnatus are the most beautiful flowers of the day. That’s because they are babies! No, not baby flowers, actual babies! Monica Joan places her stolen blankets on the grass around her statue as new mothers lay their babies down. Lucille takes the picture of Warren with her flowers from Cyril and places them next to the statue.