Call the Midwife, Season Five: Episode Seven Recap – After the Storm Plus a Romantic Moment

Call the Midwife Episode Seven Recap

Episode seven of Call the Midwife aired last night, and it left me wondering: where has this season gone? In a season that has been one of the Call the Midwife’s best yet, I am seriously wondering why these BBC shows must limit their episode count to an 8-episode season. But on the other end of the spectrum, if keeping their seasons short is what it takes to produce this quality content, I’m all for it.

Of course in the same vein of each weekly episode, last night there were cases that inspire, but I also loved the touches of humor involving Barbara and Tom’s romance which is heating up (to say the least).

RELATED | Call the Midwife, Season Five: Episode Six Recap – Weathering the Storms

Brill Cream and Kisses: Romantic Moment of the Week

With everyone out of Nonnatus House for the evening, Tom calls on his girlfriend, Barbara. While they have the place to themselves, their night begins with sweet kisses and a record. As Tom twirls Barbara around the kitchen floor, things get a bit steamy, to say the least. Mutually, they get carried away; Barbara pushes Tom up against the wall, and the couple passionately makes out, ruffling their state of dress and forgetting their sense of propriety. Fortunately, Barbara is paying attention to the time and gently stops Tom, reminding him the others will be back soon.

As Tom fixes his shirt sleeves and they put things back in tip-top shape, Barbara worries over a brill stain left behind from Tom’s hair. Needless to say, when she attempts to remove it, she makes it worse. All she can do is hope no one notices. Naturally, no such fortune smiles on her when Sister Monica Joan calls attention to it. But the greater debate arrives in the form whether or not to administer the contraceptive pill to their patients. (This also raises questions for Tom and Barbara in their continuing relationship.)

Moral Implications

Dr. Turner and his wife, Shelagh are excited about this new pill and believe it will benefit their patients. Sister Julienne doesn’t believe the same. She weighs the moral implications with the medical and finds the former may be the greater issue. She struggles with the implications (medical vs. moral) of whether or not they ought to recommend the pill to their patients.

Cases of the Week

The cases of the week are about two mothers with two very different stories in two different situations. Both of whom could have perhaps benefitted from this new “miracle” pill.

Daisy is a mother many times over, who hasn’t given her children any kind of stable upbringing because of the work her husband does. They live on a barge with their brood, all of whom are illiterate because their parents haven’t sent them to school. It’s Patsy who tries to reach the proud mother with little success. But when her delivery draws near, she finds she just may need the assistance of a trained midwife.

Then there is Gina. A young expectant first-time mother, whose husband is disinterested in his role as a father. The young couple married because of the pregnancy and Gina worries her husband doesn’t really love her. Following her delivery on the worst night Poplar has seen in years (a storm sweeps through), Gina suffers complications from eclampsia (did anyone else have Downton Abbey flashbacks?). The midwives get her off to the hospital in time, and Gina’s husband, Leslie, realizes how much he does want this family.

After the Storm

The following day, as the storm clears away, a familiar (and bossy) face returns to Poplar. Sister Evangeline is coming home following her six-plus month sabbatical. Everything seems well with her, except she stayed beyond her sixth-month plans. It takes the perceptive Sister Julienne to see something is “off” with her. When questioned, Sister Evangeline admits she suffered a stroke a few months into her stay. She’s healthy and well now, but she can’t help but feel God was trying to tell her something.

Thoughts and Questions

Because this is a straightforward show, I find I don’t theorize about what’s to come. I think this is because, with exception to a romance or maybe a deep-seated emotional imbalance (such as Trixie’s struggles), this show wraps up its often sweet and poignant stories within each hour. With Call the Midwife, we enjoy the journey more than the constant stream of theories we may ascribe to other TV addictions.

All that said, I do like how each week, this show challenges its characters. They all struggle with some form of moral dilemma throughout their run and leave us wondering what choices they’ll ultimately reach: will they opt for the moral choice? Or will they fall a little in the human way of making mistakes? Especially touching is the scene between Sister Julienne and Sister Mary Cynthia. It’s nice that her brutal assault isn’t forgotten. Patsy also takes a big step forward in her relationship, too.

The finale preview looks to deal more in Sister Evangeline’s health. Also previewed are some new challenges arising in Dr. Turner’s office (what might this be?), and as she watches Tom and Barbara, Trixie realizing she misses not what she might have had, but perhaps what she might still want.

How do you suppose talented writer, Heidi Thomas will conclude this fifth series of Call the Midwife? Do you have any thoughts, opinions or wishes for the rapidly approaching finale? Comment down below with your thoughts! I’d love to read them.

Photos: PBS

RELATED

Read our first season review of the Call the Midwife. Catch up on series five with our earlier Call the Midwife recaps, and browse through our other TV Recaps.

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