Epidurals Finally Make Their Debut in ‘Call the Midwife’ Season 15
Epidurals may become Nonnatus House’s saving grace in this week's episode of ‘Call the Midwife.’
With spring finally appearing both onscreen and off, Easter preparations are afoot in the second episode of Call the Midwife. Fred and Reggie sort chocolate eggs for the egg hunt, and Miss Higgins has roped her grandson Harry (Eisa Latif) into playing the Easter Bunny. But the discovery of a dying dog with foam around its mouth suspends the festivities and brings the small community to the brink of panic about a potential rabies outbreak.
Harry’s the first to recognize the dog’s symptoms because he’s seen it happen “in the streets in Delhi.” There’s something “othered” in how Poplar’s residents treat the threat of a rabies spread, with Violet remarking how common such a thing is in Germany, but not in England! When there is a confirmed case of rabies, its origin is traced to India. (Interestingly, the show doesn’t seem to realize this messaging.)
As Nonnatus House faces an uncertain future, leaps in birthing technology like epidurals and the subsequent increased commonality of hospital births pose an existential threat to both midwifery and Dr. Turner’s practice. Even Sister Julienne declares epidurals “the future” of birthing after seeing firsthand the eradication of labor pains.
This is always something I wondered how the show would handle: with hospital births gaining popularity and eventually becoming the standard, when did midwives phase out? Did they become doulas in an independent contractor model? Moreover, what does Nonnatus House look like without its central practice of childbirth? What will they evolve into? Could they survive offering mostly prenatal care?
At least for now, the midwives and nuns are thriving. But the threat is looming.
A Public Health Scare
The sick, potentially infected dog at the Easter egg hunt succumbs to its illness just before the police arrive. Dr. Turner says the entire area needs to be cleaned and addressed under rabies protocol. The dog must be tested, and the results won’t be available for two days, during which public fears rise. People become suspicious of stray dogs. The police tell everyone to keep their dogs leashed and their cats indoors. A young girl is scratched, and her mother is terrified.
As mayor, Violet convenes a town meeting to allay concerns, but it doesn’t seem to have a calming effect. One of the townsfolk demands to know why the authorities aren’t cracking down on unregulated pet shops where she claims you can buy monkeys. Dr. Turner and Sister Veronica attempt to educate the town, highlighting rabies symptoms to watch for, such as fever, intense thirst, and, when advanced, an irrational fear of drinking water and paralysis. Sister Veronica begs the panicking public to wait for the test results before worrying, but it doesn’t help one bit when Dr. Turner is called away for an emergency in the middle of the meeting.
When the results do come back, the crisis is declared over: the dog died from ingesting rat poison, not rabies. Harry remarks that it would have ended differently in India, where the fear of rabies is always real. But the trouble is far from over when it’s discovered that Poplar resident Joel (Callum Burns) is feverish, foaming at the mouth, refusing water, and cannot move his legs. Joel has just returned from a year in India, where he was scratched by a cat. He tells Dr. Turner it was “weeks” ago, and he’s felt fine.
You can see in the doctor’s face: he knows it’s already too late. The young man is transferred to the London Hospital of Tropical Medicine. His heartbroken father, Mr. Bagnall (Nicolas Tennant), must quickly come to terms with his emotional hangups to tell his son he’s proud and say a proper goodbye. Having recently lost his wife and adjusting to a new set of arm braces post-rehab, losing his only child feels like a particularly low blow life has dealt him.
Guess Who’s Coming to Lunch?
Rosalind and Cyril host her wealthy, liberal-leaning parents, Josephine (Natasha Joseph) and Major Aubrey Clifford (David Bark-Jones), for lunch. It is a big deal to Rosalind as it’s the first time they’ve deigned to meet her directly in Poplar. Her parents already know Cyril is Black, and they commend him for being so “enterprising” to have come from British Guiana. The whole lunch is like this – the blatant but polite condescension, the compliment-wrapped insults. Rosalind’s Protestant mother says they were shocked to learn of her daughter’s upcoming Catholic confirmation, but they’ll accept it since they are “progressive” thinkers.
Privately, the Cliffords express their dubious feelings to Rosalind when she asks them about Cyril. They find him charming and impressive, but she can’t be serious about him, can she? Her father insists he’s “not the chap” for Rosalind. She tries to call her parents out on their prejudice, but they dismiss it, her father proud that he didn’t once mention Cyril’s race.
Rosalind is dismayed and angry at their reaction, but Cyril expected it. She aims to cut her parents out of her life if they can’t accept him, which Cyril begs her not to do. In a café, Rosalind declares her pride in their relationship by asking Cyril to hold her hand publicly. He’s reluctant at first but emboldened by her love. It’s sweet and quietly powerful.
Estelle & the Modern Miracle of the Epidural
Meanwhile, there’s a pair of Irish sisters-in-law, both pregnant and nearing their due dates together. It will be Estelle’s (Julie Lamberton) first child, and Hope’s (Mimi Joffroy) second. If it’s a boy, Hope wants this to be her last child; Dr. Turner suggests birth control pills to let her choose pregnancy on her own schedule.
Estelle is quite nervous about giving birth, which comes out full force when she tries to support Hope during her incredibly difficult labor. Poor Hope has a doubly arduous time when her baby is improperly positioned for an easy birth, and then when its shoulder gets stuck. Hope’s screaming misery sends Estelle into a PTSD spiral, bringing back horrific memories of an IRA bombing she survived as well as her own mother’s endless screams before dying of childbirth complications. She’s petrified of her impending labor.
Though Sister Julienne is (eventually) able to deliver Hope’s baby, Trixie uses this as a teachable moment for Dr. Turner. What if women didn’t have to bear colossal pain during labor? Leveraging a connection with the Lady Emily Clinic, Trixie gets Dr. Turner in to witness an epidural. After he is clearly impressed, Trixie asks the crucial question: “It shouldn’t just be for those who can afford to pay, should it?”
Dr. Turner arranges for Estelle to have an epidural at St. Cuthbert’s with Sister Julienne in attendance. Estelle goes from high anxiety to complete relaxation after the drugs hit her – better living through chemistry! She has a pain-free and peaceful labor that convinces Sister Julienne of the procedure’s significance.
Late Deliveries
- Trixie might be angling to take over or merge with the Lady Emily Clinic, with its current director retiring and selling the clinic.
- May Turner’s (April Rae Hoang) biological younger brother, Christopher (Max Ho), is still with the Turners (since the Christmas special) and begins chemotherapy. Shelagh stays with Christopher as much as possible, with Sister Veronica (who speaks the boy’s native Cantonese) frequently taking the night shift – as much to relieve Shelagh as because she secretly craves the mothering role.
Call the Midwife Season 15 continues Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on most PBS stations, the PBS app, and the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel. The series has already been streaming on PBS Passport for members. The series will stream on the PBS app and the PBS Masterpiece Channel weekly through mid-May. As always, check your local listings.
