‘Call the Midwife’ Discovers How to Travel Through Time & Space
The third episode of 'Call the Midwife' Season 15 veers into distressing territory while dealing with the heavy subjects of sexual assault and slavery, but the show uses a gentle touch.
There’s a certain expected solace in Call the Midwife’s weekly installments as we keep up with Poplar and its denizens. The third episode of Season 15 veers into distressing territory while dealing with the heavy subjects of sexual assault and slavery, but the show uses a gentle touch. Never one to shy away from uncomfortable topics, instead, it confronts the horrors women face with an unwavering eye and a warm, comforting arm. This isn’t the first time the show has explored sexual and physical abuse, but the showrunners seem to have learned to tone down the onscreen depictions following audience outcry – not to mention the expected norm of programming during watershed hours.
To lighten the emotional toll, the episode is woven through with subplot threads about the time-capsule fever that’s taken over the town, particularly the children. It’s almost too light-hearted in comparison. For balance, we get a third subplot with Joyce filling in at St. Cuthbert’s Hospital and befriending a single pregnant woman. Taking the time to bond with her patient becomes key when a life-saving blood transfusion is required.
Next week, we’ll hit the midpoint of the season. As we await more details about the planned movie and prequel series, the show continues to prove how it earned its following despite the occasional unevenness.
(Content Warning for discussions of rape and abuse in this episode.)
A Dark Secret Uncovered
Rosalind visits Vera (Margaréta Szabó) and Laszlo Kovacs (Aleksandar Mikic) to assess her multiple sclerosis. Laszlo is deeply dedicated to his wife, but their yearning and inability to have children has led to the horrific abuse of Agata (Bogi Bondor), their live-in housekeeper (and Vera’s cousin).
After catching Agata eating from the garbage, Rosalind spots an infected burn on her arm. Agata refuses to go to the doctor for treatment, revealing she’s not allowed to leave the house.
Rosalind visits Agata when she’s alone and learns the terrible truth: Agata is starved, physically abused by Vera, and raped by Laszlo. Vera beats or scalds Agata whenever she fails to become pregnant. Further, they have stolen her passport and convinced her she’s the one who would get in trouble if she went to the police.
Though Cyril advises they start a proper file on the case, Rosalind won’t wait for Agata to be harmed again. Agata escapes to a women’s hostel at Rosalind’s referral, then to the maternity home. Trixie later discovers that Agata is pregnant after all. Should the Kovacs find out, Agata would be in greater peril. Trixie acknowledges Rosalind’s heart was in the right place, but her rash actions could have put them in danger.
This proves portentous. The Kovacs easily figure out Agata’s whereabouts after Trixie goes (alone!) to collect Agata’s belongings. They storm Agata’s room, gaslighting her, calling her mentally unwell, saying she’s nothing without them. Trixie comes to her defense, but more importantly, Agata stands up for herself against her abusers.
Though the police aren’t interested in the rape – maddeningly calling it “he said, she said” – the Kovacs will be prosecuted for Agata’s imprisonment. With the support of Dr. Turner, Miss Higgins, Cyril, and the rest of Nonnatus House, Agata will find a new and better life. She is also finally able to practice her Christianity openly since leaving Hungary. A small consolation for such a harrowing story, but it’s still a lovely moment when Agata finds relief in the chapel at Nonnatus House.
Joyce’s Bedside Manner Saves a Patient
When St. Cuthbert’s is understaffed yet again, Joyce agrees to be temporarily reassigned under the no-nonsense Sister Marcus (Doreene Blackstock). In this case, “sister” refers to ward sister, the nurse in charge of the hospital’s maternity ward, not another nun. Joyce shares her ambition to become a head nurse as well, and Sister Marcus advises that, as women of color, they have to work harder, be better, and more determined than all their colleagues to secure promotions. She also warns not to raise one’s head “above the parapet.” Translation: play the long game and don’t rock the boat.
Joyce’s immediate ability to bring order to the chaotic ward impresses Sister Marcus. Joyce takes care of Eileen (Abra Thompson), a single expectant mother with placenta previa, a condition that puts her at high risk of hemorrhage. She’s fallen out with her only relative, Aunt Moira (Cathy Murphy), over her determination to raise her baby rather than give it up for adoption.
Eileen is admitted until her delivery, which will be a C-section by necessity. She’s terrified; it will take months to recover from major surgery, and Eileen has no one to help her. Things get more dire when, after her C-section, she begins to bleed out. Mr. Parry (Paul Bigley) and his surgical team save Eileen, but she has a rare blood type and literally drains the hospital’s supply. She needs an additional transfusion, but there’s a national shortage.
Going above and beyond, Joyce finds Eileen’s estranged aunt and convinces her to donate blood to her niece. Luckily, Aunt Moira is a match, and she reconciles with Eileen, who heals thanks to the transfusion. Sister Marcus was initially skeptical of Joyce’s extra efforts, but since it saves the patient, she winds up fully supportive – even extending Joyce’s hospital shifts. Joyce has a new professional ally and a path to a new career.
In the Year 2000
After an episode of Blue Peter featuring a time capsule* Poplar’s youth lead the adults in gathering mementos to be buried for ~30 years. The Turner children speculate about the world in the year 2000. Will there still be doctors? Teddy says yes, but there will also be robots to fly to appointments. May corrects her brother: They’ll beam themselves everywhere, “like on Star Trek.”
(Naturally, the Turner kids are budding nerds. Love this!)
The Scout troop run by Phyllis and Miss Higgins includes the sweetest letter from one of the boys. It says the troop leaders are “very, very old ladies” who “will be dead in the year 2000” when the capsule is opened. He wants them to be remembered. Included for posterity is a drawing of the two women in their Scout Leader uniforms.
Sister Julienne tears up, looking over the various keepsakes that Nonnatus House has decided to bury. Sister Catherine gives one of the best soundbites of the season: “Whatever happens to the order in the future, we will have always been here. And perhaps that’s all that matters.”
At the end of the episode, Phyllis gets a picture of Nonnatus House and friends by their time capsules. The resulting sepia-toned freeze-frame is a perfect piece of modern nostalgia.
(*June 7, 1971, was the time capsule’s first appearance on Blue Peter. The show buried five other capsules between 1981 and 2018.)
Late Deliveries
- Sister Julienne and Trixie share the burden of knowledge about the impending shake-up at Nonnatus House but differ in their philosophical approaches. Sister Julienne seems horrified to learn that Trixie is studying the Lady Emily Clinic’s structure. She bristles about the clinic catering only to the rich, while the Nonnatus House mission is to serve the poor.
- Cyril and Sister Monica Joan (Judy Parfitt) exchange a meaningful moment reflecting on their mutual admiration and religious differences.
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.
