SERIES 7, EPISODE 6
Please feel free to comment on my review.
This episode does end on a rather sad note. I know there are engaging subplots happening in the majority of the episode, but I am anxious about one of the characters I’ve grown to like in the series.
In the episode, a new family from Northern Island comes to Poplar. They’re Gerard McCarthy as Terry Davidson and Kelly Campbell as his wife Pearl. They have two children and Pearl is pregnant. 🙂
They open up a newsagent’s in Poplar, but when Terry goes out to get some chips from the chip shop, he gets killed in a car crash. Terry should have looked where he was going and not eat his chips! 😐
Pearl is left to run the shop alone. That’s a pretty harsh turn of events. Terry wasn’t in Poplar for more than a few hours and he’s already dead by the time he, Pearl and their family arrive. Dreadful!
Charlotte Ritchie as Barbara becomes involved with the recently widowed Pearl, especially in the time where she’s about to go into labour. Pearl struggles to keep up business within the newsagents.
It gets worse when the newsagent’s catches fire. Barbara and Linda Bassett as Nurse Crane help to get Pearl and her family out. Cliff Parisi as Fred also helps lead the community to help Pearl’s family.
Barbara is there to see Pearl have her babies delivered – yes Pearl has twins in this. Pearl and her family are staying at Barbara and Jack Ashton as Tom’s home when their newsagent home is burnt. 🙂
It’s a relief Pearl manages to have her twins as well as have help from Barbara and Stephen McGann as Dr. Turner. It’s also a nice relief Pearl gets the emotional support she needs to overcome her loss.
Elsewhere, Jennifer Kirby as Valerie and Leonie Elliott as Lucile run into trouble when a possessive mother complains about their sexual health classes for young girls. Her daughter’s involved in this. 😐
Georgina Rich plays the mother Maureen Walker whilst Ellie Bindman plays the daughter Elizabeth. It does seem that Valerie and Lucille’s efforts in educating young girls about sexual health are in vain.
Thankfully they’re permitted to carry on, but Maureen won’t keep quiet about it when she almost ruins the first class back. Valerie soon discovers her reasons why she’s against the sex health classes.
It involves Maureen’s missing sister whom she and Valerie eventually find at a mental institution. Valerie provides the reunion between Maureen and her sister Pauline Turner as Lily in the episode. 🙂
It’s an intriguing contrast of how Lily ended up in an institution because of her losing her child out of wedlock whilst Maureen had her child but her husband left her. I like how it’s happily resolved here.
Incidentally, Rachel Atkins who plays Nurse Thorne in the episode has been in a number of ‘Doctor Who’ audio productions, including ‘The Lady of Mercia’ and ‘The War Master’ story ‘Only the Good’.
Judy Parfitt as Sister Monica Joan also has her cataract surgery in the episode. She has to go to hospital for it and soon finds herself befriending a raucous fellow patient, June Watson as Maudie. 🙂
I like how the friendship is formed between Sister Monica and Maudie. At first, Maudie is pretty talkative and Sister Monica finds it a struggle to get on with her, especially when she tries to pray. 😐
But as the two have their eye operations; Sister Monica Joan helps Maudie to overcome the anxiety she has about being blinded in one eye. They even sing songs together whilst they’re at the hospital.
It’s a fascinating contrast when Maudie has a big family, including her husband Sidney Livingstone as Albie. Sister Monica Joan has visits from Laura Main’s Shelagh and Victoria Yeates’ Sister Winifred. 🙂
Like I said, the episode concludes on a sad note. Barbara, after working long hours with Pearl Davidson, ends up being severely ill in bed. Tom has Barbara stay in bed at home in order to recover.
But when Nurse Crane becomes concerned about Barbara’s well-being, she calls for Dr. Turner to examine her. It turns out Barbara is getting severe rashes and she may have a temperature on her. 😦
Barbara is soon taken to the hospital. Tom is met by Dr. Turner waiting for him in the car who takes him to the hospital to see his wife. I don’t like the sound of how things will turn out for next time. 😐
Series 7, Episode 6 is a good instalment in the season. I like how some of the subplots get resolved happily in the episode, but I’m rather anxious about how things will turn out for Barbara’s character.
On Disc 3 of the Series 7 DVD of ‘Call the Midwife’, there’s the behind-the-scenes featurette ‘Sex, Community & Sisters’ to check out with cast and crew interviews.
‘Series 7, Episode 6’ rating – 8/10
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