SERIES 7, EPISODE 8
Please feel free to comment on my review.
And we come to the final episode of Series 7 of ‘Call the Midwife’. After the arguably downbeat story in Series 7, Episode 7, things can hopefully end on a positive note that is looking towards the future.
This is usually the case with certain ‘Call the Midwife’ season finales. Sometimes they’re preceded by really depressing episodes. The final episode of a ‘Call the Midwife’ season is meant to be uplifting. 🙂
In the last episode of Series 7, we have the funeral of Barbara. Things are really downbeat early on in the episode where everyone, including Jack Ashton as Tom Hereward, is grieving the loss of Barbara.
Tom struggles to get over the death of Barbara and has to consider his future. This apparently happens to be Tom’s last episode in ‘Call the Midwife’, which is a pity considering the circumstances.
I’m not sure what happens to Tom after he exits ‘Call the Midwife’. I believe he’s sent to do some missionary work somewhere. I don’t know whether Tom is returning anytime soon since this season.
The door is left open as to whether Tom might return in ‘Call the Midwife’ or not. At this point, I’m not certain if anybody is filling in Tom’s shoes to be the local curate or vicar within the Poplar area. 😐
I liked the scenes between Tom and Daniel Laurie as Reggie. In his own way, Reggie comforts Tom during his grief. They even place a toy carousel upon Barbara’s grave in order to commemorate her.
Whilst that’s going on, the Nonnatus House team rallies round to prepare for Sister Monic Joan’s birthday. Judy Parfitt as Sister Monica Joan meanwhile wanders into a cinema to get the local news.
This is because the Nonnatus House television set is on the blink. Incidentally, Sister Monica Joan’s birthday happens to be the 25th of November. In 1963, John F. Kennedy’s funeral occurs on the day.
Yep! This episode takes place at the time JFK’s assassination took place. The Nonnatus House team hear it on the news. Even Sister Monica Joan missed the very first episode of ‘Doctor Who’ that day.
And I’m sure Jessica Raine’s Jenny posed as Verity Lambert at the same time in ‘An Adventure in Space and Time’. 😀 Joking aside, it is sad how JFK’s death reflects on the recent loss of Barbara here.
As Sister Monica Joan visits the cinema, she meets David Bamber as projectionist Stanley Hodgkiss. David Bamber was in an episode of ‘Grantchester’ and was also in ‘Mummy on the Orient Express’. 🙂
Hodgkiss has a daughter, Scarlett Alice Johnson as Olive Mawson, who is separated from her husband and is heavily pregnant. She’s also annoyed her father is concerned for his friend Donald. 😐
And Donald happens to be played by…David Calder! Wow! David Calder is in an episode of ‘Call the Midwife’. For a lot of sci-fi fans, David Calder is Nathan Spring in the ‘Star Cops’ TV series and audios.
I’m surprised there wasn’t a scene between David Calder’s Donald and Trevor Cooper’s Sgt. Woolf. Sgt. Woolf appears in the episode once it’s reported that Donald is walking about with no trouser on.
Apparently, Donald is dementia sufferer. I’m also not sure if there’s some homosexual thing going on between Donald and Stanley Hodgkiss. It’s not established properly but it’s indicated in the episode.
There’s also the closing of a nearby maternity home which brings in an influx of expectant mothers to the Nonnatus midwives. A series of four births takes place at the maternity home before it closes.
Linda Bassett as Nurse Crane crosses swords with one of the mothers. This happens to be Barbara Smith as cheeky teenager Josie Winterlee. Nurse Crane also gets a bad back during the episode here.
Nurse Crane struggles to get to the telephone when she’s on duty. I liked it when she’s called out to the maternity home and gets unlikely help from Sgt. Woolf who drives her to the maternity home. 🙂
I also like how Nurse Crane is there for Josie when she has her baby. It was sweet when Josie decided to call her new-born girl Barbara, which is very touching considering we’ve had the loss of our Barbara.
There is reconciliation between Stanley, Olive and Donald and soon the ‘Call the Midwife’ staff assembles to commemorate Sister Monica Joan’s birthday. This is all done by watching a tribute film.
Even Helen George as Trixie makes a cameo in the film whilst she’s away in Italy. Series 7, Episode 8 is a touching way to end the season. It’s still sad that Barbara’s gone, but there’s hope for the future.
On Disc 3 of the Series 7 DVD of ‘Call the Midwife’, there are the behind-the-scenes featurettes ‘Bob Cuts, Beehives & Buns’, ‘A New Café, Clinic & Kitchen’ and ‘New Lines, Textures & Colours’ to check out with cast and crew interviews.
‘Series 7, Episode 8’ rating – 8/10
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