SERIES 9, EPISODE 8
Please feel free to comment on my review.
We’ve come to the end of Series 9 of ‘Call the Midwife’! I enjoyed this season very much in 2020. It’s emotionally packed with character dramas and intriguing stories involving births of babies and such.
The season finale seems to guarantee ‘Call the Midwife’ a future, but for a short while. Mind you, judging by how Series 11 has been green lit, I can imagine ‘Call the Midwife’ lasting a while longer. 😀
In the episode, Jenny Agutter as Sister Juilenne receives a letter from the council to say that they’re cutting funds to Nonnatus House and that they will no longer pay for the midwives’ accommodation. 😦
The ‘Call the Midwife’ team gather together in order to find a way to raise their case against the council to keep Nonnatus House going. Thankfully, they receive support from the Poplar community.
It was pretty bold of Helen George as Trixie to argue Nonnatus House’s case against the council and say that Poplar would be lost without them. Linda Bassett as Nurse Crane also helps her out in this. 🙂
The result is that Nonnatus is allowed to keep going, but only for a year. As indicated, we have Series 10 and 11 to look forward to. I’m currently wondering what would happen to Poplar in the 1970s. 😀
Meanwhile, Nurse Crane attends to the care of a heavily pregnant bohemian woman – Ruby Thomas as Bonnie Medlar. Bonnie is committed to the baby’s father – Thomas Howes as Eddie Tannerman. 🙂
Incidentally, Thomas Howes played William in Series 1 and 2 of ‘Downton Abbey’. It turns out that Eddie happens to be a two-timer when he is supposed to be engaged to Kitty Archer as Petra Bevan.
I was shocked and found it awkward when Eddie made two women pregnant. It’s clear that Eddie’s very fond of Bonnie than he is of Petra in this. I wonder how Eddie ended up with these two women.
And from seeing this episode, I prefer Eddie being with Bonnie, especially when he supports her and when she seems to be accepting and patient of Eddie in the tale. It’s a rare to see a woman like that.
Petra is with her mother Sue Elliot-Nichols as Ada Bevan, who’s pretty domineering in the episode. Sadly, Petra has a miscarriage in the episode, especially when she seems to be bleeding internally. 😦
It’s tense in the scenes between Petra and Bonnie in the episode. Petra even throws a vase of flowers at Eddie at the maternity ward. But Petra doesn’t to be so willing to fight Bonnie over Eddie.
The episode also features Ann Mitchell as Elsie Dyer, Valerie’s gran. She gets taken to St. Cuthbert’s hospital before she’s discharged from prison and she gets taken home by her granddaughter Valerie.
Jennifer Kirby as Valerie (who makes her last appearance in ‘Call the Midwife’ – more on this next time) looks after her gran when she’s at home. But it doesn’t look good for Elsie who tragically dies.
I found it heartbreaking and was reduced to tears when Elsie died. Leonie Elliot as Lucille and Zephryn Taitte as Cyril sang a hymn for her once she died in her sleep and whilst Valerie was away. 😦
Elsie encouraged Valerie to get a 99 from an ice cream van before she died. I think there was meant to be a scene between Valerie and Fred Buckle about her gran, but it got cut from the episode’s edit. 😦
The story for Lee Armstrong as Dr. Kevin McNulty also concludes nicely when his drug-taking in the episode takes its toll here. A pity he and Sister Frances didn’t reconcile things by the episode’s end. 😦
The episode concludes with the ‘Call the Midwife’ cast happily celebrating Bonfire Night in November. Yeah, the years speed quickly every time we come to each season in ‘Call the Midwife’. 😀
By the time we reach the 2020 Christmas Special, Series 9 of ‘Call the Midwife’ will seem recent for our characters. That’s something to be bear in mind as I watch the 2020 Christmas Special on DVD. 🙂
Series 9, Episode 8 has been a satisfying conclusion to Series 9 of ‘Call the Midwife’. I’ve enjoyed the many character journeys featured in each episode of the season and they have been really gripping.
There have been some reassuring messages in each episode as well as some moving moments. Hopefully the series will continue to be good in Series 10 especially to celebrate its 10th anniversary.
The DVD special features for Series 9 of ‘Call the Midwife’ are as follows. On Disc 3, there are the behind-the-scenes featurettes ‘Writing Master’ and ‘Times of Change’ to check out with cast and crew interviews.
‘Series 9, Episode 8’ rating – 8/10
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