Well friends, it’s finally time for another season of Guilt, and this time, we’re kicking things off in Chicago, where Max and Jake (previously dubbed Cheekbones and Softie, respectively, in these recaps) have formed a sort of peaceable, if impoverished, detente. They (not very successfully) run the bar Jake bought with his payoff from Evil Mobster Roy after season 1, and Jake’s relationship with the ethically dubious Angie is on the rocks. Despite this semi-disaster, Max can’t — or won’t — go back to Edinburgh: Evil Mobster Roy’s WAY scarier half, Maggie, is still out and about and ready to murder his ass.

New official midwives mean new outfits, and that means that this episode kicks off with the Nonnatus crew handing over brand new red cardigans to Rosalind and Joyce. It’s a lovely moment, and a well deserved celebration, and it’s almost immediately ruined by the man who’s rapidly becoming my nemesis, Mr. Trixie. He’s dropping his wife off at work, you see, and is about to also make something official. Something that’s obviously stressing him out. What that is, we don’t know, so we just get to panic about it. Fun!

Reader, somehow we find ourselves fast approaching the end of the season. Wild, I know! And there’s so much to sort out before we leave Poplar until Christmas: will the trainees stick around? Will Mr. Trixie ever tell his wife what the heck is going on with him? Will the Turners have to give up May? Much remains to be seen, but this week, we start off with a visit to Cyril, who’s studying for his social work gig. Next up, we head to Nonnatus, where Nancy tries to convince Sister Julienne to help her get her shift switched.

Last week? TB. This week? The seaside! Yes, you read that right — Vi’s planning an excursion to the beach as her first event as mayor, and everyone is extremely excited. Everyone except Fred, who, as the ‘Mayor’s Consort’ has to help plan the thing instead of relaxing. There are invitations to hand out, sandcastle contest prizes to be picked out, and a bus company to pay.

Well friends, it’s officially summer in 1969 Poplar, which means that this episode, we’re getting heavy moon landing vibes.

Nolly shows the real life story of Noele Gordon withstanding an unjust firing from the UK soap opera Crossroads and her journey back toward being a leading lady. In contrast, Funny Woman recently showed up-and-coming comedian Barbara transforming herself into Sophie Straw. If you liked these recent MASTERPIECE and PBS series, you’re in luck: they are far from the only shows to depict the early days of the modern British TV industry. This article aims to recommend what to watch after Nolly and discuss how each series dramatized behind-the-scenes and in-front-of-the-camera drama.

This week in Poplar, we get to start the episode off with another example of our buddy Fred absolutely saving the day for the team at Nonnatus (mechanical work; always a joy). We also get Reggie for another week, as he’s here to visit Vi and Fred.

Agatha Christie’s mystery novels and short stories have never fallen out of favor with mystery fans. Her novels and short stories have influenced generations of authors and screenwriters to adapt her works or incorporate elements of her themes into original stories. Recent television and movie adaptations have decided to remove racial and antisemitic slurs, and toned down the sexism of Christie’s era. Murder is Easy takes this to the next level by confronting the spoken and unspoken bias in the text head-on.

Welcome back to Poplar, besties. Last week, we met our trainee midwives for the season and saw two fairly dramatic births. This week, we kick things off with a visit to Cyril’s church, which is practically bursting at the seams. We also get a Nigel the Cat sighting!

Well reader, spring has sprung (ish) and with it comes the THIRTEENTH season of Call the Midwife. When last we visited Poplar, Sister Monica Joan was in the middle of another dark night of the soul, Cyril had just adopted a cat named Nigel, Trixie and Mr. Trixie were settling into married life, and there were rumblings of more trainee midwives (and if you need more details, catch up here). This season kicks off with our Nonnatus house squad preparing for the imminent arrival of our trainees. Speaking of whom, we appear to have 4: Joyce, Kathy, Lauren, and Rosalind. Reader, I’ll tell you right now: don’t get too attached to Kathy and Lauren, because we’ll be spending much more time with the other two, who will actually live at Nonnatus house.