Every season, the Drama After Dark team gathers ‘round the conference room table to watch the latest and greatest in British dramas. We're thrilled to be bringing you coverage of perennial PBS favorite, Call The Midwife. This show has everything: hard-working nurses, sassy nuns, and gut-wrenching emotional trauma that somehow keeps you wanting more. I’m here to recap the season as it happens just in case you, dear reader, miss an episode and haven’t yet been able to catch up on WGBH Passport.
Cold weather is coming to Poplar, and as with every seasonal change in Call The Midwife land, there's a celebration 'a brewin'. I don't know what it is yet, but let's go ahead and assume that's what Fred will be up to for the majority of the episode. At Nonnatus, Baby Doctor offers to make Trixie and Val a cuppa. Since Trixie is fancy, and Val is rushing off to visit Gran, they decline, but not before Val Tom Sawyers Baby Doctor into packaging up her latest baked good offering for Gran, the minx. Clearly Baby Doctor hasn’t been informed about the whole “Gran is in jail” situation, but since he's pretty new that seems fair. What’s he doing this fine afternoon? Well, he's On Call, i.e,. hoping to stay home and watch wrestling on TV with Phyllis. Huh? You ask. Well apparently, Phyllis LOVES to watch wrestling, and thinks she's kept this hobby secret from everyone. Unfortunately for her, there are no secrets in Nonnatus, so they all know. Fortunately for her, they're all sweethearts, so they pretend not to.
Over at Vi’s shop, a man loiters outside while a nice lady takes her daughter shopping for wedding dress fabric. Apparently there’s a bit of a rush, because the daughter is pregnant and heaven forbid anyone find out. She pops out to visit her fiancé, the lurker from before, who’s smoking and worrying because most of the flats they’ve seen are rubbish. She’s sure everything will be ok, which makes me pretty sure it won’t! Also, I KNOW you drama fans spent that entire interaction trying to figure out where you knew that guy from.
Don't worry, I IMDb'd it so you didn't have to: Downton Abbey, where he played poor, sweet William the footman, who dies after saving Matty Crawley.
At the prision, Val is in for a nasty surprise: Gran is in the hospital wing. Gran plays it off like it’s no big deal — she was just hoping to get some extra privileges — but Val is a literal nurse, so she knows it is indeed a big deal. Gran is even more skinny than last time. She says it's just because the food in prison is bad; she’ll eat the fairy cakes though! Val leaves Gran to go yell at the prison matron.
Val: Gran is sick! She choked last time I was here; did you guys just not notice or are you negligent?
Mean Prison Nurse: Well she hasn't choked since she’s been in the sick bay; she’s in here for heartburn and malaise! I’m not worried because she tells us she’s eating.
Val: Do you watch her to confirm that?
Mean Prison Nurse: LOL no. This is a prison bro. She’s going back to her cell Monday.
This is rapidly becoming my least favorite plotline!
Back at Nonnatus, Baby Doctor got his wish: he is indeed watching the wrestling with a VERY delighted Phyllis. She’s pretending that she’s only there to measure him for some TBD knitting project, but nobody is fooled. Look, good for her; I'm frankly just surprised Monica Joan isn't there too.
Phyllis, faking outrage: They’re practically naked!
Baby Doctor, needling her: Maybe you can knit THEM something.
Phyllis: RUDE. But yes, I would like to do that.
Across town, Sister Julienne visits a guy named Dr. Knightly-Grimes. He would offer her a chair but the office is in chaos because of all the rebuilding!
Dr. KG: But yay, change is good!
Sister Julienne: Oh, is it? You slashed my budget dude!
Dr. KG, sprinting to the top of my enemies list: Oh good, you heard.
Sister Julienne: There's nothing good about that! Why did you do this?
Dr. KG: Well, you won't be that important when St. Cuthberts expands and they knock down your building.
Sister Julienne: First of all, until the expansion happens, we're getting flooded with extra patients, and we have no idea when that demolition will happen!
Dr. KG: Yeah but you're doomed regardless with all those expenses and whatnot.
Sister Julienne: LOL what are you even talking about; our only expense is a small rent paid to the council.
Dr. KG: Uhhhhhhhh didn't they tell you? You're going to have to pay the full rent.
Sister Julienne heads over to tell the Turners, since she can’t really head straight to the bar, being a nun and all.
Shelagh: How the hell are you supposed to pay full rent when they cut your budget?
Sister Julienne: According to Doctor Jerk, we’ll just have to leave if we can’t pay. And he doesn’t care about where we’ll go, because we’ll soon be irrelevant.
Dr. Turner, kind of missing the impending homelessness crisis: We can’t do the maternity home without you guys though!
Sister Julienne: Well, them's the bricks, buddy.
At clinic, Sister Julienne drops the bad news on everybody else. They are, obviously, horrified. This is a bad bad situation, summed up tidily by Lucille:
Lucille: We’re supposed to operate on half the budget and 20x the rent?
Sister Julienne:
And now I’m crying, bye! But don't get distracted by the horrible news our friends just got: they've got clinic today! That nice gal from the start of the episode, who's name is Petra, is here for a checkup and for some exposition. Petra tells Lucille that her fiancé is living in lodgings because he doesn’t want to move in with her mom (LOL, mood) but once they get a flat, she’ll get to set it up and that’ll be fun! His job is to clean out old houses so there are lots of cool furniture options! Lucille has a pertinent medical question, so unfortunately we don’t get to hear any more about her pilfered treasures: is Petra 100% sure about when she had her last period? Because she seems about a month farther along than she thought. Intrigue!
Out in the clinic, a gal with real Luna Lovegood vibes checks in. She usually goes to St. Cuthberts but has decided to come to our midwives instead. Also, she goes by Bonnie, not Bernice, but good luck convincing Miss Higgins to get on board with THAT. Bonnie gets paired up with Phyllis, who doesn’t hesitate to point out that our new pal isn’t wearing a bra. Is everything ok? Yeah, she just doesn’t want one; didn’t need it before, and her ladies are perky now, so why bother. Folks, is this our first honest-to-goodness hippie? I SURE HOPE SO. She’s doing a TON of reading, and she’s here because the folks at St. Cuthberts won't tell her anything or answer questions, because they're just too busy!
Phyllis: LOL bro you’re preaching to the choir.
Bonnie is also a vegetarian, so as you can imagine, Phyllis immediately wants to become her best friend. Despite the lack of animal protein, she’s not anemic, but her ankles are a bit puffy. Is she on her feet a lot? Sort of, because she's still working. Phyllis also confirms that she’s unmarried.
Bonnie: Yeah, well, I have a boyfriend but we haven’t gotten around to that legal stuff yet. Who cares, it’s the 60s!
Speaking of St. Cuthberts, before clinic wraps up, Trixie runs in and tells Val some very bad news: she just got back from the hospital, where she saw them bringing in Gran. Val goes straight over there to visit Gran, who tells Val that they think she has digestive issues. Gran tries to insist that she only ever gets sick when she's in the unventilated work room. Val is undesrtandbaly freaking out, but Gran says to suck it up and not cry, not when she’s wearing so much eye makeup. It seems that Gran's doctor left her notes by the bed, so obviously Val sneaks a peak. Bad news for Val's eye makeup: Gran is seriously ill. She puked blood in the workroom, is very anemic, and has had several diagnostic tests to reveal the really bad news: Gran has esophageal cancer. Gran tries to brush it off, saying the doctors don't know anything, but Val knows better.
Over at Petra's mum's house, Petra is insisting that even though it's technically too early, she can feel her baby moving. Her fiancé isn't so sure, but isn't about to argue. Petra's mum comes in, having made dinner for them. It’s clear that she loves her daughter and future son-in-law and wants to spoil them, even though she's kind of intense and scary.
At Bonnie’s place, she’s lit a bunch of candles and is listening to a record of a lady giving birth. She’s super into it, and is very excited about giving birth at home. Ready for a big reveal? That boyfriend she mentioned earlier? It's the same guy who's engaged to Petra! He’s got two ladies on the line and both are pregnant? NOT COOL. I guess that explains how he knew it didn’t feel like a kick earlier.
Out in Poplar, Baby Doctor has been called to a death scene. The landlord who lets him in confirms that the guy was an alcoholic, but Baby Doctor still has to examine him. Baby Doctor is very sweet and compassionate with the patient, even though he's gone, but it's clearly taking a toll on him. He finishes up, and then goes back to Nonnatus and immediately injects some pethedine. All of us, to Baby Doctor:
At the maternity home, Bonnie asks about a home delivery, because she's hoping her baby's dad can attend the birth if they do it at home.
Phyllis: I mean yeah, and I will begrudgingly admit that we do sometimes let men in here, too. But here’s the deal: they’re a lot like the gas you said you don’t want — when the going gets tough, you might change your mind.
Bonnie: Nah, I wouldn’t — my partner is very lonely and doesn’t let people in, but if he’s there for the birth I think he’ll HAVE to connect with the kid.
Phyllis: Interesting theory. Maybe he should take a relaxation class? The ones we do are open to everyone.
Bonnie: Oh dip, do you teach that?
Phyllis: Nah, that’s Sister Hilda’s gig. She’s super soothing.
Val visits Dr. Turner, who passes along some news about Gran: she might be able to just come home. She was already eligible for parole because she’s almost the oldest prisoner there, and with the cancer thing, parole is almost certain. They can’t keep her in the prison infirmary, and they can’t keep a guard with her for weeks at St. Cuthberts.
Val: Weeks?
Dr. Turner: I haven’t assessed her yet but I’ll tell you an actual prognosis when she gets home.
Val: HOME? Her house is dusty and awful because the whole building got condemned!
Sister Julienne: We’ll help you clean. It’ll be best for both of you, once they discharge her into your care.
Val: Ex-squeeze?
Dr. Turner: Oh yikes, you didn’t know? You’re next of kin!
That’s a lot ot handle, so Val leaves. Later, Lucille and Sister Julienne find her in the chapel. She’s not religious so she’s not sure why she’s in there, but Sister Julienne points out that you don't need to believe to get comfort. Val has not been idle: she has a plan for Gran. She’ll need morphine, and a new mattress, and a bunch of other stuff. Lucille tells her she doesn’t have to worry about that: per Sister Julienne, the rest of Team Nonnatus will do the actual nursing care — Val just has to be there for Gran, and she'll have a leave of absence for as long as she needs.
On a bench, Bonnie sits with her crummy boyfriend, whom I now hate. She made him a bacon sandwich even though she’s a vegetarian, becuase she wants to care for him: if they can’t take care of each other, how will they care for the kid? He agrees, so she trys to get him to come to the relaxation class with the other new parents. He says yes, but is also obviously nervous. And he should be: Poplar isn't that big! Across town, his OTHER partner Petra and her mum have practically banged down the door at Vi’s shop to try and get at her wedding dress fabric. Fred lets them in, because Vi is busy. Petra peeks at the fabric and freaks out: it’s PINK! It’s wrong! They leave in a huff.
At relaxation class, Hilda walks everyone through some basic mindfulness meditation stuff. In the other room, serious business is going down, as Vi talks over the budget with Sister Julienne and Phyllis.
Vi: Here's the deal: the council doesn't have infinite money, and it has to go to the greatest need.
Sister Julienne, buttering her up: We’re obviously greatful for the support...
Phyllis, doesn't have time for this stuff: Apologies, but why should you be greatful? We have no money! The rent is too damn high! We get paid a normal salary, but the nuns don’t: they put all their money back into the community.
Oh god, oh no: Petra and her mom are on their way to yell at Vi right now. Vi, who is at the surgery, right next to the relaxation class, where Petra's cheating future husband is with his other partner. Petra doesn’t want to interrupt Vi, but mom won’t back down: she doesn't think Vi should be "meddling in politics" anyway!
The relaxation class is still awkward, especially for Two Timing Dad, who is tense as heck, almost like he knows he’s about to get wrecked. Violet is telling Sister Julienne and Phyllis that there’s an upcoming meeting where they can plead their case, when they hear a commotion from the other room. You guessed it: Petra’s mom is beating the absolute stuffing out of Two Timing Dad with her purse while Hilda tries to get her to stop (this is a relaxation class, after all). Phyllis grabs Bonnie, which is a good thing because she nearly collapses. Petra freaks out. Mom gets in one last wack with the purse and then starts hyperventilating. Vi makes tea, Sister Hilda starts the rest of the class back on relaxing (LOL good luck to you, Hilda), and Two Timing Dad? He RUNS. Vi tries to apologize about the fabric mishap but that just upsets Petra and her mum more. Outside, Phyllis stands with Bonnie, who’s worried about Two Timing Dad.
Phyllis: WTF, WHY?
Bonnie: He’s scared. And worried about what I’ll do. He’s worried about hurting other people — he's very mysterious and I don’t know a lot about him.
Phyllis: LOL got that right, babe.
The next day, Fred has gone with Val to pick Gran up from prison. Val thanks him, but Fred reminds her that East Enders stick together; of course he's there! Gran comes out, and Val bustles over to grab her. Gran’s grumpy because they lost her good girdle and only found it just before she left so she didn't have time to put it on. That's probably a good thing, because once they get back to Gran’s, she struggles to make it up all the stairs, finally having to get on her hands and knees for the last steps. She’s mad because the floor is filthy and is planning to come out and clean it. Val hides it from Gran, but this makes her, and lets face it, ME, cry.
Over at Petra's, her mum is still furious. She didn’t sleep. She’s mad. Petra needs to get married or she’ll be jilted AND pregnant. Basically, this is how Petra's mom feels about all of Poplar right now:
Petra feels differently: she doesn’t want to be married to someone she’ll never trust, especially if it’s for No Good Reason. Unfortunately, that wasn't a verbal typo: she started bleeding and thinks she might be having a miscarriage.
At the surgery, Miss Higgins rather neatly backs Baby Doctor into a corner (where's Swayze when you need him?). Here’s the deal: they’re changing the rules about the drug cupboard.
Baby Doctor: I usually pack up my bag at Nonnatus, so I'm not sure this will impact me?
Miss Higgins: Well, Phyllis has noticed some issues, and so have I, so we’re going to synchronize our routines.
Before Baby Doctor can freak out about THAT, a different reason for worry walks in. It’s Bonnie, and she has a BAD headache, which we know by now could be very bad news. Miss Higgins swoops into action.
At Petra's, Lucille asks her how much bleeding she saw: it wasn’t that much, and it’s already stopped. There’s a knock at the door; it’s Petra's mom, and she’s still being really intense. She wants Petra in the hospital, but Lucille is going to take her to the maternity home so a doctor can look her over and put her mind at ease. Back at the maternity home, Phyllis gets Bonnie all set up. She wants to go home, but Phyllis says no. Her blood pressure is on the high side, and they need to keep an eye on her urine samples. It's ok for now, but she just needs some looking after!
And speaking of looking after, things aren’t going super smoothly for Val and Gran. Gran thinks there’s something wrong with her mattress, but her back ache is actually a symptom of her cancer. Val offers her morphine, but Gran doesn’t want it because it made her sick when she took it before.
At Nonnatus, Vi tells the crew that the board of health has invited them all to address the next committee meeting. They way Vi explains the situation makes it clear that the board is only doing this under duress. Team Nonnatus will get five minutes, and only one speaker. Sister Hilda assumes it’ll be Sister Julienne, but she says no: it won’t be a nun.
Sister Hilda, possibly has too much faith in humanity: Ok, we’ll also get a petition going!
Vi: You better hurry; the meeting is in three days.
At the maternity home, Dr. Turner wants to keep Petra admitted: if she does have a miscarriage at this stage it’ll be pretty traumatic and shouldn't happen at home. Alternatively, some peace and quiet might prevent a miscarriage.
Lucille: Well, she definitely won’t get THAT at home.
Shelagh: The side room is free, let’s put her in there until we can get a bed at St. Cuthberts.
Lucille is about to put her in a private room when Phyllis brings down the divider; anddd, predictably, Bonnie is in the bed right next door. Phyllis:
Yeah, you said it Phyllis.
Phyllis: This was handled wrong.
Lucille: Yeah, well it’s not great for my patient either!
Bonnie: I don’t want to be here, and I don’t want to look at HER!
Lucille: You both need care and have your own requirements.
Petra, gloves off: Yeah, too bad she doesn’t also have her own boyfriend! Two Timing Dad and I have been together for 2 years!
Phyllis: This is a maternity ward, you need to stop fighting and behave yourselves.
And because he has the worst timing ever on top of being a total numpty, this is when Two Timing Dad walks in to visit Bonnie.
He hands Bonnie some flowers, and Petra loses her GD mind, grabs the vase of dead flowers next to her bed, and chucks it at him. He and Bonnie duck just in time.
Two Timing Dad panics, grabs the flowers, and pulls his signature move.
At Gran’s, Trixie reports out to Val. Gran’s blood pressure is a bit low, but her real issue is pain, and she just won’t take the drugs.
Val, missing the point and blaming herself: I sent her to prison, and prison made her sick.
Trixie: Val, we went to the cops together! And we did what was right then, and you’re doing what’s right now.
Val: But I can’t do anything!
Trixie: Your love is literally the only thing she wants. You’re doing just fine.
At the maternity home, Phyllis talks to Two Timing Dad.
Phyllis: You’re improving — this time you stopped running before you got out of the building.
Two Timing Dad: Where can I go? I only have them.
Phyllis: Yeah I hear you don’t have family?
Two Timing Dad: I remember my mom, barely, sitting by the fire and listening to music. I thought with Petra I could have that life again.
Phyllis: Sure, sure... What about Bonnie?
Two Timing Dad: She’s like nothing I’ve every seen, which made me realize there are other ways of being happy. And then stuff happened and I didn’t know what to do.
Phyllis: I think you’ve done enough for the foreseeable EVER, bud. They both have lives and opinions, so you need to let them make decisions and abide by that. I’ll put these flowers in a vase... or should I make that vaseS?
Shadily putting flowers in a vase is a real art form; frankly, we should all be so lucky as to study the skill under a great master like Phyllis.
At Gran's, Sister Monica Joan and Baby Doctor show up. Gran doesn’t want visitors, but Monica Joan isn’t taking no for an answer; she's just going to sit and hold Gran’s hand. Baby Doctor asks for a status report, and it’s bleak: Gran vomited blood this morning and is clearly in a lot of pain.
Baby Doctor: Well lucky for her I have the good stuff!
Val: Take it away! She doesn’t want it and will freak if she sees that.
Baby Doc, internally: Yay, free drugs!
Monica Joan: She was here the night you were born! I remember it — she was so excited. I think that's why she did what she did: she knew having kids could be something people were excited about, not scared of.
Back to a less emotionally draining situation. At Nonnatus, everyone hands in their clipboards, and it's great news: there are about 600 signatures on that change dot org petition that Hilda put together!
Sister Frances: Man, I wish it wasn’t just names, people are more than that.
I know she means this in the metaphorical sense, but let's be real, I would very much like to see an angry mob of moms storming the Board of Health meeting.
And speaking of moms, it's the middle of the night over at the maternity home. In other words, the perfect time for a heart-to-heart between Petra and Bonnie, especially because they're the only patients there. They chat about health, and then Bonnie apologizes. Petra tells her that she grew up watching women fight in the street over men. She loves Two Timing Dad, but she won't fight Bonnie for him. Seems like the right call, Petra! She heads back to bed, and Bonnie makes the universal "oh no, labor is coming" face (Labor is Coming: the official words of House Nonnatus).
At Nonnatus, the group debates who will represent them at the meeting. The nuns are out, as previously discussed.
Trixie: I don’t think it matters, we’re not here to show off our skills, we’re reminding this group of ridiculous men why the people need us.
Lucille: You know Trixie, that was pretty well declaimed, I think you'd better do it.
Hilda: True, you’re quite emphatic.
Trixie: Yes, we all know I'm amazing, but even my prowess and the petition won't be enough to change their minds.
Phyllis walks back in and announces that she’s headed for the maternity home, because “her little bohemian lady seems to have gone into labor."
At Gran’s, Val puts her foot down.
Val: Gran, you have been prescribed drugs. They are necessary, they are available, and you should take them.
Gran: Well I’m punishing myself, because the girls I treated never got pain killers, not from me, not from anyone.
Val:
They both hear the ice cream truck come around the corner, and Gran asks if Val will go out and get them some treats — money’s in the purse. Val hesitates, which Gran misinterprets; it’s not blood money Val! I earned it in prison. Val, of course, sets her straight: she's not worried about where the money came from, she just doesn't want to leave Gran!
At the maternity home, Phyllis coaches Bonnie in labor. She still doesn’t want gas, and Phyllis tells her that her body knows what to do. Just in time, Two Timing Dad shows up. He listened to Phyllis, and before he comes in, he confirms that this is what Bonnie wants.
Bonnie: Yes, get in here! This is painful and scary!
Two Timing Dad: Remember how you said that gal on the record you made us listen to wasn't scared? You’re gonna be just like her.
This definitely comforts Bonnie. In the corridor, Petra is listening to this interaction when Shelagh finds her. There's a bed available at St. Cuthberts, and an ambulance on the way to bring Petra there. Petra doesn't want to leave until the other baby is born. She hears the cry, and smiles, but it’s bittersweet. She’s bleeding again; it’s a good thing they’re sending an ambulance for her. Shelagh doesn’t say anything, she just wraps her up in a big hug. In the birthing room, Bonnie asks if Two Timing Dad wants to call the baby after his mum. He assumes Bonnie will prefer a new beginning, but she likes his mom's name (Daisy). It seems like these two will be able to figure their whole situation out just fine.
Back at Nonnatus, Monica Joan is up to something weird in the night (what's new?), when Sister Julienne finds her and intervenes.
Monica Joan: I had a memory! And that helped me find this weird old suitcase full of letters!
Sister Julienne, used to MJ's shenanigans: Sure, makes sense.
Monica Joan: They’re all from moms we helped!
Sister Julienne: Reverend Mother wouldn’t have let us keep these, they’re communal.
Monica Joan: LOL joke's on her, I did it anyway. This is the literal answer to our prayers, sis!
They take the letters, and the ledgers where they record info on all their patients, and rally the troops to get to work. Everyone works on sorting through everything while Trixie prepares her speech on the typewriter.
And speaking of rallying the troops, Gran is finally ready to take some dang painkillers.
Gran: Do I have to swallow it?
Val: Oh thank god, finally. No, someone will come inject it.
Gran: Ok, fine, I’ll take it then.
Val: You served your time, Gran.
Gran: There are only two things I want: a minister, and not the jerk rector, whom I hate, and to see you in your uniform. I'm so proud of you and your career.
Val heads off to put on her uniform. Lucille drops in on Cyril. Why is she here so early in the morning? Because they want him to come minister to Gran. He asks Lucille if he needs to change into something special, but she tells him he has good judgement and she knows he'll do the right thing.
Over at the surgery, a very rumpled looking Baby Doctor walks right into a record-keeping ambush set by Miss Higgins. Usually I’d be on his side...
...but this is serious: he keeps prescribing pethedine to Gran, but Lucille told Miss Higgins that Gran hasn't been taking the meds. Where did the drugs go? Baby Doctor tries to brush Miss Higgins off, telling her to recheck the records, but doesn't finish his sentence before he keels over and starts fitting.
At Nonnatus, everyone prepares to speak at the board meeting. They've all cleaned up nice, and are clearly ready to ROCK THIS PRESENTATION. Phyllis fixes Trixie's collar, and then Sister Frances says in a rather carrying voice, “is anyone else super freaked out?” This is one of those times where I relish my exposure to the dialect of the American South, because bless her heart, ya know? Somehow Trixie and Phyllis refrain from murdering Sister Frances, and they all head outside to find a HUGE crowd of supporters with signs!
At the surgery, Shelagh and Dr. Turner work on Baby Doctor. They pull up his sleeve to take his blood pressure, and of course see all the injection sites from his pilfered pethedine. Both of the Turners are obviously worried sick.
At the board, the chairman and his panel of old white men snottily tell Trixie she can start as soon as she’s “gathered herself.” I hate them already, but Trixie doesn't play.
Trixie: Actually, you should address me as Nurse, since this is a professional matter.
The rest of Team Nonnatus:
Trixie: You publish a great deal of quantitative data, but you have no qualitative data. Names matter, because they’re indivative of lives. We save lives. And we know that because these mothers write to us about how life-changingly awesome we are. We keep records; babies aren’t statistics to us. We know everything about them from the moment they’re born, and we value them all. We are part of the community, and we’re indespensible, despite the fact that you have never once mentioned us in the report.
Despite how much Trixie crushed her speech, things are still tense while the board deliberates. Don’t worry, I won’t keep you in suspense: the good gals won! Rent reduced! Budget restored! Everyone is on their feet in delight! (Psst, don't get too excited, folks: it's only for the next year, because we still need drama for season 10.)
At Gran’s, Lucille gives her an injection of ye olde pain meds. Gran starts to get cold, despite the heat being on full blast, so Val tucks her in with her sweater. The ice cream truck returns, and Gran sends Val outside to get a treat. Val tries to say no, but Gran won't take no for an answer. While Val is outside, Lucille tells Cyril that Gran’s breathing has changed — she won’t wake up again. Lucille tells Gran it's ok for her to go, and Cyril and Lucille sing "Amazing Grace" to her as she passes. Val gets back just after.
At the Turners, the team's collective parents have tucked Baby Doctor in on the couch, while Dr. Turner gets an update from Nonnatus.
Baby Doctor: So what's the damange?
Dr. Turner: Well, they’re not happy. They’re concerend about what could have happened with patients. And obviously they’re worried about you, because we all care about you.
Baby Doctor: I know I’ll have to leave; they won’t trust me any more. Do you think I’ll be fired?
Shelagh: They won’t make that call until after you get out of rehab.
Baby Doctor: When I close my eyes, all I can see is baby Warren, and the alcoholic from earlier; all the people I couldn't save.
Dr. Turner: There are a lot of hurt people out there — this job can break you.
Baby Doctor: Has that happened to you?
Dr. Turner: Yeah, and it made me a better doctor.
Baby Doctor: Then there’s hope for me too.
At Nonnatus, Val snuggles up with her sweater, which smells like Gran. Phyllis goes outside their building, which features a triumphant “still open!” sign on the door, to look at the bonfire they’re setting up in the courtyard for Guy Fawkes Night. Fred and Cyril set up some fireworks, while others blow up in the shed, to May and Angela’s delight. Cyril and Lucille have adapted to the holiday wtih some adorable knitwear, and she’s got toffee apples because it’s apparently a tradition, but the kitchen looks like a murder scene.
Lucille: Hey thanks for coming to be with Gran.
Cyril: Thanks for letting me see who you are. I love you!
Monica Joan, watching in the background:
Petra returns the wedding dress fabric to Vi; she lost the baby, so there won’t be a wedding. Petra’s mum has thankfully chilled out a bit and is actually supporting her daughter. At Nonnatus, everyone gathers for the bonfire and has the kind of sweet, community party that we all particularly miss right now. God I love all these goofballs. Winter is coming, but they’ve got each other. TBH, this season did not end as tragically as I expected, but I am frankly infuriated that we didn’t get a LuCyrill proposal. I'm telling you right now, Call The Midwife writers: we better have that next season, or I really will riot! But while we wait for season 10, don't worry: I'll be back recapping Beecham House in June. Until then, drama pals!
Everything That’s Happened (So Far) On PBS’ “Call The Midwife”
Season 9 Episode 1 Recap: A Foundling, An Outbreak, and Tights (Oh My!)
Season 9 Episode 2 Recap: My Third Favorite Beatle
Season 9 Episode 3 Recap: Project Runway Poplar
Season 9 Episode 4 Recap: Fly Away Home
Season 9 Episode 5 Recap: How Do You Solve A Problem Like Monica Joan?
Season 9 Episode 6 Recap: It's Gonna Be May
Season 9 Episode 7 Recap: Hugs Not Drugs
