Every season, GBH Drama prepares to bring you coverage of the latest and greatest in British dramas. This month, we return to Poplar for the twelfth season of Call The Midwife. With complex medical cases, heartwarming found family, and more births and deaths than we can count, this series is sure to make you laugh and cry (probably more of the latter, if we're being honest). GBH Drama contributor Amanda-Rae Prescott is here to recap the magic as it happens.
This week on Call The Midwife many of the patients are teens and preteens who find themselves in need of medical and emotional assistance. We spend a lot of time in particular on a preteen boy that had to grow up too fast who gets an overdue medical diagnosis, and a teenage mother who finds a way to prove to her parents that she is worthy of their love. Sister Veronica sets up a clinic for kids who have gone to work instead of finishing school. There’s also a cute canine crisis and Trixie runs into issues with her wedding party list. Let’s discuss all of these events.
Teen Mom: Poplar
Trixie’s district case this week is Heather O’Dwyer, a 15-year-old expectant mother. She’s staying with her boyfriend Nigel and his mother Mrs. Jones because she had a falling out with her parents. Heather gives birth to a baby girl but her situation is legally precarious. She doesn’t want to marry Nigel because she’s not ready to close off her dating options. Heather, after the delivery, complains about feeling overly hot and tired which suggests an infection. What will happen to Heather and her baby?
A Newsie
Fred has hired several boys to deliver newspapers in the neighborhood. Joseph “Joey” Fletcher is one of them. There are also other kids and preteens in Poplar who have part-time and full-time jobs in order to make ends meet. Sister Veronica pitches the idea for special clinic hours in the evening for the teens and preteens of Poplar who have skipped out on routine checkups because of their work schedule.
Joey has been waking up really early to deliver the papers before school begins but has fallen behind on his schedule. He’s late on deliveries because he’s tired from not only the job but taking care of his two younger brothers Martin and Trevor. Joey’s teacher says he’s doing well enough to attend the specialized high school but he doesn’t feel like he could fit in with the rich kids. His dad Gerard has been struggling since their mother walked out on them. His dad has a mystery skin condition going untreated as well. Joey wants to go to the clinic but doesn’t have time.
During the clinic session, Sister Veronica and the others find all sorts of horrible conditions on the child laborers: lice, bruises from corporal punishment, burns, and more. Joey’s dad convinces him to make the time to go to the clinic and he ends up arriving late. Dr. Turner agrees to see him and it turns out Joey is underweight for his age. He orders additional testing because there’s clearly something medical going on. After the examination, Joey tries to continue the paper route but Fred finds him passed out on the doorstep of the store. What is his diagnosis?
Oh It’s Nothing
Sister Monica Joan is by herself often because the other Nonnatus residents are super busy with the district and clinic rounds. One afternoon as she’s sitting outside, a stray Jack Russell Terrier is sniffing around the park bench. He clearly likes her but she can’t take him in because there are no pets allowed at Nonnatus. Later on at night, the doggo turns up on the Nonnatus doorstep clearly hungry and looking for shelter. After two attempts Sr. Monica Joan takes him in and hides him underneath her dress and the blankets in her room. She names the fur baby Nothing so no one knows he’s there.
Colette asks Sister Monica Joan for permission to paint her as she has a school assignment to paint someone aspirational. At first, she refuses, saying she’s just carrying out her calling but later agrees. Nothing sits on her lap for the painted portrait. Colette also helps Sister Monica Joan sneak deli meat from the dinner table to feed Nothing. How cute!
Not A “Mistake”
Trixie tells Heather to consider her feelings towards her situation after her treatment for post-birth infection. Later on, she ends up meeting with Nigel and telling him that she doesn’t want to marry him. He lives up to why his given name is a diss by slutshaming her for feeling that she’s too young to settle down. Trixie meets up with the representative from social services stating that Heather is starting to show affection towards the baby. Social services recommend a protection order hearing since Heather’s parents still have not reconciled with her.
Heather admits to Trixie that her mom nicknamed her “mistake” because Heather was not only an unplanned child but also her mom did things before the pregnancy that were also viewed as errors. She decides to name the baby girl Keeley. During the hearing, social services and the O’Dwyers deliver more judgemental comments on Heather in the process of laying out the case for a protection order. Trixie interrupts to try to defend Heather as just a teenage girl overwhelmed by adult decisions. The judge grants a 2-year protection order for Heather and a case worker to support Heather and Keeley.
Despite the rude words during the hearing, the O’Dwyers agree at the end of the hearing that they’re willing to help Heather raise Keeley. Heather agrees to return home so she can heal the rift with her parents. She’s now learning how to take care of Keeley and her mother is working to repair their broken relationship.
Mandatory Retirement
Joey is admitted to St. Cuthberts for a lumbar puncture and other tests to determine the cause of his weight loss and tiredness. Dr. Turner also diagnoses Gerard as having a severe case of psoriasis. Dr. Gallagher the specialist doctor says Joey has leukemia. He recommends chemotherapy which means Joey has to quit working.
Pat, Joey’s mom, reappears because the doctors contacted her. At first, she wants to blame Gerard for Joey’s illness but she realizes Joey may have been ill long before she left. She visits Joey in the hospital and tells him she’s moving back home to help. Joey’s recovery plus taking care of the younger brothers is more important than the old fights with Gerard.
Fred also visits Joey in the hospital. He gives him the rest of his wages plus sick pay. Joey tells Fred that once he gets better he wants to go back to school to be a physician just like Dr. Turner. It helps that Dr. Turner said that he wasn’t wealthy but went to an elite school. He wants to give back and help other kids. We wish Joey the best of luck!
Late Mail
During the episode, Trixie and Matthew are struggling to make some key decisions on wedding planning. The wedding program order needs to be decided, and the scripture reading and hymns need to be picked as well. Her friends are offering to help but she feels too overwhelmed to take it.
Trixie has been waiting for word from her cousin and her children about their appointment with the couturier, but her cousin hasn’t answered phone calls or letters. But Nothing’s shenanigans accidentally lead Trixie to find out an answer from her cousin. Nothing stole a piece of cheese from Nurse Crane and then hid it underneath the dusty cabinet. As the nurses clean up after Nothing’s shenanigans they find a pile of old letters behind the cabinet.
The cheese incident is bad news for both Sister Monica Joan and Trixie. Sister Julienne ends up reaching out to animal control to find Nothing’s owners who eventually reclaim him. One of the old letters in the pile is the cancellation notice from Trixie’s cousin which is three weeks late. This news means Trixie has to find replacements and dresses fast. She realizes she wants people in her ceremony who mean a lot to her so she asks Nancy and Colette to be bridesmaids. She also asks Sister Monica Joan for help with the hymn readings. Mrs. Buckle ends up assisting with the dressmaking. The road to November may still have some bumps, but at least Trixie has a lot of help along the way!
Will there be other bumps in the road before Trixie and Matthew’s big day? Will Sister Monica Joan get another furbaby? We’ll find out next week on Call The Midwife!
