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!
Inside, Trixie, again arriving late, gets her marching orders for the day: she and Joyce will show prospective mums around the maternity home. Not dads, though they’re technically allowed, because they’re likely going to be at work. While Shelagh points out that it’d probably be better if the dads DID show up, Trixie fumbles pulling tools out of the autoclave, meaning they’ll need to be sent through again. All in all, not a good season for our pal, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed: Phyllis has her eye on the situation.
Upstairs, Mr. Trixie is trying to deed the building over to Sister Julienne and the order. Better late than never, but because it’s an old, constantly breaking building, Sister Julienne is nervous about accepting the gift without checking in with Mother Mildred. Mr. Trixie doesn’t want to admit that he can’t afford to own Nonnatus, but it’s hard to lie to Sister Julienne, so he finally comes clean. He tells her that he initially wanted to help to memorialize his dead first wife, but now he genuinely cares about Nonnatus house and their work himself.
Mr. Trixie: Look, here’s the deal. I can only make money on the building by selling it, and it’s possible that it could be seized as part of my assets if I need to file for bankruptcy. Which… might happen. Please. Take the building. It’s the only way I can keep a shred of respect.
Sister Julienne: If it helps, I do respect you. And we’re all grateful for what you’ve done. We also love you.
Speak for yourself, sister. Anyway, outside, Phyllis and Rosalind pack up to head into the community to teach a female reproduction class, complete with a large scale rendering of a uterus. Unfortunately for Mr. Trixie, they’re still packing Phyllis’ car when the repo man from Mr. Trixie’s family business comes to take away his company car. So while literally every single nurse at Nonnatus (and also unfortunately Fred and Vi) look on, Mr. Trixie has no choice but to hand over the keys. Shelagh chivvies her bicycle-riding colleagues away, but it’s still very awkward. Trixie tries to comfort her husband, with limited success, and that’s probably how it happens that Vi takes Mr. Trixie away for a coffee.
Vi: Look kid, everyone in business has ups and downs. My whole family are shopkeepers, and someone was always struggling. You will figure this out, and you’ll learn on the way.
This is good advice, but I hate to say it: I think Mr. Trixie might just be a good-hearted nepo baby, and good-hearted nepo babies are not often all that good at business. Hopefully it’s not too late for him to take that lawyer job Trixie found for him last episode!
Across town, Phyllis and Rosalind rock up to the toy factory where they’ll be teaching their class. The first problem of the day? The floor manager hasn’t set aside the full hour break that our friends were promised: they’re supposed to finish up in only 30 minutes.
At the maternity home, Trixie and Joyce give the grand tour to a half dozen expecting mums. One of them asks if there’s a private room, which is met with wry chuckles: it’s an open ward, and most of the women like the camaraderie. As the tour continues, this lady, Gerri, hangs back, giving Joyce a chance to tell her that they can put up screens if she needs them.
Gerri: Thank you! I’m not trying to be snooty, btw. I had my first here! I just… have a different marital status now, and I don’t want people constantly asking where my fella is.
Joyce: I get that. Have you thought about a home birth?
Gerri: My husband really didn’t want us to have one last time, in case something went wrong.
Joyce: Did it?
Gerri: No, it was easy!
Joyce: Well then if he’s not around, who cares what he thinks! If you’re home tomorrow I can stop by and see if you can give birth there.
That’s that sorted! Want to hear the silly plot this week? Fred’s bought a bunch of turnips and wants to sell them in the store. Vi’s against it: they’re not a grocer, and her grocer friends will be mad if she sells produce. But Fred’s got a plan: turnips aren’t food. They’re a seasonal item! Like firecrackers!
Vi:
Ok fine.
Over at the factory, the menstrual cycle talk is going about as well as can be expected when you’ve got a room full of rowdy teens trying to prove they’re cool. Rosalind and Phyllis answer some basic questions, and dispel some old wives tales, before one of the students raises her hand. Unfortunately, she’s shy, and the other girls all laugh at her reticence so much that she decides she’d rather not ask a question after all. Rosalind isn’t about to let that stop her, and contrives a way to have a quick chat with the girl, who’s called Alison, on her way out.
Rosalind: Wow, those girls are scary. I can’t believe you have to see them every day! You know, if you have a question, now is an ok time?
Alison: That’s ok. I have to get back to work.
Worth a shot, especially since when Rosalind tells Phyllis why she’s late getting out to the car they both seem fairly sure that Alison is pregnant, and near term.
Back at the maternity home, Joyce checks on Trixie.
Joyce: You’re extremely pale. Do you need a break, or maybe just more blush?
Trixie: Ha. No, I just haven’t been sleeping well.
Miss Higgins, getting off the phone: Hey gals, do we have a nurse with the last name Warren? That man was asking after someone, but I don’t know who.
Joyce, for SURE hiding something: I can’t think of anyone. Trixie, can you?
Trixie: Nope.
Joyce: Trix, go fix your makeup and I’ll make tea.
Huge fan of the sisterhood on the show! Also a huge fan of intrigue, and based on Joyce’s response to Miss Higgins, we’re about to get some. Speaking of which, across town, young Alison returns home from her factory shift just in time for dinner.
Alison’s Mum: UGH, that sweater is horrible. Let’s go do a girls’ hair appointment together before your dad gets home, won’t that cheer you up?
Alison: I thought he wasn’t coming home until Christmas. And he’s not my dad!
Alison’s Mum: He raised you like his own, and he provides for us. We’re lucky!
Alison, defeated: I know.
Reader, I have a bad feeling about this stepfather. Hope I’m wrong, but I’m sure time will tell. Anyway, over at Trixie’s, she’s returned to find Jonty covered in jam and Mr. Trixie elbow deep in paperwork. Trixie isn’t super impressed at a jam sandwich dinner for her son, or the fact that Mr. Trixie hasn’t spoken to his mom about the car.
Mr. Trixie: Look, I’m working hard to figure out exactly what we have left and what I can do with it. And it’s not all bad. Remember my school pal Chester?
Trixie: I remember being annoyed that you were doing work on our honeymoon.
Mr. Trixie: Haha, fair. Well I bought two big warehouses from him for cheap, with my personal money. The company can’t touch them.
Trixie: OMG. Sell them! Get rid of them and get the cash!
Mr. Trixie: I don’t know if I can, but I’ll talk to Chester!
Later, Trixie wakes in the middle of the night to find Mr. Trixie isn’t there. He’s still out in the living room waiting for a call (Chester lives in America, so there’s a time difference). Mr. Trixie’s in good spirits: he’s excited for the first time in a long time.
Trixie: You know, if it would help, we should talk about getting rid of Jonty’s nanny.
Mr. Trixie: Oh, yeah, I already let her go. I will get us out of this! Go get some sleep, you deserve it.
Trixie reluctantly heads off to bed, and wakes up the next day to a fresh breakfast waiting for her. Mr. Trixie has good news: the area where the warehouses are is booming, and Chester thinks they could be redeveloped for a huge gain.
Trixie: Well, definitely worth talking that over!
Mr. Trixie: Yeah, we talked for 90 minutes!
Trixie: No, doofus, I mean talking it over with me. Your wife! Just like you should have discussed sacking the nanny with me.
Mr. Trixie: Ah. I promise I’ll tell you as soon as I get details from New York! I got us into this mess, and I want to get us out.
Trixie: Yes, but in the meantime we’d need to live off my wages for five years.
Mr. Trixie: That’s marriage! And I’m so grateful to be able to build something new with you, for all of us. Let me fix this!
Yeah, I don’t know about this. We don’t know Chester! Chester might be a huckster! Run, girl!
Over at the maternity home, Miss Higgins finds Alison waiting outside when she arrives for work. See, Alison woke up in the night and very possibly has been in labor this whole time. Miss Higgins gently brings Alison inside and gets Rosalind to take a look at their young patient, who reveals through tears that she’s hidden the pregnancy from everyone. She also says she doesn’t have a boyfriend which makes me even more suspicious of her stepfather.
Alison: I can’t tell my mum, she’ll kill me.
Rosalind: She won’t, because we are here to look after you and your baby. I need to examine you, and then someone will call your mother and tell her for you, ok? Try to relax.
Alison: I can’t! Please don’t make me!
Rosalind: It’s alright Alison, you’re safe here.
Across town, Joyce drops in on Gerri, and proclaims her home perfectly suitable for a home birth. Her one concern? Gerri’s a professional knitter, and Joyce wants to make sure her older kiddo is kept safely away from the knitting machine.
Gerri, panicking: I keep him in the playpen. And I’m trying to get him into a nursery! You won’t report me, right?
Joyce: Honey, relax. You’re doing a great job. Your home is perfect, and I can see how much you love this kid. Now let’s get you examined!
Back at the maternity home, Rosalind gives Dr. Turner and Sister Julienne an update: Alison is so stressed that the exam was nearly impossible. She’s 8 centimeters dilated, but isn’t managing the pain well at all. Dr. Turner suggests they give her some heavy pain meds, and that Sister Julienne assist Rosalind.
Sister Julienne: Good idea. She’s had no prep, I bet she doesn’t have a super clear idea how that baby is going to get out.
Rosalind: I’m actually not sure she knows how the baby got IN. She says she’s never had a boyfriend.
Sister Julienne and Dr. Turner, who’ve been around the block a few more times, share a significant look on that one. If we’re all right about this, I hope something truly awful happens to Alison’s horrible stepdad.
Need a break from that line of inquiry? We’re heading over to Vi’s shop, where she’s having a nice city planning conversation with Cyril. Or, at least, trying to. Because halfway through a truck that’s absolutely FULL of turnips backs up to the window and unleashes a torrent of veg that piles up high enough to block the door.
Fred:
See, it turns out that Fred wasn’t super clear on turnip purchasing amounts, and thought he was getting a lot less. He also thought the delivery would happen at the other shop, not Vi’s. Oh, sweet Fred. You better figure out this turnip situation soon or Vi is going to hide your body under the pile.
Back at the surgery, Dr. Turner sits Alison’s Mum down for a chat.
Alison’s Mum: My daughter is totally innocent. I know that sounds naive, but it’s not.
Dr. Turner: Look, nobody is saying she’s done something wrong. She’s scared and confused.
Alison’s Mum: How did I not notice? How will we cope, and how will I tell her dad?
Dr. Turner: I’ve seen this many times. It all works out better when folks pull together.
Alison’s Mum: I run everything. He’s off at work most of the time.
In the other room, Rosalind and Sister Julienne coach Alison through birth. They try to hand her her newborn son, but she’s not ready yet. In the waiting room, Miss Higgins brings Alison’s Mum, who’s quietly crying, a nice cup of tea. What happens next?
Meanwhile, across town, Cyril very kindly helps Fred transport multiple wheelbarrows full of turnips to the Nonnatus allotment. They’ve barely gotten started when they notice a sharply dressed stranger. Cyril asks if he’s looking for someone.
Stranger: Sure am: my cousin!
Hmmm, why do I feel like this is the same guy who called looking for a Nurse Warren earlier? Back at the surgery, Trixie asks Dr. Turner for a few minutes.
Dr. T: What’s up?
Trixie: I can’t sleep. I have to force myself to eat, but the sleeping is the real issue. I’m only getting a couple of hours a night. When I do fall asleep, I feel like I’m falling.
Dr. T: I’m going to give you some sleeping pills. They’re only a short term thing but they’ll help you get some rest, which you’ll need if you’re going to deal with the underlying issue.
If only sleeping pills could make Mr. Trixie good at investments!
Later, at Nonnatus, Joyce walks past the still turnip-transporting pair Fred and Cyril, and into Nonnatus, where she finds her cousin Sylvester waiting for her. He’s nicely seated at the dining table with the rest of the crew, and is telling them that Joyce looks just like her mom, and his mom, both of whom died too young.
Cousin Sylvester: When I saw you won that prize in the paper I was so proud!
Joyce: Wow, thank you! I had no idea you were even in England!
Sister Julienne explains that they weren’t expecting Cousin Sylvester, or they would have had cake. They also share that he’s said he’s planning to move about half a mile away. Important to note here, reader, that while Joyce and Cousin Sylvester are selling the long-lost family reunion moment, they both ACTUALLY look deeply unhappy to see each other. They keep up appearances through tea, but when Joyce walks him out, the gloves are off. Also of note: Sister Veronica and most of the crew seem pretty charmed by Cousin Sylvester, but not Nancy, who proclaims him smarmy. She’s right.
Cousin Sylvester: So why’d you change your name
Joyce: I went with my mother’s maiden name, and Joyce is a modern name. Joyce is a person who can decide she’s had it and go look for something more. Claudine Warren was your wife, and I’m never going to be her again.
Cousin Sylvester: We’ll see. You left me without a note!
Joyce: Yeah, you beat me and abused me.
Cousin Sylvester: I was young and I was wrong. People can change! Look at you! You’re a fancy nurse now! But there’s one thing you can’t change: the fact that we’re married. I won’t let you.
Joyce slams the door in his face and catches her breath inside. Outside, Fred and Cyril, still moving turnips, wave as “Cousin” Sylvester walks away. Joyce heads upstairs to stress smoke in her room, and that’s where she is when Rosalind comes back from her horrible shift.
Rosalind: I had to stay late, and then I come home and find out I missed your delightful cousin? No fair!
Joyce: SHUT UP.
Rosalind: I’m sorry! I was talking too much right? Thoughtless of me, I’ll go out and come back again.
Joyce: No no, don’t cry. You’re my friend, I’m sorry.
Joyce pulls Rosalind in for a big hug and then leaves the room. Rosalind is obviously confused about what just happened, but she’ll get no answers tonight. The next day, Fred sets up his turnip display outside the store. It’s not going great, reader.
Vi:
Fred: Shelagh! Want free Turnips with your paper? I’m calling it a cook and carve double: one for dinner, one to make into a lantern.
Shelagh: Aww, the kids will love that!
Fred, piling a half dozen turnips into Shelagh’s bag: Great, take them one each!
Over at the surgery, Miss Higgins brings blood tests for Dr. Turner to look at. He’s about to file them for later, until she suggests he look at Alison’s asap. Why? Because Alison has syphilis.
Rosalind, hearing this news: WHAT? She’s so naive she barely knows what sex is, how is that possible?
Dr. Turner: It gets worse; the baby probably has it too. We won’t know until he’s tested but he’s got a fever, and he’s a little jaundiced.
Rosalind: He’s not a great eater either…
Dr. Turner: I'll put them both on penicillin now. Keep an eye out for a rash ok?
Rosalind: Will do. But what about Alison?
Dr. Turner: We need to find out a lot of info.
Later, Dr. Turner breaks the news to Alison. He explains that she’s got a sexually transmitted illness, and that her baby might also be sick.
Alison: Wait, it’s passed on through sex? How does my baby have it? Do people think I molested him? I didn’t!
Dr. Turner, ignoring, for now, the giant red flag that molestation is so top of mind for Alison: It can be passed by blood, when he was in your womb. Your mum is out in the waiting room, would you like us to talk to her?
Alison: Yeah, you better. I think she might have Syphilis too.
Naturally, Dr. Turner sits Alison’s mother for a talk. Initially, she’s incensed and offended: what a horrible thing to say!
Alison’s Mum: I have a clean home and a clean marriage! We’re a happy family!
Dr. Turner: Well WE are troubled by what Alison is implying. You can tell me anything about your health, you know that right? Your medical information is private; we won’t share it.
Alison’s Mum, reluctantly: I did have trouble with my… privates. Last year. I had a boil maybe?
Dr. Turner: Did you go to a doctor about it?
Alison’s Mum: I didn’t have to. Look, my husband works out of the home. I know he sees sex workers, but I can’t say anything. He’s a loving man and a good provider! So I just took some antibiotics left over from when the kids had tonsilitis and that was that. It went away!
Dr. Turner: Some STIs disappear on their own sometimes, including Syphilis. That doesn’t mean you’re cured.
In the other room, Alison takes care of her baby with Rosalind’s help. He won’t get sick again, right?
Rosalind: No, he’s getting treatment. And you’re taking great care of him! Have you decided on a name?
Alison: My mother says I should choose a family name, but I’m definitely not naming him for my father, who ran off. Or his dad.
Rosalind: Oh? What name would that be?
Yeah, it’s the stepdad, and somehow Rosalind is the only person who hadn't figured that out yet, so she’s horrified, but does a good job of playing it cool.
Meanwhile, back at Nonnatus Joyce gets the call from Gerri, who’s in labor. It’s Joyce’s first solo homebirth, so while she packs her bag, Nancy offers to run in and get the address for her. Unfortunately, this whole exchange, including the bit where Nancy calls out Gerri’s address, is observed by “Cousin” Sylvester.
At Gerri’s house, labor is progressing nicely. Joyce tucks her patient into bed and helps her get comfortable, but notices that as the night has gone on, Gerri’s blood pressure has gotten a little high.
Joyce: Are you anxious?
Gerri: I mean, I know this will be hard, but it’s not like I haven’t done it before.
Joyce: Let’s get you on your side — I think you’ll find that more comfy.
At Trixie’s house, she’s just brought out a dinner of “savory mince” whatever that means. Apparently she’s better at cooking cheap things, which is, I guess, a victory!
Trixie: Anyway, how was your day?
Mr. Trixie: It was good. Great, actually! I’ve accepted Chester’s offer of forming a partnership. It starts right away. In New York!
Trixie:
Mr. Trixie: I’m going over for three or four months. If everything goes as I hope we can make it permanent!
Trixie: Can we?!
Mr. Trixie: It’ll be a fresh start! Getting away from all the things we’ve failed at. Well. I’ve failed at.
Trixie: If you force this you’ll be failing all over again. Failing to think I could help you, failing to work together, and failing to realize I might want to have a say in which CONTINENT we live on!
Mr. Trixie: You do have a say! You can stay here and try to support a family on a nurse’s wage or you can live in New York! Do you know how many songs are written about New York? A lot! And you love it there!
Trixie: Babe, we were on our honeymoon, I would have loved a sewer.
Mr. Trixie: Really?
Trixie: With you, yes!
Mr. Trixie: I want to be the man you fell in love with. Someone who can solve problems, and be generous, and have all the answers.
Trixie: I think you’re scared to hear what I feel, which is that I want you to stop gambling with the limited money we have. I want to rebuild where we are now.
Mr. Trixie: Well that won’t be possible.
Trixie: So you decided on your own, without me.
Mr. Trixie: I’m going to New York with Jonty. If you need time to think about it, that’s reasonable. You can come when you’re ready.
Hahahahaha I HATE IT OMG. Reader, I had seen rumblings regarding this man’s season 13 behavior on the internet before we got here, but truly I did not realize it would be this bad. Let him leave, babe, you’re worth more!
Anyway, speaking of terrible men, at the maternity home we’re discussing a much worse one. Alison’s Mum, getting her blood drawn for a syphilis test, has finally been told about her husband molesting Alison.
Alison: I was 10 when it started. You hadn’t told me anything about what men did, or could do.
Alison’s Mum: I thought you were too young to have to know about that.
Alison: Well he sure didn’t think so.
Alison’s Mum: Can I hug you?
Alison: No. I don’t like to be touched, because he ignored me when I screamed no.
Alison’s Mum: I promise I never heard you screaming. I swear.
Alison: He made me whisper it. Said you would run away like my real dad did if you found out. So I kept quiet. When he was away I almost felt like it was worth it because I could see how happy you and the younger ones were.
Alison’s Mum: He won’t do it again. I swear.
Alison, getting up to walk away with her baby: You’re going to let him come home?!
Alison’s Mum: Where are you going?
Alison: To find someone who will protect us. I’m a mother now, and it’s my job. A job you failed to do.
At Gerri’s, Joyce has hit a snag. Gerri starts to feel a pain on her side that won’t go away. Joyce takes a listen, and whatever she hears is serious enough that she immediately gets ready to go call for backup. At the phone box, Joyce calls the flying squad in: she suspects that Gerri’s placenta has partially detached. Running back inside, she’s interrupted by Sylvester, who gets in her way, even when Joyce tells him that she’s got a woman in labor inside who needs her help. Joyce pushes past him, and gets inside just as Gerri tells her that the baby’s head is out. Joyce tells Gerri that things are serious, so she needs to do exactly as Joyce says. Gerri’s daughter makes her appearance, followed by part of the placenta, but Gerri is bleeding too much. Joyce applies pressure to Gerri’s uterus to stop the bleeding, and is working away when the ambulance arrives. They bundle Gerri up and take her to the hospital, but not before she tells Joyce that she wishes Joyce could come with her.
Joyce: You’re safe, and I’ll be seeing you back here in your own home soon.
Joyce takes some time to clean up Gerri’s home, and change out of her delivery outfit. Outside, as she tries to get on her bike, she’s interrupted by Sylvester, who’s still lurking.
Sylvester: How’s the patient?
Joyce: Baby is perfect, and the mom will recover. What do you want from me?
Sylvester: I want to live here. Immigration isn’t easy for a single man, but as your husband, when you have this job? It’d be better.
Joyce: Oh, so you need money.
Sylvester: And you need me to keep quiet. You qualified with a fake name. You lied about your marital status, and then you lied and said I was your cousin.
Joyce: YOU did that, bud.
Sylvester: Yeah, but you didn’t tell them I was lying. I wonder what those nuns would think?
Joyce: I don’t carry money on me. It isn’t safe.
Sylvseter: It’s cool, I know where you live.
At Trixie’s, our friend is still awake. Mr. Trixie tries to get her to come to bed, but she’s worried she won’t sleep.
Mr. Trixie: We’re still married and we still have a future together.
Trixie: Well I’m worried I’ll be awake all night worrying about whether any of that is true.
Mr. Trixie: I need to do this.
Trixie: I know. But I need time. Not an ocean between us.
Mr. Trixie: Just take one of your sleeping pills, and come here.
Not the world’s greatest thing to say to someone with a history of addiction, but ok!
The next day, while Cyril sits in the waiting room at the surgery, Miss Higgins tells him that she and Phyllis have cooked up a plan for the turnips.
Cyril: Not literally, I hope?
Miss Higgins: Thankfully, no. It involves the cub scout troop, halloween, and their activity badge.
A win is a win! Inside the maternity ward, Sister Veronica explains to Alison that once she’s discharged from the hospital, Sister Veronica will be her home health visitor… at her new foster parents’ house.
Alison’s Mum: I’m her mother! I should have her with me!
Alison: I won’t go back to that house until he’s dead.
Alison’s Mum, unconvincing: He’s not coming back either. I talked to him. I promise.
Sister Veronica: Ok, well. I’m going to get Cyril, who’s your welfare officer. He’ll talk you through everything, including what would happen if the police get involved?
Alison’s Mum, still doesn’t get it: The police? You don’t want that, right? You should put this behind you.
Rosalind, can’t sit there and be quiet anymore: Alison will make her own decision when she’s ready! For now, she just needs to focus on recovering, and choosing a name for her baby.
Sister Veronica: Uh. Rosalind, why don’t you get Cyril.
Alison: I’ve got a name picked out, BTW. Martin.
Alison’s Mum: We don’t have anyone in the family called Martin though?
Alison: Yeah, no crap. That’s the point. I’m starting fresh, and going somewhere safe.
Out in the hall, Rosalind wipes away tears as she sends Cyril in.
Rosalind: Dude, normally this job is great, but some days…
Cyril: Yeah, I get it.
Speaking of bad days, over at Trixie’s, she hugs Jonty goodbye and tells him to be good with his dad. Mr. Trixie comes in and says the cab is waiting, so the two hug goodbye, and both apologize (although what Trixie has to be sorry for, I could not tell you).
Mr. Trixie: Please come with us. Please. You can even come tomorrow if you want.
Trixie, inside: Babe, I’m one of the longest running characters on this lil show, I’m not going anywhere.
Mr. Trixie: I love you.
Trixie, out loud: I love YOU.
And while she cries, alone, back at Nonnatus the young midwives get to work finishing a batch of sweaters that Joyce took from Gerri’s house when her patient left in the ambulance. The cubs, the Turner kids, and Sister Monica Joan carve their turnips. And Cyril takes Alison to a home where she can be safe. Look, am I happy that the younger midwives are bonding, that this week’s mums are taken care of and safe, and that Fred offloaded all those goofy turnips? Undoubtedly. But I’m so sad for Trixie, and worried about Joyce too, and there’s only one more episode this season! Fingers crossed that things work out for our friends, and I guess we’ll just have to wait for next week’s season finale to know for sure!
