Call The Midwife, in case anyone has failed to notice, is a fictional television show from the 2010s. It’s first few seasons were based fairly closely on Jennifer Lee Worth’s actual memoirs of her work as a midwife in Poplar in the 1950s. They, too, were written towards the end of her life, basically 50 years after the events in question, and were bestsellers in England a decade ago. The TV series departed from its grounding in the memoirs long ago. It should surprise no one that what the show provides is far from a documentary record of nursing in the 1950s and 1960s, and really more a contemporary fantasy about important and meaningful work then.
In other shocking news, Sister Monica Joan’s acute, inspiring voiceovers the past few seasons are difficult to square with her obvious dementia in the early seasons.
" It should surprise no one that what the show provides is far from a documentary record of nursing in the 1950s and 1960s, and really more a contemporary fantasy about important and meaningful work then."
It’s not a surprise so much as it is an anachronistic mash-up of modern 21st century social theory presented in the context of a well-researched and exquisitely-detailed setting of British fashion, technology, and current events from the late 1950s and early 1960s.
@rosemaryandthyme You’re right. The voiceover is still, as it has been from the outset, Vanessa Redgrave, i.e., Jennifer Worth as an older woman looking back. I thought it had been taken over by the actress playing Sister Monica Joan – it sounds much “older” to me now than it used to. But apparently that’s because Vanessa Redgrave is older now than she was eight or nine years ago when she started doing the voiceovers.
I recently started binge watching on the recommendation of a friend after I’d complained that I needed something new now that Game of Thrones was over. I’m just starting the third season. I really enjoyed the first season, but now my interest is lagging a bit with each episode. Part of my problem is that I find most of the main characters to be very one dimensional. You can predict what they’ll do in any given circumstance, and so far, apart from Jenny’s mysterious love affair and Trixie’s experience caring for her shell shocked father, we get no back story on anyone to round out who they are. Maybe that’s coming? I’m also dying for someone to have a juicy character flaw. Just a streak of selfishness or greed or jealousy would do! I like my characters to have some depth and complexity. I understand the show replaced Downton Abbey in the hearts of many Brits, but that show certainly had its share of problematic characters. That’s just not happening in Call the Midwife, at least so far. Does it change?
In addition, I’d appreciate a dramatic and unexpected turn of events among the leads to energize the show. (Sister Bernadette’s decision doesn’t count–it was heavily telegraphed for an entire season.) If, for example Chummy had died in childbirth, as awful as it would have been to lose a favorite character, it would have been worthwhile dramatically. But there was never any doubt both she and her baby were going to pull through.
Half the cast are nuns (and one Reverend) so how wild do you think they’ll be?
Yes, there are some backstories that come over the years, but I don’t remember them all at once. I don’t think you’ll find the excitement you are looking for. The first few seasons pull the plots from the book, and then the personal stuff is worked in, but wearing shorter skirts, smoking, and having red nail polish is about as wild as it gets.
Call The Midwife is not exactly plot-driven, and I can’t really imagine watching more than a couple of episodes in a row. Yes, there is character development over the years – especially after it departs from the Jennifer Worth source material, which had nothing of the sort – and even a twist or two. But nothing that will keep you on the edge of your seat waiting to see what happens next when an episode ends. In the end, Call The Midwife is about period fashion, social problem of the week (usually but not always tidily resolved in one show), cute, wise Anglican nuns, and – hello! – BABIES GETTING BORN. (Cue tears.)