Call the Midwife 5.01. and 5.02

[selenak]

The Midwives are back!



In all brevity, due to rl, as ever:

5.01: call me slow, but I didn't connect the case of the week (so to speak) with Contergan until Old Jenny's voice in the episode wrap up spelled it out, though I note she didn't give the name of the medication. (Legal trouble? Was it called something else in English?) And I should have, because I remember seeing some of the children afflicted (just a few years older than I was) when I was a child in the 70s, and of course it was one of the biggest scandals. For a how whose protagonists are all midwives and who keep dealing with babies, it makes perfect sense to address this. (And here I thought the baby's deformities would be revealed to be due to the period related ever present smoking in order to safeguad the show from being accused to advertise smoking.)

ETA: ratcreature tells me Contergan was sold under the name Distaval in the UK.

Anyway, I thought the show did a good job of showing how difficult this is even if the idea that love will overcome the initial parental horror may be a tad too optimistic. But this is my comfort series, and I approveof this message. :) (Also the final punchline - the reveal that Susan's state has nothing to with "mother nature" and the bad luck of accident but everything with the wrong medication her mother received due to the pharma industry makes sure we don't end on a simplistic feel good, handicaps aren't that big a problem after all note.)

In terms of our heroines: Trixie's doing well again, nost just by attending AA meetings but by having found an early fitness class that makes her happy and which she excells at so much that she's now able to instruct. This show being this show, the fitness class subplot isn't just there to showcase everyone in their leotards but to provide Trixie with an opportunity to stand up to Sister Julienne during a generational and professional clash. Now Sister Julienne is a wise woman, but the show is well written enough not to let her be too perfect; on this occasion, she was in the wrong, Trixie was in the right, and the narrative supported her (plus Sister Julienne realised it). Very different from standard tv tropes where only unsympathetic characters are being shown to take wrong positions. Very this show. BTW, Olive not having had the vocabulary to talk about her own body and her problems sadly isn't something limited to that time and place, so I'm glad this was brought up.

Having recovered her memory, Delia is put through another wringer (and so is Patsy) when her mother insists on taking her back to Wales, but there it's nuns to the rescue as Sister Julienne provides a good alternative by offering Delia a place at Nonnatus House. Which is great for Patsy and Delia, with one big BUT: they still have to stay in the closet because no one of Nonnatus House knows of the true nature of their relationship. In the next episode, when Patsy talks about the burden of keeping secrets all the time, I think this is what she had in mind and I like the show doesn't hit us over the head with it.

5.02.: More "older generation realises they're wrong about something", only it's Sister Evangelina's turn. While I suspect this was because the actress wanted some episodes off, it makes sense for the character to, in her quick anger at the commercial advertisment, natural verbal agressiveness and conviction of being right to make such a mistake that leaves Connie thinking she's a bad mother if she can't breastfeed, with near disastrous results. And because of Sister Evangelina's integrity and sense of self so tied to her calling, her shock about this result driving her to take some time off for self examination and spiritual renewal works for me. The scene between Sister Evangelina and Sister Monica Joan was tremendously moving. These two have feuded for decades, have known each other longer than anyone else knows each other on the show (including Sister Julienne who is a bit younger than both of them), and we've always known there was deep affection beneath the bickering but here it was really laid bare. Just Sister Monica Joan's hands trying to unpack Sister Evangelina's suitcase again - cut me straight to the heart.

Trixie by now has become aware that Barbara and Tom are interested in each other, and I continue to eye this subplot with distrust, but so far it's not become annoying, and the show has gone to some effort in the previous episode to showcase Trixie has a strong sense of self again.

Phyllis Crane's subplot with fellow Spanish learner Mr. Smith was first endearing and then moving; he shouldn't have lied to her, but having a wife with dementia (and having cared for her in that state for five years) IS a terrible emotional burden and not something that's easy to share. I'm glad Nurse Crane forgave him. Also loved Patsy's tactful way of providing support, not badgering Phyllis Crane for confidences but being there and helping. (Patsy, of course, of all people knows there are subjects you just don't want to talk about, but you still need a friend being there for you.)

Comments

[ratcreature]

AFAIK Contergan was sold under the brand name of Distaval in the UK when it was marketed against morning sickness.

[selenak]

Thank you for the information! *edits*

[dejla]

I'm familiar with Thalidomide, but not Distaval or Contergan. Are all three of these the same thing?

[selenak]

Google says yes! Apparantly it was sold under different names in different countries.

[tree_and_leaf]

I think British viewers who were not around at the time would think of it as thalidomide, rather than either of the other names you mention (which I wasn't aware of, though I was aware of the scandal). I guessed we were going to get a thalidomide story as soon as someone mentioned the baby with no thumbs.

(I think it's unlikely that it's not named for legal reasons, but the multiple brand names in different countries might be the issue. They probably also expect the viewer to be able to figure it out without a name).

[dejla]

Amazing! Thank you for adding to my store of medical knowledge.

[ethelmay.livejournal.com]

The name thalidomide was actually mentioned when Dr. Turner first prescribed the drug, in the episode where the woman has hyperemesis gravidarum. He says something along the lines of "It's called Distaval, and the stuff in it is thalidomide."

[selenak]

I must pay attention upon rewatching later, as I missed that. Mind you, since I know the stuff under the name of Contergan, it wouldn't have rung any immediate bells at that point during first broadcast anyway.