Call the Midwife Episode 1.4

Call the Midwife continued with another stellar episode on PBS last night (at this point I'm starting to get really upset about the fact that there are only two episodes left this season!). This show, this SHOW...it is capable of making me cheer one moment and weep the next. And the characters -- not only are the regular cast members extraordinarily and compassionately well-drawn on-screen, but each week's guests -- the "everyday"  men and women of the East End that the midwives and nuns interact with, are just as richly-drawn and unforgettably realized. I LOVE this. Here's this week's episode summary from the BBC website:

The episode commences with Jenny delivering a little girl, Gillian, to Shirley Redmond. As Shirley's previous baby was stillborn, Sister Evangelina is also in attendance. Jenny has now been working in the East End for some time, and feels privileged to share such a precious part of these women's lives. Soon after Shirley gives birth, a bombshell drops; the newborn baby has been snatched from her pram, outside the Redmond household. A full-scale search is launched, and the entire community becomes involved in the quest to reunite the desperate parents with their child.

Cynthia, meanwhile, finds herself involved in an equally traumatic situation as she witnesses true love and heartbreak when she meets David and Margaret during their time of need. A middle-aged headmaster, David and his young musician wife Margaret are expecting their firstborn when she suffers from eclampsia. It is a heart wrenching case, and Cynthia observes the strength of soul mates and tragedy of loss.

Just as the trail appears to have gone cold with Shirley's baby, she is found. She was taken by Mary, the Irish girl whom Jenny had befriended previously. Mary has been unable to resolve the grief she felt after losing her own child. The police want to prosecute Mary but, urged by Jenny, Sister Julienne and Sister Evangelina intervene and ask for leniency on Mary's behalf.

The episode opens with Jenny (Jessica Raine) being awakened early one morning by Sister Evangelina (Pam Ferris) -- Shirley Redmond (Emma Noakes) is in labor, and Evangelina will accompany Jenny just in case there are complications, as Shirley's last pregnancy resulted in a stillborn child. I absolutely LOVED Shirley and her husband Ron (Tom Colley). For her part, Shirley is rather tense (understandable, given the circumstances), almost stoic, perhaps too afraid to hope that this time her labors will result in a healthy child. And Ron -- his nervous tension was just too cute! I loved their on-screen chemistry, and the palpable relief both exhibit when they are presented with a healthy daughter -- oh I could've cried tears of joy with them for the relief and the precious nature of the gift that is their young daughter's life. On a related, but slightly tangential note, I thought it was interesting that this episode introduced us to East End residents like the Redmonds, whose lodgings -- while not luxurious -- are definitely several steps above some of the more squalid apartment buildings we've seen midwives visit in previous weeks.

Meanwhile, as far as the other midwives are concerned, this week the attention shifts to the quiet, studious Cynthia (Bryony Hannah). She has a brief, terse encounter with Margaret Jones (Thomasin Rand), a new mother expecting her first child who arrives at the regular free National Health Services clinic and is appalled by the behavior of some of the other mothers in attendance. Some quick backstory on Mr. and Mrs. Jones...David Jones (Tom Goodman-Hill) is a middle-aged schoolmaster, who has recently relocated to the East End with his bride of less than a year, an accomplished violinist. Theirs was a whirlwind romance -- and while it is never specified, one gets the impression that Margaret hails from a background more well-to-do than her husband's current position allows. Feeling a bit under the weather, but a week away from her regular doctor's appointment, Margaret visits the clinic and insists on meeting with the doctor in charge. Her rather abrupt manner irritates Cynthia, particularly when Margaret leaves after witnessing a rather coarse mother get into a verbal spat with Shirley Redmond.

While Margaret's behavior at the clinic annoyed me a bit, I loved the all-too brief scenes giving us an intimate glimpse of her marriage. David is particularly sweet as he is SO in love with his beautiful, talented wife, and Goodman-Hill shades his performance with a certain poignancy -- this is a man who perhaps never expected to marry, so when love came it was all the sweeter. (He was a slightly familiar face thanks to brief appearances in the likes of Foyle's War and Inspector Lewis.) En route to Margaret's doctor's appointment, she has a violent siezure in the car and then passes out, just as Cynthia and Trixie are passing on their bicycles. Cynthia is horrified to realize Margaret was nearly a patient at the clinic earlier in the week, and feeling responsible takes a particular interest in her case. The news couldn't be worse -- Margaret has suffered developed eclampsia and lost the baby, and tragically the toxemia is so advanced the doctors can do nothing but provide palliative care. With Sister Julienne's (Jenny Agutter) permission, Cynthia determines to follow Margaret's case through to the end. But as Julienne sadly knows, nothing in Cynthia's past experiences has prepared her for the emotional toll of providing end-of-life care.

With the two "cases" of the week thus established, this episode grants us a further glimpse into the personal lives and friendships that have developed between the four young midwives, Jenny, Cynthia, Trixie (Helen George) and Chummy (Miranda Hart). Their work may be life-or-death, not to mention extraordinarily stressful, but here we're given a rare and refreshing glimpse into the humor and friendship that binds these young women together. Jenny is still entertaining calls from Jimmy (George Rainsford), which leads to a humorous scene where everyone wants to listen in on their conversation (though as yet there are no real romantic developments). Chummy's ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC relationship with Constable Noakes (Ben Caplan) is progressing nicely, to the delight of everyone at Nonnatus House. I am SO CRAZY INVESTED in the Chummy/Noakes romance it is ridiculous. Noakes is so into every little thing Chummy does or says, people it  positively makes my heart sing! When Noakes invites Chummy to a weekly dance, she is terribly stressed -- but with the encouragement of the girls, she accepts and they resolve to make a large party of the affair, including Jimmy as an escort for Jenny. Trixie is an incorrigible flirt, but she has a heart of gold. And shy Jenny -- I would love to see her find a romantic interest, but here she is so burdened by the plight of the Jones' that it is all she can do to attend the dance and observe the happiness of her friends.

After the midwives leave for the dance, Sister Bernadette (Laura Main) has a brief scene but very moving scene. Out of all of the nuns, as the youngest she is in a unique position to relate most to the midwives -- but their closeness can only go so far, as her vows and the lifestyle that accompany them stand as a stark line of demarcation in their friendships. Once the girls depart for the dance, Bernadette slowly removes her head covering, loosens her hair, and one can imagine the thoughts crossing her mind -- the what ifs, the wondering how her life would be different if she hadn't taken vows. Not regret -- but a natural curiosity, and perhaps a stinging prick at the reminder of how her vows, her uniform, set her apart.

The Nonnatus House community is shocked when they receive news that Shirley Redmond's child is missing, snatched from her pram which had been sitting just outside the front door of her home. Watching Shirley's happiness disintegrate is extraordinarily painful -- Noakes' performance is ass raw and honest as it gets. It is particularly intense when she briefly falls under suspicion that she wanted to get rid of her child, due to an off-hand comment overheard at the clinic about being frustrated by her daughter's midnight wake-up calls. The suspicion is as salt in an open wound, and coupled with the resulting media circus Shirley and her husband sink ever-deeper into depression and fear, as the days pass and no clue is found to their daughter's whereabouts.

 The kidnapper turns out to be Mary (Amy McAllister), the young prostitute introduced in episode two who was forced to give up her baby for adoption since she herself is still underage. Since losing her child Mary has suffered a complete psychotic break, and in an unguarded moment grabbed the Redmond baby as her own, living with the child in an abandoned warehouse. When she's nearly caught stealing a bottle of milk, the police follow the trail to the warehouse, bringing Jenny along should they find the child. Jenny is absolutely horrified when she realizes that she knows the perpetrator that has destroyed the Redmonds' lives, and the scene where she slowly works to convince Mary to give up the child is tense and heart-breaking. As horrifying as Mary's crime is, Jenny realizes the girl is in desperate need of serious medical and psychological help -- and in a bold move convinces Sisters Evangelina and Julienne to ask the Redmonds to extend mercy towards Mary, after their daughter is restored to them. People, I don't know if I could do it...but therein lies the power of this show -- it is a raw, honest look at life, and a beautiful illustration of how the power of love and mercy, tendered in the midst of impossible circumstances, can transform a life.

Sadly David and Margaret don't get their happy ending -- but while tragic, as Cynthia witnesses first-hand there is beauty in the goodbye. Love and pain go hand-in-hand, as in opening yourself to the former you run the risk of the latter. I was incredibly moved by Cynthia's devotion to the couple, and her vigil is a powerful, intense, life-changing experience. To walk with someone who had been, until the worst day of their life, a stranger, through the most painful moments, to be privy to that final goodbye and to stand by them as they accept that the future they never imagined, never wanted, cannot be avoided -- that is an incredible gift and trust. And it is one Cynthia bears with an strength and poise that belies her slight frame and her years. I loved the final scene, where Cynthia opens David's farewell gift of a record featuring the music that made him fall in love with his wife. With Jenny at her side, Cynthia can finally give herself permission to grieve for all she has seen -- and in the end, as Vanessa Redgrave's voiceover reminds viewers -- in the end what matters, the bedrock of what gets us through, is love.

This fourth episode was another gorgeous, moving installment of the Nonnatus House midwives' story. I was particularly struck by the excellence of the set and costume designs, probably thanks to the detailed glimpses we get of the Redmonds' home and the midwives' rooms. The little details join with the stellar performances that result in a wholly absorbing experience, truly a show that transports you to the faraway time and place of the 1950s East End. Very well done.

Call the Midwife Episode 1.3

Call the Midwife may be turning into one of my favorite television-related things ever. True story. As per the standard set forth by this season's first two episodes, this week's third installment was heart-breaking, tear-inducing, and beautifully, wonderfully love- and life-affirming. Here's the episode summary of this week's action from the BBC website:

Jenny is placed on the district nursing roster for a few weeks, to extend her experience of community practice. Her first patient is a gentle old soldier, Joe, who is suffering from appalling leg ulcers. In his eighties and almost blind, Joe is effectively confined to his one-roomed tenement flat and enjoys Jenny's visits. Although not naturally chatty, Jenny appreciates his stories, and a tentative friendship forms.

The story of their emerging friendship is interwoven with that of Ted, who becomes a father rather late in life. His wife, Winnie, is in her forties, and had thought her days of nappies and babies were well behind her. They have only recently married. For Ted, a childless widower in his sixties, it was a stunningly sweet and unexpected romance; for Winnie, it was a pragmatic step that secured her future. The pregnancy is a surprise to them both and Ted, who never imagined he would be a father, is overjoyed, and throws his heart and soul into the preparations. Winnie, sadly, seems less than thrilled. Ted is exceptionally solicitous and he enthusiastically accompanies Winnie to her clinic visits, and takes the lead in sorting out the pram and the layette.

Despite her growing fondness for Joe, Jenny remains revolted by the filthy condition of his flat and even feels unable to accept a cup of tea from him, so unclean are his cups. Their friendship is saved - and indeed cemented - when he produces a bottle of sherry. As the buildings where Joe lives in come up for being condemned, there is talk of moving him into an old people's hospital. Saddened by this development, Joe focuses all his energy on a forthcoming regimental reunion - he has been unable to attend for many years due to mobility problems, but Jenny has a plan.

Jenny (Jessica Raine) has come a long way towards acclimating to the less-than-hygienic conditions that come with life in the East End, but her latest patient assignment tests her fragile resolve to the max. Apparently the midwives of Nonnatus House serve on some sort of rotating basis on the district nursing roster, where they perform in-home health visits of a more general nature (attending to the needs of the elderly, housebound, etc.). Jenny is assigned to Joe Collett (Roy Hudd), a veteran of the Boer war, who lives in an East End tenement and needs visits three times per week to change the dressings on his legs as he suffers from ulcers. Joe is SUCH a heart-breaking charmer. Starved for company and friendship, desperate for connection, he is thrilled by Jenny's visit -- she, less so by the appalling condition of his flat and the filthy residue on his dishes. But prompted by Sister Julienne's (Jenny Agutter) gentle but firm admonishment to fulfill her calling, Jenny perseveres and is gradually won over by gentle Joe's friendship and his heart-wrenching life story. (Seriously, when he revealed that he lost both his sons to World War I and his beloved wife to the Blitz, I nearly bawled.)

Joe's character is a beautiful, poignant illustration of the elderly -- what they have to offer as well as the heart-breaking reality of how they are often treated by society. By and large I don't think the Western world takes to aging well. Let us, like Jenny, learn to have patience with the Joes of the world...because if God grants us years, one day we'll be in the position of hungering for a little kindness and friendship. When Jenny  learns that Joe has been invited to a forthcoming regimental reunion, she determines to find a way for him to go -- but given his physical limitations, she'll have to enlist the aide of a most unlikely ally...

In the premiere Jenny mentioned something along the lines of not being interested in boys, because the only one she wants is one she can never have. This episode sees the introduction of Jimmy (George Rainsford), who I can only assume is the young man in question (if anyone has seen the whole season, and I'm off-base on this, please let me know!). While this episode doesn't delve too deeply into Jimmy's background, he's apparantly a bit of a charming ne'er-do-well who leverages his long friendship with Jenny into sleeping in the Nonnatus House boiler room. This leads to some hilarious scenes as Jenny is constantly trying to keep Jimmy from being discovered. I loved the "agreement" she reaches with the enterprising handyman Fred (Cliff Parisi), who it turns out uses the boiler room to store inventory for his supplemental income ventures. *wink*

Jimmy is SUCH a cutie -- for some reason he really reminded me of Rolfe from The Sound of Music (the charming Rolfe, not the Nazi version). I loved it when Jenny asks him to help get Joe to his army reunion, and Joe thinks they're a couple, and she won't admit to that but she is so happy seeing Jimmy help Joe. Warm fuzzies all around, people! And then when he's later caught in the Nonnatus House entryway, after Sister Bernadette (Laura Main) nearly discovers him in the boiler room, and the nuns insist he stays for this VERY AWKWARD LUNCH. It's all lightly humorous until Jimmy makes a joke about Jenny's famed reticence that falls flat and endangers their friendship -- if there's one thing this show has proven, it's that Jenny feels things, very deeply -- but she's also intensely private (I can relate!). I sincerely hope that Jimmy isn't hiding any proverbial skeletons in his closet, because I think he's adorable and would love to see things work out between him & Jenny!

As far as midwifery goes, this week the spotlight shone on Trixie (Helen George) and Cynthia's (Bryony Hannah) work with new mothers. Trixie meets forty-something Winnie (Tessa Churchard), on her second marriage to Ted (John Ashton), who is "unexpectedly" expecting her fourth child in a MONTH. (You know something's fishy when a woman who has given birth three previous times claims to not recognize any of the symptoms of pregnancy!) Ted, who never imagined that he'd be a father, is overjoyed -- Winnie, not so much. I get that Ted was a little smothering, but he seemed so nice, and he actually wanted to be INVOLVED (props to him for that) -- and Winnie shuts him down at every turn. I must admit, I did NOT see the reason for Winnie's tension coming. I could not BELIEVE she'd been living in denial for eight months like this because she didn't want to think about the child being recognized as having a black father, the product of a one-night stand. I mean WOW...didn't know you had that in you, Winnie!

For some inexplicable reason both Trixie and Cynthia are called to Winnie's home when she goes into labor (the previous norm seems to have been only one midwife per birth). But whatever the reasoning behind that, it was nice to see more focus on these two characters -- and equally nice to see Stephen McGann make a reappearance as Dr. Turner. :) (I like McGanns, this one needs more scenes!) Winnie's fear of rejection, fear of her husband's reaction is heart-breaking -- but when Ted accepts the child without question, oh! That was a beautiful exhibition of grace, such grace! If only there were more Teds in the world, hmm?

Remember how much I loved Chummy (Miranda Hart) last week? Well she's still awesome. :) It appears now that she and Sister Evangelina (Pam Ferris) have reached an accord they are working together more -- but not without testing Evangelina's patience. It seems that the young police officer, Constable Noakes (Ben Caplan), hasn't forgotten how Chummy knocked him over on her bicycle, and is MORE THAN WILLING to have lengthy chats when he sees her out and about. THEY ARE SO BEYOND CUTE TOGETHER. The way they make eyes at each other just KILLS me! I liked this Noakes chap even more after he comes to Nonnatus House to give Fred a friendly warning that he really shouldn't make caramel apples in the same place that he kills quail, I mean is that common sense or what? And of course with that business dispatched he and Chummy are free to make eyes at each other again -- until Evangelina JUST CAN'T TAKE IT ANY MORE, so she arranges a date for Friday night. I was laughing so hard at that moment, it was brilliantly played (especially the bit about how they make her so relieved she took vows!). Chummy and the constable are just the cutest thing ever. THE CUTEST.

The final scenes of this installment, featuring Vanessa Redgrave's voiceover as the older Jenny, were incredibly poignant. Joe's death just broke my heart -- once he left the East End and the care of district nurses like Jenny, the relationship between patient and caregiver was removed -- or at the very least minimized. But seeing the impact that friendship made on Jenny, and how she shares Joe's bequest of a bottle of sherry with Jimmy -- that was an incredibly moving scene. And perhaps I'm misreading this here, but against that backdrop of grieving a loss, the moment where the loveably quirky Sister Monica Jean (Judy Parfitt) seems to lose her place in the singing -- I have to wonder if that perhaps hints at forthcoming health struggles for Nonnatus House's oldest resident.

Call the Midwife is a gorgeous show about the full scope of life in all its heartbreak and joy and complexity. A rare treasure, indeed. I cannot wait for the next installment!

Call the Midwife Episode 1.2

Call the Midwife continued on PBS last night, and I absolutely loved it. I thought the first episode was wonderfully done and thought-provoking, but this installment nearly did me in -- these characters and this world are absolutely captivating. Here's the episode summary from the BBC website:

As the nuns and nurses go about their duties, Nonnatus House gains a new resident, Chummy, a welcome pair of hands to help with the busy caseload. Sister Evangelina, in a case of inverted snobbery, has little patience with her or with her passionate and somewhat lofty desire to become a missionary.

Meanwhile, Jenny has a chance late-night encounter with Mary, a young Irish girl aged 15. She is heavily pregnant and reveals that she ran away from an abusive home life in rural Ireland and made her way to London. She is unwilling to give away many details of her current situation. Mary is desperate and terrified, and eventually Jenny discovers the full, horrific details of the young girl's plight.

Destitute upon arrival in London, Mary was "taken in" by Zakir, the owner of an all-night cafe in the notorious Cable Street area. It transpired that the cafe was in fact a brothel, and Mary was forced into prostitution almost immediately. Her suffering has been extreme, but in the tough world of the criminal East End, this is far from unusual.

Sister Julienne arranges for Mary to be helped by a religious charity, but sadly it is not to be the end of her tragic story.

Chummy makes great efforts to settle in, but nerves and a keenness to please almost overwhelm her, and she makes slow progress. A particular obstacle is her inability to ride a bike, and although Jenny, Trixie and Cynthia struggle to teach her, their efforts are hampered by catcalling and jeering from local children. Her initial attempts to learn end in a spectacular collision between the three midwives and a policeman, PC Noakes.

Chummy's future at Nonnatus House hangs in the balance, and she soon finds herself out of her depth.

There are two main storylines to this episode -- one following Jenny (Jessica Raine) as she continues to settle into her work and adapt to the conditions and people she encounters in the East End, and the second introducing a new midwife, Camilla Cholomondley-Browne (Miranda Hart), whose acceptance at Nonnatus House is hampered by her painful shyness and wealthy upbringing.

As the episode opens we're introduced to Mary (Amy McAllister), a young Irish girl who works as a prostitute at an East End cafe run by Zakir (Darwin Shaw) as a front for the brothel. When a fellow prostitute discovers Mary's secret -- that she's pregnant and beginning to show -- the girl is terrified that she'll be forced to "get rid" of her child. Gathering her courage, she takes a five pound note from Zakir and takes to the streets, where she meets Jenny and begs for her help. Over a meal Mary gradually metes out the details of her story, and how she came to be in the East End, to an increasingly horrified Jenny who determines to help the girl.

Mary's story BROKE MY HEART. I had no idea until the end of the episode exactly how old she was, but McAllister brought a fragility to her performance that made me positively bleed for Mary and how she'd been taken advantage of by men, time and time again, when all she hoped for was a better life. But I think what killed me most was how Mary seemed so...resigned? to her experiences, in denial about the fact that the man she loved, the man who promised her the finer things in life, who claimed to care abut her well-being viewed her as nothing more than a commodity.

I thought the scenes between Jenny, Mary, and Father Joe (Stanley Townsend), a priest who runs a home for women in Mary's situation, were particularly well-done. Townsend does a terrific job playing a dedicated man of faith determined to fight for the welfare of the women who seek his protection. If Townsend seems vaguely familiar, he recently appeared on Masterpiece Mystery in Zen, playing the role of Muscati. But as Jenny discovers, even seeking hep from someone as well-intentioned as Father Joe isn't without unexpected and heart-breaking consequences. Shortly following the birth of Mary's child, a daughter she christens Kathleen, Jenny receives a hysterical summons and is horrified to discover that the home had taken Mary's child and put it up for adoption without her consent. When Jenny rages at Father Joe about the injustice of it all, he informs her it's because Mary herself is only fifteen (now, my take on the situation was that Jenny didn't realize Mary was quite that young, and is shocked), and as a child herself, with no family as advocates, has no say. This broke my heart, because when looked at as dispassionately as possible, one can see the reasoning behind the home's decision -- but when one takes into account what that child meant to Mary, I was left with the impression that losing her baby has most likely stripped Mary of hope. And barring a miracle, someone else may find her in similarly desperate straits all too soon.

The balance of this episode introduces the new midwife to Nonnatus House, Camilla Cholomondley-Browne, who insists that everyone call her Chummy. I LOVED this character. Not only is she extraordinarily friendly and good-natured, but she's tall (according to the IMDB, Hart is 6'1" -- I'm 6'2", so I felt like I could relate to Chummy in no small respect there!). Chummy is tall, not a stick figure, and painfully shy -- but if you get beyond the initial awkwardness, this character is a jewel. I thought it was fascinating to see the "reverse-snobbery" she encounters, particularly from Sister Evangelina (Pam Ferris). Chummy, unexpectedly, hails from a wealthy family, and despite her desire to please Evangelina remains convinced that someone of Chummy's class (the moment she drops that she's met Princess Margaret is priceless!) can never hope to relate or help the people of the East End.

Chummy's arrival brought some much-needed humor to the episode, a brief reprieve, if you will, from the life-and-death intensity of troubled births or abused girls. Her inability to ride a bicycle, while making her the butt of childrens' jokes, is a great excuse to see the midwives bond as Cynthia (Bryony Hannah) and Trixie (Helen George) try to teach her this necessary skill -- since covering eight miles effectively on foot is next to impossible. Their spectacular crash into Police Constable Noakes (Ben Caplan) was hilarious, since everyone expects Chummy to get some sort of citation -- a citation that is never forthcoming since all Chummy and Noakes could do following the collision was make googly eyes at each other, entangled on the cobblestones. That little flirtation made me SO HAPPY. :)

Chummy's first medical cases were not only an excellent showcase for how critical the midwives' work is to the East End, but the perfect opportunities for this fabulous character to show her mettle and her heart. During her first stint at the clinic visits, where the midwives assist doctors in patient examinations, Chummy meets Mrs. Fraser (Amelda Brown), a woman who looks to be in her forties, recently remarried, and expecting a child. Mrs. Fraser's pregnancy is her fourth (or fifth?), and the woman is terrified of losing this latest child, since it's revealed she wears braces on her legs from a childhood bout with rickets, which left her unable to deliver naturally. I nearly wept at the kindness Chummy showed toward the frightened woman, old enough to possibly be her mother, a bedside manner that earns her the approbation of Dr. Turner (Stephen McGann -- the youngest McGann brother!). The latter is much needed as Chummy's clumsiness kicks in shortly following her exchange with Mrs. Fraser, creating all sorts of havoc at the clinic. :P

But Chummy's final case is perhaps my favorite. Betty Smith (Victoria Alcock), a friend of Mrs. Fraser, is likewise expecting a child late in life thanks to her remarriage. In fact, she goes into birth at her daughter's wedding, and Chummy is called to the apartment only to encounter enthusiastic party-goers doing the conga and all sorts of craziness that one most definitely does not associate with the scene of an impending birth! It turns out to be a breech birth, and Chummy successfully coaches the mother through the difficult process, earning her the respect of Sister Evangelina. I could've cheered! I loved the touch that Mrs. Smith's son, Jack (Jake Bailey), had been one of the local children who teased Chummy's poor bike riding skills most. But after sitting through the tense moments awaiting news of the child with his step-father (Nick Bartlett) -- a really wonderful father/son bonding moment -- Chummy earns Jack's respect, and the older Jenny's voice-over (Vanessa Redgrave) at the end of the episode reveals that he became one of her staunchest allies.

While I love Jenny and Chummy, going forward I do hope that we see episodes showcasing Cynthia and Trixie at work. Also, while Sister Julienne (Jenny Agutter) and Sister Bernadette (Laura Main) made welcome appearances, I'd love more insight into their characters in the coming weeks. Evangelina and Monica Jean (Judy Parfitt) have already proven to be colorful, and particularly in the latter's case, humorous supporting characters.

This show is such a delight, a wonderful surprise, a gem that I'm thrilled has finally made its way to US television screens. An unexpected blend of humor and heartbreak, this is a program that relishes in life lived to the fullest. Not to be missed!

Call the Midwife Episode 1.1

Sunday night saw the long-awaited premiere of the unexpected British hit Call the Midwife begin on PBS. I opted to watch the initial broadcast of the premiere and it was excellent-- unexpectedly gritty and powerfully done, a snapshot of a world and a life that, like midwife Jenny Lee, I found by turns shocking and incredibly moving. Here is the episode summary from the BBC website:

This opening episode sees newly qualified midwife Jenny Lee arriving at Nonnatus House. Believing she has been sent to a small private hospital, Jenny is initially surprised to find herself at a convent. Via Jenny, we are introduced to the series world and its regular characters - the Sisters (Julienne, Evangelina, Bernadette and Monica Joan), her nursing colleagues Trixie and Cynthia, and the jovial handyman Fred. Initially daunted by her surroundings, which are so different to anything she has witnessed previously, Jenny gradually begins to find her feet.

The story of the week focuses on the first case Jenny is allowed to handle alone - the care of Mrs Conchita Warren, during her 25th pregnancy. Conchita is married to Len Warren, an East End painter and decorator who fought in the Spanish Civil War. He brought Conchita home with him after hostilities ceased - a living, breathing and very beautiful souvenir.

Conchita speaks no English, as according to Len there has never been any need, and spends her days caring for her enormous family. Her case appears to be routine, but when freezing smog descends on London events take a turn for the worse. Conchita slips, falls and goes into labour at 30 weeks gestation - suffering from severe concussion. Jenny, alone in the house with Conchita and her husband, must draw on all her reserves of skill and courage if Conchita and her premature child are to survive.

This episode also features Pearl, whose indomitable spirit rises above a dose of venereal disease; and Muriel, whose home delivery shows us the best and worst that the system has to offer.

I suspect Call the Midwife will prove to be a star-making vehicle for actress Jessica Raine, who plays the newly-minted midwife Jenny Lee. Raine only has a handful of acting credits to her name to date (among them appearances in The Woman in Black and 2010's Robin Hood). She manages to bring the perfect mix of vulnerability, naivete, and strength to the role of Jenny, whose advent at Nonnatus House isn't anything like she expected. The patients and conditions she encounters in the East End are wholly outside the realm of her experience -- a bit coarse, living in at times shockingly filthy conditions, carrying on lives the like of which Jenny never dreamed.

Nonnatus House is run by a quartet of Anglican Sisters who are as colorful and vibrant in their own way as the patients they seek to help. Sister Julienne (Jenny Agutter) is the sister-in-charge of Nonnantus House, whose calm demeanor and deeply-held faith stand her in good stead, whether mediating disputes among her fellow nuns or coping with the idiosyncrasies of her patients. Agutter should be a familiar face to fans of British drama, having appeared in the likes of The Buccaneers, MI-5, Miss Marple and Poirot, and even a brief apperance in The Avengers as a member of the World Security Council. Sister Evangelina (Pam Ferris) hails from the same stock as the Nonnatus House patients and appears to possess an unfailingly tough, no-nonsense approach to both life and work. Ferris is perhaps most instantly recognizable as Aunt Marge from the Harry Potter series or Grace Poole from the much-loved 2006 version of Jane Eyre.

Sister Monica Jean (Judy Parfitt) is the first house resident Jenny meets when she reports for duty at her new job. Monica Jean is a character. Hailing from an aristocratic background, she was one of the first women in Britain to qualify as a midwife, a thoroughly radical act in her youth. Now retired and extremely eccentric, if not suffering from a mild form of dementia, she still lives at Nonnatus House and is cared for by her fellow sisters. Parfitt is another familiar face, having played Mrs. Clennam in Little Dorrit. The final sister is Bernadette, the youngest, played by Laura Main. I'm unfamiliar with Main's previous work, but I took an instant liking to her portrayal of Bernadette and look forward to seeing her character develop on this show. As the nun closest in age to the "secular" midwives, she seems poised to serve as a sort of liason between  the younger midwives and the more traditional nuns.

At this juncture Jenny has two fellow midwives, both in their twenties, who are positioned to help Jenny adapt to the rigors and challenges of their work in the East End. Cynthia Miller is played by Bryony Hannah and Trixie Franklin is played by Helen George, both relatively new actresses. This episode didn't afford me much of an opportunity to get a good "read" on Cynthia's character, but I loved Trixie's -- she seems outgoing and irrepressibly fun, and I loved her unexpected verve and fashion sense in the midst of Nonnantus House's somewhat unlikely locale.

Jenny's first cases test her resolve and commitment to her career choice as a midwife, but prove to be soul-expanding experiences that open her eyes to the resilient spirit of the people she's tasked with helping, the idea of her work as a ministry and the precious gift of life. Her first "case" involves Conchita Warren (Carolina Valdes), a child bride her husband Len (Tim Faraday) brought from Spain following the Spanish Civil War. She speaks NO English (and he speaks no Spanish!), and is poised to bring her 25th child in the world (there are apparently one or two sets of twins in there). Like Jenny, at first blush is easy to focus on the Warrens' unusual marriage, to say the least, and their cramped, dirty apartment. But what this show does so brilliantly through Jenny's interactions with the Warrens is remind you that their lives, their choices -- that is only part of who they are (does that make sense?). Though Jenny found their lifestyle shocking, what ultimately shines through is the love this family possesses for each other. I don't want to spoil Conchita's story further, as it is worth watching unfold on-screen -- this is unexpectedly intense drama, and a wonderfully poignant realization of the indomitable power of a mother's love for her children.

Jenny is also involved in the case of two other pregnancies -- Muriel's (Sarah Ridgeway) fourth (I think?) home birth, and Pearl's (Lorraine Stanley) latest pregnancy, at-risk since she's contracted venereal disease. Muriel's scenes were fascinating (though some viewers may need a bit of a strong stomach), taking viewers through the process of an at-home birth during this time period. But I loved Pearl's story, which broke my heart just when I least expected it to do so. Jenny is initially put off by Pearl's rather crude manners, odor, and seeming complete disregard for the health of herself or her children. But as Sister Julienne gently reminds Jenny, women like Pearl are not used to being cared for, so how can they realize they have value, care about themselves? When Pearl loses her baby and Jenny visits her apartment for a follow-up appointment, the unexpected connection the two form brought tears to my eyes.

Going into this program, based on the previews I expected something along the lines of a lighter, heart-warming drama, but this show delivered so much more than that. And really, given its subject matter I shouldn't be have been surprised. As Vanessa Redgrave states in her voiceover introduction (for the older Jenny) that opens the episode, her experiences at Nonnatus House were all about life and love in its rawest, most essential form -- at the beginning.

This series is based on midwife Jennifer Worth's memoirs of her experiences working in London's East End in the 1950s. Scripted by Heidi Thomas (of Upstairs Downstairs and Cranford fame), this promises to be a heart-wrenching, thought-provoking drama. Just contemplating women's health care today versus fifty years ago blew my mind! While Call the Midwife is, perhaps, not a drama for the faint of heart, it will, I suspect, prove to be an extraordinarily rewarding journey. Jenny entered this profession to make a difference -- and I'm looking forward to seeing just how much she's changed by the colorful, resilient people she encounters. Did you watch the premiere? If so, please share your thoughts!