Well, somehow we’re here at the final episode of season 14, which kicks off on a kind of a bummer note. Reggie has come to visit, which is awesome, but his girlfriend Jane has left the community where they both live to move to Ireland with her parents.
Reggie: Ugh, and next week I have to go to a WEDDING.
Vi: You love Nancy and her fiance Charming! I know this is hard, but you’d regret it if you didn’t celebrate with them. Can I see that vase you were making for them in art class?
Fred: Uhhhhh bad news on that front: it didn’t get into the kiln in time so we’ll have to send it later.
Vi, desperate: Oh ok! Guess what I made for dessert?
Reggie, finally cracking a little smile: Rice pudding?
It is indeed. Oh, poor Reggie. Is there any worse time to attend a wedding than right after a breakup? Over at Nonnatus, Sister Catherine finishes up her last vows preparation meeting with Sister Julienne. Now that Sister Catherine’s sister has said she’ll attend, our pal is in much better spirits… although she is worried about what she’ll wear. The good news is that Mother Mildred has brought back the tradition where the new nuns wear a wedding dress for the ceremony, and they’ve got quite a stockpile to choose from, so Sister Catherine will have lots of options. Also fun? It seems like we might be reunited with Sister Hilda, who as you may recall is at the mother house now (but alas, there will be no Mother Mildred: presumably Miriam Margolyes wasn’t available).
In less fun news, there’s been a fire at a home for pregnant and postpartum teens. It seems that most of the residents are safe, but they’ll need somewhere to go, so four of them will be returning to Poplar (two with very young as yet un-adopted babies, and two who are near term). Since they were referred by our friends, the crew at Nonnatus house is responsible for finding them housing. And we’ve met one of these kids before: Paula, from the first episode of this season, whose parents initially suspected her of demonic possession, not pregnancy. As a reminder, she has just recently turned FOURTEEN years old. As if that wasn’t enough, Dr. Turner tells Paula that he suspects she might be suffering from a bladder infection and anemia, so she’ll need to go to the maternity home for a couple of days.
Paula: But that’s a hospital! I won’t be able to bring my hamsters, right?
Joyce: Sister Monica Joan will be absolutely delighted to take care of them.
Paula: Ok, but as long as it’s not for too long.
Downstairs, Phyllis and Sister Julienne talk logistics. Despite their efforts, they’ve only been able to find two beds available in town, and at a place Phyllis isn’t too keen on. The facility where the girls were living was packed, as there has been a sharp rise in teen pregnancy.
Sister Julienne: Right, and the younger the kid is, the more she’s impacted by what her family wants. Some of these girls might want to keep their babies, but shame is strong.
While the midwives try to decide who will take the available, slightly dodgy beds, everyone at Nonnatus shuffles around rooms to make space for the three girls who will stay at the house while Paula moves to the maternity home. Nancy and Colette, who were supposed to be bunking at Nonnatus in the days leading up to Nancy’s wedding, will instead be staying with Miss Higgins.
Meanwhile, Sister Veronica pops over to Paula’s home to try and get some help from her parents. Paula’s mum, who as you may recall is quite religious and has for all intents and purposes disowned her daughter, brushes her off, but Sister Veronica is persistent.
Sister Veronica: Bro, this is serious: there was a fire. It’s not possible for your daughter to stay at that place.
Paula’s Mum: Has she had the baby?
Sister Veronica: No, but she’s unwell, and she’s at the maternity home.
Paula’s Mum: Well if you want us to take her in, no. We signed her over to the council until this mess is over. She can come back then. As a nun, I’d think you’d get that.
Sister Veronica: Paula’s social worker Cyril and I were hoping you’d reconsider.
Paula’s Mum: No. My husband agrees with me, so don’t even ask him.
Look, I get why Sister Veronica asked, but this does not seem like a safe, loving home for Paula. In contrast, across town at Nonnatus, a woman I can only describe as extremely formidable arrives, bangs on the door, and is welcomed upstairs to see her daughter (one of the kids who’s already had her baby). Despite being VERY intense, she pretty quickly tells her daughter that, if she likes, she and the baby can both come home. This is pretty clearly exactly what her daughter wanted, but didn’t dare hope for, so at least we have ONE happy ending. The hard part here is watching the remaining two girls be sent to the less than stellar alternative accommodations which have been arranged for them; they both would rather just go home, but know that their families won’t allow it.
In contrast, Nancy, Colette, and Charming are greeted with literal open arms by Miss Higgins (who insists that Nancy call her Millicent). Next stop? Vi’s shop, where Nancy is getting fitted for her dress, and is noticeably nervous. No, it’s not a normal case of new dress-itis: Nancy’s size has changed a bit… because she’s pregnant. Nancy’s obviously super nervous for everyone to find out, but she needn’t be: Miss Higgins is warmly jazzed about the whole thing, and even sacrifices one of her handkerchiefs to mascara tears.
Miss Higgins: Don’t worry about it, just fill us in! How many months?
Nancy: … seven.
Vi, almost dropping the teapot: SEVEN?
Nancy: I know, I know. It’s actually a little more than that, truth be told. I’ve never been very regular, or very small, so by the time I realized, it was pretty late in the game, and I’ve been too embarrassed to go to the doctor.
Miss Higgins: But you did see a doctor finally, right?
Nancy: Yes, last month. He said I’m doing great.
Phyllis, bursting in and pulling Nancy into a huge hug: AHHH why are you crying, kiddo? This is great news!
All I have to say is that this is adorable. Meanwhile, over at the maternity home, Rosalind’s been working hard to set Paula at ease, and trying to find clothes that will fit her tiny frame. And later in the evening, there’s a surprise visitor: Paula’s dad! He doesn’t hesitate to come give his daughter a cuddle, so at least we know she’s got one good parent. Unfortunately, this is a secret visit because of Paula’s mum, but a visit is a visit.
Back at Vi’s, Nancy explains more of her thought process: yes, it does seem a little silly to want to keep her pregnancy hidden until after the wedding, but don’t forget she had Colette at sixteen, and has been through her fair share of shaming. She’d desperately hoped to have a respectable wedding, at least. The good news? Vi is a wizard with dressmaking, and Nancy’s friends are GREAT at keeping secrets. If she doesn’t want anyone else to know, they won’t.
Nancy: Honestly, I’ve been most worried about the sisters finding out. It’ll be like last time, except these ones aren’t Catholics. I don’t want to be a person who’s constantly disappointing nuns.
Phyllis: Look, as long as you promise to tell me if you have even one funky symptom, we’ll keep it under wraps.
Vi: Actually, speaking of which, Colette’s been impressively quiet about this! I’ve seen her for so many fittings and she hasn’t said anything!
Nancy: Well that’s probably because she doesn’t know!
LOL. Much less funny: back at the maternity home, Paula’s having to listen to a mom in the next room giving birth, and is understandably freaking out. Rosalind tries to calm her down, explaining that everyone handles birth differently, but since this is now the second scary birth Paula’s heard in one day, Rosalind’s not super convincing. Later, Rosalind brings her concerns to Dr. Turner, who has a good idea: maybe Paula can be moved to the mother house. Normally they take in orphans, but they have had a few pregnant moms over the years. Later, at the Turner home, Shelagh asks if anyone had heard from the boy who fathered Paula’s baby. It turns out that his parents have just straight up moved the family out of town.
Shelagh: I mean look, the kids are barely into puberty. They don’t understand what’s happening, do they?
Dr. Turner: And adolescent pregnancy is SO dangerous. She’s trying to grow up and grow a baby at the same time, and that doesn’t even touch on what’s happening with her mental health.
Yes to all of this. Just a bad situation all the way down. The next day, Paula’s prepped to move to the Mother House. She’ll be escorted by Sister Julienne and Sister Catherine, who are heading over for the latter’s big day. Not coming? Sister Monica Joan.
Sister Julienne: I don’t get it! Sister Hilda was so hopeful to see you, and you haven’t visited in forever!
Sister Monica Joan: Look, there are people who’d make me stay there, even though this is my home. I’ll be there for you in spirit, Sister Catherine!
Yeah, fair enough! Across town, Nancy, Miss Higgins, and Joyce meet up to talk wedding prep. On the list: flowers, hair, going away car, music, buffet, and balloons.
Nancy: Oh yeah, and fireworks!
Joyce: Babe, this is a wedding! We need to get this organized or it’s gonna be a mess! Also, fireworks??
Nancy: See, I wanted an autumn theme, and you get fireworks that time of year! Just a few!
Miss Higgins: Let’s talk about that once we’ve figured out the FOOD, ok?
Seems fair to me! Over at the Mother House, Sister Hilda greets the new arrivals warmly and escorts them all inside. Sister Catherine’s practically bursting with excitement, especially about seeing the other postulate who’s taking vows at the same time. Well, was taking vows at the same time would have been more accurate, as it turns out: Sister Catherine’s buddy has decided not to go through with becoming a full nun after all. This means that Sister Cahterine will take her vows alone, something that’s never happened in the history of the order. On the plus side, this does mean that she’ll get first pick of the wedding dresses! Upstairs, Rosalind helps Paula get settled in, and explains that she’ll stay there until they figure out which hospital Paula will go to for the birth.
Back in Poplar, Nancy and Charming talk over the whole secret baby thing. In particular, the part where they haven’t told Colette that she’s about to become a big sister.
Charming: Look, you were the one who wanted to wait to tell her, but I’m the one who went along with that, so we’re both in this together.
Nancy: She’s just not going to be a little girl forever, you know? Her world is about to change so much!
Charming: To be fair, it already has, and she’s handled that really well. I think we should tell her now — give her the respect of believing she can keep the secret.
Nancy: You know what, the fact that you want to respect a kid is one of the reasons I fell in love with you. That’s just NOT how I was raised.
Charming: I mean, same. But we can do better! And I have an idea of how we can tell her.
Charming’s plan: Nancy will take Colette for a nice popsicle and a chat in the allotment. When Nancy has delivered the news, she will remove her hat, and Charming will come join them. Miss Higgins helps execute the plot by peering out of her window so that she can inform Charming of the hat’s status. Hilariously, the second Nancy and Colette get settled on the bench, Colette starts agitating for the hat’s removal because it doesn’t go with Nancy’s coat. Nancy attempts to continue on with her planned speech, but what she doesn’t anticipate is that her kid will puckishly snatch off the hat whilst Miss Higgins sneezes, meaning that the squad inside thinks Colette’s already heard the news. Nancy tries to put the hat back on, but Charming is too focused on his soon-to-be stepdaughter to notice.
Charming: So, reactions to the news?
Colette: Uh, what news?
Charming: Um. Well sometimes after people get married they’re happy.
Nancy: Yes, and sometimes that happens BEFORE they get married.
Charming: And so it seems like the sensible thing to do is to lean into the happiness and have a kid.
Colette: But you don’t need to do that because you’ve got me!
Charming: We sure do, and you’ve got us.
Nancy: You do. And do you want to know something awesome, Colette?
Thankfully, Colette ALSO thinks this is awesome. Decidedly NOT awesome? Later that evening, Reggie’s gone to the post office to pick up the vase he made for the wedding. Walking home, he passes a group of teens who decide that the best use of their time is to follow Reggie, make fun of him, and chase him. Trying to get away, Reggie falls on the stairs outside Nonnatus, right on top of the box. Thankfully, Trixie’s brother Geoffrey happens to be passing by at the time, and runs off the bullies before helping Reggie to his feet. Geoffrey, who’s there to help set up Nancy’s hen night, escorts Reggie inside, where Joyce cleans out the cuts on Reggie’s hands. She also asks Reggie if he’d like to stay inside with them and help set up decorations, which he happily accepts.
Geoffrey: Well WE are going to have a blast. What’s the color scheme?
Trixie: Autumnal with hints of red and burgundy. Which is a problem, because it’s very hard to find balloons in those colors. And we need balloons, because flowers are SO expensive these days.
Geoffrey: You know, there’s a Japanese style of floristry that focuses on displaying one PERFECT flower. Maybe that’s our answer. I’ve been so into Japanese culture lately.
The last part, reader, he says in a way that implies SOMEONE has a new boyfriend (hilariously, an implication that only Trixie picks up on, which is too bad because I, for one, want details).
Over at the Mother House, Rosalind has another heartbreaking chat with young Paula, this time featuring Paula’s hope that she’ll be fully sedated when she gives birth. In a less distressing conversation, Sister Hilda takes Sister Catherine to the sewing room so the postulate can pick out a dress. Despite the fact that everyone in the room is a nun (or soon will be) they’re positively giddy over the dress and shoe picking-process. Later that evening, Sister Julienne and Sister Hilda talk about the future of the order. It’s impossible to ignore the fact that they have fewer and fewer new sisters in their ranks, but that’s not the only problem: the order is also losing more and more of their contracts with town and city councils around the country. Without those contracts, there’s a cash flow issue, which has led to Mother Mildred having to sell the order’s orchard and garden to cover the shortfall.
Sister Hilda: And she’s also looking for opportunities abroad.
Sister Julienne: So we’d be missionaries.
Sister Hilda: Yep. At least we’ll be warm in our old age.
Sister Julienne: But what about Sister Catherine? Will the order even live as long as her?
Well that’s incredibly bleak! But what’s not bleak is that the next morning, Sister Catherine’s solitary walk on the beach is interrupted by the joyful arrival of her sister. The two have a LOT of catching up to do, so they take a long walk along the shore. They talk about how controlling their dad can be, and how free they feel as adults.
Sister Catherine: Look, it makes me sad that he’s upset about this. But I also feel a lot of sadness for him. He had a horrible, abusive childhood.
Sister Catherine’s Sister: Yes, at the hands of those Catholic nuns. But you should know that he still gave me the train fare to come today. He wanted someone to be with you, even if it wasn’t him.
After a while, they sit on the shore and keep chatting until an irresistible song comes up on Sister Catherine’s Sister’s radio. The music takes them both right back to their childhood bedroom, and they immediately get up and start dancing. It’s this adorable scene that Sister Julienne finds when she goes out for her own walk on the beach, and she watches happily, even when Sister Catherine’s veil blows away and the sisters have to chase it down.
Meanwhile, back in Poplar, Nancy’s arrived in the kitchen the morning after her hen night looking decidedly ill. She blames the curry they had for dinner, but Miss Higgins isn’t taking any chances. Phyllis is summoned.
Phyllis: Nancy, are you SURE you’re only seven months?
Nancy: Excuse you, I only met him last Christmas!
Phyllis: Ok, but your baby’s head is very low.
Nancy: It’s just gas! Little twinges, but they’re not sticking around!
Miss Higgins: I’ve got peppermint oil for that?
Phyllis: Ok, we’ll start there. But Nancy, you better rest.
This might be the most dramatic Call The Midwife wedding yet, because Phyllis is only out of the room for a little while before Nancy’s gotten out of bed and tried to find a more comfortable position. She’s pretty obviously in labor, which is what Phyllis says when she returns. She also calls an ambulance to transport Nancy to the hospital, with Charming driving right behind. Is Nancy panicking a little bit? Yup! Thankfully, she’s got Phyllis there to try and keep her calm.
Meanwhile at the maternity home, Paula’s dad has arrived to visit his daughter. Unfortunately, nobody told him they were moving Paula (possibly partly because his visits have been so secretive so far). Paula’s dad heads right out to the phonebox outside to call Cyril to complain.
Cyril: Look, you and your wife both agreed that the council would be taking care of her during her pregnancy. We made the decision that this would be best for her welfare.
Paula’s dad can’t argue with that, so instead he heads home to argue with his wife. She says she knows she’s a bad mom, but not because she’s essentially kicked her pregnant tween out of the house: because she didn’t pass on good Christian values.
Paula’s Dad: Look, all this praying hasn’t done much for our family, has it?
Paula’s Mom: Actually, I have more faith than ever. We haven’t been shunned by the elders at church, and Paula will be able to come home when she’s a kid again.
Paula’s Dad: She’s a kid now! Our kid! If God doesn’t agree, then I don’t need to care about what he thinks ever again.
Speaking of Paula, at the Mother House, Rosalind is giving her young patient a crash course in anatomy. Specifically, the pelvis, and what’s about to happen to Paula’s. Rosalind keeps it pretty simple, but this is a LOT for a kiddo to process.
And back in the ambulance on the way to St. Cuthberts, Phyllis tells the driver to pull over: she needs to examine Nancy, because based on what she’s seeing, it might just be baby time. Phyllis turns out to be correct: Nancy is fully dilated, and the baby’s head’s in a great position. While they’re stopped, Charming knocks on the ambulance door to check in, and given the situation, Phyllis tells him to leave his car and ride with them: this baby might come on the way to the hospital. Charming is, unsurprisingly, a great support person, and Nancy does a great job: the baby — a girl — is born just as the ambulance pulls up outside St. Cuthberts. Back at Nonnatus, Miss Higgins and Vi tell the squad the news, which is universally well received. Sister Veronica even says that she figured it out already (up to you, reader, to decide if you believe her or not). At the hospital, Phyllis brushes Nancy’s hair and tells her that the baby is doing really well, even though she’s a few weeks early.
Nancy: I wanted it to be different this time, and it was: because I was with people I love.
Phyllis already cried at the actual birth, and this is about enough to set her off again. Did *I* cry too? No comment. As if that wasn’t enough heartwarming stuff, Colette and Charming have a wee chat while taking in the new arrival from outside her incubator.
Colette: She’s going to call you daddy, right?
Charming: Yup, when she’s old enough.
Colette: Cool, well I’m gonna call you that now. That’s ok, right?
Charming: That’s perfect!
Awwwwwwww. The next day, at the Mother House, it’s the day of Sister Catherine’s ceremony. It’s also a big day for Paula: her water has broken, and after an exam, Rosalind calls up Dr. Turner to tell him that their patient is in labor. Even though they had planned to admit Paula to a hospital, Dr. Turner is worried that being in a strange place without anyone she knows will not be good for this kiddo, so he gets in the car to head to the Mother House. Honestly, this seems like a good idea, because Paula is, unsurprisingly, not coping great. Since he’s driving, he also brings Sister Veronica… and Sister Monica Joan. This, also, turns out to be a blessing: Sister Julienne is helping take care of Paula, but Sister Monica Joan has been such a mentor, friend, and sister to Sister Catherine that her arrival is a huge comfort to the younger woman.
Upstairs, Sister Julienne, Rosalind, and Dr. Turner keep an eye on Paula, and try to help her stay as calm and comfortable as possible. The poor kid is doing the best she can, but she’s struggling to handle the pain she’s experiencing. In addition to gas and air, which seem to help, they’ve also given her some strong pain medicine. Rosalind tries to help coach Paula to push, but she’s so little, so tired, and so overwhelmed that she can’t do much. Dr. Turner ends up having to use forceps. Finally, the baby is born safely, and Dr. Turner calls up Paula’s parents to tell them the news. The instant that Paula hears her dad’s voice, she fully breaks down sobbing.
In much happier news, Sister Catherine, looking lovely in her wedding clothes, is welcomed into the order in a brief ceremony, attended by her biological sister and her new chosen sisters. And at the Buckle home, Geoffrey arrives with a surprise: he’s been able to repair Reggie’s vase with a Japanese technique called kintsugi where broken pottery is fused back together with molten metal (in this case, gold). It’s beautiful, and also a great metaphor for so many things in this episode: there’s beauty in repair.
Speaking of which: at the Mother House, Paula’s dad has arrived to pick up his daughter and discuss the adoption of his grandchild. Cyril’s also there to handle everything in his role as Paula’s social worker.
Rosalind: It’s wild; I remember crying on your shoulder about this case! That was so long ago.
Cyril: Our vocation is caring for people. Sometimes the best way to handle that is to just focus on the good things in our own lives. When we’re not in the middle of this situation, we’ll dance, and kiss. Something to look forward to.
Just then, BOTH of Paula’s come upstairs to the nursery. Paula’s mom’s first question: will the baby go to a good family?
Cyril: Very good.
Paula’s Mom: He’ll be a blessing to them. He’s beautiful.
She grabs a baby mitten, and goes to see her daughter.
Paula: Can I come home now?
Paula’s Mom: No one should have to ask that. I’m sorry for behaving in a way that made you ask. Look, I took this mitten and left the other one with the baby. One day you might want this, but it’s ok if you don’t want it now.
Later, at Nonnatus, everyone gathers for Nancy and Charming’s wedding. It’s pouring rain, but the whole crew makes an umbrella honor guard to get Nancy to the waiting car unscathed. Also, remember that kiss Cyril mentioned earlier? He and Rosalind share a very nice one under an umbrella before the ceremony. The wedding itself is as delightfully 70s as you can imagine. Nancy’s outfit is fabulous. Miss Higgins walks her down the aisle. There are sparklers guiding everyone to the hall, and there’s a fairly impressive balloon drop. It’s a lovely way to end what has been, quite frankly, a pretty dark season! And while we do have to say goodbye to our friends in Poplar for now, there’s been some exciting news to tide us over. Not only will the show be back again for this year’s holiday special and season 15, they’ve also announced a prequel series set during WWII AND a movie, set overseas in 1972. That’s a lot of midwife to look forward to!
