MovieChat Forums > Call the Midwife (2012) Discussion > This show has gotten weird. Is everyone ...

This show has gotten weird. Is everyone on drugs?

posted 9 years ago by howabominable
24 replies | jump to latest

At first I liked the new changes to the show, but now it's... weird. Everyone is so overemotional about everything. They deliver a stillbirth and are rolling around on the floor wailing when in earlier seasons they did it no problem. It's like everyone is going from period of wild mania to deep depression in a matter of minutes. It's kind of hilarious, but I definitely miss the realism and professionalism of earlier seasons. Dr. Turner misdiagnoses one baby and has a nervous breakdown. Dammit, he misdiagnoses a baby in EVERY EPISODE. It's like the plot of the show. It's completely weird. Is everyone on drugs? Just because it's the 60's doesn't mean that everyone has to be on drugs. Just sayin'. And everyone is a lot less professional, just kinda winging it and doing what feels goooooooood, professional ethics be damned. "A BABY WAS BORN DEFORMED WHAT DO WE DOOOOOOO." Well I don't know, why don't you watch some earlier seasons of your damn show when you did know what to do.

Anyway, I can't pinpoint what bothers me. But I definitely miss when the show was 70% midwifery and like 10% emotions, rather than now when it's 60% people having FEELINGS with there occasionally actually being a baby born.

Oh, and while I appreciate the show trying to "get with the times," well, it's weird that the show is trying to get with the times. It's okay to be gay? Now THERE ARE GAY PEOPLE EVERYWHERE IN THE SHOW. And ALL THE MAIN CHARACTERS APPROVE OF IT BECAUSE YOU CAN'T THINK THAT THEY ARE IGNORANT IN ANY WAY. I'm not saying they shouldn't make characters gay, that's completely fine. But when you're setting a show in the 50s and 60s, chances are most of your characters will act like they're in the 50s or 60s. Most of them are probably going to be a little racist, and a lot homophobic. I wish the show had the courage to tackle that instead of leaving the bigotry to random extras while all of the main characters are saints. And before anyone whines that I am homphobic, I am absolutely not, and I think it's important for period pieces to show different types of people have been erased from most history books. But I don't think it's too much to ask for the show to approach it with a bit more honesty, even if it makes some of its main characters seem less than perfect.

[–] lilactime2014 9 years ago

I am glad I read your post through to the end. I was kinda prepared to disagree with you but the basic points I have to admit I agree with. Call The Midwife is not alone in this behaviour as apparently in 1960s Britain there was only ever one Copper / Doctor / Nurse / teacher per unit that had remotely homophobic / misogynistic / racist / Islamophobic etc. tendencies.

I guess the bean counters are at work and think that cosy = money from syndication and daytime repeats rather than realism = writing integrity.

We are becoming a soft society and what with so many people rushing to be offended, even about things that don't affect them, the writers seem to have taken the easy way out.

'tler

[–] Cooly_44 9 years ago

I love this post. I finished watching the series when Jenny Lee left the show and I saw all the revisionist history coming.

[–] supergran 9 years ago

The political correctness and that saccharine prologue/epilogue makes CTM unwatchable at times.

If there aren't any skeletons in a man's closet, there's probably a Bertha in his attic.

[–] lilactime2014 9 years ago

It can seem at times that they are aiming at the Hallmark viewer by making everything so palatable and vanilla. However you only have to dig lightly into this board and see posts from people who don't like to see any storyline that is remotely contentious, Incest / homosexuality / race. It's not that they don't like the way it is handled, they just don't want to see it at all. So who do you write for? The Hallmark brigade who can't stand to see anything other than Teddybears and Unicorns the PC brigade that want monsters as long as they fit the current political climate without a hint of era-based realism or those who like their TV a bit more gritty and realistic. You can't please all three and if you try to, you will please no-one.

Me? I prefer realism and Happy Valley is one of the best things to happen to TV in a while. I could take Call the Midwife several shades darker and without the saccharine. What's wrong with showing that No Blacks, No Irish and No Dogs was an issue not to be skirted around.

It's not even because they are nuns, because there are 100s of books that will recount stories of Nuns and Priests in the 50s and 60s that would make your hair curl.

'tler

[–] SrEditor 8 years ago

I have to say that those are exactly the reason I continue to think I'm just going to quit watching. But then I'll feel emotionally wrung out or too keyed up from the suspense in other shows I like, and watching CTM is a relief...even with all the PC nonsense.

[–] PasadenaGirl 9 years ago

This week's episode - the deformity of arms and legs was caused by a drug prescribed to combat morning sickness, for those of you too young to know. It was called Thalidomide. (Redgrave's voiceover at the end alluded to "one word" that would identify it, and Thalidomide is that word.) Australian researchers identified the connection a few years later, but not before hundreds, maybe thousands, of babies were born with arms and legs that looked like the baby last night. They're adults today and most are normal in other ways.

[–] Furienna (3365) 5 years ago

Some of them can swim and drive a car, but I can't do those things.
So if they can do that, they are much more normal than me and I won't cry for them.

[–] Pandjy 9 years ago

Yea, you're right .... however, I enjoy the saccharine .  I actually had the same thought about Patsy. I am sure at the time there would have been no outward showing of her reaction to the GF mother not letting her move back to London.

Don't get me wrong, I would still watch the show if it were darker but with all the stuff on TV now, I find it nice to sit back and watch a soft and quite show.

This last episode (Season 5 ep 1) had me crying pretty much the whole time!

[–] BlueRoses47 9 years ago

I feel exactly as you do, Pandjy. I have no problem with the saccharine.

Actually, I don't feel this show IS that saccharine. Sentimental, yes, but there's a place for that. The show has dealt, gently, with many hard core issues, even incest, but it has done so with good taste, I think.

I, too, can watch grittier things, and used to gravitate more to that, but as I get older I prefer to have the "gritty" watered down. I've seen enough heartbreak and pain in real life, so I don't need it so much in my entertainment.

[–] bookwormdreamer 9 years ago

While it takes a softer approach to difficult issues I'm okay with that. I find it a relief in a way.There is enough grit in the real world and on television and that's good too but I enjoy how they choose to deal with issues.

[–] Furienna (3365) 5 years ago

Absolutely!
I don't like grit at all these days, so I'm grateful that some "softer" shows still are out there.
And like another poster said, this show has still dealt with many tough issues.
So I don't see why people have to complain about it being "too saccharine".

[–] filmfancy 8 years ago

Everyone is so overemotional about everything.

I agree. The show is so melodramatic. I've gotten to really like the characters, but having everything always work out in the end seems so artificial.

The one scene that stood out for me in season five is when Cynthia is really angry after her attack and questions where God was. I thought the actress was terrific and the scene quite authentic, but then the next day she was back to her religious self.

It was barely mentioned again and the attacker was conveniently found to be a foreign sailor and dispatched of. I was hoping Cynthia would have a real crisis of faith.

And all the pieces matter (The Wire)

[–] rockethulsey 8 years ago

they rushed that

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[–] chirpie1 (2) 5 years ago

Did you watch future episodes? Just because they seemed to wrap up that storyline here doesn't mean they did.
Spoilers below:

A few episodes later Sister Mary Cynthia was in an explosion, which brought the trauma back up and went away for some rest, which ended her up in an asylum, which no one knew about. She came back, but then had some more issues and went away again - with a crisis of faith.

[–] Popcorngal (4883) 5 years ago

I have not seen the show since season 3 on DVD. I have some catching up to do. Was Sister Cynthia at the convent when she was attacked?

[–] butaneggbert 8 years ago

I just giggled my way through most of your post. Reread the first paragraph just to laugh some more. You have a gift!

I disagree with this bit, though:

THERE ARE GAY PEOPLE EVERYWHERE IN THE SHOW. And ALL THE MAIN CHARACTERS APPROVE OF IT BECAUSE YOU CAN'T THINK THAT THEY ARE IGNORANT IN ANY WAY.

Out of the dozens of characters we've met so far, three have been gay: one closeted guy who was made to suffer so much when outed he tried to kill himself, and a closeted lesbian couple. (I loved that delicious moment when the midwives were sitting on the front steps, and Patsy and her beloved were sitting just thiiiiisss much closer to each other than women usually would. At the time physical affection between straight women was more common - holding hands, dancing together - so it wouldn't have stood out to a casual observer. But you could see how much the two of them savored the proximity. Very sweet.)

Trixie said she acted as a friend's beard in school, and as usual she's ahead of the social curve in that. In real life, some people are. The rest seemed to be struggling with it. Their life in the slum has taught them time and time again to suspend judgment, to meet the people where they are. But I didn't get any sense that aside from Trixie they "approved" of it.

The discussion around the dinner table about the outed gay man showed some real nuance in the range of opinions. Sister Julienne rules with a gentle but strong hand. She's all about "judge not" and they all know that, so no one flat-out condemned the guy. But below the surface was some serious disagreement about what he'd done, and what he'd revealed himself to be.

So I'm not sure how you're seeing gay people everywhere, treated to a universal embrace.

_______________

Nothing to see here, move along.

[–] holchie 8 years ago

For all of what OP pointed out and other posters mentioned, I quit watching this show. The "revisionist history" was just too annoying. It seemed like the writing staff went down the list of social issues of today and then wrote shows around that. Racism? Check. Homosexuality? Check. Drugs? Check. The problem is, they put the present day "in" philosophies and attitudes towards all of that into the nuns and main characters of the show, so they were all so accepting of it and had to teach all of us viewers a moral lesson. Ugh. The other thing I was puzzled by and ended up laughing, and then turning off the show, was how neat and clean and polished everyone was. The very pregnant, yet tiny, women wearing shirtwaist dresses with belts over the top of their huge bellies, yet looking neat and spiffy, and rarely any maternity clothing in sight. Didn't they have maternity tops in England at that time? I came to almost hate this show for its ridiculous PC and saintly presentation. I still check back here to see what's being said about it, though.

[–] njgill 8 years ago

If you admittedly don't watch the show, why should anyone care about your opinion of it?

[–] holchie 8 years ago

You know what? You're right. Although I did watch Seasons 1 through 4, so I believe I qualify to make a remark now and again. But I could never approach the importance of your opinion, I'm sure. People must lose sleep waiting for your next brilliant utterance regarding this program.

[–] supergran 8 years ago

Keep posting, holchie. I enjoyed your comments, and agree with much of what you say. I still keep watching, though with a critical eye. The first episode of the new season (shown Sunday in the UK) was good, though, but the "moral" was laid on with a trowel. 

If there aren't any skeletons in a man's closet, there's probably a Bertha in his attic.

[–] holchie 8 years ago

Wow, thanks, supergran! Very encouraging to me.

[–] supergran 8 years ago

Wow, thanks, supergran! Very encouraging to me.



If there aren't any skeletons in a man's closet, there's probably a Bertha in his attic.

[–] chirpie1 (2) 5 years ago

Even if they were poor, women were cleaning and making their home as nice as they could make it. Some couldn't, but I'm not sure why that's hard to understand or so bad. People did go walking around in yoga pants and sweats like they do now. Most women hid being pregnant as long as they could (Chummy's pregnancy girdle? YIKES). People dressed up. They did have maternity clothing, but some of it was regular clothing that was let out and then taken back in after the baby.