Call The Midwife’s Christmas Day special seemed so bizarre and nightmarish that it left millions of viewers chewing on mince pies wondering if some festive eggnog had caused them to experience terrible hallucinations.
A precious baby had become addicted to heroin. It felt as if Sister Frances were blaspheming by uttering the words ‘anus’.
‘I’ll draw you a diagram!’ She promised to draw a diagram for whoever was unable to find her place in the body. It’s a long story and somewhat lacking in Christmas spirit…
In the Call the Midwife Christmas Special, Matthew Aylward was played by Olly Rix and Nurse Trixie Franklin by Helen George.
It was quite shocking to see a black leech sucking out the blood of the bride-to be. Her left eyelid was so swollen, much like Nurse Anderson. (And the leech had finished.
The 90-minute episode was still festive and had started in a classic, cozy, comfortable style.
Reggie had fun having a snowball battle, and the postman handed out parcels hand-to-hand (rather that hurling them behind his van’s bins). Miriam Margolyes also read Dickens and was genuinely enthralled by the young children. Different times…
However, EastEnders was soon followed by more drugs and drunken gangsters at 9:35pm. Walford’s wedding drama made this seem quaint.
Anita Page, the daughter of an alcoholic mother was a fetus. She had been jumping up and down in the laundry area when her waters broke. This eventually gave birth to a little girl who was both underweight, fit, and constant bawling.
Mother Mildred (Margolyes) had witnessed such terrible high-pitched wailing before – in Hong Kong – so luckily knew exactly what to prescribe the mite: little baby doses of heroin.
It was very tragic. However, she was able to stop crying.
Lucille, a nurse from Lucille Anderson was the victor of the Casualty-esque Guess the Catastrophe. After spending her hen evening playing Pass The Parcel (not metaphor), she had fallen tipsy on the staircase.
“Oh, poor girl!” This is more than just a black eye. Patrick Turner said, “It’s more than a black eye!” She could almost see it for herself. Although the doctor was not sensitive, his bedside manner was quite sloppy.
Lucille was told by him that iodine is not allowed. “If we do so, the leeches may die” (as if these were his priorities).
Once the leech is placed in its position, it will not cause any pain. The leech releases an natural anaesthesia when it begins to feed on the blood. This made it much more enjoyable to watch a leech feast on her eyeball.
Nancy Corrigan said, “It makes me sick to look at them,” and he was speaking on behalf of us all.
Cyril Robinson (Zephryn Taitte), Nurse Lucille Anderson (Leonie Elliott), and Reggie Jackson(Daniel Laurie), in this year’s Call the Midwife Christmas Special
Lucille’s situation got even worse. Dr Turner had to ‘encourage’ the leech to start gorging – by releasing a drop of blood that he may have regarded as ‘tiny’ but basically required him sticking a needle into her eyelid.
Lucille was a lot calmer than I would have been – or was, frankly. Couldn’t she just wear an eyepatch, you wondered – like the singer Gabrielle?
“That’s the ticket!” “That’s the ticket!” The doctor cheered as he clamped the leech with a bandage to secure it.
It is a very large specimen. It appears to be attached nicely. It took 45 minutes of intense sucking, but the process wasn’t finished.
“Until the hemoglobin is totally drained, the puncture wound will still leak blood for 10 hours.” Turner shared this with Turner ecstatically.
The good news is that Lucille was able to save her eye and she also got married to Cyril. (By the leech, more than by the doctor. Everyone would be happy ever after, not just the baby junkie.
It was all drinks. The leech was the only one who couldn’t drink another glass after he had just enjoyed his most memorable Christmas meal. The turkey sandwiches didn’t look so appetizing to us.