“Call the Midwife” Premiere Recap: Season 10, Episode 1

In a TV landscape filled with medical drama, PBS ‘ Call the midwife stands out both as a period play set in 1960s London’s East End, and as a series that edifies and entertains audiences with historical knowledge.

This tradition continued with the Season 10 premiere on Sunday, which began in the spring of 1966. The main story focused on two married friends and neighbors, Audrey and Glynis, who were both nine months pregnant. Audrey was expecting her first child and Glynis, the mother of twins, was expecting her third. Everything had gone well until the two started labor at about the same time.

Glynis was so dilated that she had to give birth to her beautiful baby girl in the kitchen with the help of Sister Julienne. And Audrey, who had started giving birth in her room, stayed behind and let midwife / nurse Lucille and Sister Frances guide her. Audrey pushed and when her baby boy, whom she named Christopher, was born, he was not breathing. He also didn’t have the lower half of his legs.

Lucille tried to revive the baby but to no avail, and an overwhelmed sister Frances tried to comfort Audrey, but this was also unsuccessful. Sister Frances ran to call Dr. Turner, and a more seasoned Sister Julienne stepped in and found a solution to keep the baby on ice so that the very distraught Audrey and her equally broken husband, Derek, could spend more time with the sweet baby, Christopher.

The next night, when Derek told an old army buddy about Christopher’s birth defects, the friend shared that his daughter was born with three missing fingers. That’s when Derek, who suffered from vicious ulcers and coughed up blood even before Christopher was born, made the connection. The two men had completed their military service on Christmas Island during “Operation Grapple”, when the British carried out atomic weapons tests from 1958 to 1959.

When Derek told Dr. Turner about his theory, the doctor realized that Derek and his guys had suffered radiation poisoning, which would explain Derek’s fetal abnormalities and bloody ulcer. Dr Turner was also able to rule out thalidomide (first introduced in Season 4), as it had been taken off the market five years earlier.

Fueled by their infuriating elucidations, Audrey and Dr Turner and Shelagh Turner vowed to find justice and answers for Derek and his fellow soldiers. Audrey and Glynis also made peace, and Audrey urged Glynis not to hide her baby girl – or her joy from her.

Elsewhere in the bracket, nurse Trixie began working at the Lady Emily Clinic, a private hospital for the well-heeled, to generate additional and much-needed income for Nonnatus House; and nurse Lucille helped fellow Caribbean Cyril find a permanent home. Sister Monica Joan struggled to walk again while recovering from a broken leg – and her broken faith in God. And someone stole the World Cup.

What did you think of the season 10 premiere of Call the midwife? Rate the opener in our poll and drop your thoughts in the comments.