Big Changes On the Horizon...Better "Call the Midwife: Season 2"

Those babies just keep coming!

The Story:

Nurse Jenny Lee (Jessica Raine)  and her cohorts return to ring in 1958 in Season 2.  Still narrated by Vanessa Redgrave, this season seems to veer into much more dramatic moments (how is that possible??!!) than the first series.  Starting with a Christmas episode that isn't very cheery, life on London's East End for our favorite midwives is about to change dramatically.

So at this point, it's hard to say if the memoirs of Jennifer Worth are expounded upon, changed completely or altered significantly, but Season 2 seems to be much more... preachy? Pushy? I'm not sure what the change is, but it's much more noticeable this go-round.

Jenny seems much more judgmental of her patients this season, as they push the new maternity room because the pregnant women are living in less than ideal conditions. 

In fact, many of the episodes seem to go for the controversy this go round.  Stealing babies. Abortion. Contraception. Mysterious death blamed on the nurses.  Again, based on actual events, but to what extent?  This almost seems to swing too far into the dramatic territory this season.

It doesn't help that much of the fun from the first season is missing.

Chummy (Miranda Hart) heads to Africa with her hubby and they are gone for almost the entire season.  Their fun and exuberance is sorely missed.

She is replaced by nursing assistant Jane (Dorothy Atkinson) who is void of all personality, possibly (hopefully)  by design?

Cynthia (Bryony Hannah) is blamed for the death of a child, and spends the rest of the episode doubting herself and ready to pack it in.

The other overarching storyline is the story of Sister Bernadette (Laura Main) who has been harboring feelings for the Doctor Turner (Stephen McGann).  When she is diagnosed with tuberculosis, it all culminates with the biggest change for her of all the characters.

By the season's end, the whole gang is back together, just in time to learn that the convent is scheduled for demolition.

That should mark a cheery beginning to Season 3.

Still good, but not quite up to par with the first season.

Available to stream instantly on Netflix as of this writing.

We'll see what happens in the third...and final(?)... season this winter.

Final Grade: B

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I think once will turn out to be enough for this series.  Looking forward to seeing what they come back with in Season 3, but the bloom is off the rose. ;)

You Don't Have to Wait 9 Months to "Call The Midwife: Season One"

There's something about a baby...

The Story:

Nurse Jenny Lee (Jessica Raine) comes to London's East End slums at the end of 1957 to be a midwife.  Imagine her surprise when instead of a hospital, she finds that she will be working at a convent with some nuns with medical training and a handful of other nurses.  These people, while midwives, don't just deal with the babies, but all the tenants of the area.  These stories are recounted by an older Jenny (Vanessa Redgrave) at the beginning, end and sometimes during the quiet moments of reflection as the tales unfold.

And yes, they are based on the true tales from nurse Jennifer Worth who collected her memoirs in a group of books upon which this remarkable BBC series is based.

Naturally, when we're dealing with childbirth in impoverished conditions of the late 50s, I suppose it would go without saying that be prepared for heartbreak for some of the families and the nurses/nuns in the series.

But be prepared for some amazing tales of love and strength to buffer the heartbreak.

The series deftly weaves the ups and downs in life through each episode, of which there are 6 in the first season.

I won't count down what happens in each episode, but if you think that "how boring, they're going to give birth in every episode, same story, over and over..."

Well no, you're wrong.

While babies are going to be born in just about every episode, the stories will be different for every mother the nurses run across.

The cast of nurses is excellent, and it's fun when a new nurse, Chummy Browne (Miranda Hart) arrives to learn the ropes.

And while Jenny is indeed the focal point of the series, each of the nuns and nurses will continue to be fleshed out and grow as characters.

Heck, why else would I be worried that Sister Monica Joan (Judy Parfitt) would wander off and die by the end of Episode 6?

Great series so far, and I'm happily watching with my favorite movie date!

Available to stream instantly on Netflix as of this writing.

On to Season 2!!!

Final Grade: A-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: The first thought is: Yes to both... but it would be hard.  Dramas often lose their punch with repeated viewings.  This would probably have to go unviewed for a good time, and then watch it again so it wasn't fresh and everything would seem new again.