This “Call the Midwife” episode was Season 4’s finale, and it featured the best and worst of life and love.
Violet and Fred are on their way to Nonnatus House for an engagement celebration. Violet is nervous because she brought dahlias, which she’s not sure was appropriate. Fred assures her that everything will be fine.
In Nonnatus House, Barbara and Evangelina are trying to start a fire but the chimney is blocked. They blame Fred, who’s been a little distracted as of late.
Fred and Violet arrive and are greeted by Julienne. Tea and cake are served, and Trixie notices that the silver board they’re using to serve the cake was the same one they used for Trixie’s own engagement party. Barbara tells her not to worry, she’s sure it won’t bring Fred and Violet bad luck. Fred and Violet reveal that they haven’t set a date yet. Fred also shares that he’s written his daughters, but hasn’t heard anything from Marlene, who recently moved back to England from Canada
Outside, Chummy has arrived, dropped off by Peter, who’s taking Freddy to his grandmother’s for a visit. Chummy is taking time off from the Mother and Baby House to work at the London Hospital for two weeks. She sends her family off and goes into Nonnatus House. She is greeted by Monica Joan, who is excited to see that Chummy is carrying a cake tin. She’s disappointed, however, when Chummy reveals that the tin contains not cake, but the ashes of her mother.
Later, at the Clinic, we are introduced to a woman named Maureen, who is having an incredible amount of sickness with her pregnancy, and who demonstrates this by vomiting into her handbag. When she is examined later, the nurses tell her they’ll talk to Dr. Turner and try to find some way to help her.
Marlene arrives to visit Fred. She tells him he hasn’t really thought through this marriage, and she does not approve.
Trixie and Chummy share a moment putting on protein masks, and Chummy tells Trixie that she’s having some trouble deciding what to do with her mother’s ashes.
The next morning, Trixie visits a pregnant woman named June, who is deaf. Trixie understands just enough sign language to know what June is trying to say, but has trouble communicating her own questions. The father, Kevin, arrives and translates for her. They decide that Kevin will be on hand for the delivery.
Trixie shares this plan with the colleagues at Nonnatus House over dinner. Evangelina and the older nuns and nurses are scandalized by this idea, but Trixie is determined that it will happen because they need the father to translate. Julienne agrees with Trixie, and the matter is settled.
Patsy and Delia are at a cafe, and Delia has news. They are closing the Nurses’ Home, and she will need to find a new place to live. She floats the idea of she and Patsy getting an apartment together. No one will think anything of it, since a lot of women share flats like that. Patsy agrees.
Marlene visits Violet in her shop. She reminisces a little bit about her mother, then intimates that Fred is only marrying her because she wants her to take care of him. Later, Fred comes in with candy for her, and as they talk, it is clear that Violet is considering what Marlene said.
Patsy tells Julienne she wants to move out. Julienne wants to know why, and Patsy tells her it’s because she wants to live independently, which she’s never done before.
Barbara visits Maureen Gadsby, who is very sick, and unable to care for her child. When Barbara asks if there’ someone who can help her, she says there’s no one; she’s estranged from her mother and her husband is in prison.
Violet meets with Fred and tells him about Marlene’s visit. She asks him if he’s made some provision for his retirement, and it’s clear he hasn’t. She considers this, and then breaks up with him. Later, in his flat with Marlene, Fred is inconsolable.
At the clinic, Barbara tells Crane that she’s found space for Maureen Gadsby at the hospital, and has even made arrangements for her son to be fostered while she is there. Crane tells her she’s doing a good job. When Barbara visits Maureen to tell her the news, she finds her collapsed on the floor. She calls Dr. Turner.
At Nonnatus House, Crane takes a phone call. It’s Kevin Dillon. June is in labor. She dispatches the midwives. When Cynthia goes to deliver the baby, they find it’s a false alarm. June is upset. She wants to meet her baby.
Dr. Turner and Barbara are at the hospital with Maureen. She’s very dehydrated, but the baby seems fine, for now. They’re more worried about losing Maureen. She has a condition and Dr. Turner says he’ll find something to help her.
Chummy finds Monica Joan wrapped in a blanket because the boiler has died. Fred has not been seen for several days.
Patsy and Delia look for apartments, they find one that looks good. They call and get the flat. Later, they arrive and make plans to fix it up together.
Fred is wandering around, dejected. He spies on Violet, who seems sad as well. Chummy visits him and finds him in an awful state. She tells him about the boiler, but he doesn’t seem like he can bring himself to do much about it. He tells her that Marlene has gone to stay with a friend because she’s tired of his moping around.
At the Turners, they are looking for some medication that might help Maureen Gadsby. Turner finds that there is something that just came on the market, and it might do the trick.
Delia and Patsy are at the apartment, cleaning it up and planning their happy lives together. It gets late, and Delia needs to get to work. She takes off on Patsy’s bike, and as she rounds the corner is hit by a van. Winifred comes upon the scene, and runs off to tell Patsy.
At Nonnatus House, Patsy is calling the hospital to see if she can get some news about Delia. Since she’s not family, they won’t tell her anything. For now, she can’t even see her.
Chummy visits with Marlene, and finds out that Marlene’s main objection to the marriage is that she doesn’t want Fred to leave their family home, which they’ve lived in since just after their mother was killed in the blitz. She just doesn’t want things to change. Chummy points out that Fred is very unhappy, which seems to get through to Marlene.
Patsy is finally able to visit Delia in the hospital, where she meets Delia’s mother, who tells her that Delia is having seizures. She’s also lost her memory. She doesn’t remember Patsy or even her own mother. They’re going to take her back home to Wales. Patsy asks if she can come visit or phone, but the mother basically says no to both of these things, but she can write.
Patsy returns to the flat she planned to share with Delia. She puts flowers on the windowsill, and sets about to finish cleaning the place up. She gets it all spic and span, then stays there for a while mourning what might have been. When she goes, she leaves the keys in the door.
Marlene visits Violet again, and this time she apologizes for interfering in their happiness. They go outside to find Fred, and Violet and Fred get back together.
At the Dillons, June is in labor, for real this time. She delivers a boy, and holds him in her arms.
That night, Trixie is returning home on her bike when she runs into Tom. She tells him she’s just returning from a birth, and he tells her that he’s going to sit with a dying man. Trixie goes back to her room to drink and smoke. She wallows in her pain for a moment, and then picks up the phone and calls the Samaritans, a suicide hotline. She tells them that she just wants to quit drinking. Cynthia comes in and tells them that Trixie is safe, and tells Trixie that she’ll do anything she can to help her.
Maureen Gadsby is much better and able to leave the hospital. The Turners happily send her away with the medication that can control her sickness … Thalidomide.
Trixie goes to a support group. She tells him that her father was a drinker, and now she is one too, but wants to stop.
Chummy and Marlene help Violet get ready, then she and Fred are married. Everyone goes back to Nonnatus House to celebrate. Tom is there, dancing with Crane. He and Trixie share a look, but Trixie looks away, not able to face him again just yet.
Chummy goes to the river, and scatters her mother’s ashes there.
Season 5 of “Call the Midwife” is expected to return in late 2015.
Chad Grayson has been a gas station attendant, sold video games over the phone, and even was the person who cuts the mold off the cheese in the cheese factory, but spent most of his career as a middle school Language Arts and History teacher. He is now a full-time stay at home dad and writer. You can find him on twitter at @chadgrayson and on his blog at cegrayson.wordpress.com.
