A dark secret

I blog about the TV that moves me, and the issues it raises. Things tend to be a bit wordy. It's just how I roll.

[fancynewgiraffes]

I’m pretty well convinced that we could solve a lot of social problems if everyone had to watch and discuss Call the Midwife

[anamarialujan]

Yep.

[my-little-yellowbird]

CtM should be required viewing for anyone in a position where they can legislate health.

[retrozedd]

Or anything related to human rights.

[retrozedd]

Call the Midwife Nurse Patsy emotional return confirmed

Emerald Fennell’s much-loved character will appear in the series 6 finale.

[ilovemushystuff]

spoilers spoilers spoilers

Patsy back???

Shelagh !!!

[hospitalcorners]

Yay - Patsy!! Let’s hope the BBC does their reunion justice. Don’t turn the cameras away - let’s see them do what any other couple would do in that situation (within reason 😉).

[retrozedd]

At last!

[vvwcaw903b]

Radio Times - Will Patsy return to call the midwife

[figment81]

Even if it’s fictional it’s wrong to hope that Patsy’s father snuffs it quickly isn’t it. He’s going to linger forever and then she’s going to have to deal with all his business and property and stuff.

Anyone want to take bets on if we see Pats again this series?

[retrozedd]

I’m guessing she’ll be back in 6.06 or 6.07.

[wilfulmusings]

Re: Patsy and Delia, I think I do know what they're doing. I think they want their (predominantly heterosexual) audience to feel angry and scared and frustrated on behalf of our favorite gays every time they can't quite kiss. I think they are trying to evoke real empathy with the grinding awfulness of everyday homophobia, without beating anybody over the head with it. Of course it's frustrating: it's supposed to be.

(I do hope you don’t mind me posting this response)

Aha! I was trying to think much deeper. That makes so much sense; simple and symbolic. There’s me thinking the audience being mostly heterosexual would, perhaps not be oblivious but, be somewhat unaware or at least unaffected. Yet gender and sexuality aside (of both audience and characters) it is a romantic relationship, and it is bound to gain empathy simply by the way it’s portrayed. 

They want us to feel frustrated, of course! (Possibly why they cut the scripted kiss out?) It would appear my vision was skewed by the feeling, so much so I didn’t see the reason for it’s presence. 

Thank you for enlightening me! :)

[retrozedd]

Spot on @rebecca-liz

[captainhollysheet]

Let us pray...

That Sister Ursula will go away,

Sister Monica Joan can eat as much cake as she likes

… and Patsy will come back from Hong Kong and kiss Delia

AMEN!

[retrozedd]

She’ll be back.

[shirelassy]

[retrozedd]

Thanks for the plug. What did you think?

[retrozedd]

BBC to stream 1974 show with first lesbian kiss on UK television

Girl, starring Alison Steadman, tells the story of an affair between army officers and is now available after 40 years

Well, I never. Auntie kept that quiet. Good on them for making it available now though. I’ll check it out, I reckon.

[retrozedd]

Events during and immediately after 4.07

So, I wrote a pupcake fanfic. Just filling in some gaps around 4.07 and setting the record straight - according to me - about one thing in particular. Its the first time I’ve ever written anything like this and I’m not certain I’ll write more. But what the heck, take a look, let me know what you think.

[fyhomefires]

- Sick to the back teeth of being disrespected by an ungrateful bitch of a wife. - Oh, ungrateful? What have I got to be grateful for, Bob? The incessant put-downs? The constant disregard? The jealousy towards anything that takes me away from the house? Should I be grateful for the violence knocking me back into my place, or the way you need to control every hour of my day so that I feel more like a slave than anything resembling a wife?

(requested by @fangirlingtomboy)

[retrozedd]

Best scene in that final episode, without a doubt. Storming acting.

[missouiser-deactivated20210926]

Jill Scott as Precious Ramotswe in The No.1 Ladies’ Detective Agency.

If you are fortunate enough to be able to get hold of a copy of this seven-episode series from HBO, I highly recommend it.  It is not on Amazon Prime or Netflix, and the only copies available for purchase on Amazon are from secondary sellers, so check your local library.

Based upon Alexander McCall Smith’s best-selling series about the only female detective in Botswana (and, therefore, the number one ladies’ detective), this show has a gentleness to it that is rare in television.  Mma Ramotswe does not carry a gun (although she does fire a rifle), has no crime lab, and her secretary, Mma Makutsi, must use two typewriters to compose case files, as each one is missing different letters.  She solves the cases that come to her, ranging from a missing husband to a missing dog to a string of break-ins, by speaking to people, listening more than talking, and using her intuition.  No teams of forensic scientists, no DNA lab, just Precious and her tiny white van. And endless cups of bush tea.

This show reminds me of Call the Midwife, which is headed to South Africa for the 2016 Christmas special.  Not in subject matter, but in how it treats its characters.  Women are the core of the show, and HBO kept to Smith’s description of Precious as a “traditionally-built woman” - she’s no reed-thin fashion plate.  The people and their stories are the focus, not car chases and gun battles.  And there is a good amount of humor.

Botswana is South Africa’s neighbor to the north, and while they are two separate countries, watching this excellent program may help whet your appetite for the midwives adventures come December.

Note: this show only ran for 7 episodes, and HBO did not renew it.  Probably for the same reasons Agent Carter and Home Fires were cancelled.

[retrozedd]

Completely agree with all of this. An excellent adaptation by the BBC/HBO of Alexander McCall Smith’s brilliant books (of which there are now 15, I think). Such a shame they didn’t make a second series.

[retrozedd]

Re-watching 4:07

Spooky fog in Poplar? Must be almost Halloween. 

And it turns out a lot happens in Poplar at Halloween. Maybe too much. There were so many things going on in this episode and I felt like almost none of them got the time they really deserved. I’m guessing quite a bit ended up on the cutting room floor.

Although we did get to see Dr Turner predict that selfies would be a thing. And Sister Winifred displaying a remarkably 21st century attitude to H&S.

But I digress. Oh, hang on, let me get this out of the way too. The Gert and Tommy Mills story was just beautiful and Una Stubbs is a proper legend. Okay, now back to business…

Roy Orbison’s Only the Lonely lasts a little less than two and a half minutes. And blimey you can pack a lot in to two and half minutes if you try.

I loved the look between Trixie and Pats in the mirror that went with this dialog:

Patsy: “You sure you don’t want me to stay? Delia won’t mind.*”

Trixie: “Don’t be ridiculous. Even if you do so obviously prefer her company to mine.”

[* I’m pretty sure she would Pats.]

[Trixie SO knows.]

The scene between Pats and Deels in the cafe has been chewed over many times, I know. 

Although, I think I might be the only one to notice that, despite her obvious leg length disadvantage, Deels was the clear winner of the “walking fast in heels on cobbles competition”? I thought Pats was going to go over there for a second.

We’ll just overlook the fact that if Pats hadn’t grabbed her, Deels was going to walk straight into those bins, okay.

Seriously, I realize this is a huge scene for our girls and represents a truly pivotal moment in their relationship. I just wish we got to see more of the pivoting this time. But that is what fanfic is for, I suppose.

Best line this week was an easy pick:

Sister Monica Joan: “You dip a little at the bottom Nurse Mount.”

Patsy: “Not for the first time.”

Really Nurse Mount!

[retrozedd]

It seems I may have hit a bum note with this episode of “Re-watching...”. Are folk still enjoying these? Should I keep going?

[retrozedd]

Helen George on Strictly, Call the Midwife and getting to 'play' for a living

As she prepares to take to the Cambridge Arts Theatre stage in After Miss Julie, Bambi-eyed Call the Midwife star Helen George chats Tarantino, type-casting and getting to 'play' for a living with...

“Helen developed a passion for performing after realising her dream jobs – an athletic long jumper or the first female manager of Aston Villa Football Club – may be rather out of reach.”

I wasn’t expecting that! 

And I’m really starting to like Helen George through all these interviews she is doing with the regional press to promote After Miss Julie on tour. She seems very grounded, open and honest. She also seems to find something new to tell each local hack, which must be hard work.

[retrozedd]

Hay Festival 2016 - Russell T Davies and Maxine Peake

The former Doctor Who show-runner talks about his passion project, the BBC film of Shakespeare’s play he’s wanted to make his entire life.

If you are a fan of Russell T Davies or Maxine Peake, watch this. It is joyful. I particularly liked the way Russell slammed down the older woman who asked the daft question near the end about him cutting references to women committing suicide for love from AMSND and what that meant he would do to Romeo and Juliet. Err...nothing.

It is also interesting to contrast Russell’s position on the responsibility of the writer here with what Simon Block did in Home Fires. I’ve discussed this at more length elsewhere (check my blog - thanks @my-little-yellowbird for the opportunity)

It lasts an hour though, so get comfy and make a cup of tea first.

[retrozedd]

So I finally watched the last episode of Home Fires...

WTF!

[retrozedd]

I mean seriously. What was Simon Block thinking? Marry off the established lesbian and crash a plane into the village during the reception. How does that resolve any of the plot lines? Any of them? Its just lazy screenwriting.

No wonder it hasn’t been renewed.

This is how bad it can be Call The Midwife fans. Be grateful. Be very, very grateful.

[my-little-yellowbird]

I *think* the justification for Theresa’s wedding was the fact that at the time, so many women felt they had to assume a false heterosexual identity in order to “pass” within the community. Theresa had already shown her discomfort with her desires, and desperately wanted to fit in. I saw an interview where Block hinted that the marriage would suffer for this reason, and apparently planned to address the issue in s3.

The plane in the sitting room? Yeah, I’m totally with you on that one.

[retrozedd]

Thanks for responding Birdy. Can I call you Birdy? I’m starting to feel like I’m talking to an empty room. Its good to know at least one person is listening.

I’ve seen Block’s comments along these lines and I understand the argument. I just don’t agree with it. Mainly because it is 2016, not 1940 and his duty to historical accuracy does not extend to representing something that (whilst I don’t doubt did happen sometimes) almost certainly did no one any good then and definitely does no one any good now. Perhaps if he had decided to tackle this within a series rather then over two, I would have been more understanding. However, given that Home Fires hasn’t been renewed and there will be no further commentary on the issue, the whole thing just seems irresponsible to me.

[my-little-yellowbird]

Interesting point. When are we using “history” as a crutch for drama? There’s so much factual tragedy in the world, but does that give a writer (film maker, artist, etc) license to use something simply because it really happened? You’re on to something here, @retrozedd. Fiction’s purpose isn’t to document facts, but to use modern prisms to understand it.

[retrozedd]

Exactly Birdy.

In essence, I’m saying Block didn’t have to go there. In fact, he didn’t have to include a gay character in Home Fires at all. It wouldn’t have made the show any more or less historically accurate, either way. He chose to do it.

And this is where I think it starts to become so contentious. Because you then have to ask yourself why did he chose to do this thing? There could be any number of answers, I suppose. Maybe there are quotas? Maybe he really wanted to explore the lesbian experience through WWII. Or maybe (and you can call me a cynic if you wish) he did it to titillate the viewers and chase ratings. Perhaps it was all of the above.

But whatever his agenda, I think that having made that choice he has to take responsibility for it.

And a responsible storyteller in 2016 should not, in my view, be sending out the message that an appropriate response to feelings of discomfort about your sexuality are best dealt with by denying your feelings and just doing what you think society expects of you. We know better now (or at least most of us do).

People who are wrestling with exactly these same issues watch these programs and identify (often over identify) with these characters, at least in part because there are so few of them on TV. You know this from the CtM fandom. Communicating the wrong message to those people is incredibly dangerous. TV still has enormous power.

Yeats said, “Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.”

Block did not tread softly. And worse, I suspect his motivations for walking all over the cloth of this particular heaven were less than honourable to start with.

[retrozedd]

Helen George: ‘I didn’t want to be a celebrity’ | Interviews | The Stage

Though Helen George has achieved fame as Trixie Franklin in the popular BBC series Call the Midwife, which recently finished its fifth series, this warm an