Season 15 Now Streaming
Modern Midwives Blog
Life is never easy. But sometimes the hardest moments bring out the most remarkable displays of resilience — and often where you least expect them. This week, fans of Call the Midwife once again see the residents of Poplar come together in striking ways, supporting each other through both devastating personal and public incidents.
In other news, Rosalind and Cyril contemplate taking their relationship to new heights, but will their plans pan out as they hope?
Here’s what you need to know about the latest episode.
This week, the midwives welcome Pam Shields, a woman pregnant with her second child. Pam is recently separated from her husband, Kenny, and she does not want him in the delivery room with her.
Not long after checking in, Pam goes into labor. And, right on cue, Kenny turns up at the maternity home, eager to get news on the birth. Fortunately, Nurse Crane quickly intervenes and sends him on his way, reminding him that he has a responsibility to do what’s best for the baby.
Nurse Crane helps Pam give birth to a beautiful baby boy, Colin. But as Dr. Turner observes later on, Colin has an unusual redness in his eyes. Out of precaution, Dr. Turner orders some lab tests to determine the cause for his symptoms.
However, just as Pam begins to catch a moment’s rest, tragedy strikes the maternity ward. While conducting her morning check-ins on all the newborns, Sister Catherine realizes Colin Shields is nowhere to be found.
Alarmed, Sister Catherine rushes to Pam to see whether the mother knows of her son’s whereabouts, but it’s too late: someone has kidnapped Colin.
Elsewhere, Sister Veronica bumps into Molly Robins, an employee at Poplar’s local elementary school. Yet despite their friendly exchange, Molly is harboring a secret.
For several consecutive months, Molly has experienced an excruciating pain in her stomach and loss of bladder control. While her husband, Edwin, gently urges Molly to seek medical attention, she remains reluctant. But when the pain becomes more and more debilitating, Molly finally agrees to see Dr. Turner.
Upon examining her, Dr. Turner points out a large bump resting on her abdomen. Molly worries it’s her worst nightmare — cancer — but Dr. Turner insists he doesn’t have enough information to make a diagnosis. Instead, he sends Molly to St. Cuthbert’s for more testing.
Meanwhile, Cyril and Rosalind — aka Poplar’s favorite couple — have some exciting news of their own.
During a picturesque picnic, Cyril announces he is six weeks out from applying for a decree absolute, the final order in his divorce proceedings. Once approved, Cyril will at long last rejoin society as a single man. Although there is some residual sadness about the circumstances, Cyril feels as if he can now fully plan for his future.
And who knows? Perhaps he could even marry again… if he finds the right person. (Wink!)
Later, the two of them celebrate the news over dinner where Cyril proposes an idea. With his upcoming social work conference scheduled in York, would Rosalind consider accompanying him for a weekend get away?
That’s right! Cyril wants to share a whole weekend together. Delighted, Rosalind enthusiastically agrees. It’s a big step forward for the happy couple.
Word spreads fast about Baby Colin’s disappearance, and soon the police arrive at Dr. Turner’s office. While Sister Catherine fills in DI Holbrook about the events leading up to the kidnapping, Sister Julienne does her best to comfort the increasingly distressed Mrs. Shields.
However, there’s another element to this kidnapping case that bolsters even more cause for alarm. During his conversation with DI Holbrook, Dr. Turner receives Baby Colin’s lab result — a positive match for chicken pox.
As a newborn, untreated chicken pox can quickly cause detrimental health outcomes, including blindness.
In other news, Pam also learns that her eldest child, Lisa, has disappeared. Suddenly, everything clicks into place as only one possible explanation remains: Kenny has taken both their children.
DI Holbrook and his team immediately chase down this new lead, but they quickly reach a dead end. Kenny has deserted his flat and taken all of his belongings with him, nowhere to be found.
Will the Poplar police successfully track down Kenny? And will it be in time before Colin starts to develop irreversible health symptoms?
After Dr. Turner’s visit to the Robbins’ home, Molly arrives at St. Cuthbert’s for more medical testing. Joyce, still working her shifts at the hospital, welcomes Molly and Edwin into the waiting room.
Following some X-rays, Mr. Parry and his team of doctors still need to perform surgery to remove Molly’s mass for a final diagnosis. The good news? Molly doesn’t have cancer — but rather, a far more surprising outcome.
For more than three decades, Molly has unknowingly carried a "stone baby," an extremely rare phenomenon where a fetus develops outside of the uterus and is never viable. Instead, they typically die quite quickly and get absorbed back into the body. But in Molly’s case, the fetus survived until it was too big to get reabsorbed, and it calcified, basically turning it into stone.
Upon learning the news, Molly is devastated — she and Ed had always hoped to have children of their own. Joyce tries to offer Molly some emotional support, but to make the situation even more painful, Molly overhears a nearby group of doctors refer to the stone baby as a “monster.”
While Joyce swiftly explains “monster” is an outdated medical term, Molly is both heartbroken and furious by the doctors’ callousness.
On the outskirts of Poplar, Kenny finds refuge in an abandoned cabin where Baby Colin continues to exhibit worrying signs of poor health.
Realizing there’s something wrong, Kenny telephones Pam’s flat. Sister Catherine, there on a house visit, answers and urges Kenny to bring Colin for medical services. But despite her best efforts to convince him, Kenny abruptly hangs up.
Later that night, while driving through the streets of Poplar, Kenny makes another rash decision — he leaves Lisa on a bench outside of a village hall and watches from afar. Soon, an older woman approaches Lisa to check in on her.
Upon seeing Lisa in good hands, Kenny drives away. Fortunately, the Good Samaritan brings Lisa to the police, who reunites the young girl with her mother.
When Kenny calls Nonnatus House later, Sister Catherine tries once again to persuade the father to turn in Colin. However, Kenny firmly believes Pam will take the kids away if he were to return to Poplar. Sister Catherine implores Kenny to “put the children first,” but Kenny refuses to give Colin up.
A turning point in the case emerges out of an unexpected encounter. While Kenny tries to feed Colin near the woods, an older man chasing his dog comes across the father and son.
Soon after, the police resume their manhunt, determined to track down their new lead.
Meanwhile, as Cyril and Rosalind continue to solidify the details for their upcoming weekend getaway, Rosalind seeks out a specific appointment of her own… a check-up with a gynecologist.
Although Rosalind admits she is not currently sexually active, she tells her doctor that she would like to be prepared when she is.
However, when Rosalind and Cyril go on an evening stroll later on, Rosalind discovers Cyril has requested two separate bedrooms for their weekend stay.
Incredulous, Rosalind pushes back on Cyril’s decision. They’ve been dating for over a year — why wouldn’t they share a hotel room together? Cyril tries to explain to Rosalind that he didn’t want to make any assumptions about what Rosalind wanted.
While Cyril’s intention was well-meaning, Rosalind implies she is ready to explore new levels of intimacy in their relationship. As she reminds him, she is a “modern woman, who loves him” after all.
In other news, Dr. Turner and Shelagh have a serious dilemma on their hands regarding Christopher. While the young toddler has received steady rounds of chemotherapy since arriving in Poplar, it is taking a physiological and psychological toll on him.
Christopher’s consultants decide to temporarily halt his treatment because of his weakened state. But in an unexpected turn of events, Dr. Turner receives some optimistic news. Christopher’s chemotherapy medication exists in a portable, powder form, meaning the British Army Hospital in Hong Kong could hypothetically administer it to him.
While the idea of having Christopher return to Hong Kong so soon is heartbreaking, both Dr. Turner and Shelagh know it’s the best solution for the toddler.
Yet, the question remains — who will accompany Christopher on his long journey home?
Meanwhile, Sister Veronica checks in on Molly and Edwin who are still reeling from learning about their stone baby. Both frustrated and saddened, Molly explains how it has awakened many painful feelings and memories.
More than anything, though, the Robbins feel like the baby belongs to everyone but them. Fortunately, they find a sympathetic ear in Sister Veronica. She promptly contacts the hospital and asks if the couple can see their baby.
When they visit their baby, Edwin and Molly finally receive some sense of closure, with Molly tenderly adding, “That don’t look like a monster to me.”
As Kenny becomes more and more desperate to rectify the mess he’s made, he returns to East London. Disheveled and frazzled, Kenny stands in a phone booth, helplessly looking at his sick son.
Over at the Shields’ flat, the phone rings. Sister Catherine, out on a visit, picks up the blaring phone — it’s Kenny. He still refuses to disclose where he is, but as luck would have it, Sister Catherine hears an ice cream truck ringing in the distance and realizes she can hear the same sound from Kenny’s side of the phone.
The police bolt around the block, with Sister Catherine trailing behind. As the police surround Kenny, the Sister carefully scoops up the sick baby and returns him to a relieved Pam. After many scary days, the mother and child are reunited. The path to healing can finally begin.
With Christopher ready to return to Hong Kong, Shelagh starts putting plans in place. However, one crucial element of the voyage remains unresolved — who will accompany Christopher on his journey home?
Sister Julienne asks Sister Veronica to join her and Shelagh in her office, where Shelagh lays out her proposal. Since Sister Veronica has such a close bond with Christopher, would she consider taking him back to Hong Kong?
Delighted, Sister Veronica turns to Sister Julienne who offers her unequivocal approval and blessing. With the matter finally settled, a huge feeling of relief unfolds across the room.
As for Colin Shields, the newborn shows signs of recovery. And, while it’s too early to speculate about his potential blindness, everyone can rest a lot easier because he’s now in safe hands.
Forgot how we got here? Catch up on “Call the Midwife” with the Season 15, Episode 3 GIF Recap.
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