ProudGrandma Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 Why is this series so highly recommended by people on this board??  Enquiring minds want to know.  😊 Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 Have you watched it and didn't enjoy it? or just wondering before you try it? Â 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 I like it. It has a quiet dignity to it. Every episode is focused on compassion and weaving in social issues/events of the time period. The cast manages to all come across as caring and loving people. And, I don't have to work too hard to follow a plot. Now, if they'd drop a few more episodes per year I'd be grateful. Right now I watch about 1 a month, waiting for the next season to come to Netflix. 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProudGrandma Posted January 19, 2023 Author Share Posted January 19, 2023 6 hours ago, Tap said: Have you watched it and didn't enjoy it? or just wondering before you try it? Â Wondering before I try it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 I enjoyed the first few seasons, where the storylines were similar to the book. Haven’t watched it since, though. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OH_Homeschooler Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 1 hour ago, kfeusse said: Wondering before I try it. Then just go for it! I got into it a long time ago because some TV reviewers were always raving about it. It didn't seem like something I'd like, but I loved it. I think I love the women supporting women aspect of it the most. And if you don't like it, you can always stop watching. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 I haven't kept up with it in years, but I haven't watched any TV in years, lol. Call the midwife was a definite favorite when I did watch, for a few reasons. 1. As someone raised Episcopal, with my family's roots going to the Church of England, it was interesting to see a show that focused on the Church of England's religious order, as you don't see that much. So many people assume only Catholic's have religious orders. 2. As someone who's faith is of the works of mercy/social justice sort, it was refreshing to see very religious women also portrayed as sensible, practical people who were willing at times to bend the letter of the law/rule in the name of love and compassion. That has always been my experience with truly religious women, but in popular culture often religious people are portrayed or imagined as holier than thou bigots who care more about rules than people. I think this show did a good job of showing more the type of faith I know. 3. It shows strong women. Even in an era were women's roles and power were officially limited it shows the influence they could and did wield. 4.It's pretty! I really enjoyed the clothing, particularly in the early episodes. 1940's are my favorite fashion era. 5. When I started watching I was a bit of a birth junkie and using midwives for my births (3 homebirths after first hospital birth went ugly). So that part was nice, and they did do a decent job of showing natural home births in a positive light. 15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 I think the production value and quality is extremely high - the costuming, the streets, the cars, etc are just amazing to look at. The writing is intellgent and real - how it ties into real social issues during this time period and how they weave historical events throughout. Also, really amazing and complex character development in the context of stories portrayed.  As someone who had a birth trauma, some episodes have been hard for me to watch. I have a relatively short list of shows I will come back to and this is one of them.  4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsmith Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 I started watching it because one side of the family comes from that area and it came up in a search for info on the area. I was hooked on the first episode. I love all the different characters, the setting, the social issues of the time, the births, excellent writing and acting. One of my favorite shows ever. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 I really enjoy this show. There are wonderful storylines, great actors, and the cultural & historical aspects are really interesting. The stories are touching, with a lot of humour woven in - particularly Miranda Harts's character, Chummy. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbutton Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 What everyone else said… I like that it’s family friendly enough to watch with teens so that we can talk about themes that might not come up in ordinary conversation. The show models what I recently heard called principled pluralism—we don’t all have to have the same beliefs, but we do have to work together for human flourishing. We can disagree without thinking badly of one another or calling each other intolerant (or simply assuming the worst) for having deeply held beliefs (obviously some people are intolerant, but the show models tolerance even in the face of bad behavior). 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbutton Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 Oh, and it takes the taboo out of taboo subjects. It’s also shocking to see how much is the same and how much is different from back then. The mothers in the first series are not American, but they are otherwise peers of both of my grandmothers. The amount of change in just a decade of time portrayed in the show is mind blowing, but at the same time, the characters clearly embrace progress and see it as slow—they will talk about how thus and such surely can’t still be happening in 19xx!!! I think we do the same—we forget how 10 years ago, we didn’t have xyz technology or medical breakthrough. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pitterpatter Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 This. It's a quality show. We watch it in between binging on other shows. 1 hour ago, catz said: I think the production value and quality is extremely high - the costuming, the streets, the cars, etc are just amazing to look at. The writing is intellgent and real - how it ties into real social issues during this time period and how they weave historical events throughout. Also, really amazing and complex character development in the context of stories portrayed.  As someone who had a birth trauma, some episodes have been hard for me to watch. I have a relatively short list of shows I will come back to and this is one of them.   1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 I love it and I’ve watched the completed seasons several times. I haven’t started the current season (have the Christmas special recorded). It highlights how some things have really changed (medically) in recent decades…and how some things haven’t.  I enjoy some storylines more than others, some characters more than others. Some episodes are unbearably sad. But I still think they’re worth watching (and the books worth reading, though they’re more sad). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OH_Homeschooler Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 26 minutes ago, wintermom said: I really enjoy this show. There are wonderful storylines, great actors, and the cultural & historical aspects are really interesting. The stories are touching, with a lot of humour woven in - particularly Miranda Harts's character, Chummy. Oh I miss Chummy! But at least we still have Trixie. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busymama7 Posted January 20, 2023 Share Posted January 20, 2023 As a midwife myself and history lover this show is one of my favorites. The books (while difficult) are also really good. I haven't seen the more recent seasons because we canceled Netflix.  I have pbs passport but it doesn't appear to be on there.  Is there any other way to watch it? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted January 20, 2023 Share Posted January 20, 2023 My brother is a huge fanboy. He's going to rewatch it all with dd when we eventually get to that part of modern history. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted January 20, 2023 Share Posted January 20, 2023 It's treacly but it's somehow not offensively so? I often find things with similar goals to be eyeroll inducing, but every time I want to hate on Call the Midwife, it somehow ropes me in. Sometimes the sensitive or controversial topics are dealt with in a bit of a sanitized way, but it's not bad. I am a bit done with the voice over. I think it worked reasonably well in the first seasons, but at this point it's just silly. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Condessa Posted January 20, 2023 Share Posted January 20, 2023 I love Call the Midwife! Â I love the history from such a personal perspective. Â I actually rewatched a few seasons during my last childbirth (it was a long labor). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alicia64 Posted January 21, 2023 Share Posted January 21, 2023 I love Call the Midwife, and one reason is because it follows history in various ways. It shows when midwives went from no meds at the births to chloroform (I think) for the moms. It's the first show I've watched to show exactly how the thamaldahide tragedy unfolded. It shows how the pill came into standard-use. It shows how English people dealt with bombs that Hitler dropped, but that had never exploded. The funny thing is, in the same time-frame, you can watch The Crown (royalty) and Call the Midwife (working poor cared for by the midwives). Both shows are set years after WWII. Each are set in relatively the same time in history. And the fashions are fun to watch too! Have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted January 21, 2023 Share Posted January 21, 2023 23 minutes ago, Alicia64 said: The funny thing is, in the same time-frame, you can watch The Crown (royalty) and Call the Midwife (working poor cared for by the midwives). Both shows are set years after WWII. Each are set in relatively the same time in history. I vote for some sort of short term Red Nose Day crossover skit. Come on Netflix and BBC. We'd all watch a Claire Foy's Elizabeth stopping in Poplar and meeting Trixie sketch. Ooh, while pregnant with Charles or something. 2 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted January 21, 2023 Share Posted January 21, 2023 Wait, I just realized the problem with that. If Emerald Fennell was there, it would be terribly confusing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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