‘Call the Midwife’ season 3, episode 7 review (PBS): Shelagh, Dr. Turner, and a snag

“Call the Midwife” is starting to near the end of its third season, but would you really get the sense of that after watching this episode? That is something that is certainly up for debate. (Warning: Spoilers ahead!)

From the standpoint of Nonnatus House, it doesn’t really feel that much like anything has changed, and the procedural stories are not really that different than they were at the start of the season. The only major shocker? That thanks to Dr. Turner’s messed-up past, there may not be a way for him and Shelagh to adopt a child together.

We’ve presented our full review of this episode from back when it aired in Britain earlier this year. What we do want to touch on a little bit more now is one of the possible reasons that this show does not catch on with American audiences in the same way that it does in Britain: We just do not know how to handle the format.

Ponder this for a moment: In America, we traditionally have 22-24 episodes a season of something that is this procedural. Even on cable, seasons are typically 13-15. That is enough time for there to be a main story that sort of carries throughout, without at the same time enough time for all the good standalone plotlines to be enjoyed.

With “Call the Midwife,” maybe there isn’t enough time with eight episodes for audiences to know what to think about it. When we watched the show in Britain, we spent most of the time wondering if there was something more that was supposed to happen. We can’t say everything yet, though, mostly because of what happens during the finale.

What did you think about this “Call the Midwife” episode? Share some of your thoughts below.