Call the Midwife season 8 finale review: Did Valerie’s grandmother go to jail?
We are speaking here of the abortion clinic, the very thing that her grandmother was running and using in order to do some fairly unspeakable things. Valerie was devastated to learn about some of her gran’s practices, and that put her in a position where she had to contemplate reporting her to the authorities. As a matter of fact, Trixie even encouraged her to do so. That moment that Valerie cut her grandmother out of a photo hit us right in the gut.
For the first half of the episode, it felt as though Valerie’s grandmother was going to receive her just desserts over what she did — yet, that changed when the testimony changed. Instead of an in-person statement from someone who was suffering, all they were going to get was a written statement. Basically, Valerie found herself in a position where the only way she was going to be able to get justice was to go up on the stand herself. She had to be the one to put away her own grandmother; we can’t even imagine having to be in that position.
The episode eventually concluded with the trial, which is where things started to go a little bit haywire. Trixie attempted at first to testify, but that proved hard for her due to her established relationship with the victim. She wasn’t being properly heard. It wasn’t until the victim (Cath) decided to give some testimony that the tide began to turn. After this, Valerie’s grandmother decided to change her plea to guilty and with that, Valerie was not needed on the stand, after all.
After Valerie’s grandmother was sentenced to many years in prison, the two spent time together and dealt with some of the emotional aftermaths. As horrible as her actions were, Valerie never wanted to imagine this as the end. Valerie’s grandmother did send her a message on her way out the door: Until the lawmakers change things when it comes to abortion, there will always be backstreet clinics. There just won’t be hers.
What is happening with Reggie?
For those who have been wanting to see him find a little bit of companionship in his life, this episode created a foundation for that! Tonight, the character started to exhibit some different behavior patterns, which stemmed in part from him being heartsick. It just so turned out that the character had feelings for a woman with Down Syndrome named Jane and was struggling to handle it. This is where Fred and Violet came into play, as the two helped him to prepare a note where he could make some of his thoughts and feelings clear.
This storyline was all about preparing Reggie for this big move in life, especially once it was determined that Jane also had some feelings for him. The two were going to get a chance to spend some time together at the charitable dance at the end of the episode, one that was going for a brand-new incubator at the maternity home.
May’s status
At the start of the episode, Shelagh and Dr. Turner had to say farewell to their foster daughter May, as it seemed as though there would be a better family and life for her somewhere else. They handled the emotional farewell about as well as they could, only to learn down the road that her prospective adoptive father had suffered a relapse. That meant that the two rushed in to be parental figures for her once more.
CarterMatt Verdict
As a whole, we consider the Call the Midwife season 8 finale to be a tremendous success. First and foremost, let’s just rejoice in the fact that there as no horrible death like we saw with Barbara at the end of season 8. There were still some births, some typical Call the Midwife cases, and then also the arrival of Nurse Crane back at Nonnatus House after her recent illness. This was a lovely episode that was warm at times, painful at others, and a beautiful reminder of what Call the Midwife does best.
When could Call the Midwife season 9 premiere on BBC One?
You can get some other news on this particular subject by heading over to the link here.
What did you think about the Call the Midwife season 8 finale overall? Be sure to share right now in the comments. (Photo: BBC.)