With yet another ridiculous work week ahead of me - I hate you so much, Russian Company of Doom - I am forced, once again, to break up this week's reviews. CTM tonight, Girls and HIMYM tomorrow. Sorry, everyone. Let's see what our favorite midwives have been up to this week.

Sr. Winifred and Patsy drive around while Jenny narrates a truly cringe-worthy speech about fruits of labors and the changing season. Patsy is implied to have drastic secrets, surrounding a mirror for some reason.

Trixie recounts a date (a dream, involving Rock Hudson - she's in for a surprise, isn't she?) while Chummy looks bored and Patsy is secretive. Sr. Evangelina complains about the "nine-months-after-Christmas" busy period, the bane of midwives and obstetricians everywhere. As they leave, Patsy advises Trixie to attend to her love life. Oh, yeah, the vicar happens to wander by at that moment. Trixie gives him a look, but still prefers the movie star. They ride by on their bikes, but the reverend stops Trixie for paint color advice (they're fixing up a car). She goes on about different types of blue. Lots of flirty looks.

It's clinic time, everything's chaotic, and Patsy manages to offend several patients, earning the wrath of Sister Evangelina. Trixie meets a young Irish woman who's new to the area. She seems tired and apathetic. The big-mouthed Patsy gets taken off clinic duty pretty quickly and sent to various district patients.

Trixie's patient drinks cold water to feel the baby kick (had no idea this was a thing) while she and her husband giggle about it. They're still uncertain about the move, but the husband (Declan) continues to reassure her. They talk about how they couldn't be married in the Church, for reasons unexplained.

Patsy goes to see her new patient, a middle-aged man clearly in pain. The man, Morris, has had some kind of workplace injury and is on bed rest. When Patsy lifts the blanket, she notices a strange sort of rash, which he attributes to his wartime service.

Fred and Sr. Monica Joan discuss her latest treasure, a globe depicting the skies rather than the Earth. Sr. MJ goes on about age and how old things can still work. She storms off in a huff, leaving Fred taken aback.

The vicar shows up to discuss the upcoming Harvest Festival with Sr. Julienne, but winds up flirting with Trixie instead. She has previously advised him not to buy Fred's dodgy paint for the endeavor, and to thank her, he wants to take her out to a cricket match, ooh la la! Trixie accepts, and gossips with the other girls after about what she should wear. Sister Winifred, overtaken by Harvest Festival preparations, is considerably less interested. We get a montage of everyone going on with their daily lives.

Chummy and Noakes argue about the parked van, which is violating traffic laws. As a cop, he can't let it go, but she thinks it's really minor. I have to say, I'm reading the books now and Miranda Hart is a bloody genius. If you read the description of Chummy, it's even more incredible how perfect she is. Patsy goes to see the sick dad, who has a fever and can't go back to work. They argue. She ends up summoning Dr. Turner. Meanwhile, Trixie visits her new Irish family, the Doyles, who are arguing about their lack of church marriage. The husband is rather bitter and snaps at the nurse. The wife confesses that she feels guilt about their elopement, which was made necessary because they're a Catholic/Protestant pair in Belfast, which is an enormous no-no, as anyone who's heard any of the history knows. In fact, the baby will be considered a bastard in some corners even if they're legally wed.

Poking around the back of Nonnatus, Fred finds an old telescope. Dr. Turner finishes examining Patsy's patient, who has a gross rash and some pulmonary trouble. He insists the man stay home from work, which is horrifying, since he has to support a family.

Trixie and Patsy bitch about their respective problems while the former prepares for her hot vicar date. She picks up one of Patsy's scarves, which hits a Berserk Button and causes Patsy to snap at her. Clearly, some Big Secrets will come out by the end of the episode.

The Turners discuss the ongoing mail strike, which is holding up  business all over the place. Timothy has a weird new friend who addresses them as "Timothy's mum and dad". Trixie gets a Sister Julienne Seal of Approval re: Reverend Tom, though she doesn't have the slightest idea of anything related to cricket. They head out on their date while the nun smiles. However, they are instantly cock-blocked when they are tasked with chaperoning a boy scout trip instead of going to the match as planned. Trixie bites her lip.

Patsy's patient, Mr Glennon, has lost his job and is feeling totally depressed. She tries to comfort him, in her typical insensitive way, but it sort of works. The bus ride to the cricket match is chaotic, with Trixie scowling and boys puking everywhere. The curate seems to be having a whale of a time, though. Chummy runs a parenting class, which the young Irish patient is attending. The boy continues to puke, making the date ever more romantic. Trixie's patient leaves the parenting class only to find her apologetic husband. They forgive each other. For now.

Sisters Julienne and Winifred find the charity box pillaged, and immediately find Sister Monica is the culprit. She's building a model of the solar system. I am not making this up. Meanwhile, Fred polishes the telescope.

The curate can't get the bus started. Trixie thinks they should turn back and miss the cricket entirely. Cue dozens of little boys staring at her pleadingly. With a sigh, the priest and the nurse work together to get back on the road. Ultimately, they're unsuccessful, missing the match entirely. Trixie looks after the hyper boys while the curate walks off to find a telephone box. Or at least, he's supposed to, but seeing his longing look when he realizes the cricket scores are on the radio, Trixie charitably lets him stay to listen while she goes for help.

Meanwhile, the Doyles go to get married in a registry office. Huh? Weren't they civilly married already? I'm confused, guys. Ah well, they seem happy.

Trixie, high heels in hand, finds the phone booth. They arrive home in the dark of night, exhausted by the adventure. The curate apologizes about eight hundred times. He tries to finagle another date, but she turns him down. For now.

Fred unveils the telescope, to Sr. MJ's delight. What crazy hijinks will she get up to with this? I'm suddenly imagining a Sr. Joan-meets-Rear-Window spinoff. THIS MUST HAPPEN. Well, we get a happy scene of the nun wondrously staring at the skies, so I guess that's enough.

Shelagh and Colin's mum have a conversation about their respective only children. Colin's mum mentions that he's adopted. Seeing a happy adoptive family in person, Shelagh can't help but wonder...

Mr Glennon's daughter arrives in a panic, demanding that Patsy come to look at her dad, who's in terrible pain. Meanwhile, Trixie has an appointment with Mrs Doyle, who is happy to be married. As she leaves, Mr. Doyle thanks her for helping his wife (Phoebe) to have a social life. He hates churches in general and thinks it's all a crock, but is happy to make Phoebe happy.

While examining Mr Glennon, Patsy notices that the rash on his legs has gotten worse, and asks whether he fought in the Far East. Some inquiry reveals that he was treated inadequately for leg ulcers in a POW camp. He's neglected his health ever since, and now it's catching up. She bikes over to Dr. Turner to inquire about treatment, but the doctor is skeptical at her tropical-disease theory, pointing out that a sixteen-year incubation period is unlikely. I say, paging Dr. House! (Is there any series that would not be made better by this holy healer?)

Sr. MJ and Fred argue about tradition vs modern science, and the old lady gets quite upset, calling the telescope "an abomination". Well, that went over like a lead balloon. Sr. Winifred tries to coax her, but is clearly not invested in the telescope's fate.

Dr. Turner has called some specialists, who suspect some sort of roundworm. Jesus Christ, I am paging Dr. House so hard for this one. He wonders how she could have made that kind of connection, and she unconvincingly tells him that she must have read it somewhere. Uh-huh. The family is horrified that he could have kept his prison camp experiences a secret, but are on board with treating him to the best of their ability.

Once the doctor returns home, he is delighted to see Timothy so happy about a new friend. Shelagh casually brings up the adoption stuff. They have The Big Conversation and decide to go for it. I expect the baby to turn up in the series finale from one of Jenny's patients.

At dinner, the nuns and nurses discuss episode-related gossip, including Sister Monica Joan's astronomy fetish. The phone rings. Mr. Glennon is gravely ill in hospital, and unlikely to recover. At the nunnery, Patsy goes through an old diary, clearly key to her Dark Past. Trixie goes to comfort her, and asks how she thought of diagnosing him. Patsy comes out with her life story. She spent her childhood in Singapore, daughter of a wealthy diplomat. During the war, her family was sent to an internment camp run by the Japanese. It was there that she developed her nursing instinct, and she saw this particular parasite many times. Her mother and sister died there. Trixie thinks she could "rise above it", but Patsy flips out at this, saying that with the hell she's lived through, she has the right to let it dictate her experiences.

Timothy is curious about the possibility of a new sibling, but only as far as things like bedrooms and pocket money. His parents take it as a good sign, and it is agreed.

Patsy, in her fabulous slacks, heads out of the convent, which arouses Chummy's curiosity. Trixie immediately senses trouble and spills the story to the nuns. The weird thing is, her clothes are still there, so she hasn't run off. Before they can start a search, though, Phoebe Doyle goes into labor. All goes well and they have a son. However, things take a turn, as the baby's breathing becomes labored. The parents become hysterical, of course. Declan runs out with no warning, which shocks the nurses. While the nurses call for an ambulance, he comes back with a priest. A Protestant priest. And yes, it's good old Tom the curate. A swift christening is performed. Everyone joins in prayer. The ambulance arrives, but as the baby is carted off, he does begin to rouse a little.

Everyone is upset about Patsy, and the police have been summoned. Sister Evangelina is near tears. Patsy walks in at that moment. She had previously heard of a new treatment for the parasite, but it was in Liverpool - and with the mail strike, she decided to go get it in person. The nuns are kind of pissed, but forgive her pretty quickly.

Dr. Turner reports that the neighborhood is up to date with the polio vaccine. HA! Take that, anti-vaxxers! Shelagh reveals some news of her own - she's contacted an adoption agency and they've agreed to take them on, pending a successful application. However, Dr. Turner balks, seeing the forms. He feels rushed and wants to spend some extra time looking around. They argue.

Trixie and Rev. Tom walk home together, where she tells him what the baby's problem might be. They have some cliched talk about hearts that makes me want to vomit. More hand-shaking, more flirting. The harvest moon comes out.

Patsy is tired and sad that her secret's out, but she concedes that Trixie may have had a point about not letting her past rule her. They drink together. I wonder when Jenny's coming back. Was Jessica Raine filming another project or something?

She goes to visit Mr. Glennon, who is still sick but on the mend, and brings him a Harvest parcel. They chat about Dark Pasts and moving on with life. He thanks her for her help. Old Jenny narrates about history as the characters go on with their lives. (The Doyle baby is okay, by the way.) Everything is great - and life will always renew itself.

Next episode - Jenny's back! And so is Chummy's mother! A patient arrives from a desperate-looking situation. The Saga of Tom and Trixie continues. But there's more drama down the line...

It was a pretty good episode, though I feel like Patsy's story was a bit rushed and somewhat too coincidental. Maybe she appears in the books, I don't know. However, it feels like this was more of a "transition", moving forward to the meatier stuff at the end of the series. I guess we'll see what happens next week!

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