Day One Hundred and Sixty-six - Call the Midwife: Season 1, Episode 3, "Infidelity, Racism... Sometimes Love Surprises."

The bloom couldn't stay on the rose forever, it seems.

That's not entirely fair for me to say as Call The Midwife's third episode, is still pretty darn decent, heavy on quality both in its performances and period flair... it's just that this definitely feels sub-par in comparison to the previous ones.

Maybe it's Jenny Lee's childish revulsion at the state of new patient Joe's flat or the tedious drama of her young male friend's efforts to bum the convent's boiler room for free lodging, but the majority of Jenny Lee's screen time in this episode is boring and uninspired.

When she gets over herself and spends quality time with the old soldier Joe, though, we generally get back to the level that I'm used to from the series so far.

I also really like the B-story and Chummy's personal dramas, both of which manage to stem the downward trend of the A-story's early forced stupidity.

The middle-aged couple carry a wonderful little drama about a first time father and a reluctant mother who isn't in love with her second husband and desperately afraid that the baby wasn't sired by him.

Spoiler alert, the child obviously isn't his, but he loves the little nipper anyway, much to his credit. Sure, it feels a little cheesy as one would normally assume that most expectant fathers confronted with obvious infidelity and spoiled parentage would divorce the woman on the spot, but the man acts against trope so delightfully that I can forgive a bit of incredulity.

And, should it really be me who forgives or should I be the one asking for forgiveness at my horrible cynicism for expecting the worst?

Then there's Chummy.

Always a delight with her awkwardness, it seems this episode focuses on the beginnings of her mating dance with PC Noakes, much to the consternation of Sister Evangelina. It's so desperately cute to see them circle each other with prim politeness. So polite, in fact, that they really never say anything other than "you look well." It's like watching an Austin novel play out ad infinitum, until Sister Evangelina cuts to the chase and brokers a date between them. So moe.

In any case, like I said, this is definitely a weaker entry in the series, but is still entertaining in quite a few respects. Check it out if you haven't already as I definitely recommend it.

Until tomorrow, Potatoes~