Call the Midwife is a show that keeps on giving – no matter how many midwives/nuns come and go, the characters who replace them continually fulfill those needed roles without feeling like carbon copies or pale imitations. It took a little while for me to warm up to Patsy, but soon enough, she became yet another of my favorite midwives (a few Patsy-related spoilers.)
After a one-shot appearance as a surgical nurse in series 2, Patsy comes to Nonnatus at the tail-end of series 3. First impressions of her: very professional and very reserved. Early on, her position as a midwife is called into question because it’s felt that she isn’t warm enough with her patients, and the other young midwives have a bit of a tough time getting to know her. She seems to hold people at arm’s length, in both her professional and personal life.
It’s soon revealed, though, that Patsy comes by her more guarded nature honestly. As a child, she, her mother, and her sister were placed in a Japanese war camp, and she was only one who survived. She suffered (physically and psychologically,) she lost, and she now can have a habit of insulating herself to keep others from getting too close. However, she’s able to let her guard down in time, allowing her to present a calming air with her patients, enjoy herself with her friends and colleagues, and open herself to love.
Which isn’t to say she then operates entirely without reserve. Patsy has another reason to hold part of herself back from the people who know her. She’s gay in an era when people had incredibly narrow views of such things – after her relationship with Delia is revealed to the audience, the very next episode features a young outed man facing the choice between prison and chemical castration – and she’s living in a nunnery to boot. As painful as it is to watch her have to abide her silences and go through the charade of having no one know how much Delia means to her, it’s beautifully affirming to see her and Delia carve out tiny pieces of happiness for themselves, finding boldness where they can.
What else about Patsy? She’s excellent in a crisis, born in part from her extremely harrowing childhood experiences. When things really go south, she’s able to cut through the horror or anguish and focus on what needs to be done. While she first becomes friends with the younger midwives, series 5 sees her gradually growing close to Nurse Crane, who appreciates her level head and concrete sensibilities. Her time in the war camp gives her a great deal of compassion for those living in squalid circumstances, and her closeted relationship makes her empathetic to others who fall in love in ways that aren’t considered “acceptable.” When it comes to the woman she loves and the things she really wants, she’s capable of great bravery, even if she can’t show that to anyone. Yet another really fine character from this show, distinct from all the others but in a very subtle, grounded way.
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