'Call the Midwife' Recap: Season 11 Episode 5

It may be Easter Sunday for us, but our Poplar friends are already into late summer/early autumn on Call the Midwife. Just seven short days ago, our midwives were doing what they do- helping a struggling new mother with her distressing nursing woes and finding a way for a traumatized Holocaust survivor to reconnect with his faith. There was a lighthearted story about popsicles. Most heartwarming was how love (and families) were blossoming for our very own midwives. Check out last week’s recap here before we dive into some rather heavy tales ahead.

Let’s discuss the Packer family situation first. Gordon Packer (Doc Butler) took a fall off a crane which has left him a paraplegic. His wife Glenda (Natalie Klamar) is a proud woman sneers at the offer of social workers, etc. despite how poorly her family is coping with Gordon’s life-altering injury. We’ve met plenty of proud folks in Poplar, but Mrs. Packer’s hesitance to have help in her house turns out to be something quite dark.

After Sister Frances and Nurse Corrigan’s facts of life talk at the school, the Packer’s daughter, Deborah (Amelie Bea Smith) takes advantage of the anonymity of the question box to ask for help. At the same time, Nurse Franklin is fit to be tied about the council’s failures concerning Mr. Packer’s care: Gordon has sustained significant bruising on his back from an alleged fall from his wheelchair.