Season 14 of Call The Midwife continued last night (February 2) and fans believe it may have been one of the most powerful episodes yet as it followed a man living with an iron lung.
Shelagh Turner cared for a patient named Owen, who was paralysed from a polio infection. But during a house call, Shelagh notice jaundice in his wife, Betty – who was his main carer.
After an appointment and tests, Betty was diagnosed with cancer and given no hope for a cure. In a heartbreaking line, she told Shelagh: “You don’t expect a shock like this twice in one lifetime.”
By the end of the episode, Owen was beside his wife as she peacefully passed away. But there wasn’t a dry eye among those watching at home.
Call The Midwife leaves fans ‘sobbing’
The show is no stranger to making viewers sob, but 14 seasons in and fans seem to think the writing is getting better and better.
Taking to X after the episode aired, fans explained just how much it affected all of them.
One wrote: “I felt so sorry for Owen. Not only for losing Betty, but for all the time he had spent with the iron lung. That was not living.”
Best series ever made in my view.
Another penned: “Wow. An absolute all-timer from Call The Midwife tonight. Brutal, powerful and positively white-knuckles at times. And Sister Julienne being the absolute boss we all know and adore. I think I write this every year but HOW is it still this good after 14 seasons?”
A third agreed: “Best series ever made in my view. And so well captured by all the actors and no doubt those behind the scenes who really make it happen. It will be a sad day when Call The Midwife comes to an end.”
What is an iron lung?
An iron lung is a type of negative pressure ventilator which encloses most of a person’s body. It varies the air pressure in the enclosed space to stimulate breathing.
It assists breathing when muscle control is lost, or the work of breathing exceeds the person’s ability. Diseases including polio and botulism and ingesting certain poisons led to doctors using iron lungs.
However, as of 2024, after the death of Paul Alexander, only one patient in the US, Martha Lillard, is still using an iron lung.
Read more: Call The Midwife viewers concerned over ‘missing’ character amid ‘woke’ storylines complaint
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