#for example: south side's first season is respectable but nothing to write home about

[notbecauseofvictories]

as a sidenote, it's very sad that I can't find a gifset showing just how incredibly handsome bashir salahuddin is in South Side, because he is.

[ofwizardsandmen]

CHRISTMAS SERIES 

Keyword being ‘supposed’

This is definitely not how Enzo Saint-Pierre was supposed to spend Christmas Eve.

Characters: Enzo Saint-Pierre, Minah Delacroix, Tara Lee, Mark Yang. Mentions of other minor characters.

Word count: 3,6k

“I can’t believe them” Enzo Saint-Pierre huffed as he flopped on the pink velvet sofa, arms falling limp at his sides and his phone slipping from his hand before falling over a cushion.

Across the room, Enzo’s business partner and close friend, Minah Delacroix, stopped wrapping her brother’s Christmas gift for a short moment and took notice of his sour expression and the way his eyes glared at the device with resentment.

It was the day before Christmas and the friends had been chatting about pointless topics for nearly two hours now. Although the company’s premises had been closed for a few days now,  Enzo had forgotten some important documents in his security box and just happened to come across his business partner hiding in her office wrapping gifts and writing cards. For the past weeks, It had been difficult to even see Minah because apparently she was juggling all her duties as a Delacroix, attending parties, planning her own Christmas festivities and buying gifts for her endless list of family members, friends, and business network. Of course, Sienna, her ever-efficient assistant, had been really helpful —Enzo had already received a beautiful set of gold cufflinks with his family crest coat of arms carved by goblins, earlier that day, for example—, but Minah still had some last-minute tasks to fulfill, which explained why they had been chitchatting as she went on with the ever boring task of dictating Christmas messages to her Quick Quotes Quill and wrapping Christmas gifts in an old fashioned way.

Only a few minutes ago laughter filled the room. The friends had been talking about their holiday plans until a call interrupted Enzo from pocking fun at Minah’s choice of words to describe what she would be wearing that night for her one on one Christmas celebrations.

“What happened?” MInah asked. She knew Enzo was never the type to react negatively, choosing to remain blissfully —and even annoyingly— positive even at critical times (a behavior that had almost caused her to attempt murder several times the past year), so his expression made her raise one of her perfect brows. Minah carefully placed Suho’s state of the art quidditch glasses on the table (one of her husband’s most recent tech inventions) and leaned back on the chair.

“Nothing” Enzo deadpanned, but the scowl on his forehead told otherwise.

“Oh, come on, Enzo. The only time I saw you frown like this was when we were invited to the Olivier’s fashion show” Minah walked across the office and took the empty spot beside her friend, sitting cross-legged.  “And even then you looked slightly entertained”

“Would you blame me? Maude poured champagne on her hideous white dress. It was hilarious” Enzo smirked playfully at the memory. It never failed to amuse him.

“Then, what’s wrong? Minah insisted, her voice too sweet for Enzo not to detect concern filtering through her tone.

“Just my ever enchanting family,” The man said with a sigh “Cancelling dinner plans at the very last minute because their businesses are more important… businesses being a euphemism for affairs.”

It had never been a secret for Minah that Enzo’s parents’ only kept their marriage to protect their individual interests. Minah and Enzo had bumped with his dad lounging on yachts in the Mediterranean, with entourages of women younger than herself, during their business trips to the south of France and Italy. His mother, on the other hand, had been having an affair with a magizoology researcher for some years now and she never missed the opportunity to run away with him to some exotic place. Of course, Enzo never told her that, Minah had found out everything about it through her uncle, Jerome, who granted was not one to spread gossip but had accidentally spilled the beans when they crossed paths with Madame Huang at a gala from the International Dragon Foundation.  

“What?” Minah gaped at that. Enzo had been talking about his plans with his parents for nearly a month and he seemed quite excited about it given the fact he didn’t get to spend time with them very often. It had made Minah question how lonely and in need of love Enzo seemed to be, but she hadn’t said anything about it. Instead, she had witnessed him planing every detail for their Christmas dinner with minute attention. He had bought handmade Italian glasses and hired the executive chef of the trendiest restaurant in London for the occasion. Hell, he had even got her aunt Adelaine to design him a suit although she was as busy as a bee. “I’m so sorry about it. I know you were looking forward to spending time with your parents”

“Nah. It’s ok. It was too good to be true” He attempted to laugh it off, but Minah knew that for some odd reason, Enzo still held some type of respect and affection for his parents. She was still unable to understand his fixation on spending time with them, but she figured out that the situation was far from being “ok”.

“No, it is not. They should’ve canceled before so you could make some arrangements and plan something else” She said scowling and slightly raising her voice.

“I will be fine, Minah. I am going to crash any of the parties I was invited to or drop by to visit some friends” He said, putting emphasis on the last word and winking at Minah afterward.

“No, that doesn’t sound right” Minah protested “Why don’t you come and stay with me and Sungjae. We didn’t really plan anything special” Only once she had already made the offer, Minah realized the mistake she had committed by inviting someone to spend Christmas Eve with her and her husband, without even asking Sungjae first.

“I had no idea you were into threesomes, Min” Enzo joked, eyes flickering in pretended surprise.

Minah slapped his arm playfully. “Don’t be ridiculous! Haven’t you told me  he third party is always supposed to be a stranger?”

They both laughed at that, but Enzo became serious once again, moving on the sofa to look at Minah in the eyes.

“I really appreciate your offer, but I am pretty sure Sungjae won’t be exactly thrilled to have me there,” He said seriously.

“Oh no, Sungjae is in his Christmas mood, I’m sure he really wouldn’t mind” That last part was a blatant lie, Minah could only imagine Sungjae’s reaction and it was far from what she had described, but Enzo didn’t need to know that.

“Ha. As if” Enzo rolled eyes. “Minah, you’re newlyweds. I seriously appreciate your concern, but I’m not going to feel any better if I have to spend Christmas Eve at your place, knowing that you would very much rather be fucking with your husband than hosting unwanted guests.”

“Wow, what a charmer” Minah replied with a trace of sarcasm. She couldn’t deny that Enzo was completely right, but she was still convinced that she needed to insist. “But Enzo… Christmas has always been about unannounced guests. From day one, that is the whole purpose of the holiday. I mean, take the Wise Men, they just called in unannounced.”

“They brought gold, Minah, of course, Mary and Joseph didn’t mind” Enzo switched his position on the sofa scoffing.

“But still-“ Minah started, but her speech was interrupted before she could say another word.

“All I’m saying is you don’t have to give up Christmas sex only because of me” Enzo stated with a grin, causing Minah to huff “No, but seriously. I’m going to be perfectly fine, Min. I always have a plan B.” The male moved to pat Minah’s hand brotherly “Thanks for caring so much though.”

“Just wanted to give you a Christmas gift” Minah said, a pout forming slightly.

“You already got me these” Enzo said pointing at his wrists, showing off the cufflinks Sienna had delivered to his apartment that morning “Plus, you know I’m not expecting any Christmas miracle or present, Minnie. I’ve been a bad boy all year long” Enzo shrugged, winking for an added effect. “We all know I’d never make it to Santa’s nice list.

________

When Enzo showed up at Tara’s porch, she could barely hide the disappointed look on her face. Although she knew very well that Mark couldn’t make it home for Christmas this year, for some stupid reason she had been expecting it to be him. But then again, why would Mark even ring the bell of their own home? Tara thought to herself that the unreasonable hope she had been harboring inside was clouding her judgment and she felt like facepalming herself.

“You could at least pretend to be happy to see me” Cladded in the most Christmas cliched outfit Tara had ever seen him wear, Enzo smiled widely at her. He didn’t seem the least bit offended by Tara’s reaction, which made her feel even worse and instinctively step to the side for him to walk in.  

“I’m sorry, dear.” Tara tiptoed to kiss Enzo’s cheek and give him a quick hug “You just caught me off guard. I thought you were supposed to be home with your parents.”

“Keyword being ‘supposed’” Enzo said, handing Tara what seemed to be a present, wrapped in a silly paper with red-nosed female reindeers wearing hot-pink bows. “As per usual they canceled on me, so I supposed my best friend could use some company” He made a pause to take a brief look around “…Not to mention I could bestow some much needed Christmas spirit in this house.” He added once he realized the house was almost empty, which of course was to be expected given the fact Tara had just moved in there a few weeks ago. Yet, there was something truly depressing about it all. There was no tree, no decorations. Not the least sign of the joyful season.

“Oh, yeah. I wasn’t planning anything special, I was expecting tonight to be just me and the Ghost of Christmas Past” Tara joked, noticing the pitiful look on Enzo’s face.

“I thought Mark would be here, that’s why I dressed down” he attempted to mask the question with a ridiculous joke, but Tara’s expression fell anyhow.

“He’s just busy. Apparently, a group is not enough work, so his company planned this whole “supergroup” project and if I haven’t lost track of the date, he must be stuck somewhere between Dallas and Miami right now” Tara forced a smile  “But it’s ok.”  She took a deep breath that suggested she wasn’t particularly ok. She then went on “I know how important his career is and how hard he’s worked for it, so I’m fine”

“I can’t believe you didn’t think of telling me about it, T. I seriously thought Mark was coming home tonight. If I had known-“

“If you had known, you would’ve tried o drag me to some crazy orgy in Las Vegas or Rome and I don’t know about you, but that’s not exactly what my Christmas spirit dictates me to do,” Tara said with an insincere laugh that made her best friend frown. “Ok, no, it’s just that you seemed so excited to spend time with your parents, I didn’t want to ruin it with my whining.”

“I’m almost offended you think that way, T.” Enzo clicked his tongue reprovingly before sneaking an arm around Tara’s shoulders. “You should’ve told me and we could’ve figured out an escapade to wherever Mark is and surprise him.” Enzo’s eyes lit up as though an idea had suddenly crossed his mind. “In fact, I think we’re still on time for that. Let’s go see Mark, we can Apparate and scare him off. Or we could scare the CEO of his company-“

“We are not going to Apparate in another continent just for Mark to spend his night performing for thousand of crazy women who fantasize about him-“ Tara stopped mid-sentence when she realized the bitterness in her words. “I-“ she let out a sigh, letting realization kick in.

“Wow” Enzo let out a deep breath before going on. “I had no idea you felt that way.”

“Neither did I” Tara admitted, looking down at her shoes as though she were looking at them for the very first time. “I just-“

“You’re just a human, T. You would like to have Mark all for yourself sometimes, wouldn’t you?”  Enzo placed both of his hands on each side of Tara’s arms, making her look up.  She hesitated for a second, but then she nodded “And it’s understandable.”

“I would never change the fact Mark is who he is, but sometimes…” Tara trailed off.

“Sometimes you should just let him know the way you feel” Enzo replied simply.

________

Four hours later and after bending several wizarding laws and abusing of their personal connections at the Ministry of Magic, Enzo and Tara dodge a group of overly excited teenagers in Perry Street. As per usual, the street is busy and decorated in a close simulation of a cheerful winter wonderland. There are several muggle tourists taking pictures outside the iconic Carrie Bradshaw’s Apartment, but there’s also a growing crowd of young females in the intersection with the 10th. Tara feels her heart pound violently against his chest and Enzo seems to hear it as well judging by the supportive way he laces his fingers with hers.

“Everybody is gonna be ecstatic to see you” Enzo says vehemently, pulling Tara to give her a one-armed hug

But it seems that Enzo is mistaken when Taeyong, Johnny, and Doyoung open the door of the 79th 10th street, looking nothing less than confused.

“What are you even doing here?” Doyoung scowls in puzzlement and asks, looking at Tara as though her presence as equally unexpected as it was unwelcomed.

“Aren’t you supposed to be in London?” Yuta joins the other three, panic evident in his voice.

“Keyword being ‘supposed’,” Tara swallows as she stares at the group with a frown.

“Oh God, what’s wrong with everybody today?” Enzo’s upper lip curls up in disgust “Can’t you at least pretend you’re somewhat happy to see us?”

“Is this about to take an unexpected plot twist that shifts this happy Christmas reunion from romance to horror, because I would appreciate it if you just told me if Mark is cheating on me with someone behind that door instead of giving me all these grievous looks”

“Gosh, no, this is definitely not about that” Johnny steps forward, his tall frame towering over Tara. “We’re very happy to see you, but-” He claims vehemently as he offers her a reassuring smile that doesn’t quite accomplish its purpose.

“It’s just that…” Taeyong manages to interrupt “Mark is not here”

“What?”

“He left at dawn” Yuta explains “He wanted to surprise you, but apparently missed the obvious fact you’d want to do exactly the same.”

Before the news can actually down on them, Enzo turns to Tara with rounded eyes and an apologetic look. “I’m so sorry… this was a terrible-”

“It’s ok. We can still make it back to London on time” Tara says, biting the inside of her cheek.

The suggestion makes Taeyong raise a brow skeptically, but Doyoung doesn’t even bother hiding his exasperation.

“Sorry to break it up to you but the flight to London will take you at least 11 hours” he points out, eyes rolling almost involuntarily.

“Not to mention you won’t possibly be able to book a ticket on Christmas Eve” Someone else objects, peeking through the open door.

“Oh, no, Don’t worry, we have connections” Enzo laughs, brushing the comments off with his signature overconfidence “it’ll take us 3 hours tops”

___________

The 14 hours it took Mark Yang to land in London are probably the most anxiety-inducing hours in his life. Considering he gets to spend most of his time on planes with the bunch of dorks his group mates are, that’s saying a lot. But the flight delay, the terrible weather conditions and the overly sensitive travelers trying to make it home for Christmas are the perfect recipe for disaster.

To complete the already disastrous scenario, Mark’s phone decided Christmas Eve was the perfect time of the year to act up and die on him, so by the time he made it out of the airport, he had to gather all his self-control not to snap at an elderly couple who stole the cab he had hailed. And when he finally managed to get in a taxi and everything seemed like it could finally work, the traffic jam and questionable driving style of the driver —who seemed to be lacking in festive spirit and cussed at everybody who tried to get past them— delayed his arrival two additional hours.

When Mark steps into his 19th-century residence in Kensington, where Tara and he had moved in after their engagement, he’s surprised to recognize he still finds the place oddly unfamiliar. It probably is the little time he has spent in it or the heavy Christmas decorations adorning pretty much every inch of surface, but he can’t help but feel an immense amount of guilt. This was supposed to be his and Tara’s first Christmas together after getting engaged and he truly wanted it to be special, but in between his group and solo promotions, multiple interviews and upcoming projects, he had been less than a stellar fiancé.

It’s snowing outside and it’s so cold his teeth start chattering as he makes his way in, the nostalgic scent of pine and sandalwood mingled with that of gingerbread filling his nostrils.  Tara has never been particularly into Christmas so the fact everything looks so pristine and festive makes Mark wonder how lonely she had been feeling. Feeling guilt shot through his body once again, Mark’s first instinct is to rush to their room upstairs, but when he slams the door open hoping to wake up Tara, he finds out an empty bed. Sure, Tara had made sure new bed linens graced their bed and to place a bottle of champagne on the side table, but there are no traces of Tara.

Mark tours the house simultaneously looking for his fiancée and discovering how big it is, he finds freshly baked gingerbread cookies in the kitchen and watermelon cut in the perfect shape of stars and his heart clenches painfully. He wishes he could’ve prepared something for Tara other than a lame necklace from Tiffany’s.

The man finally walks into their living room and stops in his tracks as he notices two figures curled up on the burgundy couch. It takes Mark a few seconds to recognize the chiseled features of Enzo Saint Pierre, but what he notices right away is the way his arms are firmly wrapped around Tara and her head resting on his shoulder. Mark stands there not knowing what to do next. He could wake them up, but Tara looks like an angel when she’s sleeping, her chest rising and falling with deep, even breaths. And even if Enzo can be annoying sometimes, he is pretty sure there’s some reasonable explanation as to why he is sleeping in his home on Christmas Eve.

Mark is about to turn around to find a cover for them when Tara faintly calls his name.

“You’re home” she says groggily, eyes half-open

“T…” Mark mutters, not sure of what to say.

“Am I dreaming?” Tara asks and Mark laughs at that.

“No, I’m home,” he says walking up to her.

“We were waiting for you” Tara whispers. She doesn’t move and her voice is barely audible over the sound of logs blazing the fireplace.

“Doesn’t look like it” Mark jokes, taking the empty spot beside Tara and resting his head against the back of the sofa.

“Don’t be silly Mark Yang,” Enzo speaks, eyes still closed. “We’re just tired after a six-hour round up to New York City, so if you appreciate your life, you better let us sleep.” Enzo moves bit tightening his hold on Tara and resting his chin on her shoulder.

“You did what…?” Mark asks in disbelief. But what sounded like a truly obnoxious lie from Enzo ends up being confirmed by a nod of Tara’s head.

“Enzo thought it’d be a good idea to surprise you, but when we got there the guys told us you were on your way here” Tara chuckles a bit although the actual experience was not as nearly as amusing as the memory is “Poor Taeyong, I’ve never seen him panic so badly, he was pale when he saw us.”

The three of them burst into laughter, but silence follows afterward. Enzo falls back to sleep, Tara drowsily reaches for her fiancé’s hand and Mark looks completely lost in his own wold. And it can’t be otherwise. Even in the simplest of the situations, it appears to Mark that Tara’s existence is the manifestation of every beautiful thing he’s ever witnessed in life and no words would ever be enough for him to describe the wholesome feeling he gets just by staring at her.

“I’m sorry,” He finally breaks the silence, after minutes of looking at her wordlessly. “I’m sorry I made you wait so long” he adds as he pulls her hand to his lips and plants a kiss on her knuckles.

Tara hums something incompressible and then untangles herself from Enzo, moving to straddle Mark and giving him a passionate kiss that takes him completely off guard, but he responds to with the same fervor. He holds her waist, pulling her closer to him and preventing her from moving. It seems like a lifetime since he last kissed her, so he doesn’t let go off her easily.

When they pull away minutes later, gasping for air, they look at each other amused.

Tara holds her boyfriend’s face with both hands and giggles happily. “Merry Christmas, Mark”

“Merry Christmas, my love” Mark is about to dive in for another kiss when Enzo lets out a groan.

“This is not how I was supposed to spend Christmas Eve, you two” he complains throwing a cushion at them.

“Keyword being supposed” Tara repeats once again, before pulling Mark in for yet another kiss.

It is definitely not how Enzo Saint Pierre was supposed to spend Christmas Eve.

***

[creative-type]

Organic Character Growth in Call the Midwife

One of the things I most appreciate about Call the Midwife is its character writing. There are plenty of shows that suffer from flanderization or character derailment in an effort to keep things interesting, but Call the Midwife is and remains to be an excellent, character-driven drama over six-plus seasons (As an American, I’m a little behind on the most recent episodes). 

Speaking as someone who knows nothing about writing for a television series, I can only imagine how difficult it is to maintain quality writing when you have little to no control what the future holds. The series might get cancelled. Actors and actresses might pursue other roles. The audience might not respond well to a storyline necessitating the show to go a different direction. There are so many things about syndication that our outside the writer’s control, but they still have the thankless job of working around all the bumps and hiccups to produce the story they want to tell.

I eventually want to focus on how the show handled the character of Sister Evangelina, but before we get there I want to explore a little of what I think makes the writing as engaging as it is, using some of the other characters. With that in mind, let’s begin.

Also, beware of major spoilers, especially for season five. If any of my followers haven’t watched Call the Midwife it’s on Netflix and is awesome. Go watch it and then come back. I’ll still be here.

Episodes, Seasons, and Series: The Basic Units of Television

When evaluating the writing for a television series, I like to break the show down into three units of measure: The episode, the season, and the series as a whole. There can be good episodes in bad seasons, or bad seasons in otherwise good shows, or any combination of the above. 

Call the Midwife maintains a strong continuity, and because each season is less than ten episodes it doesn’t have a lot of time to mess around with filler material that doesn’t somehow advance the plot. The hour runtime of most episodes (extended to an hour and half for the Christmas specials) gives the series time to develop an interesting and compelling case of the week-style medical drama while also allowing for a large ensemble cast, which after the departure of Jenny Lee in the third season doesn’t have a main character but rather rotates through the stories of the nuns and midwives of Nonnatus House.

While I would argue that each season has its own main theme, the overarching concept the series is trying to explore is love. There are narrated voice overs at the beginning and end of each episode that drive this point home, which can come off as narmy or charmingly sweet depending on your disposition. Romantic love, familial love, love for community...all these things are the thread that bind the series into its current form. 

But it’s through these themes of love that Call the Midwife explores heavy issues such as poverty, women’s rights, health, mental health, alcoholism, abuse, racism, homosexuality, death, and so much more. It also is a period piece examining life in the late 1950s to early 60s though a modern lens, both optimistic at how far we’ve come and exploring how much farther we have to go.

To say Call the Midwife is ambitious is an understatement, and with a series that has so much to say might forget that it’s first and foremost a story, but it doesn’t. The characters act like real people, with real struggles, hopes, dreams and ambitions. The medical aspects of the show are well-researched and realistically displayed. While maintaining an overall optimistic tone it doesn’t shy away from the difficult or unpleasant realities of life.

This kind of balance can only be maintained with good character writing. The characters are the backbone of the show, and everything else branches off from their experiences.

(It should also be noted that the series has some excellent actors and actresses that bring this writing to life, but I’m going to basically ignore that aspect of things because I know less about acting than I do writing.)

Let’s look at the example of Season One, Episode One. The series opens with newly-qualified midwife Jenny Lee walking through the East End of London towards her new job, while the narrator (an older Jenny) says the following:

I must have been mad! I could have been an air hostess, I could have been a model, I could have moved to Paris or been a concert pianist. I could have seen the world, been brave, followed my heart. But I didn't. I side-stepped love and set off for the east-end of London because I thought it would be easier. Madness is the only explanation!

Another side note: Call the Midwife was drawing from the memoir of Jennifer Worth at this point in time, so I’m not 100% sure if this is a direct quotation or not, but I’m pretty sure it’s original material. 

In any case, Jenny walks past a scene of two women fighting: A heavily pregnant wife going after her husband’s mistress. There’s a circle of onlookers egging them on, while Jenny watches helplessly until the police and Sister Evangelina arrive and break up the altercation. 

Jenny eventually reaches Nonnatus House, meets the delightfully senile Sister Monica Joan, and admits to Sister Julienne that she thought she was working at a small private hospital when in fact she will be living and working in a convent.

This one small scene--over and done with in the first ten minutes of the episode--tells you everything you need to know about Jenny as well as the main theme of the season.

I’ve alternately thought of the first season of Call the Midwife as being about finding your place in the world, growing up, and overcoming naivete. Jenny--and later on Chummy who also happens to get a lot of screen time--are both new midwives and know nothing about living in poverty, neither are terribly experienced with love, and in Jenny’s case is holding onto the idea of a relationship she knows she can’t have rather than accepting what will make her happy. 

This theme not the focus of every episode and the series doesn’t beat you over the head with it, but there’s no denying it’s there. In Episode 2, Chummy has to learn to ride a bicycle and overcome her poor self-esteem to deliver a breech baby. In Episode 3, Jenny finds herself looking after a kindly old man named Joe and has to deal with overcoming her own revulsion of his deplorable living conditions to care for him as a person. Episode 5 has Jenny coming face to face with the horrors of the workhouse and the long-acting consequences it has on those who lived in them.

Each episode contains its own self-contained story and themes that bolster that of the series--Jenny learns to see her poverty-stricken patients as “heroines”, Chummy delivers the breech baby and gains the respect of her peers, etc.--that are in and of themselves interesting. Anyone can jump into just about any episode of Call the Midwife and understand the jist of what’s going on, and still have the pleasure of seeing a unique spin on the medical drama format. 

The true genius is how the writers have taken seeds planted early in the series and let them develop organically into plot twists that don’t seem like asspulls. For example, when I introduced the Call the Midwife to my roommates we made it to maybe the second season when one of them remarked “Wow, Trixie sure drinks a lot.” And it’s true. Trixie has always been the fun-loving girl who, though extremely skilled, is always looking for a good time. It makes complete sense that given the stresses in her personal and professional life she would develop into a functioning (and later on not so functioning) alcoholic.

But when you look back on these early seasons Trixie’s drinking habit isn’t really mentioned. It’s just...sort of there, and an accepted part of her characterization without being commented on until much later in the series. The show never goes out of the way to emphasize Trixie’s drinking until it starts interfering with her life, which makes it feel both like a natural consequence and an unexpected plot-point at the same time.

You can have this natural growth only by treating the characters as characters, and not glorified mouth-pieces that for the soap-box special of the day. Going back to the example of Trixie, we get to learn eventually that a large part of her bubbly personality is a front, see her struggle to be taken seriously as a midwife and a woman, fight through a relationship with a good but ultimately incompatible fiancee, and mature into a better person and health-care provider because of it all. It’s a testament to the quality of the writing when during the Season 6 Christmas special set in South Africa that I 100% believed that Trixie could and would be able to preform a C-section without a doctor present and that her coworkers would trust her enough to pull it off.

(I kind of hope Trixie becomes the 1960s English version of a nurse practitioner, but that’s beside the point).

There are seeds like this sprinkled all throughout the series: Sister Bernadette wistfully letting her hair down after the non-nun midwives go out dancing, Cynthia Miller’s tendency towards depression and anxiety after the death of the Kelly baby, Jenny showing an interest in end of life care multiple times before her departure of the series, the list goes on and on.

Which brings me back to Sister Evangelina.

Tying Together Character and Theme 

As previously stated, Season One of Call the Midwife is a classic fish out of water scenario, and if you’re going to take a fish out of water it stands to reason that you’re going to have someone who wants to see them flounder.

That person is Sister Evangelina.

Now I’m not saying that Sister Evangelina isn’t a good character, but out of the main cast she’s one of the ones who gets the least development. Her main duty in the show is to give voice to other character’s insecurities and act as a sort of antagonist that they have to overcome. She’s the most staunchly traditional character in a series pioneering modern liberal idealism who’s most definable character traits are her sharp tongue and unyielding nature. Some quotes include:

“The East End will eat her for breakfast”

“I’ll tell you what the problem is. You young girls do too much book-learning. You sit for months in classrooms, filling your heads with loads of codswallop, when simple practical tasks are beyond you!”

“She may be my sister in Christ but I swear, she would drive a Methodist to drink!”

“If you’re suggesting that a few deep breaths and not thinking about what’s for dinner is all there is to labor, you’re leading your patients up the fairy way”

Sister Evangelina cares, but she is not by nature kind. She’s an action first, my way or the highway, suspicious of newcomers because they don’t know what they’re doing kind of character. She fits perfectly as an obstacle for the younger generation of midwives to overcome and a voice against new-fangled nonsense such such as gas and air for pain relief during deliveries, and updating to a freaking Rolodex.  

Yes, even a Rolodex is reasonable cause for a fight with Sister Evangelina.

And that’s not to say that she’s an evil or nasty woman, just a hard one, born and shaped by a life filled with hardness to the point that’s all she really knows. We understand where she’s come from and why she thinks the way she does, but at the same time by the time Season Five rolls around the series has outgrown her. 

One of the major themes for Season Five is change: change in how medicine is practiced, change from an the old generation to the new, and irreversible changes in society as it marches forward. The young, inexperienced midwives aren’t so young and inexperienced, and the introduction of Nurse Crane has taken Sister Evangelina’s status as the “tough but fair” one while being a more relatable and progressive character overall, thus fitting better with the evolution of the series and where it wants to go.

At the same time, Sister Evangelina was relatively beloved by the fandom, and a complex and deserving character in her own right. When Pam Ferris decided to leave the series, how were the writers going to let her go with grace and dignity, as befitting of her status in- and out of universe?

By killing her off in the best way possible.

Early in Season Five Sister Evangelina is confronted with the fact that her dismissive attitude towards formula versus breast milk has caused serious harm to a mother and baby. She’s rightfully called out by Barbra Gilbert, one of the newer nurses (this is important, remember the theme of the changing of the guard) before going off to the Mother House for some serious self-reflection. 

She comes back much later after it’s revealed she’s had a stroke. Sister Evangelina, a woman who believes she best serves God through direct action, is rendered unable to do just that. While able to do some nursing cares one-handed,  she gives up handling babies because she might, you know, drop them, returning to her rightful place at Nonnatus House a humbled woman.

This would have been good enough, but the show takes the time to give her a renewed purpose before killing her off. I think it’s important that she spends her last delivery with Barbra, imparting her knowledge and unique brand of home-spun wisdom to the very person who drove her into exile. Her journey comes full circle when she picks up a baby for the final time, shouts a bit for old time’s sake, and dies peacefully in her sleep with her character arc completed. The tear-inducing funeral montage is just extra icing on the cake, giving the audience a greater appreciation for her impact on the community she served for so many years. 

I’m not going to say that every single plot thread is handled with such deftness, and some characters pop into and out of the series with more grace than others. But when you treat your characters as characters, and let them grow, and change, and suffer, and overcome organically then you don’t have to throw screwy plot twists or derail a character to stay “relevant”. If you can’t trust your characters to be interesting without major outside intervention, then maybe you just need better characters.

It’s difficult, but it can be done. I know, because I and many others have been invested for over six seasons now, and I think I can speak for the fandom on this one and say that we don’t plan on stopping any time soon.

[ronlofland]

10 Trademark Cases About Yo Mama

Anna Jarvis led the efforts to establish the first official celebration of Mother’s Day in 1908, during which she honored her own mother, Ann Maria Reeves Jarvis, a Civil War-era social activist. But about a dozen years after that first celebration, Anna Jarvis had become the holiday’s most vocal opponent. Why? Commercialization. The floral and greeting card industries had already taken over her idea, converting sentimentality into sales. Jarvis, who never became a mother herself, is reported to have said:

A printed card means nothing except that you are too lazy to write to the woman who has done more for you than anyone in the world. And candy! You take a box to Mother—and then eat most of it yourself. A pretty sentiment.

Of course, Jarvis lost her battle against the commodification of Mother’s Day. Today, visual depictions of motherhood remain common commercial signifiers that are frequently used as trademarks. And use as trademarks means legal disputes over trademarks. In honor of Mother’s Day, here are ten cases about maternal trademarks.

Mama Mia’s Classic Pizza

Everyone reading this probably grew up somewhere in the vicinity of a pizza place named after someone else’s mama.  For me, it was Mama’s Pizzeria in Bala Cynwyd, Pa., which I mention only because it sits right next to West Laurel Hill Cemetery, where both Anna Jarvis and her mother are buried. Anyway, when MAMA MIA’S CLASSIC PIZZA tried to register its name as a mark for restaurant services, the trademark examiner refused the registration on the ground that it closely resembled four other registered marks for food, including MAMA-MIA’S KITCHEN for pizza, MAMA MIA mozzarella, MAMA MIA Italian bread, and MAMA MIA! PASTA.  The petitioner appealed, arguing that, because literally everyone and their mother used the term “Mama Mia” to indicate good Italian food, customers have been conditioned to look to the other elements of these marks as a means of distinguishing the source. Therefore, shared use of the phrase “Mama Mia” should not block its registration. The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) agreed, and reversed the refusal. In re Nice N Easy Grocery Shoppes, Inc., Serial No. 75/492,944 (Trademark Trial & App. Bd., March 7, 2001).

Mothers Against Drunk Driving

Founded in 1980, MOTHERS AGAINST DRUNK DRIVING, or MADD, is probably one of the most easily recognizable non-profit trademarks in the country.  In 2002, MADD brought a trademark lawsuit against DADS AND MOMS AGAINST DRUG DEALERS, or DAMMADD, a New York organization founded in 2001. After failing to get jurisdiction over DAMMADD in MADD’s home state of Texas, Mothers Against Drunk Driving v. DAMMADD, Inc., Case No. 3:02-cv-1712 (N.D. Tex. 2002), MADD refiled in the Southern District of New York. The Parties settled the matter in 2006: MADD dismissed the claims, and DAMMADD still appears to be a going concern. Mothers Against Drunk Driving v. DAMMADD, Inc., Case No. 3:03-cv-01306 (S.D.N.Y. 2003). MADD more recently brought another trademark suit against a South Carolina couple that was doing business as MODD (MOTHERS OF DRUNK DRIVERS). That matter was resolved earlier this year in a consent judgment under which MODD agreed to discontinue the use of its name. Mothers Against Drunk Driving v. Jarrell, Case No. 2:16-cv-03289 (D.S.C. 2016).

Joe Momma’s

JOE MOMMA’S PLACE, a pizzeria and bar in Osage Beach, Missouri, sought to register its name as a trademark, but the registration was refused in light of the preexisting mark for JOE MAMMA’S Coffee of Rockville, Maryland. The TTAB rejected the petitioner’s argument that its mark would be distinguished in the minds of consumers by the word “place,” which the TTAB found to be merely descriptive of “a business establishment.” The TTAB affirmed refusal, holding that consumers would shorten both names to “Joe Mamma” in their minds and then would be too lazy to tell them apart, because both marks do little more than “identify a business run by” Joe Mamma. In re Duncan, Serial No. 85909106 (Trademark Trial & App. Bd., April 23, 2015).

Bad Mother F#$%er

In 2003, CFE Racing Products launched the “BMF” line of aftermarket auto parts, named for the three word phrase on Samuel L. Jackson’s wallet in the movie Pulp Fiction (“Bad Mother Fucker”).  In 2006, another Pulp Fiction fan, inspired by the same wallet, named his own company “BMF WHEELS,” and adopted a logo strikingly similar to the one already in use by CFE’s auto parts line. CFE brought suit for trademark infringement, and prevailed before a federal jury in Michigan. However, after the verdict, the District Court judge decided that it would be sufficient if BMF WHEELS simply redesigned its logo. The District Court therefore refused CFE’s request that it enjoin further use of the BMF WHEELS word mark. On appeal, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals held that the District Court’s denial of the requested injunctive relief was inconsistent with the jury verdict, and remanded the matter with orders to issue a more effective remedy. CFE Racing Prods. v. BMF Wheels, Inc., 739 F.3d 571 (6th Cir. 2015).

Inca Mama

Inca Textile’s application to register INCA MAMA for its line of maternity clothing was refused on the grounds of likelihood of confusion with the INCA GIRL design mark for contemporary women’s clothing. On appeal, the TTAB agreed that the marks and their commercial impressions were not identical – indeed, the cited INCA GIRL registration depicted an apparently not-pregnant and “scantily clad” young woman, whereas INCA MAMA gave off an obviously maternal vibe. Nevertheless, the TTAB found that the goods were essentially identical, because the INCA GIRL registration was broad enough to encompass maternity wear. As to INCA MAMA’s argument that maternity wear was sold only to a specific and discerning segment of the clothes-buying public, the TTAB observed that “a pregnancy lasts for approximately nine months,” after which the once-discerning pregnant customers of INCA MAMA would be back to more casual shopping for contemporary clothing at stores featuring INCA GIRL, thus giving rise to a likelihood of confusion. In re Inca Textiles, LLC, Serial No. 78940043 (Trademark Trial & App. Bd., April 30, 2008).

Moms Bang Teens

Can you guess why the MOMSBANGTEENS mark was refused? That’s right; the name of this “adult” website was refused registration under Section 2(a) of the Trademark Act, which precludes registration of “immoral, deceptive or scandalous matter.” The petitioner argued that the term “bang” had numerous meanings that were completely innocuous, for example, as in THE BIG BANG THEORY and CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG. The record does not indicate whether this argument was made with a straight face but, in any event, the TTAB looked up “bang” in the dictionary and found, no doubt to its utter horror, that it was a slang term for sexual intercourse.  The TTAB also rejected the petitioner’s (much more credible) arguments that “bang” as a synonym for sex had entered the mainstream, and that it was a relatively mild term within the adult entertainment industry. Finally, the petitioner noted that many other adult industry trademarks had been allowed registration despite similar vulgarity (BANG YOU LATER, BANGBUS, etc.), but the TTAB held that it would draw the line at anything involving “teens,” a term that could include children under the age of consent. In re Manwin, Serial No. 85532448 (Trademark Trial & App. Bd., July 3, 2014).

Slap Ya Mama

In 1996, a Louisiana convenience store owned by the Walker family started selling SLAP YA MAMA powdered Cajun seasoning, and soon the Walkers found themselves with a thriving spice business. In 2009, after customers started asking the Walkers about “their new product,” they learned that another company was selling similar spices under the mark PUNCH YA DADDY, packaged in an allegedly similar trade dress.  SLAP YA MAMA filed suit against PUNCH YA DADDY in the Western District of Louisiana. The District Court denied PUNCH YA DADDY’s motion for summary judgment, and the matter settled shortly thereafter. Walker & Sons Inc. v. Punch Ya Daddy LLC, Case No. 6:09-cv-01822 (W.D. La. 2009).

Angry Mama

Hong Kong-based Daka Research developed a microwaveable plastic female character that emits vinegar-laden steam to soften stains in the microwave. When Daka exhibited the prototype at the International Housewares Show in Chicago in 2015, NewMetro placed an order, designed some nifty packaging, and begin selling the product under the name ANGRY-MAMA. Shortly afterwards, however, Daka sold all its rights in the product to Telebrands Corp., a competitor of NewMetro. NewMetro kept selling ANGRY-MAMA, even while Telebrands prepared to market the identical product as ANGRY MAMA (same name without the dash). The parties ended up suing each other in the District of New Jersey for copyright and trademark infringement, with both sides moving for a preliminary injunction. The District Court found that each party was likely to prevail on its respective copyright claim: Telebrands (through Daka) owned the copyrighted sculptural design of the product, but NewMetro was the author of the copyrighted packaging. However, the Court found that neither was likely to prevail on its trademark claims. NewMetro claimed it was the first party to actually sell the product in the United States, while Telebrands claimed that in fact Daka had introduced the product to the American public through the International Housewares Show and a website. Both parties’ cases were heavily dependent on some pretty disputed facts, such as who said what at a meeting in Hong Kong, and precisely how the product was displayed at the Housewares Show. The Court found “simply too many contradictory assertions,” held that the balance of harms was just about even, and refused any injunctive relief. The case subsequently settled. Telebrands Corp. v. NewMetro Design, LLC, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 157580 (D.N.J., November 10, 2016).

Mother’s Milk Maibock

It seems like it’s impossible to research any trademark issue these days without coming across at least one craft beer case, and Mom marks are no exception.  The Heartland Brewery of New York tried to register MOTHER’S MILK MAIBOCK for beer, but its application was opposed by Traditional Medicinals, a California company that sold MOTHER’S MILK herbal teas and dietary supplements.  The TTAB found that “Mother’s Milk” was the dominant element of both marks (“Maibock” being descriptive or generic for a German beer traditionally consumed to celebrate spring).  Therefore, the TTAB’s decision turned on whether the goods and channels of trade could be considered similar when one beverage was alcoholic and the other was not.  Citing evidence of third parties that sold both tea and beer under the same mark, and noting that both parties’ goods would be available to the general public in grocery stores, the TTAB held that the likelihood of confusion analysis favored the opposer, and affirmed refusal of the registration. Traditional Medicinals, Inc. v. Heartland Brewery, Inc., Opposition No. 91159010 (Trademark Trial & App. Bd., September 20, 2005).

Mother Tucker’s Food Experience

Mother Tucker’s Food Experience was a Canadian family restaurant chain founded in 1975. It boasted fresh bread, a huge range of buffet items made from scratch, and one of the first really big salad bars. Because the restaurants drew heavily on the Niagara Falls area tourist trade, the company advertised in the United States and registered its name with the USPTO in 1982. As many of our readers will know, Section 8 of the Lanham Act, which is intended to clear deadwood off the register, requires the registrant to file a statement after registration, avowing that the mark is still used in commerce. MOTHER TUCKER’S filed such a statement of use just before the end of the deadline for doing so, declaring that the mark was “still in use” for “restaurants.”  However, the USPTO refused to accept the statement because it did not expressly employ the term: “use in commerce.” MOTHER TUCKER’S appealed to the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals, arguing that the “in commerce” omission was a mere technical defect that it should be permitted to cure even though the statutory period had expired. However, in 1991, the Federal Circuit affirmed the cancellation. In re Mother Tucker’s Food Experience, Inc., 925 F. 2d 1402 (Fed. Cir. 1991). MOTHER TUCKER’s changed its name to TUCKER’S MARKETPLACE in 1994, and now goes by the name TUCKER’S. If you are in the area, TUCKER’S is still accepting Mother’s Day brunch reservations.

Source: http://ift.tt/2q47kgC