Call the Midwife star on Trixie and Matthew: 'I don't think there's a villain here'
Helen George and Olly Rix spoke about their characters' marriage as it meets its biggest challenge yet.
The penultimate episode of Call the Midwife season 13 saw a devastating development for Trixie and Matthew's marriage, as he chose to leave for New York as a potential fix for their financial woes appeared - but Trixie felt unable to go with him.
Whether the couple will ever reunite, or whether this is the beginning of the end for their marriage, remains to be seen, but stars Olly Rix and Helen George have spoken about what it was like to film the emotional scenes.
Speaking with RadioTimes.com and other press, Rix said: "The walls felt like they were closing in. It was exhausting and it was tough to get through. And it was a different experience filming the final episodes.
"[The directors] were so conscientious about telling the story with respect and honouring what we'd done for four years, because it meant a lot to us to say, 'Okay, if we're going out, we're going out swinging, we're going to leave everything on the table.'
"But it meant that everybody, crew included, were just wiped out by the end of every day."
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George added: "What's interesting is you could at first glance say Trixie is all about the dresses and the fun and the frivolity and the money, but actually, what's interesting in playing this is unearthing the truth behind their relationship, and how I think Matthew thinks that potentially that is... he has this sort of notion that maybe that's what she's in love with and not him.
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"And I think it's wonderful that she actually sets about proving that to be a myth, and she has these moments when she's thinking, 'The first gift you ever gave me was a bloody cheese plant, and I loved you for that.'
"So I think there's a misconception to her, which has always been the case, and what's so wonderful to discover is this. It’s really interesting to discover her true love for Matthew."
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Rix was quick to add that he didn't see a "villain" in the situation, and that the biggest source of the couple's problems is their lack of communication.
He continued: "But he can’t hear it. That’s the really clever thing about the final arc. I think they're both sympathetic characters. I don't think there's a villain here. But they just diverge in all the worst ways.
"As an outsider, if you were watching somebody's marriage during this, you'd be tearing your hair out and saying, 'Oh, God, please go to therapy, please talk it through, you can save this.'
"And every attempt they make, every well-meaning, sincere attempt they make, somehow makes it worse."
George added: "And because of the time period, he feels the pressure and the need to take the responsibility for fiscal responsibility on without including her, and she's such a collective, community-driven person that she wants to be involved.
"She wants to be involved in the decisions and has a very modern outlook on this idea of a relationship. But because of his upbringing, he’s very much into the notion of the man solves the problem. I will support this, and that’s hard."
The Call the Midwife season 13 finale airs on Sunday 3rd March at 8pm on BBC One. All past 12 seasons are available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
If you're looking for more to watch, check out our TV Guide and Streaming Guide or visit our Drama hub for more news and features.
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