Call the Midwife's Trixie makes painful admission about her marriage to Matthew
What does the future hold for Trixie and Matthew in Call the Midwife?
As far as Call the Midwife fans were concerned, Trixie and Matthew's marriage, despite being long-distance, was ticking along quite nicely.
Matthew departed London for New York in the season 13 finale to rebuild his business prospects after accumulating debt well in excess of £250,000, as well as losing his seat on the board of the company he inherited from his late father. And after initially deciding not to join him, Trixie changed her mind and relocated to America for a period before ultimately splitting her life between her work in Poplar and the States.
But as of late, she has remained firmly in the English capital – where she's been needed amid growing uncertainty over Nonnatus House's future – and clearly, it's starting to take its toll.
After Nurse Crane noticed that Trixie didn't join her friends and colleagues one evening for hot drinks and biscuits, she took a tray up to her room, where the midwife's demeanour was noticeably downbeat.
"I can't seem to settle, Phyllis," she admitted, with Nurse Crane suggesting that her "constant to-ing and fro-ing" would certainly leave her feeling "frayed around the edges".
"I wish I was the only thing that was frayed," Trixie replied, before revealing that her marriage "isn’t exactly thriving under the current conditions"".
Olly Rix's departure from Call the Midwife came as a shock to viewers, particularly given that Trixie and Matthew had only just married in the season 12 finale. But at the time, RadioTimes.com was told that the door had been left open for him to return in the future.
Yet there's still no sign of that happening – and it now looks increasingly unlikely after Rix aired his grievances about his exit in an interview last year, which were roundly rejected by a spokesperson for the show.
Read more:
- Call the Midwife boss teases prequel cast – including new and original favourites
- Call the Midwife star talks Rosalind's exciting new chapter with Cyril after huge development
With that in mind, it's hard not to wonder whether the seeds are being planted for a divorce, if Trixie's latest comments are anything to go by.
"He has his business interests, and I have this," she added, her general frustrations and anxieties about the future of Nonnatus House coming through.
"You say that as though 'this' weren’t enough," Nurse Crane replied with concern, as Trixie questioned whether it was all about to "come to an end".
"If you know more than you’re letting on, Trixie, then that's your business, and I'm not going to press you," Nurse Crane continued. "But there's been a Sword of Damocles hanging over Nonnatus House for as long as I've been here — and we've always lived to fight another day and deliver a baby."
She's not wrong there.
Perhaps Trixie is set to spend some quality time with Matthew following the season 15 finale. With a prequel series next in line – set during the Second World War – as well as a film, set overseas in 1972, that has yet to announce its cast, that could offer the perfect opportunity for Trixie to reconnect with her husband ahead of season 16.
That would certainly avoid repeatedly reminding viewers that yes, Trixie is still married – but they no longer get to enjoy any of her interactions with Matthew.
However, the more likely outcome is the pair parting ways for good – something that felt inevitable the moment Matthew left. After all, Heidi Thomas has already said that season 15 "brings an era to an end", and while we're expecting plenty of changes, we'd also hedge our bets on this one.
Call the Midwife season 15 continues on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Sunday at 8pm.
Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
Abby Robinson is the Drama Editor for Radio Times, covering TV drama and comedy titles. She previously worked at Digital Spy as a TV writer, and as a content writer at Mumsnet. She possesses a postgraduate diploma and a degree in English Studies.
