'Call the Midwife': Matthew's Latest Gamble Brings Trixie to a Crossroads

It's another week of Call the Midwife Season 13, and I am back with another rant about Matthew (Olly Rix). Every time he has the opportunity to redeem himself, he chooses to be self-centered or arrogant, or in this case, both. He finally clued Trixie (Helen George) into his financial mess in last week's episode, and this week, he refused her help despite the fact that his financial shenanigans put Nonnatus House at risk. 

Luckily, Matthew had his wits about him enough to get Sister Julienne (Jenny Agutter) to sign the papers officially bestowing Nonnatus House to The Order before Aylward Estates could seize it from Matthew's possession. The Order and the midwives will live to deliver babies in Poplar for another day, and we do not have to worry about the house being taken from them, for now. 

Matthew was less appeasing when it came to his and Trixie's personal situation. The car was repossessed in front of Nonnatus House and that sent him into a panic about losing their current lifestyle. Trixie found him an office job with a family friend so they wouldn't be living off of her single nurse's salary. However, instead of taking the interview, Matthew admonished Trixie for sharing their business with other people. It's embarrassing to him for other people to know that he isn't with Aylward Estates anymore. Who cares about paying bills when Matthew's ego is bruised? 

To make matters worse, Matthew returned to making unilateral decisions about their finances. He fired the nanny without talking to Trixie or working out who would care for Jonty once the nanny's notice ran out. He also remembered that he had bought two warehouses from a friend in New York that the company couldn't seize. He called that friend back up, and instead of selling the warehouses to gain the cash he and Trixie needed, he struck up a deal and agreed to partner with this friend…in New York. Over the course of a phone conversation, he decided to move his entire family to New York without ever discussing the possibility with Trixie. 

To recap, Matthew turned down a stable, respectable job simply because Trixie found it for him and decided to make yet another significant financial gamble, requiring Trixie to give up the job she loves and move across the world to be with her husband and their son. If the warehouse scheme doesn't work out, they'll be penniless again but on the other side of the ocean with no friends or support system. But Matthew thought she'd be over the moon because she could enjoy buying dresses in New York. Where is the man who understood what being a nurse means to Trixie? He's been body-snatched by whoever this jerk is. 

Matthew packed a bag and took Jonty with him to New York at the end of the episode. It is allegedly only for three months, but Trixie will have to decide whether she will go with them, try to have a long-distance relationship, or divorce Matthew. If she chooses the latter option, how will they determine who gets custody of Jonty? If she chooses the former option, will we have to say goodbye to Trixie at the end of this season? She's one of our last connections to the original cast, and it's nearly impossible to imagine saying goodbye to her. 

Trixie is not the only one who will have to make choices in the finale episode. The penultimate hour revealed that Nurse Joyce Highland (Renee Bailey) is not who she's claimed to be. Her real name is Claudine, and she ran away from the islands because her husband Sylvester (Ben Cawley) used to beat her. She changed her name and got her nursing certification to escape him, but he figured out where she went and followed her. A picture of her getting her nurse accommodation in the local paper led Sylvester straight to Nonnatus House. 

Sylvester pretends to be Joyce's cousin so he wouldn't raise suspicion from the nuns or Joyce's coworkers, but he intends to pick up their marriage where they left off and use Joyce's good standing to get his own British citizenship. He went so far as to stalk Joyce on her first solo call as a midwife. She was able to rebuke him, but it's evident that Sylvester doesn't intend to leave without getting Joyce/Claudine back. She will have to figure out how to get rid of him for good or come clean to The Order about who she is and why she got her nursing credentials under a false name. Our poor girl is stuck between a rock and a hard place. 

Tensions are high as we head into Call the Midwife Season 13 finale. How will Joyce get rid of Sylvester, and do we need to prepare to say goodbye to Trixie after all this time? 

Call the Midwife Season 13 continues on Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on PBS, with new episodes available streaming on the PBS App and the PBS Prime Video Channel. As always, check your local listings.