While I liked Matthew Aylward (Olly Rix) when he was first introduced inCall the Midwifeseason 10, his arc in season 13 wasn’t only annoying, it also started to make Trixie (Helen George) look bad too, and that I can’t have. Withseason 14 ofCall the Midwifeconfirmed, everyone has got to be wondering just where all our characters will be when the long-running period drama returns.Call the Midwifeis set in 1950s London, in the East End where a group of nurse midwives work, with each season taking on a different historical illness of the period.
Matthew Aylward first appeared in season 10, episode 1, as a barrister and a property developer who arrives along with his then-pregnant wife, Fiona (Jo Herbert). Trixie helps Fiona deliver a healthy baby boy, Jonathan, but she is diagnosed with Acute Leukemia and dies soon after. Matthew and Trixie begin dating in season 11 and are married in the season 12 finale. For most of his time onCall the Midwife, Matthew was a pretty cool guy. Supportive, loving, and surprisingly progressive (for the era, don’t expect too much); in season 13, he blows it all up.
It’s Unclear If Matthew Aylward Will Return For Call The Midwife Season 14 But He Shouldn’t
Actor Olly Rix Has Already Signed On For Another Series, Casualty
In season 13, Matthew is out of luck. Despite his massive amounts of generational wealth and years working as a barrister, a job I assume is lucrative, Matthew loses all his money, and his assets are seized. Now I’m no English scion with my hands in philanthropic jars and multiple family businesses, but if, somehow, I was granted everything that belonged to Matthew Aylward, I think I would find a way to save enough for a rainy day. I’m not sure how you literally lose it all at once.
No, Trixie Isn’t Leaving Call The Midwife — Season 14 Exit Rumor & Return Confirmation Explained
After a dramatic season 13 storyline, it looked like Trixie would be leaving Call the Midwife for good. But Helen George will be back for season 14.
So he goes from rags to riches, now dependent on his wife’s income as a midwife, the horror! He’s a paragon of liberal thinking for 1950s London, remember, not modern London. As a man who was usually one to solve problems, his confidence suddenly plummeted, and if there’s one thing formerly proud men like to do when they fall, it’s lash out. Seriously, if a man you know is being a jerk out of nowhere, ask him how his football bets are doing; he’ll either storm off or start crying. Either way, you’ll get your answer.
In the penultimate episode of season 13, episode 7, Matthew suddenly announces his plans to move to New York City with Jonathan, as a new business opportunity is waiting for him there. Side note, as an American,I love when an international show’s way of getting rid of a character is for there to be a “business opportunity in America, you can make it in America!“Someone point me to one of these glowing “business opportunities” too. I want to buy Philadelphia Eagles tickets.
Matthew basically offers Trixie an ultimatum: come with him to New York or stay behind.
Matthew basically offers Trixie an ultimatum: come with him to New York or stay behind. For a moment, it seemed like Matthew would be joining the ranks ofCall the Midwifecharacters who have left the show, but in the season finale, it seemed that Matthew had changed his mind about the permanency of the move. However, because Rix has not appeared in season 14 photos, and because he joined the cast ofCasualty(viaHello!),he likely won’t be back forCall the Midwifeseason 14. Good riddance, Matthew (not Rix, who is talented and cool and nice).
Matthew Completely Mishandled His Relationship With Trixie
Matthew Kept Trixie In The Dark, Away From His Problems
For all of Matthew’s failings,I probably wouldn’t be so disappointed in his arc had he not completely mishandled how he dealt with his troubles. All of his fiscal failings turn Matthew into someone almost unrecognizable. Despite the steady and loving relationship he shared with Trixie throughoutCall the Midwife, suddenly he began acting like a jerk. Trixie’s white knight started acting petulant, secretive, angry, and rude, and because he never told Trixie what was going on, she was left completely in the dark.
I guess we’re supposed to sympathize with Matthew at this point. His confidence is shaken and he doesn’t know how to act, but he’s known Trixie for years at that point. He can tell her what’s going on and what his fears are. She’s a hardworking midwife for god’s sake, not some effete upper-crust lady who couldn’t fathom not having loads of money. Trixie has seen much worse than a guy who needs to get a job. Worse yet is his ultimatum to leave for New York. That’s not a job in the countryside, that’s a completely different life across the Atlantic.
Matthew thinks this is how he fixes things, but in reality, he’s just running away.
Get real, Matthew. Either you knew she wouldn’t take that deal, which means you weren’t really giving her a choice, or you were dumb enough to think she would uproot her entire life on what is effectively a wild goose chase for more money, which is at best disrespectful to her intelligence. Matthew thinks this is how he fixes things, but in reality, he’s just running away.
Call The Midwife Needs To Allow Trixie To Grow Romantically
All of these issues are exacerbated by the many bad romance plotlines Trixie has been given over the years. TheCall the Midwifestar and Helen George deserve much better. For too long in the series, Trixie has been handed romance plotlines that end up going nowhere. The romances themselves are fine, and George has chemistry with everyone she’s on-screen with, but too many times, these relationships end in heartbreak. Tom Hereward (Jack Ashton) and Christopher Dockerill (Jack Hawkins) are two infamous cases.
Despite three major relationships, Trixie only married once, though she was engaged to Tom Hereward.
Trixie has grown and matured in so many other aspects of the series, her struggles with alcoholism being a notable storyline, but for whatever reason, the showrunners forCall the Midwiferefuse to give her a solid romance that doesn’t end in heartbreak. Part of me understands that if Trixie is the main character, then she will necessarily need to face an exceptional number of challenges, but let’s switch it up a bit from constant romantic tension.
Matthew Aylward didn’t need to go anywhere (unless Rix secretly wanted out) andCall the Midwifecould have taken a page out of plenty of male-led TV shows: leave the relationship intact, but just don’t show the spouse all that often. He could have even gone to New York, and Trixie encouraged him. It doesn’t even have to be a big plot. He’s just gone and maybe one day he comes back. I don’t really care what happens to Matthew Aylward, I just want the best for Trixie.
Call the Midwife
Cast
This period drama, created by Heidi Thomas, chronicles the lives of a group of midwives in East London from the late 1950s to the late 1960s. The series explores the social and medical challenges of the era, focusing on the personal and professional experiences of the midwives and their community.
