Call the Midwife season 13 episode 8 sees a stranger arrive on Miss Higgins' doorstep that will change her life forever...
As well as a blast from the past for Miss Higgins, the final episode of the series also sees Trixie make a huge decision about her future, while the Turners face the reality that they could lose their foster daughter, May.
Here is the Call the Midwife season 13 ending explained...
After joining our Nonnatus House favourites back in the spring of 1969 at the start of season 13, it is now firework night, and while Violet is planning to go to a display in her role of Major, Fred just wants a quiet life and to mark the occasion at the Nonnatus House party.
Trixie is still in a bad way after Matthew's departure to New York, and while she might be getting more sleep since Dr Turner prescribed her some sleeping tablets, it looks like she might be getting a bit too dependent on them and oversleeps, missing the start of her shift at work.
Later that evening, Geoffrey bumps into his sister and is troubled when she turns down his offer of going to the fireworks together. Not in any mood to celebrate, Trixie heads home alone.
Elsewhere, Miss Higgins is shocked when she gets a knock at the door and finds a woman standing there who she has never seen before. It turns out to be Mariam Chopra, the wife of someone called Victor Chopra - news that leaves Miss Higgins shaken to the core.
Clearly in shock, Millicent asks Phyllis, who is visiting her for the evening to leave, and Phyllis is confused about the whole thing. So much so, that she sits in the car outside and doesn't want to leave her friend alone. Meanwhile, inside the house, Mariam tells Millicent that Victor, who was born and lives in India, is in London, and it is soon revealed that Victor is actually someone who Millicent knows as John - and he is her son.
Shocked to know that the child that she was forced to put up for adoption when he was a baby is nearby, Miss Higgins eagerly asks if he is well and Mariam reveals that if she is okay with it, Victor would like to visit her. Miss Higgins is thrilled and as Mariam leaves Phyllis goes in to see her friend and Miss Higgins tells her everything.
It turns out that she went to India when she was 21 and got a job at a lending library where she met a tutor called Krishnan and they had a secret relationship, which resulted in Millicent falling pregnant. John, or Victor as he is now known, then went on to be adopted.
With Victor in London for just two weeks he is keen to meet his birth mother and buys flowers for his visit to see Miss Higgins. Both Millicent and Victor are clearly nervous about the meeting, but as soon as they see one another, they share a warm hug and quickly set about catching up on the missing years. Millicent is thrilled to learn that she also has a grandson called Harry, who is training to be a dentist.
However, as they are chatting over tea and cakes, Phyllis is concerned when she looks down and notices that Victor's ankles are swollen. While Phyllis and Mariam leave Millicent and Victor to talk, Phyllis asks Mariam about her husband's health and it turns out he has kidney disease.
Victor and Millicent walk along the Thames, where Millicent tells him all about his father and why he ended up being put up for adoption. But as they talk, Victor's health takes a turn for the worse and he is rushed to see Dr Turner.
In desperate need of dialysis, Victor stays at Millicent's house and she looks after him, glad to be able to mother him at last.
Meanwhile, the Turners are worried when they get a call from the foster agency and they're told that May's mother wants to talk to her urgently from Hong Kong. Convinced they are about to lose her, they ask Sister Veronica to use her contacts in Hong Kong to find out more about May's mother, who is called Esther Tang, and her circumstances.
As they head to the meeting at the foster agency with May, they are all nervous, especially when they find out from Sister Veronica that Esther has just had another baby, this time a boy.
At the meeting, May talks to her birth mother on the phone with Sister Veronica translating, and Esther asks questions about how happy May is in England and whether she loves her foster family. When May reveals that she would like to stay with the Turners Esther decides she would like them to adopt her.
Thrilled to have May as a permanent part of the family, the Turners are over the moon and it spurs Patrick and Shelagh to tell Angela that she is also adopted. The news goes down well and the Turner house is a happy one once again.
Things are going from bad to worse for Trixie as she struggles to cope with the demands of work as well as her crumbling home life. She is distant at work and takes caffeine pills to keep her awake after she fails to sleep. However, the pills make her jittery and she manages to set fire to her apron while testing a urine sample and it is only Sister Julienne's quick thinking that saves her from serious harm.
Geoffery takes her home and gives her some tough love, throwing away her tablets and asking her when she last went to an AA meeting. When Trixie admits that she hasn't been for a long time, he does his own meeting with Trixie and makes her realise that she should chase after love and go to New York to see Matthew.
As a result, at the end of the episode, we see Trixie on the phone with Matthew, who is clearly missing her, and she tells him that she is coming to America to be with him. The news leaves him thrilled and Trixie looks like a weight has been lifted off her sounders.
Back at Millicent's house, Victor has taken a turn for the worst and he is now on oxygen under Dr Turner's instructions. There is a moment of happiness when Harry turns up at Miss Higgins' door and she is thrilled to meet her grandson for the first time.
Phyllis gives the family something to smile about when she puts together a slide show using photos that Mariam gave her of Victor's life. They don't have much time together though and soon Victor loses his battle with his illness and dies, leaving everyone heartbroken, but Millicent is grateful that she was there for his first breaths and then also his last.
There is also trouble for Joyce as Sylvester keeps blackmailing her for money and she is forced to hand over her wage packet, desperate to keep her secret hidden. However, when Rosalind sees Sylvester with Joyce's pay packet, clearly stamped with the Nonnatus House logo, she knows something is wrong and confronts him. He is rude and knowing he has been caught out, he tells Rosalind to ask Joyce who Claudine is.
At Nonnatus House, Rosalind asks her friend for the truth and Joyce reveals everything to Rosalind and Nancy, admitting her real name, her past with Sylvester, and that he is her abusive husband. They are shocked and persuade her to tell Sister Julienne, something that Joyce is worried about.
However, Sister Julienne is very supportive and tells her that they are going to report Sylvester to the police and also that her job at Nonnatus House is safe. When Sylvester then comes to blackmail Joyce for more money, she tells him where to go - and now her secret is out, he can no longer have a hold over her.
The end of the episode sees everyone celebrating at the Mother of the Year awards, but as all the children give heartfelt speeches about why their mum is the best, it is Sister Julienne who wins after everyone celebrates the hard work and dedication she has given throughout her life. She might not be a mother, but she is like a mother to everyone in her care.
The next episode of Call the Midwife season 13, which is the season finale, airs on Sunday, March 3 in the UK at 8pm on BBC One. All previous episodes are available on BBC iPlayer.
In the US, season 13 will start on Sunday, March 17, 2024 on PBS.
