Call The Midwife’s Season 14 finale was packed with emotional moments, several births, and two weddings. But the plot point that stood out the most is Cyril and Rosalind’s relationship development. This moment is bittersweet, because the series is telling diehard Cyril fans that we have to move on from the past, as he has. Season 14 has officially shut the door on fan theories and wishes that Lucille’s absence was temporary, or that a cameo was possible. Cyril visited her in Jamaica offscreen, and she has requested that divorce proceedings begin. Lucille and Leonie Elliot left an indelible mark on Call The Midwife canon that can’t be easily dismissed. Her time on the series cemented the importance of the Windrush Generation, and the Black diaspora as a whole, in the history of Nonnatus House and the larger National Health Service. There’s nothing wrong with still feeling like Lucille’s absence is fresh on the mind.
Joyce’s introduction last season made it clear that the writers were not interested in replacing Lucille with a character exactly like her. While Joyce also faces racism from patients and the wider public, her backstory and career aspirations are not the same. Her Trinidadian background is a nod to the fact that Jamaica is often considered the default for Caribbean diaspora stories. Joyce’s desire to transition into being a matron, and thus a career in healthcare management, is something we haven’t seen before. She’s motivated not only to leave her past behind, but also to think about the future of patient care. However, Joyce has to face the same systemic and interpersonal racism that drove Lucille to leave England — and Cyril — behind.
Cyril spent the first half of season 14 mourning his marriage, but he already knew deep down that it was over long before the papers were signed. Focusing on work allowed him to heal, and, ironically, to find a spark from an unexpected place. Rosalind and Cyril begin the season working together at the soup kitchen and around Poplar on social work assignments. It’s clear that there’s something more than a shared love of helping others between them. Cyril didn’t set out to find love, but he found it while working.
Between Call The Midwife seasons, Grantchester Season 10 has unintentionally provided hints on how future seasons of Call The Midwife can develop this budding relationship between Cyril and Rosalind. Cyril’s story shares some parallels with Alphy on Grantchester, even though the series is set a decade apart. Both are men in church leadership, as Cyril is a Pastor while Alphy is a Vicar. They both have to consider their future wife’s role in their religious career. Neither can afford to have the public perception that they’re engaging in morally questionable behavior. Alphy has already had a scrape with a love interest who was involved in illegal and unethical activity. Cyril’s divorce shares a similar space, emphasizing the need to proceed with caution. But the clearest parallel is that both Cyril and Alphy pursue interracial relationships because they feel natural attraction and chemistry with women they’ve met by chance.
Alphy met Meg the librarian while researching a case for the police. After the investigation ends, Alphy and Meg bond over a shared love of literature. However, we now know Meg’s dad is the Bishop who wanted Alphy fired. Dating your boss’ daughter is going to cause problems, regardless of identity. He’s purposely taking their relationship slowly, not just because of making sure he doesn’t appear to be unchaste, but also because he is not sure about her father’s attitude. There’s no guarantees in an interracial relationship that your partner’s family will fully accept you as a member of their family.
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In terms of race, there’s a much bigger contrast between Cyril and Alphy, but they share a similar concern that interracial dating can cause social and possibly economic issues that their partners may not be ready or willing to handle. Although Alphy is visibly of Indian heritage, he was raised by a white vicar in an Anglican orphanage. Today we would call this a transracial adoption. He’s struggling with his own perception of his identity at the same time that he wants to open up more to Meg. In addition, Cambridge is more suburban and less diverse than Poplar. Meg senses that despite going out together in public with mutual friends, Alphy is not emotionally available, and tells him that they need to go on a break. So far Alphy and Meg have escaped rude comments, but that doesn’t mean it would never happen.
Cyril, on the other hand, is proudly Afro-Caribbean and is connected to his community. Given that people already knew Lucile before she moved back to Jamaica, Cyril would naturally not want to appear as if he “replaced her” too quickly. Rosalind meeting people who knew Lucille outside of Nonnatus is something Cyril hasn’t had to navigate yet. On top of this, we’ve seen nothing of Rosalind’s family. Could they act like Meg’s father?
Some Call The Midwife fans could argue that Joyce should have been Cyril’s new love interest, but there are two big reasons why that scenario isn’t feasible. First, Joyce’s ex-husband is still not out of the picture, even if he didn’t appear in recent episodes. She’s not shown any inkling of anything other than trying to heal and build her career. Second, this is a classic example of the “pairing the spares” trope, with bonus racist implications. Doctor Who was also harshly criticized for pairing former companions Martha Jones and Mickey Smith to wrap up supporting character storylines in the finale episodes for the Tenth Doctor. Martha and Mickey didn’t have many scenes by themselves to develop their relationship before they were introduced as a couple. Their previous appearances together were part of a larger group of companions, friends, and allies of the Doctor. Cyril and Joyce would be seen as another example of this trope.
It was far better for optics — and storytelling — for the writers to introduce a new love interest who cannot be easily compared to Lucille. Rosalind approaches social work from a more secular viewpoint, and brings different experiences. However, the one thing that Rosalind doesn’t have the experience or preparation to navigate is the fact that some people in Poplar do not care that there’s no official ban against interracial relationships or marriage. What Joyce told Rosalind about how difficult dating Cyril could be was coming from a place of genuine concern, and not based on unrequited feelings or jealousy. Cyril knows that rude comments, or white friends treating Rosalind differently are a likely possibility, but he is better prepared to handle social racism.
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Call The Midwife ended Season 14 with Cyril and Rosalind publicly showing affection. Could this mean Alphy and Meg can resume their relationship after their break? Grantchester Season 10 is still wrapping up, but Season 11 will be the last of the series. Alphy and Meg’s future as a couple does depend on how welcoming Cambridge residents are, but more importantly, on Alphy resolving the issues with Meg’s father and his own view of his identity in future episodes. What’s in store for Cyril and Rosalind next season? It’s way too soon to tell, as Season 15 only recently started filming. What we do know is that there are only two choices for fans still in mourning for Lucille: moving on along with Cyril, or refusing to let go of what cannot be changed.