Fred Buckle (Cliff Parisi) has been aCall the Midwifemainstay since the show’s very first season, but season 13 saw Fred experience his worst health yet, leading many to question if he makes it to season 14. Premiering in 2012,Call the Midwifeis a British period drama seriesthat follows the nuns and midwives of Nonnatus House, a nursing convent catering to the lower-class East End English town of Poplar in the 1950s. Fred Buckle is Nonnatus House’s steadfast handyman, and though he’s had some somewhat unscrupulous jobs in the past, he has a heart of gold.
Fred began the series as a widower, having lost his wife in WW2. A father to two adult daughters from his first marriage, Fred finds love again with Violet Gee (Annabelle Appison), the town haberdasher, whom he marries in season 4. Though Fred has an abundance of love in his life, having also adopted his second cousin, Reggie (Daniel Laurie),he doesn’t always ask those around him for help when dealing with physical ailments that increase as he ages. When Fred faces his scariest storyline inCall the Midwifeseason 13, it appears that the beloved caretaker won’t survive.
Fred Buckle Survives A Near-Death Case Of Tetanus In Call The Midwife Season 13
This Leads To Aspirational Pneumonia But Fred Makes A Full Recovery
InCall the Midwifeseason 13, episode 3,Fred cuts his hand while trying to fix a lawnmower. Reggie races off to fetch help, and Fred finds himself at Nonnatus House, being tended to by Trixie (Helen George). She asks Fred if he’s up to date on his “jabs” (vaccinations), but Fred is so distracted with Violet’s upcoming mayoral race that he responds in the affirmative, even though he hasn’t been vaccinated since his time in the army.
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Not long after, Fred collapses. His injury has worsened and Trixie diagnoses him with tetanus. Things only get worse from there, which is heartbreaking, as had Fred realized he was, in fact, behind on his “jabs,” Trixie could have given him the vaccination he needed. But even after a round of penicillin,Fred continues to deteriorate, and is eventually put on a ventilator after his condition develops into aspirational pneumonia, making it hard for him to breathe.
Violet visits and pours her heart out to an unresponsive Fred, and it really looks like his time onCall the Midwifeis coming to a close. However,in a visit with Reggie and Sister Monica Joan (Judy Parfitt), Fred is able to move his hands and feet, open his eyes, and speak. Sister Monica Joan delivers the good news to Nonnatus House that “The Lord has expressed his gracious will, and Fred has recovered his bodily health.” To cap off the episode’s happy ending, Violet wins the mayoral race.
While some criticism has been leveled atCall the Midwifefor rarely, if ever, killing off its main characters, Fred’s departure would have left an unfillable void in the series. The show is a serious medical drama, but it’s also uplifting and hopeful, and a big part of that is due to characters like Fred.
What’s Next For Fred Buckle In Call The Midwife Season 14
He’ll Likely Continue His Happy Life With Violet & Reggie
While Fred was the center of attention in his health scare episode,he took a backseat to the otherCall the Midwifemain charactersthroughout the rest of the season. However, he did have a touching moment in the season 13 finale, in the storyline centered around Poplar’s Mother of the Year competition. Reggie shows the town his miniature garden, comprised of Ivy for his biological mother and violets for Violet. When he becomes too overcome with emotion to continue his speech, Fred fills in.
Cliff Parisi has appeared in a total of 108Call the Midwifeepisodes, the second-most of any male actor, behind Stephen McGann’s (Dr. Patrick Turner) 112.
While much ofCall the Midwifeseason 14will likely revolve around what happens with Trixie and Matthew (Olly Rix), and if they come back from New York, the stalwart Fred will definitely be present. Even if season 13 showed he wasn’t always thrilled with having to participate in his wife’s mayoral duties — especially when there are fireworks to be seen — Fred will always be there for Violet and Reggie. And hopefully, he’ll stay up to date on his jabs.
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.
