Editor’s Note: Episode 3 contains content which may not be suitable for all audiences, including a brief depiction of sexual violence. Viewer discretion is advised.

Episode 3 is here but quite frankly we’re not sure if we’re ready for it after everything that went down last week. Though we always enjoy our Sunday nights with the midwives, this season has absolutely wrecked us. The only thing that could possibly cure us is an entire episode dedicated to Trixie and Matthew’s romance and even that might not be enough.

Since Season 12 began, we’ve seen three of our favorite characters, Sister Hilda, Sister Frances and Lucille, all leave Nonnatus House. It is an understatement to say that we were not ready. We usually get at least a full season between midwife send offs to give us time to heal, but Heidi Thomas said “not today!” So, grab your tea and biscuits and find your support person (or pet) because this week of “Call the Midwife” is not the palate cleanser you’ve been looking for.

Sister Veronica Is On the Case

This week, Sister Veronica marks her presence in Poplar with her first home check-in. As Nonnatus House’s new health visitor, she’s making her rounds to all of her adult patients and their children to encourage them to get updated vaccinations.

The first person on her list is Sandy Mackay, but when she stops by the Mackay residence to see if Sandy and her children are home, she quickly realizes she’s accidentally crashed a bustling wedding reception. There she meets Sandy and her new husband Joe, who have just married that morning. At first glance, it appears to be an occasion for all to celebrate, but Sister Veronica doesn’t take too warmly to Joe, sensing something sinister about him during their brief introduction.

A Mysterious Bump

As Sister Veronica gets her first taste of Poplar, Nancy helps with a delivery at Dr. Turner’s maternity home where Lorna Pryce is having her second child. She’s made very little progress during her labor, and Nancy believes that she might be synclitic. In other words, her baby’s head is tilted at an angle and is making Lorna’s labor much more complicated. Thankfully, with support close by, Nancy is able to call in Shelagh and Dr. Turner to perform a forceps delivery.

Following her son’s birth, Lorna is concerned about unusual bruising across his head, but Dr. Turner reassures her that it’s a cephalohematoma caused by the forceps. Despite this, she still worries that his injury isn’t improving and feels that something isn’t right with his health. To help put her at ease, Shelagh offers to do a blood test on her son.

Trouble in the Marriage

While they wait for the results, Sister Veronica returns to Sandy’s home the morning after her wedding to remind her to bring her children in for their vaccinations. She notices that the house is in disarray, which she initially believes to be the aftermath of Sandy and Joe’s celebrations, but grows concerned by a blood-stained sheet sitting in the kitchen sink.

She doesn’t pry, but her fears are confirmed when Sandy makes an alarming comment to her later that week at the midwives’ clinic. Sandy reveals that she’s not satisfied in her marriage and implies that Joe has taken something against her will. When Sister Veronica asks her to explain, in hopes that she can help in some way, Sandy expresses regret for telling her and abruptly leaves.

It isn’t until Sandy returns home that night that we learn Joe has been physically and sexually abusing her. Later that evening, when Joe is asleep, Sandy takes her children and leaves, but with nowhere else to go the family is forced to sleep on the streets. The next morning, Fred finds them and brings them to Nonnatus House where Sister Veronica is ready to care for them. After helping tend to Sandy’s wounds and letting her open up on her own about the abuse, Sister Veronica helps Sandy find a women’s hostel for her to stay in so that she doesn’t have to live with Joe.

A Failure in the Legal System

This, unfortunately, doesn’t stop him from looking for her. When Joe discovers that Sandy has left for good, he goes to Nonnatus House the next day in search of her. Sister Monica Joan thwarts his efforts, refusing to divulge any information about her whereabouts, and across town Sandy is already visiting the police station to file a report against her husband.

She explains that Joe has locked her out of her own house and that she no longer has access to her belongings, including an important medication for her son. When the constable argues that it’s not a case that the police can get involved in, Sister Veronica steps in on Sandy’s behalf to explain that there is far more to her complaint than Joe preventing her from retrieving her personal possessions. When the constable presses her to provide more detail, Sister Veronica tells him that Sandy was raped.

Finally understanding how serious Joe’s crime is, the constable informs a detective sergeant whom agrees to meet with Sandy and listen to her story. After all the trauma she has experienced and all the obstacles she has faced to get to this moment, she’s hopeful that Joe will finally be held accountable for his actions.

Instead, the detective delivers the worst possible news. He tells her that under English law, it is considered “impossible” for a man to rape his wife, and that despite Joe’s abuse and all the evidence that Sandy can provide, there’s nothing the police can do for her. After putting her faith in the system and finding the courage to come forward, Sandy is both devastated and infuriated by this outcome.

Taking Back Control

However, she remains resilient following her police visit and refuses to let Joe get away with his abuse even though the country’s archaic laws have completely failed her. So, she tells Sister Veronica that she wants a divorce. It’s the only way she feels she can make a statement and take a stand against Joe to show him that she doesn’t accept him or what he did to her.

Knowing that Sandy will need financial support, Sister Veronica brings in Matthew for guidance. He tells Sandy that she will have to prove cruelty in her marriage in order to get a divorce but believes that she has a strong case based on the physical abuse Joe has subjected her to. Matthew warns her that if she goes to court, she’ll not only have to go into detail about the abuse for her case, but might also be questioned by Joe if he chooses to contest it. Even so, she decides to proceed with the case against him to get the justice that she deserves, and Matthew offers to help her find an attorney.

A Chef In Training

While Sister Veronica and Matthew support Sandy through the next steps of the legal process, at Nonnatus House, Trixie has decided to take advantage of her time outside of work with a new hobby. Her wedding with Matthew draws closer, and she expresses her interest in learning how to cook in hopes that she can host parties and prepare meals for Matthew when they’re married. As her friends wisely note, Matthew could also just learn how to cook for himself, but Trixie seems eager and willing to take on the task.

She signs herself up for a Cordon Bleu cooking class and even tries out her first mille feuille on Nancy and Phyllis. The layered pastry is not quite what they imagined it would be, but they don’t have the heart to break it to her or to turn down Trixie’s invitation to her first dinner party.

Money Problems

Being one of Trixie’s recipe testers might not be ideal, but for Nancy, a few excessively salty mille feuilles are the least of her worries. Nancy’s financial problems become more evident this episode as she struggles to pay off her debts while also trying to save up for a home so that she can finally live with her daughter Colette.

She already owes money to Fred and Violet for running up a tab at their store, but she also receives an outstanding payment notice from Palmer’s electrical shop for her television at Nonnatus House. Though she tries to sell some of her clothing at a local pawn shop to pay off her debt, she’s unable to sell any of it for a decent price and this only leaves her with a growing pile of bills.

Phyllis to the Rescue

Despite her best efforts to dodge them, Palmer’s electrical comes knocking at the doors of Nonnatus House anyway. The company removes Nancy’s television and Phyllis, who is witness to the incident, decides to have a word with her younger colleague about her financial responsibilities. During their conversation, she learns that Nancy owes almost 100 pounds, which would require several weeks of her salary.

Phyllis is shocked to hear that she’s let it get so out of control, but Nancy explains that she only spent so much money in an effort to give Colette a normal life. Phyllis recognizes that Nancy, who was orphaned as a child, has never had the parental guidance she needed to help manage her money and generously offers to help her come up with a plan to pay off her bills.

Ian’s Blood Disorder

Meanwhile, back at the maternity home, Ian’s condition only gets worse after Shelagh performs his blood test. Shelagh notices that Ian’s foot continues to bleed well after the test is complete, and she alerts Dr. Turner who also notices unusual bruising along the newborn’s back. He suspects this isn’t just a result of the forceps delivery he performed and believes that Ian has a bleeding disorder where his blood has trouble clotting. While her motherly instincts were spot on, the news is still a shock to Lorna, who has no knowledge of blood disorders on her side of the family.

A Secret Family Condition

Dr. Turner refers Ian to a pediatrician at St. Cuthbert’s and when his results come back they reveal that Ian has hemophilia. It’s a condition that will impact him for the rest of his life and most people who are diagnosed with it have a short life expectancy. Like the needle prick from his blood test, any injury could cause Ian to bleed more heavily than the average person and could even require hospital treatment to help his blood to clot.

When the team learns of the diagnosis, Miss Higgins provides Dr. Turner with family medical records that show that Ian’s grandfather also had hemophilia. He died in his late twenties from a bad fall, but when Dr. Turner speaks to Lorna about the condition she tells him that her dad died from cancer. Or so she thought.

Lorna is distressed to learn how her father really died and that her mother lied to her for years. Joyce explains that she didn’t want their family history to discourage Lorna from having children and also believed that Lorna might only have girls, who are rarely diagnosed with the condition. Understandably, her mother’s reasoning doesn’t sit well with Lorna given that she did have a son and also wasn’t given the choice to decide what would be best for her and her kids. The family secret causes a huge rift between the once-tight knit mother and daughter and Lorna tells Joyce that she doesn’t want her to be a part of her life anymore.

Following their separation, Shelagh checks in on Lorna at her home to help her prepare for Ian’s return from the hospital. When she arrives, Lorna confesses that she doesn’t have a plan and feels disorganized, not knowing where any of her baby items are. She admits that she relied on her mother throughout her pregnancy and that Joyce was the one who was going to have everything ready for Ian when he was eventually ready to come home. After seeing how close the two women were before Ian’s diagnosis, Shelagh encourages Lorna to forgive her mother and adds that she likely only wanted the best for her daughter, including the joy of being able to have a baby. Lorna follows her advice and ultimately agrees to reunite with her mother.

Trixie’s First Dinner

As the episode concludes, Cyril, Nancy, Phyllis and unexpected guest of honor Sister Monica Joan gather for Trixie’s first dinner. Though Phyllis and Nancy have already prepared themselves for the worst, Trixie’s cooking takes the others by surprise. It’s obvious that the group is not a fan of her cooking, but they brave through the first course and put on their best poker faces.

Naturally, it only gets worse when they move on to the entree, and Trixie realizes she’s burnt both the lamb and the nut roast she’s prepared for them. Her friends try to reassure her as they head into dessert, but Trixie realizes she’d made a terrible mistake: she’s been using salt instead of sugar in her recipes. Though she acknowledges that she might not be getting a James Beard award for her food, she does find amusement in the evening’s disasters.

Once the tension over her lack of cooking skills dissolves, Cyril jumps in to help her make the best of the night. He offers to cook up a proper dinner for them all with the remaining ingredients Trixie has purchased and makes a delicious eggs benedict. Who doesn’t love breakfast for dinner? The night is saved as the group enjoys their homemade meal and good company.

Forgot how we got here? Catch up on “Call the Midwife” with the Season 12, Episode 2 GIF Recap.