Call the Midwife season 13 episode 7 spoilers follow.
After months of speculation and rumour, Call the Midwife has finally sealed Olly Rix's exit fate: the usually beloved, recently chastised Matthew Aylward packed his bags and headed to New York… without Trixie (Helen George).
Just a mere season ago, his resolve to leave without Trixie would have felt like an uncharacteristic betrayal of their love story. It was a romance that restored viewers' faith that all Trixie's longing for a steady, dependable love had been granted.
Alas, we have watched white knight Matthew crumble over the course of season 13.
His inability to juggle his philanthropic nature against the financial needs of the already-struggling family business (Aylward Estates) was the current that swept him under. Eventually, he was fired, tossed off the board and had his assets seized.
Matthew Aylward, born with a silver spoon in his mouth, went from Poplar's wealthy saviour to a virtually penniless man obliged to live off the wages of his wife's nursing salary.
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It's fair to say that this life transition brought out his uglier side: his secretive nature, short temper and tactlessness did not go unnoticed, all of which have been building towards the inevitable exit.
Many had speculated that the only justifiable way to tear this couple apart – especially after Trixie's very unlucky romantic run – would have been for Rix's Matthew to be killed off.
After all, who could have envisaged him leaving Trixie behind?
However, when considering Matthew (and Matthew alone), this was the perfect way to handle his story arc.
While Matthew may have had the deepest of struggles – the loss of his first wife, Fiona (Jo Herbert), learning to be a single father – he's never really faced something that has tested him as an individual. This current storyline has shaken his sense of identity in the most interesting of ways.
Following the death of Fiona, he had the support of Trixie to help him through. However, throughout the threat of the loss of his financial stability – a situation of his own making –he has had no-one.
Used to being the problem solver, not the bearer of worry and woe, he was determined to fix things without the company or Trixie becoming aware.
Even after the situation became public knowledge Matthew continued to push Trixie away, making life-changing decisions about their future without her.
This led to the heartbreaking moment in Call the Midwife season 13's penultimate episode where he hit Trixie with THAT ultimatum blow.
Come with him to New York – where he had the chance to embark on a new business venture – or stay behind while he and son Jonty (Archie O'Callaghan) leave.
It seemed for a moment, last week, as though the two may have been pulling together through this disastrous shipwreck of a situation.
Matthew had just about begun to let Trixie in, but he seemed to completely revert to panic mode.
His treatment of Trixie and his inflexibility are surprising behaviour to see from Matthew, but not unexpected from a 1960s man who is in shock from the loss of his financial stability.
Matthew may have been painted as more of a modern man with values way ahead of his time, but ultimately he is a product of the times.
Going from provider to pauper almost overnight has been a blow to his self-esteem, his pride, and it has left him questioning his manhood.
"I want to be the man that you fell in love with," he told Trixie. "I want to be able to solve problems and be generous. I want to have all the answers again. I want to lay flowers at my wife's feet."
The constant fear in his eyes every time Trixie looked his way was Rix's deft way of communicating Matthew fears Trixie's affections for him are conditional upon his ability to provide.
His resolve to fix things at any cost has been at the expense of his marriage. He has doubled down on decisions that have alienated Trixie out of desperation and hopes she will become amenable over time – but will she?
As disheartening as it has been to see this change in him, it has been a joy to watch Rix tackle these new insecurities and issues that have arisen for Matthew.
If Matthew has made you feel disappointed, struck or frustrated, Rix has only done his job right.
On the flip side of that coin, this is yet another devastating blow for Trixie, who has become the poster girl for bad romance.
It's unfortunate, because Trixie is so much more than the woman repeatedly scorned and yet instead of developing her character in other areas (like they did with her alcoholism struggles), our attention is continuously drawn back to her romantic blunders.
And while we're on the topic of her failed romances it was so very unnecessary for her to endure more heartbreak, as if the Tom Hereward (Jack Ashton) and Christopher Dockerill (Jack Hawkins) sagas weren't tragic enough.
Call the Midwife could have found other ways to tease these challenges out in Matthew that perhaps didn't once again leave Trixie in the dumps.
It's possible that Matthew's departure isn't permanent, which will go some way to making things up to Trixie.
While we saw Matthew hike it out of there, bindle in tow, with the two still at odds over where their future lay – New York, Poplar, together, apart – it was reassuring to see how bitterly they regretted separating.
"We're still married and we still have a future together," he told her the night before his departure.
While she doubted whether or not that was true, his admission that he won't force her into any decisions, coupled with their declarations of love, not only gives hope that they could reunite next season but also gives hope that there's another Matthew beneath all his insecurities and panic.
There's also still one more episode of the season to go. Fingers crossed we'll see a romantic U-turn…
Call the Midwife season 13 airs on Sunday at 8pm on BBC One, and streams on BBC iPlayer.
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TV writer, Digital Spy Janet completed her Masters degree in Magazine Journalism in 2013 and has continued to grow professionally within the industry ever since. For six years she honed her analytical reviewing skills at the Good Housekeeping institute eventually becoming Acting Head of Food testing. She also freelanced in the field of film and TV journalism from 2013-2020, when she interviewed A-List stars such as Samuel L Jackson, Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson. In 2021 she joined Digital Spy as TV writer where she gets to delve into more of what she loves, watching copious amounts of telly all in the name of work. Since taking on the role she has conducted red carpet interviews with the cast of Bridgerton, covered the BAFTAs and been interviewed by BBC Radio and London Live. In her spare time she also moonlights as a published author, the book Gothic Angel.
