Every season, GBH Drama prepares to bring you coverage of the latest and greatest in British dramas. This month, we get the triumphant return of MASTERPIECE’s remake of the classic series All Creatures Great and Small. Featuring eccentric characters, adorable animals, and the vast, rolling hills of Yorkshire, this series does not disappoint. GBH Drama contributor Amanda-Rae Prescott is here to recap the magic as it happens.
The All Creatures Great And Small Season 2 finale resolves almost all of the biggest plotlines this season. Everyone is looking forward to what the future will bring. Some find love, others find a purpose, and others are concerned that life as they know it will be interrupted by events abroad. Let’s discuss what happened in this action-packed episode.
Throwing Verbal Tomatoes
The episode begins with James and Helen going to see a movie. In classic Darrowby fashion, the projectionist is late to start the show. Mr. Cranford, yet another disgruntled client, is angry that his cow received the wrong diagnosis. The cow died and he’s blaming James for it.
James is trying to smooth over the situation but Mr. Cranford keeps interrupting the Pathé reel. Can’t James and Helen have 2 hours away from work??!? Unfortunately, Mr. Cranford will continue to be a nuisance. How will Skeldale House deal with him?
The Shadow Of War
This episode more than any other so far has overt references to the lead-up to World War II as the show is now in the summer of 1938. Prime Minister Chamberlain's speeches are overheard on the radio. The newsreel mentioned earlier showed Hitler’s troops marching. Season 3 won’t be able to ignore current events as the characters are aware of what is happening in Europe. Mrs. Hall is worried but she doesn’t tell the others yet. In whom will she confide?
Carpe Some Diem
Once again Siegfried decides to be a bully and dish out advice no one asked for, clearly under the influence of whatever happened on his last date with Diana. James complains about Mr. Cranford ruining his date with Helen, and Siegfried bombastically shouts that James should forget all that and ask Helen to marry him. James says he’s broke and doesn’t have his own place. Siegfried says there’s plenty of room in Skeldale House. Tristan had a totally out-of-pocket joke about waking up next to Helen as an answer to the question of what that would mean for future room arrangements. James also reveals Mama and Papa Herriot are coming to visit soon. Mrs. Hall is already prepping the menu. A phone call from Mrs. Dalby interrupts Tristan’s ridiculousness.
The Stirk’s Mystery Illness
Mrs. Dalby called to say some of her stirks are still sickly. She had to stop the protein cake and hay treatment as she was running out of money. Despite that, the herd appears mostly fine as a few of the cattle have started to develop the breed’s signature black and white spots. James offers to take stool samples to rule out salmonella poisoning and other possible infections. In a fun twist from Episode 3, James is now completely on the side of Mrs. Dalby sticking it out with the farm. He sounds just like Helen which is another sign he’s fully settled on staying in Darrowby. What will the samples reveal?
Tristan’s Good Deed
Meanwhile, at Skeldale House, the residents get a visit from Mrs. Donovan, a Traveler who doesn’t trust modern medicine. She’s selling pet shampoo outside. In the books, James Herriot refers to people like Mrs. Donovan as a g***y, however,
this term has been deemed a racial slur by today’s Irish Travellers and Romani. Recent editions of the All Creatures books have not edited out this outdated and racist terminology, however the episode uses more inclusive wording.
Tristan stops by the pub to chat with Maggie. He’s interrupted by Mrs. Donovan screaming and a commotion. Rex, Mrs. Donovan’s mixed-breed dog, was hit by a car after bolting from her side. Tristan takes Rex in his arms and runs into the Skeldale House surgery. Poor Rex dies on the table as he has too much internal bleeding. Tristan offers to carry Rex back to Mrs. Donovan’s houseboat so he can be buried at his favorite tree. She notes that Tristan is being unusually nice to her; unusual because of people’s prejudices against Travellers, which is why she relied on Rex for companionship. Tristan tells her she should try to get another dog, but she refuses, not only out of grief but also because she says sometimes dogs choose their owners. Later on, Tristan finds a stray wolfhound near the Traveller camp.
He remembers what Siegfried says about veterinary care: that it’s about caring for the people just as much as for their animals. He puts a rope leash on the wolfhound and brings him to Mrs. Donovan. He tells a white lie and says the poor dog will be put down if someone doesn’t adopt him. She’s eager to save the stray and is happy to have another client for her pet shampoos. What does this mean for Tristan’s career?
The Spontaneous Proposal
James goes to the Aldersons to check on Candy the horse as she’s almost ready to give birth. He offers Helen the chance to take a drive with him to drop off the stool samples from Mrs. Dalby’s herd at the lab. Helen agrees and James promises he won’t drop Helen off too late. While they’re driving, Helen comments that she likes some key elements of James’ personality such as his avoidance of grand romantic gestures, and says that it’s ok he isn’t spontaneous. He remembers Siegfried’s bullying and pulls the car over to propose to her in a field. Aww!!!!!
James didn’t think this through: he forgot to bring a ring and he also didn’t ask Mr. Alderson for permission. There’s time for James to fix these issues, but first, his parents are on their way.
Touring The Dales
Hannah and James Herriot Sr. are in awe of the green scenery around Darrowby, but James’ stories of the snow and fog during house calls convince Mama Herriot that her boy is better off at the cushy vet job. Before they can eat, he takes them along to visit Mrs. Dalby to give her the test results. James wants his parents to fall in love with the Dales as he has.
They meet Mrs. Dalby and her herd of cattle. The lab found the samples clean of any bacterial infection. James tells her he’s finally figured out why the herd is sick. The stirks have a copper deficiency, and the medicine is very cheap. James is happy he’s finally found the cause of the initial illness and Mrs. Dalby is grateful for his assistance as her family farm will survive. The Herriots have their very own testimonial to James’ success. How will introducing Helen go?
An Offer Accepted
Remember when Gerald invited Mrs. Hall to go out on a mutual dog walk? Mrs. Hall finally accepts his offer. Her anxiety was on the rise listening to the talk on the radio about the
Anglo-German Naval Agreement. Jess and Rock run around while Mrs. Hall tells Gerald she’s worried that her son Edward will rush to put himself in harm's way. Gerald shares her concerns as he doesn’t want other people to end up disabled the way he was after WWI. Mrs. Hall reveals that her husband came back from WWI with PTSD and it changed his personality. Through their shared experiences, they joke about Hitler’s mustache and hope that the situation will be settled without war. The Siggy/Audrey shippers will likely sigh through this whole scene, however, it’s nice that Mrs. Hall has a friend to talk to outside of the mess of Skeldale House. After all, who knows if the Herriots’ visit will cause even more anxiety?
The Circle Of Life
Back at the Aldersons, Candy is struggling with labor. James diagnoses her with a twisted uterus which results in a blocked birth canal. He tells Jenny to call Skeldale for reinforcements. Siegfried rushes to the Rover, as horses are his specialty. Tristan decides that he should stop moping about the fake degree and runs after Siegfried. Once the cavalry arrives, James tells everyone that he is going to try to turn Candy so her uterus can untwist naturally. After the first full turn, James feels that the birth is back on track. A little brown female foal is born! The Aldersons decide to name the foal Joan after their mom, as Candy was her horse. How sweet!
Tristan and Siegfried leave satisfied that all is well, and also to give James space to talk to Helen and Mr. Alderson alone.
The Second Proposal
James tells Mr. Alderson he wants to marry Helen. Mr. Alderson doesn’t answer but invites him inside the house to talk. James takes a few shots for dutch courage then tells Mr. Alderson he’s serious about taking care of Helen. Mr. Alderson already figured out James put the cart before the horse, and tells him he saw Helen have the same smile his late wife had. Mr. Alderson gives James the ring Helen’s mom wore as his way of giving formal permission. James is honored, and also kind of thankful since he never went to the jewelers. Jenny isn’t supposed to be hearing their conversation, but of course, she’s spying with a smile on her face.
James picks up Helen for lunch with his parents. He pretends that there’s a spot on her dress, then takes a knee to offer the antique ring.
All that’s left is to break the news to the Herriots.
Meet The Parents
At Skeldale, the Herriots stare awkwardly at the Farnons and Mrs. Hall while waiting for James and Helen to arrive. Mama Herriot discusses the Glasgow job to Siegfried and Tristan’s utter confusion as they don’t know anything about that yet. James has to stop her and tell her that he turned down the job because Helen is his fiance and he’s staying in Darrowby. The Farnon brothers are relieved that James isn’t abandoning them. Mama Herriot is shocked by this but Helen reassures her that James has made a huge impact on many people in the Dales. She also reassures the Herriots she really does love James. Although the beginning of the conversation is very awkward, it ends well as Mama Herriot finally has to admit that James is leaving the nest for good. At the end of their visit, the Herriots hug Helen goodbye as their way of showing their support for their future daughter-in-law.
The Fix Is In
In between prepping for the Herriots’ visit, Mrs. Hall answers a really rude phone call from Mr. Cranford demanding delivery of a salve. Tristan overhears this and decides Mr. Cranford needs to be taught a lesson. He discovers James forgot to clean the bottles containing the stool samples and decides to switch one with the salve. After the Herriots leave for Glasgow, Mr. Cranford comes around to discuss how he started wiping the “salve” before he realized it was not nice stuff.
Later, the vets and Mrs. Hall celebrate James and Helen’s engagement at the pub. They also have a good laugh about Mr. Cranford’s predicament. Tristan defends his actions by saying no one gets to be rude to Mrs. Hall. Damn right! Siegfried then tells Tristan he only wants what's best for him. Tristan responds saying he realizes being a vet is his calling and will take the money to go back to vet college. Mrs. Donovan also shows off her new friend at the pub to highlight Tristans’ skills.
The conversation drifts back to the engagement, and once again Tristan has something slick to say about Helen’s commitment. She rightfully gives him a playful hit and the episode ends with the best sign above the bar door:
Season 2 of All Creatures Great And Small is technically over, but there’s a bit more of the story to be told before the hiatus. Next week, there is a Christmas special that bridges the second season and the third season that will begin next year. Who will kiss under the mistletoe at Skeldale House? Which clients will have emergencies when people are drunk on the mulled wine? Find out on the next All Creatures Great And Small!
Episode 1 recap: spring in the Dales
Episode 2 recap: The Daffodil Ball
Episode 3 recap: community care and love
Episode 4 recap: Tristan's trainwreck birthday
Episode 5 recap: cricket and old flames
