Jackie: SO. All Creatures is off to quite a start this season. What do you think so far? The first episode was pretty drama-packed, especially for this show. The RAF parts in particular almost felt like we were watching a different program.
Amanda-Rae: I liked that we had a brief stint into a World on Fire episode. So sad the BBC canceled that series! I definitely believe World On Fire influenced Banerjee’s inclusion.
J: I knew the show would have to find a reason to send James back to Skeldale, so even if there hadn’t been a crash, we probably wouldn’t have seen much more of his RAF buddies. But I was still really hoping we’d get more Banerjee!
A: Same. In the book James gets sent home due to a hereditary condition, not Brucellosis, but it is a perfect circle moment for the plot of the series.
J: Absolutely. And a nice way to bring back Mr. Crabtree so we can get an update. Total aside, I’m embarrassed to tell you how long it took me to realize that that actor was the reporter in last week’s Miss Scarlet episode.
A: I didn’t recognize him either, oops! How much more bad luck can Mr. Crabtree have?? I’m glad that a bit of running and linseed oil solved the problem. I think James has PTSD though. He feels like he’s left his crew behind.
J: Agree on all counts. I can’t imagine it’s easy to be responsible for other people’s lives, and then to have them die? Even though he wasn’t actually there on the mission, that’s heavy. Mix in the guilt he’s probably feeling for having made it home, and that’s a potent combination. I’m glad Helen kind of forced him to go take some time to talk that through with her. And speaking of feelings after coming back from the war… Tristan is back! He looks so different! I’m not always a fan of new mustaches on our screens, but I actually think his kind of works. Between that and the uniform, he looks a lot older.
A: I am also not always a fan of the mustaches but I think on Tristan, it’s important for him to look older, even if his personality hasn’t quite changed. I’m sure he wants to be taken seriously as a veterinary officer.
J: Siegfried saying “I will never utter a cross word to that boy again if he comes home in one piece” made me literally LOL. Sir, you’ll be uttering a cross word at that boy before the end of the episode!
A: And notice how quickly that ended at the pub! I knew Siggy wasn’t going to stick to his promise.
J: It’s kind of weird to me that everyone’s trying to pressure Tris to talk about the bad stuff he experienced on the front while they’re all out having a pint. He JUST got home, and he’s clearly still processing/doesn’t want to talk about it at the pub in the middle of the afternoon? I get that they’re trying to be supportive, but this feels like it’s not the answer.
A: I believe from Siegfried’s POV, the war should have changed Tristan’s attitude towards life because he was “immature,” but it’s so obvious that he didn’t do this with James when he returned. Helen and James asking Tristan about what he saw on the walk is so much different and kinder than what Siegfried did. I loved how it ended in a joke though! Also, can we talk about how Jimmy is extremely cute and a very chill baby for his age???
J: Seriously — I feel like that second conversation really showed the difference between a chat with friends in private and a public group, especially for someone who’s as eager to take the spotlight as Tristan. No way he was going to do anything BUT try to entertain everyone in that pub. And YES, Jimmy is a super cute, super chill dude. When we first started watching this season I thought my dog was going to have a really hard time with baby crying sounds, but he barely cries!
A: During the MASTERPIECE cast Q&A on the 26th, Rachel Shenton said that there are in fact FIVE Baby Jimmy’s that they switch when one gets tired. I’m shocked they found that many quiet babies!
J: WHAT. I’m more impressed that they found five absolute unit babies actually! Jimmy’s such a chonker. And to be clear, I mean that in the best way possible: babies are supposed to be chonkers!
A: I liked that James admitted to Helen that being a dad full time was difficult. He could have lied but it shows his strong sense of right and wrong.
J: Me too. It would have been a WILD choice to try and cover up all of the assorted Jimmy shenanigans, but let’s be real: half of the characters on this show probably WOULD have tried to cover up said shenanigans. I’m not sure how frequently dads took on their fair share of child care in this era, but it was really nice to see James jumping right in to do his bit. One of the reasons we like him ! Speaking of parenting: fun to have James’ folks on our screens again.
A: Mama Herriot remains hilariously overbearing. It’s legitimately great that she’s several hours away because she’d smother Jimmy 24/7. Poor Papa Herriot can’t get a word in.
J: I don’t understand how James is so oblivious to the fact that his mom is driving Helen up a wall. The bit after the christening where he joked about his parents moving in to help them out with childcare SENT me 😂 It was really nice to see Helen and Mama Herriot mend fences a bit by the end of the third episode, especially when James got a lecture for trying to take the wee dog’s “baby” away.
A: I think James is oblivious to how much Mama Herriot smothers him. He’s too used to her mess. I was so sad for poor Lucy but she allowed Helen and Mama Herriot to make up.
J: While we’re on the topic of petty arguments and also children: shall we get into the Tristan vs Carmody of it all?
A: Yes! I’m mad at Tristan for hating Carmody’s nerdiness but I’m also enjoying that they’re not getting along at the same time. The “pipe and slippers” and “killjoy” insult was too much.
J: I love that they are roommates. Also I love that Carmody is just like “oh yeah, I love working with Siegfried, he’s a great teacher” because that’s true, but also Siegfried is a nightmare if you are the kind of person who would be bothered by his lack of social skills and/or are his sibling. And now he and Carmody are spawning bacteria together! I’m also very amused that literally no one thought to tell Tristan that Carmody is like that.
A: Someone should have tipped Tristan off that Carmody is his total opposite personality! I do like that they had to share space to figure themselves out.
J: Separately: I feel like Tris is taking a lot of his frustration at returning to find everyone else has changed out on Carmody because it’s easier than dealing with the fact that his best friend has a baby now and his other bestie/surrogate mother is busy with the war effort. Especially because he’s obviously changed some himself, but would rather not acknowledge that.
A: I agree, Carmody represents the physical disruption to his “return to normal” because it’s harder for him to acknowledge the emotional part as well.
J: Absolute perfection that they get into a really silly fight over the good bed in the middle of the night though. A++
A: I’m shocked they didn’t wake Jimmy up lol. Tristan stumbling in drunk into the bedroom and then fighting over the last piece of toast is of course hilarious. And Mrs. Hall is right that Tristan feels left out since Siggy bonded with Carmody. She’s a genius for forcing them to work together to find the snake in the convalescent home. They have to figure out how to get along for themselves.
J: Classic interaction:
Mrs. Hall: *suggests rather sensibly that Tris is feeling left out*
Siegfried, wrong: No, no that’s not it.
A: Once again Mrs. Hall knows everything and is way more observant than everyone else!
J: The thing that’s immediately obvious two seconds into the snake caper: if these two can work together they’ll be a perfect double act. Very complimentary skillsets!
A: I also like that once again Pumphrey Manor is the place where Carmody seems to have the most room to learn new things. I was surprised he had a full conversation with the soldier who Tricki was curled up with.
J: I was too! I almost felt like he was able to open up like that because he was outside of the Skeldale crew observing him. Carmody is such a sweet guy, and I would imagine it’s kind of stifling to constantly be trying to impress your supervisors/mentors AND they’re also your roommates AND there’s a war on.
A: He felt safe to stop masking which is huge for someone on the spectrum. Maxine Alderton’s script spotlights this without being too over the top about it.
J: Totally makes sense — one of my favorite choices the writers made is to have Carmody be autistic (or at least autistic coded). SO many of the fans have said they felt really seen by his character — I mean, we’ve talked about this before!
A: I wrote about Carmody and how he’s making neurodiverse fans feel seen last year, and I still stand by it.
J: He’s just a really great addition to the Skeldale family. And Tricki needs more uncles! Tricki also needs to be safe from predators in his own house. I personally don’t mind snakes but Tristan was pretty relatable in this one.
A: I suspect Tristan knows the soldiers’ pranks better than Carmody does but Carmody can’t see that it may be a joke because he’s very literal. Mrs. Pumphrey isn’t here for this snake situation because Tricki cannot become a snack. I’m more scared by rats and spiders than snakes.
J: Oof big spiders are not my favorite. Rats, alas, are a fact of life in my city, so I’ve gotten used to them I guess? But all of this combined has me very happy with my choice not to become a vet.
A: Subway rats in NYC are more nerve-wracking due to how they spread germs vs size honestly.
J: Yeah, that makes sense. Bless them, they’re kinda plague critters. And nowhere near as fun as dogs, like our hero Tricki Woo.
A: I love that King Tricki is taking his duties as a therapy dog seriously.
J: He’s the best. And Mrs. P is pretty rad for figuring out that the guys would benefit from Tricki visits! Also I have to give it up for Tricki’s role in locking Tristan and Carmody in that storage room. He and Mrs. Hall get full credit for the mended fences.
A: LOL them getting stuck in that room: the beginning of that romance trope “only one bed,” but in this case it’s the forced proximity friendship trope. I do love that by the end of this scene they eventually agree and apologize.
J: Speaking of romance tropes… I can’t help but notice there’s a lot of really cute moments between Siegfried and Mrs. Hall this season.
A: I know Samuel West said at the cast event that he’s against Mrs. Hall and Siegfried ending up together but that little scene after dinner was too full of chemistry!
J: RIGHT? I mean look. I have to imagine that if I were an actor on a show I’d be a little uncomfortable with the shipping stuff, since it so often slips over the line into folks shipping you, the actors, in addition to the characters. All that being said, I am personally a huge fan of those two as a pair. I want it to happen, I think they have really lovely chemistry, and I think their companionship is written in such a way that it would be very natural for that to turn romantic. But we’ll just have to wait and see.
With all that being said: what are we hoping for the rest of this season?
A: I’m hoping for some occasional sparks between Tristan and Carmody just because we need a little bit of humor mixed with the friendship. It’s great that they’ve made up so much, but the bedroom may remain the sticking point. Tristan is probably going to always want that space for himself.
J: Agree. I also am looking forward to seeing how much of Tristan’s new maturity will hold up, especially now that he’s back living with Siegfried. Family really brings out the best and the worst in folks! And speaking of younger siblings, I’m also curious about how Jenny’s character continues to develop. Absolutely loved the part where she heads off to the pub with the boys instead of prepping lunch; that’s exactly what I’d want to do in her shoes.
A: I love Jenny’s friendship with Doris but I also see how Helen is jealous of their bond. (I should also admit that I kinda ship Doris with Carmody lol.)
J: Doris is a fun addition for sure — it’d be great to get more of her! Either way, we’ll be back after episode seven to talk about everything that happens for the rest of the season. Until then, enjoy the show!
