James Herriot (Nicholas Ralph) gets ready before Tristan Farnon (Callum Woodhouse) tells him that it is going to be a good turnout for the Darrowby Fair. Siegfried Farnon (Samuel West) believes it is the perfect time to open the surgery to the public. Siegfried gives James advice before he steps outside. James watches as Helen, Jenny, and others walk around outside. Then, he is approached by Mr. Foyle (Steven Blakeley). Back inside, Tristan wants to bet two bobs that he won’t last past lunchtime. While she doesn’t approve of gambling, Mrs. Hall (Anna Madeley) decides to take Tristan up on that offer. Back outside, Mr. Foyle gives James a rundown of the day’s activities. Moments later, Siegfried tells Audrey it is time for their first tour. He isn’t happy when he learns that only three people showed up.

Tristan tries to step out and talk to James but Audrey believes he is up to no good. He tells her that a gentleman never interferes with his wagers. He rushes outside while James tells Mrs. Burton that her dog is in fine form. When he turns around, he hits Henry Dinsdale (Mark Noble) with his measuring stick. James apologizes before Helen (Rachel Shenton) and Jenny (Imogen Clawson) bring a ferret for James to look at. Jenny cut him while trying to cut his fingernails. James tries to check the ferret but Leopold ends up attacking him. Tristan and Henry watch from a distance and laugh at James’s expense. Helen helps James free his hand and they notice he is bleeding. Audrey gets a visit from Dorothy (Maimie McCoy). Since Audrey is going to be stuck there all day, Dorothy decides to stick around and help.

James and the others enter so they can take care of the ferret and James. Then, James learns that Helen is going to be showing Clive today because her father is desperate to sell him. She wants to know if James would vouch for Clive by giving him a clean bill of health. When she leaves, Tristan asks James about Clive being slow off the marks previously but James reminds him that testosterone sorted out the problem. Tristan goes on to say Clive would hold no value if he wasn’t good for breeding and James beings questioning whether he should give Clive a once over. Tristan takes James to the pub where he buys two drinks from Maggie (Mollie Winnard). James asks Tristan if he has been invited to tea with the parents yet. Tristan isn’t sure things are getting serious though. James is pulled away and back to vet business seconds later. He examines a cow and tells Mr. Rudd (Alexis Platt) that a cow like this will not come cheap.

He asks James if he would buy the cow and James says he would. James steps inside and Siegfried asks him about Dick Rudd. Then, he decides to question Siegfried about the bull needing testosterone. Siegfried admits it might not be a problem at all but goes on to say it could be lameness too. Then, James goes to Mr. Dobson (Jon Furlong) and asks him how his herd got on with the Alderson’s bull in the end. Dobson confirms that there were no problems once James left. Foyle enters and demands James go to the dog show since he is needed there. Meanwhile, Siegfried and Tristan give a demonstration during a tour of the clinic. When they’ve finished, they enter the kitchen and find Audrey and Dorothy serving food. Siegfried and Tristan have to leave but they shouldn’t be long. Dorothy asks Audrey if she needs to go too and she offers to watch the surgery.

Audrey steps out while James checks a dog at the dog show. James checks the dog’s temperature and gets a reading of 104. He can’t let the man and his dog into the dog show. James recommends taking the dog to his regular vet before Tristan arrives and leads James away. James goes in for food and Richard (Tony Pitts) asks him about vouching for their bull. When that conversation ends, Hugh Hult (Matthew Lewis) interrupts and introduces James to his god-daughter Penelope and Binkie. He says Penelope is feeling a bit nervous about the pet contest. Hugh asks James if Helen told him about their possible buyer. He wants James to know how much is riding on that deal and says there is no need to go searching for problems. Hugh leaves before Tristan returns with drinks.

Tristan warns James that he cannot compete with Hugh because he has everything. James believes Hugh might be trying to warn him against looking into the Clive situation. Tristan encourages James to drink up so they can go to the Drovers. Foyle interrupts again so James leaves. When Siegfried returns, he finds out that Dorothy is running the show. He begins talking to her about her trip and other matters. She lets him know that his audience is waiting for him. James wants to deal with the Clive situation but Foyle isn’t going to let that happen. James follows orders and begins measuring the horses. Foyle gets worse and pushier. Siegfried jokes with Dorothy who says you see all human life in a place like this. She believes Siegfried is fortunate since he built a life doing what he loves most. Dorothy says she has experienced turmoil and loss.

Audrey returns and interrupts their conversation. Tristan and Siegfried agree to watch over everything so the women can leave together. When they leave, Siegfried mentions Maggie and Tristan admits he isn’t sure he wants to meet her parents yet. Audrey returns to get Dorothy’s hat and to tell Tristan she won’t have a man in her house mess around with a girl. Siegfried says he has a few hours left to win the bet so he is going to try to tip James over the edge. Siegfried goes on and checks on James who is getting fed up with it. James admits that they’re not cooperating and Siegfried says they prick them between the shoulder blades so they drop down when you try to measure them. The man with the dog with the temperatures gives his dog water.

He tries to find the vet but nobody knows where the vet is. Audrey tells Dorothy about Siegfried losing his wife about 4 years ago. Dorothy is worried that she’s scared the poor chap to death. She also says Siegfried strikes her as a man who still thinks he is married. She tells Audrey that leaving that brute was the best thing she ever did. They go their separate ways seconds later. James continues measuring horses until a body arrives with a certificate. The boy doesn’t think the horse should be measured but James wants to measure him. The boy says they’ll see what his father has to say about that. Someone knocks a pumpkin off of the table and it lands on the sick dog. Meanwhile, the boy’s dog argues with James and pushes him around. The man with the dog interrupts and asks James to check his dog’s temperature again.

Audrey arrives with the man’s dog. They rush it back to the clinic as soon as possible. They tell Tristan about the pumpkin. Mr. Happy tells them his name as they begin working on the dog. Siegfried tells Tristan that he needs chloroform, sterile dressings, and a fresh set of instruments. Foyle tries to stop James but James has had enough. He tells Foyle that there is something he has to do. He looks ahead and watches as the potential buyers check out Clive. Foyle doesn’t take no for an answer. He pushes James until James runs over to Dobson. Siegfried tells Tristan that it is a compound fracture and orders him to check for bone fragments. Tristan is sure that there are no fragments so Siegfried wants to set the bone and stitch him up. James talks to Dobson and asks if there were any problems when the bull was in his herd.

Dobson continues saying everything was fine. Tristan believes he is getting the hang of it. They chat about the tours before Tristan wonders what is going on between Siegfried and Dorothy. Siegfried doesn’t want to take advice from a man who is hiding from a barmaid. James arrives at the pet contest a bit late. James looks around and sees all of the animals in the room. He says he wants to ask the owners how much they know their pets. Tristan and Siegfried talk about Evelyn and how much they miss her. Tristan believes she would want Siegfried to try to be happy. Siegfried has heard about enough. James talks to the pet owners and tries to learn more about their pets. James begins giving away rewards moments later. Jenny comes in second place and the dull goldfish gets first. Hugh and some of the others aren’t happy about that. They begin leaving while James tries to talk to them.

James freaks about and Tristan finds him. James admits it wasn’t the pets. He goes on to say that he is fairly certain Helen’s bull has a problem and Dobson won’t give him a straight answer. Tristan says there is no guarantee that Southwick will want to buy Clive since she only goes for the very top beasts and this gives James hope. Still, he is nervous that Clive might win. Siegfried begins yelling for Tristan from another room. James finally gets the opportunity to check on Clive. Hugh approaches him and says James must know about Dobson complaining about his herd. He doesn’t want to put off the Alderson’s buyer since they don’t know for sure. He pleads with James to keep it to himself if he cares about Helen at all. Audrey decides to try the shooting game since a little girl claims they’re cheating because her gun didn’t work and he wouldn’t give her money back.

Audrey grabs the gun, preps it, and shoots one of the cans before taking down another. Siegfried returns the dog to Mr. Happy and says the plaster must stay on for two weeks. Siegfried admits he should keep the dog overnight but won’t since Happy isn’t a local. They step outside just in time to watch Audrey take down the last can. James sees that Helen’s Clive won the contest. Foyle arrives and intends to belittle James until Tristan interrupts and pulls James away. Then, he turns his attention to Maggie. He tells her that his final exams aren’t far off and he will be working a lot of hours. She believes he is giving her the push. Finally, Southwick (Rachel Leskovac) arrives so she can get James’s professional opinion but he says he would like to perform an exam first.

Helen’s father says that Dobson didn’t have any complaints but James questions that. Dobson admits he doesn’t know about it for certain. James confesses he noticed some swelling on Clive’s spine and signs of discomfort. Helen and Richard find out that Hugh gave Dobson money to keep his complaints to himself. Hugh chases Helen and tries to explain himself. He tells her he did it because he loves her and Tristan believes he is a goner. Hugh says he would do anything in the world to make Helen happy. Tristan and James are surprised when Hugh walks away with Helen. Meanwhile, the locals complain about James. He approaches and lashes out at them. He tells them they should be ashamed before Siegfried tries to calm him down. Henry brings James a drink and says he has a point since cheaters shouldn’t prosper. Siegfried tells James that this means he is one of them now.

Then, James watches as Audrey cashes in on the bet. James can’t believe that but he doesn’t seem too upset.

 

All Creatures Great And Small Review

All in all, I’ve enjoyed each episode of All Creatures Great and Small but I still think the show could be a lot better. At times, it seems like the story is getting bogged down with unnecessary humor that often falls flat. I could see why people would be turned off by the show’s humor because it is rarely funny. Still, I like this show a lot.

Compared to everything else I’ve been watching in recent months, All Creatures Great and Small is the best. It is hard to judge the acting since the show is a bit silly most of the time but everyone seems to be doing well in their respective roles. The best part of the show is James’s confidence building saga and becoming a member of the community.

I hope they tone down the comedy next season. I think that will make the show ten times better. Nevertheless, I like All Creatures Great and Small and can’t wait to see what happens next. This episode scores a 7 out of 10. Previous recaps of All Creatures Great And Small can be found on Reel Mockery.