As the episode begins, James Herriot (Nicholas Ralph) drives in his vehicle with Jess by his side. James goes for a swim near the waterfall until Helen Alderson (Rachel Shenton) arrives and tells him good morning. Seconds later, Siegfried Farnon (Samuel West) looks through the clinic’s stock and finds they have two of everything they don’t need and nothing of what they need. Mrs. Hall (Anna Madeley) interrupts and suggests creating a system to ensure the clinic remains properly stocked. James is called in so Farnon can complain about the empty bottle being left on the shelf. Then, he learns that Dennis Handshaw (Nigel Betts) has a cow down and James needs to pick up Siegfried’s brother Tristan (Callum Woodhouse).

Siegfried throws James the keys to the Rover so he can use it for the day. Mrs. Hall believes that will make Tristan green with envy. Siegfried admits it might give him motivation to apply himself as Herriot has done. James takes the vehicle and heads out onto the road. He goes to the Handshaw farm and learns that the cow hasn’t stood in a few days. James checks the cow and comes to the conclusion that it is milk fever keeping her down. He recommends a bottle of calcium since it will remedy a deficiency of calcium. Dennis and Sylvie (Melanie Kilburn) talk about old methods and whether they could work but James likes the new methods. Then, we see Tristan waiting for the train to arrive. When the train arrives, Tristan jumps off and tries to escape without paying for a ticket.

James stops him and lets him know that Siegfried sent him. They make a run for it so Tristan doesn’t have to pay for a ticket. Then, he is surprised to see James driving the Rover. Tristan grabs the keys and gets them away from the station as quickly as possible. Along the way, they chat about having a girl and other things. Tristan lets James know that he traveled from Edinburgh where he studied at a veterinary college to be an electrician or vet. They nearly get into a wreck seconds later. The back bumper is damaged so Tristan rigs it before complimenting Mrs. Hall. They go inside and see the meal Mrs. Hall made for them. Siegfried enters and makes small talk with his brother. Tristan tells Siegfried that he is finished and just passed the last exam. Siegfried wants him to know that he won’t be able to sit around idle.

Moments later, they begin arguing about Tristan’s room which is now being used by James. When James tries to give Tristan’s bed back, he won’t take it. James says he doesn’t plan on leaving anytime soon but Tristan claims nobody does until it happens. He tries to convince him that Siegfried doesn’t know what he is going to do until he does it before they go to sleep. In the morning, all three of them meet downstairs. Tristan has made a list of items that they need to restock. Mrs. Hall reveals that Mrs. Pumphrey called a few moments ago. James learns about the woman’s dog named Flop Bott and the fact she treats the dog like the Raja of India. In addition to that, Handshaw called about his cow that wouldn’t get up. Siegfried says Tristan will go with him this time although both want to treat the cow with calcium.

James joins Tristan in the vehicle moments later. They go to the Handshaw house and check on the cow once again. James works while Tristan enjoys a drink and snack. James says the calcium should’ve taken effect by now so he is going to try a stimulant injection to give the cow a little encouragement. He believes the cow will be up and moving by the evening. They convince James it might be a good idea to yell at the cow and the Handshaw couple believes “cush” would be a good word to use. James stands over the cow and yells cush a few times until Tristan laughs all the way home. Meanwhile, Dorothy (Maimie McCoy) meets with Mrs. Hall before being promptly introduced to Siegfried. Once that conversation ends, Dorothy begins talking about her life back at home.

Mrs. Hall asks about her Edward so Dorothy says they should discuss it over a brew. Meanwhile, James and Tristan visit a huge mansion and James learns that the woman’s old man’s mills used to weave half the cloth in the county. They go inside and approach Mrs. Pumphrey (Diana Rigg). Tristan tries to pet the dog but it doesn’t like him since he stood on its tail once. James is introduced to Mrs. Pumphrey and he immediately checks on Tricki-Woo. They decide to take Tricki to the library for his treatment. Meanwhile, George Pandhi (Kriss Dosanjh) orders Clinton to take the items Siegfried has brought to them.

Siegfried tells George that he has two assistants and both of them are fully qualified so they’ll be able to take on even more work. Seconds later, James tells Pumphrey that the dog has impacted anal glands and they’ve been expressed so it should feel more comfortable now. They learn about the expensive foods she has been feeding the dog. James tells her there is too much rich food in his diet and not enough fiber. He recommends giving the dog brown meat and biscuits twice a day. Tristan insults the dog by saying it has a little extra meat on its bones. He begins apologizing immediately. Before going home, they stop and visit Helen. She tells James she barely recognized him with his clothes on. He quickly tries to explain that to Tristan. They ride on the back of Helen’s tractor and Helen tells James about the local spots.

They stop and James notices that the cow seems to be putting weight on its leg okay. They return home to Siegfried a short time later. James promises that Handshaw’s cow has been taken care of. Mrs. Hall checks the door and receives a note from Pumphrey to James. Tristan grabs it and finds out that Tricki Woo (Derek) wants Herriot to come over for drinks and dancing. Siegfried tells James he should go and he believes Tristan might have something he could wear. Dennis Handshaw calls and James offers to come out first thing in the morning. He tells Siegfried it is nothing to worry about. Tristan and James visit the Handshaw place and Tristan promises that his secret is safe with him. James and a few others try to lift the cow while Tristan sits and watches.

Tristan eventually gets up and helps. Everyone yells cush until James tells them to shut up. He listens to the cow and it does not look good. Audrey Hall sends money to Edward Hall along with a letter. Siegfried enters and learns that she is cooking shortbread and Dorothy told her where Edward has been staying. She tells him that Edward is still her boy no matter what he might have done. Siegfried sits down for tea and they discuss Tristan changing his ways. James tells the others he has got the pelvic girdle and he wants them to listen when he moves it. He believes the pelvis is broken and that the cow doesn’t have any strength left in her hind legs. He suggests sending her to the butchers since nothing else can be done. Siegfried meets with Dorothy who wants to sell her vehicle.

Dorothy tells him about Edward breaking Audrey’s heart time and time again and Mrs. Hall not learning from it. She wants Siegfried to look after Mrs. Hall for her. Everyone returns home and Siegfried wants everyone to go outside. He shows them the car he has purchased and he intends to give the car to Tristan. He explains he felt Tristan deserved the car after all of his hard work. They jump in the vehicle and Tristan tells Siegfried he shouldn’t have done this because it is too much. Siegfried remembers his father giving him his first car and he knows Tristan never got to experience that feeling. They go back inside and begin preparing for the party. James thanks Tristan again for the suit before he leaves with Siegfried. James is tasked with keeping Tricki company and Pumphrey tells Francois to make sure James’s glass never runs dry.

Siegfried is told there are ladies in there in need of entertainment. We see that Helen is at the party as well. Back at home, Mrs. Hall finds and reads a note. Helen approaches James and finds out that he is dog sitting. George tells Siegfried that one of his assistants tried to send a beautiful good cow to the butchers. James tells Helen about taking Jess for a run in the morning. He offers if he could see her some time but Hugh Hulton (Matthew Lewis) interrupts and we learn that he is Helen’s boyfriend. He takes Helen away before Siegfried approaches James and asks him to step aside with him. Meanwhile, Tristan hangs out with Mrs. Hall.

Audrey tells Tristan about the paper she found in his jacket and she wants to know why he lied. Tristan says he didn’t technically lie because he did pass his final exam. The only problem is that he failed the two exams before it. He didn’t know Siegfried was going to buy him a car and he didn’t think about it. Tristan is worried that his brother is going to kill him but Audrey suggests he might maim him. She tells Tristan that Siegfried should know the truth. Meanwhile, Siegfried and James check on the Handshaw cow and find it is okay. The Handshaws believe the cow only needed sheepskin on her back. Siegfried questions where the ligaments hadn’t tightened up again after the birth. They return home and James tells them about his mistake.

Siegfried isn’t happy that George Pandhi took delight in pointing out James’s mistake. Then, Tristan is left along with his brother so he can tell him the truth. Audrey tells James they should retreat to a safe distance while Tristan tries to explain himself to his brother. Tristan apologizes but Siegfried can’t understand what his brother has been doing all this time. Siegfried blames his failure on boozing and chasing women. He is upset since he thought Tristan had changed his ways. The conversation ends when Siegfried says it is over. In the morning, Siegfried enters and asks Mrs. Hall if she has been moving his things again. She claims she was tidying up his belongings that were scattered around without rhyme nor reason. Tristan tries to sell the car and he tells James that they need to stick together to survive his brother.

They run away when Siegfried steps outside and finds the damage to the car’s back bumper. He yells for them from the doorway until the episode ends.

 

All Creatures Great And Small Review

This is one of the best shows I’ve watched this year and I am eager to watch the series as quickly as possible. I know it’ll take me a bit longer because I have things scheduled throughout the week but I’ll get through it. One thing I can say about All Creatures Great and Small is that I enjoy watching it. Still, I can see how the writers could improve the show.

For instance, I really hope they make James more competent in future episodes. Right now, it doesn’t feel like he can do anything right. He has been training and preparing for the job for a long time so he should have some confidence. Poor Tristan isn’t any better and Siegfried is just mean most of the time. I am hoping the puzzle pieces will fit together at some point and James will be able to solve problems with competency and confidence.

In addition to this, I would like to see them delve into the emotional turmoil of being a vet. I hope they dig into the gritty aspects of working with sick and injured animals. If it does that, I think this show could be an emotional roller coast and unforgettable. The episode was pretty good. I’d give it a 7 out of 10. Previous recaps of All Creatures Great and Small are available on Reel Mockery.