At the beginning of the episode, James Herriot (Nicholas Ralph) goes for a run with his dog, Jess, and looks at the beautiful scenery nearby. At the clinic, Audrey Hall (Anna Madeley) messes with the clock before Diana Brompton (Dorothy Atkinson) enters with Tristan (Callum Woodhouse). James comes downstairs, gets a letter, and reluctantly gives his wallet to Diana. He learns it is the Daffodil Ball tonight and its proceeds will be going to the restoration of the steeple. Diana asks about Siegfried Farnon (Samuel West) who hasn’t joined them yet. Mrs. Hall is asked if she is going to buy a ticket to the ball, but she doesn’t. Instead, Tristan buys four using James’s money so he and James can have an extra ticket for their dates. Tristan encourages James to give the other ticket to Halen Alderson (Rachel Shenton) before Siegfried finally joins them.
It doesn’t take much for Diana to convince Siegfried to support the ball. Once Diana is gone, the others tell Siegfried that Diana is interested in him although he says it is nonsense. Diana is no longer married and there are rumors her husband ran off with the housekeeper or gardener. Siegfried changes the subject to Colonel Merrick (James Fleet) only to learn nobody took care of his problem last night. James thought Siegfried was going to add that to the end of his list, but Siegfried blames him for forgetting it. James offers to go. However, Siegfried wants him taking care of the surgery. He argues Tristan should be helping out there, but his brother has other ideas. Once they step out, Audrey gives Siegfried a postcard from Dorothy and admits she read it. She asks who the old Siegfried is. Mrs. Hall claims she thought it was for her, but Siegfried isn’t sure about that.
James reads his letter in which he is congratulated for joining Bill’s practice in Glasgow although he has never said yes. Tristan and Siegfried talk about Diana and Dorothy while they drive to the Colonel’s place. They step near Helen so Tristan can lie to her, and pretend James wanted to see her at the clinic. She goes over there immediately, and Tristan’s lie creates an awkward moment. James invites her to come with him to the ball, but she isn’t sure she is ready to step out yet. James gets busy when Gerald Hammond (Will Thorp) enters with his dog Rock who has stepped on a hunter’s trap. James admits he won’t know if he can save Rock until he gets a better look. James says he’d do anything for an X-ray machine. James says he doesn’t think the leg is broken and hopefully there is still circulation to the paw or Rock will lose his foot. Meanwhile, Tristan and Siegfried meet with the Colonel and find out that George Pandhi (Kriss Dosanjh) has already checked on the animal.
Merrick tells them not to squabble because he doesn’t want to be the bone between a pair of scrapping dogs. George jokes about Siegfried getting old while offering to take a few more of his clients off his hands. When George leaves, Merrick asks Siegfried to look at her for free anyway to make up for the hassle. Meanwhile, Audrey tells James she has told the patients to come back this afternoon. As for Herriot, he doesn’t understand why Tristan isn’t allowed to help in the surgery. James tells her he doesn’t think the bone is broken and he hopes the leg isn’t infected. They look at Gerald through the window and James says he looks like a nice chap. Siegfried inspects the animal and learns George gave it some linseed oil to grease the wheels. He instructs Tristan to give the cow stomach powders before telling the colonel she might had have too much roughage or a wire might be in there.
Merrick admits he told his stockman to wait for Siegfried, but he didn’t. Siegfried says they might have to come back and operate if that doesn’t eliminate the blockage. Audrey serves tea and finds Gerald messing with the clock. It is a bit off, and he offers to fix it, but Audrey likes making it seem earlier than it is easy so the guys will leave sooner. He admits he can’t stand not having something to do while he waits. Then, he formally introduces himself to Mrs. Hall and her to him. Audrey gets herself into a flutter and agrees to return with sugar. On the way back, Tristan checks Siegfried’s notes and finds out that his brother was supposed to see Merrick last night and not James.
Next, they visit Henry Dinsdale (Mark Noble) and his daughter Anabel (Ella Bruccoleri) because his sow has a hematoma. Once they arrive, Tristan straightens himself up for Anabel while James eavesdrops on Gerald’s conversation with Audrey. Gerald admits he lied to the recruiting officer about his age, and he wouldn’t change it for the world even though it left him hobbling about. James interrupts and invites Hammond to come with him. James admits he is worried about the infection since it could spread to the bloodstream and Rock could still lose his leg. They agree to keep an eye on Rock for a few days and Jess will keep him company. Tristan talks to Anabel about the upcoming dance before they see the little buttercup. Tristan is sent inside to cut the hematoma but ends up running from the pen. Siegfried says they might have to return with an anesthetic but that would mean they can’t go to the ball.
Tristan goes back inside and runs away from the pen again. Surprisingly, he manages to slice the hematoma, and buttercup slams his head into the gate. Anabel notices a blood spot on the gate so maybe Tristan didn’t cut it after all. When James checks the kitchen, he notices that there is only one ticket, so Helen took the other. James sits with Audrey and tells her about his mom accepting the job offer at home for him. He explains his parents are hurting for money so it will be difficult for him to say no to the job. He says it feels selfish since his parents worked hard to put him through college, but he has a few months to decide what to do. Audrey wonders if someone could sway his opinion before he reveals Helen took the other ticket. He arranges to put animals in both operating rooms and move from one to the other to ensure he can get done before the ball.
In the middle of James’s work, Helen arrives, and she is clearly ready for the ball. She agrees to wait while James finishes with his patients. During this time, Tristan tells Siegfried about the barmaid Maggie and their relationship. He tells Siegfried that people don’t court anymore. Instead, they date and have fun. Tristan insists his brother’s fight is gone, but Siegfried says otherwise. He says Siegfried is stuck in a rut that he thought Dorothy would pull him out of. They arrive before Helen and James can leave for the ball. Helen looks at old pictures before telling Siegfried he has weathered well. When James arrives, he again suggests letting Tristan help in the surgery since it would make it easier when they have emergency cases. James believes they could take on more work and improve things a bit if Tristan was helping around the surgery. He tells Siegfried he has learned so much in a year with him, but he wants to offer the patients the best possible service.
Siegfried argues they’re a progressive practice before walking away arm in arm with Helen. Audrey says behind and everyone else leaves. James and Helen arrive at the ball moments later. Tristan talks to Siegfried who says Dorothy has no plans about returning right now. When Anabel arrives, Tristan stops the conversation and goes his separate way. As for Siegfried, he turns his attention to Diana Brompton. James tells Helen he believes Diana will get a hold of Siegfried and refuse to let go. Then, he says his mom used to make him go to tea dances with a bunch of older women. She used to make him dance with all the women, so he feels embarrassed when dancing. He promises he would make a fool of himself every day for Helen. Tristan tells Anabel that Maggie has a boyfriend while she says it was clever to make the sow burst its own bubble.
Both say they don’t like dancing. James steps on Helen’s toes a few times while Siegfried talks to Diana about her husband. She laughs at the rumors and admits there is one claiming she has Len buried in the basement and she likes that one. Colonel Merrick and George approach Siegfried who complains about Merrick interrupting his conversation with Diana. Merrick says the cow is still unwell. He threatens to take his business elsewhere, but Siegfried argues they’re the best in the business with three qualified vets. He recommends calling during regular business hours or going with the reserve team. As Siegfried walks away, Diana tells him that was impressive, and they agree to go elsewhere.
Helen hugs James and admits it has been so long since she was this happy. While James goes for drinks, Siegfried and Diana walk past Anabel and Tristan who are busy kissing. Helen is approached by Fernley (Chris Kaye) before he is introduced to James. Surprisingly, James says they’re not there together and he lets Helen dance with Fernley, but he calls himself an idiot moments later. In the morning at breakfast, Tristan and Siegfried seem happier than before. Audrey asks if James enjoyed himself. The phone rings before she gets an answer, and it is Merrick who wants an appointment with Siegfried. She checks on James. He tells her Rock is doing well so she can call Gerald and tell him to come pick the dog up later. As for his night with Helen, he says there is a lot of people she needs to reconnect with. Siegfried comes up with a plan to surprise the Colonel. He has three new lab coats and gives one to Tristan and James.
They go to the colonel’s place and prepare to operate. Siegfried cuts the cow open while James recommends letting the colonel get in for a closer look. When Merrick gets closer, Siegfried cuts the stomach with a scalpel, and the stuff inside bursts out on everyone. Siegfried finds a wire inside just like he said while Merrick whines about being covered in the stuff. Back at the clinic, James tells Gerald to keep Rock inside for a few days to keep the wound clean. As Gerald leaves, he asks Audrey to take Jess for a walk with him and Rock, but she says one of the men usually takes Jess. He tells her to let him know when she gets tired of moving the clock forward because he’ll come and fix it. Helen arrives and apologizes to James for losing each other last night but he says it is fine. He knows what she was dealing with since he also had to catch up with everyone when he went home. She says it is strange to hear him say somewhere else is home since this is his home.
She says she looked for him last night. James says he was outside with Mr. Summers and Gene Gilbert. Helen confesses she’d like to have danced with him again and she finally felt like herself last night. She was only there because of James. Helen places her hand on his and kisses him on the cheek seconds later. James slimes as she leaves before joining the others in the living room. When asks about Helen, he says everything is grand. One of the filthy coats falls to the ground and the episode ends.
All Creatures Great And Small Review
All Creatures Great and Small is just as cheerful and happy-go-lucky as ever. The season has already established a few main storylines, including James possibly accepting a position in Glasgow, Siegfried hiding the truth about his brother’s exam, and James’s blossoming relationship with Helen. There are other storylines as well and all of them are equally interesting.
It has been natural to pick up where the Christmas special left off and immediately become deeply invested in James Herriot’s adventure. Add in the stunning scenery, gripping surgeries, and charming personalities, and All Creatures Great and Small is once again one of the best dramas on television. The visits to Colonel Merrick’s property, Gerald’s near loss of beloved Rock, and the relationship development between James and Helen made the episode excellent.
It scores an 8 out of 10. All past and future recaps of All Creatures Great and Small will be available on Reel Mockery here.
Jay Skelton is a fan of all television shows and movies. He tries his best to keep up with the latest foreign television shows and movies. Jay loves skinny dipping in the dark too.
