As this episode begins, James Herriot (Nicholas Ralph) and the others attend the funeral proceedings for the passing of Mr. Dalby. Phyllis Dalby (Amy Nuttall) walks alongside her young boys. Once that is finished, James goes to the Dalby farm where he learns that Tom Chapman (Lamin Touray) is helping them because they’ve always been good friends of his grandparents. Tom leads him to Phyllis who is worried about her herd. She thanks him for coming and being at Billy’s funeral before saying their breathing doesn’t sound right. Once James checks the animals, he immediately tells Phyliss he is worried the stirks have husk. He explains husk is a virus that impacts the bronchial tubes and leads to bronchitis. They likely got husk from eating the grass and some pastures have it pretty bad. He warns her that it might be worse because the animals are young, and it has gone on for so long.

When Phyllis asks what they can do, James instructs them to move the animals inside since every mouthful of grass is adding to the worm burden. Meanwhile, Tristan Farnon (Callum Woodhouse) asks Mrs. Hall (Anna Madeley) if she wants the last egg before taking it for himself. He tells her why he isn’t joining his friends for cricket. Siegfried (Samuel West) soon enters after helping deliver piglets and asks for eggs, but Tristan is halfway through the last one. Siegfried complains about his brother lazing around eating his hard-earned eggs while he is working his trousers off. However, Tristan says that is life. James sits with Phyliss and has tea. He tells her he’ll be back tomorrow to check on the stirks. Until then, he tells her it is best to give them a healthy diet of good hay and high-protein cake although cake is expensive, and they’ll have to use the hay they’ve stored for winter.

 

When asked, he admits they can never be allowed to graze on those fields again. Then, he talks to young Billy (Aiden Cook) who admits his favorite player is Gordon Hodgson. She asks if they can save them so James says they can always hope. Phyllis replies her Billy used to say the same since he was always an optimist even when he was diagnosed with cancer. Tristan learns they don’t have much work, so he decides to take the day off. Siegfried tries to find stuff for him to do but Tristan has already completed those tasks as well. When Tristan runs off, Audrey asks what is wrong with him having some fun since he spent all night completing the tasks and topping things off. She argues Tristan has earned some time off now that he passed his exams and all. James visits Helen Alderson (Rachel Shenton) to check on her after yesterday although she is more concerned for Phyllis.

He tells her about the stirks having husk and learns she has refused to accept help with the kids. She reveals Jenny (Imogen Clawson) was the same age as Billy when their mom died. Helen confesses life can be cruel sometimes before agreeing to go out with James. Siegfried arrives home with a surprise for Tristan who helps him carry the surprise out to the bar. Tristan is told that one can’t be a great vet until they’ve reared their own animals, so Siegfried wants him to raise a brood of chickens. Siegfried believes he should start by building a nest box, but Tristan complains James never had to raise animals. Seconds later, Francois (Joseph May) arrives outside with Ticki Woo since Mrs. Pumphrey is attending the test match in London. He explains he was instructed to deposit Tricki Woo into the guardianship of Uncle Herriot for the duration. Audrey believes Siegfried can provide temporary guardianship until James arrives.

Tristan listens to the game while working until James enters. He quickly shuts it off thinking James is Siegfried before telling James what his brother is forcing him to do. Tristan thought his brother would stop hassling him now that he is a fully qualified vet, so James recommends standing up to him. James learns he is naming the chickens after his ex-girlfriends and Helen. When he tells Tristan he is going out with Helen to the Drovers, Tristan tries to talk him into taking her to the Renniston since she is likely used to the finer things after Hugh. In the morning, Mrs. Hall finds James still working to find a solution for Dalby’s animals. He asks if she has a spare stamp because he needs to send money to his mother.

Although he knows his mother is grateful for his help, he admits it still doesn’t feel like enough. He goes on to say he doesn’t know what to do about the Glasgow job before Siegfried walks in with Tricki Woo behind him. Siegfried says the dog has been following him everywhere although he didn’t give him a reason to do so. Audrey says Tristan would follow him to the ends of the earth as well, but Siegfried argues he’d push him off. Siegfried sits down with James, and they begin talking about Phyllis and her animals. Without a known treatment, James is hopeless to save them. Siegfried says he might not be able to save them. James suggests otherwise and says every problem has a solution. Siegfried asks him if he used the throat injection, but James thought it was an old farmer’s tale. Although there isn’t much evidence that it helps, there isn’t much evidence that it doesn’t help either. James insists he doesn’t want to get her false hope though.

Tristan goes to the chicken barn only to find out that they did not lay eggs. Siegfried tells him it is his job to teach them so he should find something that looks like an egg and put it in the nest. Tristan decides to stand up to his brother by saying he is going to do it his way. He guarantees the hens will have eggs coming out of their eggs by tomorrow morning before storming out. Siegfried looks at the floor and notices Tricki Woo being attacked by one of the chickens, so he grabs the dog and curses it. He rushes out and leaves the door open. James visits Phyllis again and sees Billy kicking the ball around. He checks on the animals and learns Billy emptied his penny jar to help pay for the cake. When Tom pulls him away, Phyllis tells James she dipped into the family savings, but Billy was desperate to help she let him think they used his pennies. Tom asks about the throat injection so James says they can try.

He tells Phyllis it will be a mix of chloroform, turpentine, and creosote. There is no guarantee it’ll work, but there is always hope. Siegfried checks on Tricki and only finds a small cut. Audrey tells him it would’ve never happened if he would’ve only left well enough alone. She argues Siegfried is setting unrealistic expectations for his brother and he might surprise him if he just left Tristan alone once in a while. Phyllis and Billy thank James before Tom calls to tell them one of the stirks has died. Phyllis breaks down, says she isn’t a farmer, and she is letting Billy down. James refutes that though and says she is doing the best she can. She is doing something hard here so anyone would doubt themselves. She tells young Billy that they’re going to be okay. Next, James gets ready for his date with Helen before Audrey tells him the letter was posted and he did everything he could today so he should enjoy his date.

When he steps outside, he finds Mr. Ingledew (Neil Hurst) standing there with one of Tristan’s chickens. Tristan manages to sneak Annabel back to the barn without getting caught but soon finds that the other animals are gone too. On his way to Helen’s, James drives into a mudhole, gets out, and gets his pants and shoes filthy. Jenny and Richard Alderson (Tony Pitts) notice his shoes as soon as he walks through the door. Jenny tries to convince her father to lend James some shoes and socks. When James sees Richard’s old dancing shoes, he tries to turn them down but ends up taking them anyway. When Helen learns they’re going to the Renniston, she thinks about changing clothes, but James says she looks perfect. Meanwhile, the neighbors arrive with Tristan’s chickens and Siegfried immediately blames his brother. When Tristan says he thought he put the latch down, Siegfried remembers Tricki being attacked and realizes it was likely his fault.

Then, Siegfried goes out with Diana, Tristan sees a man about a chicken, and Audrey is left alone with the board games. James and Helen arrive at the Renniston and get a table. Tristan goes to the store to buy something. During dinner, James and Helen talk about Phyllis and her problem. He asks if she ever thinks she could leave and do something else. Helen confesses she thinks about it all the time, but she couldn’t go far from her father. James tells her he thinks Phyllis should sell the farm and make a fresh start somewhere new, but Helen says their memories are wrapped up in that farm. She also doesn’t think it is the same as James coming there to work. That conversation creates tension during dinner and James returns home in a bad mood before sharing a drink with Tristan. James learns he stood up to his brother, but it made everything worse. Tristan has a plan since he bought eggs and intends to place them in the barn to pretend the chickens laid eggs. Siegfried is surprised that his brother did it.

During breakfast, James admits he doesn’t know what to tell Phyllis. Siegfried admits the throat injection was never going to work, but James can now say he tried everything and has done his job. He goes on to say it is the worst part of the job when it sits in the laps of the gods. Siegfried stands up and begins talking about the high standards he sets for both. He decides he should trust Tristan more and recognize his successes before giving him a week’s wage. Tristan takes it but thinks it over and tells the truth about the eggs as James excuses himself. When Tricki enters, Siegfried gives his brother the money anyway and says they all make mistakes. Audrey asks what mistakes, so Siegfried confesses he might’ve left the barn door open when Tricki was attacked. Tristan thanks his brother for the money.

James meets with Tom only to learn they’ve lost another. Phyllis has noticed a small increase in their appetite so there might be some hope. James checks the stirks before going inside to tell Phyllis they’re still very sick. She asks if it would help to get them back outside, but James says no since they can’t safeguard them from husk until there is a vaccine. James says he couldn’t forgive himself if he didn’t give her his honest opinion. He says they’ve tried everything and they could still lose the entire herd although there is a slim chance they won’t. He believes it would be best to sell the farm before it is too late and admits he has given her too much false hope already. Phyllis says there is nothing false about hope. When she looks around, she sees everything she has that is worth fighting for. She is adamant she owes it to them to continue fighting. Although she couldn’t save her husband, she believes she can save the farm.

Meanwhile, the others listen as the cricket player breaks the record. They celebrate before Mrs. Pumphrey (Patricia Hodge) arrives to get Tricki. She appreciates Uncle Herriot looking after her dog while she was away, and Hutton and Leyland were impressive as a pair. Siegfried tells her about Hutton breaking Bradman’s record. She hopes Siegfried is practicing his swing for her upcoming cricket match. When she asks how Tricki has been, the others force Siegfried to be honest and tell her about the chicken attack. They’re surprised to learn Trick has been pecked several times already and goes crazy when he sees chickens. Before she goes, she gives them a big basket of food for their troubles. James goes to see Helen and finds her on the roof so he climbs the ladder to join her. He tells her about Phyllis’s decision while admitting he understands it now.

Helen reveals this was her mom’s favorite spot and she used to tell her what happened at different parts of the farm, including where she told Richard she was pregnant. They kiss and cuddle until the episode ends.

 

All Creatures Great And Small Review

The second season of All Creatures Great and Small has been touching and charming. It is proving to be a good learning experience for James as he discovers more about the locals and their connections to the land where they work and live. He also quickly found out there are major differences between himself and Helen although that isn’t going to stop their relationship. Siegfried realizes he has been placing unrealistic expectations on his brother who can never live up to them and that he isn’t perfect either.

At some point, the truth about Tristan’s exams will be revealed and it’ll likely lead to a big blow-up in the Farnon house. It also seems Mrs. Hall is dealing with loneliness since she is often left alone in the house while the others go out with dates. That side story could be something to touch on in the next few episodes. I hope they expand on Phyllis’s storyline since we need a conclusion on that as well.

Overall, it was a good episode that further expanded on the relationships between some of the main characters. I sincerely don’t think All Creatures Great and Small has hit its peak yet, but it’ll be spectacular when it does. It just needs to go a bit harder on the drama and humor. The episode scores a 7.5 out of 10. All Creatures Great and Small recaps can be found on Reel Mockery here.