For Whom The Bell Tolls – As the finale of All Creatures Great and Small begins, James Herriot (Nicholas Ralph) and Helen (Rachel Shenton) check on the cows while Richard (Tony Pitts) watches from nearby. They talk about how busy James has been before Jenny (Imogen Clawson) begins running toward them. Siegfried (Samuel West) listens to a news report about Mr. Chamberlain asking Herr Hitler to withdraw his troops from Poland. Tristan (Callum Woodhouse) hopes it isn’t going to happen. Siegfried says they’ve been here before. You’d hope they couldn’t be that brainless again, but these are politicians they’re talking about. Mrs. Hall (Anna Madeley) turns off the radio before discussing Tristan’s relationship with Florence Pandhi.

Siegfried asks his brother not to roll in drunk. Audrey reminds Tristan that his brother is just being protective of him. Jenny asks what it’ll mean if they’re at war by next week. Richard says there is no point in worrying about something that hasn’t happened yet. Helen is confident they’ll get through it regardless. When they’re alone, Richard tells James there is no reason to feel guilty because farms can’t function without vets. He goes on to remind him that family always comes first. James begins worrying that one of the cows might be sick. Tristan talks to George (Kriss Dosanjh), Joyce, and Florence. Joyce (Helen Sheals) and George joke about how they met when he treated her cat. George thinks it is important for families to stay together. Daisy comes in and gets friendly with Tristan at the table.

When they ask Tristan’s intentions for Florence, he says they’re absolutely honorable. They begin laughing because it was a joke. Someone abandons a dog outside Skeldale House with a note asking Audrey to take care of it. She takes the dog inside where Siegfried learns its name is Dash. They can’t imagine why someone would abandon such a beautiful animal. Siegfried suggests calling around to see if they can find the owner. James talks to Richard about shutting down the farm temporarily. Richard questions what he is supposed to do with no income for a month. James isn’t sure he has a choice because he has to inform the Ministry of Agriculture. Richard suggests he can shoot the infected beast himself so there would be no reason for the MAG to know. James explains it is about public safety only for Richard to remind him that the people who made the rules don’t understand farming.

He tells James that everyone was allowed to go fight during the last war and the whole country ground to a halt. Things started to come undone halfway through the war. Richard started working all hours without help so there wasn’t a day that he wasn’t scared out of his wits that they wouldn’t have enough food for Helen. It took ages to recover and Richard can’t have that again. James offers to hold off on telling the MAG until the test is completed. It is unlikely they’ll get a different result, but James will do it for Richard. When James gets back later, he tells Helen it went fine. In the morning, Helen fills out the paperwork and places it in an envelope. Tristan joins Siegfried and Audrey for breakfast while telling them about his day yesterday. Siegfried agrees to let him invite Florence over for Sunday lunch. James comes in and learns about the dog. Then, he tells them that Mrs. Pumphrey (Patricia Hodge) is worried about a stray cat.

A news report reveals Mr. Chamberlain has sent an ultimatum to Hitler to withdraw from Poland no later than 11 AM tomorrow. He will not hesitate to announce that a state of war exists between Great Britain and Germany if the condition is not met. Later, Helen finds James in the lab and learns that one of the cows might be positive. The test will confirm it one way or another, but the rest of the herd is all negative. James admits her father doesn’t want to report it although Helen doesn’t think they can keep it from MAG. Once it is confirmed, James says he has to report it. Helen wants to tell her father before redoing the paperwork. As they approach the farm, they see Mallock’s van leaving. Richard tells them he had no choice but to kill it because the MAG would shut the farm down.

He thinks they can keep running the farm safely with a little common sense, but Helen says killing it was against the law. They wonder if James could get struck off and have to go fight because of this. Richard says he’ll tell them that it had nothing to do with James. Helen insists her father will have to tell the truth because it could cost James his career. She forces him to go to phone the MAG. James says their dad was just trying to protect them. Jenny reminds him that they can look out for themselves. James understands so he asks them not to be too hard on Richard. He explains that judgment sometimes goes out the window to do whatever you can to protect the ones you love. Tristan visits Mrs. Pumphrey to check on the stray cat which receives a vitamin shot. She reveals she is growing a war garden with the Women’s Institute. She explains it is about building morale.

Although the cat doesn’t trust her yet, Mrs. Pumphrey would like to take her in. She wants her place to be a sanctuary for anyone who might need it if there is a war. Tristan is told you must cling onto them like a life ring in a storm when you find someone you truly care about. Helen asks James what he meant about protecting the people you love. At Skeldale, Audrey picks up the envelope and gets distracted when she sees Dash in Siegfried’s chair. James confesses that it isn’t easy seeing all these other men sign up for war. On one hand, he wants to hold her close and never let her go. On the other hand, he wants to fight for her. Helen reminds him that what he is doing here is incredible. Then, they see a group of evacuees getting off the bus nearby. While cleaning up, Audrey finds a pamphlet telling people to put their animals down if they cannot care for them.

Siegfried doesn’t know what they should do with Dash, but he doesn’t think they can keep him. James and Helen go to the pub with Tristan. James and Tristan talk about the possibility of a war. Tristan asks what he’d do. James questions why he asked. Tristan says because he always does the right thing. James isn’t sure what the right thing is. Audrey and Siegfried put up bulletins about the missing dog. Siegfried watches the military officers try to recruit locals nearby. While Audrey is out, she puts the envelopes in the mailbox. As they get back, James tells Helen he has been putting aside money from the TB testing and Richard could use it. Helen panics when she learns that Audrey posted the letter without a stamp on it. James realizes they just sent the MAG a form stating there is no TB at Heston Grange. He is convinced Harcourt is going to strike him off for this.

He knows he should’ve called the moment he found out about the cow. It looks like he falsified a form to prevent his wife’s farm from being shut down. Siegfried offers to take responsibility because he is too old to be conscripted, but James refuses to let him do that. Instead, he is going to see Harcourt himself. Tristan decides to visit Florence (Sophie Khan Levy) so he can propose. He explains he wants to plow his own furrow with her. Florence doesn’t think now is a good time because there are more important things going on in the world. She argues that Tristan won’t be happy until he steps out of his brother’s shadow. He needs to find out who he is and he won’t find out by being with Florence. Helen and James meet with Charles Harcourt (Adrian Rawlins) who suspects this has something to do with a phone call he received from Richard Alderson earlier today.

James tells him that a mistake was made with the forms. Charles questions whether James tried to cover it up. When James tries to explain that Helen filled out the forms, he is reminded that she isn’t a registered veterinarian. Charles asks if he wants to get struck off. He has never seen such disregard for the safety of farming or the population at large. Charles agrees to give him one chance to explain. Siegfried and Audrey continue worrying at home before Tristan enters and asks if someone died. He learns about James. Then, he admits that Florence didn’t want to marry him so she may never come over for Lunch. Tristan gets mad at his brother for belittling him while putting everyone else on a pedestal. He questions why he isn’t afraid of losing him like he is afraid of losing James.

Tristan tells Siegfried that the world is changing and he needs to change with it. He goes on to say he admires that Florence is willing to live her own life. Tristan doesn’t think anything he ever does will be good enough for Siegfried who says he will always look after him. James tells Charles he didn’t knowingly try to conceal the truth and would never do that. He realizes he never signed the document. Helen insists James is always honest even when he makes mistakes. She tells Charles that James worked hard to win the trust of the farmers. None of them would’ve agreed to it without him. Helen warns him that he’ll lose all of them if he strikes off James now. Charles admits that she is right before calling James a lucky man. Richard signs the paperwork to temporarily give his herd to the Ministry of Agriculture.

Jenny tells her father that they’ll get through this. At Skeldale House, Siegfried and the others talk about the farm and the possibility of war. Audrey tells Tristan that his brother wants to put Dash down although Siegfried denies it. Tristan thinks Mrs. Pumphrey would take him. On the radio, Chamberlain confirms that this country is at war with Germany. While Audrey cleans the rug outside, Helen asks why she doesn’t say hello to Gerald (Will Thorp). She tells Audrey that he is a good man who cares for her and it doesn’t need to be complicated. James talks to Tristan about Florence. He didn’t know what to think of Tristan when he first arrived. He thought he was a chancer and only cared about himself until he got to know the real Tristan. James argues he needs to find out who he is for himself because marriage won’t do that.

He tells Tristan that no one is going anywhere. Audrey goes for a walk with Gerald. She is glad they can’t call him up while Gerald admits it is the first time he is glad not to be young anymore. Audrey reveals she is writing to her son who said in his last letter that he wasn’t afraid. She was afraid he’d end up like his father but he isn’t. Gerald agrees she can tell him about it one day. Later, Mrs. Pumphrey visits Skeldale to say she has decided to take Dash, but Dash doesn’t want to leave Audrey. Siegfried decides that the dog belongs there with them. Helen talks to James about seeing the faces of the children and thinking they may not see their homes or parents again. The only rational human response is to try to stop it and to help. James could never forgive himself if he did nothing.

James tells Siegfried seconds later. Tristan follows him. Audrey tells Siegfried that normal life will return so they should appreciate what they have in the meantime. Helen cries inside. Tristan stays with James even though it may mean getting recruited.

 

All Creatures Great And Small Review

The finale of All Creatures Great and Small didn’t hit the same notes as the previous episode because it wasn’t as effective or as emotional. Certain aspects of the episode didn’t work as much as they should’ve or could’ve. Tristan’s proposal felt forced and it didn’t help that he had only known Florence for a short time. At this point, most viewers know that James Herriot eventually enlisted in the RAF.

As a result, the controversy surrounding Richard’s cows and the TB tests didn’t have much impact. It never felt like James was going to lose his career or be forced to enlist, but that may not be an issue for viewers who haven’t learned more about the story. Although not a bad finale overall, the episode just couldn’t match the previous one which was an emotional roller coaster.

It did a great job of setting up future storylines and the possible impact of the war on everyone at Skeldale House. With that being said, I personally hope the war doesn’t take up too much time from the practice or the animals. The episode scores a 7 out of 10. Recaps of All Creatures Great and Small are available on Reel Mockery here. If you’ve found our site helpful, consider supporting us by following this link.