Right Hand Man – Richard Alderson (Tony Pitts) asks James (Nicholas Ralph) and Helen (Rachel Shenton) whether they’re going to lend a hand. James admits he nodded off after two call-outs last night. Helen suspects sleepless nights are a good practice. They notice soldiers marching in the distance. Helen reminds James they have to spend time together conscious to get to the baby part. As they work, James mentions they may be getting an assistant. He believes that’ll give him and Helen more time together. Richard and Helen worry that Siegfried will send the new hire packing in five minutes. James explains he sees himself as a mentor.

Richard Carmody (James Anthony-Rose) arrives in town but can’t find Skeldale House. James reminds Siegfried (Samuel West) and Audrey (Anna Madeley) that they’re hosting a student. They argue about giving up Tristan’s room with Audrey offering to call around to see if she can find elsewhere. Siegfried doubts Richard Carmody from London will last. Mrs. Pumphrey (Patricia Hodge) storms into the clinic claiming she has a dire emergency. She tells them about her new foster, Cedric, whose dad is away with the army. Pumphrey explains that he is a tad excitable although he is not aggressive. Richard finally arrives after getting lost somewhere. Once he is introduced to Mrs. Pumphrey, James tries to find out what is wrong with Cedric.

She eventually admits that he suffers from flatulence. Siegfried checks on a horse named Teasel and notices a wheeze. Grace (Cat Simmons) and Anne Chapman (Cleo Sylvestre) explain that they cannot afford not to work her. Siegfried is afraid it is heaves. The air goes in, but the lungs have lost elasticity. He says soaking the hay before Teasel feeds can help. Siegfried will also give her an arsenical expectorant for her drinking water. They’re worried about Teasel because she belongs to Tom. Anne would hate for her grandson to return home and find out that his horse is gone. Siegfried says she is young and strong so he doesn’t see why she wouldn’t recover. In private, Anne and Siegfried talk about how Grace is coping on her own. Siegfried believes things are about to get a great deal more difficult.

Mrs. Pumphrey insists Cedric’s case is an emergency because her community tea party is right around the corner. Richard suggests they could keep the dog outside. He seems surprised that she always treats her animals like people. Mrs. Pumphrey tells Tricki that Richard isn’t like Uncle Herriot. James recommends reducing Cedric’s protein intake and try giving him an antacid. Once they’re alone, James tells Richard that the animals are the easy part. After Richard is introduced to Audrey Hall, he learns that Mrs. Micklethwait has a room for him. Siegfried enters and accuses Richard of being late. Richard denies that and blames it on the fact that the street signs were removed to dissuade invaders.

He goes on to say he arrived at three sharp just as arranged with James. Siegfried says he stands corrected before shaking Richard’s hand. Later, James tells Helen he has to help Richard learn about the animals in for observation since he is Richard’s mention. James thinks he can make it up to her on Saturday by sending Richard to Pumphrey’s tea party instead of going. Audrey tells Gerald Hammond (Will Thorp) it is nice to have another lad around. Audrey wants to talk about something before Mrs. Pumphrey’s party, but she can’t bring herself to say it. Gerald urges her to say whatever is eating away at her. She mentions that she is getting a divorce. James returns home after checking on Sharpe’s cow. Although Richard wishes he’d fetched him, James didn’t want to bother Mrs. Micklethwait at 4 AM.

Siegfried asks James to put the kettle on while he continues speaking to Richard. Then, Siegfried tells James he is going to take Richard to check on Teasel. They laugh at James for having to deal with Cedric and his flatulence again. When James makes it to Pumphrey’s house, he finds her asleep. He sits on the couch and goes to sleep too. Richard listens to Teasel before saying it sounds encouraging. Siegfried believes she is on the mend. They run into soldiers later. Siegfried asks Richard if he sees himself joining them. Richard says never if he has anything to do with it. He suspects the suffering will be greater if they’re unable to feed the country. He wants to serve by doing his duty to the farmers. James is awoken by Cedric. Mrs. Pumphrey admits she and Tricki haven’t slept a wink because of his bounding and whining.

When asked about Cedric’s wind, Pumphrey says the frequency has reduced a little although the magnitude has not. She has decided to move the party alfresco to be safe. James learns Cedric was just out for his daily walk with Francois. He says increasing the dog’s exercise should calm him down a bit. Pumphrey reveals she has extended the invitation to the infantry training camp. She asks whether he’ll be coming. Later, Helen learns that James will be going to the party after all. James suggests they can go to the party, do a quick circuit, and leave. Then, Richard tells James about Teasel. In private, James and Siegfried discuss Richard’s future. Siegfried speeds away with Richard. James questions when he became Tristan. Marching soldiers forget to close the gate and end up letting one of the horses run free.

During the party, Gerald and Audrey speak to Richard Carmody. When Cedric comes out, Richard decides to check on him. He is surprised to learn that James is treating him with lots of walking. He argues with James about whether Cedric has a problem with his digestion. Gerald and Siegfried talk about Audrey’s situation. Siegfried believes the weight is lifting off her shoulders with every passing week. Gerald excuses himself to see where Audrey went. Siegfried speaks to Private Briggs (Olly Rhodes) about not closing the gate. Then, he joins Helen, James, and Richard as they discuss James’s diagnosis. James gets upset until Helen storms off. In private, she tells him that she doesn’t have time to stand around listening to some petty argument. Helen is out of the idea and decides to find her own way home.

James ties Cedric to a table. Gerald tells Audrey he’d like to show her his garden. He knows why she didn’t come to him first. It sounds like Siegfried has known about it for some time. Audrey explains that Siegfried found her filling out forms and that’s how he found out. She didn’t want to bother Gerald with something that might not be granted. Audrey admits she mentioned it to Helen who might’ve told James. Mrs. Pumphrey checks on James and asks about Helen leaving. After taking a drink of gin, James confesses he lost sight of his priorities. He somehow made Helen feel second best to Cedric. She forces James to follow Helen. Audrey asks Gerald if he is okay. Gerald insists she hasn’t upset him, but he wishes she’d told him first because he wants her to know she can come to him.

Gerald doesn’t want her to feel alone or afraid like she did with her husband. As James drives back, he spots the horse, Teasel, that escaped earlier. He gets closer and sees that the horse has been impaled. Mrs. Pumphrey begins looking for Cedric. As Cedric causes a commotion nearby, James returns to tell Siegfried about Teasel being injured. At the scene, Richard is tasked with applying pressure to the wound while James and Siegfried try to find a way to remove the piece of fence. Siegfried soon realizes he forgot how green the students are. Richard rushes to the car to get the saw. Private Briggs tells Helen he’d love to have a roast dinner. Helen says she’d bring him one every day if they’d stop leaving the gates open. He admits he was involved when the dog caused the mess.

Helen goes inside and tells Pumphrey that she returned. She believes James is right. It isn’t about what Cedric’s eating. Instead, it’s about who Cedric has been chasing. Helen suspects he has been chasing the soldiers. She asks if his owner left any toys or blankets. Once James removes the fence post, Richard admits he is kicking himself because horses are his specialty. Helen shows Pumphrey the trick her mom used to use when they gave away newborn pups. Cedric has been homesick all along. James suspects Teasel is okay so they begin flushing her for splinters. Richard is sent to get Chapman. Pumphrey can’t wait to see James’s face when he learns Helen solved the problem. Helen believes they’ve all run off on some emergency. She explains they have all these plans, but she isn’t sure they’ll achieve any of them before he has to leave.

Pumphrey talks about her husband who died young. She agrees that time is precious although she thinks Helen should forgive quickly. Siegfried tells Grace to keep an eye on the wound, but Teasel should make a full recovery. She admits it has been difficult with Tom away. Siegfried knows it can be difficult to ask for help. They discuss how they’re supposed to carry on without them. James apologizes to Helen who just wants to promise to make time for each other soon. They meet up at The Drovers Arms. They talk about Richard Carmody. Siegfried makes it clear that Richard is no substitute for James’s skill and experience. James understands that he might not be there for the next Teasel. Audrey tells Siegfried that everything turned out nicely and they might try to catch the pictures. She asks if he’d be okay fending for himself tonight.

Briggs asks the Chapmans if they need anything fixed. At home, James and Helen finally have time alone but they’re exhausted. Helen admits she is weepy today for some reason. Richard Carmody meets Siegfried at the pub and asks about today’s events. Siegfried recommends keeping some of his thoughts to himself if he wants to complete this placement. Helen comes back into the room and tries to tell James that she is pregnant. She reveals it is the early days.

 

All Creatures Great And Small Review

Right Hand Man was a competent episode of All Creatures Great and Small that added a new character and pushed some of the key storylines forward. It feels like we’re waiting for something big to happen which likely means waiting for the finale. Some aspects of the episode were more effective than others. It is easy to want Audrey and Gerald to be happy together while James and Helen’s storyline is pretty predictable.

Tristan’s absence is felt because some of the humor from the series is missing. Teasel’s involvement didn’t really hit the target as closely as it could have. The horse and its owners were hastily introduced before being thrown into a predictable situation with a predictable solution. It never seemed like there was any risk for Teasel, but it didn’t matter because there was no real build for its owners.

Cedric’s case was a bit more effective since it was at least humorous although it wasn’t fleshed out enough. The human dramas are quickly taking over while the animals are being skimmed over. That needs to be the opposite for the series to regain the initial charm it had in the first two seasons. On the other hand, Richard Carmody could be a good addition to the cast with the absence of Tristan and James eventually being drafted.

There is the potential for fireworks between Audrey and Gerald at some point in future episodes. This was a good episode that didn’t really match what the series offered in earlier installments. It scores a 6.5 out of 10. Recaps of All Creatures Great and Small can be found on Reel Mockery here. Find out how to support our independent site at this link.

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