All Creatures Great and Small Season-Finale Recap: Your Lady of the Goats

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We’re reaching the end of this season, with only a Christmas episode left. As usual, British TV keeps us entertained yet mystified. This year has brought about James being discharged from the Air Force due to brucellosis, Tristan coming back to Skeldale, Mrs. Hall taking on another volunteer position, and Richard moving on to academic research – quite sadly for us viewers, we’re missing Richard dearly.

Siegfried is dirty from mud and possibly manure. While Tristan talks about camels in Doncaster and Richard is absent, James and Siegfred are working hard. They’re even slipping in the mud. Meanwhile, Mrs. Hall is in a pickle because she has too many strawberries to deal with. She needs to make jam, but there’s a shortage of sugar due to rationing. Making jam during wartime is proving to be quite challenging. The challenge here refers to the process of making jam during war times.

Amidst the mess and confusion, Mrs. Pumphrey expresses worry over Tricki Woo, while James exhibits strange behavior. Luckily, Jimmy is present, bringing cheer and moving his arms enthusiastically. Despite my dislike for Tristan this season, I won’t hold back in the finale. His arrogance, which I find akin to smugness or as Michael Scott would say, “smudge,” makes him hard to appreciate. After Siegfried searches for Miss Grantley’s book, which Tristan humorously refers to as the “goat lady’s Persian memoirs,” he finds it under Tristan’s papers, bearing a tea cup stain. Tristan apologizes rudely. I will be more forgiving towards him once he gives me a reason! The goat lady comment did bring a chuckle. Mrs. Hall manipulates Tristan into assisting Siegfried with his calls the next day.

They hopped into the car Tristan had agreed to fill up, and Tristan inquired about Siegfried’s progress on “Your Lady of the Goats.” I appreciate the humor in the goat reference, but perhaps it’s because I find goats amusing. Much like you seem to be evading my continuous requests for Siegfried and Mrs. Hall to develop a relationship, Siegfried has been elusive when discussing Miss Grantley.

In their interaction, there are two horses present – how fortunate! We get to admire numerous equines in awe. The smaller one, a tiny pony, needs to be sedated with chloroform before Siegfried can perform castration on it. This procedure supposedly reduces its aggression, making it suitable for pony rides. I’m undecided about this aspect. However, we need not concern ourselves as the main focus here is Tristan and Siegfried arguing over the appropriate amount of chloroform. Interestingly, this particular pony is resistant to chloroform. Eventually, Tristan administers too much and the pony falls unconscious – a reminder of why anesthesiologists are well-compensated. Rest assured, the pony recovers just fine from the overdose.

The second horse, named Algernon or “Algie” for short, resides at Mr. Dobson’s. This magnificent creature is indeed one of the most awe-inspiring animals out there. You might ask, “But what about the stag?” Well, yes, it’s also remarkable, but let’s not forget about the horse. Just take a look; it’s simply perfect. We’re truly fortunate to have horses in our lives. Algernon needed an injection for something on his neck, and when Tristan gave it to him, Algie fell asleep. Siegfried thought he was dead, but then, to everyone’s relief, Algie woke up! It seemed like we had a false alarm about the horse’s condition.

Tristan and Siegfried depart in Mr. Dobson’s elderflower wine-filled vehicle, discussing their recent predicament involving the horse and car trouble, realizing that Tristan had neglected to fuel up. Consequently, they must walk back home, enjoying the elderflower wine en route. Tristan repeatedly brings up Miss Grantley and wonders why Siegfried hasn’t approached her romantically. Following more drinks, and a playful piggyback ride across a flooded road, Siegfried reveals that (1) he desires a deeper friendship with Tristan beyond casual encounters, and (2) he had intended to ask Miss Grantley out, but after she requested his book review, he provided constructive feedback, only for her to respond unfavorably.

After leaving town, it appears everyone else has their own activities. James, however, seems unusually cheerful, even suspiciously so. This is quite odd given his recent erratic behavior and the trauma of war he’s been dealing with. He’s humming tunes in surgery and acting so jovial that Helen wonders if he’s been sampling the dispensary bottles. I honestly thought he was experiencing a manic episode, anticipating complications from it in the upcoming season. However, James confides in Mrs. Pumphrey that Tricki is a foolish dog. Granted, but still. He removes his sweater, revealing he has a fever. Helen attends to him while Mrs. Hall and Mrs. Pumphrey (who’s still with Tricki) manage the practice. This seems to be a fever related to James’s brucellosis, causing hallucinations. James breaks down and cries to Banerjee, apologizing. Helen stays by his side, and once his fever subsides and he regains consciousness, they discuss what he said, and he reveals the truth about his crew’s incident. Frankly, I can’t fathom not disclosing that to a spouse beforehand, but then again, I’m not a Scottish man from the 1920s.

Siegfried and Tristan stumble back into town, their shirts untucked and clutching nearly empty wine bottles. Their antics cause laughter among onlookers in the square. Mrs. Hall has prepared countless jars of jam. It turns out that Tricki’s predicament involves a small chicken bone lodged between his teeth. The crowd gathers to watch Siegfried undergo a series of drunken challenges, which apparently involve reciting “Jabberwocky,” a poem by Lewis Carroll. Siegfried and Tristan take turns reciting the poem as the camera pans out for a scenic view of picturesque Darrowby and the Yorkshire Dales. Until next time, All Creatures! And by next time, I mean the upcoming Christmas special airing in February.

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2025-02-17 08:00