[7.6/10] This was a good one! I like the moral dilemma for Herriot. On the one hand, he is a noble and honorable vet, so when it comes to the Aldersons’ bull, he wants to tell the truth when asked to vouch for its condition. But at the same time, he cares for Helen and is tempted to, if not fib, find a way to be on her side. It forces a situation where he has to decide whether he cares more about his professional pride or his personal attachments. I didn't have much doubt about which he was going to choose, but he values both, so there’s stakes and meaning in it.
I also like that Hugh isn’t really the bad guy, despite being on the other side of the love triangle and doing the less honorable thing by bribing Dobson to lie about whether his cows were “with calf” after their encounter with the Aldersons’ bull. He tells Helen that he loves her, and while it doesn’t solve everything, the writing countenances that his heart was in the right place.
There’s interesting material for the other main characters. Siegfried has a flirtation with Dorothy, Mrs. Hall’s friend from the earlier episode. But we learn that he’s a widower and afraid to get back into the dating pool despite the clear mutual attraction. We see Tristan afraid of commitment on his own, as he’s reluctant to get involved with the barmaid now that he’s sticking around, only to be miffed when she doesn't take the break-up hard at all, which is an amusing enough bit of comeuppance for his effort at avoidance.
I particularly like the details we learn about Mrs. Hall though. For one thing, she left an abusive husband behind, which is an interesting detail. For another, she was in the WWI Wrens, and developed a crack shot out of it. And lastly, she has her own sense of justice that leads her to take a swindling carny to school for his rigged shooting gallery. All good notes for the show’s best character.
Not for nothing, this episode is pretty darn funny! Regardless of the big character choice material, James having to run around as the official vet of the town festival leads to all sorts of amusing antics. The officious organizer is a hoot. The various townspeople trying to cheat their way into various classes and competitions is a laugh. So are the interludes of Siegfried’s tours of his office. And there’s laughs to be had in Herriot’s judging of the family pet contest with all the peculiar animals and more peculiar kids, but also sweetness sin how he judges the competition of such an eclectic group of animals based on how much their young caretakers know about them.
Overall, this is easily my favorite off the season, since everything came off well here from the drama to the humor to the character moments, which is hopefully a promising sign heading into the season finale.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2023-05-03T15:49:17Z
[7.6/10] This was a good one! I like the moral dilemma for Herriot. On the one hand, he is a noble and honorable vet, so when it comes to the Aldersons’ bull, he wants to tell the truth when asked to vouch for its condition. But at the same time, he cares for Helen and is tempted to, if not fib, find a way to be on her side. It forces a situation where he has to decide whether he cares more about his professional pride or his personal attachments. I didn't have much doubt about which he was going to choose, but he values both, so there’s stakes and meaning in it.
I also like that Hugh isn’t really the bad guy, despite being on the other side of the love triangle and doing the less honorable thing by bribing Dobson to lie about whether his cows were “with calf” after their encounter with the Aldersons’ bull. He tells Helen that he loves her, and while it doesn’t solve everything, the writing countenances that his heart was in the right place.
There’s interesting material for the other main characters. Siegfried has a flirtation with Dorothy, Mrs. Hall’s friend from the earlier episode. But we learn that he’s a widower and afraid to get back into the dating pool despite the clear mutual attraction. We see Tristan afraid of commitment on his own, as he’s reluctant to get involved with the barmaid now that he’s sticking around, only to be miffed when she doesn't take the break-up hard at all, which is an amusing enough bit of comeuppance for his effort at avoidance.
I particularly like the details we learn about Mrs. Hall though. For one thing, she left an abusive husband behind, which is an interesting detail. For another, she was in the WWI Wrens, and developed a crack shot out of it. And lastly, she has her own sense of justice that leads her to take a swindling carny to school for his rigged shooting gallery. All good notes for the show’s best character.
Not for nothing, this episode is pretty darn funny! Regardless of the big character choice material, James having to run around as the official vet of the town festival leads to all sorts of amusing antics. The officious organizer is a hoot. The various townspeople trying to cheat their way into various classes and competitions is a laugh. So are the interludes of Siegfried’s tours of his office. And there’s laughs to be had in Herriot’s judging of the family pet contest with all the peculiar animals and more peculiar kids, but also sweetness sin how he judges the competition of such an eclectic group of animals based on how much their young caretakers know about them.
Overall, this is easily my favorite off the season, since everything came off well here from the drama to the humor to the character moments, which is hopefully a promising sign heading into the season finale.