[7.0/10] I like some of the ideas in this one, but it leans into some hoary tropes and elements of the show that aren’t my favorite. To the point, I already said my piece on foregrounding the unavailing James/Helen relationship in my write-up of the season 1 Xmas special, so I won’t belabor it here. But suffice it to say, playing the same will they/won’t they tension up while James makes a strained metaphor about Helen deserving as much of a second chance as Jenny’s dog (a flattering comparison if I’ve ever heard one!) weakens this episode considerably.
I like the dog story though, simple though it may be. James is clearly projecting (as the show itself signposts) trying to save the Aldersons’ dog as a means of doing right by the family and, more specifically, by Helen. But it’s also another chance for him to pave his own way and stand up to Siegfried. This being a kind and gentle show, you just know they’re not actually going to put little Jenny’s puppy down for chasing around some sheep, but it’s still a noble crusade on James' part.
That said, they really belabor the point about James having to choose between his old home and his new one. There being a job back in Glasgow, and his parents struggling with money puts a thumb on the scale, as does Siegfried being a right jerk to him. But I guess they need to establish the dilemma to make it even plausible that they would break the show and have James return to Scotland.
Then we get a wacky subplot with Tristan trying to swap out a blind woman’s beloved pet bird without her knowing. It’s odd and zany, but Tristan’s affability gives it more charm than it deserves.
That said,it makes me frustrated that it gets baked into the runaround between Siegfreidn and Mrs. Hall over Siegfried lying about Tristan passing his exams. I get that this is something approaching old school television and so you need a few secrets and gossip that can explode at the right time. But it seems out of character for Mrs. Hall to go along with this whole charade.
Otherwise, as much as this show occasionally tries to play itself like a medical drama except with animals, it’s hard to feel the tension when our heroes are rescuing about six sheep and the music and tone makes it seem like they just wandered into a warzone.
Overall, not the most auspicious start to the new season, but enough good things and good concepts to hang onto to hopefully sustain the rest of the batch.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2023-05-15T00:54:18Z
[7.0/10] I like some of the ideas in this one, but it leans into some hoary tropes and elements of the show that aren’t my favorite. To the point, I already said my piece on foregrounding the unavailing James/Helen relationship in my write-up of the season 1 Xmas special, so I won’t belabor it here. But suffice it to say, playing the same will they/won’t they tension up while James makes a strained metaphor about Helen deserving as much of a second chance as Jenny’s dog (a flattering comparison if I’ve ever heard one!) weakens this episode considerably.
I like the dog story though, simple though it may be. James is clearly projecting (as the show itself signposts) trying to save the Aldersons’ dog as a means of doing right by the family and, more specifically, by Helen. But it’s also another chance for him to pave his own way and stand up to Siegfried. This being a kind and gentle show, you just know they’re not actually going to put little Jenny’s puppy down for chasing around some sheep, but it’s still a noble crusade on James' part.
That said, they really belabor the point about James having to choose between his old home and his new one. There being a job back in Glasgow, and his parents struggling with money puts a thumb on the scale, as does Siegfried being a right jerk to him. But I guess they need to establish the dilemma to make it even plausible that they would break the show and have James return to Scotland.
Then we get a wacky subplot with Tristan trying to swap out a blind woman’s beloved pet bird without her knowing. It’s odd and zany, but Tristan’s affability gives it more charm than it deserves.
That said,it makes me frustrated that it gets baked into the runaround between Siegfreidn and Mrs. Hall over Siegfried lying about Tristan passing his exams. I get that this is something approaching old school television and so you need a few secrets and gossip that can explode at the right time. But it seems out of character for Mrs. Hall to go along with this whole charade.
Otherwise, as much as this show occasionally tries to play itself like a medical drama except with animals, it’s hard to feel the tension when our heroes are rescuing about six sheep and the music and tone makes it seem like they just wandered into a warzone.
Overall, not the most auspicious start to the new season, but enough good things and good concepts to hang onto to hopefully sustain the rest of the batch.