[7.0/10] In the end, I agree with Mr. Alderson. The country needs farms. The farms need vets. The most good James can do is by staying at home. I know the show wants us to feel that James is doing something noble, signing up to fight the good fight at the expense of his comfort or well-being. But it’s hard to be stirred by that decision when it feels so profoundly stupid.
Maybe it’s because it’s hard for me to imagine limp-wristed fancy boy James Herriot being much of a soldier. Maybe it’s because the American wars of recent vintage have been quagmires where good young men and women get thrown into a senseless meat-grinder, rather than a fight to save the world from Nazism. Maybe it’s because I’m too much of a utilitarian to think that James would be doing more good in some godforsaken trench than he will at home helping to preserve the country’s breadbasket.
Yes, it’s very harrowing to see those children evacuated and put on Darby’s doorstep. But those children need food! They need healthy animals to keep the farm’s working. I can buy that James is too short-sighted and myopic in his view of what’s right to see that. But then it’s hard for me to view him positively in abandoning his family, his practice, and his community when they arguably need him most for something that’s going to do less to help the war effort, not more. The hard thing would be living with his guilt about not being on the front lines while doing what’s needed from him at home, rather than signing up to assuage his conscience.
I don’t know how to feel about the business with Tristan either. I like the idea of him finally trying to break out of Siegfried’s shadow and live his own life on his own terms. I love that Flo turns down his marriage proposal and rightly points out that a romantic relationship won’t solve the problem he’s wrestling with, and turning a person into a cure isn’t the foundation of a good marriage. I can even buy the idea that he doesn’t trust his own judgment, and thinks that James always knows the right thing to do, so is following James’ lead. Hell, I can even buy the “I don’t know what I should do with my life, so may as well enlist,” approach. Lord knows it happens in real life.
But it feels out of character for him, somehow. I think the show tries to paper over it by having James say that even if Tristan can seem selfish at times, he’s got a good heart, which is what would motivate him to do something like this. But again, it kind of comes out of nowhere, so the decision feels more random than noble and/or tragic. There’s some minor pushes from Flo and Mrs. Pumphrey, but they come pretty late in the day.
I’m also not a big fan of the T.B. testing storyline. As usual, it’s actually a really interesting conflict. Mr. Alderson not wanting to report his cow because it would mean shutting down the farm, and working outside the rules puts James in a tough position. James having to decide between his loyalty to the family he married into and his duty as a vet is good fodder for meaningful trials and legitimate character growth. And the risk of James getting in trouble for it, to where he’d lose his vet’s exemption, add stakes on the other side of the equation apart from the threat to the Aldersons’ farm.
And yet, rather than leaning into that natural, understandable conflict without easy answers, “For Whom the Bell Tolls” slides into this weird convoluted series of coincidences that end up with a form being sent to the MAG office that inadvertently makes it look like James was lying to protect his wife’s farm. Why do we need this baroque sitcom-esque plot rather than just taking the situation as it lays? The narrative gymnastics and sitcom misunderstandings and coincidence it takes to get there weakens the drama considerably.
That said, this is a great Helen episode. I like that for all James’ fumfering, she’s the one who tells her dad that he’s got to come clean for the good of the farm and the family. And I like that, despite the MAG Commissioner's misogynistic tone toward her, she’s the one who speaks up, asserts herself, and defends her husband as honest to a fault even when he makes a mistake. More so than that ethical point, she makes the practical point that it’s his dedication that spurred the TB testing in Darby in the first place, and that without him, the MAG will lose its foothold in the region. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again -- Helen is a one-hundred times better character now that she gets to be a full personality and not just a prize for James to win.
It’s also a good Siegfried and Mrs. Hall episode. While Siegfried browbeats Tristan as usual, you can tell he’s genuinely stung at Tristan’s recriminations that nothing he does will ever be good enough for his older brother. Siegfried may very well realize that there’s truth to the statement, even if it’s not how he’d like it to be.
For her part, Mrs. Hall fretting over the war breaks your heart. She’s lost so much to it already, and fears losing even more. The fact that Siegfried decides that Dash, the stray dog left at their doorstep, must be kept around since he and Mrs. Hall have taken a shine to one another, shows that however prickly he may be at times, he does care about the folks under the roof of Skeldale House, and will make exceptions to keep them happy.
The prospect of war looms large here. I’ll admit, All Creatures is such a warm and fuzzy show that I have my doubts about how well they’ll tackle something as grim as World War II. It frankly already feels somewhat shoehorned into the tone and vibe of the show. But as cheap as it is, the image of James and Tristan standing in line to submit their names for enlistment does come with the appropriate ominousness, as the haunting bells ring over the town square.
Overall, a mixed and oft-frustrating finale, but one that has enough good material and good intention to still recommend it.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2023-06-15T03:16:42Z
[7.0/10] In the end, I agree with Mr. Alderson. The country needs farms. The farms need vets. The most good James can do is by staying at home. I know the show wants us to feel that James is doing something noble, signing up to fight the good fight at the expense of his comfort or well-being. But it’s hard to be stirred by that decision when it feels so profoundly stupid.
Maybe it’s because it’s hard for me to imagine limp-wristed fancy boy James Herriot being much of a soldier. Maybe it’s because the American wars of recent vintage have been quagmires where good young men and women get thrown into a senseless meat-grinder, rather than a fight to save the world from Nazism. Maybe it’s because I’m too much of a utilitarian to think that James would be doing more good in some godforsaken trench than he will at home helping to preserve the country’s breadbasket.
Yes, it’s very harrowing to see those children evacuated and put on Darby’s doorstep. But those children need food! They need healthy animals to keep the farm’s working. I can buy that James is too short-sighted and myopic in his view of what’s right to see that. But then it’s hard for me to view him positively in abandoning his family, his practice, and his community when they arguably need him most for something that’s going to do less to help the war effort, not more. The hard thing would be living with his guilt about not being on the front lines while doing what’s needed from him at home, rather than signing up to assuage his conscience.
I don’t know how to feel about the business with Tristan either. I like the idea of him finally trying to break out of Siegfried’s shadow and live his own life on his own terms. I love that Flo turns down his marriage proposal and rightly points out that a romantic relationship won’t solve the problem he’s wrestling with, and turning a person into a cure isn’t the foundation of a good marriage. I can even buy the idea that he doesn’t trust his own judgment, and thinks that James always knows the right thing to do, so is following James’ lead. Hell, I can even buy the “I don’t know what I should do with my life, so may as well enlist,” approach. Lord knows it happens in real life.
But it feels out of character for him, somehow. I think the show tries to paper over it by having James say that even if Tristan can seem selfish at times, he’s got a good heart, which is what would motivate him to do something like this. But again, it kind of comes out of nowhere, so the decision feels more random than noble and/or tragic. There’s some minor pushes from Flo and Mrs. Pumphrey, but they come pretty late in the day.
I’m also not a big fan of the T.B. testing storyline. As usual, it’s actually a really interesting conflict. Mr. Alderson not wanting to report his cow because it would mean shutting down the farm, and working outside the rules puts James in a tough position. James having to decide between his loyalty to the family he married into and his duty as a vet is good fodder for meaningful trials and legitimate character growth. And the risk of James getting in trouble for it, to where he’d lose his vet’s exemption, add stakes on the other side of the equation apart from the threat to the Aldersons’ farm.
And yet, rather than leaning into that natural, understandable conflict without easy answers, “For Whom the Bell Tolls” slides into this weird convoluted series of coincidences that end up with a form being sent to the MAG office that inadvertently makes it look like James was lying to protect his wife’s farm. Why do we need this baroque sitcom-esque plot rather than just taking the situation as it lays? The narrative gymnastics and sitcom misunderstandings and coincidence it takes to get there weakens the drama considerably.
That said, this is a great Helen episode. I like that for all James’ fumfering, she’s the one who tells her dad that he’s got to come clean for the good of the farm and the family. And I like that, despite the MAG Commissioner's misogynistic tone toward her, she’s the one who speaks up, asserts herself, and defends her husband as honest to a fault even when he makes a mistake. More so than that ethical point, she makes the practical point that it’s his dedication that spurred the TB testing in Darby in the first place, and that without him, the MAG will lose its foothold in the region. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again -- Helen is a one-hundred times better character now that she gets to be a full personality and not just a prize for James to win.
It’s also a good Siegfried and Mrs. Hall episode. While Siegfried browbeats Tristan as usual, you can tell he’s genuinely stung at Tristan’s recriminations that nothing he does will ever be good enough for his older brother. Siegfried may very well realize that there’s truth to the statement, even if it’s not how he’d like it to be.
For her part, Mrs. Hall fretting over the war breaks your heart. She’s lost so much to it already, and fears losing even more. The fact that Siegfried decides that Dash, the stray dog left at their doorstep, must be kept around since he and Mrs. Hall have taken a shine to one another, shows that however prickly he may be at times, he does care about the folks under the roof of Skeldale House, and will make exceptions to keep them happy.
The prospect of war looms large here. I’ll admit, All Creatures is such a warm and fuzzy show that I have my doubts about how well they’ll tackle something as grim as World War II. It frankly already feels somewhat shoehorned into the tone and vibe of the show. But as cheap as it is, the image of James and Tristan standing in line to submit their names for enlistment does come with the appropriate ominousness, as the haunting bells ring over the town square.
Overall, a mixed and oft-frustrating finale, but one that has enough good material and good intention to still recommend it.