[6.4/10] I legitimately thought I’d accidentally skipped an episode. James’ departure feels so rushed. Sure, we knew there was the possibility he’d be called up. But with the way “Papers” just springs on it, we have no time to anticipate it, no time to dread it, no time for it to weigh on our heroes as they try to go through everyday life knowing that something dreadful is lurking down the road.
No, instead, we’re just here, a couple of days before James is supposed to leave. It comes out of nowhere, and leaves everything feeling rushed and emotionally incomplete. Charitably, you could use that in a story about war, with people ripped away suddenly in ways you don’t expect. But here, it feels like All Creatures skipped a step in getting us to this destination, which means all the grand goodbyes are missing the emotional punch you’d expect them to have since the departure seems random rather than pathos-ridden.
That said, let’s talk about the things I did like in this one. I love love loved the scene with Siegfried and James, unable to sleep before James’ departure. It is subtle and understated in a way few scenes in this show are. The choice to let the quiet hang between them as the harsh reality of what’s to come occupies the silence is a brilliant choice, forcing the audience to contemplate it at the same time the characters do. And Siegfried seeing through James’ question and reassuring him that they’ll all look after Helen and the baby is one of the most earned moments of sweetness in the whole show.
Likewise, I like Mrs. Hall’s storyline, even if I’m leery of losing the actress and the character. They had me faked out good. When Gerald had Mrs. Hall over for tea, I assumed he would propose too, so his confession that he had to leave the Dales to look after his sister is softly devastating, and Mrs. Hall sells the pain of it beautifully. The “Aw shucks, I guess we’re engaged now” bit at the end is too much for me, but Mrs. Hall taking her own advice and resolving that life is too short not to go after the things you want and love with Gerald is lovely. I still think this is some kind of feint and eventually she ends up with Siegfried, but who knows!
Last but not least, while the James/Helen stuff largely falls flat for me in this episode, Rachel Shenton gives one hell of a performance in her final scene. The effort to hold back tears and then letting them flow once she can restrain them no longer gives the scene an emotional power it can't earn on the script alone. So kudos to her!
But yeah, the James/Helen stuff, which should be the big feature of the episode, does very little for me. The idea of a couple who wants to spend time together before one partner goes off to war could be great. But the idea that they can't find time together because they’re both too pulled in different directions to prep for the transition is played too sitcommy for my tastes. And their attic picnic is a bit too saccharine for me, even if Helen’s line about “sitting until your bum’s numb” got a laugh out of me.
Likewise, the story about Mrs. Pumphrey accepting Carmody and Carmody learning to drive is played so broadly that I rolled my eyes at most of it. Again, there’s the kernel of something good here, with James just needing Carmody to get this right so he can feel comfortable that he won’t be leaving a total void back at Skeldale house, and Mrs. Pumphrey bending a little in her dislike of Camrody in the name of supporting the community and its youth. But once more, it’s all done in such a cheesy, over-the-top fashion that it’s hard to feel too much over it.
The same goes for James’ big departure. Mrs. Hall’s “don’t let it change you” hits home given what she’s been through. But otherwise, him leaving seems so sudden and without build that it doesn’t have much impact. Everything’s shot well enough, but the writing is weak, and the storytelling is a head scratcher. (Don’t get me started on James’ spoken word version of “My Love Is a Red Red Rose”)
Overall, this one has problems at a foundational/structural level, but there’s a couple good scenes, and one legitimately sweet subplot, that are worth the price of admission.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2024-02-03T07:26:29Z
[6.4/10] I legitimately thought I’d accidentally skipped an episode. James’ departure feels so rushed. Sure, we knew there was the possibility he’d be called up. But with the way “Papers” just springs on it, we have no time to anticipate it, no time to dread it, no time for it to weigh on our heroes as they try to go through everyday life knowing that something dreadful is lurking down the road.
No, instead, we’re just here, a couple of days before James is supposed to leave. It comes out of nowhere, and leaves everything feeling rushed and emotionally incomplete. Charitably, you could use that in a story about war, with people ripped away suddenly in ways you don’t expect. But here, it feels like All Creatures skipped a step in getting us to this destination, which means all the grand goodbyes are missing the emotional punch you’d expect them to have since the departure seems random rather than pathos-ridden.
That said, let’s talk about the things I did like in this one. I love love loved the scene with Siegfried and James, unable to sleep before James’ departure. It is subtle and understated in a way few scenes in this show are. The choice to let the quiet hang between them as the harsh reality of what’s to come occupies the silence is a brilliant choice, forcing the audience to contemplate it at the same time the characters do. And Siegfried seeing through James’ question and reassuring him that they’ll all look after Helen and the baby is one of the most earned moments of sweetness in the whole show.
Likewise, I like Mrs. Hall’s storyline, even if I’m leery of losing the actress and the character. They had me faked out good. When Gerald had Mrs. Hall over for tea, I assumed he would propose too, so his confession that he had to leave the Dales to look after his sister is softly devastating, and Mrs. Hall sells the pain of it beautifully. The “Aw shucks, I guess we’re engaged now” bit at the end is too much for me, but Mrs. Hall taking her own advice and resolving that life is too short not to go after the things you want and love with Gerald is lovely. I still think this is some kind of feint and eventually she ends up with Siegfried, but who knows!
Last but not least, while the James/Helen stuff largely falls flat for me in this episode, Rachel Shenton gives one hell of a performance in her final scene. The effort to hold back tears and then letting them flow once she can restrain them no longer gives the scene an emotional power it can't earn on the script alone. So kudos to her!
But yeah, the James/Helen stuff, which should be the big feature of the episode, does very little for me. The idea of a couple who wants to spend time together before one partner goes off to war could be great. But the idea that they can't find time together because they’re both too pulled in different directions to prep for the transition is played too sitcommy for my tastes. And their attic picnic is a bit too saccharine for me, even if Helen’s line about “sitting until your bum’s numb” got a laugh out of me.
Likewise, the story about Mrs. Pumphrey accepting Carmody and Carmody learning to drive is played so broadly that I rolled my eyes at most of it. Again, there’s the kernel of something good here, with James just needing Carmody to get this right so he can feel comfortable that he won’t be leaving a total void back at Skeldale house, and Mrs. Pumphrey bending a little in her dislike of Camrody in the name of supporting the community and its youth. But once more, it’s all done in such a cheesy, over-the-top fashion that it’s hard to feel too much over it.
The same goes for James’ big departure. Mrs. Hall’s “don’t let it change you” hits home given what she’s been through. But otherwise, him leaving seems so sudden and without build that it doesn’t have much impact. Everything’s shot well enough, but the writing is weak, and the storytelling is a head scratcher. (Don’t get me started on James’ spoken word version of “My Love Is a Red Red Rose”)
Overall, this one has problems at a foundational/structural level, but there’s a couple good scenes, and one legitimately sweet subplot, that are worth the price of admission.