‘HOME TRUTHS’
Please feel free to comment on my review.
Well, we’ve come to the end of Series 2 of the new ‘All Creatures Great and Small’ TV series! I greatly enjoyed Series 2 of the new ‘All Creatures’ show when I saw it from September to October 2021. 🙂
I’m glad Series 2 ended on a positive and happy note. It could’ve easily ended on a depressing note. Thankfully it didn’t and I enjoyed Series 2 of new ‘All Creatures’ more than Series 6 of ‘Grantchester’.
In the last episode of Series 2, the threat of war is looming. Chamberlain heads off to meet up with Hitler in Munich. Intriguing how the new series tackled World War II compared to the original series.
At this point, I’m not sure what the threat of war is going to mean for our main characters. Whether Siegfried and Tristan will go off to fight in the war like they did in the original TV show, I don’t know.
It’s also interesting how certain ‘All Creatures’ characters like James, Helen, Siegfried, Tristan and Mrs. Hall reacted to the news of worldwide events while they continued to handle their own affairs. 😐
Meanwhile, Nicholas Ralph as James prepares to deal with giving his parents the news that they may not like. It’s so intriguing that James’ parents actually visit him in the Yorkshire Dales in this episode.
This is something that never happened in the original BBC show, as we don’t get to meet James’ parents in that. I’m wondering if James’ parents ever appeared in the original ‘James Herriot’ books.
Also in this episode, Samuel West as Siegfried encourages James to propose marriage to Helen. Callum Woodhouse’s Tristan and Anna Madeley’s Mrs. Hall also encourage him to pop the question.
Initially, James is reluctant, as he doesn’t think Helen will say ‘yes’ to marrying him. This is understandable, since they’ve only known each other for two years and they’ve just begun dating. 😐
Thankfully, as this episode progresses, James and Rachel Shenton as Helen end up becoming engaged. I was hoping this would happen. I didn’t think it would happen quite soon in Series 2’s last episode.
It’s a contrast to how the original BBC TV series handled James and Helen’s romance, since their dating, engagement and marriage happened all in one season instead of gradually in the TV series. 🙂
It’s also interesting how James expressed his doubts to Helen about saying ‘yes’ to marrying him before Helen tells him to stop the car in the middle of a country road. Thankfully, it turned out okay.
It’s a happy occasion for the two in this new series episode, although James has to ask Helen’s father’s permission to marry her. I wondered whether James would be successful with Helen’s father here. 😐
I know James was successful with Helen’s father in the original BBC series, but the Channel 5 series could have taken a different approach and maybe not end with James and Helen happily engaged. 😐
Soon, an emergency occurs when the Aldersons’ pregnant mare called Candy is about to give birth, but she has a problem. I liked how James took charge of the situation when at the Aldersons’ farm. 🙂
James asks Imogen Clawson as Jenny, Helen’s sister, to phone for help at Skeldale House. Siegfried soon comes out to help and Tristan joins him at the last minute, which I was glad to see in the story.
One thing I should mention is that when James puts his arm up a cow in the episode, they’re using prosthetics and not an actual cow for that. This was intriguing to learn whilst watching the new show.
It’s quite different compared to how the original BBC series did things when they used real cows to put arms up in. 😀 Peter Davison pointed out this fact when I saw him at ‘Bedford Who Charity Con 6’.
Thankfully, James with Mr. Alderson, Siegfried and Tristan’s help is able to deliver Candy’s calf, which is a huge relief. I did wonder whether it would all end up in disaster at some point in the story.
James also plucks up the courage to ask Helen’s father if he can marry his daughter. It was good of James to ask Helen’s father’s permission after a very successful delivery. The two soon have a drink.
Oh, did I say ‘drink’? I mean, Helen’s father keeps pouring drinks for James from whatever bottle he’s having. I counted and it was five. 😀 I hoped James was able to drive home safely afterwards. 😀
Actually, I really like how it turned out between these two, since Helen’s father gives James his late wife’s wedding ring for Helen to wear on their wedding. It’s a good touch of character development.
In fact, I’ve noticed how Tony Pitts as Richard Alderson has had more screen-time in the new TV series compared to the amount of screen-time that Mr. Alderson had in the original BBC TV show. 😐
I mean, Mr. Alderson in the original BBC TV show was like in only two episodes of Series 1 as well as the 1983 Christmas Special. Quite a big difference of appearances in both shows for the character! 😐
I liked that moment in the episode when James surprised Helen by going down on one knee and offering her the wedding ring her dad gave him. Helen recognises the ring and she happily accepts it.
Incidentally, Helen smelt the bath salts (belonging to Mrs. Hall) that James had put on. This was a thing in the original series episode ‘Advice and Consent’. I don’t think it was that pronounced this time. 😐
I forgot Helen smelt James when it came to revisiting this episode on DVD. There also isn’t a scene of Tristan encouraging James to have the bath salts in the bath like in the original BBC series episode. 😐
I also like how James and Helen broke the news to Gabriel Quigley as Hannah Herriot and Drew Cain as James Herriot Snr, James’ parents when they came over for a very special Skeldale House dinner.
They tell them that they’ve become engaged and that James is staying in the Dales. James’ mother is clearly upset that her son isn’t going to return to Glasgow, but she and the dad are happy for him. 🙂
The episode also features Mike Harding as Isaac Cranford (You know, you could have easily called him Biggins from the original series :D). In fact, Cranford appeared in two episodes of the BBC TV show.
I remember him more in his Series 1 appearance rather than his 1990 Christmas Special appearance. Tristan still sent samples to Cranford that get mucked up, just like how Tristan did it in the original show. 😀
There’s also Amy Nuttall as Phyllis Dalby, who was in the third episode of Series 2, as well as Aiden Cook as Young Billy Dalby. I like how her story gets resolved in Series 2 and in a very positive manner.
Frances Tomelty also appears as Mrs. Donovan in the episode. Mrs. Donovan was also in the original ‘All Creatures’ BBC TV show, where she was being played by Sheila Reid in episodes of Series 1 and 7.
In this new series episode, Tristan has a lot more interaction with Mrs. Donovan compared to James and Siegfried. He handles her dog who gets killed and provides her with a stray dog, which was nice.
Mollie Winnard also returns as Maggie in the series. Where have you been, Maggie?! I wish we saw more of her, as it would’ve been nice to have continued her and Tristan’s relationship from Series 1.
Will Thorp as Gerald Hammond also appears in this episode. It’s only a brief appearance, but it’s nice when he invited Mrs. Hall to come out for a walk with his dog Rock and she brings Jess with her too.
‘Home Truths’ is a very satisfying and happy-filled finale to Series 2 of the new ‘All Creatures Great and Small’ TV series. I greatly enjoyed all six episodes of Series 2 from September to October 2021. 🙂
I’m very pleased that James and Helen’s story ended happily here with them finally becoming engaged to be married. This was something that I wanted to happen for them since Series 2 began. 🙂
I was looking forward to the 2021 Christmas Special of the new ‘All Creatures Great and Small’ series next. I also looked forward to receiving Series 2 of the new ‘All Creatures’ series on DVD, which I now have. 😀
I’m glad the 2020 Christmas Special has been included with the Series 2 DVD (which I predicted). It’s been very nice to revisit Series 2 of new ‘All Creatures’ on DVD with the 2020 Christmas Special in tow.
I also purchased ‘The World of All Creatures Great and Small: Welcome to Skeldale House’ book and I currently own two ‘All Creatures’ music albums by Alexandra Harwood in my Amazon music library.
The DVD special features for Series 2 of the new ‘All Creatures Great and Small’ TV series are as follows. There’s a picture gallery and a behind-the-scenes picture gallery. I’m disappointed we didn’t get any Series 2 cast interviews this time around. 🙁 I enjoyed the cast interviews in the Series 1 DVD.
Series 2 of the new ‘All Creatures Great and Small’ TV series has been a worthwhile season throughout. Having been able to get to know the characters from Series 1, it was easy to enjoy them in Series 2 and see how their character journeys progressed in a very positive and hopeful manner. 🙂
I was looking forward to what would happen next for our characters in the 2021 Christmas Special and I’m currently looking forward to how things turn out in Series 3. I’m glad the new ‘All Creatures’ series is something for me to look forward to on Channel 5 every year when it comes to the autumn months. 🙂
‘Home Truths’ rating – 9/10
‘All Creatures Great and Small’ – Series 2 rating – 9/10
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