YorkshireLass

There can be signs that point to a child possibly being on the autism spectrum when they are infants. Shaun said, "It could be an early indication of autism". One of the early signs is infants reacting in unexpected ways to new faces. If all the other children cried when their parent(s) left and Steve did not, that's different. Like circumvent said, it may mean Steve is at a different level in his development than the other children. Or it may mean that he's a baby who loves new experiences and new people or, as Shawn pointed out, an early indication of possible autism. It would be foolish on both Shaun & Leah's part to not be on the lookout for indications that Steve might be on the spectrum. Familial autism is well proven and the genetic risk is definitely there. Autism has affected every facet of Shaun's life and he knows what that entails. Does he want Steve to have the same struggles he had? I doubt it very much.... Early diagnosis tends to lead to more favourable outcomes in helping autistic children have their best lives possible so watching for any indication is prudent for any parent who has a child with a known risk factor.

From what I've read, other opportunities was one part of it, but the other part was Noah missing the people he loved while being away during the filming of the show in Vancouver, B.C. I wonder if he knew that this season was only going to be 10 episodes when he made his decision. Filming 10 episodes wouldn't take that long compared to a full season of 22 episodes.

Filming wrapped up at the beginning of April. Here are some photos from the day. There are a few that are quite touching. https://tvline.com/news/the-good-doctor-series-finale-cast-photos-release-date-1235196835/

There are so many undiagnosed girls and women to this day. It makes me sad when I read about someone who struggled their entire life trying to fit in and not understanding why they felt so different only to be diagnosed as being autistic much later in life. What could have been if they'd had the supports they needed...... I hope your daughter's journey through life is easier with her being diagnosed at a younger age. Best wishes to you both! It will be interesting to see Charlie's journey. The medical staff are used to dealing with Shawn's "quirks". Charlie's are probably going to be very different.

The needing alcohol to relax trope drives me bonkers! No wonder there are so many people with issues with alcohol nowadays. Really - you can't go for a walk, read a book, meditate, do yoga, indulge in some retail therapy, etc. instead? The possibilities are endless. As far as Lea making the breastfeeding issues all about herself. I think her portrayal as a conflicted new mother was very realistic. The medical community and lactating experts and books about the subject emphasize the benefits of breastfeeding to such a degree that many women who aren't able to exclusively breastfeed feel like absolute failures as mothers. Just like some women who need caesarean sections feel like failures because they didn't have their baby "naturally". Logically, all anyone wants is a healthy, happy baby, but "mom shaming" is well and alive and it can do a huge number on new moms' psyches. I have a friend who couldn't breastfeed because of breast reduction surgery. She actually had a nurse give her grief when she said she wasn't going to breastfeed. Nurse went on a spiel about how breast was best and any mom who didn't at least try wasn't acting in her baby's best interests. When my friend could finally get a word in edgewise and explain the situation, the nurse looked a little sheepish, but left the room saying, "breast is best". That really upset my friend at a time that should have been joyful for her.

Totally agree on the brain operation. To show Park doing it all while being assisted by a resident is ridiculous. There would have been multiple disciplines needed to be involved; particularly an oral maxillofacial surgeon, but hey, who knows, maybe Park is an expert at everything. 😃 I agree that Charlie's verbal interactions with the patient and his daughter were inappropriate, but I think there's a lot more to it than learning to control herself. She is pretty new to interacting with patients. Everything is new & different. Many autistic people don't do well in this situation. She is probably very nervous. When autistic people are nervous or upset they tend to "stim". It is a way of trying to deal with what they're feeling & to comfort themselves. We saw it when she kept grabbing her earring. It's entirely possible the verbosity is also a stim. Hopefully, like Shawn, she'll be given time to adjust and possibly, once she feels more comfortable, the stimming will lessen. Shawn is still inappropriate at times, but with the guidance of those around him, he has become much more adept at handling personal interactions; although, I was quite surprised he was so abrupt with telling lung transplant guy his diagnosis. He's been shown handling similar situations in a much better way. In a way, it was kind of funny to see Shawn irritated by Charlie's behaviour. His behaviour has irritated his colleagues many times and you would think he could recognize himself in some of Charlie's behaviour and cut her some slack. I guess the "you can't see the forest for the trees" comes into play.....

Thanks for this. There are SPOILERS in this article as to who will be back for season 5. If you don't want to know, don't click 😃. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/specialfeatures/all-creatures-great-and-small-seasons-5-and-6-coming-to-masterpiece-on-pbs/#

That was a lovely end to the season. As others have said, lots of humour which was nice after the seriousness of the last episode. The love between the characters was palpable and the absolute look of enchantment they all had when looking at James Jr warmed my heart. I'm very surprised Helen agreed to give up Oscar. I wouldn't have unless he truly was the other people's cat. I was hoping to see him become a Skeldale regular like Jess & Dash. I had to giggle when I saw him playing with the wool/thread that Helen was working with. Such a typical cat. I wonder if Humbug went at it right away or if they had to coax him to act his part. The look of absolute foreboding on everyone's face when they heard James was going to be flying bombers sent me researching bomber survival rates. Those are very sobering statistics and I can see why everyone looked so very worried. About 45% were killed and 15% were either wounded or became prisoners of war. One thing I've meant to mention after Christmas episodes before is the weird appearance of the outdoor shots. It's like there's some kind of a filter put on the camera that changes the colour of the sky, landscape & buildings. I find it very distracting - wish they wouldn't do it. Hard to believe it will be 10 1/2 months before we're back here again. You wait and wait for the show to come back and then it's all over in the blink of an eye. At least it's something to look forward to after Christmas & New Year.

I can't find an official announcement either 😞. The original article linked in this thread announcing the renewal is from Nov. 2023. I did see an article in the Yorkshire Post about a renewal that seems a little more credible https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/arts-and-culture/film-and-tv/hopes-raised-for-all-creatures-great-and-small-series-5-as-tv-presenter-jules-hudson-posts-awards-photo-with-nicholas-ralph-4518628 that said “Always love catching up with this lovely guy, @nicholasralph_ AKA James Herriot. And thrilled to hear there’s even more All Creatures Great and Small to come. Can’t wait!”, but the original Instagram post has disappeared. Fortunately, with Jules hearing that the show had been renewed from the horse's mouth (so-to-speak), I think we all can be pretty confident that it has been. Because that article was from 2023, they probably meant filming was to start in 2024.

Yippee!!! Thanks so much 💖

I've often wondered if Mrs. Hall was hesitant about showing how she truly felt about Gerald because she was concerned as to how others would view him given that he was consorting with a "married" woman. And, unfortunately, that same judgement would probably have been there even if she was divorced. British society tended to not be kind to divorced women irrespective of the cause of the divorce. Another consideration is that Yorkshire folk of that time tended to be very reserved about their feelings; both emotionally & physically. My parents very rarely showed physical affection and I never saw either set of my grandparents ever showing any kiind of physical affection.

Oh, I hope so!!!! I couldn't imagine that they wouldn't renew it given its success, but I did read something somewhere a couple of years ago where one of the creators said that the show had been conceptualized with a four season story arc so that combined with the lack of news about a renewal had me concerned. Thank you for letting me know 😊.

As far as I can tell the show hasn't been officially renewed for next season. I've been checking and checking and hoping and hoping...... Callum Woodhouse was filming a movie around the same time that All Creatures filmed season 4 so that could have contributed to him not being on the show this year.

I want that cat!!! My PBS station said next week was the season finale??? Does that mean we get the Christmas show after the finale or is the Christmas show the finale? It was nice to see Mr. Alderson & Jenny again, but it wasn't a particularly happy storyline. .....and, no Irish Setter 😞

Thank you for asking & thank you for answering. Tiny tv here too 😉. Audrey looked like she had the weight of the world lifted off her shoulders when she read the letter so I assumed it was good news. Like @possibilities, I'm so glad to see the show coming back to focusing on the animal stories. If anything, I think by focusing on the animals, it makes the human stories even more relatable. I didn't feel the first two episodes of this season were up to All Creature's usual standards, but the last two have been very good and have given me the "feels". To see the new farmers' neighbours coming to their rescue and to know Helen doesn't have brucellosis were very uplifting stories. There was mention of Jenny & Helen's family's farm so maybe we'll get to see them (and the Irish Setter - a la @JudyObscure) in a future episode.

Well.....for me, not as strong an episode as the last two and the Mags' video was a bit too tropey. (It didn't really bring on the "feels"). I didn't get any sense at all that Theo was sure in his decision to take over the older doctor's practice. Did the show mean to leave it that way? Not sure. Can't say I'm terribly surprised about June's decision to stay at York Memorial. I still think Mark is toxic, but they seem to be working out how to work together. I thought June's hug with Dr. Singh was very touching. He'll be very happy that she's not leaving. As far as Bash goes - he seemed at peace with his decision and I have no doubt he would be a wonderful clinic/family doctor to have, but when you saw how quickly he reacted to the gas leak and basically directed what needed to be done, he would shine in a position where he could direct urgent care. People have mentioned Doctors Without Borders a few times. May he'll volunteer for them every so often. I'm very sad that this show has come to an end. I've looked forward to watching it for the past four years. Hopefully, CTV will come up with something equally as good to take its place.

No, not a foregone conclusion at all. I'll just say the following & then I'll leave this subject alone. My hope was that by giving words to my thoughts it might be possible that others could look upon people like Miss Harbottle with a different eye. Many people who are jerks relish the way their actions affect others. They watch for those reactions and feed off of them. Neurodiverse people often have no clue of the effect of what they are doing & saying has on those around them. There were a multitude of other behaviours that lead me to suspect Miss Harbottle may be someone other than a jerk, but that would be a discussion to be had if we had a "Small Talk" thread. That's a beautiful time of year to go Tiggertoo. The bluebells & canola(they call it rapeseed) are in bloom and there are lambs in the fields. Harrogate is a beautiful town. Make sure you go to Betty's - it's a quintessential British experience (fair warning - it's expensive). If you're looking for a nice place for lunch or dinner, The Ivy restaurant is right next door. As far as the weather goes - you can get four seasons in a couple of hours 😄. I hope you have a wonderful time! I was hoping that when Helen got her bike & said she was off to the farm we might get to see her Dad & Jenny again. Maybe later in the season.....

I'm not sure how I feel about Bash's future options. In one way, if he takes the job at the hospital, it would almost feel like he was a "sloppy second" choice to me. Would he feel that way? I don't know. As far as opening a practice with Theo, I'm not sure if his heart would be totally in it. I feel like Bash comes alive when he's presented with traumas that require immediate, non-traditional methods. Trauma OR would probably be a great place for him, but that would mean more residency as a surgeon. Would he go that route???? Don't know, but I guess we're going to find out next Friday (unless they leave us hanging - they better not!).

Having been around quite a few people who are neuro-diverse, I feel some sympathy for Miss Harbottle. She definitely wasn't the right person for the job at Skeldale House. Most people would have picked up on the "vibes" that Siegfried, Mrs. Hall, James & Helen were sending out by their words and expressions. Unfortunately for Miss Harbottle, she seemed incapable of acknowledging that anyone else's point of view needed to be considered (particularly when it's the person who is employing you). Being inflexible and wanting things to be "perfect" (as long as perfect means it's her way) is a typical sign of quite a few pervasive development disorders. Because of this, many neuro-diverse people struggle with long-term employment their entire life. As others have said, perhaps Helen would be able to keep up with the financial aspect of the practice since everything has been organized. You have to give Miss Harbottle credit for wading through that mess. One thing that probably won't change would be the way the cash money is handled 😄. My parents are from Yorkshire. The beautiful scenery in the show makes my heart swell. So many happy memories. Mid to late spring is the time to visit if anyone ever goes.

!!!!!!!!DR. BISHOP!!!!! (I'm so happy I hadn't read anything about this episode so I was totally shocked when I saw his face - have to say happy tears ensued. It was wonderful to see John Hannah again - he went right back to being Dr. Bishop at his best.) Unfortunately, nope, not a fakeout or nightmare unless the last episode is going to say episodes 8&9 were a dream (a la the "dream year" of Dallas). This episode was just sublime.....the show is ending on a real high. There is still so much to tie-up. Will Bash take over Mags' position at York Memorial? Will Dr. Bishop come back to the hospital in some capacity? I can't imagine there won't be some fall-out from Mark being reappointed to be the head of Trauma OR by the CMO - is that Dr. Olsen??? Will Dr. Devi resign because of this? (And, unbelievably, this episode made me feel a glimmer of hope that Mark may actually be a decent human being under all that bravado. Had to laugh at the expression on his face when June & Dr. Singh looked at him as if he had two heads when he said he reads studies.) Will June go to Cleveland? What the hell is Theo going to do with his life? (And, is what's-her-name out of it? - I've never cared for her.) Seeing the whole team together in Bash's flashback where he was handcuffed to the gurney Amira was on really touched the heartstrings. The acting by the whole ensemble was phenomenal. It was palpable how they all were struggling with Mags' death. Above all - I'm hoping Bash can finally be at peace with himself and his life, whatever route he chooses to go, and to be able to remember those he has lost with happiness and gratitude.

Thank you so much DanaK. Mags knew she was going to die. I think Bash knew it too, but wouldn't admit it to himself or Mags. Laurence Lebouef & Hamza Haq knocked it out of the park. I'm curious as to Bash's questioning of Mag's cardiologist & surgeon after she died. The questions he asked seemed like questions someone who had no knowledge of heart transplants or heart physiology would ask. Wonder if it was a way to show that when our loved one is a patient we all have the same reactions. I have no idea how the show is going to tie up all the loose ends in the two remaining episodes. Bash & Theo are pretty similar to one another. Both follow their hearts. I think Bash is a little more rule-centric, but I think he still feels that his life in Canada could be taken away in a flash and that worries him. Wouldn't a clinic headed by Bash, Theo & Elliot be a wonderful place for Torontonians to get medical care? June's decision to relocate seemed very rushed. Not sure how much of it is her not being happy with where she's at personally and running away from that or not liking being involved in the politics of being in charge and just wanting to be a surgeon. I feel the same as statsgirl where it seems like the show is foreshadowing a romantic relationsip between June & Novak. I sure hope it doesn't happen. He's a dick and is toxic. He would destroy anyone he was involved with. I think I understand what the show is trying to convey with how the hospital is handling Claire's use of painkillers, but is it a realistic portrayal? Trusting Claire to police herself could come back and bite the hospital. I wonder if we will get an end-story to this arc? I will so miss this show :(.

From what was said by Helen and by his living conditions, Wesley probably did not have a happy upbringing. There was no mention of his parents so they could be out of the picture. Helen alluded to his difficulties at school. He's probably one of the lost children that still exist today. A very smart child, but not school-smart whose interest in learning was squashed by the education system. I'm betting he learned more by doing the work at Skeldale House that one day with James encouraging him than he did in years at school. My hope for him is that he blossoms at the farm and his experience there prepares him for a job in the farming industry. As said by others, I don't think this episode was one of the series better ones. Quite a few people on this forum have said for the last couple of seasons that they wanted the focus of the show to turn back to the animals and their stories. Unfortunately, the show seems to be moving even further away even though the Executive Producer said in an interview that there were so many more "Herriott animal stories" in the books that they were looking forward to bringing to the screen in Season 4. I'm hoping that didn't mean we'd get one story per show. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

That would be lovely! I'd love to be able to discuss what has happened in Season 4 without having to worry about spoiling it to the US viewers on Season 3. Thanks!

SPOILERS for US viewers currently watching Season 3 (Not sure if we need this or not - can someone please clarify???) Wow, was not expecting that at all 😭, but I wondered if things were being foreshadowed when Mags got her coffee and walked down the street with that blissful expression on her face. Both Hamza Haq & Laurence Lebouef hit their scenes out of the park last night and both should get CSA's for that. There are so many options for Bash going forward. I wonder what route he'll take. Theo leads with his heart. Not sure what's got his ladyfriend's knickers in such a knot all of a sudden. She was acting like his behaviour was something new. It's not - it's been there for a long time. Wouldn't it be ironic if he takes over the older doctor's practice? I wonder if June talked to Lou before making the decision to take the job in Cleveland. I totally understand Mags being pissed-off at her. I wonder how that is going to affect June going forward. I'm with hula-la - very sad there are only two more episodes left. I will really miss the show. (And, I'm still hoping Dr. Bishop will make an appearance!)

Wow, that was intense and I think one of the best episodes they've ever done. What the heck could have happened between Elliott & Bash?