Season 5 Discussion Thread

[DanaK]

For discussion of Season 5

The new season premieres in the UK on September 19 2024 and in the US under the PBS Masterpiece banner on January 12 2025

There will be 6 regular episodes plus a Christmas special

Edited September 8 by DanaK

[John Potts]

Was not expecting James to be back in Darrowby so quickly. Obviously, people aren't watching ACGaS for its depiction of the Second World War, but it seems odd to have taken such pains to put James in the RAF only to bring him back home (particularly given we've been Tristan-less for a whole season). I don't know how the Books depicted it (and maybe James did spend only a couple of months in actual service), but I would have thought we'd see more of James on service. Did like his commanding officer - obviously James wasn't a fan, but he certainly had a point that he couldn't risk sending out a pilot who might pass out at any moment. And of course, the RAF took some fearsome losses (particularly early on) and colleagues would sometimes just not come back.

Glad Carmody is being portrayed as gaining confidence in his abilities, even if he screws up on occasion. Liked that it was he who realised why the cat kept passing out (in a manner that reminded me of my family pet growing up). And good on Mrs Hall for insisting she was quite capable of being a Warden. I wonder if we'll be seeing Land Army Girls turning up in Darrowby as the war goes on?

[ofmd]

Well, after last season was less to my liking than the ones before, dare I say I'm cautiously optimistic!

This looked a bit more like the ensemble show of old. Hopefully not just a one-off.

James' brucellosis was a surprise (and I assume not in the books), but I think it's for the best. Well, not the illness, but that James is back. I'm definitely not watching this show for the war scenes.

Carmody feels like part of the family now. I like the new dog, seems to be a sight hound mix.

And Mrs Hall returns to form! Is it just me, or did Siegfried like her uniform?

Edited September 25 by ofmd

[ofmd]

A general spoiler for Ms Hall... I'm not sure where to put this,hope this is all right.

Source: an interview with Rachel Stenton.

https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/all-creatures-great-small-mrs-hall-exclusive-newsupdate/

Spoiler

Mrs Hall will face "something huge" in season 5 of All Creatures Great and Small, which made its debut on Thursday 19th September.

"I feel like I say it every season but Mrs Hall just smashes it out the park this season with the story," Rachel Shenton, who plays Helen, told RadioTimes.com.

..."I was a big fan of Mrs Hall and Gerald (Will Thorp, it was very hard for me to let go of that [romance]. And then this year, Mrs Hall faces something huge that really sort of tests her mental [health]."

Not sure I like the sound of the final sentence... Something to do with

Spoiler

her ex-husband?

I hope they won't "go there" and have something happen to her when she's out at night with her new job.

Spoiler

Shenton went on to praise actor Anna Madeley for her performance, adding: "I’m really looking forward to everyone seeing that. It runs for a while, and it's good."

Great to see Anna is getting something to do other than knit or dote over a baby... or so I hope!

The article has further spoilers regarding other characters, such as

Spoiler

Tristan

OK, I hope I did that properly!

ETA: OMG, I'd totally forgotten about

Spoiler

her son! I'm guessing it will be about him going missing.

 

Edited September 26 by ofmd

[MissLucas]

Higgins!!! Sorry, that was my initial reaction upon hearing Jeremy Swift's voice. Seems that this part is closer to Spratt though.

Well, I'm glad James is back. Though I'm a bit confused - shouldn't he have been able to fly once he had recovered? Still, good to have him back. If they want to do another war-related plot there's still Tristan. I'm starting to wonder if he's being written out since they hardly mention him anymore.

Yes, Siegfried certainly seems to have a thing for a lady in uniform!

[ofmd]

I thought this episode wasn't as good as the first two, but still better than season 4, so I'm good...

Not a fan of the moustache, though.

[MissLucas]

I'm confused - I thought Tristan had been in the RAF but now it turns out he was on donkey duty? Oh well...

 

[ofmd]

Well, so much for that "huge" Mrs Hall storyline...

[MissLucas]

I think I need to lie down for a bit. That episode gave me whiplash. I'm neither a vet nor a physician but James running a fever high enough to cause hallucinations just to be right as rain after a couple of hours seems a bit much.

[ofmd]

Yes, I thought he had accidentally taken in something hallucinogenic, maybe via the fruits from the garden they showed him eating...

[crankcase]

“Wight enlisted in the RAF in November 1942. He did well in his training and was one of the first in his flight to fly solo. After undergoing surgery on an anal fistulain July 1943, he was deemed unfit to fly combat aircraft and was discharged as a leading aircraftmanthe following November. He joined his wife at her parents' house, where she had lived since he left Thirsk.”

Source

[crankcase]

Audrey’s son is a sailor on the (real) HMS Repulse. It was sunk by Japanese aircraft on Dec. 10, 1941, three days after Pearl Harbor. There were some survivors. Audrey and Siegfried will marry in the season that gets to 1942, the same year that Don Sinclair (i.e., Siegfried) married Audrey Adamson.

Edited November 1 by crankcase
x

[ofmd]

Yes, that's what I alluded to.

There were actually more survivors (1000) than losses (513), so I'll be really p*ssed if tptb decide they need to kill off Audrey's son (as opposed to having her worry etc until they know) for drama. They hardly even let any animals die on that show!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinking_of_Prince_of_Wales_and_Repulse

That said, a huge scare and then Edward turning up for Christmas... That would make a fine Christmas episode!

As for Siegfried & Audrey, I'm all for it, but they'll need to rekindle that spark of the first seasons. Whether people see that as romantic or not, it was there in their banter and arguments, and it has gotten lost somewhere during the horrible previous season...

Edited November 3 by ofmd