Season 5 Discussion Thread

[sugarbaker design]

On 2/11/2025 at 9:55 PM, Blergh said:

I'm not sure she'll do more than have a vague flirtation with him since she not only seemed to reclaim her original surname (and go by 'Miss. ..') after her husband's early death in the Great War but she even said she barely remembered him. This was somewhat rare but not unknown for widows to do- especially if there had been no children.

 

Rare yes, but she is definitely not your average village widow, so it sure fits.

[Ancaster]

On 2/9/2025 at 9:04 PM, dancingdreamer said:

I'm going to miss Carmody,  he resembled a mini Siegfried,  but I really grew to like him.

 

Me too - at this point I actually prefer him to Tristan, who for me has become insufferable.  And I hate his moustache.

[possibilities]

I really thought Tristan was being obnoxious-- using the manuscript as a coffee coaster, trying to one-up Seigfried in front of clients, and generally being smug. It wasn't just him making the most of things or having fun. He was actively provoking and undermining Siegfried. And he could see how much the vets were struggling without Carmody, and still made a show of his relaxed lifestyle.

 

[magdalene]

That was my favorite episode of the season.  The funny interactions between Siegfried and Tristan - so like them. It's brotherly love with pesky thorns.

It took another high fever for James to finally confide in Helen. Lovely and touching scenes between them.

Mrs.Pumfrey is a great lady and a skilled office manager in a pinch. Her and Audrey talking - two great actresses doing their thing.

Already the season finale next week - too soon!

[dancingdreamer]

I was worried  about James, it was all so unlike him. Especially  when he called Mrs Pumfrey a name..lol. I'm so glad they realized  what he had, and that he confided in Helen, perhaps  now he can settle his mind,  and not keep  blaming  himself. 

Mrs Pumfey and Audrey made a great team, I loved them both in the kitchen, on the phone, looking after Jimmy. 

Siegfried  and Tristan  are so much alike, I was happy  to see them laughing  and drinking,  or arguing  and drinking.  

I hate that the finale is next week, I look forward  to it all week.

[Blergh]

Well, somehow I had the feeling that Siegfried would be too . ..blunt for his romance with the Persian manuscript author to last. It's too bad that she doesn't seem to want to communicate with him any more (not even to have messages passed on). Oh well.

Yes, I agree that Tristan was a bit obnoxious with virtually him virtually parading his 'free time' status in front of the now very busy Siegfried and James but that wasn't a new kind of development for his character. He did let himself get guilt tripped into going with Siegfried to that farm where he put his two pence in far more than was helpful.

I knew something was very wrong with James with him initially treating the waiting clients like he was a music hall emcee- with the whole thing melting down with him winding up being rather rude to Mrs. Pumphrey and blowing off (as it turned out) a legit concern re Tricki. Thankfully, Mrs. Pumphrey didn't storm off in an angry huff but was willing to make an allowance for James's . .altered demeanor. And even more proving a help to Helen and Mrs. Hall who had their hands full with a packed waiting room, Baby Jimmy and a feverish James. ..to say nothing of all those strawberries to be jammed.

Yes, that fever sure brought out some horrible guilt James had been carrying and had tried to stuff down even though, of course, it wasn't his fault what had happened to his military comrades!

Meantime, Siegfried and Tristan sure made a mess of things after barely treating that miniature horse each having thought the other had had the car's gas tank filled and winding up on  stuck on that remote road (in those days of no cellphones- don't forget!).Then, of course, getting increasingly drunk on that donated dandelion wine as they ambled about making their way back to Skeldale House. At least Tristan proved to be strong enough to safely carry Siegfried through that creek without dropping him! Just like James's fever had freed up his suppressed angst, their drunkenness cleared up their misunderstandings and they DID have a good talk despite all that with them winding up at Skeldale House with the whole town seeing them in  rather disheveled and looped conditions.

Nice reflections by Mrs. Pumphrey and Mrs. Hall over their respective times in the Great War and how Mrs. Pumphrey wished she could have stayed a working partner to her late husband instead of reverting to being a society ornament to him after the personnel shortage crisis had passed (by no means an unheard of sentiment for wives back then). Also, cute that she finished the Lewis Carroll poem that Siegfried was unable to complete in his state!

At least James had thrown off the fever and seemed recovered by the episode's end (and gotten Tricki's chicken bone out to make him all right) but I have the feeling the Farnon Brothers felt a LOT of pain in the morning. .and had to deal with somehow retrieving the car and filling its tank!

Yes, I'm sorry this season has to end next week but I look forward to it!

[jah1986]

I'm glad Siegfried and Tristan were able to talk to each other and realize that there's an opportunity to be adults together and enjoy each other's company. So glad they didn't drag out James' strange behavior. Mrs. Pumphrey seemed to recognize pretty quickly that he was unwell. She really did help the team a lot. Jimmy is one (or 5) cute baby. Sorry to see this season end next week.

[iMonrey]

This was an uncomfortable episode to watch. Seeing James in a state like that was unnerving. Making it worse was that it was juxtaposed against the rather more comical scenes with Siegfried and Tristan. It wasn't a good blend going back and forth between a rather disturbing and harrowing story to a more lighthearted one.

I half expected Mrs. Pumphrey would end up working for Siegfried part time as a bookkeeper or something. He had one once. It didn't work out but that's because she sort of took over.

11 hours ago, possibilities said:

I really thought Tristan was being obnoxious-- using the manuscript as a coffee coaster, trying to one-up Seigfried in front of clients, and generally being smug. It wasn't just him making the most of things or having fun. He was actively provoking and undermining Siegfried. And he could see how much the vets were struggling without Carmody, and still made a show of his relaxed lifestyle.

I think Tristan is just trying to establish that he's a grown up now. Siegfried has never really seen him as such. He didn't want to listen to any of his suggestions or acknowledge that Tristan has learned new things out in the field. And Tristan was right to point out that Siegfried acts like Tristan didn't suffer enough in the war. Thankfully they were able to get all of this out in the open.

[Sarah 103]

I need to see drunk Siegfried again, because that was awesome. 

When James started acting strange, my first thought was amphetamines, because they did exist at that time. My only question was where he would get them and did I miss seeing him take them. Clearly I was wrong.  I'm glad that James is starting to deal with his survivor's guilt.  

41 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

And Tristan was right to point out that Siegfried acts like Tristan didn't suffer enough in the war. 

I think that's part of the problem. Tristan knows he didn't suffer as much as his brother. He knows he had this relatively cushy posting that allowed for an active social life and military hijinks. They both want a grown up relationship as adults but I don't think either one knows how to actually make that happen. 

Overall, I liked the episode. 

[possibilities]

I think Tristan could talk to Siegfried about things he learned, but not in front of the clients. Siegfried might be thrilled to hear about it, if it was offered in a respectful way. Arguing in front of the client, to me was a way of trying to humiliate and undermine him, not a way to share knowledge and gain respect.

When S asks T about his time away, that is a perfect time for T to mention all the things he learned. He could also acknowledge how lucky he was not to see the kind of misery S and J did. 

There are tactful, respectful, adult ways of showing your maturity, and there are obnoxious ways of asserting oneself.

 

[cinsays]

4 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I think Tristan is just trying to establish that he's a grown up now. Siegfried has never really seen him as such. He didn't want to listen to any of his suggestions or acknowledge that Tristan has learned new things out in the field. And Tristan was right to point out that Siegfried acts like Tristan didn't suffer enough in the war. Thankfully they were able to get all of this out in the open.

well, that's true, but he really was lazy just laying there unwilling to help Siegfried until shamed into it

glad he's confident in his abilities but i don't like cockiness in anyone, so didn't like that

[Orcinus orca]

2 hours ago, cinsays said:

well, that's true, but he really was lazy just laying there unwilling to help Siegfried until shamed into it

glad he's confident in his abilities but i don't like cockiness in anyone, so didn't like that

I wanted to reach into the TV and smack him for using that book as a coaster and leaving a stain on it!

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

In the scene where Tristen was going to piggyback  Siegfried  across the ditch, ,didn't Tristen say it was too deep when they entered the water and they decided to find another way around it???

[Haleth]

Loved this episode!  So much humor and pathos. I laughed and cried.  Poor James.  I’m glad he finally confessed his feelings of guilt to Helen.

Good for Mrs Pumphrey for waving off James’ rudeness and then pitching in to help an overworked overstressed Mrs Hall.

Jabberwocky!  Once upon a time I could recite it too and I did so along with Siegfried and Mrs P.

I bet the actors had a ball playing drunk Siegfried and Tristan. 

Edited Tuesday at 11:52 AM by Haleth

[dargosmydaddy]

16 minutes ago, One4Sorrow2TooBad said:

In the scene where Tristen was going to piggyback  Siegfried  across the ditch, ,didn't Tristen say it was too deep when they entered the water and they decided to find another way around it???

No, Tristan turned back because they'd forgotten the wine; we see Siegfried pick it up, and then presumably they kept going.

[Blergh]

Now that I think about it, perhaps Miss Grantley may not have totally ruled out ever . ..at least conversing with Siegfried again.

What's my evidence to back up this theory?

Because she left her manuscript in his house (the one which he wound up being too blunt causing their fall out).

OK, had it been a first edition/printing of an author's written work, an author might be willing to  .. .write that off along with the friendship after a falling off.

But a manuscript? That's their work in progress chock full of notes, sources,etc. No way would an author have deliberately left said manuscript (barring risk to life or limb) in the hands of someone they'd want ZILCH to do with again! Miss Grantley could have easily made a beeline to Skeldale House to grab it out of the Farnon Bros. unappreciative/careless mitts,sent one of her staff to have demanded its return. .or even had him served a legal notice to compel him to turn it over.

However, the fact that she left it with Siegfried even though she's not currently on speaking terms with him gets me to think that maybe she's just waiting to cool off before she decides whether there could be a future. . .or grab that manuscript so she'd have absolutely NOTHING  more to tie herself to him!

Also, I just remembered that Mrs. Pumphrey mentioned her French butler Marcel having cooked for Tricki via that being the possible source of that irritating chicken bone. No, we haven't seen Marcel but it seems likely that she's pulled the right strings to keep him in her employee as a foreign national so he can have a safe refuge despite his nation currently being occupied. Of course, that would bring up how he is dealing with his loved ones being behind enemy lines,etc. but that's not being touched upon.

Since the Matron and military hospital are occupying the Pumphrey Manor, I suppose this means that Marcel is in that guest cottage along with Mrs. Pumphrey and Tricki (and likely was getting worried about their very lengthy veterinary appointment in town).

[cardigirl]

11 hours ago, One4Sorrow2TooBad said:

In the scene where Tristen was going to piggyback  Siegfried  across the ditch, ,didn't Tristen say it was too deep when they entered the water and they decided to find another way around it???

No, he'd left his bottle of wine on the ground and went back to get it.

[Doublemint]

I wish they would change the name of the show.  It's a very nice show, but it is not All Creatures Great & Small.  This episode has really jumped the shark, so to speak.  Mrs. Pumphrey sitting in a kitchen for hours,  watching a baby & taking phone messages?  The two brothers staggering about with ripped clothing looked like two actors to me.  James from delirium antics to deathly ill suffering.  Mrs. Hall filling multiple jars with jam from a small pot on the stove.   Even the dogs - they never move from the basket for hours. 

[JudyObscure]

I'm glad I was forewarned about the multiple babies, because the one downstairs sure didn't look like the one upstairs, I thought for a second he'd had an accident on the way up.  Heh.  They're all cuties, though.

Helen is such a good actress, her worry for James was palpable and she manages to make her face light up every time she looks at her baby.

My favorite moments are the dogs doing stuff.  Jess's eyes looking over the edge of the table when they eat is so real and funny and they all three were wanting a taste of the strawberry preserves.

After remembering that Miss Grantley was from "Middlemarch,"  I had to go to Tubi and watch all seven hours again.  Still as good as I remembered it.

[magdalene]

44 minutes ago, JudyObscure said:

'm glad I was forewarned about the multiple babies, because the one downstairs sure didn't look like the one upstairs, I thought for a second he'd had an accident on the way up.  Heh.  They're all cuties, though.

Aren't babies on TV and in movies always twins because of the rules of how much a single baby can "work"?

[libgirl2]

31 minutes ago, magdalene said:

Aren't babies on TV and in movies always twins because of the rules of how much a single baby can "work"?

I'm pretty sure that is true. 

[iMonrey]

14 hours ago, Blergh said:

But a manuscript? That's their work in progress chock full of notes, sources,etc. No way would an author have deliberately left said manuscript (barring risk to life or limb) in the hands of someone they'd want ZILCH to do with again!

I believe she said it was a backup copy or some such. Can't remember the exact words she used, but it sounded like something she could live without.

[Sarah 103]

I think part of the problem with Siegfried and Tristan is that it is really hard to change established patterns and roles in a family. 

3 hours ago, magdalene said:

Aren't babies on TV and in movies always twins because of the rules of how much a single baby can "work"?

You are correct. It is usually twins or triplets due to rules about how long babies are allowed to be working/on camera. 

[Driad]

I enjoyed seeing Mrs. Hall and Mrs. Pumphrey in the kitchen.  Also Tricki making friends with the Skeldale House dogs.

Hoping Mrs. P. and her chef will be less indulgent with Tricki.  In my experience, spaniels tend to be the best at "pathetic puppy eyes," so Dash might be the best of those three. Luckily for Dash's health, Mrs. Hall is no pushover.

[JudyObscure]

7 hours ago, magdalene said:

Aren't babies on TV and in movies always twins because of the rules of how much a single baby can "work"?

That's what I'd always heard so I was surprised to see these aren't twins.  Jimmy is played by five different babies (and not quints.)  The head shape is very different.

"Rachel Shenton: I have so many cute and funny moments with the babies. The bulk of my time has been spent with them. Of course, babies aren’t legally allowed to work more than a few hours a day and our filming days are 12 hours, so we had five different babies, five different Jimmys, in total."

Edited Tuesday at 11:24 PM by JudyObscure

[Orcinus orca]

1 hour ago, JudyObscure said:

The head shape is very different.

Could be one of the reasons for all of the hats initially.

[HoodlumSheep]

ngl this was't one of my fav episodes.

i feel like things didn't quite mesh that well between the two main plots.

that's...a lot of strawberries. how big were their victory gardens again???

drunk seigfried and tristan at the end with the jabberwocky recitation was a fun bit.

[Dowel Jones]

I was so irritated with Tristan's antics and attitudes that I was hoping for a Jabberwock to appear in that briar patch and give him a thrashing or two.  Just after the briar patch, they had a nice, scenic walk along that path in the woods with the stone curbing.  That was pretty.  I have to imagine Siegfried won't be able to show himself in the Drovers Arms without a good round of laughter from all those who saw them walk into town.

Mrs. Pumphrey with her comment about lack of treats...  Heh.  My little dog looked me right then with a side-eye.  "I heard that."

By the way, a shuffling horse (the farmer's acquisition) is one that has a special gait that makes for a smoother ride, and thus more popular at fairs and such.

[BooksRule]

With  Tristan and Siegfried wandering around, I fully expected them to wind up back at the car on the road. I was surprised when they actually made it back to the village.

I did laugh at Siegfried's description of taking a sobriety test: 'I plassed with fying covers...colors.'

Those were the most beautiful strawberries I've ever seen, and even with using half the sugar I would love to have some of that jam.

[iMonrey]

Regardless of the stories, one thing this show always boasts is fantastic scenery porn. Those shots of Siegfried and Tristan at that farm . . . the background, I would have sworn it was CGI or a painted backdrop, all those green pastures and rolling hills. Wow. 

[John Potts]

On 1/24/2025 at 12:09 AM, possibilities said:

Did people get scurvy or other forms of malnutrition a lot during the rationing? I am trying to get a sense of whether it was just the lack of luxury items and abundant choices, or if people were truly starving.

Quite the opposite if anything. The reduced meat and sugar intake (replaced largely with vegetable substitutes) meant it was actually the healthiest diet Britain ever had (in the main). Might not have been very exciting, but it was healthier than today's diet.

On 1/27/2025 at 3:15 AM, possibilities said:

Did people get notified by telegram of casualties? That seems very callous

Most (or at least many) people wouldn't have phones in their own homes, but telegrams would reach (almost) anyone within a day. And if the worst happened, most people would want to know ASAP.

On 2/3/2025 at 7:32 AM, Dowel Jones said:

Carmody shouldn't ask about the nature of the injury, because everyone in there was injured seriously enough that they had to be sent back to England.

I wondered if Tristan might have thought his injury was self inflicted. A leg injury would buy you time in hospital even if it didn't get you medically discharged and Tristan wanted to let him keep his pride (or worse, facing charges). Tristan could have been wrong, but he might have believed that was the case.

[possibilities]

5 minutes ago, John Potts said:

Most (or at least many) people wouldn't have phones in their own homes, but telegrams would reach (almost) anyone within a day. And if the worst happened, most people would want to know ASAP.

I didn't think of the phone at all, actually; I was more thinking of notifying people in person. But I suppose that in wartime, it's not practical to dispatch someone to the home of each casualty. 

 

[tennisgurl]

I cant believe that there is only one episode left, damn these short UK seasons! I really liked this episode, it dealt with so many things that have been going on all season in such a sweet realistic way. The acting is always good on this show, but everyone was really bringing their best here. 

I knew that something was wrong with James as soon as he started doing his one man show for everyone in the waiting room, that feels so unlike him, I knew that his illness was coming back. It was really hard seeing him so sick and clearly hurting from what happened to his flight crew and seeing Helen so scared (while trying to stay calm) but it did at least lead to that lovely talk between him and Helen where he finally admitted to his survivors guilt and Helen was able to comfort him, they're such an adorable couple. Them and their five babies! 

I think that Tristan and Siegfried also had some stuff they needed to talk about. Its funny that Tristan accused Siegfried of being annoyed with him for not being sufficiently angsty after the war as that is something I have heard fans talking about as well, but I think Tristan's response has been very in character. He really has been lucky not to be in the worst of it and he is aware of that when he gets called up again it could get a lot worse, so of course he wants to have some fun, and he really just isn't a person to let the bad things that happen drag him down. Really, I don't think that Siegfried wants Tristan to be more miserable, I think that he and Tristan both want to relate to each other as adults in a way that they haven't before, beyond stern older brother and goofy younger one. It was really nice seeing them get to bond and goof around together, I bet that was some strong sauce, those farmers make one hell of a bottle of wine!

Good on Mrs. Pumphrey for helping out so much, I loved getting some of her backstory and her chat with Mrs. Hall. The episode was a really gentle but profound way of looking at war and how it affects people in so many ways outside of the actual battles, which I thought was really interesting.

[Calvada]

I loved the Siegfried and Tristan follies.  When Tris gave that horse the injection and it just keeled over, the looks on their faces were priceless.  The actors played that really well.  

Does brucellosis cause delirium?  When Helen was taking James' temp, I was expecting her to announce it was 103 or 104 degrees, not "over 100."  It didn't seem like that was high enough to cause delirium, but does the disease cause that, regardless of body temp?  He recovered pretty quickly for being as sick as he was. 

Mrs. Hall really is a saint.  She deals calmly with clothing coated in mud/blood/feces, gets Tristan to accompany his brother on calls, makes a couple dozen jars of jam, takes care of Jimmy, answers the phone, comforts a distressed Helen, has time to make cups of tea for all, and never gets frazzled.  

[Shanna Marie]

One thing I like about this series is that the characters who'd be in the villain role in a lot of shows are allowed to be good. Like Mrs. Pumphrey. The stereotype for that kind of character would be that she's the bitchy lady of the manor who expects everyone to cater to her every whim and makes life miserable for everyone else. But while she does sort of expect them to cater to her whims about her dog, that's because she dotes on her dog, not because she's being lady of the manor. She's a genuinely good person, like in this episode, when she jumps in to help (didn't they say in a past episode that she married into that position but didn't come from that social class?).

In a more typical series, Tristan would have been a rival to James, trying to undercut him. It kind of looked like they were going to go that way when he first appeared and nearly got James in trouble, but then Tristan turned out to be a good guy instead of a jerk (even if he can be a bit flighty), and he and James are like brothers. It was a fun little twist that he hasn't been masking PTSD, that he really has been having not too bad a time (unless it turns out that this was part of the masking).

It's rather nice watching something where no one's really evil, and even the annoying people mostly have good intentions (well, aside from the guy trying to scam free medical treatment for his goat). I'm going to miss it after the finale next week. I have Passport and could have watched the whole season already, but I'm spreading it out. Maybe I'll go back and rewatch from the beginning of the series because it's just what I need right now.

[Blergh]

I have to admit that I liked that one moment of Mrs. Pumphrey's temporarily regaining her former flightiness  (going back to ascribing stuff far beyond Tricki's actual knowledge,etc.) when she said that Tricki was willing to do his part to sacrifice for the war effort.

Still, I agree that it was good to see her actually jump in to help the overwhelmed Mrs. Hall (and Helen) when she could have left in an angry huff (and would have had the right to have done so)- and extra points for having her actually winding up having been helpful instead of the trope of being a well-intended but causing more problems via her input!